Life With Lucas July-September 2025

Jeff's Bible notes are always so approachable, honest and down to earth, you can't fail to benefit from them FIONA CASTLE OBE

WITH LUCAS APPLYING GOD’S WORD TODAY

JULY – SEPTEMBER 2025

Rediscovering Jesus

A WORD FROM JEFF

WELCOME TO LIFE WITH LUCAS!

It’s a phrase that we Christians often use to describe our decision to follow Jesus: ‘I came to know the Lord.’ That’s an accurate wayto talk about the life of faith: we begin a journey of knowing Him, and that trek continues on into eternity.

We pursue a lifelong pathway of discovery. But the challenging question is this: are we growing in our knowledge of who He is, steadily getting to know Him better? And is it possible that we have formed pictures and perceptions of Him that are not entirely accurate? How well do we represent the true Jesus?

As we turn to the gospel of Matthew, we find a series of encounters which provide us with clear portraits of Jesus: what He did, what He thought, and how He reacted to need, challenge, foolishness and faith.

As we reflect on some of those episodes, we can catch a fresh and greater glimpse of His true beauty and glory and be renewed in our love for and commitment to Him as a result.

As we’ll see right from the start of our study, we’re asking for something big from the Lord: that we will discover Jesus anew. With the help of the Holy Spirit, that prayer can be answered.

God bless you, and, as always, thank you for joining me!

VIDEO INTRODUCTION

lifewithlucas.co.uk /intros

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INTRODUCTION

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LIFE WITH LUCAS! CHOOSE A TIME Find the best time that works for you, ideally the same time, same place every day, when you can concentrate and have the least number of distractions.

PAUSE AND TALK TO GOD Take a moment to focus on God and ask Him to speak to you as you read and reflect on His word.

READ GOD’S WORD Read the daily passage from your Bible. Don’t be tempted just to skip this part. It’s important: who knows how the Holy Spirit might speak to you as you read the actual text?

MAKE NOTES

ONLINE VIDEO INTRODUCTIONS, AND GOING DEEPER W hen you see the video icon, this points you to a brief Video Introduction to the subject.

Make the most of the occasional Going Deeper resources when you see this icon. They will help you delve further into the passage.

GIVE YOUR DAY TO GOD Thank God for what you’ve learned and ask for help if the day’s notes brought to light anything especially applicable to your life at the moment.

Writing slows you down and helps you focus. Write in your Bible, a notebook, or in the white space in the devotions. Don’t hesitate to underline, write in the margins, or circle words.

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TUES 01 JULY

A BIG PRAYER

READ Acts 9:1-6 Philippians 3:1-14

FOCUS 'Who are you, Lord?’

Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus,’ he replied.

Acts 9:5

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

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Perhaps like me, you hesitate when it comes to praying ‘big’ prayers. We can be reluctant to ask God to do something miraculous. But as we begin this new season of reflection together, I am asking the Lord to do nothing less than help us to rediscover Jesus – who He really is, in all His beauty and splendour.

Before we even turn to Matthew’s gospel, let’s think about how important it is for us to grow in our knowledge of Him. On the Damascus Road, Paul had an encounter which prompted him to ask, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Around 30 years later, as Paul writes his letter to the Philippians, he is still passionate about knowing Jesus more, acknowledging it to be a lifetime endeavour. Even after loving and serving the Lord for so long, he knows his understanding of the person of Christ was far from complete: ‘I consider everything to be nothing compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. To know him is the best thing of all... I want to know Christ better’ (Phil. 3:8,10).

This was Paul’s all-consuming ambition – everything else that he did, his endurance in all the many trials that he suffered, all flowed from that relationship that was personal and intimate: knowing Jesus, and not just knowing about Jesus.

‘Who are you, Lord?’ Surely that’s the most important question we can ever ask of Jesus, and one that’s not just for the beginning of our Christian journeys, but ongoing, every day, until we see Him face to face.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know You, but I want to know You more. And so today I ask: ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Amen.

WED 02 JULY

PAUL’S PRAYER FOR OTHERS

READ Ephesians 1:15-17 Colossians 1:1-10

FOCUS I want you to know God better.

Ephesians 1:17

Yesterday we saw Paul’s primary purpose: getting to know Jesus more. And he was desperate for the church to join him. In his opening comments to the believers in Ephesus and Colossae, he shares the primary focus of his prayers for them: that they would know God better.

The regular Greek word for personal knowing is gnosis, but Paul uses the word epignosis (he uses it 15 times) which means, ‘a full deep knowledge, rather than a superficial acquaintance’. Some scholars link the word with the Old Testament Hebrew word yada which has a similar meaning and speaks of intimate understanding. Yada can also refer to human sexual intercourse, which is why, in describing the relationship between Adam and Eve, Genesis tells us that Adam ‘knew’ his wife.

As we hear Paul’s heart, we become aware of the greatest need for the church and for us individually: that we are a people who don’t just gather more information about the Lord, but who are daily walking in an intimate relationship with Him. Many early Christians were martyred – and tragically, globally, many still are. Surely they have not laid down their lives for an idea – a doctrine even – but have been willing to lose everything in order to remain faithful to their living friend, Jesus. One glorious day, we will see Him, know Him completely, and be like Him (1 Cor. 13:12, 1 John 3:1-3). In the meantime, let’s know Him better as we walk arm in arm with Him by faith.

Prayer: Lord, may this be my primary, passionate prayer for those that I love: may they know You, and each day, know You better. Amen.

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THUR 03 JULY

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL

READ John 17:1-3 John 15:1-17

FOCUS ‘And what is eternal life? It is knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’

John 17:3

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We’ve seen that Paul’s prayerful priority was for the Church to know Jesus better. And his passion entirely reflects the mission of Jesus Himself, who came so that His work on the cross would tear down all barriers between us and Him. Throughout the Old Testament, a covenant relationship with God was viewed as knowing Him, not just knowing about Him. Now, in His own prayer before heading towards Calvary, Jesus affirms the purpose for His work: to not only enable us to know God, but to spend all of eternity knowing Him more as His friends.

We Christians often speculate about what our heavenly future will look like: will we know each other, what we will be doing, will we travel around the universe, together with many other questions. The Bible doesn’t offer too much information about what is ahead, but this much is certain: we will experience utter togetherness with Jesus, and will know Him always, uninterrupted. It’s possible to reduce Christianity to a personal moral code and belief system, or an agenda for serving. But the heart of the gospel is about us growing and deepening in our knowledge of God. Back in the garden of Eden, the first couple originally lived life as it was intended to be – in communion with the Lord. The story of God and Abraham does the same. While we don’t hear Him walking around in our gardens, the beautiful invitation to all is that, by faith, we navigate life together with Him, today, and always.

Prayer: I am grateful, Lord, that I can draw close to You, and You beckon me to come with confidence into closeness and intimacy. Amen.

FRI 04 JULY

WHAT WE THINK ABOUT GOD

READ John 16:1-16 John 14:26

FOCUS 'But when theSpirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.'

John 16:13

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

As we’ve been reflecting on God’s passion for us to spend our lives getting to know Him better, let’s consider how that priority affects us. A. W. Tozer said, ‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.1 How true that is. The Christian disciple is called to be gradually shaped into the image of God, through the ongoing work of the Spirit.

If we view God as irritable, hyper-critical, or smouldering with anger, then not only will we live nervous, fearful lives, but we will end up becoming like the God we envisage.

As my amazing editor, Ali Hull says, ‘Some Christians are boring and miserable because they think that’s what God is like!’ C. S. Lewis expanded Tozer’s claim, suggesting that what is more significant is what we believe about what He thinks about us (far be it from me to challenge the great Lewis, but I think he was splitting hairs).

As we’ll see in a disturbing example next week, we can all subconsciously create a grossly inaccurate idea of Jesus. Church history shows Jesus was portrayed as a perfect monk in sixth century monasticism, as a feudal debtor in the middle ages, as a humanitarian teacher in the Enlightenment, and a social liberator in twentieth century Latin America. We can all be guilty of forming a perception of God that aligns with our comfort zones or reflects our worst fears.

How we need the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of truth – to reveal the truth about Jesus today.

Prayer: How easily I can be mistaken about You, Jesus. Spirit of Christ, show me the real Jesus afresh. Amen.

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A W Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (26 Jun. 2017), p5

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WEEKEND 05 - 06 JULY

A PATCHWORK VISION

READ 1 Corinthians 13:1-12 1 John 3:1-3

Readers might be surprised to know I really enjoyed a book about the art of quilting, written by an Amish writer. I’ve not attempted to make a quilt myself, but I was fascinated by the thinking behind the beautiful patchwork creations. Let’s hold an image of a patchwork quilt in our minds for a moment – and recognise our perception of Jesus is rather like that. It is a collection of lots of different things: our upbringing, personal history and choice of church, and what we have listened to, read in Scripture, understood from sermons, books, shared conversations and song lyrics. These things are but a few of the ‘patches’ that shape our understanding of what He is like. Add to this that our perception of Jesus is shaped by our preferences and even prejudices, and what has been emphasised and what has been neglected – and we see our need for the Holy Spirit’s revelation.

To switch metaphors, this side of the fulness of eternity, we view Jesus through the ‘mirror’ of temporal living. In Paul’s day, mirrors were made of polished metal, often creating distorted images. Commentators note that few Christians would have been able to afford a metal mirror of good quality. Even a modern glass mirror reverses the image, and does not offer a perfect likeness. No wonder Paul said that we see Jesus ‘dimly’ (1 Cor. 13:12, RSV) – the word means ‘riddle’.

Thankfully, this ‘dim view’ that we have is but temporary – the time is coming when we will see Jesus in utter, glorious clarity. What a day that will be!

To ponder: Let’s think about some of the ‘patches’ that have shaped our view of Jesus.

What has been helpful – or perhaps unhelpful?

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MON 07 JULY

LIVES THAT POINT THE WAY

READ Matthew 5:13-16 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

FOCUS ‘In the same way, let your light shine in front of others.

Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father who is in heaven.’

Matthew 5:16

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Catholic priest William Barry remarks, ‘We all have our own default view of God.’ Do we ever wonder what people who are not followers of Jesus think about what He is like? Some go beyond the ‘big guy in the sky’ notion and have obviously been shaped by disturbing incidents in their lives. Dr. Peter Kuzmic, an authority on Christian ministry in postCommunist contexts, met with a Ukrainian student and asked her to choose an image that most represented God to her from a group of photos. She pointed to a picture of a hand holding a lizard – and the lizard was biting the hand. She obviously viewed God as both vicious and unpredictable.

And then we have to face the uncomfortable truth that too often, we the Church have failed to represent Jesus well, leading many to come up with impressions about Him that are totally false. Kuzmic says, ‘In going out to evangelize I frequently tell our seminary students that our main task may be simply to ‘wash the face of Jesus, for it has been dirtied and distorted by... the compromises of institutional Christianity through the centuries.’2 In the light of recent scandals around safeguarding failures in the Church and the reluctance to deal with them, let’s remember that when the Church fails, Jesus’ face is smeared.

When we tell people about Jesus, let’s not assume they will associate His name with love, goodness or beauty. And let’s ask for grace to represent Him well in our own lives today.

Prayer: Help me to live in such a way that points others to You, Jesus. May this be true of me, especially when I am under pressure. Amen.

Quoted from an article, ‘A Credible Response to Secular Europe’ in the Evangelical Review of Theology, June 1994.

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TUES 08 JULY

OVERREACTING

READ Romans 8:28-29 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

FOCUS God planned that those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the first and most honoured among many brothers.

Romans 8:29

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

As I’ve often mentioned, we are all pendulums, prone to swinging wildly. When it comes to our beliefs, we can feel like we are the ones who are right and balanced.

So, in seeking to correct false notions, such as that Jesus is harsh, we can swing in the other direction and try to make Him fit into our comfortable images of Him, and that is an equal error.

The eighteenth-century French philosopher Voltaire taught that since creation, when God made humanity in His image, humanity has been trying to return the favour. When we consider the Jesus who is portrayed in the gospels, we discover that He can be angry, direct, even scathing towards religious hypocrites. He calls us to radical discipleship, to hand over our lives in their entirety to Him. We must reject an airbrushed, glossy Jesus. Dorothy L Sayers laments, ‘The church has very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, and certified him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.’3 (with apologies for her lack of respect for clergy and the elderly!)

To try to revise Jesus is an unholy mission, but we can pursue it all too easily. When we view Him as the God of our preferences or of our nation, the One who always shares our opinions, or who asks nothing demanding or uncomfortable of us, we surely grieve His heart. He wants us to be shaped to be like Him, through the daily work of the Holy Spirit, and not to seek to make Him like us, or like we want Him to be.

Prayer: Make me more like You today, Jesus.

Help me to never seek to change You into what I might want You to be. Amen.

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Dorothy L. Sayers, Letters to a Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine

WED 09 JULY

WHAT WE FEEL ABOUT GOD

READ Ephesians 3:14-19 Luke 2:8-10

FOCUS And may you know his love, even though it can’t be known completely. Then you will be filled with everything God has for you.

Ephesians 3:19

We have looked at how what we think about God affects the way we live generally and how we approach Him specifically.

But beyond what we think, how we feel about Him matters too. What we believe – the biblical doctrines underpinning our faith – can be clearly identified, examined, discussed and questioned. But our feelings about God are more elusive and difficult to quantify. And sometimes what we think and what we feel are diametrically opposed. We totally believe in a God who loves us utterly as we are, but then, for reasons that we can’t explain, we feel that perhaps He is constantly disapproving, even angry with us.

I’m intrigued by the various angelic appearances that we find throughout Scripture. There’s a fascinating pattern that emerges. An angel appears, and the human being quickly moves into a time of loud screaming, unnerved by bumping into a winged warrior from another world. So before delivering any information (usually unexpectedly wonderful news), the angel will address the feelings of the terrified human, with calming words like ‘Don’t be afraid.’

So as we think about rediscovering Jesus and knowing Him better, perhaps we’d do well to consider how we generally feel about Him. If we have a tendency to negative feelings, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to show us why we feel that way, bring some healing to us, and renew our minds. What we think about Him matters. But what we feel about Him matters too.

Prayer: Renew my mind and heart, and heal me from feelings about You that are not based on truth, Father. Amen.

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THUR 10 JULY

INVISIBLE AND QUIET

READ Psalms 13:1-6 Psalm 4:1-8

FOCUS Lord my God, look at me and answer me. Give me new life, or I will die.

Psalm 13:3

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We’ve seen God’s priority is that we grow to know Him better. But let me pose what might seem a rather awkward question: how do we get better acquainted with someone who is invisible, and often, at least to me, quiet?

No irreverence is intended by my comment, but even though I have had a number of experiences where God clearly spoke to me, the truth is they have been few and far between. Some might tell me I’m not being attentive enough to hear His voice, and perhaps they are right. But I am not one of those Christians who has daily encounters with the Lord, and I’ve never once heard His audible voice. And there are times when it feels like God is actually being elusive.

The ancients called these seasons deus absconditus – the times when God seems to abscond. It appears that God will at times allow us to feel He is not there, even though He has promised that He is.

So what can we do to deepen our knowledge of Him? Perhaps the answer is obvious. God reveals Himself in Scripture, so we are going to study Matthew’s portraits of Jesus. We can learn from our journeys through life with Christ – a good reason for journalling.

As we hear from the experiences of other believers, we discover more of His character.

And embracing the disciplines of silence and solitude will help us to tune into His whispers.

But in seeking to know Jesus more, let’s remember the Christian life is a walk of faith and trust – especially when all seems silent.

Prayer: When You speak, may I be attuned to Your voice, Father. When You seem silent, may I trust, and grow deeper in faith. Amen.

FRI 11 JULY

THE BEAUTIFUL ONE (1)

READ Psalm 27:1-14 Psalm 29:1-11

FOCUS I’m asking the Lord for only one thing.

Here is what I want...

I want to look at the beauty of the Lord.

Psalm 27:4

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas.co.uk/ goingdeeper

Before we begin our journey through Matthew’s portraits of Jesus, let’s look first at God. The Old Testament provides us with a rich and multi-layered portrait of the beautiful God. He is the genius Creator, the Maker of the intricate, varied and imaginative triumph that is creation. He is the source of life to all, in His lavish offering of common grace, as all of creation has always been sustained daily and enriched by His tending and empowering. Rainfall and sunshine flow from His hand; He is good both to the atheist and the believer.

Even in judgement, His kindness is evident, in his ‘making garments of skin’ for the ashamed first couple. His generosity is demonstrated in His willingness to give away authority, calling Adam to participate in the naming of creation, and the patriarchs to participate in His adventure. He gives the law, which was an act of grace. His tender heart is melted for the poor and the oppressed. Bountiful forgiveness is offered through tearful prophets, and He shows compassion for even ‘heathen’ Nineveh. The psalmists search for language sufficiently rich to celebrate His steadfast love.

The subject of grace is so vast, so comprehensive, that to even consider any kind of exploration of ‘the incomparable riches of His grace’ (Eph 2:7, NIV) is like opening the door of a bank vault, only to discover that it is miles wide. Grace has touched every second of pre-history and human history, and will pervade eternity.

Prayer: As I catch a glimpse of what is true beauty – You, Lord – I can only worship and give You thanks. I am Yours, and You are mine. Amen.

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WEEKEND 12 - 13 JULY

THE BEAUTIFUL ONE (2)

READ Titus 3:3-7 Ephesians 2:1-10

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The melody of grace is loud and clear in the New Testament, where grace is seen in the foreground, and then offered to the wider world beyond Israel. The hope of grace of the Old Testament is now fulfilled in the coming of Christ.

Jesus exuded grace. In Luke’s record, grace rested upon Him from infancy and subsequently He grew in grace, and spoke gracious words. In Him, grace is outrageous, given at the prerogative of God to the undeserving through the scandal of the cross.

His forgiveness is beautiful, in that it leads us way beyond legal pardon, into friendship with Himself. He is the transforming sculptor who can take our marred mess and make us into something like Himself, a lifelong project that He tends to with such patience.

His tenderness is ours, offering sustenance during trial, wisdom to the confounded and confused, signs to the lost, boldness to the fearful, and strength to the tempted. Indeed, every step in the process of the Christian life is due to grace – our own talents and abilities are fruits of His grace at work in us.

And ultimately, grace ‘will lead us home’. In John’s Gospel, the idea of grace is related to eternal life: eternity for the Christian is not just endless existence, but being with Jesus, part of the redeemed community, experiencing His eternal kindness.

When we consider God’s beauty, we consider the consistent song of Scripture. As we will see tomorrow, it is a beauty like no other.

To ponder: In what ways have you experienced the beautiful grace of Jesus?

MON 14 JULY

BEAUTY REDEFINED

READ Philippians 2:1-11 Isaiah 53:1-6

FOCUS He made himself nothing. He took on the very nature of a servant. He was made in human form.

Philippians 2:7

The word ‘beauty’ needs some redemption. It is a rich word that has been hijacked in recent years. Beauty has become synonymous with glamour, which it is not. A person may be attractive in appearance and yet be truly ugly because of selfishness or spite. When it comes to beauty, God is Spirit, and therefore physical attributes are irrelevant, but His matchless beauty is found in the wonderful nature of who He is. And His beauty is not associated with the traditional male forms of strength, or being handsome and strong: on the contrary, His beauty is mingled with and rooted in vulnerability – as a choice that He has willingly made, and continues to make.

He is the bloodied, yet victorious rescuer.

On the cross, Jesus became a truly ugly and gory object of scorn: and yet the strange sight of Him at Calvary is the most awesome sight that there has ever been. He is stunning in his servant-weakness.

Grace comes as we see afresh that God is ‘for me,’ ‘for us’ – that He has travelled such a distance, gone through such unspeakable pain, and become so vulnerable in order to draw us close to Himself. And He is beautiful, not because He became weak as an unwitting victim, but because He chose to embrace suffering in His endless pursuit of us. Paradoxically, in that place of weakness we see His great strength – but then isn’t it true that the ‘weakest’ people are often those who are truly the strongest, because their harrowing experiences have given them moral muscle that most of us can only dream about?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, in Your serving, in Your sacrifice, in Your love that gave all for us, for me, You are truly beautiful. I worship You. Amen.

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TUES 15 JULY

BEAUTY: A HEART FOR THE LOSERS

READ Luke 5:27-32 Psalm 3:1-8

FOCUS Jesus answered them, 'Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor.

Sick people do.’

Luke 5:31

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In the biblical portrayal, as we see His insistence on touching the last, the least and the lost, we find our God, who is whole, reaching out to the broken. Like often attracts like, in human relationships. The handsome and the gorgeous herd together in school, leaving the less attractive and least athletic out in the cold. Not so with God: His true beauty shines out for the people on the edges, as He comes as a physician to tend to the sick – which includes you and me.

We can only enter the Kingdom on the basis of acknowledging that we are all, in a sense, losers – whatever our natural abilities or accomplishments. God’s people know they will only gain a pass through the One who has passed the test for us all. So, let’s count ourselves in. Grace is a call to every one of us: none are excluded.

As we turn to Matthew’s gospel tomorrow, let’s pray again that God might take us on a renewed journey of discovery, one that will renew our perception of who He is. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to strip away masks that have been placed over the face of Jesus over the years, disfiguring Him, and making it difficult for us to draw near to Him with peace. That vision will be focused as we choose to soak our hearts and minds in Scripture. Walking in a greater sense of grace begins with us seeing afresh a biblical vision of the God who truly is beautiful, the One so stunning that He is called ‘our glory, the One who lifts our heads high’ (Psa. 3:3, NIV).

Prayer: In my lostness, You found me, and brought me home. In my weakness, You are my strength. Thank You. Amen.

WED 16 JULY

JESUS IS SURPRISING

READ Matthew 3:13-17 Mark 1:21-22

FOCUS But John tried to stop him. He told Jesus, ‘I need to be baptized by you. So why do you come to me?’

Matthew 3:14

As we turn to this first encounter, when Jesus came to be baptized, we see John was confused – a feeling we can share. Why would Jesus need baptism? He was not a sinner, and so surely this public act, closely associated with repentance, could give the wrong idea to any witnesses. Even John the baptizer was anxious, feeling the roles should be reversed, and Jesus should be baptizing him. The wording of this episode suggests John repeatedly tried to deter Jesus from being baptized.

For two millennia, commentators have wrestled with this episode and offered various answers. Some say Jesus was fully identifying with and endorsing John’s ministry by going down into the water. Others think that, as a man, Jesus was emerging into the full realisation that He was the Son of God and did this to seek confirmation from the Father – confirmation that came as the Spirit descended and the voice from heaven spoke.

Still others suggest that, in commanding His followers to be baptized, Jesus was leading by example.

Whatever the reason, Jesus is introduced as amazing and surprising. He is consistent and faithful – but not predictable. Tom Wright writes: ‘Part of the challenge of this passage is to learn afresh to be surprised by Jesus.

He comes to fulfil God’s plans, not ours, and even his prophets sometimes seem to misunderstand what he’s up to. He will not always play the music we expect.’4 When was the last time we allowed Jesus to surprise us?

Prayer: Save me from the temptation to ‘deter’ You, Lord Jesus. When life surprises, when You surprise, may I trust and be faithful. Amen.

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Wright, T. Matthew for Everyone, (London: SPCK, 2004) p22

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THUR 17 JULY

CALLED AND LOVED

READ Matthew 3:16-17 Isaiah 42:1

FOCUS A voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.’

Matthew 3:17

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It’s what often happens to busy people, especially those who are busily engaged in ministry, within the church or beyond it. Preoccupied with our responsibilities, we faithfully deliver, sometimes when we least feel like it. Trustworthy, competent people tend to attract more ‘opportunities’ for serving, because others feel confident we will serve well. Before long, we’re so overloaded, we’re exhausted and resentful, and most importantly, we’ve forgotten why we are serving: that we love God and He loves us. We don’t have time to pray, to listen, or to relax. We’re headed for burnout.

At baptism, Jesus the man receives ultimate confirmation that He truly is the Son of God – a messianic title. Scripture doesn’t reveal how He reached that understanding, but we must assume it dawned gradually. Not only is He now assured of His role and ministry as rescuer, He is also reminded of the Father’s love for Him. Scripture repeatedly tells us we are greatly loved by God, but how easily we forget. The words of love no longer move us. Or we tend to think of God’s love generally, for the world, rather than the truth that He loves us, specifically, right now, as we are. Perhaps some of us have lost sight of that truth, because of busyness or failure.

Let’s remember we don’t work to earn God’s love, but we work and serve because we’re greatly loved. Let’s live in the good of that truth today, and if we struggle with it, pray that God will make it real to us.

Prayer: Settle me deeply in Your love today, Lord, and may my heart be set at peace because of it. Amen.

FRI 18 JULY

SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE

READ Matthew 4:18-20 Philippians 3:1-14

FOCUS They were Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake. Theywere fishermen.

Matthew 4:18

It seems very strange. A handful of chaps are going about their everyday business as commercial fishermen, casting a net into the shallows, hopeful for a bumper catch. Then, in a moment, everything changes for them forever, as Jesus comes by. He speaks just a few words of invitation, and their response is radical. They immediately leave the tools of their trade – the word used can mean, ‘abandoned’ – and join Him. The question we’ll ponder over the next few days is, ‘Why?’ What was it about Jesus that made Him so compelling – His call so irresistible?

Before we consider that question further, let’s affirm that many of those who met Jesus viewed Him as worth more than the comforts and even security of life. Ultimately, most of the disciples would end up dying as martyrs because they loved Him so; and when we turn to Paul the apostle and hear his testimony, we discover that he viewed his former life as a learned and respected Pharisee as worthless – the word that Paul uses to describe his preChristian life is skubalon. Only used once in the New Testament, I believe Paul chose it carefully. Some translations render it ‘dung’, and others, attempting to sanitize Paul’s language, translate it as ‘rubbish’ – but the word is often used in ancient literature to describe human excrement.

This Jesus of ours is the single most wonderful, loving, and unique person in the universe: when following Him is tough, let’s remember what we believe, and who we follow.

Prayer: When You call, may I respond without hesitation, amazing, stunning Jesus. Amen.

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WEEKEND 19 - 20 JULY

CALLED TO BE WITH HIM

READ Matthew 4:19 Colossians 2:1-7

GOING DEEPER

lifewithlucas. co.uk/goingdeeper

When I was training for ministry at Bible college, I was one of the worst students.

I arrogantly dismissed the importance of academic work, much to the frustration of our kind and long-suffering director of studies, Julian Ward. I look back with deep regret that I didn’t give myself more fully to theological preparation. That clearly said, the call to be with Jesus was about imbibing His teaching as a rabbi. The gospels consistently portray Jesus as a rabbi: Matthew (four times), Mark (four times) and John (eight times). And the rabbis’ approach to learning was not just about reading texts, or mastering material.

Rather it focused upon being with, watching and serving the rabbi, to get to know his way of life, ‘walking in his dust’, and ultimately becoming like him as a result. There was also tension in rabbinical learning – the rabbis had no interest in a student spitting back information just for information’s sake. They wanted to know if the student understood and had wrestled with it.

The story of humanity begins in a garden, with the first couple living with a God who strolls around (Gen. 3:8). And now, through the finished work of our Jesus, the primary call to us as disciples is to be with Him. Serving follows intimacy; prayer is not just about asking from Him, but sharing our days with Him. In today’s Going Deeper, we reflect on how closely a rabbi’s disciples were to their master. Jesus loves our company!

To ponder: Are there a couple of steps that we could take to walk more closely with Jesus?

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MON 21 JULY

AUTHORITY

READ Matthew 7:24-29 John 14:1-31

FOCUS He taught like one who had authority.

He did not speak like their teachers of the law.

Matthew 7:29

I loved my late mother dearly, but she did have one fault that caused quite a few issues.

She never followed instructions, including recipes. Her Sunday roasts were epic, but other adventures in cooking led to some of the worst possible culinary experiences.

Her chicken curry could have been used as a weapon. And when concentrated washing powder was invented, she didn’t adjust the quantities needed, which meant that occasionally our family was up to our armpits in suds!

As I remember Mum’s indifference with a smile, I’m challenged. Have I drifted into a place where I see Jesus’ commands as advice to be followed or ignored at will?

Jesus functioned as a Simikhah rabbi – an exceptionally gifted teacher, whose authority was so respected, they were trusted to teach their own new interpretation of the Law. And so, in the Sermon on the Mount, He used the phrase, ‘You have heard what was said... but here is what I tell you’ (Matt. 5:21-22). His hearers were astonished by the weight of authority that He carried in His teaching. A rabbi’s unique interpretation of the meaning of Torah was popularly known as his ’yoke’ – hence Jesus’ call: ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28–30, NIV).

Perhaps some of us are struggling to obey Jesus. He is no despot, but His way is right and best. Let’s submit to His rule of love.

Prayer: When temptation persists, when obedience seems too costly, when I feel I know better, help me to submit, Jesus. Amen.

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TUES 22 JULY

THE CHOSEN

READ John 15:1-17 1 Peter 2:1-9

FOCUS ‘You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you.’

John 15:16

GOING DEEPER

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It’s one of my more painful memories from my school days. I wasn’t especially gifted when it came to sports, and I cringe as I recall the weekly moments when sides were picked for a football game. The two ridiculously handsome and athletic captains would make their picks for their teams. I would wait in horror as the ranks around me thinned, and usually I was one of the last remaining chaps to be unselected. Finally, with a shrug of the shoulders, a finger would be pointed my way. ‘Okay... I’ll take Lucas.’ Being rejected, or even reluctantly accepted, is bruising. Being chosen is a statement of confidence in the competence of the chosen one.

In Jesus’ day, a rabbi didn’t recruit. Students had to take the initiative, enquiring whether it might be possible to serve as their apprentice.

An example is found in Mark’s gospel, when a man who had been bound by demonic power was healed and delivered by Jesus, who then asked if he could join His team, and was turned down (Mark 5:19). But in the gathering of His core team, Jesus reversed the protocol, and He initiated the invitation.

This showed that He had confidence in their potential – rabbis usually only allowed the best, most educated students to join them.

To follow Jesus means to trust Him and believe in Him. But we also need to remember that Jesus believes in us! As we’ll see tomorrow, it’s all too easy to forget that truth, especially when we stumble, or are mugged by doubt.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for the confidence You have in me. Because of grace I am found among Your people. Amen.

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WED 23 JULY

REMEMBER?

READ John 15:1-17 Matthew 28:16-20

FOCUS You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit.

John 15:16

For a moment, let’s look again at a passage we read yesterday. We saw that, in the disciples’ first encounter with Jesus, it was He who did the choosing, selecting them for His team. It was three years later when He decided to refresh their memories about the choice that He had made. By now, they were in Jerusalem, and dark clouds of confusion and fear were gathering. The disciples’ hearts were troubled, and bewildered (John 14:1) because they knew Jesus was going to be leaving them. It was at this low point Jesus took them back to that first encounter. Once again, confidence was expressed; they were not with Him by accident – despite their faults and frailties, they were exactly the ones He’d wanted. The wording used here is echoed in the ordination of Levites (Num. 8:10), the choice of Joshua to succeed Moses (Num. 27:18) and for Paul being chosen as an apostle (1 Tim. 1:12).

We can all forget what we desperately need to remember, and remember what we need to forget, especially when it comes to the shadowy moments in our lives that we wish we could undo. When shame or fear shrouds us, we can feel overwhelmed. Today, let’s not just recall that Jesus believes in us, but also, He has promised to never abandon us.

However dark the current season, ultimately it will come to an end, and whatever challenges we face, we don’t do so alone.

As we remember, we can continue to live faithful and fruitful lives.

Prayer: Because I am Yours, Lord Jesus, I will never be alone again. You are with me, and I with You. I’m so grateful. Amen.

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THUR 24 JULY

CALLED TOGETHER

READ Hebrews 10:19-25 Acts 2:42-47 FOCUS Let us not give up meeting together.

Some are in the habit of doing this.

Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope.

Hebrews 10:25

GOING DEEPER

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When Jesus handpicked His team, He called them to be together with Him. In His time, a solitary individual could not do rabbinic learning; it required collaboration.

The disciple would learn in dialogue not only with their teacher, but with other apprentices through practice, mistakes, debate, misunderstanding, failure, setback, despondency, patience, success, and yet more practice. Likewise, in the Early Church, it was local groups, rather than individuals, who received the pastoral letters we know as epistles, apart from Paul’s four letters to named individuals, and it’s in this same context that the gospels would have been read and debated. When the New Testament writers were read, they were always read aloud, as they were originally intended to be, in a group setting.

Polish mountaineer Jersy Kukuczka died in October 1989 while climbing in Nepal.

He once remarked, ‘Better to be in the mountains thinking of God than in church thinking of the mountains.’5 I’ve often heard that idea, especially living in mountainous Colorado. But Jesus, the greatest teacher in history, didn’t write a book. He created a community. Yet since the isolation created by the Covid emergency in 2020, many people have stayed away from church gatherings, preferring, at best, to tune in online. I suggest that this is no substitute for physical gathering. If real limitations prevent us from being part of a local church family, let’s watch online. If not, let’s be together!

Prayer: Thank you for Your church, Lord, and for the privilege and freedom to worship and walk together with Your people. Amen.

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5

Although the origin of the quote is attributed to botanist and wilderness campaigner John Muir.

FRI 25 JULY

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

READ Matthew 4:19 John 10:1-10

FOCUS ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’

Matthew 4:19

Today a lawyer in a far distant land emailed news: I am about to inherit a huge fortune.

Apparently, someone has left 150 million pounds in an estate – but has not named a benefactor. And so this legal gentleman informs me that I am to receive this huge sum, minus his commission. I need to provide him with a few details and pay an upfront fee, and the millions will be mine. This letter is a wellknown scam, though presumably one people are still falling for! But now identity theft is a multi-billion-pound criminal industry, we’re quick to ask, ‘What’s the catch?’

Hearing Jesus tell Peter that he would ‘catch’ people might make us nervous, as if there’s some subterfuge in mission. But we needn’t fear. The words that Jesus uses mean ‘catch alive’, or ‘catch for life’. Jesus doesn’t con people with scams or small print; on the contrary, He makes it very clear that to follow Him might cost us everything. But when we ‘catch’ people, we are snatching them away from mere survival and calling them to abundant life in Christ. The image of rescuing a drowning person comes to mind. Reaching people for Christ is no sleight-of-hand con, and we can be totally truthful about the joys and pains of following Jesus. But we’re called too, to catch people alive, for life. We’re offering peace, purpose, grace, and a pattern for beautiful living, both for now and eternity, as we offer the good news of Jesus. Peter heard the call to ‘fish’. Will we?

Prayer: Make me a good fisher of people, Lord, that I might be instrumental even today in ‘catching’ people for true life in you. Amen.

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WEEKEND 26 - 27 JULY

IMMEDIATELY

READ Matthew 4:18-22 James 4:13-17

Perhaps you can remember this rather antiquated form of payment. It’s called a cheque. You simply wrote an amount of money onto the appropriate piece of paper, signed it, and backed it up with a card that guaranteed payment, if requested to do so. It wasn’t a flawless system, (cheques could be returned, if the funds were not available: while bank cards might be stolen or forged), but generally it was simple and easy. But there was an added benefit to this old-fashioned means of paying for things – that was that you could write a post-dated cheque. If you wanted to get money to somebody, but didn’t have the cleared funds immediately at your disposal, you could offer a cheque with a future date on it.

Sadly, it’s possible to offer God post-dated commitment. We do this when we know there is action to take – a relationship to repair, a sin to turn from, a commitment to regular, sacrificial financial giving. But while we insist we are going to eventually get around to it (which is comforting, if potentially self-deluding) we never actually take action. We become those who believe in responding to Jesus. We saw that as Jesus called His first disciples, Matthew repeatedly used words that speak of the immediacy of their response: Simon Peter and Andrew left their nets ‘at once’. And now James and John join the team, ‘right away’. Perhaps we know what we should do but are deluding ourselves by procrastinating or delaying. It’s time for action.

To ponder: Is there any area of our lives where we are ‘writing Jesus a post-dated cheque'?

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MON 28 JULY

JESUS AND REAL, STRONG FAITH

READ Matthew 8:1-13 Luke 22:39-46

FOCUS When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those following him, ‘...In Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong.’

Matthew 8:10

Speaking at a conference where the attendance was very low, and the dribble of people coming in had dried out, the organiser muttered to me, ‘I’m still believing for a good number to arrive.’ His comment got me thinking: what do we Christians mean when we say we’re believing for something?

In some cases, it means we won’t accept any outcome other than the one we want.

But that is hardly submitting to the will of God. And when believers use phrases like ‘I’m believing for’, there can be serious consequences. I’ve heard of believers who were terminally ill, and didn’t get to say goodbye to friends and loved ones, because they were told they should be ‘believing for a miracle’, so anything done to prepare for that miracle not happening was wrong.

In this episode where two people were healed, Matthew shows us what faith in Jesus really looks like. It means acknowledging Jesus’ authority and placing ourselves under that authority, humbly submitting our will to His. Faith means that we stand in and under the kingship of Jesus. We don’t tell Him what outcome we are prepared to accept.

Both men in this episode had that attitude of submission. The leper says, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean’, and the centurion is humble: ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.’ ‘If it be Your will’ is a prayer of faith – Jesus prayed it, in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And that sparsely attended conference?

Nobody else showed up.

Prayer: Lord, increase my faith. Amen.

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TUES 29 JULY

THE EXTRA MILE

READ Matthew 8:1-4 Mark 1:40-45 FOCUS A man who had a skin disease came and got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, ‘Lord, if you are willing to make me ‘clean’, you can do it.’

Matthew 8:2

GOING DEEPER

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As we take a closer look at Jesus’ encounter with the man with leprosy, we see a principle that is both totally obvious and easy to forget: to Jesus, people matter more than just about anything.

Jesus lived in a culture encumbered by endless rules, expectations, and traditions dominating daily life, often choking out any spontaneity. It demanded that those who suffered from major skin diseases (the leprosy spoken of in the New Testament is a blanket term covering a multitude of ailments) should keep their distance: out of sight, out of mind. This man was really ill: Dr. Luke tells us that ‘he had skin disease all over his body’ (Luke 5:12). The leper broke protocol by even approaching Jesus in the first place. But then, though Jesus could have healed him by speaking a commanding word, He chose to deliberately touch him – an action that would have shocked any who saw it (including the leper) and one that would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean. But the action spoke a thousand words: this man was not just instantly healed, but totally welcomed.

Mark, in his account of this episode, shows us why Jesus did this. ‘Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man’ (Mark 1:41, NIV).

Love means that we will do more than is strictly necessary to express our love; that we will refuse to allow social niceties and the risk of offending others, and we will take the risk that love often demands – just like Jesus did.

Prayer: Gracious God, take me beyond what is needed, and show me how to love extravagantly. Amen.

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WED 30 JULY

MIRACLES

READ Matthew 8:1-3 James 5:14-16

FOCUS Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing to do it,’ he said. ‘Be ‘clean’!’

Right away the man was healed of his skin disease.

Matthew 8:3

Over the last four decades, I’ve witnessed a few questionable ‘miracles’. Healings claimed that were unproven; people who fell to the ground (allegedly under the power of the Spirit but with help from the pushy person praying for them), and ‘words of knowledge’ that were really ‘words of general knowledge’. You don’t need a hotline to God to know that someone, somewhere in a large crowd suffers from back pain.

But I remain convinced that God does miracles. Admittedly, we don’t see nearly as many stunning healings as we would like, and the issue of why one person is healed while another stays unwell is perplexing. But the Bible commands us to pray for healing (James 5:14-16), and nowhere does Scripture hint that the potential for the supernatural will cease. As a man begs Jesus to cleanse him from leprosy, we see how a miracle should be performed. Yesterday we saw that the motive for the miracle was care and compassion. Miracles are about people, not mere firework displays for the excitement of the Christian masses.

The miracle was also credible. Jesus touches the man, not to heal him, but to prove that he was actually healed: as we saw yesterday, no Jew would touch an ‘unclean’ leper (Lev. 13-14). And Jesus insists the healing passes the scrutiny of a priest. To call for medical confirmation to authenticate a miraculous claim is not suspicious unbelief, but responsible faith. What Jesus does stands up to scrutiny.

Prayer: Father God, help me to grow in healthy, authentic faith. Amen.

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HOLY LAND TOURS OUR NEXT TOUR HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO APRIL 2026

Join Jeff and Kay Lucas on a very special tour of Israel that will transform and inform your Bible reading time.

Sharing practical, biblical insights as they travel, they will take you to the famous biblical locations, including Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Register your interest now and look forward to a well-organised and informative visit. And there will be lots of fun too!

Some highlights of the visit will be to biblical locations where Jesus walked such as the Sea of Galilee, Caeserea Philippi, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the garden of Gethsemane. We will also visit the Dead Sea, Masada and Qumran, the Garden Tomb, walk the streets of the old city of Jerusalem, and visit the Western (Wailing) Wall.

Professional local guides share their wealth of historical and archeological knowledge; Jeff offers teaching as we tour, and Jeff and Kay host the entire experience – one that some travellers have enjoyed so much they have returned to do the same trip a second and even a third time!

With excellent hotels, amazing food, and the unforgettable experience of exploring the stunning old city of Jerusalem (with markets where you can haggle for a bargain) this trip will delight and inspire. Come with us!

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To register your interest so that you are among the first to get all the information you need, visit: www.jefflucas.org

Please continue to join in prayer with us for Isreal and Gaza at this time...

–p ray for global political leaders, especially with the change of administration within the USA and also high-level changes in the Israeli core governmental leadership.

– pray for the ongoing situation with Iran.

– pray that all who mourn will be comforted.

Please pray.

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THUR 31 JULY

UNHELPFULLY HELPFUL

READ Mark 1:40-45 Luke 9:51-55

FOCUS But the man went out and started talking right away.

He spread the news to everyone.

Mark 1:45

As we leave Matthew for a moment, we turn to Mark’s gospel, because there we discover the healed leper did not obey Jesus’ clear command to be quiet about His healing. Perhaps he was overwhelmed by this instant transformation, or felt that he was helping Jesus by going public with his story. Regardless of his motive, his actions hindered Jesus’ work. To announce Him as Messiah might well have resulted in a political uprising that would only do harm.

Recently I saw television coverage of ’Christians’ who had gathered at the funeral of a gay soldier. They were screaming words of hatred and clutching ugly placards. It’s an extreme example, but those people think they are serving God, and even view the criticism they receive as confirmation they are doing the right thing. History is littered with too many examples of human beings ‘doing God a favour’. The Bible has been used to justify slavery, the hanging of a child for stealing a loaf of bread, the injustice of apartheid, and the bloodletting of the Crusades.

One of the worst things that we can do is to do God’s work in our way. Millions are being spent every day, in Jesus’ name, on unauthorised activity that seems good but that God has never sanctioned, and that ultimately does more harm than good. What do we learn about Jesus Himself from this?

He knows best, even when our ways seem right to us. He is all-knowing. Let’s do what we do His way – especially when we claim to be serving Him. Prayer: Lord, may what I do in Your name only be those acts You have called me to do. Amen.

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FRI 01 AUG

HOW TO AMAZE JESUS

READ Matthew 8:5-13 Mark 6:1-6

FOCUS He said to those following him, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. In Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong.’

Matthew 8:10

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Jesus, obviously moved by the faith of the centurion, makes a statement that was a verbal stun grenade to Jewish ears. Only in this episode does Matthew use the verb thaumazo, ‘to be amazed,’ to describe Jesus being amazed. Elsewhere, when he uses the word, (8:27; 9:33; 15:31; 21:20; 22:22; 27:14), he is describing the reaction of people to Jesus. What a contrast to Jesus’ response to the people of Nazareth: ‘He was amazed because they had no faith’ (Mark 6:6).

And so, Jesus talked with His followers (probably His disciples rather than a crowd) about the centurion. Now He was not only highlighting the great faith of a senior member of the oppressive, Romanoccupying force, but also pointing to a depth of faith unparalleled in the whole of Israel. The faith that astonished Jesus was the centurion’s absolute trust in Jesus’ power and authority. This was also faith mingled with humility – the soldier didn’t feel worthy to have Jesus visit his home. And it was simple too – drawing from his own experience as a leader, where his troops obeyed his commands without question – he concluded that if Jesus just spoke a word, that would be enough to heal his servant.

Finally, the centurion’s faith was rooted in real care and concern. In the Graeco-Roman world, slaves were usually not valued, and Roman writers declared the only difference between a slave, a cart, and an animal was the slave talked. Simple, humble, caring trust turns Jesus’ head and heart.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when life is bewildering, help me to simply trust You. All authority and power is Yours. Amen.

WEEKEND 02 - 03 AUG

WITH JESUS, WE’RE INCLUDED

READ Matthew 8:14-15 Ephesians 2:11-22

Having healed one outsider, the leper, and answered the prayer of another, the centurion, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law.

Once again, He loves and goes to the last, the least and the lost. Lepers were isolated and shunned: the Romans were hated occupiers as well as Gentiles, and now Jesus heals a woman, another outsider in ancient Jewish culture. In that society, and many others of the time, women were viewed as second class citizens, and in some Jewish traditions, touching a woman’s hand (especially a woman with a fever) was forbidden.

Staggering as it is to us, one of the Eighteen Benedictions prayed each day by any devout Jewish man was, ‘Lord, I thank Thee that I was not born a slave, a Gentile, or a woman.’

Jesus targets those viewed as outsiders with His love and power.

And that includes you and me. Paul celebrates the truth that as ‘outsiders’ we have been wonderfully welcomed by Jesus: ‘So you are no longer strangers and outsiders. You are citizens together with God’s people. You are members of God’s family’ (Eph. 2:19). One commentator celebrates the wonder of that: ‘Interlopers became insiders, aliens heirs, the lowest class first class.’6 And the reformer John Calvin went further: ‘Those who were formerly profane and unworthy have now become partners with the godly, have now the rights of citizens along with Abraham, with all the holy patriarchs, and prophets, and kings, nay, with the angels themselves’.

With Jesus, we’re in!

To ponder: Do we count ourselves out spiritually, feeling that other Christians are better than us? How can we accept the truth?

6

Hughes, R. K., Ephesians: the mystery of the body of Christ, (Crossway Books, 1990) pp95-97

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MON 04 AUG

AT THE END OF THE DAY

READ Matthew 8:14-17 Luke 4:38-41 FOCUS Many people controlled by demons were brought to Jesus.

He drove out the spirits with a word.

He healed all who were sick.

Matthew 8:16

GOING DEEPER

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Perhaps you know the feeling. You’ve worked hard all day, with some frustrations along the way, and now you want to get home and put your feet up. Some mindless relaxation, maybe binge-watching a television series is on the agenda. And then, just as you kick your shoes off, the phone rings, and somebody needs your attention. Groaning, you put your coat on, somewhat resentful for the intrusion. With a heavy heart and a weary sigh, you realise this is not going to be the evening you planned.

Jesus had an extremely busy and demanding day, but still He ministers healing and deliverance, not only to Peter’s mother-inlaw, as we saw yesterday, but to the crowds that gathered, clamouring for His help. He is a picture of serving in the midst of weariness.

How He spends Himself to demonstrate His love! And that mother-in-law is a similar example, because the moment she is healed, she begins to serve too.

Faithfulness is about consistently extending ourselves for others when we least feel like it.

Miracles can happen when we push through tiredness and serve anyway. Preaching and travelling as much as I do, I confess there are times when I’d rather not show up. Faith is low, or I’m battling something in my own life, and the thought of ministering to others isn’t attractive. My friend Adrian Plass reminds me that, in those times, I’m just the messenger, and I need to faithfully deliver the message, whatever I feel. And he’s absolutely right.

Prayer: Enable me to serve gladly when I least feel like it, realising that in my weakness, Your strength can shine. Amen.

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TUES 05 AUG

JESUS: NOT JUST OUR TEACHER

READ Matthew 8:18-22 Luke 6:46-49

FOCUS Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes. Birds of the air have nests.

But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’

Matthew 8:20

Jesus invited some eager enthusiasts who wanted to join his team to think again. It was vital they took a long, hard look at the road ahead, which might include living without the security of a home, and demand they place everything – including loved ones – in second place to the absolute priority of the Kingdom of God. The scribe who came to Jesus used telling language when he calls Him ‘teacher’. That might seem insignificant, but in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is called ‘teacher’ five times (8:19; 12:38; 19:16; 22:16, 36). On each occasion, someone who isn’t or won’t become a disciple uses that greeting. Then there’s the man who wants to ‘bury’ his father. Jesus’ response might seem somewhat harsh.

Why shouldn’t a grieving son be allowed to attend his father’s funeral? But in the Near East, ‘burying’ your father meant living out your days until your father was dead – and being ready to collect an inheritance when he did finally expire. Some scholars believe that money, rather than family obligations, was behind this man’s request. He wanted to follow Jesus, but not now.

All of this brings us to this abrupt truth: Jesus doesn’t want to be our advisor, consultant, or even just our helper in life’s emergencies. As disciples, He wants us to make Him Lord. And He tells the absolute truth about the cost that might entail. More on this later, but for now, let’s know that the commitments we make, and the words we say, must be thoughtful and authentic.

Prayer: Lord, let my words be true, and my heart be thrilled by Your Kingdom, but sobered by the sacrifice it demands. Amen.

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WED 06 AUG

JESUS RESPONDS TO SCREAMS

READ Matthew 8:23-27 Mark 4:35-41

FOCUS The disciples... woke him up. They said, ‘Lord! Save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘…Why are you so afraid?’

Matthew 8:25-26

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The lady approached me at the end of a service. I’d been teaching about prayer. ‘I do pray, Jeff, but I’m not sure that I’m using the right technique, the right words’ she said. ‘I want my prayers to be acceptable to God, but I’m never sure if I’m doing it right.’ She viewed intercession as a system rather than an authentic cry for help.

We’ve just been considering three encounters that Jesus had: the leper, the centurion and Peter’s mother-in-law. Two of them included faith that turned His head and moved His heart.

Now, the disciples are in a raging storm that must have been terrifying. The Sea of Galilee is beautiful but deceptive. The topography of the area means that sudden storms can whip up: during a recent visit, our boat trip was almost cancelled because of the unpredictable weather. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Our group said that they were grateful that the weather provided such an authentic biblical experience!

In this episode, Jesus slept through the storm, most likely exhausted from the demands of the crowd. Matthew records the bare facts, but Mark includes the accusatory question from the disciples: ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ (Mark 4:38). Commentators agree: this was a cry of anguish, and the Greek tense suggests the panicked disciples thought the boat was already going down. Jesus rebuked them for their fear, but not for their asking Him to intervene. Sometimes the one word prayer, ‘Help!’ is all we can pray. Jesus hears it.

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to pray. Thank You for seeing my tears, and hearing and responding to my cries. Amen.

THUR 07 AUG

JESUS AT WAR

READ Matthew 8:23-27 Ephesians 6:10-20

FOCUS Then Jesus got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop.

It became completely calm.

Matthew 8:26

‘Don’t you know there’s a war on?’ The famous Second World War saying was designed to remind UK citizens about the demands of war; being cautious on what they said, using resources wisely and observing the blackout regulations. Wartime called for sacrifice, resilience and diligence.

Despite the countless films and TV shows that focus on demons and exorcism, generally the suggestion that there is a personal devil at work in our world leads to derision.

But Jesus was under no illusion about the reality of dark powers. We saw yesterday that sudden storms can turn the usually calm Sea of Galilee into a place of mountainous waves – the word used to describe the waters is seismos – the root of the term used to measure the power of earthquakes. But some scholars suggest Matthew’s account hints this was more than just a natural event, because Jesus ‘rebuked’ the storm. This is the term epitemao, used in two exorcism stories in Mark’s gospel (1:25, 9:25). And then in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, these stories of the storm and the Gadarene demoniac are told together as a pair.

I can be oblivious to the reality that we, as followers of Jesus, are living in a wartime situation. But Scripture calls us to live alert to that reality, because in Satan, we have a sworn enemy, dedicated to bringing us down with temptation, accusation and distraction. Today, let’s be disciplined on that battlefield of faith.

Jesus went to war – and we follow Him. Prayer: Mighty God, grant me an alert heart – conscious of the battle, confident in Your authority and power. Amen.

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FRI 08 AUG

THE POWER OF JESUS

READ Matthew 8:28-33 Matthew 5:13-16

FOCUS Jesus said to them, ‘Go!’ So the demons came out of the men and went into the pigs.

Matthew 8:32

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Some Christians try to get as far away from the ‘big bad world’ as possible. Using the Church as an escape route, they seek to live out their lives in the Christian ghetto, surrounding themselves with fellow believers.

They insist they will only read Christian books and listen to ‘Christian music’, whatever that is supposed to be, and generally live in fear of being contaminated by the world. And yes, we do live on a corrupt planet (2 Pet. 2:20).

Jesus shows us, however, that true holiness is not a fragile flower that needs to be cradled and nursed in order to avoid it being blown to pieces by the wind. Rather, true holiness is a force that carries the power to confront and overthrow evil. Unbridled purity unleashed in the world can scatter the grubby powers of darkness. It can be an antiseptic, working against corruption – which is why Jesus describes His followers as the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Here, two men (only one in Mark’s version) who have spent far too long being tormented by demonic forces find themselves irresistibly drawn into confrontation with Jesus. But the battle is over before it begins. The demons yell about judgment to come and desperately try to make a deal with Jesus: send us to the pigs. But notice that they don’t stop Jesus – He profoundly affects the men, and they taste freedom because He came their way.

Let’s not fear the world. Like Jesus, let’s change it by being who we are.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to live today without fear and with expectation. Bring light, joy, and Your Kingdom reign through me. Amen.

WEEKEND 9 - 10 AUG

GO AWAY, JESUS

READ Matthew 8:34 Acts 21:27-36

There should have been a street party, because freedom had come to town. The demons had turned their neighbourhood into a no-go area. For locals, the silence of too many nights had been shattered by blood-curdling screams. He must have made a terrifying sight, frequently bloodied by his self-harming (Mark 5:1-5). The demons knew who Jesus was (in fact, in Matthew, they knew His identity in advance of the disciples!) and they were driven out at His word. Now the yelling had stopped, and that route was open again. But it came at a cost. For reasons that aren’t explained, Jesus had sent the demons into around 2000 pigs.

Cancel the celebrations, and replace them with an angry, hastily gathered city-wide protest. Get out of town, Jesus. If You stay, our economy goes south. The Son of God is hereby no longer welcome, by order of an entire city (with two noted votes against).

And as that crowd jeers, let’s know that we don’t have to be in the majority to be right.

Sometimes being a Christian creates a sense of loneliness, especially in a culture where just about any god is welcomed and respected – except Jesus. He remains fair game for anyone who wants to take a kick at him, and His followers can feel lost in the crowd. Perhaps there aren’t many who would own the name of Jesus in your workplace, family, or school.

Let’s take courage. Crowds often get things very wrong indeed, especially when it comes to our Jesus.

To ponder: Why do you think that Jesus is so disrespected (His name even used as a swearword) by so many?

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MON 11 AUG

JESUS: SHAMEBREAKER

READ Matthew 9:1-8 Titus 3:3-77

FOCUS So he said to the man, ‘Don’t lose hope, son. Your sins are forgiven.’.

Matthew 9:2

It was a weekly trip I used to love: going to the rubbish dump. Living in rural Colorado, we had no dustbin service, and so it was my job to take bulging bags of rubbish to the local tip. I loved that moment when I tossed the bags into the skip; there’s something liberating about getting rid of rubbish. I feel the same when I know I have been forgiven.

Shame is a heavy load to cart around, and when we face failure and accept grace, the relief is palpable.

For whatever reason, the man who Jesus met in His own town (now Capernaum) had been disabled by shame, which was somehow the root of his paralysis. Rather than just declaring healing, Jesus proclaimed forgiveness, which led to healing. The revolution had begun: grace is available, and free. Thank God. Our modern culture, with its hedonistic, 'If it feels good, do it' approach to life creates a terrible psychological price tag. Try as we may to convince ourselves that sin doesn’t matter, in most cases, our hearts and consciences won’t agree. Jesus, in speaking forgiveness to this stretcher-bound man who could not walk, uses a word that means, 'let the pot drop'. Whatever specific shameful events had punctuated this man’s past, Jesus alone was able to tell him: ‘Drop the past and pick up your bed.’

Are some of us circling endlessly because of yesterday’s failures? Let’s come to Jesus and hear Him speak words that made the religious people mad, and the sinners glad.

'Drop it.’

Prayer: Lord Jesus, break the power of shame in my life as I gladly accept Your grace by faith. Help me to ‘drop’ shame.

Amen.

44

TUES 12 AUG

JESUS: BRINGER OF HOPE

READ Matthew 9:1-8 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

FOCUS 'So he said to the man, ‘Don’t lose hope, son.’

Matthew 9:2

Let’s look just a little closer at this story.

First of all, Jesus spoke warmth and hope to this bewildered man, who perhaps didn’t share the confidence of the friends who had brought him to Jesus. Some say the words He used have a similar feel to ‘It’s fine’ or ‘Cheer up’, while other translations render this as ‘Take heart.’ Whichever is correct, I am convinced hope leads to holiness. When we feel a sense of despair about ourselves, when the mire of repeated failure convinces us we can never be victorious over a sinful pattern of behaviour, we lose the will to make good choices. We’re convinced there’s no point in even trying. But when we believe tomorrow doesn’t have to be a repeat of yesterday, change comes.

And I love the tone Jesus took with this poor man. In calling him ‘son’, Jesus used a word that, in the gospels, is not usually addressed to anyone other than one’s own offspring.

In Matthew’s gospel, the term is only used in this way in this episode. Some of us have a perception that Jesus is ‘the God of the gotcha’ as the writer Nancy Myers put it – a God with an ugly eagerness to punish. This story shows how wrong this view is. Finally, Jesus speaks forgiveness in the present tense: He was promising the man’s sins were dealt with at that moment.

Perhaps some of us are feeling hopeless about ourselves, and have even come to a place of self-loathing. Today, let’s come to the tender Jesus, and find hope in His kindness and grace.

Prayer: I can easily lose hope, Lord Jesus, in my world and in myself. Enable me to walk in holiness fuelled by authentic hope.

Amen.

45

WED 13 AUG

JESUS: HE LIKES YOU

READ Matthew 9:9-13 John 3:1-21

FOCUS As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector’s booth.

‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him.

Matthew 9:9

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It was one of those iconic moments in television history. Back in 1985, accepting the Oscar for Best Actress, Sally Field expressed her joy and stunned surprise, by saying in her speech, ‘I can’t deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me.’ Her struggle growing up had caused her, to quote her own words, ‘to live in a fog’, feeling she had neither the looks nor the talent to be an A-list film star. To realise that she was respected and honoured was a surprise to her; far from mocking her, as many have done since that night, personally I think her response was humble and genuine.

What was it that brought the revolution I alluded to yesterday home to a hardened sinner like Matthew? Throughout his dubious career he had become accustomed to being despised. Sitting at his booth, hand outstretched, he was probably hardened to the muttering and facial expressions of those who came to pay their taxes. They knew he was a lackey of the Roman occupiers, a traitor who sold them out for his own profit, and they hated him for it. Tax collectors were viewed as being beyond forgiveness. But then Jesus came by, and liked him, and invited the taxman to join His team. The other disciples might well have been stunned.

God loves and likes us so much, He has given everything to rescue us. The extent of His love is not found in words, but in the agonies of the cross. His sufferings make it wonderfully clear.

He really likes us.

Prayer: This is the truth that is so fundamental to my faith, and yet so hard to accept at times: You love me. I’m grateful. Amen.

THUR 14 AUG

A GOOD LOOK

READ Matthew 9:9-13 Psalm 34:1-22

FOCUS As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew.

Matthew 9:9

GOING DEEPER

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7

Imagine it. Jesus is walking by. Suddenly, you realise He is walking towards you. And then He stops, says nothing, but just looks at you. In his gospel, the word that Luke uses to describe Jesus seeing Matthew suggests Jesus took a long look. But it seems this was not an intimidating stare of interrogation – it was a good look, literally, prompting the taxman to make the life-changing decision to abandon his lucrative but crooked career to become a full-time follower of Jesus.

Friedrich Nietzsche, famous for his ‘death of God’ philosophy, hated the idea of being looked at, seen by God. The son of a Lutheran minister, Nietzsche had one of the characters in his books declare, ‘He saw with eyes that saw everything... all my concealed disgrace and ugliness... He crawled into my dirtiest nooks. This most curious one had to die.’7 Tragically, Nietzsche interpreted God’s interest as intrusion, and thought God saw only a sinful heart, instead of someone whom He greatly loved: maybe that was the way God had been presented to him. That misunderstanding drove him to loathe God and try to assassinate Him with his pen.

How might Jesus look at us? Perhaps instinctively we fear that He might focus on our sins with a cold stare. Perhaps we need to ponder the truth that Jesus sees us exactly as we are, but His look is one of love, of joy, of grace. Nor is the look a cursory glance, but one of intense interest, kindness and care.

Prayer: Lord, I am grateful that when You look my way, there is tenderness and love in Your eyes. Amen.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None, (Dover Publications, 1990)

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FRI 15 AUG

ALL BRAND NEW

READ Matthew 9:9-13 Romans 12:1-2 FOCUS Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house.

Many tax collectors and sinners... ate with Jesus and his disciples.

Matthew 9:10

GOING DEEPER

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Having a meal with Jesus brought more than a few revisions in behaviour for Levi. He got a brand new life, a new identity, and a new name. Just as Simon became Peter, so Levi became Matthew, which means ‘gift of God’, an ironic name for a man who was notorious for grabbing rather than giving.

And the new man started giving immediately.

It’s been said that unless the gospel reaches our wallets and purses, it hasn’t reached our heart. Matthew threw a lavish banquet in Jesus’ honour, an expensive undertaking, particularly for a man who was turning his back now on his lucrative franchise. Unlike the fishermen in Jesus’ team, Levi’s walking away from his tarnished profession was irreversible. This was a huge step of faith.

Money can ensnare us, driving us to exploit and oppress – the old Levi had squandered his reputation and social status in his relentless pursuit of material gain. But when Jesus came by, a new attitude was birthed, an almost childlike attitude of faith and trust. Not only can we be different, but we can become precisely the opposite of what we have been.

We are not sentenced to sameness. And this does not just come when we embrace Christianity as a moral code and try harder to do good and be good. As we make good choices, the Holy Spirit is supernaturally at work within, changing us on the inside. Jesus does not come just to forgive us our past and get us into heaven when we die – He comes to bring a wonderful revolution.

Prayer: Jesus, I don’t ever want to settle into sameness. Reign over me, transform me by Your power. Amen.

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WEEKEND 16 - 17 AUG

JESUS TAKES RISKS

READ Matthew 9:9-13 Luke 15:1-10

8

In Jesus’ day, sharing a meal was considered an act of intimacy and fellowship – to offer hospitality was to give honour and trusting acceptance. Refusal to share a meal conversely signalled rejection and disapproval.

But there were political implications to table fellowship: it was a symbol of survival to a people whose nation was occupied by a hated force, the Romans. The Pharisees criticized Him because they saw the preservation of the eating traditions as a vital part of maintaining Jewish culture, an important element of their unity. And shared meals were an expression of holiness – they believed if they could nudge people back to greater faithfulness to God (including keeping all the intricate rules of dining they had established) then liberation from oppression would come. So Jesus’ eating with sinners would have been viewed as an act of betrayal, both to the nation and to God. In other words, eating with sinners was incredibly risky. So why take the risk?

Jesus was demonstrating a picture of the Kingdom of God – where the outsiders are in, where the proud are dismissed and the humble are exalted. But He was also showing tenderness and care for hurting people who felt like social pariahs. In the words of the Anglican communion service, ‘He touched untouchables with love and washed the guilty clean.’8 And, as we’ll see tomorrow, He refused to play religious games or submit to what some saw as orthodoxy (Luke 7:31-35).

To ponder: In our churches, where might we be called to take risks in order to demonstrate grace?

www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship

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MON 18 AUG

CRITICISM

READ Matthew 9:11-13 Romans 3:21-24

FOCUS The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?'

Matthew 9:11

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Jesus was criticised for eating with ‘sinners’.

But that doesn’t just mean that He was dining with people of bad reputation. He sat down to eat with those who had been designated specifically as outcasts by the religious leaders. This meant anyone who practised one of the seven despised trades, including tax collectors, barbers, tanners, and shepherds, or who were considered guilty of flagrant immorality, like prostitutes, adulterers, gamblers, and murderers. Anyone who did not observe the law according to the Pharisees’ understanding of it were also designated as sinners, and all Gentiles were sinners/outsiders.

Notice that it is said that Jesus was friends with ‘tax collectors and sinners’ – the tax gatherers were a group especially singled out for a mention. Some even taught that repentance was completely impossible for the tax collectors. No wonder there was such conflict when some of them became Jesus’ friends.

Before we think about this any further, let’s ask – are there groups or individuals that we look at as being beyond God’s grace? In the name of holiness, it’s possible for us to become exclusivist too.

When criticised, Jesus usually explained His actions, but insisted on doing what He knew was right. When attacked for His eating habits, Jesus insisted those excluded by the religious leaders (like Zacchaeus the tax collector, designated as a Gentile without hope) could be part of God’s people as a ‘son of Abraham’ (Luke 19:7-10).

Prayer: Help me to never dismiss anyone as being beyond Your grace, Lord. You save sinners – like me. Amen.

TUES 19 AUG

DOCTOR JESUS

READ Matthew 9:11-13 1 Timothy 1:15-17

FOCUS Jesus heard that. So he said, ‘Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Sick people do.’

Matthew 9:12

I often battle with a tiredness peculiar to Christians. It has nothing to do with too little sleep and too much travel; this weariness often lands on me in the middle of a vacation, when I feel physically rested and refreshed.

It is a profound exhaustion that creeps deep into my bones, forms a shadow over my heart, and robs me of joy. It is the tiredness that comes from feeling that I can never be holy enough, never pray enough, I can never sacrifice enough: whatever I do for God, something in my head tells me it is not enough, and it will never be sufficient to please Him. During these seasons, God seems like a never-ending taskmaster, whip in hand, and quite impossible to satisfy. I feel sick to my soul. How to counteract it? I need to accept my thoughts are not the truth and then discipline myself to live in grace.

When I look at this encounter that Jesus had, attracting notorious sinners like a magnet, I see a very different picture of the way Jesus really is, compared to how I think when I am down. The bad, the sad, and those most shamed and smeared by failure eagerly sought Him out and not just for teaching, but for lunch: they felt at ease in His presence.

They liked and perhaps loved him, finding unexpected acceptance and kindness. He explained that he was called to be a doctor, tending to the sick.

We’re fully accepted, and utterly welcome.

The doctor is in the house. And that is very good news indeed; news worth sharing.

Prayer: Save me from striving, and help me to relax in Your company, loving God. Amen.

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WED 20 AUG

JESUS AND PARTIES

READ Matthew 9:14-17 Deuteronomy 16:13-15 FOCUS One day John’s disciples came.

They said to Jesus, ‘We and the Pharisees go without eating. Why don’t your disciples go without eating?’

Matthew 9:14

GOING DEEPER

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Some Christians find it easier to give than to receive; they’re more at home with suffering than celebration, and fasting comes more naturally than feasting to them. They are naturally disposed to feeling guilty when they’re not, and struggle with being blessed: they’d far rather be a source of blessing to others. They are the opposite of Jacob, who wrestled with God. His prayer was, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me’ (Gen. 32:26).

They turn the prayer upside down: ‘I will not let you bless me, let me go.’

So it was with John’s disciples, as we see the remarkable sight of them raising an issue of holiness with the most Holy One there has ever been (there are lots of Christians who try to be more ‘holy’ than Jesus, but their legalism is actually not holiness at all).

Apparently, they were disturbed because Jesus and His friends were obviously gaining a reputation for having a very good time with some very bad people. Jesus wasn’t against fasting and taught that it would be a discipline his followers would embrace (Matt. 6:16-18).

But there is a time and a place for everything, and this was the time to party! A whole new order of things was on its way: Jesus wasn’t patching up old religion, but ushering in the revolution we considered earlier – reason enough for another banquet.

Are we nervous of laughter, suspicious of fun, and uncomfortable when someone is extremely generous to us? Let’s think again, as we look at the celebrating Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, help me to know how to fast, and how to feast – just like You. Amen.

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THUR 21 AUG

KINDNESS BEYOND HEALING

READ Matthew 9:18-19 Matthew 9:23-26

FOCUS He said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her. Then she will live again.’

Matthew 9:18

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Raising the dead is a stupendous miracle. This episode, where a funeral is cancelled and mourners are sent packing because of the power of Jesus over death, is so arresting, we could miss other delightful details in the story.

Notice that Jesus demonstrates incredible power and authority, but all this is mingled with beautiful humility and kindness too.

Jesus didn’t have to go to the home of the dead girl at all. He just had to speak a word, and death would be driven back, just as the sickness of the centurion’s servant was dealt with, a long-distance miracle we considered earlier. But the synagogue ruler was obviously distraught with grief as he knelt before Jesus, and so the Lord took the journey to his home, which would have meant conversation and comfort on the way. And then Jesus refused to allow the little girl to become an exhibit for the clamouring crowds, and insisted they be removed before the miracle took place. He is showing the power of the Kingdom but certainly was no showman. As He takes her hand, cold and clammy, surely it warmed quickly as she stirred, her eyelids flickered, and her watching parents are astonished.

But this is far more than a power encounter: here we see the reason for our prayers for the sick and dying. We ask God to intervene, not so that we can gawp at a miracle, but because we deeply care for those who suffer.

Let’s be reminded: with Jesus, compassion and care sit at the heart of every miracle.

Prayer: How tender and caring You are, Lord.

You know exactly how to uniquely help. You know me. I am grateful. Amen.

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FRI 22 AUG

WAITING FOR JESUS

READ Matthew 9:18-26 Psalm 70:1-5

FOCUS Just then a woman came up behind Jesus. She had a sickness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years.

Matthew 9:20

GOING DEEPER

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God is open to suggestions, which is why we pray. When Peter walked on the water, it had been his suggestion to Jesus. In this story of a desperate man, another suggestion is put to Jesus. If He will just lay His hand upon the rapidly cooling corpse of a young girl, the synagogue leader’s daughter, then she will come back to life. Believing such a thing was possible was surely a stretch. But then there was an additional cost for this grieving dad, because this was a season of criticism for Jesus, as we’ve already seen. The religious barons were circling with their questions about Jesus’ dining habits and His insistence on offering forgiveness. Now a pillar of the Jewish religious community, a synagogue leader, no less, is putting his faith in the Galilean healer. Risky indeed.

Jesus agrees to accompany Jairus (Mark and Luke tell us his name) back to his home, when something wonderful but frustrating happens. Another desperate soul, this time a woman with a long history of haemorrhaging, interrupts the journey. I can imagine Jairus hopping from one foot to another, frustrated that his most urgent mission has been interrupted. As a dad, I know that nothing else in the world would matter if one of my children had died.

Waiting is part of the Christian life. During the earth-shaking events of the Easter weekend, the disciples had to endure the agony of waiting. We wait still for His coming. If we’re waiting right now, may we have grace.

Prayer: When I am called to wait on You and for You, grant me patience and enduring faith, Father. Amen.

54

WEEKEND 23 - 24 AUG

JESUS WALKING BY

READ Matthew 9:27-29 Psalm 10:1-18

Spending some time in prayer recently, a dark thought filled my mind. I was asking Jesus to change a situation that seemed quite impossible. As I sat there, in a sense of deafening silence, it felt like I was just wasting my time. If God heard me, I mused, He was ignoring me. It all seemed so futile.

Look closely at this episode, most unusually, Jesus seems to ignore the frantic pleas of these two blind men. He just headed into the house, and they, despite their disability, scurry along and follow Him in. At first glance, Jesus’ action seems cold and indifferent. So what’s happening? Some commentators suggest Jesus would have invited the two men to join Him, but we have no record of that in the gospels. It’s highly likely Jesus hurried on because the men used the term ‘Son of David’ as they cried out to Him – an affirmation He was the Messiah. That comment, heard in public, would have been highly dangerous, potentially suggesting Jesus was a political rescuer. Later He warned them not to speak of their healing (an unheeded warning, as we will see tomorrow) which shows this was a time in His ministry when He sought to operate under the radar, and did not want to attract unwelcome attention from the authorities. But ultimately, we’re not told why He walked on by, any more than I am told why God at times seems silent and distant.

When we experience that, let’s do what they did: have faith, trust, and press in further to pursue Him. To ponder: Has prayer become something we try to do, but without much faith that it makes any difference?

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MON 25 AUG

JESUS CAN BE STERN

READ Matthew 9:30-31 Matthew 17:1-9

FOCUS They could now see again. Jesus strongly warned them, ‘Be sure that no one knows about this.’ But they went out and spread the news.

Matthew 9:30-31

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9

It seems absurd to say it, but as we have seen already, sometimes we think we know better than God Himself. We either ignore His clear directions and swerve into disobedience, or we run ahead of Him, thinking our plans and strategies will work, even though we have failed to properly submit them to Him. That attitude of independence is clearly condemned by James in his epistle (4:13-17).

And Jesus was very serious about not needing the healed blind men to help him out with untimely publicity. The NIV translation, ‘Jesus warned them sternly’ doesn’t quite capture the weight and passion of His command to them – one translation renders it: ‘Jesus looked severely, contracting His eyebrows, and shaking His head at them as they are wont to do who wish to make sure that secrets will be kept.’9 But it was not enough, and in their enthusiasm, they dashed off and told everyone the epic news: they could see now.

As we remember that Peter, trying to steer Jesus away from the cross, and suggesting building hotels (well, tents) on the Mount of Transfiguration, we realise that it matters when we insist that we know best. Are there arguments raging between us and God, where we are convinced that our wisdom eclipses His? Let’s think again, because Jesus does not respond with a smile of resignation when we drift into rebellion or independence.

He is not the benign One who always agrees with us and always says ‘Yes.’ He is our Lord, our Master, our King.

Prayer: Lord, when what I do displeases You, please may I have a heart tender to Your convicting work. I want to please You. Amen.

William Nicol, Expositor's Greek Testament, (Eerdmans Publishing Company,1952)

TUES 26 AUG

TROUBLE AND TIMING

READ Matthew 10:5-42 Acts 5:17-42

FOCUS Jesus sent these 12 out with the following orders.

‘Do not go among those who aren’t Jews,’ he said.

Matthew 10:5

It’s the idea that won’t go away – if we have enough faith, we won’t have any trouble in our lives. As Jesus commissions His disciples, who will be at the centre of the will of God as they declare His Kingdom, He makes it clear opposition is very much on the agenda. Far from being surprised when trials come, the disciples were warned about their inevitability.

They were told they would be summoned before authorities, betrayed, hated and even killed. The suggestion that being a follower of Jesus means an easier life is ridiculous – apprentices of Jesus are more likely to experience stress because of their faith!

We also see something important about Jesus’ timing here, as He tells His disciples not to go to the Gentiles. This instruction seems strange – Jesus had earlier said Gentiles would come in great numbers into the Kingdom (Matt. 8:11) – and His birth was attended by Gentiles who came to pay homage (Matt. 2:1-12). So why this Jewish emphasis now? It’s all a matter of timing.

Jesus wanted to concentrate initially on bringing the ‘lost sheep of Israel’ into the fold – and if the disciples had focused on Gentiles, the culture of the day meant they would have been totally rejected by the Jews. The time would come when they would be commissioned to go to all peoples (Matt. 28:19) – but for the meantime, the strategy was to impact Jews first.

When trouble comes, or God’s timing is frustrating, let’s trust.

Prayer: In trouble, in seasons when Your plans are hard to understand, grant me faith and trust, Jesus. Amen.

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WED 27 AUG

NOT AS EXPECTED

READ Matthew 11:2-19 Luke 11:37-38

FOCUS They asked Jesus, ‘Are you the one who was supposed to come? Or should we look for someone else?’

Matthew 11:3

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It must have been very difficult for Jesus to receive this questioning message from his cousin, John the Baptist. Jesus was not what John was expecting. As a fire and brimstone repentance preacher, John was anticipating Jesus would be a messianic Elijah figure, bringing words of judgement to Israel and overthrowing her Roman enemies. Instead, Jesus did call people to repentance – that invitation to turn sat at the heart of His message – but it was permeated with grace.

And the Roman oppressors would not be overthrown, because Jesus was working to a much greater agenda. All of this would have been disappointing to John, who was hoping for a figure to follow him who would be greater than he was, but of the same genre. Jesus is disappointing – in His ministry, He refused to bow down to the expectations others placed upon Him, including the Pharisees, and even His own disciples. If we are to become mature followers of His, then we must allow Him to disappoint us. He is not a genie in a bottle. He is both Lord and God. But then John the Baptist had another surprise coming – this time about himself.

Hoping that Jesus was an Elijah figure, John was to realise that he was that figure. In his questioning, he not only made a mistake about Jesus’ identity, but about his own.

Perhaps Jesus has to reveal many more surprises to us about Himself. And maybe there are a few surprises in store for us to learn about ourselves.

Prayer: Surprise me again Lord – with new insight about You, and perhaps even new understanding about myself. Amen.

THUR 28 AUG

JESUS JUDGES UNBELIEF

READ Matthew 11:20-24 Hebrews 3:1-19

FOCUS Jesus began to speak against the cities where he had done most of his miracles. The people there had not turned away from their sins.

Matthew 11:20

During our trips to the Holy Land, we visit these places Jesus condemned, and it’s sobering.

The former towns are desolate and deserted – there is very little left of Bethsaida, and although the ruins of Capernaum and Korazim are fascinating (despite a monstrous structure built over what is thought to be Peter’s house in Capernaum) one cannot get away from this fact: these places that were once bustling with people are now empty sites for tourists and archeologists to pore over.

It’s important to note Jesus condemned these places because those who lived there had clearly seen multiple miracles and had still refused to put their faith in Him. The evidence was clear, but just as the scribes had attributed Jesus’ power to a demonic source, these people had either ignored or rationalised the miracles they’d witnessed. They were without excuse. And it’s also vital to know there is clearly a difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is something that strikes all (or most of us) some of the time.

Sometimes the circumstances and unexplained tragedies of life make God’s existence seem questionable. Or perhaps unanswered questions accumulate, and we waver. We shouldn’t feel isolated or sinful if doubt strikes; it is part of believing. But there is a stubborn attitude of unbelief that takes a stand of rebellion, whatever God does or has done.

Let’s wrestle with doubt. And as we hear Jesus’ words of rebuke, let’s run from unbelief.

Prayer: Again, Lord, I pray: increase my faith.

Amen.

59

FRI 29 AUG

JESUS PROMISES REST

READ Matthew 11:25-30 Exodus 33:12-14

FOCUS ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’

Matthew 11:29, NIV

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It’s a reality that I’ve been observing for some years now, and it concerns me deeply.

Put bluntly, the problem is this: so many Christians struggle to rest. We fret about not being good enough. We continue to carry burdens for past sins, which God has forgiven and forgotten. We’re intimidated when doubt troubles us. Many of us are so busy serving God’s purposes, we don’t have time or energy to cultivate our relationship with the God that we serve.

In these verses, Jesus points us to another way, a way of simple trust. Just as a child rests in the love of parents in a healthy family, so we are called to believe with childlike – not childish – faith. We’re invited, not to come to Christianity, but to Christ. Jesus’ invitation is personal, not just a command to adhere to a set of principles. And in coming to Him, we’re offered His ‘yoke’ – which, as we’ve seen, in Jewish thinking symbolised the teaching of a rabbi, of the law, to which a young man pledged loyalty during his bar mitzvah ceremony. But this teaching of Jesus ‘fits’ us: it is easy, not because it doesn’t call for radical commitment, but because we humans were made for this. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. Is that how we see Him? If our Christianity is filled with angst, we should question how we view Jesus, because His followers are offered rest for the soul.

After over 50 years of being a Christian, I still need to learn about Jesus’ promised rest.

How about you?

Prayer: Show me that deep rest that You have promised, loving Saviour. Amen.

WEEKEND 30-31 AUG

WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO JESUS?

READ Matthew 12:1-14 Hosea 6:6

Here’s a vital question for us all: what really matters to Jesus? Christians have decided to live the rest of their lives for His purposes and pleasure. Far more than just being morally good or vaguely spiritual people, we make it our aim to please Him. So, what it is that really brings a smile to His face – and what doesn’t?

As the Pharisees get picky again about the disciples snacking on the Sabbath, Jesus pointed them back to what is really important. He quoted from the enraged Hosea, who faithfully trumpeted God’s call for a cancellation of all religious services if they weren’t accompanied by care for the poor.

Mere ritual will never delight Jesus, on the contrary: empty religious oblations that come from hearts void of compassion make Him angry. He calls for mercy rather than sacrifice.

Both the Old and New Testaments echo this call for social justice. Caring for our world is not an add-on to the gospel, but it sits at the very heart of authentic biblical faith.

But beware the extreme path that some have taken, as they have dismissed corporate worship as pious irrelevance. We touched on this earlier, but some say they have no time to gather to sing, pray, and share bread and wine: quite wrongly. God doesn’t reject the value of rest, renewal and worship – He just insists it be genuine.

Those who would love God in prayer and song must also love their neighbour in word and deed. Both matter. And both matter greatly to Jesus.

To ponder: ‘Caring for our world is not an addon to the gospel, but it sits at the very heart of authentic biblical faith’. Do you agree?

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MON 01 SEPT

AN INTERVENTION

READ Matthew 12:46-48 Mark 3:20-21

FOCUS Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’

Matthew 12:47

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It was carefully planned as a quiet intervention. Worried by news of the scandalous antics of their son, Jesus’ family called an emergency conference and agreed to take matters into their own hands. Rumour had it He was the talk of the town, so eccentric was His behaviour. Had He had a complete nervous breakdown, they wondered? Unable to decide anything sensible for Himself, surely He needed protection from His own madness.

It must have been especially difficult for Jesus to realise that even His nearest and dearest struggled with Him and His ministry. John’s gospel tells us His younger brothers did not believe in Him, and Mark is even more blunt (3:21) – they thought He was mad. Matthew points out they were waiting outside the house where Jesus was, obviously keeping their distance, waiting for an opportunity to escort Him home.

Perhaps you find yourself in a similar position.

Members of your family are nervous or even mocking about your faith. That’s a tough place to be in – I know, because for some years my parents were not Christians and were quite concerned that I had ‘got religion’.

They were outside, figuratively speaking. But in time, and mainly through the love shown to them by my Christian friends, they came to Jesus. I can’t promise the same will happen in your family. But I can assure you God is able.

As you might feel misunderstood, know that Jesus knows exactly how you feel. He’s been there with His family.

Prayer: When I feel misunderstood by those closest to me, strengthen me to be faithful. Amen.

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TUES 2 SEPT

A KINGDOM FAMILY

READ Matthew 12:46-50 Matthew 16:13-20

FOCUS Jesus pointed to his disciples. He said, ‘Here is my mother! Here are my brothers!’

Matthew 12:49

Kay and I are so grateful for our wonderful immediate family, but we have struggled at times because we have not got wider close family ties. We have aunts and uncles whom we’ve not seen for decades; there’s no problem, but the distant family has become just that – distant. We’ve looked enviously at friends who have huge family reunions, where Christmas or Thanksgiving (in America) is the perfect reason for a boisterous get-together.

In fact, we’ve been welcomed as friends at family reunions with over a hundred in attendance. We’ve often come away grateful for the time we’ve shared, but feeling just a little envious. All of which makes the family that is the church more precious to us.

It sounds like a cliché, or more a great title for that catchy song than a reality: ‘We are family’. But it’s what we are called to be as Christians together in the community called the Church. We saw earlier that Jesus built community, and He promises to build His Church. In pointing to His disciples, and unusually describing them as His mother and brothers, Jesus shows the way to a newly formed family that is not based on race or ancestry. Yet it is a blood tie that joins us: we are one through His shed blood on the cross.

We share a wonderful common ambition: to do the will of God. Of course families have tensions, misunderstandings, good times and bad times; they know joy and despair, and they are far from perfect. That’s us.

Flawed, but family. His family.

Prayer: When being part of a church calls for patience, help me to remember the value of being part of Your family, Jesus.

Amen.

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WED 03 SEPT

JESUS: ACTIVATING A SEARCH

READ Matthew 13:1-17 Luke 10:23-24

FOCUS He replied, ‘You have been given the chance to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

It has not been given to outsiders.’

Matthew 13:11

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10

It’s a statement that I’ve heard a few times as a local church leader, usually as a parting shot from a disgruntled person as they left the congregation: ‘I’m not being fed.’ This little sentence is an ingenious weapon, because there is no instrument available to measure the depth of Bible teaching. As Christians, we need to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth, and this includes engaging with what we hear and what we read.

Jesus set the example on this. Although He used parables, we would be wrong to think He was dumbing down truth, using pithy little stories to help spoon feed the masses into understanding. Rather, as He speaks of the secrets of the Kingdom, He wants to activate a search and invite His listeners to wrestle with His teaching in order to get to the truth, and then make decisions about their discoveries. And He already knows there are some (in the crowd, rather than amongst His disciples) who just won’t get it because they are already under judgement – these parables come after increasing resistance and hardness of heart from the people of Israel.

The sermon shouldn't end our search for truth, but should provoke us to activate our own search. Calvin Miller once described a great sermon as a place where ‘intrigue is born.’10 When the ‘Amen’ is said at the end of the talk, let’s not just close our Bibles and move on, but continue to prayerfully wrestle with the truths we’ve heard.

Prayer: Help me to seek You with my whole heart, Father, to be one who asks, seeks, knocks, and finds. Amen.

Calvin Miller, Spirit, Word and Story, (Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing, 1989), p19

THUR 04 SEPT

THE KEY TO FRUITFUL LIVING

READ Matthew 13:18-23 John 15:1-17

FOCUS But still others received the seed that fell on good soil. They are those who hear the message and understand it.

Matthew 13:23

I’m not a gardener, mainly because I don’t know the difference between a weed and a plant.

Farming would not have been a successful career choice for me. I’ve bought those little packets of seeds but I’ve never managed to raise a flower or a carrot in my life.

Speaking to a community that was focused on agriculture, Jesus’ famous parable would have been quite shocking – not least because He describes a farmer who seems perfectly willing to waste two thirds of his seed supply on unsuitable ground. But when Jesus talked about fruitfulness, His audience would have gasped. Farming in that rather barren area usually produced a crop of between seven and eight times the amount of the seed sown. And so, when Jesus describes a harvest that could even be as much as a hundred-fold, the crowds were surely stunned. He is offering a life of possibility, or potential, which is almost beyond their imagining. He offers the same to us.

We’re invited to be people who bear ‘much’ fruit – that includes joy, influence, character development (as the ‘fruit’ of the Spirit grows in our lives). But if that is to happen, we need to both hear and understand God’s word – and surely understanding includes applying the Word consistently, so that we are hearers and doers (James 1:22).

We’re back where we were yesterday, hearing a call to wrestle with truth, to allow it to get under our skins and into our hearts. Today, Jesus working in us, we can live fruitfully.

Prayer: May the fruit of the Spirit blossom in my life as I walk with You today, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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FRI 05 SEPT

JESUS IS APPROACHABLE

READ Matthew 13:36-43 Matthew 7:7-8

FOCUS Then Jesus left the crowd... His disciples came to him. They said, ‘Explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.’

Matthew 13:36

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Last Sunday, after I’d preached, a lady approached me. She apologised for taking my time, and told me that she felt like running away rather than speaking to me.

When I asked her why she was ready to sprint, she responded with a statement that unsettled me: ‘I’m intimidated.’ She was kind to say that this wasn’t my fault, but that she was just nervous about talking with someone who stands on a platform. The comment challenged me. I want to be utterly approachable, and make people feel able to ask me the most awkward questions. I’ve been to churches where asking questions is viewed as a sign of rebellion, or to not know something is seen as a sign of immaturity.

And so questions remain unanswered. But neither of these things is Christlike, as the passage shows.

As we’ve seen, so many things about the character of Jesus make Him attractive: His patience, wit, boldness, tenderness, and creativity all combine together to make Him the greatest. No wonder people flocked to Him, and children felt so at ease with Him. And above all, He was approachable. The disciples felt able to ask for clarification in their stumbling search for truth. A question is a sign of strength, not weakness. It shows we realise we have not yet arrived, and still have a quest to know. Children are often good at questioning: we can lose that child-like skill with the advent of so called ‘maturity’.

Go ahead, question away. Jesus welcomes and encourages it.

Prayer: Lord, I want to feel entirely comfortable, drawing close to You by faith, and bringing my questions. Thank You. Amen.

WEEKEND 06 - 07 SEPT

JESUS’ VIEW OF TREASURE

READ Matthew 13:44-52 Matthew 6:19-34

I have shared this story before. Just yards from my home in Ilford, Essex, was an irrigation ditch, a popular spot to play for my friends and me. As I looked down at the murky water, a small suitcase was bobbing around, apparently hastily discarded. Scampering down and opening the case, I was thrilled to discover it was full of gleaming jewellery.

My mind raced. Had a fleeing burglar tossed this aside, desperate to discard the evidence of his crime? My parents called the police, who took the bag away, and told me that if nobody claimed it in thirty days, the contents would be mine. I was thrilled.

Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a treasure that surpasses everything. Two men find it – one apparently stumbles upon it, the other makes the discovery after a long search. What matters is not how we find the Kingdom, but that we find it. In using a picture of found treasure, Jesus reminds us of the true riches that are ours if we are in Christ.

Paul knew that, and considered everything else worthless because now he was in the Kingdom. Be grateful today. Heaven is ours; judgement averted.

And that ‘treasure trove’ I found? Nobody claimed it. It became mine. It was paste jewellery, totally worthless – quite unlike being in God’s Kingdom, which, according to Jesus, is priceless. And He backed up His valuation, giving everything, including His life, in order that we might experience His loving Kingship, both now and forever. Today, let’s pause to worship and give thanks.

To ponder: If the Kingdom is the greatest treasure, then seeking God’s Kingdom first makes sense. But what does it mean?

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MON 08 SEPT

TELL JESUS

READ Matthew 14:1-12 1 Peter 5:7

FOCUS John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it.

Then they went and told Jesus.

Matthew 14:12

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The madness of Herod had sparked a devastating event: the execution of John the Baptist. Herod was a coward, pushed around by other people’s opinion and unwilling to save face and admit the vow he’d made was reckless and wrong. So, John lost his head. John’s disciples must have been traumatised. Their mentor, leader and friend was gone now, and all because of the wiles of a dancing girl. Confusion must have overwhelmed them. Having taken care of his funeral, they did something we’d do well to emulate: they went to Jesus, and poured out their hearts to him.

Sometimes sadness silences my prayers. I don’t feel like praising God, because a dark emotional cloud seems to blind me to what I should be thankful for. And disappointment seems to short-circuit my faith. It’s not so much that I want to abandon God; it’s just that, as far as I’m concerned, we’re not talking. That stalemate can go on for quite a while – longer than I’d like to admit.

But I’m learning some of the greatest prayers are when I just tell Jesus what’s upsetting me.

I might not labour over the prayer for hours – in fact, some of my most effective praying has been when I’ve said, in a sentence or two, what’s really on my mind. I’m convinced Jesus is far more interested in real conversation than He is with my speeches when I pretend to be ecstatic. The old hymn says it so well.

Are we weak and heavy laden? Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when life renders me speechless, help me to come to You, and give You my cares. Amen

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TUES 9 SEPT

MORE THAN THE CATERER

READ Matthew 14:13-21 Exodus 16:1-36

FOCUS All of them ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover pieces.

Matthew 14:20

Anyone who has ever navigated a catering crisis can appreciate this miracle. The guests are arriving, eagerly anticipating a delicious meal – and the oven has broken down.

Now what? Concerned about the grumbling stomachs of the crowd (and grumbling tummies usually led to grumbling words), the disciples asked Jesus to send everyone home. Perhaps trying to suggest they could also perform a miracle, Jesus challenged His team to feed them – obviously fully aware they had no natural resources to do that. They didn’t take the hint, and so Jesus performed this stunning miracle. But this was far more than a supernatural picnic. Miracle provision was a key part of Israel’s history; their ancestors had feasted on manna in the wilderness. A squadron of ravens had kept Elijah nourished in the desert, and he had in turn fed a hundred men on just twenty loaves of bread. The Jews eagerly awaited a messianic figure who would provide ‘manna’ again. And so, this miracle was not just a wonder, but a sign too: Messiah really is here.

Follow Him. Jesus wants to be far more than our provider, our emergency service when we’re in trouble, or our insurance policy to escape death and judgement; He wants to be both Saviour and Lord. Decades after deciding to follow Him, I’m still trying to figure out what that looks like each day, but this much I know: I don’t want to limit Him in my life. Today, with you, with me, He wants to be more than the caterer.

Prayer: Be all that You want to be in my life, Lord, my Messiah, my Saviour, My God. Amen.

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WED 10 SEPT

JESUS IS SO PATIENT

READ Matthew 14:22-36 2 Peter 3:9

FOCUS Early in the morning, Jesus went out to the disciples. He walked on the lake.

Matthew 14:25

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Ponder the sight of a group of men screaming their lungs out in a storm. These were the very same chaps who, a bit earlier, had watched wide-eyed as people were fed with just five loaves and two fishes. And then the day had started with a large number of healing miracles. So, this had been one fine day: healing in the morning, miraculous multiplication in the late afternoon – but yelling with fear in the evening. Had they learned nothing? Perhaps it was the fact Jesus was not in the boat with them that initially scared them: then when He comes strolling atop the waves, they shout even louder. But you would have thought the disciples, having seen so much of the authority of Jesus over utterly impossible situations, might have mustered up a little more faith, rather than just giving themselves to loud hollering and acting like they’ve seen a ghost – literally.

But that’s the way we are. God can answer our prayers this morning, and we can wander into sin or plunge into fear by mid-afternoon.

Yesterday’s triumphs don’t guarantee success or faithfulness today. How patient Jesus was with His hapless friends. Perhaps we should all be a little more encouraged about ourselves. If these disciples, who witnessed stunning events and yet were full of doubts, all on the same day, then perhaps we, who have not seen as they had, can relax a little when we have our struggles. We’re not ‘only human’ but we are still human. And He is still gloriously patient.

Prayer: As I ponder my journey Lord Jesus, I am grateful for Your faithfulness, Your kindness and Your patience towards me.

Amen.

THUR 11 SEPT

A MATTER OF THE HEART

READ Matthew 15:1-9 Matthew 23:1-26

FOCUS ‘Why don’t your disciples obey what the elders teach?

Your disciples don’t wash their hands before they eat!’

Matthew 15:2

Tradition can be valuable. I used to be so desperate to be ‘radical’ as a Christian that I arrogantly dismissed whatever others had done in the past, so desperate was I to find the new thing God was doing. I now know how foolish that was. But traditionalism can be a trap, when it makes faith cumbersome and complex, or allows it to get in the way of what God wants to do.

The Pharisees’ anger with Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands before eating was not about hygiene, but strict ritual. Under Old Testament law, Aaronic priests were required to ritually wash their hands before stepping into the tent of meeting, and the elders of a city were required to ritually wash their hands if there was an unsolved murder case, but religion always wants to add to God’s requirements. So, there was a complicated routine the scribes and the Pharisees insisted on, strictly observed by pious Jews for every course of every single meal. Enough water to fill ten eggshells was first poured on both hands, fingers pointing upwards, and then had to run up the arm to the wrist, where it had to drop off, as the wrist was now unclean – the process then repeated with the fingers pointing down – and each hand cleansed by being rubbed with the other fist. And repeat.

Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.

Let’s understand the difference. Jesus refused to engage with lifeless religious routine.

Prayer: You are looking for a people who have a true heart for You, Lord. May I be among them. Amen.

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FRI 12 SEPT

RELIGION AS A LOOPHOLE

READ Matthew 15:1-20 Luke 11:37-54

FOCUS But you allow people to say to their parents, ‘Any help you might have received from us is a gift set apart for God.’ Matthew 15:5

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Two good friends of mine suddenly announced they were divorcing their wives, abandoning their families, and moving to a new city. Both marriages had been in trouble, but the reason given for their departure was staggering. Announcing God had called them to church planting, each man insisted his wife was ‘holding him back’ spiritually, and to fully obey their calling, they needed to go.

I’ve seen it repeatedly – a Christian uses their faith commitment as an excuse for avoiding their basic responsibilities. A father is too busy at church to spend time with his family; another person church hops, damaging congregations at every turn, but insistent that God is leading them in their hopping.

We have seen that the Pharisees attacked Jesus because He refused to be bound by their traditions, in this case about hand washing. But not only did Jesus refuse to placate them, but He counterattacked, blasting them because they’d created ingenious religious loopholes that enabled them to ignore their family responsibilities.

Caring for elderly parents was central in Jewish thinking, but the leaders had developed a system called ‘corban’, where you could designate an amount of money for the Temple – and thereafter be relieved of any responsibility to care for your parents.

Again, Jesus called them – and us – away from rules, and into love; away from pious behaviour, and towards changed, purified hearts. That way, we show our love for God as we truly love others.

Prayer: The heart is deceitful, Lord Jesus.

Form me by Your Spirit in purity and truth.

Amen.

WEEKEND 13 - 14 SEPT

WILLING TO BE UNPOPULAR

READ Matthew 15:15-20 Matthew 11:16-19

The man came up to me at the end of the service, a huge grin on his face. ‘You came to our church a few years ago,’ he said, ‘and you got me into a lot of trouble.’ I was puzzled.

What on earth did I do to get this geniallooking chap into hot water? I asked him to clarify. ‘I told our minister that I really liked you, and enjoyed your preaching. But he was not amused, and said that it was a shame not everybody else in the church felt the same way’. Apparently I had gone down like a lead balloon. I searched my memory banks and recalled the evening. I remember driving away after the service thinking the time had gone well, and there had been a warm reception to my ministry. Now I realised I had been completely deluded. As I stammered to know how best to respond, I felt that hollowness in the pit of my stomach that comes with the realisation: not everybody likes me – on the contrary.

We all want to be liked. I know some people who say they couldn’t care less, but I struggle to believe them. But let’s not be driven by a hunger for popularity. Sometimes we have to make a lonely stand for what is true. As Jesus continued to expose the empty hypocrisy of the Pharisees, He succeeded in making more enemies and critics – which the disciples seemed uncomfortable about, hence their nervous report.

Let’s not go out of our way to make enemies.

But let’s also know we’re not everyone’s cup of tea, and get on with life anyway. Jesus did.

To ponder: Can you think of a situation where you could have stood up for what is right, but feared unpopularity, and so kept silent?

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MON 15 SEPT

NUDGING US INTO TRUTH

READ Matthew 15:21-28 Mark 7:24-37

FOCUS He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’

Matthew 15:26

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Earlier we saw that Jesus apparently tried to ‘nudge’ His disciples into action when the 5,000 were fed. Now, in an episode that initially seems both strange and maybe racist, He uses a certain teaching style to illustrate a point. A Gentile woman comes to Jesus with a pressing problem. Eventually, Jesus does intervene with healing, but initially, He says nothing, which is unusual for Him. When He does speak, He talks about feeding dogs – the Jews thought of Gentiles as dogs, and this response seems to endorse that terrible ethnic prejudice. So what is going on?

It seems that Jesus was setting up a ‘straw target’, one that He wanted to see exposed and brought down. This method is called reductio ad absurdum – where you propose an idea, a popular notion, with the intention of showing it to be false. And He was stating what everyone in the room is thinking and believes. Having just done battle with the exclusivist Pharisees, who would have barred so many of even the Jewish people from God, now He seeks to shock his disciples into seeing what racism and exclusivism really looks like. It drives people who are in desperate need away. Jesus refers to dogs, but He does not use the harsh word coined by the Pharisees. Instead, He uses another word that means ‘little pet dog’. In this dramatic style, Jesus was showing His apprentices the Pharisees’ heartlessness.

Sometimes Jesus wants to whisper, to hint, to nudge us into truth.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, lead me into truth. Thank You that Jesus promised You would do this.

Amen.

TUES 16 SEPT

JESUS: HEALER

READ Matthew 15:29-31 James 5:13-16

FOCUS The people were amazed. Those who could not speak were speaking.

The disabled were made well.

Matthew 15:31

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Forgive the personal disclosure, but for the last few years I’ve suffered from tinnitus – a constant ringing in the ears. Probably the result of attending a concert where the band played at a deafening level, the two sounds in my head – a high-pitched whine and a low frequency noise like a running engine – distract my days and often disturb my sleep at nights. So why am I sharing this? While praying yesterday, I suddenly realised that although I’ve had this condition for some years, never once have I asked Jesus to heal me. There are plenty of possible reasons for this: it might be my malady seems too trivial, especially as others close to me have battled extreme and sometimes terminal conditions. Having prayed for them, and not seen any direct intervention from the Lord, it might be that I’ve lost hope and expectation for healing. I’ve also been put off by those people who rush to condemn the sufferer when no healing comes, blaming them for a lack of faith. There might be other reasons, but the facts are these: Jesus has power to heal, as this episode demonstrates. There is no suggestion that He no longer does this.

The sick are commanded in James’ letter to request anointing with oil and prayer for healing.

And so, yesterday, I asked God to heal me from this tormenting condition. Has there been any progress? No. But as I ponder the awesome power of Jesus in healing so many serious health problems, I’m encouraged to keep on asking.

Prayer: Lord, show me where I have forgotten to ask. Yours is the power, and the glory. Amen.

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WED 17 SEPT

ONE CASE IN POINT

READ Mark 7:31-37 Matthew 9:20-21

FOCUS Jesus took the man to one side, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.

Mark 7:33

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Matthew gives us an overall picture of mass healings among the crowd that gathered around Jesus. But Mark homes in on the healing of one deaf and mute man. As we focus on how Jesus approached him, we see beautiful tenderness. I love that Jesus led the man away from the crowd, perhaps because of the intimacy of the moment, and the strange method He will use to bring about healing. He cannot speak to the man because he cannot hear, so he acts out what He intends to do, and puts His fingers into the man’s ears. He did this to provoke faith – Jesus was showing the deaf man that he could expect healing. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue.

Several Roman writers and Jewish rabbis considered saliva to be a valid treatment for blindness. Since the people of that day had a high view of saliva’s healing properties, Jesus used spit to communicate His intention to heal. This does not mean spitting should be our mode of practice when praying for people! Instead, wonderfully, Jesus meets the man where he is at in order to bring hope and ultimately healing to him.

This reminds me of that earlier moment Matthew describes when a woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, seeking healing.

Commentator Leon Morris: ‘There seems to be an element of superstition mingled with the faith of the woman, but Jesus did not reject her; He responded to the faith that He discerned.’11 Tender, creative, understanding: that’s our Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, I affirm the truth that the crowd exclaimed centuries ago: You are wonderful. Amen.

Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew (IVP: 1992,) pp229-230

THUR 18 SEPT

JESUS IS PRACTICAL

READ Matthew 15:32 Matthew 6:25-33

FOCUS Then Jesus called for his disciples to come to him. He said, ‘I feel deep concern for these people... They don’t have anything to eat.'

Matthew 15:32

We were chatting after a service where the teaching had been focused on financial health. One of our congregation was telling me his business was going through some crippling challenges – he wasn’t sure his company would survive, and was anxious for his employees as well as his own family.

I asked him if he was in the habit of praying for his business decisions. ‘Certainly not, Jeff’, he insisted, ‘I’m more than happy to pray for others, to pray for our world – but not my own needs. That seems selfish.’ While he was genuinely trying to be selfless, he was wrong.

Jesus had already given so much to the crowd pursuing Him. He must have been exhausted, dealing with their desperate demands for three days. But now, He is mindful that food supplies have dwindled and, as a result, the people might struggle to walk home on such empty stomachs. So He gathered His disciples to discuss the problem, and yes, perhaps again nudge them towards a solution – more about that tomorrow.

Let’s know that Jesus is deeply practical.

He wants us to ask for His wisdom when it comes to the smallest details of our lives.

There is nothing too incidental to bring to His attention. Living in the plenty we experience compared to most of the rest of the world, we might hesitate to bring our needs to Him: any request for practical provision seems selfish.

But we serve the Jesus who was thoughtful and concerned about empty stomachs. He looked at the big picture and the smaller one.

Prayer: Help me to bring my seemingly small issues to You, Lord. Your eye is on the detail; Your heart is one of care. Amen.

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FRI 19 SEPT

PATIENT AGAIN!

READ Matthew 15:32-39 Romans 2:4

FOCUS His disciples answered him.

‘There is nothing here,’ they said.

‘Where could we get enough bread to feed this large crowd?’

Matthew 15:33

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A decade or so ago, I reversed out of a driveway too quickly – and ran straight into a friend’s car (I paid for the damage, and we’re still friends). More recently, I reversed out of our driveway a little too quickly again, and smacked one side of our car into a wall, and the other into another car – a two for one special. Apparently I hadn’t learned my lesson from the previous experience.

As Jesus continues to minister among Gentiles – the feeding of the 4,000 is different from that of the 5,000 feeding – one thing remains consistent. The disciples asked the same question about bread supplies. It’s incredible. Even though they had witnessed the earlier supernatural provision, they are right back at the same question and dilemma – how shall all these people be provided for?

Perhaps their Jewish eyes couldn’t envision the possibility that the miracle that Jesus had performed among Jews could now be mirrored among Gentiles. Either they had not learned about faith and miraculous supply from the 5,000 feeding, or they hadn’t grasped Jesus’ heart for all, including Gentiles, in the healing of the Gentile Canaanite woman’s daughter we alluded to recently.

Kierkegaard said we must do life forwards, but we understand life backwards. That’s a call to reflection, learning and application of the wisdom and insight we gain as we travel the road of life. Do some of us need to learn the same old lessons over and over? Thank God for His patience!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am grateful for Your patience with me. As life unfolds, may I grow in knowledge and wisdom. Amen.

WEEKEND 20 - 21 SEPT

JESUS PICKS HIS BATTLES

READ Matthew 17:24-27 Matthew 5:9

It’s a rather strange story, where a very useful miracle was performed – money from a fish’s mouth to pay a tax bill. Many of us would like to see that miracle repeated when the Inland Revenue send us their annual demands!

Tax was a very contentious issue in Jesus’ day – and of special interest to Matthew, having been a tax collector. Jews were often stripped in the streets, to see if they were circumcised, and therefore liable to pay certain taxes. It wasn’t a great amount – a ‘drachma’ was a little coin, and the money was used to help to support the work of the Temple.

Jesus makes the point that, as Son of the Father, and therefore the Son of the owner and ruler of the Temple, He had no need to pay the tax – although by law, of course, He was still liable. But He simply paid up. This was most likely because He didn’t want to make any messianic claims at this point, as they would only have drawn unwelcome attention. Jesus walked perfectly in the timing of the Father and didn’t seek to get ahead of Him in His mission. We’ve talked about waiting before, but when submitting to God’s timing rather than insisting on our own schedule, let’s trust that He knows best and walk in patience and wisdom.

The time would come for Him to turn over the tables in the Temple and prophesy its total destruction – which happened in AD70.

But for now, with a measure of humour (with the fish-catching incident), He paid up. Let’s choose when to fight our battles.

To ponder: Are we involved in any ‘battles’ that require a ceasefire from us?

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MON 22 SEPT

JESUS CELEBRATES CHILDREN

READ Matthew 19:13-15 Mark 10:13-16

FOCUS Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them.’

Matthew 19:14

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As a young church-planting pastor, I was required to submit monthly reports to our denominational headquarters. I had to list how many home visits I had made to members of the congregation, what our offerings amounted to, and of course, the number of people attending our services.

But for some reason I was only to count adult attendance; children were not to be listed. This ruling sent a clear message: children were less important than grownups. And too often it’s more than a reporting philosophy that marginalizes children. I’ve visited hundreds of churches, and in some, the children gather in a dingy cold room for Sunday School or their own session during the Sunday Services. Children’s work can be the first to suffer in the budget, and if there are paid youth or children’s ministries, they are often underpaid and under-resourced.

I believe this makes Jesus angry. When the disciples tried to shoo away the parents who came to Jesus with their children, they risked His ire. They were mirroring the prevalent cultural attitude towards children, which saw them as unimportant, little ones to be seen and not heard. But although that was the common view, in his version of this episode, Mark tells us Jesus didn’t share it. On the contrary, He was indignant with His disciples.

Pray for those who minister to the young in your church. And as much as it is in your power to do so, ensure they are given the best possible resources, and not the leftovers.

Prayer: May Your love for children be reflected in Your Church’s practical and budgeting decisions, Lord Jesus. Amen.

TUES 23 SEPT

STICKING POINTS

READ Matthew 19:16-22 Hebrews 12:1-2

FOCUS Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’

Matthew 19:16

Have you ever asked a reluctant question, knowing you really didn’t want to hear the answer? Here’s a few: ‘Do you like my hair?’; ‘Did I offend you?’; ‘Is there anything I can do?’; ‘What did I do wrong?’; ‘Do I owe you anything?’ – and that perennial favourite, ‘Do I look fat in this?’

The man who approached Jesus with a question about eternal life seemed to have been in that ‘Tell me, but I’m not sure I want to know’ position, if his response to the answer is anything to go by. His question was skewed, because he thought that by being ‘good’, he could earn his way into eternity.

But then Jesus challenged the man about his materialism. That doesn’t mean all who are rich have to give everything away, although we must acknowledge we are all stewards of whatever we have. Not only does what we have belong to God in a general sense, but the way we use our money is a matter of discipleship and obedience for us all. What is clear in this case is that money was this man’s sticking point. It was not that he had money, but sadly money had him. Wealth often seems to have a special allure, demanding our loyalty and even worship.

Is money a sticking point for me? And if cash isn’t the issue, then is there another area of my life where I refuse to issue God with an ‘access all areas pass’? Perhaps we could all do well to follow the rich man’s example, at least in one action, and ask God to show us our sticking points. Jesus calls us to make Him Lord.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, show me what it means to walk under Your rule and reign. Are there any ‘no go’ areas? Amen

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WED 24 SEPT

NO DEAL

READ Matthew 19:16-30 1 Timothy 6:9-10

FOCUS Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have... Then come and follow me.’

Matthew 19:21

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It happened during a brief, two-day visit to preach in an amazing church in southern California. Eager to get out for a walk, Kay and I found ourselves in a high-end shopping mall. I felt completely out of place. It was like a gathering point for the rich, the tanned, the young, together with those who were spending lots of money on looking young, with varying degrees of success. Walking past the designer stores and jewellery shops where prices were not displayed (if you have to ask, you can’t afford it), I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to have more, but no specific understanding about why I wanted more or what I’d do with the money if more of it was available. Money seems to have a power of its own – no wonder Jesus identified it as a primary contender for the place of God in our lives.

Jesus met that man who had everything going for him – he was rich, he was a leader, and he was still young, so he’d tasted success early. He might have been a perfect addition to Jesus’ team, with his leadership skills and his resources. Sadly, his wealth and power deluded him into thinking that he could buy God with his own goodness – a notion still prevalent among many. In calling him to give everything away, Jesus wanted him to radically deal with the idol in his life.

Tragically, his story doesn’t end happily, because he went away sad, and Jesus let him go. He does not bargain with us or compromise His demands for our comfort.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may You alone be the focus of my worship, my priority. When idols tempt, show me, and help me. Amen.

THUR 25 SEPT

NO SHORTCUTS

READ Matthew 20:20-21 1 Peter 4:19

FOCUS She said, ‘Promise me that one of my two sons may sit at your right hand in your kingdom.

Promise that the other one may sit at your left hand.’

Matthew 20:21

It’s a comical scene – a mother trying to make a deal for her boys, seeking to reserve the best seats (thrones) for them. Let’s go back to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to get further insight. When the devil tempted Jesus, he offered Him a throne – the kingdoms of all the world. This would be a shortcut – according to Satan’s lie, there would be no need for a cross and its agony. The conman promised, ‘Bow down in worship to me, and all this will be yours.’ Of course, Jesus refused that offer and took the long and painful road to glory via Calvary.

Now, Salome, the mother of James and John, sought to make a reservation for them – the text suggests her language was framed like a deal. She was probably put up to it by her sons – when the other disciples heard about it, they were upset with James and John, not with her. But they were also called to take a long road before glory would come: as we’ll see tomorrow, this would include exile and martyrdom. Ultimately Jesus would use this moment as an opportunity to teach on servant leadership, but for now, let’s affirm there is no shortcut to glory, as He took the long road, and as James and John ended up following in His footsteps.

Perhaps your current pathway is filled with exhaustion and suffering. Don’t let anyone tell you your pain lingers because you don’t have enough faith. Jesus, James and John have been that way, and we have to navigate it too.

But know this: glory is ahead.

Prayer: When I feel the road I take is too hard, strengthen me to be faithful, all the way home to glory. Amen.

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FRI 26 SEPT

COUNTING THE COST

READ Matthew 20:20-28 Luke 14:25-35

FOCUS ‘You don’t know what you’re asking for,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup of suffering I am going to drink?'

Matthew 20:22

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As James and John set their mother up to claim the seats of greatest honour for them in the coming Kingdom, perhaps we can understand their error. After all, Jesus had just promised His disciples that, in the future, they would occupy twelve thrones and would ‘judge the twelve tribes of Israel’ (Matt. 19:28). But before any of that could happen, Jesus would drink from a terrible ‘cup’. In Jewish thinking, the cup was a metaphor for blessing and salvation, as well as wrath or disaster. As He wrestled in Gethsemane, knowing the horrors He was about to endure, Jesus prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering away from me’ (Matt. 26:39). And so, Jesus directly addressed His two ambitious disciples, and asked them a question they answered rather too quickly: were they willing and able to suffer as He was going to suffer?

Immediately they affirmed they were willing – and, ultimately, they certainly did suffer. James would die at Herod’s whim (Acts 12:1-5), and John would be exiled to the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). But that would only be after they denied Jesus and fled, and whatever they suffered, it didn’t compare to the cup Jesus drank to the full. They were too keen for greatness and glory.

Over the course of this study, we’ve repeatedly seen Jesus warn would-be followers about the cost of being faithful to Him. When we make promises to Jesus, let’s make sure they come from careful and prayerful reflection.

Prayer: Lord, may I come to You in prayer, and be thoughtful and authentic in what I promise You. Help me to endure suffering well. Amen.

WEEKEND 27 - 28 SEPT

TEMPLE TABLES

READ Matthew 21:12-17 1 Peter 3:8-22

As Jesus storms into the Temple courts and turns over the tables, He does so because injustice angers Him. Again we see that He hates exclusion, too – Mark’s version of this story mentions Jesus saying the Temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations. The swindling traders set up their stalls in the court of the Gentiles, the only place where non-Jews could gather. But this action was also symbolic, designed to stir the national memory. After all, the crooked traders would be back in place the next day. Nearly two hundred years earlier, the Temple had been rededicated after its ritual defilement at the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes, who used pork as an offering to pagan gods. A man called Judas Maccabeus had led the way, and the nation had sang, ‘Hosanna!’, waved palm branches, and looked forward to redemption. Now the true Messiah had come. Jesus’ act invited them to remember, and join the dots.

This table turning was a very risky act. No one relishes trouble. We usually pick the quiet life rather than the din of tribulation. But there are times when we need to choose to do what is right, even though we know we’ll be in hot water as a result. Jesus refused to back off. The principle was worth the price, and He knew without question He was in the right, as He quoted both Isaiah and Jeremiah in justification for this cleansing. Sometimes, to use Peter’s term, we have to learn to suffer for doing what is right. Jesus did just that.

To ponder: Is there a situation where you know what the right thing is to do, but you will suffer if you do it? What is your next step?

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MON 29 SEPT

JESUS TEARS DOWN THE CURTAIN

READ Matthew 27:45-56 Hebrews 4:14-16

FOCUS After Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, he died.

At that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.

Matthew 27:50-51

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And so we come to the worst and best day in history, as Jesus completes His long journey to the cross, and then to death. The image of the Temple curtain being torn demonstrates new access to God for all people, everywhere. The fact that it was torn from top to bottom seems rich in symbolism too, the idea that God made the way, not human hands. The writer to the Hebrews celebrates that no longer do we have to stand distant from God, but in Christ, all are welcomed to come close with confidence. Because of that day, we don’t have to experience the fear felt even by the ancient High Priest. Annually, he entered into the Holy of Holies, a rope tied around his leg so that his body could be dragged out if he was struck dead by the awesome presence of God. The ripping up of the Temple curtain also signals judgement was coming on it and the whole sacrificial system – now, as Jesus died, the first act of destroying it took place, an act that would be completed, as we have seen, in AD70 when the Temple and Jerusalem were sacked.

God was calling time on the Temple. The old system of sacrifices would be abandoned.

It had become exclusive, ritualistic, and legalistic.

Jesus did not come to invent a religion. He came to offer true life. The ceremonies and traditions that attach themselves to Christianity can be helpful. But at the heart of it all is not just a moral code or a religious system, but an invitation to walk with Jesus by faith.

Prayer: Empty religion is dead, but in You is life, living Christ. Help me to enjoy the privilege of drawing close to You each day.

Amen.

TUES 30 SEPT

ALWAYS WITH US

READ Matthew 28:16-20 John 1:1-18

FOCUS Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

Matthew 28:16-17

His great work was completed. On the cross, Jesus was able to declare, ‘It is finished!’

Now He was resurrected, and the ongoing call for all of humanity to walk with God through Jesus could begin. And then came the shocking development – He wasn’t staying on! Granted, He’d warned them He was going away, but then He’d foretold all the events of the Easter weekend, yet they had been bewildered. As they gathered on a mountain (lots of awesome things happen on mountains in Matthew’s account), we see a mixed picture. They worship, but some doubt.

We don’t know precisely what their doubts were about. Some commentators suggest that they might just not have been sure how to respond to Jesus in this new situation, even concerned whether it was right to worship Him. But as we see them worship, an act of homage only due to God, we end our time with this truth that is the foundation of our faith: Jesus is more than a great rabbi, miracle worker, or teacher of ethics; He is God, by whose word creation came into being.

Finally in contrast to their nervousness and fragility, the solid faithfulness of Jesus towards them is so beautifully evident too, in His promise to always be with them, by His Spirit. Emboldened by that truth, those ordinary friends of Jesus changed the world forever. And it’s true for us, too. We’re fragile.

He’s faithful. We’ll never, ever be alone again.

And there’s still a world to change.

Prayer: Jesus, You are the Christ, the Mighty One, the One worthy of my worship. Fill me with Your Spirit afresh. Amen.

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NEXT TIME: THE CHOSEN It was a monumental decision - Jesus spent a whole night in prayer before picking His team. Looking closer at those He selected, they were a mixed and inexperienced bunch, unlikely to succeed unless God was with them - and they changed the world! Like them, we too are called to be disciples of Jesus - so join us next time as we take a closer look at the group that He gathered. We’ll learn vital lessons as we seek to learn from and be transformed by the One who is not only the greatest teacher in history, but is uniquely our Lord and Saviour!

Here’s the truth about us: however much we have come to know Jesus, our view of Him is still incomplete and even distorted. And that matters, because what we think and feel about God hugely affects the way we live our lives. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to guide us through Matthew's gospel as we rediscover our amazing Lord!

Life with Lucas is written by Jeff Lucas, an international author, speaker, broadcaster and coach. Married to Kay, his passion is to equip the Church with biblical, practical Bible teaching, marked by vulnerability and humour.

Jeff is a best-selling author of 34 books, and broadcasts weekly on Premier Christian Radio.

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JeffLucasUK

lifewithlucas.co.uk PO Box 239, Heathfield, TN21 1EH, UK Tel 01892 752920