Good Sunday morning. After they come down from the mount of Transfiguration, a man comes up to Jesus and falls on his knees. He begs Jesus to heal his son because the disciples were not able to do so. Jesus casts out the demon, and the boy is cured. The disciples want to know why they could not cast it out. It was because of the littleness of their faith. They only needed the faith of a mustard seed to even move a mountain. A mustard seed does not have to do anything special to grow – it just knows that it will! We should be the same way in the exercise of our faith. (some manuscripts add that this kind does not come out by anything except prayer and fasting). Jesus reminds them that He’s going to be delivered up; killed; and raised on the third day. They are deeply grieved. They are expecting Jesus to set up His kingdom here and now. Then we have the fish story – you know, the one where Peter cast the hook into the sea, and the fish has a coin in its mouth. The disciples want to know who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Of course they were expecting Jesus to name some great person (can anyone say me, me, me like the seagulls in finding Nemo). But Jesus tells them they have to become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. Father thank You that the reader has the faith of a mustard seed. He/she can even command a mountain to move, and it will obey him/her. Nothing will be impossible for him/her!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

  Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
Read more
  Good morning. So Peter just told them that basically they were responsible for the death of Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what shall we do? Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we will see much later, it seems that at this point in time they believed that you could not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit without first being baptized in water. It appears that that idea did not change until chapter 10 after God baptized Cornelius and his family in the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Now lest someone think that this was just for the people in the first century Peter then says, for the promise (of the Father - baptism in the Holy Spirit) is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. That means us! And...
Read more

And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it

  Good morning. I pray that everything is all right with your family. And as he heard these words,  Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it – ya think? Based on Peter’s words to the wife later, I don’t think Peter was expecting this to happen. If that happened today, a lot of congregations would be shrinking 😳 . The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. Notice that there was no ceremony, and no one gave a eulogy. I don’t know if that was the custom or if it was because of the way he died – probably the custom. They needed to bury people right away because there was no embalming. Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. What, no one cellphoned her 🙃 ? Notice that it took three hours. Whether that is because it was a long way off, or it took a long time to dig a grave we don’t know. Responding to her, Peter said, tell me whet...
Read more