2010 – October 25 – When Mercy Means More

Study from God’s Word… See the Bible passages from the synoptic gospels selected for October 25 in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, documenting a number of the Sabbath confrontations which Jesus had with the Pharisees and religious leaders over his interaction with sinners and his healing on the Sabbath, all of which were leading to Jesus being labeled as blasphemous and an agent of Satan … Passage for Reflection: Matthew 9: 13 [from Matt. 9: 9 -13] … NIV 9As Jesus went on from there [after healing the paralytic man lowered to Him through the roof], He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'[from Hosea 6:6] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

My Journal for Today: Today, Dr. Smith in his chronological presentation of the account of the tax collector, Matthew, being called out by Jesus, we read an interested difference in the account of Matthew himself in the third person as “Matthew” [today’s passage above]. However, in the parallel accounts in Mark 2: 13-17 and in Luke 5: 27-32 [linked] both Mark and Luke refer to the tax collector as “Levi,” his given Jewish name; and Mark even refers to him as Levi, the son of Alpheus.

So, why is this important? Well, think about it. If you were Matthew, after being recognized and called out by Jesus, would you want to be known as “Levi,” which in Hebrew means “joined with the priesthood,” or “Matthew,” the Hebrew meaning “gift from God?” As a tax collector, Levi had joined in cahoots with many of the Jewish leaders, which you read about in the three parallel references from today’s Bible readings; and so the people would have thought “Levi” was an appropriate name for this tax collector, one of the most hated classes of people in that day, especially since he had connected himself with the religious leaders of that day. And so, Levi had dubbed himself “Matthew,” and that was the name that Jesus, Himself, referred to His new disciple, one who was about to become an Apostle. Levi wanted more to be known as “Matthew,” one who saves, rather than “Levi,” one who joins with the Pharisees.

Names were very important in Jesus’ times; and we know of names being changed by God and Jesus to describe the true character of a follower. Studying “Abram” becoming “Abraham” in the OT and “Simon,” becoming “Peter,” in the NT are examples. But what we call ourselves when challenged as Christians today is just as important. Dr. Smith asks today in his challenge question: ”If I proudly wear the name ‘Christian,’ have I forgotten that it is a word signifying God’s great gift of mercy to me?”

And note what Jesus said from the above text, which confronting the Pharisees. He told them to go and see what Hosea had said in the Old Testament (see Hosea 6: 6), which foretold of the One Who would desire mercy more than any other; and that, of course, was Jesus, The Messiah, who proclaims in today’s text, for the Pharisees to hear then, or for us to read today, For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” And is not that the greatest act of mercy of all.

And so, just like Jesus called out “Levi,” who would become “Matthew,” He has called out yours truly, a wretched sinner, whom Jesus would rename “Saint,” and give me the mercy of His great gift of salvation, which He laid upon me when I repented of my sin and received His gift of saving grace.

Again, my friend … here it comes … HALLELUJAH!!!

My Prayer for Today: Yes, Lord, … HALLELUJAH … for renaming this sinner as “Saint” by Your shed blood and my faith in You as my Lord and Savior. And I pray that all who read here have received that same eternal gift. Amen

2010 – June 17 – What’s In A Name

Study from God’s Word… Hosea, Chapters 1 – 3 … Passage for Reflection: Hosea 2: 23 … NIV 23 I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one. [Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah]'
I will say to those called 'Not my people, [Hebrew Lo-Ammi ] 'You are my people';
and they will say, 'You are my God.' "

My Journal for Today: The book of Hosea is an incredible study into the faithfulness, long-suffering, and yes, the justice of our God as well. And the way God teaches the lesson of His Jehovah character to Hosea is both tragic and powerful. Mankind learns best from experience; and God teaches Hosea about how much He loves and is merciful to Israel, despite her disobedience and unfaithfulness, by having Hosea marry a woman, Gomer, who becomes a prostitute. Yes, that most certainly is a life picture of Israel; but poor Hosea certainly had to go through a horrible life lesson with his wife to be able to empathize with God’s message which would be conveyed by Hosea to God’s unfaithful bride, Israel.

And in the process we see that even the names given to Hosea’s children with his wife Gomer communicated to Hosea and the world a lot about the nature of God’s relationship with his off-spring, Israel. Hosea’s second child, named in Hebrew “Lo-Ruhamah,” meant “not my loved one,” speaking of God’s regret and grief over the way His children in Israel rebelled against God’s way. And the third daughter, “Lo-Ammi,” was named to mean “not my people,” also communicating God’s dismay over how his disobedient and prostituted bride (Gomer) had treated her relationship with her bridegroom. What a picture, through names, of God’s long-suffering, yet His grief over how these children represented Israel’s disobedience and disaffection for their faithful Bridegroom.

Names are important in Scripture, aren’t they? Remember how God had Sarai’s name changed to “Sarah” to reflect how she’d become the “mother of many.” Peter’s name, meaning “the rock,” certainly was not apt for him while he was a disciple of Christ; but God knew what Peter was going to become, “a rock” of witness for the new Church, … the Bride of Christ. Have you ever done a study into your own name? Mine is WILLIAM; and in many languages it means “the helmeted one” or “warrior.” And God seemed to know something about me, which I couldn’t sense in myself for many years; because I rebelled in sin for over 22 years of my life, rejecting Christ as a non-believer. But then God drew me to Himself; and I took on more of the character of my given name, ultimately being called and becoming a warrior for Christ in a ministry called “BattlePlan Ministries.” Yes, … now I’m becoming a “William” in the Godly sense of my given name. Go figure!! And this is saying to me here about how many of us, who take on the name of Christ, calling our selves “Christian,” either do service or disservice to our Bridegroom by the way we live.

We who are called “Christians,” either reflect, by the way we live, the Name of Christ, or we profane His image by our life choices and behavior. If any of us go by the name “Christian,” we must continually take note of how our name, Christ’s Name, is being witnessed into the world by the way we live. And if we can be seen by others appropriately as the Bride of Christ, wearing our Bridegroom’s Robes of Righteousness, especially in the way we exhibit God’s love (see John 13: 34-35), we live up to our name, “Christian.” However, as with the names of Hosea’s children, when we exhibit our rags of sin to the world, refusing to wear our Groom’s grace-offered robes, the name “christian” becomes that of disobedience and reflects anything but our Savior to the world.

I must ask myself today, “ ‘William,’ are you a warrior for Christ, living up to your given name; and are you aptly reflecting the name of ‘Christian’ into a world which desperately needs to see and receive that Name for their eternal future?” I will pray that I do.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, make me a true “William” for your glory; and help me to show off the name “Christian” in a way which reflects Your glory for all to see. Amen