"... Come!..."
Here is the second time these fishermen were panicked in the midst of a stormy sea. The first time Jesus was there with them, asleep in the stern. Things got so bad they woke him up and accused him of not caring if they drowned (yet he was with them all along).
At first, Jesus is nowhere to be seen. But then, after hours of struggle, he finally appears in the nighttime of their fear. The rescue comes this time - not from within - but from without. At first, the deliverance was unrecognizable because it came in a new way, a different way, a way that actually bred more fear - and required more faith - in their troubled hearts.
Jesus likes to mix it up.
It is I. These words of the Word, speaking into the heart of the boat, assuring the fishermen they had not been abandoned, must have been so relieving! It is I.
Then Peter - either in his fervency to escape the sinking vessel or his impulsiveness to be be with the One he so dearly loved (perhaps an undefinable combination of both?) - beckons to come out "with You" into the frothing tempests. Sometimes God calls us deeper into the storm that we might meet him there; yet, I suppose, all storms are tolerable when we see Jesus in the midst of them.
Come! Peter bails out and makes a bee-line for the Lord, standing like a ghost in the wind and waves. The closer he gets to the miracle, the more he begins to rationalize the logistics of that same miracle. His mind "wavers" (literal Greek meaning) in the waves and he cries to be saved. Jesus lifts him from the depths and - I believe - speaks encouragingly to him, there on the sea.
You were awesome! You were doing do well. Dude, you were walking on the water! Why did you loose faith? And, lovingly taking him under his arm, walked Peter back - back through the doubting tempests of that same storm - where both stepped into the water-filled hull of the boat. Only then did the wind cease.
God is always testing, always stretching, always seeking to bring our faith into new realms where we are forced to cry out to him, the Author and Finisher of our in Faith. He knows that it is impossible to please God without faith and trains us accordingly. There is something in the cry that both breeds humility and dependancy - two things that Jesus is compelled to respond to.
Miracles are merely stepping stones to the One who waits in the midst of the storm.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Matthew Study 13:55
".... is this not the carpenter's son?..."
The Life of Faith is greatly hindered when reason is demanded of it.
By its very nature, Faith is believing. It is an ascent fueled by Grace into a realm wherein Kingdom Activities are then - and only then - understood and experienced. Life in that realm is proportionally diffused with the infusion of too much human reasoning. It's not unlike a painter who waters down his paint and finds the new hue to be a only a faint resemblance to its original luster.
And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Seeking to become masters of the mystery limits the activities of the Master of the Mystery. Remember - the faith of a child?
Here we have Jesus teaching in their own synagogue. As with all his teaching, Kingdom Authority rushed forth in hues of wisdom, miracles, and parables. Yet the exuberance of Divine Revelation was dammed by a demeanor of skepticism. This time the push-back wasn't coming from theological bigwigs. It was coming from the people who raised him. Who is this really? How did he learn all that? Isn't this Mary's son - he played with our children!
And, just like that, their unbelief blinded them to the Hue of Heaven in their midst.
Lord, raise my heart above my unbelief and into the realm of belief, that I would see your words and hear your words in the synagogue of my heart. Amen.
The Life of Faith is greatly hindered when reason is demanded of it.
By its very nature, Faith is believing. It is an ascent fueled by Grace into a realm wherein Kingdom Activities are then - and only then - understood and experienced. Life in that realm is proportionally diffused with the infusion of too much human reasoning. It's not unlike a painter who waters down his paint and finds the new hue to be a only a faint resemblance to its original luster.
And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Seeking to become masters of the mystery limits the activities of the Master of the Mystery. Remember - the faith of a child?
Here we have Jesus teaching in their own synagogue. As with all his teaching, Kingdom Authority rushed forth in hues of wisdom, miracles, and parables. Yet the exuberance of Divine Revelation was dammed by a demeanor of skepticism. This time the push-back wasn't coming from theological bigwigs. It was coming from the people who raised him. Who is this really? How did he learn all that? Isn't this Mary's son - he played with our children!
And, just like that, their unbelief blinded them to the Hue of Heaven in their midst.
Lord, raise my heart above my unbelief and into the realm of belief, that I would see your words and hear your words in the synagogue of my heart. Amen.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Matthew Study 13:52
"... every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom... is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and things old..."
The absolute key to flowing in the grace of the Holy Spirit is being prophetic and incarnational in the situation at hand. When a Saint has learned that, the world will begin to notice God.
Some Saints live so much in the moment they have unintentionally discarded their Sacred History. (But God was in the moment back then and just as significant then as he is today!) Others hold on to the spiritual mountain-tops of their past with such fervency that they are blinded to the wondrous revelation of the Present Day.
But Jesus likens us - my dear Scribes of the Kingdom - to a chef who runs her fingers across the spice rack, seeking the perfect ingredient for the meal at hand. Each event demands a fresh, Living Encounter. A wise person will remember, will choose appropriately, the perfect treasure for the occasion at hand, whether it be something from thirty years ago or something she is being led to do for the first time.
How do you choose? You may say, "I have so many treasures to bring out - all of which seem good for this occasion!" The Holy Spirit is the Highlighter and reveals the exact need for any given situation. He will bring to your mind a certain memory, or not.
I can easily come up with many ways to address a situation. But that would be "me." That's not where we want to be.
As God calls us into situations which demand our response or action we need to remember how Jesus did it. He could have chose many ways to speak, many methods of healing the sick, but his priority to do "only what he saw the Father doing" was his Life's Mission. When he encountered a situation which demanded his input he had a built-in default mode. He asked God what to do.
"What are you doing here, Father? Should I heal this person like the last person - or is there something else you're doing, something else which would speak a keen awareness of your Love into this person?"
The next time you walk into a situation and are fairly certain you have acquired the expertise to deal with it in a timely and expedient manner take a step back and consider: how can the Spirit use your Sacred Experience in this particular situation? What would be the best way - your Way - to dialogue with this?
You may have your ideas. But he always has his!
The absolute key to flowing in the grace of the Holy Spirit is being prophetic and incarnational in the situation at hand. When a Saint has learned that, the world will begin to notice God.
Some Saints live so much in the moment they have unintentionally discarded their Sacred History. (But God was in the moment back then and just as significant then as he is today!) Others hold on to the spiritual mountain-tops of their past with such fervency that they are blinded to the wondrous revelation of the Present Day.
But Jesus likens us - my dear Scribes of the Kingdom - to a chef who runs her fingers across the spice rack, seeking the perfect ingredient for the meal at hand. Each event demands a fresh, Living Encounter. A wise person will remember, will choose appropriately, the perfect treasure for the occasion at hand, whether it be something from thirty years ago or something she is being led to do for the first time.
How do you choose? You may say, "I have so many treasures to bring out - all of which seem good for this occasion!" The Holy Spirit is the Highlighter and reveals the exact need for any given situation. He will bring to your mind a certain memory, or not.
I can easily come up with many ways to address a situation. But that would be "me." That's not where we want to be.
As God calls us into situations which demand our response or action we need to remember how Jesus did it. He could have chose many ways to speak, many methods of healing the sick, but his priority to do "only what he saw the Father doing" was his Life's Mission. When he encountered a situation which demanded his input he had a built-in default mode. He asked God what to do.
"What are you doing here, Father? Should I heal this person like the last person - or is there something else you're doing, something else which would speak a keen awareness of your Love into this person?"
The next time you walk into a situation and are fairly certain you have acquired the expertise to deal with it in a timely and expedient manner take a step back and consider: how can the Spirit use your Sacred Experience in this particular situation? What would be the best way - your Way - to dialogue with this?
You may have your ideas. But he always has his!
Matthew Study 12:49
"... let both grow together until the harvest..."
'Worry not too deeply about the tares of regret, remorse, and addiction which seem eternally embedded within the soil of your heart. For, once you begin tearing apart the tares, the precious stalks of Sacred History also lie in peril. Entrust your field to the Lord of the Harvest and let both grow together as he sanctifies you to himself."
We are a curious mix of humanity and Divinity. We are filled with New Wine and co-heir with Christ. Yet, we are human. (Redeemed Humanity is, after all, still humanity!) Our minds are very capable of condemning us of events of our past. If we are not careful, these "tares" can become the object of preoccupation of our life. When that happens we become self-condemning and, if not monitored, filled with faithlessness and sorrow.
Sirach writes, "Love your soul, and comfort your heart, and put sorrow far away from you; for sorrow has destroyed many, and there is no profit in it." No wonder the psalmist writes, "I lift my eyes up to the mountains..."
I have found it helpful to agree with the facts which my mind is accusing me of, and even to agree with the facts that the devil throws in my face. I say, "Yes, you are right. That part of me is true, or was true. How wondrous a salvation in Jesus Christ, where all is forgiven as I offer these things to the Lover of my Sou!"
There comes a time in ones life where, after honest inventory, it's evident that our Fields contain good and evil. It is within this realization - this admission of truth - when a certain demeanor arises: Grace-filled Understanding. It is in that instant, when we become free from the torment of our tares. True confession brings true freedom, even if we don't particularly like (or even want to admit) the depths of the roots.
This confession, of course, needs to be acknowledged before the back drop of Continued Sanctification - God's lovingly persistent mission to break up our fallow ground. All self-revelation needs to be fingered with the his hands of hope and of healing - and of the assurance that, as we agree with God as to the issues of our hearts, his Living Water is poured out and showers the fields in our heart. The field, after all is much greater than the tares. There is wheat there, too - wheat fit for the Harvest.
When we acknowledge both tares and wheat coexisting in the field of our hearts we become qualifiers for God's realized forgiveness and healing. We also see things in perspective. Jesus is Lord of the Harvest, he knows how the Garden grows, he is aware of the tares, he cares more-so for the wheat, he allows both to grow together for our own good, he isn't too distracted by their evil (in actuality, he has plucked their roots at the Dogwood Tree and rendered them powerless), and, at the end of the Day, they have no eternal merit.
In other words, he doesn't give them much power. Neither should we.
Let both reside. Live in the tension, knowing that on that Great and GLorious Day, all will be separated.
'Worry not too deeply about the tares of regret, remorse, and addiction which seem eternally embedded within the soil of your heart. For, once you begin tearing apart the tares, the precious stalks of Sacred History also lie in peril. Entrust your field to the Lord of the Harvest and let both grow together as he sanctifies you to himself."
We are a curious mix of humanity and Divinity. We are filled with New Wine and co-heir with Christ. Yet, we are human. (Redeemed Humanity is, after all, still humanity!) Our minds are very capable of condemning us of events of our past. If we are not careful, these "tares" can become the object of preoccupation of our life. When that happens we become self-condemning and, if not monitored, filled with faithlessness and sorrow.
Sirach writes, "Love your soul, and comfort your heart, and put sorrow far away from you; for sorrow has destroyed many, and there is no profit in it." No wonder the psalmist writes, "I lift my eyes up to the mountains..."
I have found it helpful to agree with the facts which my mind is accusing me of, and even to agree with the facts that the devil throws in my face. I say, "Yes, you are right. That part of me is true, or was true. How wondrous a salvation in Jesus Christ, where all is forgiven as I offer these things to the Lover of my Sou!"
There comes a time in ones life where, after honest inventory, it's evident that our Fields contain good and evil. It is within this realization - this admission of truth - when a certain demeanor arises: Grace-filled Understanding. It is in that instant, when we become free from the torment of our tares. True confession brings true freedom, even if we don't particularly like (or even want to admit) the depths of the roots.
This confession, of course, needs to be acknowledged before the back drop of Continued Sanctification - God's lovingly persistent mission to break up our fallow ground. All self-revelation needs to be fingered with the his hands of hope and of healing - and of the assurance that, as we agree with God as to the issues of our hearts, his Living Water is poured out and showers the fields in our heart. The field, after all is much greater than the tares. There is wheat there, too - wheat fit for the Harvest.
When we acknowledge both tares and wheat coexisting in the field of our hearts we become qualifiers for God's realized forgiveness and healing. We also see things in perspective. Jesus is Lord of the Harvest, he knows how the Garden grows, he is aware of the tares, he cares more-so for the wheat, he allows both to grow together for our own good, he isn't too distracted by their evil (in actuality, he has plucked their roots at the Dogwood Tree and rendered them powerless), and, at the end of the Day, they have no eternal merit.
In other words, he doesn't give them much power. Neither should we.
Let both reside. Live in the tension, knowing that on that Great and GLorious Day, all will be separated.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Matthew Study 12:32
"... but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him..."
When a person becomes a Temple of the God's Breath he is forever that Temple. And, one day, the Temples will unite and he shall forever be with the Lord. Our words testify as to the Hope that reside within us.
When a person remains veiled to the Persistent Presence of God, and seeks not to embrace the Embracer in Christ Jesus, he will not have access to the Greater Life in God when he dies. And his words will echo that sense of eschatological hopelessness. It will be evident in everything he does.
The "veiling of the Persistent Presence" or, as the Church Fathers describe it, "the closing of ones eyes", isn't a one shot deal. For we all close our eyes to the Lord many times a day, do we not? It is more a prophetic disposition of any given Eternity, heaven or hell. What Jesus is highlighting here is the division between sheep and goats, the righteous and unrighteous - those who know the Lord and those who do not.
A person who knows the Lord has entered into that relationship as a result of the Spirit's Call and Revelation. Having entered into that sacred relationship he or she has become free of the sin of blasphemy of the Spirit (or one wouldn't be dancing in the Courts of the King in the first place!).
When you entered the Outer Courts, you left that sin behind.
Conversely, a person who seeks to enter Glory outside the Grace given at the Cross has denied the Work of the Spirit and, therefore, cannot be forgiven - for that person has not given into the revelatory work of the Spirit in his heart; that work being the gifting of Grace and Forgiveness in Jesus. So, in the negative sense of the word, he has blasphemed the Spirit. That's why people who blaspheme the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. They exist outside the forgiveness of Christ which is revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Many sincere Followers pick apart their every thought and word, fearing they have committed the unforgivable sin. But the fact they are believers automatically disqualifies them from blaspheming the Holy Spirit. They shouldn't even entertain the idea. They should, however, seek to work out their salvation in fear and trembling, knowing that the Lord Almighty is a Power to be reckoned with. If the fear of having committed the unforgivable sin acts as a motivator for ones personal purity, so be it. But let not the believer be accused (from within or without) of having committed this sin.
Believers can't do that.
When a person becomes a Temple of the God's Breath he is forever that Temple. And, one day, the Temples will unite and he shall forever be with the Lord. Our words testify as to the Hope that reside within us.
When a person remains veiled to the Persistent Presence of God, and seeks not to embrace the Embracer in Christ Jesus, he will not have access to the Greater Life in God when he dies. And his words will echo that sense of eschatological hopelessness. It will be evident in everything he does.
The "veiling of the Persistent Presence" or, as the Church Fathers describe it, "the closing of ones eyes", isn't a one shot deal. For we all close our eyes to the Lord many times a day, do we not? It is more a prophetic disposition of any given Eternity, heaven or hell. What Jesus is highlighting here is the division between sheep and goats, the righteous and unrighteous - those who know the Lord and those who do not.
A person who knows the Lord has entered into that relationship as a result of the Spirit's Call and Revelation. Having entered into that sacred relationship he or she has become free of the sin of blasphemy of the Spirit (or one wouldn't be dancing in the Courts of the King in the first place!).
When you entered the Outer Courts, you left that sin behind.
Conversely, a person who seeks to enter Glory outside the Grace given at the Cross has denied the Work of the Spirit and, therefore, cannot be forgiven - for that person has not given into the revelatory work of the Spirit in his heart; that work being the gifting of Grace and Forgiveness in Jesus. So, in the negative sense of the word, he has blasphemed the Spirit. That's why people who blaspheme the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. They exist outside the forgiveness of Christ which is revealed by the Holy Spirit.
Many sincere Followers pick apart their every thought and word, fearing they have committed the unforgivable sin. But the fact they are believers automatically disqualifies them from blaspheming the Holy Spirit. They shouldn't even entertain the idea. They should, however, seek to work out their salvation in fear and trembling, knowing that the Lord Almighty is a Power to be reckoned with. If the fear of having committed the unforgivable sin acts as a motivator for ones personal purity, so be it. But let not the believer be accused (from within or without) of having committed this sin.
Believers can't do that.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Matthew Study 12:12
"... is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?..."
Jesus' priorities were such that his response to human need far outweighed the consequences of broken religious protocol.
It's not that Jesus was all about breaking the traditions. He, after all, was the fulfillment of those same traditions. He was all about the business of breathing Life into those traditions - about the business of rejuvenating empty works with the Living Word.
Here we see him in a synagogue where there is a man in sore need of healing. At once his heart is stirred to heal the man - to do something to relieve the suffering he sees around him, especially in this crippled lamb. At the same time he is acutely aware that the theological praxis - the religious protocol - speaks against such an act of compassion. The good in his heart is face to face with the hard consequences of that same goodness. He has a choice to make. What is more important here? The substance or the framework? The Law or the Lover? The Sabbath or the Lord over the Sabbath?
Stretch out your hand. It was an intentional no-brainer for Jesus. Ever since the Holy Spirit descended upon him at his baptism, he had been Graced with the Call and Responsibility to proclaim the Kingdom of God in thought, word, and deed. At times it was easy. Everyone loved him. Other times - like here - he had to choose - to be intentional - to live into that which he had been called, knowing the what would happen as a result of acting out in Holy Testimony.
Of course, the man was completely restored - God is seen! Of course, the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might destroy him. Jesus knew that would happen. Yet he considered the religious repercussion of the event secondary to the restoration of a Soul.
Most of the time, we who drink New Wine, find ourselves well within with the norms of accepted Christian culture. Tradition is a needful container for the Wine - a safety net - else it would become unbalanced. But, lest we forget, he is not a tame God. The Wind blows where it will. My ways are not your ways, says the Lord. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. There will be times in our life when - in the Spirit of Christ - we will find ourselves in a similar position: a position which challenges us to flow in the Spirit of the New Wine, in spite of what "the right thing to do" is.
Jesus had his choice, too. And he took it.
And, when he humbly rose into the Call for which he was ordained, it not only testified to the Greater Love of the Father but, in so doing, it healed - completely restored - a precious Human Image which, as a result of his display of compassion, he eventually died for.
Jesus' priorities were such that his response to human need far outweighed the consequences of broken religious protocol.
It's not that Jesus was all about breaking the traditions. He, after all, was the fulfillment of those same traditions. He was all about the business of breathing Life into those traditions - about the business of rejuvenating empty works with the Living Word.
Here we see him in a synagogue where there is a man in sore need of healing. At once his heart is stirred to heal the man - to do something to relieve the suffering he sees around him, especially in this crippled lamb. At the same time he is acutely aware that the theological praxis - the religious protocol - speaks against such an act of compassion. The good in his heart is face to face with the hard consequences of that same goodness. He has a choice to make. What is more important here? The substance or the framework? The Law or the Lover? The Sabbath or the Lord over the Sabbath?
Stretch out your hand. It was an intentional no-brainer for Jesus. Ever since the Holy Spirit descended upon him at his baptism, he had been Graced with the Call and Responsibility to proclaim the Kingdom of God in thought, word, and deed. At times it was easy. Everyone loved him. Other times - like here - he had to choose - to be intentional - to live into that which he had been called, knowing the what would happen as a result of acting out in Holy Testimony.
Of course, the man was completely restored - God is seen! Of course, the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might destroy him. Jesus knew that would happen. Yet he considered the religious repercussion of the event secondary to the restoration of a Soul.
Most of the time, we who drink New Wine, find ourselves well within with the norms of accepted Christian culture. Tradition is a needful container for the Wine - a safety net - else it would become unbalanced. But, lest we forget, he is not a tame God. The Wind blows where it will. My ways are not your ways, says the Lord. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. There will be times in our life when - in the Spirit of Christ - we will find ourselves in a similar position: a position which challenges us to flow in the Spirit of the New Wine, in spite of what "the right thing to do" is.
Jesus had his choice, too. And he took it.
And, when he humbly rose into the Call for which he was ordained, it not only testified to the Greater Love of the Father but, in so doing, it healed - completely restored - a precious Human Image which, as a result of his display of compassion, he eventually died for.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Matthew Study 11:25
"... you've hidden these things from the wise and revealed them unto babes..."
In a sense, one is more apt to experience God's Grace when one is less apt to excel in one's own self-righteous worldview.
When a person approaches Grace with a predetermined bias - a "prove it" mentality, or a disposition of spiritual elite-ness - Grace gracefully slips away and waits patiently in the shadows for that person to come around. Many seek to make sense of - to discover God -through Bible reading, hymns, prayer, liturgy, etc. - in a Pharisaical spirit, seeking what these things can do for them, rather than leveling themselves under the Author's Authority.
Do we live the Life with the intent of proving our own interior logic - making sure that each piece of the theological puzzle is present, accounted for, and confirmed, making certain that everything is Kosher? Or do we come to Christ like a child, completely accepting of the fact that this thing is so much bigger than can be imagined, self-resigned to God's most mysterious ways?
Jesus is saying that the pseudo-righteousness of the Pharisees has, in itself, distanced them from the very thing they long to live for. The flute playing isn't danceable - it's too loud! And the mourning seems superficial - they're getting paid to do this! And everyone knows John ate bugs - probably demon possessed. And Jesus? All he does is hang out with sinners and drink all night! Nobody does nothing right anymore. In the Name of God, somebody bring order back to this thing... But a child doesn't have these thoughts. A child sees, a child trusts, a child believes for the sake of Belief.
Jesus isn't asking us to forsake adulthood. He's warning us of the trap of presuming ourselves to be too grown up.
Come to me. Humility is a wonderful thing. In humility the Kingdom is seen and experienced. Humility enables us to recognize the the Father, extending his desire to co-yoke himself to us. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Come to me.
If I am to be co-yoked with Christ, certain headstrong principles need to be forsaken (killed?) in order for me to shoulder up to the Beast, steer my head through the hole, and become sacrificially fastened to its sturdy frame. In short, we need the same humbled acceptance which fastened Jesus to the Cross to fasten us to a similar Wood.
The Pharisees missed it. Their theological astuteness got in the way of what Jesus really was asking for: a simple, child-like faith. Trust and faith, by nature, transcend the temptation to pick "it" a part, judging whether a matter is heanvenbound or hell-bound at the first red flag it sees. This "wise and prudent" disposition has it's place to be sure (especially in an age where orthodoxy is challenged) but, if not rooted in a deeper experience of a sincere babe-like faith, it will drain us of all we have.
Thank you, Father... that you have revealed these things unto babes...
In a sense, one is more apt to experience God's Grace when one is less apt to excel in one's own self-righteous worldview.
When a person approaches Grace with a predetermined bias - a "prove it" mentality, or a disposition of spiritual elite-ness - Grace gracefully slips away and waits patiently in the shadows for that person to come around. Many seek to make sense of - to discover God -through Bible reading, hymns, prayer, liturgy, etc. - in a Pharisaical spirit, seeking what these things can do for them, rather than leveling themselves under the Author's Authority.
Do we live the Life with the intent of proving our own interior logic - making sure that each piece of the theological puzzle is present, accounted for, and confirmed, making certain that everything is Kosher? Or do we come to Christ like a child, completely accepting of the fact that this thing is so much bigger than can be imagined, self-resigned to God's most mysterious ways?
Jesus is saying that the pseudo-righteousness of the Pharisees has, in itself, distanced them from the very thing they long to live for. The flute playing isn't danceable - it's too loud! And the mourning seems superficial - they're getting paid to do this! And everyone knows John ate bugs - probably demon possessed. And Jesus? All he does is hang out with sinners and drink all night! Nobody does nothing right anymore. In the Name of God, somebody bring order back to this thing... But a child doesn't have these thoughts. A child sees, a child trusts, a child believes for the sake of Belief.
Jesus isn't asking us to forsake adulthood. He's warning us of the trap of presuming ourselves to be too grown up.
Come to me. Humility is a wonderful thing. In humility the Kingdom is seen and experienced. Humility enables us to recognize the the Father, extending his desire to co-yoke himself to us. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Come to me.
If I am to be co-yoked with Christ, certain headstrong principles need to be forsaken (killed?) in order for me to shoulder up to the Beast, steer my head through the hole, and become sacrificially fastened to its sturdy frame. In short, we need the same humbled acceptance which fastened Jesus to the Cross to fasten us to a similar Wood.
The Pharisees missed it. Their theological astuteness got in the way of what Jesus really was asking for: a simple, child-like faith. Trust and faith, by nature, transcend the temptation to pick "it" a part, judging whether a matter is heanvenbound or hell-bound at the first red flag it sees. This "wise and prudent" disposition has it's place to be sure (especially in an age where orthodoxy is challenged) but, if not rooted in a deeper experience of a sincere babe-like faith, it will drain us of all we have.
Thank you, Father... that you have revealed these things unto babes...
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