“Feel The Same Thing Together” ( Romans 12: 14 – 16, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Essentially, Paul calls us to humility.

^“14 Bless ye men that pursue you; bless ye, and do not ye curse;

¹⁵ for to joy with men that joy, for to weep with men that weep.

¹⁶ Feel ye the same thing together; not understanding high things, but consenting to meek things^{[Feeling the same thing together; not savouring, or knowing, high things, but consenting to meek things, following meek fathers]}. Do not ye be prudent with yourselves;”

Of course, so does Jesus.

^“3 Blessed be poor men in spirit, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs. [Blessed be the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.]

⁴ Blessed be mild men [Blessed mild], for they shall wield the earth.

⁵ Blessed be they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁶ Blessed be they that hunger and thirst rightwiseness, for they shall be fulfilled [for they shall be filled].

⁷ Blessed be merciful men [Blessed the merciful], for they shall get mercy.

⁸ Blessed be they that be of clean heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed be peaceable men, for they shall be called God’s children. [Blessed the peaceable, for they shall be called the sons of God.]

¹⁰ Blessed be they that suffer persecution for rightwiseness, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs [for the kingdom of heaven is theirs].”

We are not called to arrogance, war, haughtiness of spirit, ambivalence, impurity, or ease. Rather, we are called to mildness, poverty of spirit, peace, purity, mourning, and persecution.

In one sense, the words of Paul are reminiscent of the saying: Put yourself in the other person’s shoes, walk a mile in them, and then think about your attitude. Then, you may bless them that pursue you; you may weep with those who weep, and be joyful with those who are joyful.

“Buried Treasure” ( Matthew 13: 44, NEB ) by Carley Evans

A man finds a treasure buried in a field. This reminds me of those people you may have seen on the beach sweeping with a metal detector. When the beeping goes off, they dig and pull up whatever it is they’ve found. The point is they are looking for buried treasure.

Most people in life are looking for treasure. They are looking for the meaning of life, at least if they are honest with themselves. Typical questions include: Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing with my life? Why was I born? Why do I have to die? What happens after I die? Is this all there is?

Jesus says once the man finds the treasure that’s buried in a field, he is so joyful he buries the treasure again presumably for safe-keeping and so he knows exactly where his treasure is. Then the man sells everything he has, so he can afford to buy the field and so secure the treasure for himself.

The point Jesus makes is that the buried treasure is for the one who finds it and recognizes its great value. Likewise the kingdom of Heaven is for the one who seeks it, finds it, recognizes its “very special value, goes and sells everything and buys it.” (Matthew 13:46)

 

“Let The Children Come” ( Mark 10: 14, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

“Let the little children come to Me. Don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

I know that in the moment Jesus says this, He is indignant because His disciples rebuke parents – most likely – who bring their children to Jesus for His blessing. What are you thinking!? Don’t stop them! Don’t you know, can’t you tell!? The kingdom of God belongs to people who become children – childlike: trusting, open, frank in their honesty, desirous to please. Don’t you know?

“He Gives Them Power” ( Luke 9: 1, KJV ) by Carley Evans

Jesus calls together the twelve He chose along the way, and “gives them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And He sends them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:1-2)

Eric Liddell, an Olympic champion in the 400 meter, whose Scottish parents and sister are missionaries in China in the 1920s, asks a crowd, “From where comes the power to see the race to its end?” Then, answers, “From within.”

And what is within? If we are Christians, then God as the Holy Spirit is within.

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to those who have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)

When Eric runs, he says: “I feel God’s pleasure.” And the further he runs, the more he feels it.

“Catching People” ( Luke 4: 42, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Presumably at daybreak, Jesus is trying to find a deserted place. But people — actually crowds — “are searching for Him. They come to Him and try to keep Him from leaving them.” These crowds want Him to remain with them, at their beck and call, at their command. And, it is not as if Jesus does not love them or want to meet their needs. Rather, He says to them, “I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I am sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43)

The night before, Jesus rebukes demons that shout out His true identity. He commands them not to speak “because they know He is the Messiah.” (Luke 4:41) So, on the one hand, Jesus proclaims “the kingdom of God is near” while on the other hand He silences those who know He is “the Son of God!” (Luke 4:41)

Jesus preaches of loving God above all, of having faith, of avoiding sin, of forgiving enemies, of setting aside self, of giving, of acceptance of others, of freedom from worry and oppression, of God’s favor. Simultaneously, Jesus forgives and heals. Jesus does not preach of Himself; rather He points people to the kingdom of God. He proclaims, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Luke 4:8) And, He reminds, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things are provided for you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Jesus preaches the Word of God to the crowds pressing in to hear. Later, with a huge catch of fish amazing Simon Peter so that he falls at the Lord’s feet, Jesus tells him, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people!” (Luke 5:10)

Jesus catches people for the kingdom of God. For this purpose, He comes to earth.

“No One Will Say” ( Luke 17: 20-21, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

The Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is going to appear. Jesus tells them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable.”

“The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable” — really?

So many people today talk about Jesus’ return, of His appearing in the clouds, of the disappearance of presumably millions of Christians in an instant flash. Sounds observable to me! Sounds like people are going to say, “‘Look here!’ or ‘there!’”

But Jesus says, “You see, the kingdom of God is among you.”

The Pharisees do not see, but think they do. Therefore, they remain blind. The disciples listen. Jesus tells them they are going to “long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but won’t see it.” (Luke 17:22) He warns them not “to follow or run after” false messiahs just because people get excited and say, “Look here!” (Luke 17:23) Rather, the kingdom of God is within them, and within us.

Jesus says, “The man in the field must not turn back.” (Luke 17:31)

“Not The Smallest Letter” ( Matthew 5: 18, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Jesus tells us not to assume He comes to destroy the Law; rather He comes to fulfill the Law. He warns that unless we are more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees, we “will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) It is not enough to refrain from murder; we must refrain from being angry or insulting. It is not enough that we refrain from adultery; we must refrain from lust. It is not enough that we keep our oaths; we must not make oaths at all. It is not enough to love our neighbor; we must also love our enemy. It is not enough to be righteous; we must not be righteous “in front of people, to be seen by them.” (Matthew 6:1) It is not enough to pray; we must not pray in public “to be seen by people” or “babble like the idolators, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:5,7) It is not enough to fast; we must “put oil on [our] heads, and wash [our] faces.” (Matthew 6:17)

“Whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)

Looking in the mirror, I see the least in the kingdom of heaven for I break the least of these commands more times than I can count. I find no room in my heart for self-righteousness. The only righteousness I have belongs to another — my righteousness rests solely on the finished work of Jesus Christ, who fulfills the Law and the Prophets.

“Fresh Wineskins” ( Mark 2: 22, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

Jesus says, “New wine is for fresh wineskins.” If you put new wine into an old wineskin, the newly fermented wine will burst the old skin so that you not only lose the wine but the skin. In order to keep the new wine, it must be stored in a new wineskin.

And so, without the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we can not be made new creations. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You must be born again” in order to “see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Our new lives can not function in our old systems — the system itself must be altered so that our lives are made real; so that we function as parts of the body of Christ.

The extraordinary power of God can not enter the ‘old nature.’ Rather, that nature is changed at a fundamental level so that God is able to make a place for Himself in our hearts.

Therefore, God commands, “Be holy as I Am holy.” And Jesus says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“Unless You Turn” ( Matthew 18: 4, ESV ) by Carley Evans

Jesus’ disciples feign wanting to know “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1) Imagine them looking at one another, thinking – for example – “Surely I’m better than Matthew; after all, he’s a tax collector!” – or – “I’ve got to be greater than Judas; after all, he complains about wasting an expensive ointment, pretending he cares for the poor.” Martha must think, “I’m better than Mary.” After all, Martha complains about her sister, Mary – implying that she is lazy. Martha wants Jesus to rebuke her for sitting at His feet while she prepares the meal. Peter even briefly appears to think he’s better than Jesus, rebuking Jesus for saying that He will be killed and rise from the dead. “Far be it from You, Lord! This will never happen to You.” (Matthew 16:22)

When they ask Him about being the greatest in the kingdom of God, Jesus shows His disciples a child. He tells them that “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus calls us to turn and become like children. Sounds similar to turning back the clock, perhaps wiping the slate clean and starting over from a place of innocence and great humility. We are to think better of others than we do of ourselves; treat others as we would wish to be treated. We are not to put stumbling blocks in the way of others; or lead others into temptation. Jesus warns, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened about his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” says Jesus. “For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)

“The Narrow Gate” ( Matthew 8: 12 ) by Carley Evans

Jesus is impressed with a centurion who understands authority. The centurion asks Jesus to heal one of his servants who is paralyzed at home. When Jesus says, “‘I will come and heal him’” (Matthew 8:7) the centurion recognizes that it is enough for Jesus to speak healing words; He does not need to come to the house. Jesus marvels, and “says to those who follow Him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.’” (Matthew 8:10)

In the next moment, Jesus says that while many who are not of Israel will “recline at the table in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 8:11) “the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In a single statement, Jesus tells us of the existence of heaven and of hell. In heaven is joy and restoration; in hell is sorrow and destruction. In heaven is the presence of God; in hell is the final separation from God in a place of “outer darkness.” Both states of existence are eternal. Heaven is for the wise; hell is for the foolish.

Jesus warns that the road to destruction is wide, and many find it. After all, we are born on the road to destruction and so follow it naturally. But, the road to God is narrow and difficult to locate much less follow; and few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate.” (Matthew 7:13)

“And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who build his house on the Rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the Rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27)