Dearest e-votees-
Day sixty-nine of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:
Peace,
Karl
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Day 69 Readings: Matthew 5:1-15:39
Jesus is doing his ministry full swing: teaching, healing, exorcizing, etc., etc. In some ways he seems to lessen the restrictions of the religious teachers (healing on Sabbath, not washing hands or cups before meals, eating grain on Sabbath, etc., etc.) but at the same time he greatly increases expectations: "You have heard it said... but I say to you..." Jesus is about the task of properly interpreting the Law. Customs of people are yielding to the true expectations of God.
Jesus is pushing against people with power and influence. That didn't work out very well for John the Baptist. It won't work out well for Jesus, either, in the short term. People are plotting to kill Jesus already because of what he does and how he does it.
When the disciples try to warn Jesus about his causing offense he responds by saying don't worry about such things. Jesus may not have been actively trying to provoke his death but he didn't seem too worried about the possibility either. The things he invested his time in transcended his mortal life. And when we enter into the kingdom on Jesus' terms our mortal lives are transcended too.
God, thank you for the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. Help us accept him as he offers himself to us. Amen.
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