Read: Matthew 15:21-28 “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.” Matthew 15:28 (NIV) I really enjoy making greeting cards. I love to take a blank piece of card and with creativity and persistence, a card is created for someone whom I love. I think that over the years I have gotten better, and my creativity has expanded as well as all the tools of the trade I have gathered in my little (or not so little) cupboard. I have been to craft shows, workshops and listened and watched friends to gain more ideas and courage to try something different. Because it is something I am passionate about and really enjoy I try to squeeze in time to make them for others. When we are passionate about something, we can become quite persistent and relentless in getting it right. A woman came to Jesus asking for help. She was not a Jewish woman, but a Canaanite woman, who at that time meant she was a pagan and unclean to the Jewish people.
When you read this story, at first, it appears that Jesus insulted this woman when he appeared to call her a ‘dog’. However, in this metaphor, Jesus was at this time trying to explain the priorities in His ministry as well as teaching His disciples. Non-Jews were known as Gentiles and were considered so unspiritual that even being in their presence could make a person unclean. Then Jesus explained that His duty was to the people of Israel and changing this would be like a father taking food from his children and giving it to the pets. Jesus was sent to turn everything upside down. The woman said she understood for that was within the cultural norms but had the persistence to keep asking. She believed Jesus could heal her daughter. Jesus then tested her intentions and her faith in Him. Do we have the faith and convictions in our Saviour to keep asking and to keep persisting in our prayers? Are the things we are asking for something Jesus could do for yours or others well-being? Persistence takes an effort and great faith!
Prayer: Loving Father, keep me asking, keep me searching for your truths in this world. Help me to have the faith that you will answer all my prayers. Amen.
Read: Matthew 14:22-33 “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried, ‘Lord, save me!’” Matthew 14:29b-30 (NIV) Our crew of the ‘Vivid’ were rounding a marker for a race off Outer Harbour in South Australia. The seas were wild, and we had a harness on to keep ourselves clipped to the 44ft yacht. None of the crew wore a lifejacket as it restricted our movements to winch and pull sails. Orders were being barked out by the captain, and I was asked to get to the winch… just then a huge wave hit, and I had not refastened my harness – I was headed off the boat when another crew member reached out and grabbed at my harness saving me from being washed overboard. It is frightening being in an angry sea. The sea of Galilee was prone to storms as the warm air from the Mediterranean Sea moved east and passed over the mountains mixing with the cool air. The disciples were sent out by Jesus into a boat while He dismissed the crowds and went to pray by Himself.
A storm hit during the night and the waves washed into the boat. The disciples were probably tired, hungry, wet and frightened when they saw in the twilight before dawn a figure walking towards them. A ghost? Jesus called out that it was He and not to be scared. Peter was the first to recover and asked to come out to Jesus on the waves, but fear overtook him. Peter placed more faith in the wind and the waves than in his Lord and Saviour. But Jesus reached out His hand to help Peter and questioned why he didn’t believe and keep his eyes fixed on Him. The winds ceased as soon as Jesus stepped into the boat. Like Peter, we will always try other means before asking for help from God. The presence of Jesus brings peace. With Jesus, there is safety and there is no fear. Jesus is our lifeline and our harness to keep us safe. Look to the cross and the saving power of Jesus as we focus on His presence in our lives this Lenten season. Keep your eyes focussed on Jesus and He will save you!
Prayer: My Lord and Saviour, help me to keep my eyes focussed on you. When everything around me starts to frighten me, give me the faith to trust in your helping hands. Amen
Read: Matthew 9:32-34
“And when the demon was driven out, the man who was mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’” Matthew 9:33 (NIV) I am amazed and astounded by happenings that changed history and the way of life for humanity. There are 15 things that start with the letter ‘A’ that have been achievements contributing to human progress: The Acropolis, The Apollo 11 Moon Landing, Airplane Invention, The Atomic Bomb, The Abolition of Slavery, Automobile Invention, The Aswan High Dam, Antibiotics Discovery, The Alhambra, The American Revolution, The Aztec Empire, the Adoption of Agriculture, The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, The signing of the Armistice and The Apollo 13 Mission.
These events have all left an indelible mark on human history. You may need to research as to what each meant to the whole of the world, I sure needed to! Amazing and incredible! Just as I am amazed, so people in the time of Jesus were amazed at the events that seemed to follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus was changing the world at that time with His teachings and all the astonishing miracles he was performing. God had been silent for 400 years since Malachi and now He was appearing as a man with the power to perform the most unbelievable things. To cast out a demon is no small feat. The Pharisees tried to discredit Jesus by saying He was a prince of demons to be able to do this. But why would a demon want to cast out a demon?
Once the demon was cast out, the mute man could speak. Amazing! God is the only one who has the power over the happenings in our world. God has given people incredible gifts to achieve amazing things, but it is only God who has the power over what is unseen! Jesus being God’s Son also has the power to change the impossible. As we enter the Lenten season we come to God with our needs, concerns and wants. God knows what we need, and, in His time, He can do all things – just believe He can! People have limitations, but with God, nothing is impossible!
Prayer: I praise you Lord for your incredible creation and the gifts you have given your people. Work in my heart and mind to know that with you nothing is impossible, and you have all things in your hands. Amen.
Do You Believe? 1st Sunday during Lent
Read: Matthew 9:27-31 “Then he [Jesus] touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you’” Matthew 9:29 (NIV) Magic defies reason. When a magician does a trick, even though you may be watching ever so carefully, you do not see the sleight of hand that makes the trick appear magic. Our eyes see one thing, but another occurs. Is it real? Our reason says no, but we cannot prove it! A magician wants people to marvel at their gifts. What if we could not see it? Would it then still be magic? There is the idiom: ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ or ‘Seeing is believing’.
But what if you can’t see it, yet you believe. Is this a stronger faith? The two blind men in the story above in Matthew obviously believed that Jesus could heal them from their blindness. Their faith came, not by seeing Jesus perform miracles, but from hearing the stories about what Jesus had done. These two wanted the mercy of Jesus and so believed in His power to be able to open the eyes of the blind. It seems that their faith was the one condition that granted their healing request. It is interesting that this healing happened inside and out of sight of the public – for “they went right into the house”.
After they were healed Jesus also told them, “See that no one knows about this.” While Jesus is all powerful, his power was used to show his compassion and care and not to show off as a magician would do. He didn’t want to gain notoriety with people just wanting to see His miracles. In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded over and over that following Jesus is about following His commands and words that bring life, health and healing in body, mind and spirit. Jesus, as God, is all about teaching about the Kingdom of God and showing compassion to all. This is something we can all do this Lenten season – share about Jesus’ love and care for those around us! Jesus’ act of forgiveness is not magic, it is a gift of love and grace!
Prayer: My Loving Jesus, you showed me the need for my healing from the wrongs I do. Your forgiveness and love are all I need. I trust you and have faith that you hold me in your hands. Amen.
Touch of Love 4th Day in Lent (Saturday)
Read: Matthew 8:14-15; Luke 4:38-39 “He [Jesus] touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.” Matthew 8:15 (NIV) I have yet to be a mother-in-law, but as of last Friday, I will be one after Easter this year. Being a mother-in-law means that you care for the one who is caring for your child – an important job! In Jesus’ time women and widows were always cared for by a son, but Peter showed compassion for his wife’s mother in caring for her, as it appears that the mother-in-law is living with Simon Peter and her daughter.
Peter’s brother Andrew and possibly children are also living there, so we can assume she is a widow. The mother-in law would be helping her daughter with the family and household and caring for all who came to visit. When someone is ill, everyone gets involved in the care. Back in Jesus’ day they were also classed as unclean and could not be touched unless the carer also wanted to be classed as unclean (being unclean meant being apart from others for a couple weeks and then presenting oneself to a priest to be declared clean and allowed in public – reminds me also of COVID).
In most of the healings Jesus performed, he always touched those who were sick. Touch brings about a closeness, an empathy with the one unwell, most of all it conveys care and love. This healing was no different. Jesus touched the woman and helped her to her feet – she was healed. She immediately went to her duties to serve the visitors who had come to the house. Interestingly, just as Jesus broke the Jewish law by healing on the Sabbath, this faithful woman also got up immediately and prepared a meal. It was her gratitude that made her also break the Sabbath law and serve Jesus and others who were hungry. Not only had Jesus helped the mother-in-law, but he also helped Peter’s wife to still have her mother around to help when both Peter and Andrew followed Jesus as disciples. Serving and caring touch are something we can do for others out of gratitude for all Jesus does for us. A loving touch and care can show more than expensive gifts.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you came to touch and heal the lives of those who were sick in body or spirit. Your Word is powerful, and you have given it to me as a gift to share with others. Amen.
Unworthy 3rd Day in Lent (Friday)
Read: Matthew 8:5-13 “Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that moment.” Matthew 8:13 (NIV) Have you ever been invited somewhere where you felt out of place, or not sure why you were there? A few years ago, when we first moved to Noosa, it was found out that I played f lute and so soon enough the Noosa Orchestra conductor came to me and asked me to be in the orchestra. I told him that I wasn’t as good as the others and he said, “You play what you can, and we will be happy to have you.”
So, I did and practised hard and enjoyed my three years with the orchestra, even though there were many more times I felt unworthy and inadequate. I wonder what it would have been like to be walking around with Jesus. He was God’s Son walking on the earth accepting all, healing all, there was no presumptuousness about him. There was no air of arrogance or pride, rather Jesus lifted others and lowered Himself in humility. In the above story of the centurion, he came to Jesus feeling humbled and unworthy in His presence, but in this he showed great respect, trust and faith in this Saviour of the World. A centurion, who had distinction and rank, came asking for help for a servant. Who cared for servants? Let alone a centurion? This was remarkable.
But he spoke humbly to Jesus speaking of his authority and power, but also his unworthiness. Jesus recognised this humility and faith and that he was a man who cared deeply for others. Jesus honoured the centurion’s plea and healed the servant. Do we treat God with the respect deserved? Do we humble ourselves at His feet begging for mercy and knowing that we are not worthy for God’s love and forgiveness? God does deserve our respect and honour, but He accepts us as we are and as we come to Him – we are forgiven and loved! Healing takes place in all forms – body, soul and spirit!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord God, for showing me your love and forgiveness every day. I am not worthy of this, but you lift me up and promise me your gift of grace. Amen.
Willingness 2nd Day in Lent (Thursday)
Read: Matthew 8:1-4 “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:3 (NIV) I have been reading into the disease of leprosy and why it was so feared. Maybe I should fear it as it is also known as ‘Hansen’s disease’. Basically, it is an infection caused by a bacterium that is very slow growing. This disease is not spread through casual contact with someone who has leprosy by hugging or shaking hands or sitting next to them, rather through prolonged contact over months with someone who has untreated leprosy.
These days it is rare to contract leprosy, but it does still exist with most cases in Asia, Africa and South America. In the time of Jesus, leprosy was described as a skin disease and was considered a sign of uncleanness or a sign of divine punishment on the person. The types of leprosy referred to in the Bible could be anything from the condition of psoriasis to actual leprosy (Hansen’s disease). To be struck with a skin disease was to be considered a social outcast for the rest of your life. We all have experienced a bit of this feeling during 2020 and contracting COVID-19.
Only through showing healing and cleanness from the disease to the priests is to grant you access into any sort of normal social acceptance. So, upon hearing that there was a man called Jesus who could heal him, this leper, from the Bible reading, went to all lengths to be healed. With the man coming up to Jesus the people around him would have scattered, but Jesus didn’t. Jesus touched the man and was willing to heal him. Immediately his leprosy was gone. Sometimes we might feel that our sin is like a leprosy… we are too sinful to come to church, to be with other Christians.
Jesus is willing to reach out to heal and forgive us from all our wrongdoing. At church we receive this forgiveness and the willingness of Jesus to make us clean and acceptable before God. Knowing Jesus’ love to ‘touch’ me and ‘heal’ me brings comfort and confidence to live out each day with Jesus. The touch from Jesus brings healing.
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for your unconditional love and forgiveness. You accept me and allow me to be clean and holy in your sight. Give me boldness to share this love with others. Amen
A Soft Word Ash Wednesday
Read: Matthew 4:1-11 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1 (NIV) There is a quote by Oscar Wilde, “I can resist everything except temptation.” Have you found that if a block of chocolate or packet of biscuits or chips is opened it is much harder to resist to have just one more bite than if the packet had never been opened? Now, why is this? Temptation always offers the most delicious fruits. We have already failed in our resistance, so why not partake more? I can have a sealed packet of chocolate biscuits in the cupboard and not eat any.
But as soon as I have just one… well soon the packet is empty. Unlike me, Jesus could resist temptation. He was able to resist food when He had been fasting for forty days; He resisted absolute power when being shown all the kingdoms of the world; and He resisted having to prove to others His identity. The devil placed these temptations before Jesus, and we can see them as metaphors for the temptations that come to us regularly. Stones to bread is instant gratification as well as hunger relief. When showcasing the kingdoms of the world, the devil puts glory over authority – who of us doesn’t enjoy the ‘glory’ and spotlight? Lastly, the devil offers security both physical and spiritual, reducing God’s love to one of testing rather than trusting.
The temptations were personal to Jesus and to us! This story of Jesus has always encouraged me. Jesus was able to turn away the devil’s darts and arrows with a soft word of Scripture. Scripture turned away all temptations. Jesus did this throughout His ministry. This is an example for us, to memorise and take God’s Word to heart to help us in all and every situation. Every situation that we can find ourselves in, there is an answer in Scripture. This Lenten season, instead of perhaps ‘giving up’ chocolate, coffee or sweets, maybe try ‘taking up’ reading the Bible, memorising verses and praying daily. In this way we are protecting ourselves from any worldly temptations that may come our way. A soft word of Scripture is all that is needed.
Prayer: Jesus my great example, you teach me constantly through the Bible how to live and conduct myself in my daily life. Help me daily to turn to you as my source of protection. Amen.
by Jeremy Lie
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But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Matthew 12:28).
Read Matthew 12:22–32
In this passage, we read about the ‘unforgivable sin’: to denounce the Holy Spirit. My initial question is, ‘Why does Jesus care so much about the Holy Spirit?’ My further thoughts wonder: Is it really unforgivable, or have I ever unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) done this? If so, can I be forgiven?
Anyone reading this could be justified in having myriad questions that develop in response. I wonder what questions come to your mind.
I don’t believe Jesus wanted us to be fearful of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I think Jesus is using the law as a mirror, holding it up to the Pharisees to say, ‘Look where your thinking gets you’.
It is not uncommon for Jesus to speak in hyperbole and emotionally heightened ways around the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees (‘brood of vipers’). In the religious system of the day, they were ultimately responsible for teaching and facilitating the worship life of the Jewish people. So, naturally, Jesus holds them to a higher standard and is appalled when authority is abused to elevate the powerful and diminish the vulnerable.
So, perhaps, if this is where you find yourself, in charge of the care for people’s souls (pastors, chaplains, ministry workers), then pay close attention to how seriously Jesus considers the Holy Spirit and spiritual authority in this passage.
As a follower of Christ, I am encouraged by his words in verse 28. We shouldn’t be made fearful by Jesus’ power and authority but be comforted and strengthened. We are on Jesus’ side and are for Jesus because Jesus is on our side, and Jesus is for us. Paul states that the battle is not with the flesh but with the spiritual powers and principalities of our world. And, when we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. So, no matter how meagre or measly we feel our prayer is, it is not in our authority that we pray but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We pray: Holy Spirit, come. Help us find strength and courage when our souls are weak and defeated. Be the words of our hearts when our tongues are tied and our mouths are dry. Guide us to trust in your power, not our own ability or wisdom. Amen.
In 2023, Jeremy started his own business, Happy Chappy, through which he sells resources for creating connections to educators, friends or anyone who wants to have better, bigger conversations.