Jonathots Daily Blog
(3894)
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(3761)
Astonished.
It is the word that Saint Matthew selected, in his Gospel, to describe the reaction of the audience which heard Jesus of Nazareth share the Sermon on the Mount.
Some synonyms for astonished:
Astonished is a word that combines impressed and alarmed.
It is the way Matthew perceived the mood of the hearers.
He added that they felt that Jesus had more “authority” than the scribes. As you probably know, the scribes were not the Pharisees. The scribes were the local ministers in charge of writing and reading the Law of Moses.
The style they imparted in sharing those ancient words was: read, said, dead. When the scribes read, they said what was exactly there–as dead as they possibly could, so as not to add too much flavor.
So as you can see, it was not a roaring accolade, to say that Jesus exceeded the knowledge or enthusiasm of the scribes.
The importance to the verse is that the people departing that day were “astonished.” What do people do when they’re astonished?
On the way home, as the afterglow disappears, they begin to pick at the corners of great ideas until they disassemble them, convincing themselves that these principles are implausible.
How do we know this is true?
Most of them do not follow Jesus down the hill, but instead, go to their homes, where they justify their disbelief.
Meanwhile, Jesus, who has just delivered the most radical, truthful and practical message ever heard on Earth, descends the hill, and is greeted by one leper, who asks for healing–who had probably missed the sermon.
After twenty-two years of traveling with my dear friend Janet Clazzy, to thousands of churches, I will tell you this:
It is very possible to stir up a congregation, and even their local shepherd, to the point of astonishment.
You can raise dead spirits that haven’t been alive since Grandma and Grandpa sat in the pews.
You can get people to clap, think, react, smile, and even do their best impersonation of loving one another. But you can’t go home with them.
And home is where they rationalize all their present actions–to avoid the horror of repentance.
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(3045)
G-Pop just wasn’t sure it was relevant.
He wanted to share a story from the Acts of the Apostles from the Good Book, but was concerned that when it comes to the Bible, many people are looking for religion instead of reality. Yet the parallel to our times was so strong that he decided to take a risk.
The tale is rather obscure and rarely spoken of in church circles. It’s about a fellow named Simon, from Samaria. He is described as a prominent man with great influence and appreciation among his peers. When the disciples of Jesus appear, sharing their message of love and hope, praying for the sick and bringing the Holy Spirit to the masses, Simon is impressed by the anointing and intrigued at the opportunity.
So he approaches Peter. He says, “How much would it cost for me to get the Holy Spirit?”
To a man who believes that material things provide all security, it was logical for Simon to think there was a purchase price for anything and everything. We’re even told that Simon professed to be a believer–but what he was interested in was absorbing the power.
G-Pop would like to pause for a moment and parallel this with Hillary and Donald.
Both of them claim to be Christians, feeling the need to acquire that support and even be immersed in the community. But simultaneously, they deny the power of the message of Jesus of Nazareth and his lifestyle.
Yet we have two candidates running for President who purport to be followers of Jesus, and are not bearing fruit of his mission in their everyday lives.
Returning to the story, when Peter was offered money by Simon, who was referred to as a Sorcerer, his reply was very blunt. “Take your money and go to hell.”
Today the response given by the Christian community and evangelicals to the Presidential candidates is quite different. It’s because they don’t believe in the insights of Jesus and are looking for a political solution.
What would happen if the Christians in this country stood up to Hillary and Donald?
Because when Peter challenged Simon, there was a happy ending.
Simon repented.
Hillary and Donald will continue to assert that cutting, hurting, attacking, back-biting, gossiping and lying are viable ways to become the leader of our nation until people who treasure faith stand up and say, “To hell with this.”
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A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 