Matthew 18, Luke 10 - Come Follow Me with Sam

 Welcome!

Christ's words have an intrinsic mystery to them because they upend the world order we are used to. The first shall be last? The least of these shall rule? He who is like a child will be greatest? Meekness will rule the Earth?

They make no sense from our earthly perspective and yet as we study Christ, we can see hints coming out. Christ certainly meant them; He overcame all things by them, and rules heaven and earth today by them.

From our part, sometimes we put these things into a safe little 'cultural box', a place where culturally we outwardly express these things as admirable but in private we believe only in power. And its not much of a surprise because its true that if you are weak in this world, you will get steamrolled by just about everyone. So there is much more to these words than simply being a pushover, and there is much more than the culturally appropriate box we sell as part of our christianity.

I've been watching a Chinese live action series adapted from an anime called Fight breaks sphere ( 鬥破蒼穹) which could also be translated something close to 'struggle through the barrier to heaven', or how a person can reach the heaven through sacrifice. It has no direct tie to Christ or Christianity, and yet it tells of the path of a young Xiao Yan, and his friends as they struggle to do the right thing, whatever the cost, in the midst of wickedness, darkness, betrayal, and overwhelming opposition all around.

I highly recommend the series to get an idea of what 'strength through following the way of Christ' could look at. There are some darker parts and some weirder parts, so this isn't exactly what you put in front of your kids, but a more mature audience can see many patterns here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klnXkWrVhJg&list=PL5mNV6MN8F8oo8GHNtsDPKijRxlCeHpxw

How is a child greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?

God always wants to give us greater light and knowledge. It is up to us to be open to that greater light and knowledge. As we go through life we get hardened by trial, by pride, and by ignorance. A child is faced every day with exposure to things they must learn, so they can better receive all that God has for them. If we can open ourselves to receive despite our hardening, we can be like little children?

What was Lost?

Usually we talk of the lost sheep that went astray and needs to be found, and no wonder because that is exactly what Christ does in Matthew 18. I like to think of the sheep not as go away from the herd, but as losing the Savior's Presence, focusing on not being near Him than being far on strange paths. Subtle but very important because then it applies to you.

The wickedness of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum?

I think the news that these cities were more wicked than the scriptural paragons of worldliness came as a shock to the disciples. Jesus says if the miracles performed in these cities were performed in those cities, they would have repented. These cities had the greater knowledge and were supposed to be the keepers and protectors of the gospel but when it was revealed to them in spirit and in truth, they fought against it.

Don't do this.

Hid from those who think themselves wise and prudent?

Here we come to a saying that is truly a thinker - how could the wisest among us miss the core of existence? how could the prudent miss what they purportedly understand better than others?

When you learn something, it is easy to get lost in the prison of your own mind. clinging on to those things you know, and know better than others, you get pride, fame, jealousy, envy, false gods, elitism, covetousness, false priesthood, the whole slew of attributes that lead to your own imprisonment in your own small world. When someone with pure truth and knowledge comes around, its more than a slap in the face, its a dagger to the heart.

Is it not the most bitter of ironies that those we esteem are most abased, and those we do not esteem have the true keys of knowledge, and that, as chorazin, behsaida, and capernaum, those whom we appoint as the guardians of knowledge become the enemies of it?

There is none good but God?

After reading some of the points I highlight in these chapters, it is easy to understand why Christ would say this. We all want heroes. We all need to worship. We are all looking for examples. At the same time, we are all terribly flawed. We all tend toward the power of the world. We all have a will to dominate, and a tendency to become the enemy of what we strive for.

So don't worship anyone, only God. Remember the burden we all carry and who can lift it. And take no substitutes in yourself or others for the Master and true source of goodness. Stay open, stay humble, stay free.