Sunday, 1/25/2015

"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”  ~ C.S. Lewis

EXODUS 9,10

God strikes Egypt with multiple plagues

• Livestock - All of Egyptians were struck but not one of the Israelites
• Boils - Moses tosses dust in air and boils break out on Egyptians and animal
• Hail - Moses warns them to bring slaves and livestock in...some do those who don't are killed
• Locusts - Pharaoh's officials beg him to relent, yet he refuses, locusts cover all the Egyptians land and devour all the plants
• Darkness - Darkness covers Egyptians so that they cannot see for 3 days, Pharaoh relents but then when he learns they will take livestock he refuses

MATTHEW 18:1-20

The disciples go to him and ask who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  (3-5)

Jesus then warns them about things that cause people to stumble.

 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!  (7)

Jesus then tells them how to deal with sin among those in the church.

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 

JOURNAL

It is fascinating to me that God continually hardens Pahraoh's heart, after each and every plague he goes a little further in his willingness to let the people go, yet every time God hardens his heart and he refuses.  To me it exposes our human nature in that as soon as we are no longer suffering we go back to being stubborn and resistant.

I wonder if this is why Jesus tells the disciples to become like little children. The benefit of having boys in 3 stages 18, 12, 9 is that I can see the difference between the youngest and oldest.  Mainly it is in their trust and their willingness to believe. Children have a pure and innocent trust in their parents.  Although they push boundaries, they tend to still trust fully and without too much question...even when they face something they fear.  

I think this is also why Jesus commands the church to handle misbehaving believers in much the same way parents handle children initially, but then it resorts to stronger measures and finally with the removal of relationship.  

This is such a good word and yet in reading this I really wonder if we have resorted to cutting out entire portions of the Bible in our daily walk and lives. I know that the willingness to confront destructive patterns in the lives of those we love is extremely difficult.  Sadly I think we often go straight to ending relationship rather than healthy loving confrontation. Children mostly misbehave in order to get noticed.  In the same way, I think often people take on destructive practices because they are craving authentic relationship. They are craving God and yet do not know how to fill the missing piece, so they resort to anything and everything that will give them a feeling of peace and joy. 

I know with my children, this is the pattern and if I am really honest...it is the same in my own heart and life.

“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16)