Central Truth

Jesus understood the purpose of the Law (Romans 3:20) and is its fulfillment (Matthew 5:17-18). Therefore, He is focused on the true meaning and understanding of the Law rather than just the letter of the Law. We all look for loopholes, but Jesus lived and taught the true meaning of the Law that points us to Himself, the Living God.

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Reflections

When I was younger, if I ever thought about God, I envisioned an old, boring, passive grandfather who really was not relevant in my life, but would give me a quarter for having my hair combed. This view of God lasted until I became a believer when I was 25 years old.

Most people have a misconception about who God is or what He is about. I have heard anything from "Jesus acted like a flower child from the 1960's," "a passive man who never got angry," "a man who never showed emotion," or "a man who avoided confrontation." These misguided and false views of the Living God, Jesus, were exactly why I thought Jesus was irrelevant to my life.

Now that I have shown you how shallow my worldly thought process was, let's look at the truth in Scripture. In Matthew 12, Jesus confronts some of the religious leaders at the time (the Pharisees) by showing them their lack of knowledge about the Sabbath. Jesus knew that if He healed people on the Sabbath, the religious leaders of the day would literally try to kill Him.

Look at Jesus' response in verse 30: "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters." Jesus confronts the Pharisees because they had abandoned the spirit of the Law for the letter of the Law and the traditions of men. Jesus knows the Law and what the fourth commandment means in Exodus 20:8, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

So were the Pharisees crazy for fighting with the Living God? Am I just like them? A lot of people think that Sabbath rest means laziness, boredom, taking it easy, and vegetating in the recliner. Instead, Sabbath is meant to be an active rest that pursues Christ with ALL our energy. The rest is from thinking about myself, my problems, my work, my competitive life and instead focusing on Jesus. The particular day is not important because the Sabbath is a state of mind and attitude.

I must be brought back to the reality that He is God, and I am not.

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Discussion Questions

1. How do you confront the false religions of our day?

2. When you close your eyes and picture God, what does He look like and remind you of?

3. Is it hard to read about the religious leaders of that time because they remind you of yourself? If so, what is Matthew 12 guiding you to do?

4. The book Heaven is for Real impacted me. If you have read it, let me know how you think it compares with the way the Bible depicts Jesus.

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

MATTHEW 11-15 (JANUARY 16-20)

Read Matthew 13:1-23.

How many different places did the seeds fall? Review what happened to the seeds in each place (verses 4-8).

What do the places represent (verses 19-23)?

What kind of place do you want your heart to be?

How do you make sure your heart stays like the good soil, a place where God's truth will grow?

Activity: Get four paper cups and some rye grass seed. Let each of the four cups represent one of the "places."

Pathway: an empty cup with some seed in the bottom.

Rocky Place: rocks and seed in the bottom.

Thorny Place: put soil with rye grass in it and then put a layer of coins covering the top of the soil to represent the riches of this world.

Fertile Place: soil with rye grass seed planted in it.

Put all four in the sunlight and remember to water them all. Watch and see what happens to all four "places." Think about how to remain like the good soil, allowing God's Word to grow in your heart and life.

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