MARCH 18 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

 MARCH 18  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Jesus, Jesus O just to say the Name above all names! Often Lord I just stop and say the Name JESUS and my soul is flooded with PEACE for I am uttering the Name as a greeting to the beginning of a conversation with YOU and I am overwhelmed that I am having a conversation with God!  Just the thought that God exists and has good plans for my life and that GOD has planned for my future is mind-boggling! But when I think of the reality that I am calling Him by the precious Name above all names in order to start a conversation with the Creator, it is beyond any imaginable thought! The LORD of ALL, the ALMIGHTY GOD, the EVERLASTING FATHER both HEARS and ANSWERS — and my heart is melted by His Compassion and all I can do is utter again, JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS is talking about simple birds and a near worthless copper coin which would seem to the casual reader as an “outdated” Question and would have no relevance in our world today of trillion dollar deficits and $15/hr minimum wage! The casual reader however must consider as all must consider, the “Truth of God” that lies within both the answer as well as “why” the Question was asked in the first place?!?.  The more I meditate on the Bible and its very existence, the more I am amazed that the Bible is the Bible because it CONTAINS THE WORDS OF GOD AND HIS PLAN FOR ALL MANKIND!!!  WHY OH WHY WOULD A CREATOR GOD GO TO SO MUCH TROUBLE??? Jesus was not trying to get us to consider the product and the price, Jesus was calling our attention to a “Deep Truth of God”, and that “Truth of God” is that He equally values everything in His Creation! We cannot casually read the Question because God immediately reveals His Divine Intent when He asks the Question and immediately directs our thinking to His Divine Will when he finishes JQ#10 (Matthew 10:29a) with: “And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” (Matthew 10:29b) And when we add the immediate context of verses Matthew 10:28 and Matthew 10:30 surrounding the Question of “our personal value to GOD” posed by Jesus in Matthew 10:29, we cannot miss the seriousness of this Question when in verse 28 Jesus reminds us that we have a “soul” and that the  “soul” can be “destroyed” ——— then Jesus in the same sentence adds that having the “soul destroyed” is infinitely worse than the “killing of the body”!!! Verse 28 draws our attention to the fact that there is a “physical body” and a “spiritual body” but while the physical body is finite and has a time limit and can be killed, that the death of the “physical” body is nothing compared to the “destruction” of our “spiritual body” which is our eternal “soul”. Jesus points out that our body can be killed by man but only God controls the soul which is eternal. Matthew 10:28 alerts us of the ultimate “judgement” when God decides where our “soul” will spend eternity — we will either please God and be with Him in Heaven forever in fellowship with Him or we will displease God and be found guilty of rejecting His gift of Grace and the eternal punishment of rejecting God will be spending eternity in Hell without Him. This Eternal Heaven/Hell subject should not be considered as outdated and we should consider what God tells us in Matthew 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” God talks of Eternal rewards in verse 28, then two sparrows in 29, and then in 30 He informs us that He knows the number of hairs on our head with the overall message being, (1) There will be a judgement and the reward/punishment will be earned by our decisions in life {See Law of Choice and Consequence} (2) Everything in God’s creation has a purpose and value in the eye’s of God and (3) God has planned out the details in our lives and we can rest assured His desire for us is “good” when He sums up with “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31) Jesus never leaves us hanging as He tells us how easy it is to please God in Matthew 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”— anyone interested in the “God-pleasing Truth”?   

MARCH 17 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

 MARCH 17  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord, may thanksgiving and praise always be on my lips for You Lord have blessed me beyond anything I could have imagined and certainly more than I deserve. Jesus, thank You for showing me that True Blessings are so much more valuable than anything money can buy! Lord, to know that we are held safe in the hands of the Father and that His Perfect Will is directed towards only “good” for us is the most comforting assurance life can provide, and we know that YOU LORD JESUS — YOU ARE —  THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE — Praise God from Whom ALL BLESSINGS flow.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS uses two sparrows and a copper coin, common everyday things, but leave it to the Master to use the common everyday things in our daily lives to Teach the “Sublime”! Though the objects are common, the Lesson Jesus Teaches is all about “value”! “Value” is a relative term, for instance, if a man has a million dollars but is lost in the desert and is dying of thirst, how many millions of dollars would the thirsty man give for a single class of water? We are all familiar with the term “inflation” and the affect “inflation” has on our “household income” — “inflation” is nothing more than money losing its “value” thereby we can observe in our daily lives that the “value” of money is not constant and therefore the “true value” of money is SUBJECT TO THE EVER-BLOWING WINDS OF CHANGE! God is addressing “spiritual value” in JQ#10 — and the “Way” that He conveys His message about how we think about our “spiritual value” is truly “Divine”! The immediate context to the Question of “true value” found in JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? (Matthew 10:29) focuses our attention to the important Lesson of how we assign “true value” to our lives. Jesus in Matthew 10:28 directs our thinking so that we will understand that “value” is relative and that there is both “physical value” and “spiritual value” to our lives when He declares to His Disciples (whom Jesus is sending out into the world with His Message): “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Jesus is very specific and very serious because He specifically uses the terms “fear”, “kill the body”, “kill the soul”, “fear Him”, and “able to destroy both body and soul in hell”. Jesus has just introduced the most serious terms that anyone, anywhere, anytime will ever have to address. Let’s look at these terms that Jesus uses to introduce the specific topic of “spiritual value” and keep in mind that Jesus is in the middle of Teaching His disciples how to go out into the world to witness about the “kingdom of God”. Therefore there has to be a “Divine Reason” that Jesus gets so serious and so specific!!! Therefore, we should “listen and learn” with equal seriousness. The first term that gets our attention is “fear” and again if we look at how Jesus uses the word “fear” it is to tell us first “do not fear” and then turns around in the same sentence and says “but rather fear”?? Jesus is revealing one of those “deep” mysteries of God! The secret God reveals here is the “Truth of God”  that “fear” is a good thing if it is directed towards the purpose God intended when He spoke “HIS TRUTH” into the world. “GOD’S TRUTH” NEVER changes therefore  ——— GOD’S TRUTH IS OF ETERNAL-INFINITE VALUE so we must dig deep enough into these statements that Jesus makes to discover the “Truth of God” about “proper fear” and see the “good” that only God can bring forth from every element of His Creation — all earthly “value” is “relative” to its association with God’s Kingdom. In this case Jesus places “do not fear” with “those who kill the body” and immediately Jesus points to the “Truth of God” that there is something more “deadly” than killing the “body” and that we should be concerned more about our “soul” than about our “body”. Jesus is telling us that the death of the “body” is of no “consequence” to our “eternity” but that our “soul” is “priceless”!!! Jesus is seriously Teaching that all our energy should be expended towards consideration of our “spiritual eternity” ——— and that, my “brothers and sisters”, is where the “rubber hits the road”. Have you checked your “spiritual condition” lately?

MARCH 16 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

 MARCH 16  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, each day the sun rises and I awaken to the “Hope” that is Christ Jesus. My soul is expectant, for I know that You are FAITHFUL in Your Promises and I know You have plans for my good stored up for me. Your Word teaches “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22). Lord, I know I deserve “punishment” and I give thanks that I am “not consumed” and acknowledge that my punishment was paid for on the Cross because of Your Compassion and Great Love for the “unloveable” and that with each new day I can look to the faithful rising of the “Son” to “Light” my new day with Your Mercy and Grace!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS has used two common sparrows and a simple common copper coin to point us to a “Spiritual Treasure” of greater value than any earthly treasure one could accumulate or even imagine — for when the context of JQ#10 is studied we will find that the deeper we dig into God’s Word the more “spiritual” gems and treasures we will uncover. Jesus had already Taught us in JQ#02 & JQ#03 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…” which are not lasting but Jesus pointed us to the lasting value of gathering “spiritual gems” when He continued commenting on “treasure hunting” … “…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” then Jesus added the bonus gem, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) This great jewel of a Lesson that if we lay up “treasures in heaven” that our “heart” will be in “heaven” also came sandwiched between the reward for praying “for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” (JQ#02 - Matthew 5:44-45) and “…is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (JQ#03 - Matthew 6:25) Remember Jesus shows us where to look to find our “spiritual treasures” as He pointed out how to prioritize our earthly desires and our heavenly opportunities: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [spiritual gems/truths] shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) Therefore let us dig into the “treasure filled” Chapter 10 in the Gospel of Matthew and see what “spiritual gems” will surface! Matthew Chapter 10 begins with Jesus calling His twelve hand-selected disciples (Matthew 10:1-4) and then gives them their first “assignment” (Matthew 10:5). Again, if we just read the first 5 verses in Chapter 10 and note the obvious we are actually robbing ourselves of “spiritual treasures” that are reserved for those that dig below the surface of the obvious because they know that “treasures” are always “buried” and that in order to find those “buried treasures" we will need to allow for “some deep-digging” if we are to “uncover the spiritual-treasure”. Jesus had Taught in JQ#08 that just our thinking about digging never gets the hole dug and if we are to grab hold of the treasure we must put “feet to our prayers” and “action to our words” therefore I paraphrase Matthew 9:5 “Arise and [dig]”. Digging into Matthew 10:1-5 we can notice that (1) Jesus called each disciple where that disciple lived. (2) None of the callings came as the disciples were getting out of their Mercedes in fancy clothes in the church parking lot or in air-conditioned sanctuaries with padded pews but rather Jesus calls us as we are doing the task of everyday living. (3) Jesus not only knew each of their names, Jesus called them by their first names. (4) By example of His Personal Invitation to each disciple individually it is demonstrated that ***JESUS wants a personal and intimate relationship with each individual and is willing to come to us where we live***, dressed the way we are, doing the things we do on a day-to-day basis. (5) In other words, Jesus wants us to “Follow Him” just the way we are and He knows our name! (6) In verse 5 we read, “These 12 Jesus sent out and commanded them…” which says that Jesus will Teach those that answer His individual call, that His Teachings have purpose, and (7) Jesus trusts us to share His message with others. That’s a lot of “spiritual treasures” but keep in mind that heaven is big enough to store them all!

MARCH 15 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

 MARCH 15  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, thank You Lord for answering our prayers, but even more, thank You Lord that You Taught us the necessity of praying every day and how to be successful in our prayer life, and the blessings that flow down from the Father because of our prayers. Prayer is a miracle of God that is available to everyone 24/7/365 and has no physical limitations, no age limits, and is not restricted to race, color, or nationality — there are no gender restrictions, nothing exists to prevent anyone of any age, of any culture, of any social status to talk directly to God! Prayer is a miracle and I thank You Lord for the answered prayer that You gave me yesterday as I was allowed to serve and to witness to Your Mercy and Grace that You have bestowed on my family. Forgive me all my iniquities and guide me deeper into Your Truth and to share Your Love with those You have allowed me to serve in Your Name!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus has indeed been asking “simple” Questions yet the “simple” is “profound” when it is a Truth of God Taught by the Master Teacher. The individual Question/Lesson with their mere simplicity but deep “Truth of God” is a Lesson in itself. As I reflect on the Lessons learned from JQ#1-9, the additional Lesson that I have learned is that Jesus takes us a step at a time with simple Questions that we can easily answer even with our finite and limited intellect. Yet, when put together, as only the Master can, each Lesson builds upon the previous to coalesce into deep Spiritual Truths that give us guidance how to live successful Spiritual Lives and these Question/Lessons brings peace to our physical trials we all face during our worldly journey. As we seek to learn these Spiritual Truths we must focus on what the Master has asked us to focus on for the individual Lesson before us and Trust Him to put it together with the previous Lessons so that we will exclaim “…all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28) and watch as our “Faith in the Rock” grows stronger as we learn “precept upon precept” (Isaiah 28:13). JQ#10 is found in the middle of a tremendous chapter in Matthew therefore we will use the whole of Matthew Chapter 10 as the context for JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29) which Jesus uses to encourage us “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31)  Jesus first asked the Question “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29a) and then Jesus followed the Question with this encouragement immediately after “… And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” (Matthew 10:29b) Jesus is a Master Teacher because He asks a Question that can always be easily answered by every individual just by observing the world around us.  Also Jesus assures us that none of these Lessons are beyond anyone’s intellect, all we have to do is to look at our world and observe the “Truth of God”. Jesus then Teaches us how to apply the “Truth of God” that we observe in our day-to-day world to living a successful life in the world created by the “God of Truth”! Again we see that the “Question/Lesson” is simple in nature — JQ#10 is about 2 sparrows — everyone knows a sparrow when they see one and a sparrow is a common bird everyone is familiar with and everyone is also familiar with a simple copper coin, but then look at the great “Truth of God” that Jesus Teaches with these everyday items! Though they are simple and everyday items everyone is familiar with, the Lesson Jesus Teaches with them is about our “great individual value” to “our Father in heaven”! Jesus always encourages us if we will listen, for Jesus never lets us take off on a tangent with some wild answer for He immediately directs our attention to the “good” we will find with an “honest” open answer to His Divine Questions, such as is the case with JQ#10. For as soon as Jesus asks the Question, Jesus immediately assures us that our Abba Father values us and that the Father’s will for us is as Jeremiah states: “… plans for good and not for disaster, to give [us] a future and a hope…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Matthew Chapter 10 is a great insider’s look at what are the expectations and “Truth of God” about being a “follower of Jesus” and Matthew Chapter 10 includes the “costs of discipleship” and the “rewards of faithful service” — and like everything in God’s Economy, the ROI (Return On Investment) is out of this world, in fact it is HEAVENLY !!!

MARCH 14 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

MARCH 14  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, thank You Lord for this life You have given me, for the tribulation and the strength to endure while in the valley, for the darkness that Your Light has dispelled so that I can see to walk Your Path to the Narrow Gate. Lord I give You Praise for the answered prayer of “family” that has been my greatest blessing and Lord I can clearly see Your Hand in my life and Lord I can truly say, I would change nothing! If I had not known I was lost, I could not have experienced the “joy of my salvation” and if it had not been for heavy burdens I would not know the “peace that passes all understanding” because of Your Grace, and Lord, had I not known “despair” I would not appreciate the “Hope” that comes from “Trusting God” and declaring to Him “Abba Father”! Lord, because of my trials and Your Faithfulness to carry me when I can’t carry myself, I surrender all to Your Glory for I see my righteousness as nothing but “filthy rags” and Lord, I beg for the crumbs of Your Infinite Mercy. Jesus, thank You for this new journey You are leading me on - I do not know the twists and turns it will take but I “Trust” in Your Leading and the “Final Destination”. I have Supreme Confidence that You will finish the Good Work You have started and one day I will hear Your Still Small Voice in the depth of my soul saying, “Son, it is finished, well done — come on Home, I’m waiting for you at the Narrow Gate!”    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS has given us the “Introduction to Discipleship” with JQ#1-9 and now Jesus is going to start us on a series of “Spiritual Introspections” as He Teaches us how to “evaluate our Spiritual Worth”. The context for JQ#10 is actually JQ#1-9 and the entire chapter 10 of the Gospel that Matthew was written declaring Jesus the “King of kings” and giving us glimpses of the “kingdom of [our Father] in heaven” and more importantly we are building our “Faith in God” on the firm foundation of the “Rock-Solid Truth of God”.  Jesus has now personally called each of His disciples and they have been observing Jesus as He Teaches them through His Perfect Example what their “Kingdom work” will be like. Jesus lists the necessary pre-requisites for discipleship in the Lessons Taught in JQ#1-8 and summarized in JQ#09 and now He starts His “commissioning” of the “twelve disciples” in Chapter 10 as we read, “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” (Matthew 10:1)  It is important that we walk both “daily with Jesus” and “step-by-step with Him”. These “Question/Lessons” point to Jesus being the Messiah as we read in Isaiah 28:13 “But the word of the Lord was to them …precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little …” and confirmed by John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God demonstrated the Significance and Power of His Word as He dispelled the darkness, the emptiness, and the lack of purpose of the world when God spoke these words in Genesis 1:3 “Let there be light”. We read that as soon as God Spoke the words that there “was light”. All the Power of God is in His Word.  The Power over all creation and all that is in it is The Word of God and all creation is subject to The Word. If we who have been created want to navigate the stormy seas of life we must learn to listen to the Word and not run ahead of Him because if we are to be “perfect” we can only learn from a “perfect” God — Psalm 18:10 “As for God, His way is perfect…”  so to “learn from the Master” we must listen and learn each Lesson so as we embark on JQ#10 you are strongly encouraged to build your foundation on the “precept upon precept upon the Rock”, and read again Matthew Chapters 5-9 as an “Intro” and Matthew 10 as a “Spiritual Job Description of Discipleship” — if we are to “labor” in His harvest, we should know our tools and learn from the “Lord of the Harvest” before we enter into His Fields that are “white unto harvest” (John 4:35) “ARISE” and let us “GO”.

MARCH 13 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#09 “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28)

 MARCH 13  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#09 “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, a new day — thanks to You — and a new opportunity to live as You intended — full of Mercy and Grace. Lord Jesus, each day as I think about Your Sacrifice for my sake I am overwhelmed that God “so loved the world” that He would do such a great  thing as Sacrifice His Only Begotten Son as “The Atonement” for the sins of a world that thinks so much “evil” in our hearts! Lord forgive me daily of my transgressions and let me walk in newness of life in the Power and Strength of Jesus Christ.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS, through the Holy Spirit, pointed out in my reading today the “Summary” of JQ#1-8. “You are the salt…and…light of the world…” (Matthew 5:13-14) gives us a realization of what our purpose is if we listen to Jesus. Jesus next calls His listeners to “…be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect…” (Matthew 5:46) and Jesus tells us that we will attain this “perfection” only by loving the world, the whole world: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Jesus immediately says that the reward for living our lives as He commands is great: [that] “you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father in heaven…” (Matthew 5:45) Jesus is both instructing us how we should “Choose” to live our lives [“love your enemies”] and declaring the “Consequence of our Choice” [we become “heirs” to our “Father’s {kingdom} in heaven”] and THE HOLY SPIRT reminds us that these scriptures are the introduction to the “Law of Choice and Consequences” ——— God’s Law in which He reserves the Supreme Authority to declare the “outcome” of the “actions” we “Choose” to make with our Freewill. Jesus teaches us that we can “choose” our action with our Free Will Gift from God but the “results” of each “action” that we “choose with God’s Free Will Gift”, we must “accept God’s predetermined “Consequence for the action” that we have just “Chosen” to do ——— for God has established the “DIVINE Laws” by which all of creation must abide by! Jesus follows the command to “Love” with instructions how to “pray” [see Matthew 6:9-13]. In succession Jesus has Taught that for us to be the “light of the world” (which was God’s original solution to darkness [see Genesis 1-5 key verse: Genesis 1:3] that we will need to be “perfect” like the Father and “love” like the Father and to be successful in being like God we must “pray” to “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus continues His “Questions/Lessons” with instructions “not to worry” (Matthew 6:25) and throws into the Lesson that the focal point of our success will be when we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus adds a companion to “do not worry” with “do not judge” (Matthew 7:1). It is interesting to note that Jesus says the “Consequence” of our “Choice” to “Worry” is completely futile and will gain us nothing because we have no “power” to change anything that we worry about because God has it already figured out (Matthew 6:32) but the “Consequence” of our “judging” will be measured out to us as we measure out judgement to others! (Matthew 7:2) Jesus continues by assuring us that our Good Father will treat us as sons and daughters and to trust that our “Father who is in heaven [will] give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11). Jesus adds that we will be known not by our words but by our actions: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:20) The key to bearing good fruit is to plant ourselves in God and to build our “foundation of Faith in God” on the “solid rock” (Matthew 7:23), for the Son was sent to reveal the Father to us. Jesus demonstrates His Power given to Him by the Father by not only healing the “physical” problems such as the woman with a flow of blood which Jesus made well as soon as she touched the hem of His garment and Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, daughter, your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:20-22) and this “Divine Power” was further demonstrated when a young girl was raised from the dead as Jesus responded to a request from her father, “But when the crowd was put outside, [Jesus] went in and took her by the hand, and the [dead] girl arose.” (Matthew 9:25) Jesus also healed “spiritual” problems and showed He has power over creation when He calmed the “winds and the waves” (Matthew 8:26) and encourages us to “believe that [Jesus] is able to do [these things]” (Matthew 9:28). Jesus concludes the introduction (JQ#1-8) by telling us that He is recruiting “laborers” to send “into the Father’s harvest.” (Matthew 9:38). Are you ready to learn “how” to labor in the “Father’s Harvest”?

MARCH 12 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#09 “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28)

 MARCH 12  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#09 “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer   

JESUS, You Lord are to be Greatly Praised, You alone are Worthy of this Great Praise from all mankind! You gave Your Perfect Life so that an imperfect world could be justified before the Father who is Faithful and Just, full of Mercy and Grace. Lord Jesus, there is no explaining why God would become flesh and offer Himself as an acceptable atonement of the world’s transgressions against that same Holy Merciful God?!?!? Lord Jesus, no explanation is needed, let us instead of questioning “Why” or “How” it is possible that God would Sacrifice Himself, I pray that we will Trust God and step out in “Faith” and accept the “Gift” of Grace and praise You for Your Mercy! Forgive me this day of my iniquities and guide me in Your Path of Righteousness.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS has asked 8 previous Questions that point us to discipleship and at the close of JQ#08 Jesus asked a “Summary Question” when He stated to the Pharisees that had questioned Him “Why?” (as they saw that Jesus was “eating with tax collectors and sinners”) would Jesus associate with “sinners” which the Pharisees saw as going against their “religious traditions” — but Jesus explained His motive to them when He stated: “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:11-13) Jesus was then approached by some of “the disciples of John” who asked Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Matthew 9:14) Jesus answered that question about the “traditions” that were practiced by the Jews of that time with a Teaching Question of His own when He asked the disciples of John and the Pharisees that were listening, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?’” (Matthew 9:15) In order to fully understand what Jesus is Teaching with this summary Question we must keep in mind that Jesus had just been questioned by the Pharisees as to His conduct with “sinners” and then the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist questioned Jesus on the Jewish “tradition” of “fasting” — and it was in this context of the “traditionalist” and “legalist” questioning of Jesus as to His conduct with “tax collectors and sinners” that Jesus introduces a new concept with His rebuttal Question (which at first glance looks like He is avoiding the question on “traditionalism and legalism” by changing the subject but in reality His rebuttal Question is a new “Revelation” of God’s Master Plan). However, as Jesus asks this seemingly off the wall Question about “friends of the bridegroom”, if you take into consideration the context of the Questions Jesus has asked so far and what miraculous things He has been doing in the Name of “our Father in heaven”, the Question Jesus poses about “friends of the bridegroom” is both right on time for His earthly mission and is a foreshadowing of future events in God’s Master Plan of Salvation. The JESUS Questions that have been asked so far and the context surrounding each question JQ#1-8 (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 9:13) has introduced us to the “Divine Work of Jesus” and to being a “Follower of Jesus” — In His Divine Teachings Jesus has established that the “Truth of God” should be “lived” in our lives, that we are to first “learn” the “Truth of God” then we are to “Live the Truth of God” and then share the “Light of God’s Truth” with others. These Lessons are single in nature and built around simple Questions designed to cause us to see the simple Truth of God which in turn should cause us to simply live a Godly and righteous life as we apply the Lessons Jesus Teaches us about our day-to-day world. The method Jesus has been using is to ask a Question that can easily be answered by observation and common sense and the expectation is that we will acknowledge the obvious “Truth of God” contained within our answers. Jesus asks a series of Questions that appear individual in nature but are building “precept upon precept” the “Truth of God” so that with each Lesson we gain another glimpse of the “Almighty”. In this study so far, all the JESUS Questions and their context have been in a “logical sequence” and have established “Godly Principals” such as the “Law of Choice and Consequence” and the “Fundamentals of Faith” and then in Matthew 9:15 Jesus introduces a new concept which caught me off guard and caused me to study His Word a little deeper, which could well be the Lesson — “There is always more to learn in God’s Word!” JQ#08b is “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom  is with them?” (Matthew 9:15) which introduces us to the concept of Jesus being a “bridegroom” suggesting an upcoming “marriage” and Jesus calls those following Him “friends of the bridegroom” which suggests an intimate relationship with the bridegroom and certainly all the “friends of the bridegroom” will be expected to attend the wedding ceremony. Jesus also introduces the fact that “the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away” which foreshadows His leaving sometime in the future. Jesus immediately moves to two examples that illustrate that His intent is not in “repairing” our sin nature/sickness but He has come to completely make us “new” as He uses the illustration of “unshrunk cloth on an old garment” and putting “new wine into new wineskins” (Matthew 9:16-17). This “new” concept combined with the two miracles of healing in Matthew 9:18-29 and the healing of two blind men and a demonic strategically points to a “summary” of JQ#1-8 as the “Introduction to Discipleship” and the responsibilities of being a follower of Jesus and building the “foundation of Faith in God” on the “solid rock” — JQ#09 is then asked by Jesus as the “final exam” of “Introductory Discipleship” as Jesus asks “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28)  Jesus points us to the “correct answer” with His Summary Question JQ#08b where he introduces the concept of His disciples being “friends of the bridegroom” as the key to understanding Lessons JQ#1-8.  We have so far read of the miraculous Work Jesus has done in the Name of God whom Jesus has proclaimed as “our Father in heaven” so we too must answer this “Final Exam Question on Introductory Discipleship” about what we have learned about Jesus so far:  JQ#09  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28) and immediately Jesus assures and encourages us with this great “Truth of God” — “According to your faith let it be to you.” (Matthew 9:29)