“You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’ ” He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Luke 18:20-22

“While most of us can say we have never been guilty of murder, adultery, or possibly even stealing, very few of us can honestly say that we have never spoken false words in conversation and have always done what is honorable toward our parents. Even in the best of lives, there is some hedging of the truth or exaggeration that slips into the conversation. Even in the best of children, there are weak moments or difficult periods where we have done less than we could and should to honor our parents. Jesus helped the man confront the real issue in his life by answering his question even though the basis of the question about eternal life may have been false. This man, however, claimed to be a law keeper deluxe! He said he had obeyed all the laws since he was young. However, he surely wasn’t being fully honest with himself. I know I couldn’t say what he said, and I have never met a person who could honestly say the same. How about you? Can you justify yourself based on keeping the law? Are you trying to be righteous simply by being better and obeying more completely than others? In the discussion that followed, Jesus penetrated to the heart of the issue. What would Jesus need to say to speak to your heart?” (Heartlight.org commentary)

“He will make a holy experiment out of you” (Oswald Chambers) Did you ever think that you were possibly a grand experiment on the stage of life? I have often felt as if my whole life was an experiment — and the more I did, the more I experienced, the more I learned about life, the universe and everything (to quote one of my favorite authors, Douglas Adams).

We have to live life to learn about life, and in living life, we learn to try new and different ways to deal with the situations that come upon us. Sometimes we think we have kept all of the commandments, have done all that we “should” have. And then other days we begin to see ourselves as we truly are – sinners trying to make it through another day. So, yes just living life is a grand experiment. And when G-d uses us for G-d’s will, we become a “holy experiment”. We must be open and more prepared than ever to be a test-case for Christ — a case experiment in love, mercy and Grace.

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, I ask that you humble me gently until I can see that my righteousness is based on Jesus’ perfect gift and not my own works. I ask by the power of your Holy Spirit that you conform me more perfectly to the person you want me to be. Amen.

Pastor Dave

“Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.” Mark 7:31-35

“Jesus’ reputation as a miracle worker is now driving people’s reaction to his ministry. He is well known as a healer in Galilee, the region of Tyre and Sidon, and also Decapolis (the area of Ten Towns). Jesus can no longer operate in secrecy. It seems as if everyone has heard of him. However, as Mark will show in subsequent verses, the issue of Jesus’ concern has to do with the perception of the people. How can he call them to deeper discipleship if they see him only as a personal miracle worker? Jesus will re-assert his concern that people really know him as he wants to be known. This effort will mean conflict and misunderstanding in the following episodes in which we find Jesus. Yet despite this concern, he consistently shows personal, tender, and compassionate concern for the individuals in need while keeping his ministry from becoming just a traveling healing show.” (heartlight.org commentary)

I once posted this message on our sign out front of the church:

“A Closed Mouth Gathers No Foot”.

One of my members came to me and said “I don’t understand your message.” I explained to her that if we listen more, and talk less, we are less inclined to put our foot in our mouth — to say something that is offensive, or even something that is just plain stupid.

Jesus heals the deaf man and gives him two great gifts – the ability to hear, and the ability to listen. All of us can learn something from those who have learned the art of listening. It takes time to be a good listener. If you are a prolific talker, some would say you like to “hear yourself talk”. If you are a prolific listener, I would say you like to “listen to others”. Which do you think may make you wiser?

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, with so many demands on my time, I often find it hard to take the time to listen to my family and my friends. Please help me take the time I need not only to be good at giving advice, but more importantly to be a good listener. Amen.

Pastor Dave