MATTHEW
CHAPTER
12
1. At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 1 and 2)
Oh Jesus you are so loving and caring and considerate for our daily needs. You are so practical and sensitive, that You respond to our needs. When in a situation that required the fulfilment of a particular need you did not consider the scenario of the time as required by the law but went against it in order to fulfil that need. This oh Jesus does not mean that You want us to show disrespect to the law, but at times in delicate situations of life it seems not to be unlawful to go against the law itself. A typical example is that when we happen to be chased by a person who is threatening our well being by shooting at our car. In such a case the victim would be excused for rushing a speed camera on the motor way, or if my wife is due to deliver and while we are on the way to the hospital the pain increases it would be acceptable to push the speed limit in order to ensure the well being of both the mother and the baby, as long as I do not kill them as a result of over speeding. Oh Jesus during moments of dilemma help me to place my focus on You and Your Word, so that my decisions are based on prayer and not solely on human reasoning.
3. He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4. He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 3 and 4)
Oh Jesus I admire You for completely basing your life on earth on Your Word. In this one scenario among many others You compared yourself to the example of King David in the Old Testament who in order to satisfy the well being of his men and himself nourished himself with the Holy bread of the presence that was not duly his to eat. If King David took what was not his oh Jesus, You alone are worthy to take what is Yours from the grain fields of the world. Never stop calling us to follow You in Your Holy Ways. I pray that You continue calling others to follow in Your ways as in the case of vocations for many walks of life including marriage by means of Your Sacrament and even calls for community life as missionaries and monks. Help us and use us oh God in our daily lives by grounding us in Your Word, so that when the situation arises we can freely cite Your Word and live according to it amen.
5. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6. I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7. 'But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 5 to 8)
On seeing us trying to portray ourselves as being good persons, You oh Jesus confront us with the truth and reality that our appearances are deceptive. We may hide and twist the truth that shames us both in our own eyes and more if others were to know of our negative acts. However You are both loving and just and cannot turn a blind eye on our sins. As all humans the Pharisees were aware of the truth, and even more what was written in the book of Leviticus in relation to guilt sacrifices and even sin offerings however it seems that they set themselves above that God given law by abusing it themselves but imposing it on the people. I pray oh God that I do not fall into the same trap. May You please give me the grace to live what is written in your Word or 'Good News' and not be a person who gives 'lip service or worship'.
It is interesting how You confronted the Pharisees with the guilt of the fact that even though You oh Jesus are greater than any sacrifice, they were still going to condemn Him to die even though You were not guilty of the accusations brought against You. It is more interesting that Your attitude is more merciful than judgemental and You therefore want us to adopt this loving, caring and non judgemental attitude.
9. He left that place and entered their synagogue, 10. a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 9 to 10)
Oh Jesus may it never be that You leave my side because You do not feel welcome in my presence. The Pharisees willingly put You to the test in order to have a basis on which to accuse You. As a person I may not have the attention of accusing You, however in my own sinful ways I may try to test You all the same. Even though I may be convinced that a wish or action is not according to Your will I might insist with You in a spirit of prayer that if it is Your will this or that may be done.
11. He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12. How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 11 to 12)
Oh Jesus your values and reasoning are different from ours. They are totally reasonable while ours are purely humanistic and not always based on Your Word and values. I thank You for going out of Your way to save me during many times of my life regardless of when or what the day happens to be. Thanks Jesus.
13. Then he said to the man, stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. 14. But the Pharisees went out and conspired how to destroy him.
( Matthew chapter 12 verse 13 to 14)
Oh Jesus without having to give such a case scenario You could have ordered the man to stretch out his hand and he still would have been healed, however You decided to heal the soul before healing the body, and in order to help this healing process You gave us this teaching. However although Your Word in itself is healing when finding an unhealthy sinful environment it cannot make fruit as in the case of the Pharisees, who instead of paying attention and getting, the message of Your teaching made good of the situation in order to use it as evidence against You oh Jesus when the moment came. Oh Jesus in Your name I also ask for Your protection. At times I also risk being misunderstood. When I am questioned about You and I speak from emotions rather than reflection and prayer, I also risk passing forward a wrong message, so may You take control of all my being oh Jesus, so that any answer or response be it with my words or with my actions, or both may be the fruit of Your Holy Spirit which dwells in me amen and not be the fruit of a defensive attitude based on rational thinking.
15. When Jesus became aware of this he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, 16. and he ordered them not to make him known. 17. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 18. "Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. 21. And in his name the Gentiles will hope."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 15 to 21)
Oh Jesus verses 15 to 21 teach us alot about You and this helps us to come to know You better. On praying and reflecting on these verses You have passed on to me the following insights. The first one is that You are not a person who looks for trouble. If You really wanted on becoming aware of the plans of the Pharisees You could have made a public meeting and exposed their sinful acts and condemned them their and then. However this would have hindered Your plan for our salvation, therefore You chose to move away and not waste time in quarrelling but when on with Your God given mission. This is a lesson for all of us. If possible we are to avoid quarrels with others and invest our time in solving our issues in a loving and peaceful way by means of reflecting and praying for illumination of Your Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
The second issue is that of avoiding fame and popularity. Instead we are to seek being humble and if possible nobody will be aware of our great achievements, so that nobody will hold a high opinion of us, so that we will not be given the merit for our actions, but all shall go to You, humble and pleasing in the eyes of Your Father. You had an excellent relationship with Your Father who loved You so much that He blessed You with the power of the Holy Spirit which as humans we greatly need to be aware of in our lives.
Another important quality that is necessary for us to imitate You in is that of being both humble and just. You always give us the opportunity of changing our ways and repent. You never break the already bruised reed. You never give up on us, even if we give up on our selves. You keep on trying until justice is served both in our selves and also in our environments. Furthermore as in the case of the Gentiles our hope is to be placed totally in You and not in our selves or in the ways of the world. This does not mean that we are not to have a good self-esteem however all goodness both within and beyond us is to be attributed to you oh God and not to us.
22. Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 22)
Oh Jesus when we decide not to follow Your ways we also become spiritually blind, because we start treading on dangerous ground, knowing not where we are and where we are heading in the sense of our future aims or destination. We start fearing both the present and the future. We are as if living in a bubble, with no contact whatsoever with both self and others. Therefore when we stop communicating we sort of become mute. Our lives become quiet and meaningless that may even lead to our feeling depressed and in worst case scenarios even to suicide.
However as in the case of the demoniac, You are telling us, that even if the world rejects us due to our sins, even if our lives becomes pitch black in darkness, You are still ready to welcome us back to forgiveness once we have decided to admit our sins and be freed from our guilt by means of confessing our sins in the presence of the Priests who have been ordained to carry out this role in Your name. When we seek confession it is You by means of the priest who is forgiving our sins and only then our darkness will become light and our pathways will become more secure. Our vision of the world will become more positive and the Holy Spirit will find a clean home where to live. Our tongues will become free again not to curse Your name but to bless and worship both by our selves but also in the presence of other believers our spirit will be free and we will be instruments in your hands.
23. All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 23)
The crowds are amazed by healing and miracles however you are not only a healer or miracle maker or a magician. When healing people You did not seek popularity but the redemption of the person's sins before actually healing the person. In truth we could be people including myself, who are easily influenced by the healing God, however when for some good reason our loved ones die or become bed-ridden with severe illness our faith may not remain so strong because it would have been the miracles which were keeping our faith alive and not our faith in You oh Jesus! This is something that we are all to be aware of! Will we keep on believing if for some reason God starts saying "No!" to our requests instead of "Yes!". It is not fair of us to love Him only when situations go according to our plans. We either love and believe in you my God in all or not at all! We cannot be half-hearted in our love for You.
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons."
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 24)
Logically speaking the argument of the pharisees was water tight and valid, however on the other hand can the ruler of demons perform acts of healing which in themselves are positive? The same agent that does negative actions cannot be the same one that does good actions because this is false reasoning. The world offers similar doubtful arguments in order to persuade us not to accept the ways of God but those of the world. At times science is a tool in the hand of the devil because it contributes to the creation of an atheistic approach which negates the very existence of God.
25. He knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 25 to 26)
Oh Jesus You are always one step or more ahead of us, You know how we think, what we feel, our strong points and even our weak points. As much as we use reasoning You are the master of logic and reasoning. May we also use our reasoning in understanding Your will in our lives, and the immensity of Your love and grace instead of wasting our time in trying to prove that You do not exist by means of rationality and scientific enquiry!
27. If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 27 to 28)
Indeed the kingdom of God has come to us. I have witnessed Your presence in my life oh Jesus, however my sinful nature resists You by means of my sins. May I always be open to Your Spirit oh God, because when and where Your Spirit is present the devils and evil spirits tremble and flee away. They cannot resist Your very presence. Therefore we are always to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit of God especially during moments of trials, temptations and tribulations.
29. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 29)
Oh Jesus, sin is like the one who enters the strong man's house. In order for him to enter the house, the evil one has either to break down the door to enter our self, or else find an open door situation. When we are anger or in a state of despair we are in an open door and Satan and his evil spirits are free to come in and take over the occupant of the house. Once the devil has entered our sinful selves before robbing us of our selves the devil must keep us tied down. Such ways of keeping us held down are compulsions towards negative inclinations such as pornography, addiction which are open doors to other sins. Once we are controlled by these bonds we are immobile and subdued. The devil can make a total possession of both our body and our souls. However if we resist him by challenging the negative ideas and compulsions and training in self defence by means of the Word of God and prayer to the Holy Spirit of God, the good spirit will defend us against the negative spirit and the enemy will flee away.
30. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 30)
This verse reminds me of my reasons for sharing these prayers and insights with people of all religions and beliefs, be they Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestants and or even Muslims. Everybody has a God given right to share the Good News of God. I listen to many sermons on line because I believe in the Good News of God. I strongly believe that anybody who preaches about You oh Jesus will never say something against You because a person is either with You or against You. Even though a person may not be totally Roman Catholic in ones belief, if that person preaches a good insight about Jesus I thank Jesus for that person because in the name of Jesus he or she is a brother and or sister in this mission of spreading the 'Good News of God.
31. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 31 to 32)
Oh Jesus what a beautiful example of love and humility You are!. Your love for Your Father cannot be explained. Although You are as a Son also in the Father which means You are one in the same holy Nature of the Holy Trinity You still raise Your Father above yourself. How nice would it be if I had to do the same oh Jesus and place my father and significant others above myself, and always be careful not to speak bad of others shortcomings but use my tongue to praise their positive acts in praise and worship to You. The name and Holy Spirit are so Holy that indeed it would be a scandal to swear or blaspheme against them. Oh Jesus even in a subtle way by means of a joke that I know about the Holy Spirit I am to be aware and not say it at all for my good and even for that of others, for I would not like to bring sin on myself or on others!
33. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 33)
Oh Jesus with you there is no compromise either something or an action is good or bad. In your dictionary there is no room for doubt or maybe. You strictly told us that our words be 'Yes' for a 'Yes' and a 'No' for a 'No'. Anything apart from that meaning lies are not from God. I pray to You oh Jesus that my actions and thoughts are always according to Your ways for at times they are not and my sinful nature gets the better of me. I would like to thank You for testing me today. Today I got a parking ticket for having parked in a timed parking zone and had the time on the clock on the wind screen showing an incorrect time. My first reaction was to protest because I was angry at the warden for giving me the ticket. However when I looked at my wife's innocent face who was bewildered as much as I was I calmed down. In her face I saw a reflection of Your face. Although I was still angry and accused the warden that they were not there to educate the public but to make a day's living of the public an increase their wages I admitted that I had not seen the signs. My wife explained that we had not been there for long. I had been in the company of my mother who due to a physical impairment cannot cover long distance on foot. I explained that a few minutes prior to the intervention I had visited another shop and had set the clock on my screen but had failed to reset it when I arrived at the new destination. The warden told me that all I could do was to contest the fine by explaining the truth of the situation. In my heart I thanked God for sticking to the truth and I believe that the truth will set me free.
34. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. 36. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37. for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 34 to 37)
I thank You Jesus for my tongue even though at times this good means of communication is at times used to communicate negatively instead of positively. I pray your forgiveness oh Jesus for those moments when I lost my nerve and started speaking negatively of both myself and more of others, especially people with whom I do not agree and even have hurt me. I realise oh Jesus that as a human I have my strengths and even my weaknesses. I pray oh God that when I appear before You my scale of goods and bad is balanced or that You have mercy on me and compensate for the missing good deeds that I could have done, or for those careless or judgemental words that I should not have uttered regardless of the situations I found myself in according to Your will.
38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 38)
Oh how many times oh Jesus have I tested You in the same way. Many times if I have asked You if it is your will I will go back to my work as a social worker, while aware that this may have negative consequences on my health. When we ask You for a sign we are either blind or not aware of ourselves or environment, because Jesus You are working all the time in our life and in the history of the world. You give us one sign after the other but we and I either try to refute it, or believe blindly or with skeptically or believe not at all even though You have given us the sign of our desire. I therefore pray oh Jesus that Your Holy Spirit may break down the barriers in our brain that are hindering us from accepting You as God in our life.
39. But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 39 to 40)
Oh Jesus it seems that Your wish is that we live the present and not keep on asking for signs. However I believe that as You have always done in Your good time You will give us clear signs that Your will for us is unfolding. As in the case of Jonah and in the case of Your resurrection You gave us clear indications beforehand of what was going to take place before it actually happened. May we accept Your will oh Jesus and accept all that happens in our lives as being according to that plan even if it goes against our own original plans.
41. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 42. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 41 to 42)
Oh Jesus the fundamental core of Your message is that of repentance. If we are not willing to repent feel sorry for our ways and go and confess our sins in a spirit of repentance our faith will not be complete. Repentance means that we go against our old habits, against our old false beliefs about ourselves and others challenge them with a positive attitude based on the positive message, attitude and way of life as based on the Word of God, meaning the 'Good News'. Once we open our hearts to You oh Jesus You can help us make the big U turn in our lives and start living a more healthy life.
My attitude oh Jesus was totally negative based on bad news that my life offered me, that the media bombarded me with, the negative bad news acquired from people who were hurt both family and friends. This wave of negativity entered my system so much that my behaviour was conditioned by negativity. I became a source of bad news. I became booooooooring!
However when I opened my heart to God He started making major changes. I was sick with myself. I sincerely praised to God to heal my mind, my eyes and all my body from this boost of negativity. The first thing that God counselled me to do is to activate in my brain an anti virus that blocked all negativity from my mind. He also told me to put on spectacles with a positive lens and eat the fruit of the 'Good News' and consider the ways and bad news of the world as being not on my diet list and therefore are unhealthy for me. I also wish to say that I am still on this diet and my anti virus and firewall are still activated because at any time I am not updated a new virus can enter my system. Praying on the Word of God updates my anti virus. The Holy Spirit of God is my shield, my fire wall, my all time protection. However when I decide to switch off this means of protection for I am still a sinner and prone to sin the Holy Spirit of God will prompt me to activate it on again but the choice is mine. May You all pray to God to start this positive diet and activate your anti virus and keep on updating it by praying on God's word so that He will clean your system and help you (and me!) to keep it spic and span.
In order to get an in depth description of this Anti-Negativity Software please refer to the following user manual:
43. "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. 44. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'When it comes, it finds it empty, swept and put in order. 45. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 43 to 45)
On observing the proceeding of the discussion it can be observed that the argument has somewhat changed from an attitude of judgement of the pharisees to one of teaching and warning. Jesus you are making us become aware of the severe consequences of sin. When we are deep in sin, the evil spirits come and take possession of us. They tie us with all forms of negative patterns such as addictions and take control of our lives thus rendering us to living a life of utter disorder and pain. At the point of our conversion or exorcism when the spirits are thrown out our lives become ordered and subject to the will of God. However when the evil spirits find nobody to pick on and ruin their lives, they return back for a rematch and if they find their victim again in sin or still faithful they still wage a counterattack on the converted person by finding our weakness and launching their attack on that weak point. This is why we are never totally free from addictions because our human nature is weak and prone to sin. However if a person places oneself under the protection of the Holy Spirit of God one will be strong enough to withstand the attack of the evil spirits. Therefore it is wise of us to never stop praying for the protection of the Holy Spirit of God, because we never know when the evil spirits are coming back for a rematch.
46. While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47. Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you. 48. But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? 49. And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my my mother and my brothers! 50. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 46 to 50)
At times I may proclaim declarations oh Jesus by which I am misunderstood. When I replied to a message on G+ regarding the Apostle Paul and his speaking under the inspiration power and control of Your Holy Spirit I was labelled by the owner of this blog as being a heretic passing to others false doctrine during these modern times. I can only imagine the reaction that your declaration had on those present. However people such as Your Mother would have understood the meaning of this message in both content and meaning.
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer; I thank You oh Jesus for considering me as Your brother. Although I am weak as a sinner and often make mistakes, I do my best by means of the Holy Spirit who dwells within me to behave according to Your will. I praise for Your forgiveness for those moments when by words or actions I was misunderstood or even those moments when I committed negative acts even though I was aware of my actions. I thank you for installing in my head the anti-negativity virus scanner, in order to protect me from negative feelings and thoughts, both of my own that are born in my brain, that are stimulated by my sinful self and for those transmitted to me by my social and psychological self and environment. I pray that I may always remain updated by the messages given to my by means of Your Good News. Amen.
3. He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4. He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 3 and 4)
Oh Jesus I admire You for completely basing your life on earth on Your Word. In this one scenario among many others You compared yourself to the example of King David in the Old Testament who in order to satisfy the well being of his men and himself nourished himself with the Holy bread of the presence that was not duly his to eat. If King David took what was not his oh Jesus, You alone are worthy to take what is Yours from the grain fields of the world. Never stop calling us to follow You in Your Holy Ways. I pray that You continue calling others to follow in Your ways as in the case of vocations for many walks of life including marriage by means of Your Sacrament and even calls for community life as missionaries and monks. Help us and use us oh God in our daily lives by grounding us in Your Word, so that when the situation arises we can freely cite Your Word and live according to it amen.
5. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6. I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7. 'But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice', you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 5 to 8)
On seeing us trying to portray ourselves as being good persons, You oh Jesus confront us with the truth and reality that our appearances are deceptive. We may hide and twist the truth that shames us both in our own eyes and more if others were to know of our negative acts. However You are both loving and just and cannot turn a blind eye on our sins. As all humans the Pharisees were aware of the truth, and even more what was written in the book of Leviticus in relation to guilt sacrifices and even sin offerings however it seems that they set themselves above that God given law by abusing it themselves but imposing it on the people. I pray oh God that I do not fall into the same trap. May You please give me the grace to live what is written in your Word or 'Good News' and not be a person who gives 'lip service or worship'.
It is interesting how You confronted the Pharisees with the guilt of the fact that even though You oh Jesus are greater than any sacrifice, they were still going to condemn Him to die even though You were not guilty of the accusations brought against You. It is more interesting that Your attitude is more merciful than judgemental and You therefore want us to adopt this loving, caring and non judgemental attitude.
9. He left that place and entered their synagogue, 10. a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 9 to 10)
Oh Jesus may it never be that You leave my side because You do not feel welcome in my presence. The Pharisees willingly put You to the test in order to have a basis on which to accuse You. As a person I may not have the attention of accusing You, however in my own sinful ways I may try to test You all the same. Even though I may be convinced that a wish or action is not according to Your will I might insist with You in a spirit of prayer that if it is Your will this or that may be done.
11. He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12. How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 11 to 12)
Oh Jesus your values and reasoning are different from ours. They are totally reasonable while ours are purely humanistic and not always based on Your Word and values. I thank You for going out of Your way to save me during many times of my life regardless of when or what the day happens to be. Thanks Jesus.
13. Then he said to the man, stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. 14. But the Pharisees went out and conspired how to destroy him.
( Matthew chapter 12 verse 13 to 14)
Oh Jesus without having to give such a case scenario You could have ordered the man to stretch out his hand and he still would have been healed, however You decided to heal the soul before healing the body, and in order to help this healing process You gave us this teaching. However although Your Word in itself is healing when finding an unhealthy sinful environment it cannot make fruit as in the case of the Pharisees, who instead of paying attention and getting, the message of Your teaching made good of the situation in order to use it as evidence against You oh Jesus when the moment came. Oh Jesus in Your name I also ask for Your protection. At times I also risk being misunderstood. When I am questioned about You and I speak from emotions rather than reflection and prayer, I also risk passing forward a wrong message, so may You take control of all my being oh Jesus, so that any answer or response be it with my words or with my actions, or both may be the fruit of Your Holy Spirit which dwells in me amen and not be the fruit of a defensive attitude based on rational thinking.
15. When Jesus became aware of this he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, 16. and he ordered them not to make him known. 17. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 18. "Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. 21. And in his name the Gentiles will hope."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 15 to 21)
Oh Jesus verses 15 to 21 teach us alot about You and this helps us to come to know You better. On praying and reflecting on these verses You have passed on to me the following insights. The first one is that You are not a person who looks for trouble. If You really wanted on becoming aware of the plans of the Pharisees You could have made a public meeting and exposed their sinful acts and condemned them their and then. However this would have hindered Your plan for our salvation, therefore You chose to move away and not waste time in quarrelling but when on with Your God given mission. This is a lesson for all of us. If possible we are to avoid quarrels with others and invest our time in solving our issues in a loving and peaceful way by means of reflecting and praying for illumination of Your Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
The second issue is that of avoiding fame and popularity. Instead we are to seek being humble and if possible nobody will be aware of our great achievements, so that nobody will hold a high opinion of us, so that we will not be given the merit for our actions, but all shall go to You, humble and pleasing in the eyes of Your Father. You had an excellent relationship with Your Father who loved You so much that He blessed You with the power of the Holy Spirit which as humans we greatly need to be aware of in our lives.
Another important quality that is necessary for us to imitate You in is that of being both humble and just. You always give us the opportunity of changing our ways and repent. You never break the already bruised reed. You never give up on us, even if we give up on our selves. You keep on trying until justice is served both in our selves and also in our environments. Furthermore as in the case of the Gentiles our hope is to be placed totally in You and not in our selves or in the ways of the world. This does not mean that we are not to have a good self-esteem however all goodness both within and beyond us is to be attributed to you oh God and not to us.
22. Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 22)
Oh Jesus when we decide not to follow Your ways we also become spiritually blind, because we start treading on dangerous ground, knowing not where we are and where we are heading in the sense of our future aims or destination. We start fearing both the present and the future. We are as if living in a bubble, with no contact whatsoever with both self and others. Therefore when we stop communicating we sort of become mute. Our lives become quiet and meaningless that may even lead to our feeling depressed and in worst case scenarios even to suicide.
However as in the case of the demoniac, You are telling us, that even if the world rejects us due to our sins, even if our lives becomes pitch black in darkness, You are still ready to welcome us back to forgiveness once we have decided to admit our sins and be freed from our guilt by means of confessing our sins in the presence of the Priests who have been ordained to carry out this role in Your name. When we seek confession it is You by means of the priest who is forgiving our sins and only then our darkness will become light and our pathways will become more secure. Our vision of the world will become more positive and the Holy Spirit will find a clean home where to live. Our tongues will become free again not to curse Your name but to bless and worship both by our selves but also in the presence of other believers our spirit will be free and we will be instruments in your hands.
23. All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 23)
The crowds are amazed by healing and miracles however you are not only a healer or miracle maker or a magician. When healing people You did not seek popularity but the redemption of the person's sins before actually healing the person. In truth we could be people including myself, who are easily influenced by the healing God, however when for some good reason our loved ones die or become bed-ridden with severe illness our faith may not remain so strong because it would have been the miracles which were keeping our faith alive and not our faith in You oh Jesus! This is something that we are all to be aware of! Will we keep on believing if for some reason God starts saying "No!" to our requests instead of "Yes!". It is not fair of us to love Him only when situations go according to our plans. We either love and believe in you my God in all or not at all! We cannot be half-hearted in our love for You.
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons."
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 24)
Logically speaking the argument of the pharisees was water tight and valid, however on the other hand can the ruler of demons perform acts of healing which in themselves are positive? The same agent that does negative actions cannot be the same one that does good actions because this is false reasoning. The world offers similar doubtful arguments in order to persuade us not to accept the ways of God but those of the world. At times science is a tool in the hand of the devil because it contributes to the creation of an atheistic approach which negates the very existence of God.
25. He knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 25 to 26)
Oh Jesus You are always one step or more ahead of us, You know how we think, what we feel, our strong points and even our weak points. As much as we use reasoning You are the master of logic and reasoning. May we also use our reasoning in understanding Your will in our lives, and the immensity of Your love and grace instead of wasting our time in trying to prove that You do not exist by means of rationality and scientific enquiry!
27. If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 27 to 28)
Indeed the kingdom of God has come to us. I have witnessed Your presence in my life oh Jesus, however my sinful nature resists You by means of my sins. May I always be open to Your Spirit oh God, because when and where Your Spirit is present the devils and evil spirits tremble and flee away. They cannot resist Your very presence. Therefore we are always to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit of God especially during moments of trials, temptations and tribulations.
29. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 29)
Oh Jesus, sin is like the one who enters the strong man's house. In order for him to enter the house, the evil one has either to break down the door to enter our self, or else find an open door situation. When we are anger or in a state of despair we are in an open door and Satan and his evil spirits are free to come in and take over the occupant of the house. Once the devil has entered our sinful selves before robbing us of our selves the devil must keep us tied down. Such ways of keeping us held down are compulsions towards negative inclinations such as pornography, addiction which are open doors to other sins. Once we are controlled by these bonds we are immobile and subdued. The devil can make a total possession of both our body and our souls. However if we resist him by challenging the negative ideas and compulsions and training in self defence by means of the Word of God and prayer to the Holy Spirit of God, the good spirit will defend us against the negative spirit and the enemy will flee away.
30. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 30)
This verse reminds me of my reasons for sharing these prayers and insights with people of all religions and beliefs, be they Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestants and or even Muslims. Everybody has a God given right to share the Good News of God. I listen to many sermons on line because I believe in the Good News of God. I strongly believe that anybody who preaches about You oh Jesus will never say something against You because a person is either with You or against You. Even though a person may not be totally Roman Catholic in ones belief, if that person preaches a good insight about Jesus I thank Jesus for that person because in the name of Jesus he or she is a brother and or sister in this mission of spreading the 'Good News of God.
31. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 31 to 32)
Oh Jesus what a beautiful example of love and humility You are!. Your love for Your Father cannot be explained. Although You are as a Son also in the Father which means You are one in the same holy Nature of the Holy Trinity You still raise Your Father above yourself. How nice would it be if I had to do the same oh Jesus and place my father and significant others above myself, and always be careful not to speak bad of others shortcomings but use my tongue to praise their positive acts in praise and worship to You. The name and Holy Spirit are so Holy that indeed it would be a scandal to swear or blaspheme against them. Oh Jesus even in a subtle way by means of a joke that I know about the Holy Spirit I am to be aware and not say it at all for my good and even for that of others, for I would not like to bring sin on myself or on others!
33. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 33)
Oh Jesus with you there is no compromise either something or an action is good or bad. In your dictionary there is no room for doubt or maybe. You strictly told us that our words be 'Yes' for a 'Yes' and a 'No' for a 'No'. Anything apart from that meaning lies are not from God. I pray to You oh Jesus that my actions and thoughts are always according to Your ways for at times they are not and my sinful nature gets the better of me. I would like to thank You for testing me today. Today I got a parking ticket for having parked in a timed parking zone and had the time on the clock on the wind screen showing an incorrect time. My first reaction was to protest because I was angry at the warden for giving me the ticket. However when I looked at my wife's innocent face who was bewildered as much as I was I calmed down. In her face I saw a reflection of Your face. Although I was still angry and accused the warden that they were not there to educate the public but to make a day's living of the public an increase their wages I admitted that I had not seen the signs. My wife explained that we had not been there for long. I had been in the company of my mother who due to a physical impairment cannot cover long distance on foot. I explained that a few minutes prior to the intervention I had visited another shop and had set the clock on my screen but had failed to reset it when I arrived at the new destination. The warden told me that all I could do was to contest the fine by explaining the truth of the situation. In my heart I thanked God for sticking to the truth and I believe that the truth will set me free.
34. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. 36. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37. for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 34 to 37)
I thank You Jesus for my tongue even though at times this good means of communication is at times used to communicate negatively instead of positively. I pray your forgiveness oh Jesus for those moments when I lost my nerve and started speaking negatively of both myself and more of others, especially people with whom I do not agree and even have hurt me. I realise oh Jesus that as a human I have my strengths and even my weaknesses. I pray oh God that when I appear before You my scale of goods and bad is balanced or that You have mercy on me and compensate for the missing good deeds that I could have done, or for those careless or judgemental words that I should not have uttered regardless of the situations I found myself in according to Your will.
38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
(Matthew chapter 12 verse 38)
Oh how many times oh Jesus have I tested You in the same way. Many times if I have asked You if it is your will I will go back to my work as a social worker, while aware that this may have negative consequences on my health. When we ask You for a sign we are either blind or not aware of ourselves or environment, because Jesus You are working all the time in our life and in the history of the world. You give us one sign after the other but we and I either try to refute it, or believe blindly or with skeptically or believe not at all even though You have given us the sign of our desire. I therefore pray oh Jesus that Your Holy Spirit may break down the barriers in our brain that are hindering us from accepting You as God in our life.
39. But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 39 to 40)
Oh Jesus it seems that Your wish is that we live the present and not keep on asking for signs. However I believe that as You have always done in Your good time You will give us clear signs that Your will for us is unfolding. As in the case of Jonah and in the case of Your resurrection You gave us clear indications beforehand of what was going to take place before it actually happened. May we accept Your will oh Jesus and accept all that happens in our lives as being according to that plan even if it goes against our own original plans.
41. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 42. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 41 to 42)
Oh Jesus the fundamental core of Your message is that of repentance. If we are not willing to repent feel sorry for our ways and go and confess our sins in a spirit of repentance our faith will not be complete. Repentance means that we go against our old habits, against our old false beliefs about ourselves and others challenge them with a positive attitude based on the positive message, attitude and way of life as based on the Word of God, meaning the 'Good News'. Once we open our hearts to You oh Jesus You can help us make the big U turn in our lives and start living a more healthy life.
My attitude oh Jesus was totally negative based on bad news that my life offered me, that the media bombarded me with, the negative bad news acquired from people who were hurt both family and friends. This wave of negativity entered my system so much that my behaviour was conditioned by negativity. I became a source of bad news. I became booooooooring!
However when I opened my heart to God He started making major changes. I was sick with myself. I sincerely praised to God to heal my mind, my eyes and all my body from this boost of negativity. The first thing that God counselled me to do is to activate in my brain an anti virus that blocked all negativity from my mind. He also told me to put on spectacles with a positive lens and eat the fruit of the 'Good News' and consider the ways and bad news of the world as being not on my diet list and therefore are unhealthy for me. I also wish to say that I am still on this diet and my anti virus and firewall are still activated because at any time I am not updated a new virus can enter my system. Praying on the Word of God updates my anti virus. The Holy Spirit of God is my shield, my fire wall, my all time protection. However when I decide to switch off this means of protection for I am still a sinner and prone to sin the Holy Spirit of God will prompt me to activate it on again but the choice is mine. May You all pray to God to start this positive diet and activate your anti virus and keep on updating it by praying on God's word so that He will clean your system and help you (and me!) to keep it spic and span.
In order to get an in depth description of this Anti-Negativity Software please refer to the following user manual:
Dear User this is a
very sensitive software and is to be used with care. It is still a trial
version.
· For all time protection against any form
of negativity switch on the "Fire Wall" which
is the mighty power of the Holy Spirit of God. Pray that the Spirit of God
surrounds you as a protective shield and give thanks to Him always.
·
All
time protection:
·
Activate
protective filters on your eyes; Pray to God that you
keep your eyes fixed on the will of God instead of on the ways of the world.
· Activate
protective filters on the ears; Refuse
to listen to any form of negative use as on Television, Internet and even from
family and friends. Tell the person who is giving you these news that you are
on a diet accepting only Good News and not bad news.
·
Activate
protective filters on your stomach: Refuse to over eat and
indulge in the excessive consumption of food and or alcohol. This is
disrespecting the Holy Spirit who dwells inside You. Remember Your body is the
temple of the holy Spirit so handle with care.
· Activate
all your filters when online to enable full protection.
If you have argued with your wife or family do not switch on pc and visit
negative sites. Give your family a big hug and kiss and seek their forgiveness.
If anybody trespassed against you, there is a high chance that you trespassed
against them. Activate forgiveness
·
Updates:
Keep this antivirus updated. Due to the sensitive nature of this software it is
very important to keep this Anti-Negativity Software updated. This can be done
in different ways:-
· Ensure a healthy time of prayer both by
yourself and with Your family. We all need to grow together we cannot make it
on our own.
· Seek the confession of your sins at least once
a week if you are a sinner of my category, if not make it two weeks but not
more than that in order to clean the bad files and images from the system
· Visit positive sites such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ihhDBKccjs
and many others such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1n7_V_LUKs
and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwT_aRJBRwg
in order to continue feeding your system with positive messages even throughout
the day. Even if you do not stop to listen the message will still enter your
mind and replace the negative messages that were fed into the system
· Attention:
If this software does not work please contact me on the following email address
needforspeedvkm@gmail.com
· Due to the fact that this software is
free no refund is granted, however your feedback will be a positive means of
updating the software for future use.
· God bless and may this software help you
even more than it has helped me. May the Holy Spirit of God continue to dwell
in you. God bless
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 43 to 45)
On observing the proceeding of the discussion it can be observed that the argument has somewhat changed from an attitude of judgement of the pharisees to one of teaching and warning. Jesus you are making us become aware of the severe consequences of sin. When we are deep in sin, the evil spirits come and take possession of us. They tie us with all forms of negative patterns such as addictions and take control of our lives thus rendering us to living a life of utter disorder and pain. At the point of our conversion or exorcism when the spirits are thrown out our lives become ordered and subject to the will of God. However when the evil spirits find nobody to pick on and ruin their lives, they return back for a rematch and if they find their victim again in sin or still faithful they still wage a counterattack on the converted person by finding our weakness and launching their attack on that weak point. This is why we are never totally free from addictions because our human nature is weak and prone to sin. However if a person places oneself under the protection of the Holy Spirit of God one will be strong enough to withstand the attack of the evil spirits. Therefore it is wise of us to never stop praying for the protection of the Holy Spirit of God, because we never know when the evil spirits are coming back for a rematch.
46. While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47. Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you. 48. But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? 49. And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my my mother and my brothers! 50. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
(Matthew chapter 12 verses 46 to 50)
At times I may proclaim declarations oh Jesus by which I am misunderstood. When I replied to a message on G+ regarding the Apostle Paul and his speaking under the inspiration power and control of Your Holy Spirit I was labelled by the owner of this blog as being a heretic passing to others false doctrine during these modern times. I can only imagine the reaction that your declaration had on those present. However people such as Your Mother would have understood the meaning of this message in both content and meaning.
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer; I thank You oh Jesus for considering me as Your brother. Although I am weak as a sinner and often make mistakes, I do my best by means of the Holy Spirit who dwells within me to behave according to Your will. I praise for Your forgiveness for those moments when by words or actions I was misunderstood or even those moments when I committed negative acts even though I was aware of my actions. I thank you for installing in my head the anti-negativity virus scanner, in order to protect me from negative feelings and thoughts, both of my own that are born in my brain, that are stimulated by my sinful self and for those transmitted to me by my social and psychological self and environment. I pray that I may always remain updated by the messages given to my by means of Your Good News. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment