Reflective Bible Study

When reading Jesus’ life from the four gospels, I am often fascinated at the details that one writer includes that the others don’t include. Sometimes it is a detail that is changed, while in other cases, it is a new detail that the others simply didn’t share.

In Matthew’s version of this teaching, he shares a verse that is unique to his gospel message, and it stands out to me because I think it is relevant for our point in history: “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” (v. 12)

Both Mark and Luke include all the surrounding verses in their teaching, but only Matthew gives us this one little detail – and it is a detail that I find fascinating.

First off, this is in a prophecy portion of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus is looking forward into a future time. It is possible the time He was pointing to has already happened, or it might be the time period we are in the middle of, or it could even be a time period that still is in the future time for us as well. However, what made this verse jump off the page was not wondering when this would happen. Instead, I was fascinated at the implications.

In this verse, we find two different (and supposedly unrelated) ideas: law and love. Jesus connects the two by saying that the lack of law in one’s life and/or in society will have an effect on one’s love.

This is opposite to the allure of “forbidden love” that we see throughout society and culture. We have the Romeos and the Juliets choosing each other over the social norms present and we conclude that true love can exist outside of the area of law when both partners consent and when no one gets hurt.

But Jesus, in this verse, pushes back. He says it is only through obedience that we can experience true love. What is it about obedience (the opposite of lawlessness) that might be so important?

When I ask myself the question, only one thing comes to mind: humility. In order to obey someone or some rule, one must humble himself/herself and view themselves as less than the person/idea they are obeying. In contrast, viewing oneself as being above the law is about as prideful of an attitude as one can get.

Pride, which means a focus on oneself, destroys relationships, and it is rampant in cultures where people think that laws are important – but only for other people. In places where people think that their common sense or situation warrants an exception to obedience, this is when a culture shifts from being lawful (or law-minded) and towards lawlessness. And when people have this attitude, their focus on self erodes their ability to truly love other like God loves others.

When our love grows cold, our hearts harden, and it makes it hard for anyone (including God) to reach in. It seems backwards to think about, but the only way to soften a hard heart is for the person holding that heart to choose to move towards God. By moving towards God, He can soften your hard heart, or give you a heart transplant.

Why do people choose to move towards God – especially when they are completely self-focused? It is only after they choose to realize and admit that their lives are empty of meaning and purpose. Stuff doesn’t bring lasting satisfaction. Disobedience can define someone’s life, but it is a shallow definition. When people think about their legacy, what their life is worth to others after they have died, then there is an opening for God to point them in a new direction – which in all cases is towards Him.

Disobedience hardens our hearts. When we choose to obey Jesus and move closer to Him, only then is He able to melt our hard hearts, which allow us to fully experience true God-like love for Him and others. God is able to write the most amazing legacy imaginable for our lives when we choose to follow Him.

Probably the most clear and direct statement about Jesus comes immediately after He shared about His upcoming death and resurrection. While Jesus sets the bar for following Him really low, in some ways it is ridiculously high as well.

Luke tells us that after Jesus shared about His upcoming arrest and death, He tells all those who are present, “If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me. For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it. Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but are yourself lost or defeated? Of course not! If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (v. 23-26)

On one hand, the requirements Jesus sets for us are really low. They are not based on social status, financial status, or popularity. These things have hierarchy and they are ways of measuring people in relation to other people. But everyone has the breath of life in them, and it is this life that Jesus refers to.

While the cross Jesus took up was a literal cross, and while many of the disciples and first followers of Jesus also ultimately took up literal crosses, Jesus is speaking figuratively of challenges that come against our faith in Him. When we choose to go with Jesus, the first thing He says is that our “self” should be left behind. If we are trying to bring our lives and our stuff along on the trip with Jesus, we will not be able to keep up. Jesus tells us, “if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it” (v. 24)

This sounds backwards, but it speaks to the focus we should have for our lives. If we focus on building ourselves up, or on acquiring all we can in this world, it won’t mean anything if we miss this one point. When time ends, the only decision that will have mattered is whether we have placed God/Jesus as first in our lives.

And Jesus finishes this idea out by saying another easy-to-understand idea that is also challenging to apply. “If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (v. 26)

When we have chosen to follow Jesus, we should never be ashamed of our decision. We can expect to face challenges, and we can expect that there will be those who don’t understand, but if we hold on tightly to our faith and belief in Jesus, and we are never ashamed of our association with Jesus, then He will stick up for us when He returns in His glory with the Father and His angels.

Tucked within Matthew’s chapter full of Jesus’ challenges to the scribes and Pharisees, we can find an interesting concept played out regarding what God wants from His people and how the religious leaders missed it.

In these challenges, Matthew tells us Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (v. 23-24)

This section describes how the scribes and Pharisees were incredibly detailed and meticulous, but in their laser-like focus on certain religious instructions, they had missed the big picture of what God wanted.

When reading this section, it is easy to get caught in an “either/or” mentality. We see how these religious leaders were exceptionally detailed with their tithing, but they missed out on the justice, mercy, and faithfulness aspects of the law. If we are not careful, any four of these sections can be focused on at the exclusion of the others. Just like tithe can become the primary focus, so could justice, mercy, or faithfulness.

If justice is focused on like these leaders focused on their tithing, then we will find a group of believers who are critical of others and any sins they see present in those around them. If mercy was focused on like these leaders focused on their tithing, then we will find a group of believers that resemble a support group, and while it is a prime place for people to go to be accepted, they may not actually grow out of their challenges or towards God. If faithfulness was focused on like these leaders focused on their tithing, then we might find a group of believers who have such high personal standards that others may be turned off and think that they would never fit in or be welcome. Focusing on only one of the four areas Jesus describes misses God’s picture for His people.

Jesus finishes by emphasizing the importance of all four areas when He says, “These are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (v. 23b)

Moving forward with our faith, trust, and belief in Jesus should balance these four areas. We should focus on being faithful, extending mercy, displaying justice/justness, and giving generously. When we have these areas of our lives and character in balance, then we are living as Jesus lived, and being the people God created us to be.

A theme among many of these passages is that as I read each segment while preparing these journal articles, I am amazed at what is said, and what is not said. My brain likes to fill in and assume some of the missing details, but in reality, the opposite could have happened.

This passage is a clear example of one where my brain has filled in details that are not present. Other places and invitations Jesus gives say that the invitee goes away sorrowfully or chooses to leave instead – but this passage is clearly silent on this. It is an assumption to think that the man left to bury his father just as it is an assumption to think that he seized the opportunity and followed Jesus. After verse 22, Matthew switches gears and the disciples leave the area in a boat with Jesus.

Why would Matthew have not included a few words to indicate the man’s choice? It could have been as simple as “He joined.” or “He left.”

Let’s look again at details included in the passage – perhaps Matthew does give an answer.

Verse 21 gives us a solid clue, because it clearly says that the one asking Jesus was one of His disciples.

Now think with me for a minute: Would Jesus say “Follow Me” to someone who was already currently a disciple? Maybe, because we do see Him say this a second time to Peter following His resurrection (John 21:19) but I am inclined to believe that Matthew tips us off to this being the call of a less prominent disciple. It would be interesting to know which disciple asked the question, but perhaps the point in this passage is not teaching us about one individual’s call, but instead about a call to follow that we all receive.

We are all called to follow Jesus, and while I don’t think Jesus wanted to insult the memory of the disciple’s father, I believe He wanted to shift our focus onto the things that really matter – specifically towards the future life for those who believe in Him.