In the last 2 weeks, we have finished reading Matthew and Mark. For me, it was interesting because I have read them
both many times, but this time I heard and read things I had never noticed before.
I use
a yellow highlighter and mark things that “speak” to me and use a pencil to
circle and ask questions. All the
parables are fascinating. Sometimes we
understand the “meaning” right away, but other times it seems like there are
still questions. “What did he mean?” One thing I noticed in Matthew is that Jesus talked a
lot about the future…”The end of the age”.
It is interesting to hear him speak about future judgment. We don’t like to talk about that much today,
but it’s there. And he knew the
scriptures from what we now call the Old Testament because he had grown up
hearing them and of course, he understood them.
He talked a lot about the kingdom
of heaven. Some of it is still mystery, but we can somehow understand much of it when
we listen with our hearts with the help of the Holy Spirit.
“I
will open my mouth in parables.
I
will utter things hidden since
the
creation of the world.”
Matthew
13:35. Psalm 78:2
The healings are interesting to read about. Jesus had so much power that sometimes people just
touched the edge of his clothes and they were healed. Wow. (Matthew 14:36.)
When we read Mark, did you notice how much it paralleled so
much what we had just read in Matthew? Many
of the same stories, told almost exactly.
Matthew and Mark were written many years after these things had
happened. It would be like American
World War 2 veterans writing down things that happened to them during their
time in Europe. The same, but different.
Remember that Matthew was one of the 12 disciples. But Mark “John Mark”was not one of the 12. He was a contemporary of Paul. Wasn’t the INSIGHT on page 1144 in our Bible on Oct 15
interesting? Look at it again. Mark was not one of the 12 disciples, but perhaps he
hung out with them and he had personally known Jesus.
I like to think about what it would have been like to have
lived during that time when Jesus was on earth…
One thing I pondered this week
was the story about the “Last Supper”. (page
1145, Mark 14:12 – 17) I imagine that
this nice Jewish family owned a large house.
Maybe they had added a big room upstairs (like a bonus room) so they could
use it during the Jewish festivals throughout the year.
They made it large enough so that all their
family could come in for the holidays.
Maybe they rented it out sometimes for other friends and neighbors to use for special occasions.
It was a room they enjoyed a lot, and
they had made lots of good memories up there, sitting around the big tables,
lingering over happy mealtimes. They had prepared it that week for the big annual event: Passover. It had been cleaned,
ritually cleansed, so it was “Kosher”, and they had already set up the extra tables
and chairs. They had gathered the food for
the Passover meal and had pressed the good tablecloths. They had cut the herbs
and flowers and had set up the candles and lamps for evening lighting. The little kitchen was full downstairs and meal preparations were at full swing when these 2 guys showed up and asked if they could use it.
I can imagine myself opening the door to that request. I would probably put my hands on my hips and
say “Are you serious? “ I’ve got all these people coming in for the weekend…Sorry,
but the room is already set up for our family and our guests”... But then, maybe this Jewish family had been going
out to see and hear Jesus for the past few months. Maybe God had already impressed on them that
they were going to be part of something special. Maybe they had not told anybody about it, but
just told the kids not to come home this year because they had made some other
plans. And maybe they had prepared the
room upstairs for guests, but were not sure who they would be. They just somehow knew that they needed to be
prepared for what would happen. They must have had some doubts about it. Then the knock at the door. And there they were. Somehow they were not surprised. They took the guys upstairs and showed them
the room that was already clean and ready. And they enjoyed having the 2 men around that
day as they helped them prepare for the big meal... Roasting the lamb. Baking the bread. That night, I wonder if the family helped
serve the meal to the guests. I wonder if they were
invited to join them upstairs. Or, maybe
they ate their lamb and herbs downstairs in the little cramped kitchen and
listened to the men laughing and talking upstairs. And at the
end of the meal, they could hear them sing together. Then they heard the
footsteps and muffled voices as the group left, down the steps, and disappeared into the night. The next day, I wonder how they felt as they
cleaned up the room, washed the tablecloths, put away the folding tables and
chairs till next time. Were they pleased
and honored? Or a little resentful of
the disruption? In the next couple days,
they would learn about the arrest and trial and crucifixion. The whole neighborhood was upset. Some of the neighbors said “Good riddance. Now
things will get back to normal around here.” Some said “they killed the Son of
God. What will happen to us now.” Some said “That was not the way we thought it
would happen. Now there is no hope for
us. Nothing will change. Our future is
bleak.”
I wonder if the Jewish family with the big bonus room just kept
quiet for a few days about who had eaten upstairs on Passover night. I wonder if they were a little afraid that
they might be in trouble. But I imagine
that after the resurrection and the weeks of excitement that followed, they
were so happy that they had allowed Jesus and his inner circle to be their secret
guests upstairs the night before all the bad things happened. I think if I had been the owner of the room
that I would have folded those tablecloths and put them away in a safe drawer
as a very special reminder of my special honored guests. And I would take them out from time to time
to look at the wine stains that were still there. And be
glad that I had been willing to say yes.
Let your imagination loose as you read the New
Testament. Try to feel the sun and
gritty breeze.
Smell the smells. Taste the olive oil and bread. Feel
the little rocks in your sandals. Listen. Ponder.
keep walking...
Audrey
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