When we read God’s Word different things jump out at us. It may be the different characters in the story, promises of God, warnings, commands or “who, what, when, where, why and how.”
When I read I like to look at verbs and time sequences, as Kay Arthur suggests in Precept Upon Precept. How are the actions in a verse related to the next verse? Words like When, Then, While, After, As and Until connect people’s steps through the story. As you read Matthew 9 take note of the expressions of time that show us the sequences of events in Jesus’ life:
1 - Jesus STEPPED into a boat, CROSSED
over and CAME to his own town.
2
– Some men BROUGHT to him… WHEN Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
paralytic…
3
- AT THIS, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves…
4
- KNOWING their thoughts, Jesus said…
6
- …THEN he said to the paralytic…
7
- And the man GOT UP…
8
- WHEN the crowd saw this…
9
- AS Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew… Matthew GOT UP…
10
- WHILE Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house…
11
- WHEN the Pharisees saw this…
12-
ON HEARING this, Jesus said…
14-
THEN John's disciples CAME and asked him…
15-
Jesus ANSWERED…
18-
WHILE he was saying this, a ruler CAME and KNELT…
19-
Jesus GOT UP and WENT with him…
20-
JUST THEN a woman…CAME UP behind him…
22-
Jesus TURNED and SAW her. …the woman WAS HEALED from that moment.
23-
WHEN Jesus entered the ruler's house…
25-
AFTER the crowd had been put outside, he WENT in…
27-
AS Jesus WENT on from there, two blind men FOLLOWED…
28-
WHEN he had gone indoors, the blind men CAME to him…
29-
THEN he TOUCHED their eyes…
32-
WHILE they were GOING out, a man who was demon-possessed… WAS BROUGHT…
33-
AND WHEN the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute SPOKE.
35- JESUS WENT through all the towns…
36- WHEN he saw the crowds…
37- THEN he said to his disciples…
This
is an action filled chapter. Jesus had a
very busy, full life with ministry to many who were hurting. There wasn’t a spare moment in His life when
he had time to take a much needed coffee break or to get out of the crowd to
de-stress. He not only was busy, but was
surrounded by needy people to whom He gave His time and love. He was also
followed by those who criticized publically and privately every act He
accomplished and word He said. It makes
you kind of dizzy to see the depth of Jesus’ involvement with the people around
him and His great concern.
There
are days that I, too, may be wall-to-wall stressed, not filled with ministry,
but filled with demands from my job, care of children or elderly, daily chores
piling up, obligations, responsibilities and commitments to others. And these might not even include my “church
ministry.”
As
we look at a kind and loving God who has given us each day and moment to be used
for Him, and One who has promised to guide our every step and go before us, we
realize that these are our ministry. The
ornery neighbor, the disgruntled employee, the screaming baby, the uninterested
spouse, the family members who are driving you crazy…they are our
ministry. God has placed many of these people
in our path and asked us to be His love, His kindness, His light and His
compassion to those around us. Looking
again at the last verses:
The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
We
are His workers and those around us are the fields. Ask Him to help us to harvest well.
Only one life, soon ‘twill be
past. Only what’s done for Christ will
last
~Beth Thompson
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