Series: Love
Leviticus 19:18 MSG
Matthew 8:18-22 MSG
Matthew 8:23-27
I knew someone years ago who was an amiable fellow. He was clever, even funny. He was aware of his surroundings. He loved people, but he was cautious.
After we’d been friends for a while he said something like, “you know, the best thing about life is people and the worse thing about life is people.”
See, he had noticed my innocent (naive) nature made me a target to various people.
Leviticus 19:18 says, “Don’t seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people.
“Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.”
It took a little time (and maturity) for me to figure out that while I didn’t seek revenge against others and I tried to love my neighbor as myself, not everyone on the planet lived by the same words.
I came to a point where I noticed there were people who had an agenda and the agenda was for their own success. There isn’t a problem with that unless they are willing to trample anyone who got in their way.
They were not intentional on loving their neighbors half as they loved “self”.
From that point on I began a lifetime journey of asking God to protect me and help me see danger zones while I sought to love my neighbor.
It has been a lifelong journey but at some point along the way I came to realize with God’s help I can love others and pray that the evil in them will be surrendered to God.
That realization was life changing.
Jesus provided my answer.
There are two parts to this realization and they are found back to back in Matthew 8:18-22 and immediately following in Matthew 8:23-27. I don’t think anything in scripture is an accident.
First we are told in Matthew 8:18-22,
“When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake. As they left, a religion scholar asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said.
Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”Another follower said, “Master, excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have my father’s funeral to take care of.”Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life.”
So, Jesus needed to get to the other side of the lake and a religious scholar (a person who studied Hebrew law) indicated he really really wanted to follow Jesus. He even told Jesus he would follow him anywhere.
However the scholar had a problem.
The scholar had a list of things he had to take care for first. Understand they really were important things, but the scholar had just told Jesus he would follow him anywhere and Jesus had to go to the other side of the lake.
Essentially, the man looked back so he missed the boat.
Then, immediately following in Matthew 8:23-27 we are told:
“Then he (Jesus) got in the boat, his disciples with him. The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm. Waves were crashing into the boat—and he was sound asleep! They roused him, pleading, “Master, save us! We’re going down!”
Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass.
The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. “What’s going on here? Wind and sea stand up and take notice at his command!”
Once in the boat a storm came up that was so bad the disciples thought they were going to drown. Jesus was asleep and presumably didn’t even know they were about the drown, so the disciples cried out to Jesus as they feared for their lives.
Immediately Jesus woke up, spoke to the storm and the storm subsided!
When I was younger that passage of scripture was very meaningful and helpful to me. I grew up in tornado alley and during those years we spent a lot of time in the basement of our house because of the threat of tornados Spring, Summer, and Fall. I thought about that scripture as I sat in the basement. As a child I asked Jesus to calm the storm.
As an adult I came to realize the storm did not need to be a physical storm. It could be a storm in my life or in my heart.
The day I realized that, it was a game-changer.
It meant when life gets to be too difficult, I can ask Jesus to calm the storm around me and in me.
So, back to Leviticus and the first part of Matthew 8.
In Leviticus we are told love your neighbor, but if your neighbor is a horrid mean person how do I love them.
I came to realize that by myself, I cannot do it.
I can only love…really love through Jesus. So, when I am confronted with a person who is creating a storm in my heart, I need to rely on Jesus to calm the storm.
And anyone who needs help with life (like the scholar in the first part of Matthew 8) they don’t have to carry the burden alone. However, that person needs to be able to let go of their responsibilities and let God be in charge of their life.
God cannot help those who refuse help.
It was a great lesson for me, and it was a game changer.
I learned I had to let go and let God.
Spiritual Practice: Let Go
Let God be in charge!
In God, Deborah
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