May
MAY 1
“Worse than the First”
Read Matthew 12:43-45
“… and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.”
Matthew 12:45
The goal of the Christian way is not human purity, but divine fellowship. Our task is not to sweep and beautify the house so that there is not a speck of evil dust to be found, but to invite our Lord to dwell with us and fill the house with die laughter of forgiveness and the conversation of grace. How do you apply this scripture to your life?
Prayer: Lord, you know how I am always coming up with a new scheme for self-improvement, and reducing my role in die spiritual life to that of charwoman, scrubbing and dusting and polishing my moral image. What I need is you, your presence. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus! Amen.
MAY 2
“My Mother and My Brothers”
Read Matthew 12:46-50
And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:49-50
No one is bom into an intimate relationship with Christ. We cannot presume on him. But everyone has access to an intimate life with him—a life of mother or brother or sister. No one is left out by accident of birth; everyone is included by an act of faith.
What is your relationship with Christ?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the new-found intimacies of faith—that there is a family in which all are accepted equally, all loved uniquely, and that I am included in the “all.” Amen.
MAY 3
“Listen!”
Read Matthew 13:1-9
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.”
Matthew 13:3
Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree in making this the first of the parables. Every word God speaks to us is seed. We must not treat it casually, waste any of it in uncommitted enthusiasm, or permit it to be crowded into oblivion by the words of others. What kind of soil are you?
Prayer: Keep speaking, dear Christ, and keep me listening. Let your word take deep root in the soil of my life and bring forth a crop of faith and love and hope, a life lived to the praise of your glory. Amen.
MAY 4
“Why… in Parables?”
Read Matthew 13:10-17
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Matthew 13:16-17
The parable is a tool for deciding, not discussing. For those who want to have conversations about God, the parable is opaque. For those who will look and listen and pray, the parable becomes a means for participation in the life of faith. Why do you like parables?
Prayer: Thank you, Lord God, for sharing your secrets with me, for speaking in love and listening in kindness. My life is filled with the sights and sounds of the gospel. How privileged I am! How blessed! Amen.
MAY 5
“He Indeed Bears Fruit”
Read Matthew 13:18-23
“But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears die word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Matthew 13:23
Every aspect of life is given significance by the word that Christ addresses to us. We understand our empty, barren hours as a failure to respond to Christ, and we understand our full, fertile days as a result of Christ’s triumphant word working in us.
What part of the parable are you living today?
Prayhr: Father, interpret my life for me by means of these words so that I may understand every-diing that takes place today in relation to what you have done and are doing and will do. I don’t want to evaluate anything in terms of my effort, but only in die light of your intention and love in Jesus Clirist. Amen.
MAY 6
“Weeds”
Read Matthew 13:24-30
” ‘Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Matthew 13:30
Jesus shows no panic in the presence of evil. He does not give his seed-word greenhouse protection. He is confident that good seed has vasdy better survival strength than weeds. What weeds are there in your life?
Prayer: Dear Christ, train me in such trust that I am able to share your poise. No more doomsday gloom when I find a weed in the garden! I want your confident, relaxed case in the face of the opposition. Amen.
MAY 7
“Like a Mustard Seed”
Read Matthew 13:31-33
“… It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Matthew 13:32
Very frequently, our excuse for being irresponsible is the claim that we are insignificant. Jesus’ parables of mustard seed and leaven put a stop to that. It is the unnoticed, invisible movements of Christ in us that become the forests and banquets of his kingdom.
What insignificant, invisible obedience can you engage in today?
Prayer: I keep looking, God, for the dramatic moment when I can engage in a glorious sacrifice for the faith; you keep presenting me with daily opportunities for belief and obedience and hope. Help me to forget my dreams of melodrama, and accept the reality of your kingdom. Amen.
MAY 8
“The End of the Age”
Read Matthew 13:34-43
“Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire—-”
Matthew 13:40-42
We live in an antihistorical age. Everyone, it seems, has amnesia. We are immersed in “pres-entness.” Both past and future are drained of content. Taught by Jesus, we comprehend the past as our own story and anticipate the future as his promise, and live with sharp-edged gratitude and vivid hope. What do you hope for?
Prayer: Too many people around me, Lord, think of the future, when they think of it at all, with dread. Taught by you, I will anticipate it with joy, knowing that your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
MAY 9
“AIT
Read Matthew 13:44-46
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:44-46
The two parables have one word in common: “all.” There must be no equivocation, no hesitation, no calculation before God’s offer of new life. Everything we have is traded in for everything that God has for us.
What, for you, is included in the “all”?
Prayer: O God, I don’t want to bring a bookkeeper’s mind to the life of faith, anxiously adding up columns of what I must give, columns of what I might get. I give all, and accept all. Amen.
MAY 10
“Separate the Evil”
Read Matthew 13:47-50
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous….”
Matthew 13:49
Grading, judging, deciding on relative merits—all that is very much a part of the world’s life. But we are not good at it—nobody is good at it. Leave it to the angels. The parable emphasizes the reality of judgment, at the same time that it says we have no part in doing it.
Whom are you tempted to judge?
Prayer: I know, Father, that you are the judge of all the earth, and that you will execute your judgment both firmly and mercifully. I leave all that to you as I throw myself into the work of believing you and loving my neighbors. Amen.
MAY 11
“Trained for the Kingdom”
Read Matthew 13:51-53
“Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Matthew 13:52
The mixture of old and new is what Jesus does so well, and teaches us to do. The gospel does not specialize in either ancient history or modern problems, but rather develops the skills to appropriate diverse treasures of the kingdom for redemption goals.
How does God train you?
Prayer: What a rich heritage of truth and experience you have given me, God. And what fresh and creative materials you hand me day by day in situations and people. Daily train me in the skills that will make me a good disciple. Amen.
MAY 12
“Except in Their Own Country”
Read Matthew 13:54-58
But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:57-58
We do it too. We domesticate Jesus. We think we know all about him, and precisely what he can do and cannot do. We label him and define him. Our sophomoric knowledge becomes a substitute for a faith in him.
Does familiarity with Jesus breed contempt?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, don’t let my minuscule knowledge of your humanity detract from the enormous mystery of your divinity. Keep me open in faith to the majesty and glory of your being, and responsive to your power to change and save. Amen.
MAY 13
“The Five Loaves and the Two Fish”
Read Matthew 14:1-21
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled….
Matthew 14:19-20
A hillside of hungry families is changed into a well-fed congregation by Jesus’ fourfold action: he took, he blessed, he broke, he gave. Those four acts continue to be reenacted, and our poverty transformed into affluence wherever people gather in Christ’s name.
How is this miracle continued into your life?
Prayer: When I examine my own resources,
0 Christ, I never seem to have enough. When
1 worship you, I never seem to run out of blessing. Thank you for your abundance, for your never-diminishing power to meet my needs and complete my joy. Amen.
MAY 14
“Take Heart”
Read Matthew 14:22-27
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:26-27
While the disciples had been struggling in the boat, Jesus had been praying on the mountain. Their work was getting them nowhere; Jesus, strong from his hours of prayer, gives them what they need.
What is one of the most frightening times of your life?
Prayer: Thank you for your prayers, Lord Jesus: for bringing God to me, for bringing love to me, for invading my terror with your courage, for saving me. Amen.
MAY 15
“Lord, Save Me”
Read Matthew 14:28-33
He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Matthew 14:29-30
Peter moves from brash, untutored enthusiasm, to disabling doubt, to reverent worship. We, like Peter, have to be rescued from the excesses of presumption and saved from the disabling doubt. Worship, not walking on water, is what we are created for.
In what ways are you like Peter?
Prayer: So many times, God, I venture into things that are over my head, and instead of looking to you to command and direct I look at the impossible odds and the overwhelming difficulties and sink dangerously. “Lord, save me!” Amen.
MAY 16
“Only Touch the Fringe”
Read Matthew 14:34-36
After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
Matthew 14:35-36
The terrible loneliness of the ill is shown in their desire to touch Jesus. His willingness to be touched, to be intimate with people in need, shows that he shares his complete person, his body as his spirit, with those who crave contact with wholeness.
What do you need from God?
Prayer: I reach out to you, Savior Christ, hardly knowing what I need much of the time, but knowing that I need you. And you are there, ready to change my emptiness into wholeness. Thank you for your love and compassion. Amen.
MAY 17
“Tradition of the Elders”
Read Matthew 15:1-14
“You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:
‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’”
Matthew 15:7-9
Traditions are useful. They are useful the way bark on a tree is useful, to protect the life within. They preserve truth, but they are not truth: all truth must be lived firsthand, from the inner life. Why are traditions dangerous?
Prayer: O God, let me never suppose that because I have inherited a few traditions, I therefore have the living truth. Keep me in touch with the immediate acts of faith that respond to your living word in Christ, so that I am resilient and growing in grace, not stiff and fixed in old ways. Amen.
MAY 18
“Explain the Parable”
Read Matthew 15:15-20
“Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.”
Matthew 15:16-18
We are always turning religion into something that we can control and use to demonstrate that we are all right: a system of rules, an arrangement of traditions. Jesus is always probing to the heart, showing us that our disposition, our faith, and our thoughts are at the center of our relationship with God.
What traditions do you have that are worthless?
Prayer: Forgive me, merciful Christ, for trying to hide behind conventional morality when I should be opening up myself to you for deep and eternal healing. Examine my inner thoughts and create the kind of life in me that will live to the praise of your glory. Amen.
MAY 19
“Have Mercy on Me!”
Read Matthew 15:21-31
But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Matthew 15:25-27
The marvelous Canaanite woman with her bold simplicity, absolute lack of guile, and persistent directness teaches us how to ask Christ for what we need. Too often we elaborately and piously negotiate, rather than simply throwing ourselves on the mercy of our Lord.
How do you feel about the disciples in this story?
Prayer: “Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; keep us botfi outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord (Book of Common Prayer). Amen.
MAY 20
“Bread Enough in the Desert”
Read Matthew 15:32-39
… He took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all
of them ate and were filled—-
Matthew 15:36-37
The meal is one of Jesus’ favorite places for ministry. Here a quite ordinary picnic becomes, under Jesus’ words and acts, a messianic banquet. The needs that food meets in our bodies, Christ meets in our lives.
Compare this with the earlier meal in Matthew 14:13-21.
Prayer: Never permit me, Lord, to sit down to a meal without being at least dimly aware of your great precedent-setting actions, whereby inadequately provided food becomes, because you are present, abundantly experienced fullness. Amen.
MAY 21
“The Yeast of the Pharisees”
Read Matthew 16:1-12
“How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of die yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 16:11-12
The Pharisees want a Jesus who will dazzle and delight them with signs and miracles; Jesus is only interested in sharing the life of God that will change them into being people of faith who praise.
What are you interested in?
Prayer: Will I ever, dear Jesus, get over the immature fantasies that dream of great signs and wonders? As if there were not enough of them provided already in both creation and salvation! Purge me from the leaven of sign-seeking so that I may live by faith and in adoration. Amen.
MAY 22
“You Are the Messiah”
Read Matthew 16:13-20
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church….”
Matthew 16:15-18
At the same time that Peter realizes and confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the one who reveals God to us, Jesus names Peter as the rock on which the church will be built. The moment that we make Christ our Lord, Christ makes us his foundation stones for the building of his living temple in the world.
Have you confessed that Jesus is the Christ and your Lord and Savior?
Prayer: Be Lord and Savior to me, dear Jesus. I receive your presence as God’s presence; I believe your words as God’s words to me; Make me what you will, use me how you will. No longer my will but yours be done. Amen.
MAY 23
“If Any Man Would Come…”
Read Matthew 16:21-28
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 16:24-25
We want to follow Jesus, but like Peter we also want to tell Jesus where to go. Jesus doesn’t need our advice; he needs our faithful obedience. Dis-cipleship means learning how to listen to Christ, not getting him to listen to us.
What are the supreme conditions for disci-pleship?
Prayer: “Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies, Saviour, may we hear Thy call, give our hearts to Thine obedience, serve and love Thee best of all” (Cecil Frances Alexander, “Jesus Calls Us,” The Hymnbook, 234). Amen.
MAY 24
“Transfigured Before Them”
Read Matthew 17:1-8
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Matthew 17:2-3
Because he makes himself so accessible to us, we are in constant danger of reducing Jesus to a hail-fellow-well-met. But there is a terrifying majesty in him that occasionally becomes apparent to us. When it does it is unthinkable that we should treat him as a cosmic buddy—we can only fall down in awe and worship.
What do you think of Peter’s proposal?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, open my eyes to the reality of your glory, to the splendor of your loveliness. I worship you. I praise you. I center my life in you, and only you. Amen.
MAY 25
“Tell No One About tie Vision”
Read Matthew 17:9-13
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17:9
Visions are not for telling. They are too easily turned into gossip—sensational stuff for entertaining dull lives. And they are not to be used for advertising in a world greedy for the latest novelty. Visions are for faith—to put a cosmic scaffolding around the passion.
How was John the Baptist like Elijah?
Prayer: Thank you, O God, for showing me the essential identity of the Transfigured Christ and the Crucified Christ, the Christ who is one with me in suffering. Amen.
MAY 26
“Faith as a Grain”
Read Matthew 17:14-23
“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to diere,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20-21
The world’s program is self-improvement: resolutions and calisthenics. Jesus’ program is faith and prayers: believing and praising. We fail in the work of grace and love when there is too much of us and not enough of God.
What do you find yourself unable to do?
Prayer: What I usually do, God, when I find that I am inadequate for a task, is to find some way to become more adequate; and you seem to be telling me that what I need to do is to deepen my dependence on you. Amen.
MAY 27
“Then the Children Are Free”
Read Matthew 17:24-27
Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free.”
Matthew 17:25-26
The freedom of the Christian is not tied to economics or politics or a judicial system. It comes from a relationship between Father and son (and daughter). It is not achieved by human violence, but is the quiet result of divine grace. Compare this with Galatians 5:1.
Prayer: Instead of demanding the freedom that I don’t have, show me how to discover and enjoy the freedom that I do have—the freedom that flows from being in relationship with you, Father, and which releases me to a life of service and praise. Amen.
MAY 28
“Become Like Children”
Read Matthew 18:1-6
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like tins child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Matthew ]8:3-5
Jesus is not asking us to do anydiing that he did not do himself: he entered our humanity in the form of infancy. All his commands and counsel were first lived out in his own life. As children before the Fadier, we live in expectant awe and joyous trust.
What is characteristic of children?
Prayer: Return me, gracious Christ, to the basic realities of life that are conspicuous in children, but obscure and unattended in adulthood: an eagerness to believe, a readiness to receive, a willingness to love and be loved. Amen.
MAY 29
“Cut It Off”
Read Matthew 18:7-9
“Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!”
Matthew 18:7
Jesus is ruthlessly intolerant of any word or act that delays or diverts us from entering into life. These are fierce words: only understandable when we realize that nothing less than everydnng— eternal life—is at stake.
What interferes with your life of faith?
Prayer: Save me, Lord, from the world’s lazy tolerance, which masks uncertain commitments and failed visions. Sharpen my instincts for survival so that I am alert to repudiate anything that would interfere with my relationship with you. Amen.
MAY 30
“One of These Little Ones”
Read Matthew 18:10-14
“If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”
Matthew 18:12
God is not interested in percentages—even an overwhelming 99 percent is unsatisfactory to him. He wants everyone. He doesn’t write off anybody. And that should keep us from ignoring or despising or forgetting anyone, even the least. Especially the least!
Who are the “little ones” in your life?
Prayer: Forgive me, O God, for slighting people who are on the fringes of society and seeking out the people who are important and influential. Give me the shepherd’s heart, always on the lookout for the lost and the hurt, after the manner of Jesus. Amen.
MAY 31
“Two or Three”
Read Matthew 18:15-20
“Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:19-20
We would get on better if we could ignore or dismiss offending people. A private religion would be much more to our taste. But God will not permit it: we must learn God’s forgiveness and love among people whom we forgive and love. Who has sinned against you?
Prayer: Give me the courage, Lord Jesus, to face the people today who have displeased or hurt or troubled me. Help me to forgive them, not condemn them. By your grace draw me into a community with them where together we experience your presence. Amen.
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June
JUNE 1
“How Often?”
Read Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21-22
Peter asked for a statistical count; Jesus gave him a story. We do not calculate forgiveness by numbers; we live it out in a world of incalculable mercy. Careful bookkeeping gives way to extravagant generosity.
Whom do you need to forgive?
Prayer: Your stories, Jesus, describe a world I can’t really see, a world large with generosity. Every mean act and every failed task is released from condemnation. I want to share in this world, Lord, of forgiving and being forgiven. Amen.
JUNE 2
“Is It Lawful?”
Read Matthew 19:1-9
He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Matthew 19:4-6
Some people come to Jesus and say, “Help me; have mercy upon me.” Jesus responds immediately and graciously. Others, like these Pharisees, come and say, “Is it lawful… ?” They are interested not in what God can do for them, but in what they can get by with. All they get from Jesus is some quotations from Genesis they could have read on their own.
What scripture does Jesus quote?
Prayer: Now, Father, I see why some of my prayers are unsatisfactory: I am interested in my possibilities rather than in your grace. I ask for information rather than for mercy. I see the difference; now help me to pray the difference. Amen.
JUNE 3
“To Whom It Is Given”
Read Matthew 19:10-12
His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given…. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Matthew 19:10-12
Jesus doesn’t impose a uniform way of life on everyone. There are different ways of life in which to pursue a committed discipleship. God gives the means to accomplish the ends that he commands in us.
In what station in life has God placed you?
Prayer: Create a contentment in me, God, with the circumstances of my life. It is so inwardly destructive to be always wishing I were in a different situation or involved in other relationships. Show me how to do the best in love and faith right where I am. Amen.
JUNE 4
“Lay His Hands on Them and Pray”
Read Matthew 19:13-15
… But Jesus said, “Let the litde children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
Matthew 19:14-15
The extremities of existence are joined in Jesus’ life: he touches children, immersing himself in the sensual, physical realities of die human; and he prays, laying hold of the unseen, spiritual realities of God.
Do you separate the physical and spiritual?
Prayer: I want to be equally at home, Lord Jesus, in material, physical things and in spiritual, divine realities—in the same way that you were, touching and praying. Amen.
JUNE 5
“Give to the Poor”
Read Matthew 19:16-22
“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21
The young man diought that he had kept the Le-vitical command, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” but it had never occurred to him that his neighbor might be the poor man and that love had something to do with how he spent his money.
Who are some of die unseen “neighbors” in your life?
Prayer: I know the commands, O God, but I need your help in seeing the people and circumstances where my obedience is commanded. Open my hands diat have been clutching possessions; open my eyes too long blind to certain neighbors. Amen.
JUNE 6
“Who Then Can Be Saved?”
Read Matthew 19:23-30
“Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:23-24
We have to make a choice between possessing as much as we can manage, proving we are worth something by our visible wealth, and traveling light in faith, believing that we are wordi every-tiiing simply because God loves us. What have you left?
Prayer: As long, Father, as I harbor covetous desires to be among the first, I am never free to respond quickly and spontaneously to your presence and your word. Forgive me for wanting to be among the rich, and for avoiding the company of the poor, where you are. Amen.
JUNE 7
“The Last Will Be First”
Read Matthew 20:1-16
” ‘Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Matthew 20:15-16
Christ doesn’t run the world by consulting us, asking what we think is right or proper. Naturally, we make our share of complaints against Iris administration. But much of our discontent, phrased as a concern for justice, is only petty envy and small-minded jealousy.
What don’t you like about how God runs things?
PRAYER: You are right on target, Lord, when you ask me, “Do you begrudge my generosity?” It is not easy to get used to a life of extravagant mercy, when I have grown up on nit-picking calculations of rights and benefits. Amen.
JUNE 8
“The Son of Man Will Be Handed Over”
Read Matthew 20:17-19
“… and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.”
Matthew 20:18-19
Association with Jesus puts us in the company of healing, enlightenment, and unanticipated joys. But it also puts us in the place of betrayal, humiliation, and crucifixion. We must, if we are faithful to the Christian way, accept the one as readily as the other.
Why is this announcement a surprise?
Prayer: I will not forget, Lord Christ, when I experience apprehension and dread, that it is an announced and documented part of die life of discipleship. Keep me faithful in the difficult trials as you accompany me with the promise of resurrection. Amen.
JUNE 9
“His Life a Ransom for Many”
Read Matthew 20:20-28
“… but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28
We attempt to get the respect and recognition of a life of discipleship by acquiring a few pious habits. Jesus demands a life that makes a difference: a life of service, a life of giving. How do you live as a servant?
Prayer: My confession, Lord: I keep hoping that being a Christian will give me an advantage over everybody else; I make a habit of looking for loopholes in your demands for a life of service. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
JUNE 10
“What Do You Want?”
Read Matthew 20:29-34
“Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
Matthew 20:31-33
The blind men’s answer to Jesus’ question seems obvious: “Let our eyes be opened.” But had they ever asked for that before? Or had they long ago gotten accustomed to asking for handouts? Jesus forces us to what is basic and essential: what do you really want? What do you want?
Prayer: Gracious Father, years of living in “Jericho” have turned me into a passive consumer, dependent on alms. My desires and wants are exceedingly trivial. You rouse in me soul-sized thirsts I had forgotten I had: I want sight. I want salvation. Amen.
JUNE 11
“Mount of Olives”
Read Matthew 21:1-5
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.”
Matthew 21:1-2
First-century Jewish expectation had fixed on the Mount of Olives as the site for the appearance of the Messiah. As Jesus prepared to present himself at the Jerusalem Passover, he partially fit into their expectations. At the same time, he confounded them by selecting a plodding beast of burden to ride rather than a dashing war horse.
Look at a map of the Holy Land and visualize the relation of the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.
Prayer: I want to be ready, Jesus, for your daily entrance into my life. I know that you will come to me. 1 also know that the way you will come will differ from my preconceptions. Prepare me to receive you as you will to come. Amen.
JUNE 12
“Did as Jesus Directed”
Rkad Matthew 21:6-7
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
Matthew 21:6-7
Simple obedience is a marvelous act: when we do what Jesus tells us to do, everything falls into place, things work out. Why do we think we have to improve on his commands, edit his instructions? Are you basically an obeyer or a kibitzer?
Prayer: Almighty and eternal God, speak your word to my heart, commanding what you will. And then work in me the grace of obedience enabling me in faidi to carry out your word. Amen.
JUNE 13
“Branches from the Trees”
Read Matthew 21:8
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Matthew 21:8
Festivity was in the air. Our custom at parades is to wave banners and pompoms; the Hebrews made a red carpet with garments and tree branches. They knew something eelebrative was taking place in Jesus and they wanted in on it. What is eelebrative for you in Jesus?
Prayer: “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away; giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day” (Henry van Dyke, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” The Hymnbook, 31). Amen.
JUNE 14
“Hosanna in the Highest!”
Read Matthew 21:9
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Matthew 21:9
Hosanna means “Save now!” It is a cry for help in the context of assured response. The Savior has arrived! Salvation is at hand! Everyone’s life is at the point of change for the better. That which none of us can do for ourselves is done for us in Jesus. Read Psalm 118:25-26 for the source of this cry.
Prayer: “Thou didst accept their praises; accept the prayers we bring, who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King! All glory, laud, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King, to whom the Hps of children made sweet hosannas ring!” (Theodolph of Orleans, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” The Hymnbook, 171). Amen.
JUNE 15
“The Whole City Was in Turmoil”
Read Matthew 21:10-11
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:10-11
Many things are put together in this parade: the obedience of disciples, the generosity of the donkey’s owner, the prophecy of Zechariah, the enthusiasm of crowds, the praise of God. The final week of Jesus’ ministry opens with a celebration. It will conclude with a resurrection.
What part do you play in celebrating Christ’s rule?
Prayer: God, I want to find my proper place among people who praise you. By your grace every day is a festival of salvation. Put a palm branch in my hand and a song in my mouth as I join the people who know the joyful sound. Amen.
JUNE 16
“Den of Robbers”
Read Matthew 21:12-13
Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and die seats of those who sold doves.
Matthew 21:12
Places of worship are bustling centers of activity: centers for discussion groups, work projects, social gatherings—and, of course, a brief prayer to get things started on the right note. Most churches could stand a good temple-cleaning.
Is prayer the central activity in your church?
Prayer: When I next enter my church, Father, I will pray. I will not go to talk about you, or talk to my neighbors, but to address you and be addressed by you. Keep me faithful and attentive to the conversation that you are having with me in Jesus Christ. Amen.
JUNE 17
“Prepared Praise”
Read Matthew 21:14-17
Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
” ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself?”
Matthew 21:16
The noise of the money changers never, appar-endy, had bothered them, but the noise of children was intolerable. How could they become so quickly accustomed to the clangor of commerce, and be so short-tempered with the shouts of children? How can we?
What psalm does Jesus quote?
Prayer: “Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of God’s unchanging love! (R. Robinson, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” The Hymn-book, 322). Amen.
JUNE 18
“Whatever You Ask in Prayer”
Read Matthew 21:18-22
Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:21-22
Jesus trains us to seek die essentials from God, to direct our longings and aspirations to the center. Prayer to God must become as common in our lives as conversation with our friends. Is prayer central in your life?
Prayer: God and Father, I find your love in and around me; I realize your salvation working deeply through my existence. Centered in you and surrounded by you, make every word I speak a prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
JUNE 19
“By What Authority?”
Read Matthew 21:23-27
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Matthew 21:23-24
The question was not an honest request for information, but a tactic for avoiding personal responsibility. They asked questions about Jesus’ credentials so that they would not have to answer the question Jesus’ life posed to their lives.
Do you ever ask questions to avoid giving answers?
Prayer: I want my life, Lord, to be an answer to your love for me: my actions and my words, my thoughts and my dreams—all a response to the great reality of your presence in Jesus, that calls into question my selfishness and my pride. Amen.
JUNE 20
“Which of the Two”
Read Matthew 21:28-32
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and
the prostitutes believed him—-”
Matthew 21:31-32
Our life is formed at the deepest levels not by protest and promises, arguments and resolutions, but by faithful obedience. In the silent depths of the soul, the responses formed finally result—in spite of doubts and denials—in a life pleasing to God. Which of the two sons are you?
Prayer: God in Christ: you probe my heart and discover behind the words that I speak the life that I live. Purify and sanctify that inner life so that I may please you and glorify your name. Amen.
JUNE 21
“What Will He Do to Those Tenants?”
Read Matthew 21:33-41
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”
Matthew 21:38-39
Popular-opinion polls condition us to look for truth in the percentages: whatever most people do or think is the most right. The parable exposes the foolishness of statistics: no matter how many times the tenants reject the truth, the truth remains to judge them.
What majority actions today do you think are wrong?
Prayer: How faithfully you approach me, Lord Jesus! How persistendy you enter my life in various ways. Open my eyes to your presence and my heart to your grace so that I will always accept your coming. Amen.
JUNE 22
“The Very Stone”
Read Matthew 21:42-46
“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
Matthew 21:43-44
All the experts who can’t fit God into their thinking, or dieir living, conclude that there is simply no place for him. But they start in the wrong places: we don’t fit God into our lives, he fits us into his. When we begin with him, the “head of the corner,” our lives arc fit for eternity. What psalm does Jesus quote?
Prayer: Too many times, O Christ, 1 have rejected you because you didn’t meet my specifications. Forgive me for my shortsighted arrogance. Forgive me for my small-minded selfishness. Build me into the life you are making. Amen.
JUNE 23
“They Made Light of It”
Read Matthew 22:1-14
“Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
Matthew 22:8-10
We are faced with a life-or-death summons. The responses that we make to God in Christ are the stuff of eternity. The parable administers a shock of realization that jars us out of our drifting dilettantism.
What part of the parable speaks to you?
Prayer Lord, preserve me from such deficiencies of will and love that will keep me from being counted among the blessed celebrants in your presence. I know that I am among the called; grant diat I will also be among the chosen. Amen.
JUNE 24
“Whose Likeness?”
Read Matthew 22:15-22
Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21
The question was designed to drive a wedge between the secular and the sacred, between what we owe to God and what we owe to society. But Jesus calls us to live in a world without partitions, to the glory of God, responsible to our nation. How does this help you live well as a citizen?
Prayer: I want my life, O God, to be consciously and deliberately lived under your sovereign lordship; but I also want to live responsibly as a citizen, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
JUNE 25
“In the Resurrection”
Read Matthew 22:23-33
“And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and die God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.”
Matthew 22:31-32
Jesus has little patience with people who love nothing better than a good “religious discussion.” He is interested in bringing people new life, bringing them into relationsliip with a living God of resurrection. Why did the Sadducees ask the question?
Prayer-. No empty disputes today, Lord, but empty tombs. I don’t want to waste any time in clever arguments, but immerse myself intelligently in the scriptures and respond devoudy to the living God. Amen.
JUNE 26
“Asked Him a Question”
Read Matthew 22:34-40
” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 22:37-39
Most religious questions are not in order to acquire information or wisdom, but frivolous camouflages for indolence. As long as we are asking questions, we don’t have to do anything. Jesus’ answer put a stop to the questions: his answer confronts us with the basic question of our lives. Will we love, or not?
What scripture does Jesus quote?
Prayer: What will it be for me today, Lord? asking questions or loving in obedience? I don’t need to know more, but I do need to love more Keep me faithful to your command. Amen.
JUNE 27
“Whose Son?”
Read Matthew 22:41-46
He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”‘?”
Matthew 22:43-44
Jesus answers the question by asking a question. We do not come to Christ to get answers; we come to have our lives called into question, and find how our lives become an answer to him.
What question does Christ address to you? What is your answer?
Prayer: “I find, I walk, I love, but O the whole of love is but my answer, Lord to Thee! For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul; always Thou lovedst me” (Pilgrim Hymnal). Amen.
JUNE 28
“Do Not Practice”
Read Matthew 23:1-12
“… Therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilhng to lift a finger to move them.”
Matthew 23:3-4
Most people do not start out to be hypocrites. We begin sincerely enough, with good intentions. But as it becomes easier to talk about God than engaging in the arduous process of deepening and growing in faith, we take the easier road. Outside fluency and expertise covers up inner sloth and emptiness.
Are you the same inside as outside?
Prayer: God, especially when people look to me as some kind of authority on religion, I find it easy to take on the role, meeting their expectations, but ignoring yours. But I want my life to be an on-the-knees response to you, not an on-the-pedestal lording over others. Amen.
JUNE 29
“Woe to You”
Read Matthew 23:13-36
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Matthew 23:27-28
Jesus’ anger, verbalized in these lines of indignant thunder, sounds more terrifying after each repetition. The effect is cumulative. The hammering denunciations break up the false front of glib performance and expose die imier emptiness of self-centered smugness.
How many woes are pronounced?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I accept the designation “Pharisee” and put myself under your prophetic analysis: expose every tendency in me to separate the inner life of faith and the outer life of reputation; convict me of every instance of saying more than I am living. “Unite my heart to fear thy name” (Psalm 86:11). Amen.
JUNE 30
“How Often!”
Read Matthew 23:37-39
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate.”
Matthew 23:37-38
The most religious city in history is the site of the worst religious persecution. The place where God showed himself most completely, is the place where God was rejected most vehemendy. And the very streets where men and women shouted their hate, Jesus expressed the pathos that would finally convert them to singing hallelujahs.
Who are some of the prophets who were killed and stoned?
Prayer: Forgive me, O God, for the many times I have rejected your words of invitation, your servants of love. I have not been as loud and public in my rejections as many, but my silent and private unbelief has been, all the same, a refusal. Amen.
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