how we read our bibles...

continuing in matthew today, hoping to finish a single run-through before we leave for the desert...

this morning i am reading from chapter 10 on, where jesus puts together the 12 'harvest hands' and sends them out... beautiful charge to them, carry next to nothing, live simply, dont convert, just heal and inform people of the kingdom which is now... live generously, which has been a theme thus far...

so, beginning in verse 17, he says...

"Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation - just because you believe in me. Don't be upset when they haul you in before the civil authorities."

so growing up, i always read this as a reminder that people at school would hate me because i was a christian and all that jazz... that people were naturally set against god and christ... this, of course, comes right out of the reformed view of who we are as human beings... that is, totally depraved, or completely bad and in opposition to god... this is our birthright...

but i disagree whole-hearted-ly... i think that there is so much good in people, all people, even those who do not share my religious convictions... ben has a great post on some of this stuff...

so, here is my point... i used to read this as a charge to ryan today... ryan, dont be naive, people will speak falsely about you, yada, yada, yada... the world hates me...

but, what if this is a specific charge to these 12 guys... not charge, but warning... i mean, they were going out to jews to proclaim that their messiah had finally come in the person of jesus (even though there was no political revolution happening yet) and so to believe in jesus meant to overturn their system and really, to them, jesus was a bait and switch messiah... promising kingdom and delivering healing, new ways of living/thinking/loving... a subversive kingdom...

all i am saying is that the jews at that time were in a totally different situation that we are in in our world today... i do not beleive the world is as hostile to christ as i hear people in the south talk about... i even saw some article somewhere... we alienate people that could be curious by automatically assuming that they want to smear us or hate us (because they are of the world, right?)...

anyways, just thoughts...

please pray that these next couple days are clarifying, cleansing, inspiring, and so much more that i cannot even imagine...