Friday 19 Feb 2021

February 19: Matthew 9:9-17
 
Key Verse: Matthew 9:14
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
 
Devotion:
When I was at boarding school, the masters would try to condition us to behave in a certain way – because it would make their lives easier and give the school a good name because of the expected behaviour of the pupils. But this did not always depict the actual behaviour of the pupils; I despair at some of the things which went on behind the scenes!
 
What Jesus did was not the same as this ‘old way of doing things!’ He continued to reach out to everyone who needed to know God – so that included everyone! This did rub up the local Scribes, Pharisees and even the disciples of John the wrong way! Now we could say that the way of the Scribes and Pharisees was no in line with God’s ways, but what about the ways of John’s disciples.
 
John had probably been influenced greatly by the ways of the church at the time; what we may compare to now as the conservative side of the modern church. But what Jesus was doing stretched these ways and the people who upheld them. Jesus reached out to the people who He knew needed God in their lives much more than the people on the fringe of the church.
 
When we want to ‘act like disciples’ of Christ, we should not be limiting ourselves to the ways which are expected by the modern church, or by the established church or by any other groups. We should only be limiting ourselves by what God is asking of us! God wants us to reach out to the people who do not know what Jesus is like. He wants us to open the doors and allow new people to come in putting aside the safe ways we all know about. Jesus met with the people knows as crooks in society so He could allow God to start moving in their lives. He did not open Himself to their ways but mixed with them to show them what God was really like!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you follow conservative church ways?
 
Will you open yourself up to doing something new with God?