FALAITE ME 31, 2024

WE NEVER MOVE ON

KO E HIKI FONONGA MO‘ONI

COLOSSIANS 1:21-23

"You, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven." 

KOLOSE 1:21-23

21 Pea ko kimoutolu foki na‘e fakahee‘i mu‘a, pea mou nofo ko e ngaahi fili ‘i loto, ‘o hā ‘i ho‘omou ngaahi ngāue na‘e kovi; ka ‘i he taimi ni kuo ne fakalelei kimoutolu ‘aki ‘a e pekia ‘a hono sino kakano, 22 koe‘uhi ke ne ‘atu kimoutolu ‘oku mou mā‘oni‘oni mo ta‘emele mo ta‘elau‘i ‘i he‘ene ‘afio hifo. 23 Kehe ‘o kapau te mou nofo ma‘u ‘i he lotu, kuo pulusi ki he tu‘unga, mo ma‘uma‘uluta, pea ta‘emahiki mei he ‘amanaki fakakōsipeli; ‘a e Kōsipeli ko ia ‘a ia na‘a mou fanongo ki ai, ‘a ia ne malanga‘aki ki he me‘a mo‘ui kotoa pē ‘i he lalo langi, ‘a ia na‘a ku hoko, ‘a au Paula, ko hono faifekau.

Most 21st-century Western people would say that human beings are, overall, good.

One day's worth of news, however, will quickly call such a notion into question. And one day in our own company should also undermine the claim. For, if we're completely honest, we must admit that our own hearts are unruly and out of control - and popular solutions to this problem, such as greater education or changes to social circumstances, never seem to fix things. Humanity continues to be a mess.

When we turn to the Bible, we discover an ugly truth about ourselves: the reason we feel alienated from the people around us - the reason I sometimes feel alienated from myself is because we're alienated from God. Our horizontal alienation is indicative of a far more serious vertical alienation. God made us so that we might have a relationship with Him, yet our minds are turned away from Him. We don't think of Him. We don't love Him. We don't even look for Him.

There is, however, good news. As followers of Christ, while we were once wasting away, we've now been renewed. We were alienated, but now we've been reconciled. We lived in a dark place, and now we've been brought into the light. We were trapped, and now we've been set free. We were dead, and now we've been made alive with Christ. That's the experience of those who know God as He has revealed Himself through His word.

This transformation isn't simply the result of a decision to revamp life. At some point, most of us have thought, "I'm turning over a new leaf and making a change. I'm going to be more thankful this year than I was last year." And good! There's nothing wrong with that at all. Our friends and family would probably be thrilled to hear it. That alone is not the end goal for a Christian though. Rather, change in the Christian's life is motivated and initiated by the saving grace of God. We go on as we began: by grace.

The good news of the gospel is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth came on our behalf to bring an end to our alienation. He, and He alone, has done what we most need but could no: do for ourselves. So the call to us is very simple: to "continue in the faith ... not shifting from ... the gospel." We never need to move on from the simple gospel of Christ crucified, risen, and reigning; in fact, we dare not. And yet how easy it is for us to grow cold to these truths; for familiarity to breed if not contempt, then complacency. So consider your heart honestly. Acknowledge your sin. And come back to the gospel once more, in awe "that thou, my God, shouldst die for me."

[Charles Wesley, "And Can It Be?" (1738).]

PSALM 32

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 24-25; Matthew 17

 TU‘APULELULU ME 30, 2024

PROMISED PROVISION

KO E PALOMESI ‘O ‘ENE TOKONAKI

JOHN 21:5-6

"Jesus said to them, 'Children, do you have any fish? They answered him, 'No.' He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish."

JOHN 21:5-6

5 Pea lea ‘a Sīsū kiate kinautolu, Tamaiki, ‘oku ai ha‘amou kiki? Pea nau tali ki ai, ‘Oku ‘ikai. 6 Pea pehē ‘e ia kiate kinautolu, ‘a‘au ‘a e kupenga ki he mata‘u ‘o e vaka, pea te mou ola. Pea nau ‘a‘au ai, pea ‘ikai ai ke nau matoho ‘eni, koe‘uhi ko e lahi ‘o e ika.

What do we bring to Jesus? Only our need.

The post-resurrection fishing scene in John 21 echoes an earlier fishing scene for the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, recorded in Luke 5. In both stories, despite their professional fishing experience, the disciples toiled and toiled but caught nothing. In both instances, Jesus appeared and had them bring in a tremendous load of fish. The first encounter was to teach them to be fishers of men; the second was to remind them to continue in their work of adding to God's kingdom. Both miracles illustrated the point that the disciples could only succeed through God's power. Jesus was as in control of the Sea of Galilee when the disciples caught nothing as He was when they caught everything. He was just as sovereign over their emptiness as He was over their fullness. Christ desires that we see our poverty in order that we might bow in wonder at His provision. When you and I are all too aware of our own emptiness, we can trust that God is in control of that too. He invites us to seek that every void in life be filled with His goodness and strength.

When Jesus called out to the disciples to ask if they had caught any fish, He forced them to face their needy condition and answer honestly. Christ has questions for us in our emptiness today, too. He's not looking for excuses, dialogues, or debates. He wants our honest recognition of our need. The disciples' condition mirrors our own: we cannot even do what we are good at without the Lord's help. We can neither speak nor listen, sing nor write, work nor play without God's enabling grace. As Jesus had said earlier in the Gospel of John, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Jesus did not leave the disciples in their poverty, nor did He provide just enough for them to get by; He abundantly supplied a large haul. Such provision reflects how, by promising eternal life to all who believe in Him, Jesus continues to give immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. When Christ intervenes in our lives by His Spirit, He doesn't merely run a trickle of water through them to tease us; He promises that out of our hearts will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). Just as Jesus went on to invite the disciples onto shore to eat breakfast with Him (21:9-10), so He invites you to His table to fill your hunger. And as He invites you to join Him, He also comes to you on the way, offering more than enough strength for the journey.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). Bring your need to Him today. Be honest about your own lack. And then trust Him to give you far more than you need in order to walk towards your heavenly home, serving His glorious purposes as you do.

JOHN 21:1-14

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 22-23; Matthew 16

 PULELULU ME 29, 2024

THE MEANING OF THE CROSS

KO E FAKAKOLOA ‘O E KOLOSI

ROMANS 3:26

It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." 

LOMA 3:26

‘io, koe‘uhi ke hā ai ‘ene faitotonu ‘i he kuonga ko eni, ke fakatou hā ‘oku ne faitotonu mo ne fai fakatonuhia kiate ia ‘oku ‘i he tui kia Sīsū.

Without Christ's death on the cross, there is no gospel. It is through Jesus' sacrifice that God the Father has made it possible for sinful men and women to have fellowship with Him. If we want to know God, we must meet Him in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Only through the cross does God show both justice in punishing sin and mercy in pardoning it, paving the way for people like you and me to enter heaven without spoiling its holiness. The cross is God's answer both to sin itself and to His anger against sin. To those who don't believe, God's answer sounds absolutely foolish, but those who do believe understand the cross to be the very power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).

If God were simply to overlook sin or to stop being angry at it, then He would cease to be God; for God's justice is inherent in His character, and justice demands that sin is punished. He cannot turn a blind eye to evil. This is wonderful news for us when we are suffering at the hands of others; it is also sobering news for us because we are sinners ourselves.

The cross of Christ is the way that God can be just and declare innocent sinners who have placed their faith in this crucified Savior. In order to deal with sin, God in His grace sent His own Son to take the punishment that sinners deserve. Our salvation is by way of substitution. Pause to reflect on this. It is staggering, first that God would come up with this plan, and second that He would go through with it. Considering the cross should always move us to awed and humble praise.

This substitution is why all the Old Testament sacrifices point to Jesus. In Christ's death, God's anger, which is His righteous disposition towards sin, is satisfied, and His love for us is magnified. Men and women who come to trust in Jesus no longer need to face His wrath; we're invited instead to rejoice at the love displayed at the cross. Indeed, all of the gospel's blessings and benefits become ours as a result of what Jesus has accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection.

Jesus came to bear all of God's condemnation of sin. When Christ took our place, He brought the judgment that we deserve and are due to face on the last day to the cross, so that we might stand before God's throne and say, "I'm with Him. He lived the life I could not live. He died in my place."

In his first letter, John writes of how at times "our heart condemns us" (1 John 3:20). This is an experience common to all humanity. But the Christian does not need to sear their conscience in order to still the condemnatory voice, nor must they be crushed by that voice. We can be very honest about the depth of our sinfulness because God's love is deeper still. "There is... now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Jesus came to meet us at the cross. Forgiven sinner, will you meet Him and marvel at Him there?

LUKE 15:11-32

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 19-21; Matthew 15:21-39

 TUSITE ME 28, 2024

DISCORD AND DIVISION

FETU‘USI MO E FAKAVAHAVAHA‘A

JUDE 17-19

"You must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions. It is there who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit."

SIUTA 17-19

17 Ka ko kimoutolu, si‘i ‘ofa‘anga, ke mou manatu ki he ngaahi lea na‘e lea‘aki ‘i mu‘a ‘e he kau ‘Aposetolo ‘a hotau ‘Eiki ko Sīsū Kalaisi: 18 hē na‘a nau tala kiate kimoutolu, ‘o pehē, Tokua ‘e hoko ‘i he kuonga fakamui ha kau manuki ‘oku fou ‘i hē ngaahi holi ‘anautolu, ko e koto faka‘otuamate, 19 ‘a ia ko e kakai ia‘oku nofo mavahe, ko e koto fakaenatula pē, ‘o ‘ikai ma‘u ‘a e Laumālie.

People seeking to cause division were not unique to the first-century church; they have been alive and well throughout the church's history. Jude's instruction here is therefore as practical for us today as it was for the believers to whom he first wrote.

Those causing division in the early church shared in a harmful combination of moral and doctrinal error. They were devoid of the Spirit, promoting sensuality and "following their own sinful desires" (Jude 16), yet they had somehow managed to creep in among God's people. Jude describes them as "hidden reefs" (v 12), which lie just far enough below the water's surface to go undetected and yet are capable of wreaking absolute havoc if any vessel runs into them. Indeed, those reefs are capable of sinking that vessel.

In response to these charlatans, Jude urged his fellow believers not to forget "the predictions of the apostles," who had warned that "in the last time"-the time between the ascension and the return of the Lord there would be those who scoffed at the teaching of Christ and His chosen apostles and who tolerated or even promoted behavior driven by our desires. In God's providence, the early church was forewarned so as not to be caught off guard by those who in this way would cause divisions-and so, indeed, are we.

Yet God's word doesn't just call us to be on the lookout for those who create discord and division; it also directs us to deal mercifully with those struggling with genuine doubt. We are to "have mercy on those who doubt" and "save others by snatching them out of the fire" of error and sin (Jude 22-23), even as we resist the teaching and aims of false teachers. Maintaining such a balance is quite a challenge! And yet Jude does not shy away from the exhortation. Believers who are secure in their faith and doctrine are called to restore the fallen in a spirit of gentleness (see Galatians 6:1) and to intervene in the lives of those who are playing with fire.

Since God has saved and kept you, you are called to be alert to danger and pull others out of the flame, boldly but gently. And you are called to keep yourself in the love of God and to pray diligently (Jude 20), that you would be able to spot error and resist those who would divide God's church. Then you will be able to stand with your brothers and sisters and say with Jude, "To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (v 25).

JUDE 1-25

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 17-18; Matthew 15:1-20

 MONITE ME 27, 2024

COUNTERING SPIRITUAL LAZINESS

TAU ‘I ‘A E FAKAPIKOIPIKO FAKALAUMALIE

PROVERBS 24:33-34

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." 

PALOVEPI 24:33-34

33 “Ka u mohe si‘i atu pē,

Ka u ki‘i kemo hifo mu‘a,

Ha‘aku ki‘i mohe fehulunaki.”–

34 Tā ‘e hoko kiate koe ha masiva hangē ha pāpani;

Mo e fusimo‘omo hangē ha tangata to‘o mahafu.

We've all seen it. In the worlds of sports, business, and academics, less gifted individuals often go further than those with greater abilities due to one trait: diligence. Such people are willing to take seriously the challenge of laziness and do what they must to overcome its allure. You likely either are one of those people or aspire and work to be one.

But, if we're honest with ourselves, this same diligence is often lacking in our spiritual lives.

If you and I are to counter spiritual laziness, we're in need of an assessment of sorts: Do we have any indication of how we're doing? When we reflect on the past year, have we made any progress? Have we done any Bible memorization recently? Have we used "idle moments” to read or meditate on the word or to pray to our Lord? Or has laziness caused us to do what is easy rather than what is best and prevented us from storing the word of God within our hearts?

When asked to take part in Christian service, how do we respond? Maybe it's not an outright refusal, but even a hint of reluctance is a dangerous sign. What about in hearing the word of God when it's preached, when it comes home with power and impact and we know that it demands application and change? Do we take action as doers of the word and not as hearers only (James 1:22)?

Your answers to such questions can help you press on and avoid the slow drip-drip of laziness (a lie - in instead of a morning devotional here, a boxset instead of a prayer meeting or a sports match rather than a conversation about Jesus there), which leads to spiritual poverty. Do not become a master of unfinished spiritual business and unfulfilled good intentions. Often, all the started plans and kind notes, and the many words of repentance and petitions for help, die in our minds while we turn on our beds "as a door turns on its hinges" (Proverbs 26:14). Flee from this behavior and instead run to Christ, asking Him to stir your heart and make you into a man or woman of action.

Do you want to be useful to God? Do you long to make a difference: to reach people on the seas of life in all their trouble and emptiness and to be part of the means by which God builds His church? Do not neglect your souls by giving room to laziness. Without diligence in your relationship with God, you will grow no true fruit in your life. "Tomorrow" is the devil's favorite word. "Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" 12 Corinthians 6:2, emphasis added). Be useful to God now.

PROVERBS 24:27-34

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 14:22-36

 SAPATE ME 26, 2024

GOD'S UNCHANGING WORD

KO E FOLOFOLA TA’ELIUA ‘A E ‘OTUA

HEBREWS 11:17-18

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." 

HEPELU 11:17-18

17 Ko tui ne feilaulau ‘aki ai ‘e ‘Epalahame ‘a ‘Aisake ‘i hono ‘ahi‘ahi na‘e fai; ‘io, ko ia kuo ne tali ‘a e ngaahi tala‘ofa na‘e kamata ‘e ia ke feia hono foha tofu pē taha; 18 ‘io, ‘e ia na‘e folofola ki ai, ‘E ngata ‘ia ‘Aisake ‘a e lau ko ho hako.

Life can feel overwhelming. Every day brings new challenges even as old ones continue without resolution. It's easy to allow our faith to trip on the stumbling block of our own lack of understanding of our circumstances to take the baton of faith, as it were, and toss it to the ground, saying, "I'm finished. I can't run any further." In those moments, God's word encourages us to remember that Christian faith is an enduring faith that remains resolute. It is possible to remain obedient to God's commands even when everything around us seems to contradict what He has promised.

Until the cross, perhaps nowhere in Scripture do we find a more overwhelming moment than in the life of Abraham. It was a moment that occurred entirely at the instigation of God: "[God] said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you'... When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son" (Genesis 22:2, 9-10). God's command to Abraham was clear and yet it seemed to contradict God's promise that through Abraham's offspring "all the nations of the earth" would "be blessed" and that "through Isaac shall your offspring be named" (v 18; 21:12). The fulfillment of God's promises depended upon Isaac's survival. If Isaac was to die, how could the promise be fulfilled?

Yet Abraham still obeyed. Even though his circumstances could have led him to doubt and question God's word, by faith Abraham said, God has a plan in this. His promise is that through Isaac all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Therefore, He must be going to resurrect him - to raise him up from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). This is why earlier, as Abraham had left to perform the commanded sacrifice, he had said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you" (Genesis 22:5, emphasis added). What an expression of faith! Do not miss this: when the command was given to Abraham, he obeyed it. Although it seemed to directly contradict the promises God had made, Abraham did his business, and he determined to let God do His.

We can do so too. Do not allow your circumstances, however daunting they may be, to lessen your obedience or cause you to call God's promises into question. Centuries after Abraham and Isaac climbed up, and down, this mountain, God's own Son rose from the grave on the side of that same mountain, as the ultimate testimony to the truth that God keeps His promises. So you can face whatever today brings confidently, hopefully, and prayerfully, saying, "I can keep going. I'm not finished. God will do His part, and so I can do mine."

GENESIS 22:1-19

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 12-14; Matthew 14:1-21

 TOKONAKI ME 25, 2024

PREPARING FOR DEATH

MATEUTEU KI HE ‘AHO ‘O E MATE

JOHN 11:21-26

"Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her Your brother will rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.' Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 

SIONE 11:21-26

21 Pea lea ai ‘a Mā‘ata kia Sīsū, ‘Eiki, ka ne ke ‘i heni pehē ne ‘ikai pekia hoku tuonga‘ane. 22 Pea na‘a mo ia, ka ‘oku ou ‘ilo, neongo pē ko e hā ha‘o kole ‘e fai ki he ‘Otua, ‘e ‘atu pē, ‘e he ‘Otua. 23 Pea lea ai ‘e Sīsū ki ai, ‘e toetu‘u ho tuonga‘ane.

24 Pea pehē ‘e Mā‘ata kiate ia, ‘Oku ou ‘ilo te ne toetu‘u ‘i he Toetu‘u ‘i he ‘aho fakamui.

25 Pea me‘a ‘e Sīsū ki ai, Ko au pē ko e Toetu‘u, pea mo e Mo‘ui: ko ia ‘oku tui pīkitai kiate au, ne ongo kuo pekia, ka te ne mo‘ui pē: 26 pea ‘ilonga ‘a ia ‘oku mo‘ui mo tui pīkitai kiate au ‘e ‘ikai ‘aupito te ne mate, ‘o ta‘engata. ‘Oku ke tui ki he me‘a ko ia, ‘o?

None of us know what a day will bring. Indeed, we all live with a measure of uncertainty; we cannot be prepared for every trial that comes our way. In fact, as many have pointed out, the only certainty of life is that it will end. We live in a fallen world and we know "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Dying, therefore, is one reality for which we must prepare.

Any consideration of death and dying that doesn't pay careful attention to Jesus' words is incomplete. A great place to start, then, is the solid instruction that Jesus provided just after his friend Lazarus died.

Understandably, Lazarus's mourning sisters were deeply concerned about what had happened to their brother. In response, Jesus said that Lazarus was going to rise again. Martha, not fully understanding this declaration, said, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." At that point, Jesus took the conversation one step further, saying, “I am the resurrection and the life."

And then came the challenge for Martha: "Do you believe this?"

Your answer to that question affects both how you live and how you deal with death. Jesus has not only conquered death but also made a way for you to conquer death too. Even though your physical frame will fail you, when you believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life, death simply becomes a transition, a passing from one realm of life into another.

One challenge which faces believers regarding death is not simply to prepare ourselves for its imminence but also to learn how to help others face it. No matter the situation, though, Jesus' words provide the foundation for loving counsel. We are to speak both biblically and honestly, explaining the reality of eternity and the hope that is found in Him. Our words, echoing Christ's own, should not be abrupt or unfeeling but filled with wisdom and grace.

You cannot know how to live until you've settled the question of how to die. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us but eternity is guaranteed to every follower of the one who is the resurrection and the life. You can prepare yourself-and your friends and loved ones to meet the day of death with calm and confidence rather than with fear and uncertainty by holding these precious words close: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." Yes, we believe this.

JOHN 11:1-44

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 10-11; Matthew 13:31-58

 FALAITE ME 24, 2024

CASTING ALL YOUR CARES

‘O mou lī atu ā hono kotoa ‘o ho‘omou lotomo‘ua

1 PETER 5:6-7

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

1 PITA 5:6-7

6 Ko ia, mou fakavaivai‘i kimoutolu ‘i he lalo nima māfimafi ‘o e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke ne hākeaki‘i kimoutolu ‘oka hoko hono taimi. 7 ‘O mou lī atu ā hono kotoa ‘o ho‘omou lotomo‘ua ki he ‘Ene ‘Afio; he ‘oku ne mamahi‘i kimoutolu.

Anxiety can creep up at times when we least expect it and quickly overwhelm us. Or it can take up unwelcome and apparently permanent in our lives. Few do not experience it; it may take on different faces, and it may be propelled by different circumstances, but the issue itself is remarkably common.

When we face anxiety, we often try to ignore it by distracting our minds: "Let me listen to some music. Let me go for a drive. Let me run a mile. Let me do something... just let me run away!"

Notice, though, that in this verse, Peter does not say we are to deny, ignore, or flee from anxiety. Instead, we should be "casting all [our] anxieties on him." The Greek word for "cast" here is a decisive, energetic action word. It could be used to describe throwing out a bag of trash. We don't put painstaking effort into moving it; we simply grab it and hurl it into the bin. Likewise, instead of going through our days pressed down by the burden of anxiety, we are to throw it, hurl it, upon the Lord.

To do this requires us to give up our pride - our desire to control and triumph over circumstances. Being humble is what enables us to give our worries to God: humility's presence leads to anxiety's absence. When we attempt to take matters into our own hands through too much worry, we indicate an absence of humility; we're more concerned with ourselves than with our heavenly Father, or we're more determined to navigate our own course than to leave it to Him.

There will always be a circumstance that can make us anxious. Peter doesn't address any specific circumstances, though; rather, he addresses the anxiety produced by the circumstances. Our anxiety itself is what we cast upon the Lord, doing exactly what the Bible says to do: humbling ourselves under God's hand, saying, "My Father knows best. He cares for me better than I can care for myself." When worries weigh us down, we can refuse to be burdened by them by calling to mind the Lord's willingness to help.

You might be struggling through today, wondering how you're going to make it to tomorrow. Perhaps it's been a long time since you knelt beside your bed and truly cast your burden upon the only one who is able to carry it, saying, "God, I cannot live my life with this burden on my back. Take it. It's Yours."

If that's you, don't hesitate any longer. Cast your anxieties into the loving arms of your heavenly Father and experience the freedom and peace only He can provide.

LUKE 12:22-34

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 7-9; Matthew 13:1-30

 TU‘APULELULU ME 23, 2024

I WANT TO SEE

KE U ‘A PE MU‘A

 MARK 10-47-49

"He began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!' And Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him." 

MA ‘AKE 10-47-49

47 Pea ‘i he‘ene fanongo ko Sīsū ia mei Nāsaleti, pea ne hanga ‘o kalanga, ‘o pehē, Hako ‘o Tēvita ē! Sīsū, ‘alo‘ofa mai!

48 Pea lolomi ia ‘e he tokolahi ke ne longo pē; ka ka fakautuutu ai ‘ene kalanga, Hako ‘o Tēvita ē, ‘alo‘ofa mai!

49 Pea tu‘u ‘a Sīsū, ‘o ne pehē, Ui mai ia.

Pea nau ui mai ‘a e motu‘a kui, ‘o nau pehē ki ai, Fiemālie pē, tu‘u; ‘oku ne ui koe.

All around the blind man, the Passover was approaching, and the crowd was building. There was a great sense of anticipation. For most in the crowd, there was no time for stopping - certainly not for the ever-present beggars that lay around at the city gates. They were always there, known well to the people on the outskirts of Jericho. Many of the crowd likely would have seen this blind man, Bartimacus, so often that they didn't even notice him anymore.

The crowd was so consumed with Jesus that Bartimaeus was probably regarded as a dreadful inconvenience. Their reaction to his cries for mercy - to rebuke him and attempt to silence him - suggests that they thought this marginalized member of society clearly could make no useful contribution to what Jesus was doing. But in seeking to quieten him, they became a barrier to the mission of Jesus - to the very one they claimed to be following and the very cause they claimed to be pursuing.

This particular blind man didn't have merely a minor interest in Jesus, though, so he continued crying out to Him. Mark's narrative demonstrates Christ's perfect compassion with a simple phrase: "Jesus stopped"-two words of grace. Can you imagine the crowd's reaction when Jesus said to the people who had been rebuking the man, "Call him"? That surely brought a measure of deserved embarrassment!

Perhaps there are people in your life for whom you struggle to pray. Maybe there are some you just want to rebuke or ignore. Maybe you just don't want to deal with the inconvenience. It can seem like such a nuisance to invite somebody to church, sit with them, eat with them, and be involved in their lives. It is messy, and it demands time and effort. We'd rather such people heard the gospel from someone else. It is so easy to slip into this way of thinking without really noticing; but when we do, we become just like the crowd: a barrier to people meeting their Savior. Jesus says to us, Don't rebuke them. Call them. This is precisely why I came.

May God forgive us when we, like the crowd, are full of indignation at the interference to our plans and inconvenience to our preferences caused by those who are crying out for His mercy. Christ alone does the work of opening blind eyes, but He has entrusted us with the responsibility and privilege of proclaiming these words: "Take heart... he is calling you."

MARK 10:35-45

Bible Through The Year: 2 Kings 4-6; Matthew 12:22-50