When someone has authority over you, they probably will not be your chauffeur or housecleaner. Jesus challenged the paradigm of this mother who asked (with a healthy dose of deference) for her sons to sit at both His right hand and left in the Kingdom of God. He was well aware of the journey ahead of Him as Savior and Lord of the whole world. The “sons of thunder” (James and John were named this by Jesus) were about to embark on a life-altering journey to learn what true leadership entailed. -Teresa #ransomedthruHisdeath #authorityofepicproportions

Matthew 20: 17-28 (ESV)

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

A Mother’s Request

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[c] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[d] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

With these various words: downward dog, dharma, mindfulness, crystals, and the Holy Spirit’s gift of tongues, we have very different styles/meanings of meditation. I just finished listening to Dan Harris’s book ” 10% happier” on Audible and was refreshed by his authenticity. As I try to sort out the meaning of meditation as compared to my individual practice of quiet time or “devotions”, I came up with two questions: 1. Is self control and self-medicating the opposite of self denial and Savior-healing? 2. Does being alone merely rejuvenate resilience while being in fellowship (with the trinity as our heavenly family) bring about meaning and purpose for life? Moses embarked on His first meditation session in this passage. I believe that to understand God and His family connection with us is the first step in receiving grace so that we may respond appropriately to who God is. – Teresa #afraidtolookatholiness

Exodus 3: 1-6 (ESV)

 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

When our compassion grows warm, our emotions may overwhelm. I remember church services of old where the altar call effected tremendous emotional release for an individual(s). When sin separates us from precious relationships, God is able to bring reconciliation and comfort. While preaching at the mission a while back, one of the women was struck by a story from the Old Testament and could not stop weeping about her young son. It was the story of Isaac after his mother died. He was blessed with a wife, Rebekah, who would have run tbeir household very similarly to the way Sarah did -since she grew up in the same culture of Abraham and Sarah (the daughter of Abraham’s nephew). This brought great comfort to Isaac in his journey through grief (see Genesis 24:67). When the effect of sin separates us from precious relationships, God is able to bring reconciliation and comfort. – Teresa

Genesis 43: 26-32 (ESV)

26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”

When Christ was sent to the earth, God’s purpose was not to condemn the world but that the world through Him would be saved (John 3:17). The dividing line of being in or out of fellowship with Jesus is not based on our sin but on what we do with the Savior (who has taken care of all sin). Those who reject this ultimately precious gift have no other recourse but separation from God. In the book of Hebrews it speaks to those reliant on their ability to perform rituals (i.e. meditation) or other “good works” who in essence made His disgrace public by crucifying him all over again (Hebrews 6:6). This is because they failed to recognize Him as LORD and respond appropriately. Instead, they fell away to practicing their own acts of righteousness. While Jesus’ mother and brothers were concerned for him, they may not have accepted/understood the enormity of His mission to the world at this point in His ministry. Jesus made it clear that those who recognized Him and followed hard after His teaching by changing their lifestyle were in fellowship with Him. – Teresa #forGodsoloved

Matthew 12: 46-49 (NLT)

46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”[a]

48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

My husband and I have been training to hike portions of the John Muir Trail. When we find a new trail in the Sierra Nevada’s without much traffic, we are overjoyed. It’s like coming home to our little part of the world. Isaac had that experience as God established him in the land of Canaan. He was not welcomed by a few of the people and then God gave him his own well of water and an oath or treaty of peace with King Abimelech. Beersheba is a name that meant the swearing of an oath with rich connotation to a place called home for Isaac.- Teresa #Abraham’son #followingYHWH #wealthyandblessed

Genesis 26:17-27:46 English Standard Version (ESV)

17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek,[a] because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.[b] 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth,[c] saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah;[d] therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

During the night, our fears can be distorted with supermoon illumination. In the face of Abraham’s sin (d/t working out God’s promise in his flesh) and in the face of Hagar’s sin (disrespecting Sarah) and in the face of Sarah’s sin (mistreating Hagar), God heard the boy’s voice. Ishmael was made into a mighty nation as one of Abraham’s sons. Hagar learned that even when it seemed as though all was lost, God saw her and could help her see the provision before her. She just had to be faithful, take the boy’s hand and move forward. Are we lying down to weep in despair when it is only God’s way of opening a new door of opportunity? The discomfort of the present may be necessary to move us in the direction of God’s plan for the future. -Teresa #liftupyrvoice #theGodwhosees #thechildwhoprays

Genesis 21:12-21 (ESV)

12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Our dog, Barbie, has been enjoying the fresh dirt piles from our backyard landscape project-truly, the queen of the mountain. In this passage, Jesus called two sets of brothers (all outdoor working men, aka fishermen) to be His disciples: Simon Peter and Andrew along with James and John. The surprising part of this record is that they all left immediately what they were doing to do the Savior’s bidding. Jesus was an excellent judge of character. As the crowds grew, Jesus’ disciples grew in their faith as well. What started with pure brawn and a strong presence for crowd control turned into true spiritual grit to display Christ’s love to the world- no easy task. – Teresa

Matthew 4: 18-25 (ESV)

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”[b] 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.