Gen 23-24
It strikes me how respected Abraham was with the people whom he lived among as a foreigner. They called him “a mighty prince”, or “a prince of God” and were willing to give him their own tombs to bury his wife. How did he live in order to gain such respect? Clearly he was blessed by God. I guess I mention this because it seems important to me to live honorably among men so that people will “see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” (Matt 5:16b) God must have been evident in Abraham’s life – is He evident in mine?
Matt 17
The Transfiguration – from what I’ve heard, and as far as I can tell, this is the fulfillment of Jesus’ statement from yesterday that some with Him would not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Even so, I am not sure of the significance of it. Did this happen as evidence to them of who Jesus was, to seal their belief? And how did they know who Moses and Elijah were, having never actually seen them? So much I don’t understand!!
And then there is the statement about having faith like a grain of mustard seed – how small must my faith be? And what stands in the way of it? What keeps me from being fully committed to God in faith? It’s a good question.
One last thing in Matthew that struck me is Jesus’ comment about the temple tax – “Then the sons are free.” The temple belongs to God, so with this simple statement, He was not only declaring himself and His disciples (those who believe in Him) to be the sons of God, but was making a statement about what it means to be a son of God. Wow.