Sermons are like motion picture films in which a lot of deleted scenes end up on the cutting room floor! This previous Sunday a great deal ended up on the sanctuary floor. For those of you that enjoy digging deeper, chew on this for a few moments.
We are in the tenth chapter of Matthew which is Jesus' commissioning sermon. The section left out of the sermon dealt with God's faithfulness and apparent favor of one group. The troubling part of the text is in Matthew 10:5-6 where Jesus admonishes the apostles to go only to the "lost sheep" of Israel, not the Samaritans or the Gentiles. You might remember the troubling passage of the Syro-Phoenician women whom Jesus encounters (Mt. 15). The woman wants help for her daughter. Jesus replies he won't take food from the table and give it to the dogs. While Jesus ends up declaring this woman's faith great and heals her daughter, his mission at this point is still to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus' mission expands in the Great Commission in Matthew 28 where he commands his disciple to go "unto the ends of the earth."
It is important to note that God keeps his commands. If we return to the OT book of Ezekiel, the 34th chapter, scripture tells us that God has once again heard the cries of the people now enslaved by the Babylonians. Not only has God heard, but is concerned. In the 11th verse God speaks to a specific time, culture and location in regards to the Good Shepherd. God provides for the people in a time of human trafficking, rape as used in warfare and genocide. Later in the passage one the Lord now describes the one shepherd as David. This is a reference to Jesus as found in the David line. God is making a promise or a covenant not just to the specific situation but to Israel that Jesus will be the one Shepherd. As you finish chapter 34 you will see the covenant with Israel that "You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture and I am your God, says the Lord God."
God always keeps his promises. It might not be in the time frame we would expect, but the covenants will be kept. Read Romans 11:25-29. Take a few moments and reflect on Paul's words concerning Israel. Think about the specific plan God has for the Jews. Think about the provisions made for us and finally how and when God plans to keep the covenant with Israel.
Jesus had a clear mission. That clarity allowed him to complete his work on earth. That mission continues now in you and in me. What is your mission?
On the journey,
Alecia
On the Journey,
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