Jump Start # 3219

Matthew 2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.”

It was a scene from church the other day that made me think of this verse. Two mothers talking to one another, with deep concern on their faces and tears on their cheeks. Both of these mothers had buried grown sons. It’s something that no one wants to go through, and, yet, here were two of them. The mothers were strong spiritually. One had buried her son decades ago, the other, just days ago. I stood and watched this realizing that I needed to stay away and allow those two to talk. No one could understand what the pain was like except those who had been through that.

Our verse today is a quotation from the prophet Jeremiah. The angry Herod, realizing that he had been tricked by the wise men, decreed that all the little boys from two years old and under were to be killed. History doesn’t tell us how many households felt the death by Herod’s goons who carried out that order. For the parents in Bethlehem, this was senseless and heartless. They likely did not know about the wise men, the angels, the birth of Jesus and the role He would play. All they understood was an evil dictator was killing baby boys. Who would be next? Little girls? Teenagers? And, as Herod was filling graves of these little boys, Heaven was being filled with their precious innocent souls.

There are some lessons for us:

First, the natural order of life is often unnatural. Children are supposed to bury their parents. That’s what usually happens, but not often. I have preached far too many funerals of people whose parents were sitting in the audience. The parents look dazed. It doesn’t make sense to them that they are alive and it’s their child that they are burying. Life doesn’t always go by the books. The bad guys sometimes are not caught. The young die.

Second, God often puts the scars on us to help others. It is good to know that others have gone through those long, dark valleys and made it safely to the other side. It is important to know that one can make it safely through to the other side. There are days when a grieving parent wonders if they can ever go on. They wonder if they will ever smile again. They wonder if the hurt will ever go away. But to see others who know what you know and have tasted that bitterness of death and to see that they are continuing on with the Lord is helpful.

And, it’s not just this way with the death of a child. Divorce can be this way. It hurts terribly. But to see someone on the other side and doing well is an encouragement. Not every story is the same, but the pain often is. Just being there for one another and realizing that your presence connects can do so much.

Third, God allowed the baby boys of Bethlehem to be slaughtered. I wonder what the soldiers thought who had to carry out Herod’s rule. It’s one thing to battle in war. Warrior verse warrior, swords, shields, arrows and intense battle. But a sweet little boy, who is no threat, how cruel and mean, all of this is. God allowed this because of freewill. God doesn’t stop evil from rising up. God doesn’t put His people in a protective bubble. Those responsible, will stand before God  and be judged for their actions. A warped theology believes that nothing bad will ever happen to God’s people. But what about John the Baptist? The apostle James? Stephen? The prophets? Antipas? Heaven is where all is safe and right. This world is broken and much too often, those that are in charge are evil, ungodly and without faith. The righteous suffer because of that.

I go this morning to a funeral. A person I have known for many years, about my age, passed suddenly last week. Her mother still lives. Her mother will be in the audience. Another mother grieving over the death of her child.

We can plant pretty flowers, look at sunrises and sunsets, and all around us is the beauty of God’s hands, but the darkness of a broken world never leaves us. And, all of this makes us long for Heaven even more. A world where these tears will stop flowing. A place where death is not allowed. A place that is perfect and always perfect. God’s home. Our home. This world is not our home…

Two mothers who understood. Two mothers with tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts. A child dies, whether the child is two years old, as in Bethlehem, or all grown up, it pains a parent who loves. Do not grieve what was lost, but be thankful for what we had—gentle reminds of hope and blessings, even as tears flow.

Come, Lord Jesus…

Roger

Jump Start # 3217

Matthew 15:25 “But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’”

Our verse today are the desperate words of a mother. Her child was gravely stricken. She knew it wasn’t an illness. The child didn’t have a disease. No, the poor child was cruelly demon possessed, as Matthew puts it. What is remarkable about this is that these people were Gentiles. Canaanite is how the text defines her. Other places states that she is of the “Syrophoenician race.” She wasn’t Jewish.

There are three things this Gentile mother understood. First, she knew her daughter was possessed. Demons didn’t enter just Jewish people. Second, she knew Jesus could help her. How she knew about Jesus we are not told. Could it have been from the demon possessed man in Mark five? That story takes place in the country of the Gerasenes, which was Gentile. Jesus told that man to go home and tell your people what the Lord had done. Word spreads. Very easily this mother heard about it. Third, she knew she needed help. Chicken soup and a wet wash cloth wasn’t going to fix things. Only Jesus could help. She found Jesus and was persistent, crying, as our verse tells us, “Help me.”

Now, several lessons for us:

First, the miracles of Jesus surround people who were desperate, helpless and hopeless. We don’t see Jesus finding lost dogs, even though I expect some dogs were lost back then. Jesus wasn’t helping someone make the team, get better grades, find a mate, or improve their looks. Those are all things that we can do something about. What Jesus did was help those who could not help themselves. Leprosy. Blindness. Crippled from birth. Dying. Dead. Demons. Hopeless and helpless situations. That’s what Jesus did.

Sometimes we forget those lessons. We want Jesus to do everything. I remember as a kid playing left field in baseball, I’d pray that no one hit a ball out my way. Some pray for passing grades. Some pray to find a parking lot space close to the store door. But when I look at that list, those are all things that we can take care of ourselves. If not careful, we have Jesus doing everything. We have a role and a responsibility. When the last Amen is said, we are not finished with our responsibilities. We pray for the sick to get better. After the amen, we ought to check in on them and see if we could take some food to them. We pray for the church to grow. After the amen, we need to be inviting and shinning our light. We have a role and we need to do our part.

Second, there are things that we cannot fix. No matter how hard we try, the problems are greater than we are. The problems are so complex that it is beyond us to know where to start. There are some problems that have been around longer than we have. We must admit that only God can fix some things. We must turn those problems over to God and patiently allow the Lord to solve them in His time. There is no ceiling to what God can do. However, there are definitely ceilings and limits to what we can do. We are limited by time, ability, knowledge and geography. God isn’t. Knowing this and admitting this will make us turn things over to the Lord in prayer. When we don’t, we act as if we can fix any problem. We cannot. Our attempts not only fail, but they can make matters worse.

Third, as this mother in our passage, there are moments in our lives when the best prayer is nothing more than, “Lord, help me!” Prayers do not have to be long to be effective. Prayers do not have to check off everything item that we can think of. Three words, that’s all she said. A three word prayer that Heaven heard and moved the heart of God. I expect it wouldn’t go over too well if one of us prayed on Sunday morning, “Lord, help me,” and then we sat down. Most would wonder what was going on. Many would think something terribly wrong was with us. I don’t think this is a good model for public prayer, but it may work mightily in our private prayers. Lord, help me—I could see a young parent praying that. Lord, help me—I could see a shepherd praying that before he went to have a tough conversation with someone. Lord, help me—could be said by all of us after we have allowed Satan into our hearts. He knocked and we invited him in. Now, sin and a mess has taken place. Like this mother, we now are desperate, helpless and hopeless. Sin doesn’t just go away. Sin doesn’t evaporate. There is no statue of limitations on sin. Lord, help me.

Fourth, this mother knew that she needed Jesus. She cried out to Jesus. The disciples wanted to send her away. Jesus told her that food isn’t given to dogs. That was not an insult. It was an explanation. Mama doesn’t cook a meal and feed the dogs first. The dogs, if they get anything, it is the left overs. She understood that. She wasn’t asking for a plate at the table. She never said that she was just as good as any of the Jews. She only asked for crumbs. The crumbs are enough. The crumbs will heal her child. What faith. The Lord was impressed. He marveled. It was a “wow” moment for Jesus.

Do we recognize that we need Jesus? Are we persistent? Are we fighting for all we have to get to Jesus? She did. Does our faith even draw the attention of Jesus? Does He notice?

A mama fighting for her daughter. Great lessons for us.

Roger