Week 25 Daily Dose of Love
#169 (6/18)
Disciples
are Unable to Heal a Boy
Matthew 17:14-21
When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him,
and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire
and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must
I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and
the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not
cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you
have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move;
and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Mark 9:14-29
When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd
around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome
with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to
speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your
disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation,
how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And
they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled
about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy
him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If
you are able! —All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of
the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd came running
together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I
command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” After crying out and convulsing him terribly,
it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But
Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he
was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately,
“Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “This kind can come out only through
prayer.”
Luke 9:37-43a
On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just
then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly
a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely
leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus
answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son
here.” While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked
the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness
of God.
Jesus is frustrated with his disciples. He has been carefully teaching and preparing them to open
their hearts to his father’s love, but they continue to create obstacles that cause them to stumble. We
can surmise that the disciples had some success in driving out demons in the past and likely started to think that they themselves
had the power to heal. Once our ego gets involved in spiritual growth it blocks the entire process.
Faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to help us realize there is an obstruction and take steps to work through
it. The statement of the boy’s father, “I believe, help my unbelief” sounds like a contradiction
but it acknowledges both strength of commitment and recognition of our inadequacy when we try to act on our own. Love is never static. It is either deepening or being blocked.
Prayer that keeps us open to God’s love also keeps us open to our own limitations and our need to keep Jesus
at the center of our life and ministry.
Reflection/Discussion:
How can God “help our unbelief”?
Principles
of Love:
Humility;
Opening; Nature
Pray Through the Day:
Help us be humble
So we may love
#170
(6/19)
Jesus Foretells His Passion Again
Matthew 17:22-23
As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands,
and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed.
Mark 9:30-32
They
went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying
to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed,
he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Luke 9:43b-45
While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these
words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did
not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid
to ask him about this saying.
Jesus tries a second time to help his disciples understand the depth of love that he has for them and
the consequences of bringing his love to this world, but they become confused, distressed, and afraid. Jesus tells
his disciples that he will go through the most extreme expression of love for them and they don’t get it. Love doesn’t
stop because it isn’t accepted or understood. It flows around obstacles like a mountain stream winding
its way around and over rocks and boulders, moistening and smoothing their surfaces, until all but the most hardened dissolve
into the current as it continues on its eternal journey. Reflection/Discussion:
What do we tend to do when our love is rejected?
Principles of Love:
Suffering; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Use our pain
To deepen our love
#171
(6/20)
Payment of the Temple Tax
Matthew 17:24-27
When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not
pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes, he does.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it
first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children
or from others?” When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children
are free. However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first
fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.”
The Jewish temple was
seen as the house of God. Since Jesus is the Son of God, he would not be expected to pay a tax to himself. In order to avoid offending others who do not understand this,
he works out a solution that parallels a story in Jewish rabbinic literature. Jesus would
have been absolutely right in refusing to pay the tax but he shows us that avoiding offending others who may not understand
is more important than being right.
Love gives no offense and remains
true even when we compromise.
Reflection/Discussion:
When is being right most likely to interfere with being loving?
Principles of Love:
Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Not my will
But your be done
#172
(6/21)
True Greatness
Matthew 18:1-5
At
that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He
called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
Mark 9:33-37
Then
they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat
down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever
welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Luke 9:46-48
An
argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner
thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes
me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.”
The false self wants
nothing more than to be “the greatest.” It creeps into our thoughts and conversation seemingly
at will. Jesus clarifies, once again, that humility is a necessary component to remain open to his father’s
love. Children in the time of Jesus had next to no status.
During a famine, children would be fed last. A young child had about the same standing as a slave.
Jesus shames his disciples by welcoming a child who holds the lowest status in their culture.
Love knows
no hierarchy. Each of us was created by God and has a special place in his heart. The
least of us looks up to everyone. We can’t look up to God when we are looking down on someone else.
Reflection/Discussion:
How do status and position limit our ability
to love?
Principles of Love:
Humility; Nature
Pray Through the Day:
Help us be humble
So we may love
#173
(6/22)
Healing in Jesus’ Name
Mark 9:38-41
John
said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not
following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my
name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.
For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means
lose the reward.”
Luke 9:49-50
John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in
your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him,
“Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.”
There is no “us versus them” when
love is true and pure. Anything effectively done in Jesus’ name is done with love. Love matters
more than what group or community one belongs to. Anyone who is not working against love is with us no
matter what other differences there might be. Reflection/Discussion:
Why do we tend to reject those who are different from us?
Principles of Love:
Nature; Acceptance; Unity
Pray Through the Day:
We were created
From God’s love
#174 (6/23)
Warning About Temptation
Matthew 18:6-9
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better
for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe
to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling
block comes!
“If your hand or your foot causes
you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or
two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and
throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.”
Mark 9:42-50
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me,
it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If
your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to
hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you
to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble,
tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,
where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. “For everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with
one another.”
Luke 17:1-2
Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to
anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you
were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
The major stumbling blocks to love
are the false self’s self-centered preoccupation with safety, esteem, pleasure, and power. It is
bad enough when our ego blocks our own ability to love but Jesus tells us there is nothing worse than allowing self-centered
needs to cause others to stumble. We tend to feel that something is OK if others join us (“everybody is doing it”).
But we are responsible to the extent that our actions influence or help another to justify their lack of love. Jesus
uses harsh words to depict a harsh reality. The “little ones” in our world are those with the
lowest status, those who are dependent and vulnerable. Both our action and inaction can create stumbling
blocks for them. We cannot walk fully upright if they are stumbling because of our decisions.
Reflection/Discussion:
What kind of stumbling blocks are we most
likely to create for others?
Principles of Love:
Commitment; Unity
Pray Through the Day:
Help us to love
When our will is weak
#175 (6/24)
Parable of the Lost Sheep
Matthew 18:10-14
“Take care that you do not despise one of these
little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What
do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the
mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices
over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in
heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”
Luke 15:1-7
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near
to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes
sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which
one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the
one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I
have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Everyone matters - even sinners and those who
are vulnerable and dependent. Our world is adept at pushing aside those who might make us uncomfortable.
Avoiding and condemning them makes life easier and allows us to feel safe and righteous. When a sinner feels loved they are more likely to see the error of their ways and repent.
All love comes from God, but it seems that God prefers to work through us. Accepting and reaching
out to someone we are uncomfortable with opens their heart to God as it deepens our capacity for love.
Reflection/Discussion:
Who would we leave ninety-nine to save?
Principles of Love:
Unity; Compassion
Pray Through the Day:
Bring us together
In your love
