Fear, Exhaustion, Prayer, Fasting - Being Human 5
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
"To Be Continued..". Oh, those writers can get you to the edge of your seat, and time runs out for this week's episode, and those words would appear adding to the intensity of the moment. It matters not whether it's a column in the newspaper (yes, they still exist), a cartoon strip in the newspaper (yes, they still exist), or television serial show, or today's streaming platforms (they still require time to produce each episode, though you may wait until a season has been produced, then binge watch it - only to read those words at the end of the last episode of the season). Having four gospels to read from you might read each one one at a time like a "normal person might. Ir read what might be in Chronological order switching in and out depending on what the author(s) deem to be next. Or as a last resort read all the gospels simultaneously in a Harmony Of The Gospels. Actually you might view them side by side, but still read only one at a time. There generally is no such thing as multitasking. Even a computer microprocessor can only process one set of instructions at a time. Another process may be taking place in another processor in the multicore microprocessors. Even then that is rare to have a computer operating system truly designed to work that way. Because of the speed in which computer processing takes place simultaneous multitasking actually only seems to take place.
From another perspective doing one thing after another the disciples needed a refresh from time to time. Instead of multitasking multiple things they needed to be refreshed on even just one thing. (Sounds like us!) They didn't keep everything in mind that Jesus had taught before at one time or another. In fact most teachers don't usually teach any subject just one time. Jesus taught the same thing different times, but He knew there would be necessity of being teminded in the future. Knowing this at the time of Passover the night before He was crucified Jesus told one of the purposes, the reason for the Holy Spirit coming.
These things have I spoken unto you, being present with you. But the Comforter, which is the holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my Name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, which I have told you.
John 14:25-26 GNV
So it shouldn't be a surprise that when His disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-13) after they see Him finish praying that He repeats what He had preached sometime before during His sermon on the mountain. (Matthew 5-7 in chapter 6). Only here He elaborates on what He means about "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall gind; knock, and it shall be opened unto you". He illustrates this by a neighbor in desperate need not letting up asking of his neighbor until he can meet the need of those who had come to him. And then Jesus again illustrated with the basic common needs for your own children in living life. That is true for the Holy Spirit for us in our needs of living our lives as becomes the gospel of Christ.
As I continue to search for more instances of Jesus praying, fasting, or teaching the same Luke 13 strikes me in my need like the disciples asking to be taught how to pray. In Luke 13:10-21 Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites because they loose their animals on the Sabbath day to make sure they are cared for, but are offended that Jesus healed a woman, loosed her from her infirmity of eighteen years on the Sabbath Day. As I seek to learn of praying and fasting how much have I been taught either from the pulpit, in the class room whether church or Bible college, or even reading the thoughts of others who are wiser and have gone before me, and my thought pattern must change because I have finally been taught by Christ? Sometimes I see that I have been a hypocrite for years because my thinking about Jesus Christ wasn't right! I cringe just knowing what I have taught by attitude and actions do not reflect the true heart of the Ghrist. In many ways I think Jesus had to have prayed for me, Father, forgive him, for he
knows not what he is doing.
Jesus repeats the same lesson in Luke 14:1-6 again healing a man on the Sabbath Day, simply asking the Pharisees (whether the same ones or others) if it was indeed lawful to heal on the Sabbath Day. What indeed is God' will, heart's desire for giving a Sabbath Day? Is it not to not only be freed from our own labor, but to free others also?
O Lord, please help me to continue to learn, continue to change, continue to be conformed to the image of your Son. Let not my pursuit of knowing the things you practiced and taught about prayer and fasting be locked in a knowledge box to teach others, but rather they become how I live my life to indeed be conformed to the images of Jesus Christ.
Friend, thank you for reading. Thank you for following along on my journey, my seeking knowledge of Jesus and pondering on your own. I don't care if you are a new believer, a long time believer, not much of a student of Christ, or even pastor, evangelist, or missionary, please don't let any of that hold you back from seeing Christ in a new way that changes your life to be more like Him.