one step: Matthew 19.2

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Of what is this Kingdom that Jesus constantly refers to made? Is it a kingdom of castles? Is it a kingdom of strength? The mighty in this world that we see, are they the rulers of the Kingdom of Heaven? Reminding us that the disciples were very much humans, we see them misunderstanding Jesus once again.

During His life, a lot was asked of Jesus. People asked Jesus for healing. People asked Jesus for wisdom. People asked Jesus to prove Himself. The Father asked Jesus to give up His life. We see in this passage a simple request: “Jesus, will you lay your hands on our children and pray.

The disciples’ response was to rebuke and refuse this request. Why? Jesus has more important things to do than waste time on children who should be seen but not heard. Jesus could not disagree more.

As if the disciples were not present when Jesus told them that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven they must be like children, they disregard those that symbolize the humility with which Jesus requires His followers to embody. Jesus takes His position further explaining that children are not to be kept away from Him because His Kingdom is made up of those like children.

The Kingdom of Heaven is made up of the lowly and the small. The Kingdom of Heaven is made up of those who are wholly dependent and dangerously trusting of God.

This we must remember. The disciples forgot, but don’t we as well? Our culture shouts at us and seeks to convince us that we must become greater. We must chase our dreams and build our empires. We must amass our wealth and grow our power. These messages may cause us to forget that obscurity and humility characterize the Kingdom that matters and the Kingdom that stands.

My own pride coupled with the ego-massaging messages of this world make humbling myself a constant need. Meanwhile, I fail to find balance, swinging to the other side of the spectrum of self-worth, feeling that I am worthless and nothing. Lord help me.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember that you are His child and as such have great worth. Perhaps God wants you to remember that you can trust Him and you can depend upon Him. Maybe God wants you to abandon the deception that you can successfully depend on and trust other things. Perhaps God wants you to welcome the “least of these” with the same prayerful hands that He does.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 486–487, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 19:13–15) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 19.1

If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.

In response to the vision of marriage that Jesus provides, the disciples find themselves overwhelmed. Up until the clarification of Jesus, Pharisaic rules dominated the interpretation of divorce amongst the people of God. In Matthew 19, Jesus clarifies the heart of God that marriage ought to be between a man and a woman for life. Furthermore, according to Jesus, divorce may take place under circumstances of adultery, and he leaves no other examples where divorce may be filed.

The disciples reel at this standard, for according to the Pharisees, divorce of one’s wife could occur under almost any circumstance for any reason. The weighty overwhelm caused by the standard Jesus presents of the commitment to one’s spouse caused the disciples to count the cost of marriage. Their response makes this much clear: “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

Of the many lessons that we could take from this passage, this one stands out to me today: the disciples were ordinary men.* They looked at themselves and and they looked at the standard and saw a large gap.

It’s easy to think of the disciples of Jesus or disciples of today that serve as pastors, mentors, or ministry leaders as having obtained some level of superior enlightenment that qualifies them more than us. Though we all should strive to be close to Jesus, find freedom in our lives, and live with integrity, every disciple of Jesus is still human.

Jesus goes on to recognize the different conditions of people (using eunuchs as an example due to their lifestyle of singleness).* Jesus recognizes that different people have different life situations and different callings on their lives. To be single is not greater than being married, nor is being married better than being single.

We must recognize what God has called us to do and recognize that we are all human. No matter our state, we must rely totally on God for the empowerment via the Holy Spirit to walk out the path that He has called us to.

What has God called you to? Maybe the call of God on your life includes marriage. Maybe the call of God on your life includes remaining single. God’s call on your life certainly includes more than these two aspects of life as He cares about every detail of your beautifully human life.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember what He has called you to do, and to remember that He has made His empowerment via the Holy Spirit available to you today. Perhaps God wants you to hear His call on your life today in an area other than marriage. Maybe God wants you to take a step of obedience toward the thing He has been whispering to your soul. Perhaps God just wants you to remember that you are human and so are the people around you - we all need Him.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 478, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 19:1–22:46) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 18.6

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Forgiveness is probably the hardest path I have ever been asked to walk. There are several reasons why forgiveness can be difficult, but one of them comes from the reality of who we are not.

When Peter asks Jesus about how much he should forgive, the response of Jesus indicates that our forgiveness should have no end.* Jesus is asking limited beings (us humans) to offer something limitless. Humans cannot achieve this requirement. Humans, by nature, are limited. There’s a limit to how much energy we have. There’s a limit to how much time we have in a day. There’s a limit to our emotional capacity, our endurance, our patience, and more! Anything a human is capable of producing or engaging in has a limit.

So how can Jesus ask this of us? How can we possibly hope to achieve it?

Jesus goes on to share a parable about a servant who owes his king so much money that no one could possibly repay it, even if they were to live multiple lifetimes. Out of compassion and extreme grace, the king forgives this debt. The expectation then is that this servant would pass along extreme grace to others, but he does not. In response, the king returns this man to a position of repayment, and he must spend the rest of his life enduring the punishment that he is due in prison.

What does this mean for us? Unfortunately, I have heard this verse used as a coercive tactic to convince people to forgive others of horrible atrocities. Sadly, these people are not given the tools or the path to forgive, but are forced to step into whatever default understanding that they have for forgiveness, which many times looks like denial or belittling their own pain. This was not Jesus’ intent. God does not coerce humanity.

The problem of the wicked servant who did not pass along the forgiveness to his fellow servant was deeper than we realize. The problem with the servant is that he did not receive the grace and pass it along. He was still attempting to repay.*

Jesus invites us to receive his never-ending, limitless, extreme grace so that we can pass it along to others. How many of us have sinned and, maybe without realizing it, are still attempting to perform our way into good standing with God even though He has extended grace through Christ to us? I know I have been guilty of this vain attempt. Let me tell you, during that season of my life, I was not a very forgiving person because any attempt to forgive was out of my own, limited source, not out of God’s unlimited source.

When we do not forgive, it’s worth asking the Holy Spirit if we have received God’s unlimited grace. If so, Jesus does expect that we use it as a resource to funnel through our lives to others.

Forgiveness can be hard. It requires grieving; it requires counsel; it requires trust. The trust in God it requires is great. It requires that we trust in His justice and His grace.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to receive His grace today. Perhaps you have been trying to perform your way into good standing with God, but God wants to give you extreme grace. Maybe there is someone that you have been withholding forgiveness from, and God wants you to pass along His grace to them through you. Perhaps God wants to help you to grieve the wrong that was done or provide you with someone to talk to about it for healing.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 471–477, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 18:23–35) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 18.5

Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This verse (Matthew 18:18), often taken out of context, finds itself applied to spiritual matters especially related to the restriction of the activity and authority of demons. While some application to this matter does merit consideration, the context of this verse relates to the role that our authority has within very human conflicts in the church.*

I sometimes wonder if the church plays its proper role in representing justice. In the time of Jesus, synagogues served as local courts, helping to address the judicial issues of its community. Early Christians followed this example in their communities (see e.g., 1 Corinthians 5:4-5).* Justice and conflict within the church were established by God. What about today?

Are the people of God known for their justice? Are we known for how we resolve conflict?

Matthew 18:15-20 makes the road for conflict clear. The steps laid out seem simple enough, but they can become cloudy in the American church context. In a corporate structure intended to facilitate the ministry of the church (a church being a community of Christians pursuant of discipleship of Christ), who is the offender when hurtful decisions are hidden in layers of hierarchy? With whom should the biblical model of conflict be applied to when decisions are made outside of our relational reach? With whom should conversation occur?

In racial issues, where a system seems built and bent against people of certain skin tone or background, who is the offender? With whom do we take up the cause?

When decisions are made by upper leadership in government, business, education, or church that impact individuals in unforeseen though hurtful ways, with whom do we approach and how?

Jesus answers this question in verse 20:

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

How is this an answer? The spiritual implications of Matthew 18:15-20 draw us to understand that the presence of God in the context of conflict makes the difference; the inclusion of the Holy Spirit into the direction and content of conversation bring a unity in the church that transcends conformity to norms and requires conformity to the Spirit and Word of God.

Though we do not always know how to proceed in times of hurt, Jesus does. He is with us and speaks and leads and guides us by the words and unctions of the Holy Spirit.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to approach the person who has offended you. Perhaps God is asking you to abandon your version of conflict or justice and to adopt His. Maybe God is asking you to pause and pray for His leading in how and when to proceed in conflict.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 466–471, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 18:15–20) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 18.4

What do you think? If a man 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 say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

It’s easy to find reasons to forget about the one who goes astray. I think about the many faces that I have seen over the years who have walked in and out of churches. Many of those faces represented names that I will never know. Why don’t we go after these sheep? I have to confess, of the many people I’ve seen come through large churches that I have been a apart of, I didn’t think much if I didn’t see a face again simply because there were so many people. I am wrestling with the fact that I might should have taken more concern or a different approach. Here are a few reasons we don’t go after the lost sheep:

“They are adults and made their decision. I have to respect that.” - Boundaries are good and healthy, and rest assured, we cannot make decisions for others. We can, however, reach out to the one who went astray to see how they are doing and to see if they are hurt or in need.* Boundaries are intended to promote health and recognize personal responsibility; they are not intended to serve as hedges to hide behind to avoid responsibility.

“Look at all of these other people who need me.” - The great mystery of this passage is that Jesus would leave 99 other sheep in the mountains (where there presumably are predators and perilous cliffs) to find the one that chose to go astray. Historical evidence tells us that in situations like this, actual shepherds of sheep would do this very thing, but they would leave their sheep in the care of another shepherd while they looked.* What does this mean for us? The sheep don’t need you. The sheep need care. We must leave the sheep with someone who cares while we care for the one who went astray.

“We still have 99 sheep.” - Jesus cares for the little ones as God cares for the little ones. The little ones, according to the context of this passage, are the lowly, humble ones. Occasionally, these are ones who have gone astray. They matter to Jesus just as you and I matter to Jesus. We have to go after them in order to follow the lead of our Lord Jesus.

Maybe today you are reading this and thinking, “I was the lost sheep, and no one went after me.” Hear this my friend: Jesus, The Good Shepherd, has been in the hills, valleys, and mountains looking for you. I humbly have to say that perhaps today He sent me to help find you and bring you back to Him and His sheepfold. I am not perfect, and I have failed the sheep and I have failed Jesus, but here I am today.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to respond to this devotional (I’m available: benjamin.gilmore@northgatepeople.com) because you have been the lost sheep. Perhaps God wants you to reach out to a lost sheep that you haven’t heard from in a while. Maybe God wants you to wear a new set of eyes with a new heart to see the lost sheep as they wander and act appropriately when you do.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 464–466, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 18:10–14) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).