Wednesday, March 25, 2009

MITN XV, Verses 10 - 20

10. Then Jesus called the crowd together and said to them, “Listen, I’m going to say something to you that you really need to grasp…I want you to take this to heart, and get it into your thinking…

11. Very simply put, it is not what goes into the mouth of a person that pollutes him or her…it is only what comes out of the mouth of that person that has the potential to pollute him or her.”

12. Later the disciples came to Him and said, “Hey, did You know that the Pharisees were very offended by what you said, and are really upset about it?”

13. Unfazed, He answered, “Look, everything which has not been planted by My heavenly Father will ultimately be torn up by the roots.

14. So stop paying so much attention to them, or worrying about their constant offenses and irrelevant ideas. They are just blind guides and teachers…blind men leading other blind men right into a ditch.”

15. But Peter said to Him, “OK…whatever about them…but can You at least make it plain for us, and interpret this saying of Yours?”

16. And He said, “Seriously, Peter…is this really so difficult for you to understand? It just isn’t that complicated…the truth never is...

17. Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the digestive system, and is eventually eliminated?

18. But whatever comes out of the mouth originates in the heart…and when the thoughts and ideas of the heart are put into words, they are given physical reality…and this is what has the potential to pollute a person.

19. For out of the heart can come destructive thoughts, divisive arguments which can even lead to murder, infidelity, uncontrolled sexual appetites and dysfunction, theft, lies, slander, and all sorts of hate-speech.

20. These are the things that can pollute a person, and cause him or her to be unclean. Eating with unwashed hands is just a basic hygiene issue, and has no real bearing on what can actually defile someone, or make any difference in the grand scheme of things."

28 comments:

Donald said...

Oh my God!

Words are not just groupings of alphabetic characters!

They take on life and are creative!

I've never seen that so plainly.

Anonymous said...

I don't even know what to write concerning these passages because they are just too profound for words. God has me up at this early hour to read this and I don't even have to go to work. Its like I can't wait for the next verses to come out. I've read this chapter so many times but I have a whole new level of meaning for these verses. Its like I can just see Jesus talking but its me in the picture that he is talking to. I was just talking to a friend last night about some of the things people are saying about me and these are the same ones that break bread with me in the past but I hear Jesus saying stop paying so much attention to them, worrying about their constant offenses and irrelevant ideas. They are truly blind teachers leading other blind teachers into the ditch.

Anonymous said...

The pic...OK, I'm gonna say, Julia Roberts, Mick Jagger, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Sly Stallone, Steven Tyler... (no, wait. Better read the text, first.)

10. I like the visual of grabbing a thought and rushing it to my heart, so my brain can comprehend it.

11. What I glean from this verse is that it isn't what a person eats that's potentially toxic, but what's regurgitated.

12. Another object lesson? Jesus explained it in the previous verse, and it happened, like He said.

13. Unfazed. He surveyed the landscape & maybe thought, "By God, I'm the root of Jesse. That's why I'm here."

14 - 20 "...so much attention" - makes me wonder what was planted in the disciples that they even entertained the whining of the religious, instead of dismissing it, themselves.

tracy said...

Bravo! Sometimes wouldn't it be great if God put a colander like apparatus in our heads between our brain and our lips to catch all the crap that should never make it out? Oh yeah---He did it is called the Holy Spirit......

lhollow27 said...

This break down makes it simple. Religion makes things hard and forces one to go through "what ifs'..." Love or being "in-love" by nature forces someone to go with the flow. To me being "in love" with God is exciting and the Holy Spirit takes you in the flow of His righteousness.
Prior to the sermon on Sunday, I was allowing the thoughts of never finding a job again and worry of losing everything I have overtake what God is trying to say to me. The thoughts of the future plagued my mind and was planting roots of stronghold. I loved the WORD and I too now have the buzzer going off everytime I get one of those thoughts. :)Thank you Bishop for allowing the word to lead me by still waters. TODAY IS ENOUGH! Don't complain about the rain today, if you get a chance....listen to the song the birds are singing! They sound like they are "in love!"

Anonymous said...

The last lips in the pic resemble a heart with a butterfly center. (where's that colander thingy?)

Northern Light said...

I noticed the same thing about the lower right mouth.......the heart!

All the power that those words have which come oozing out of the mouth. Power to hurt, Power to heal.

Peace,
Northern Light

Larry Usher said...

Great post! Love all the responses! I wonder if words we speak that are simply waste words, being unfilled with faith, produce anything. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, so we speak what the Father has given us that we "heard". God is always speaking, but we are not always hearing.
Those things we hear, we do. "Hearing" is rhema. Lot of logos flowing around---it's the rhema- the God breathed that counts.
If you don't believe you got it from God, how can you believe when you pray. Faith comes by hearing. Faith should be the one that speaks. Faith speaks substance. Faith is not guessing. Have you ever prayed a prayer that even YOU didn't believe? Me too!
That which comes from the heart of God is God. Pray the God in you. Otherwise keep your peace and your silence.
If you stay constantly filled with God, God comes out. When God comes out He is stimulated to replenish-"to him who has, more will be given".
Out of our innermost being will flow rivers of living water.
Our spirit is a force which should bring the attitude, gifts, words and blessings of God with it.

Do you ever get such a powerful word flowing out of you and wonder if anyone is getting what you're seeing? Sometimes I feel the word, like the "all-breasty" One, HAS TO just be spoken- it HAS TO be released. How can you hold back such power, such love from flowing-I can't.

Word ver: MARBASH- March Bash- this has been a March to remember at CITN, with each week a progression of power and love.

Larry Usher said...

Ihollow- I know where you are coming from! One thing I have learned- God owns it all. What I have, I will steward as best possible. I know we have a covenant with God, so I know He will take care of me. I have had to learn not to equate "my plan", or "my things" with God. God desires that we only have anchors in Him...everything else is sand that can be washed away.
Make sure the anchors you are using will leave you anchored to The Rock!

Bro Lar

lhollow27 said...

Thanks!

jules said...

Ihollow-

I read your comments and I was in the same place as you before Bishop's sermon on Sunday. But I agree that "Today is Enough"! I am in prayer and agreement with you for new jobs for us.

Northern Light said...

word ver : allyp

could be seen as All Lip
ha

Peace,
NL

peacemaker said...

I think I've expressed without reservation how I feel about the MITN paraphrase and this passage is certainly no exception. It's beautiful, plain, yet profound, and extremely relevant...but dude, that picture is wigging me out. I, for real, have seen that...and all the mouths were on one face but talking to me at the same time.
I got a lot of advise that night but I never heard: "Just say NO!"...and I never did.

That was then, this is Now,
PM

Anonymous said...

Checkin' in again with everyone.

These verses are a good reminder to me of some of the chains that were broken off of me regarding diet connected with sin and guilt.

I could use a brief agreement from you guys for strength and healing from some really negative stuff that hit me from a family member today...I will remain positive.

Cool word ver:
priest

Lise said...

Love today's comments!
Tracy, the colander thing... brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Bishop, had a hard time posting on the prayer request, hope you don't mind this here;

Jules, you have my agreement for vision and organization...and yes, I can use the cubes and cabinets, AWESOME! I do go to CITN, I'm a tenor in the choir. Check my profile or call me...770-787-9409 / 404-934-2506. Should be at church tonight and Sunday. Thanks!

I pray that Rudy heals well and your sister has calm and peace, and for God's supply over the bills.
My cat 'Tommy' has cancer, and even though the doctors give him just a few months, I'm praying that God will give him strength and long life, as much as possible. He's a really cool cat and a very loving part of our household for years.

Anonymous said...

Interesting how most of these teeth have an UNDERBITE. Hmmm...what causes that?

Lisa said...

Great great word or translation!!! It is so simple and clear! I've always been told to watch the words but to have it really explained why. The laws of attraction are really the Laws of the Father. Back to digging out after a week of the flu hospital visits and a month of missing the laundry fairy!!!!!

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Izumi and Peacemaker...your comments about the mouths gave me a good chuckle for different reasons...

Sorry, PM...the picture stays...

Anonymous said...

I"m glad you laughed a little today, Bish. (I almost said, Audrey from, "Little Shop of Horrors")

"Power to hurt, power to heal" - good one, Northern Light!

Northern Light said...

I heard some "ugly" come out of a father's mouth today to his child and I saw these mouths in my mind.

There just has to be a filter in us, between the brain, the heart, the MOUTH........and it is there, it's OUR FAITH, OUR BELIEF, OUR GOD, HIS WORD, OUR BREATH OF LIFE.

I pray to be reminded and to help others in this....

It has been an awesome day of posts and reflection on these verses.

Looking forward to LifeSkills in the next 17 mins.

Peace,
Northern Light

peacemaker said...

That's ok...I'm kind of into it now. I sign on occasionally to look at it.
It's kind of like rubbing a wet dog--even though your hand stinks, you keep smelling it.

Peace

Unknown said...

V. 13…Until MITN, I’ve not made a connection here to Jesus saying “the wheat and tares grow up together”… for me that relates to your comment, Izumi/Joy, about Jesus coming to a realization…”I’m the root of Jesse”… [interesting that my wordver is “jessevae”]

Bishop, if I didn’t have 16 other corroborating versions I’d be convinced you completely made v.13 up! A blind guide in me now sees—cool.

V. 14…they are “just” blind guides…that little just is so important…for me it helps to reduce the typical “we all hate the Pharisees” response. Since so many of us have been them at some point in time it’s good to hear Jesus love them but recommend taking them out of their controlling place in the hearts of his disciples, both then and now…and it is reinforced with Peter’s agreeing dismissal without condemnation…cool.

Anonymous said...

Re: "Since so many of us have been them, at some point in time..." Thank you, Avatar.

A few days ago, I scrolled back to other blog topics & noticed I'd written a prayer asking God to loose finances into the hands of His children.

Immediately, I got a reality check. As if the Holy Spirit nudged, "Aren't you ALL God's children?"

I cringed, because of the realization. What I meant was, "loose finances into the hands of those who would further the message of Christ."

While it was (and still is) sincere, it suddenly occurred to me that the request was subtly presumptuous, suggesting that I knew God's Big Picture Plan better than He does.

Aacccck!!

Who really knows who will be used for the Kingdom? What if it's the immigrant we tipped for good service in a restaurant? Or his children, because they had food for the night?

Only God knows, and that's too wonderful for me.

JB said...

Love of the perfect kind won the day before the day began. This heart message is the most important of Jesus’ teachings for those who accept His other teachings and believe on Him as our connection to Holy God. The readable way in today’s language that is laid out for us here in MITN is very enlightening and makes the importance of that truth even more clear…whatever comes out of the mouth originates in the heart…and when the thoughts and ideas of the heart are put into words, they are given physical reality…

Donald noted this well and Izumi’s comment is very connected to previous teachings in MITN, (makes me wonder what was planted in the disciples that they even entertained the whining of the religious, instead of dismissing it, themselves.)

I really like the way verse thirteen is phrased in reply to the disciple’s internal confusion…“Look, everything which has not been planted by My heavenly Father will ultimately be torn up by the roots. This clarifies that if it is there then it should be and if it shouldn’t be there then it will be removed by the One who has ultimate authority to do so. This thought is in continuity with others like not giving undue respect to people who can only destroy what is seen but giving proper respect to the One who has authority to tear out what is unseen in the heart that we may have even planted there ourselves through an effort to usurp the power of Love and convert it into some form of fear.

Bishop, these words are so fitting with what my understanding of the eternal nature of Divine Love is that I just want to say how grateful I am that you have not dismissed Matthew as something that was written to a people that are somewhat outside our present paradigm. So many times I have heard it said that Matthew was written to the Jews as if western Christians should not give it equal attention to other books of the Bible. There is probably some merit to the observance that it addresses the Jews more that gentiles of that day but what you are doing here is bringing the heart of that gospel to the forefront of modern humanity. That will bear more fruit in the Kingdom than has been from the book of Matthew until now.

This even further confirms for me that in the beginning before the beginning began Love is. This also encourages me to shout out another word of gratitude to Pastor Chad for his wonderful rendering of this pre-foundational truth this past Sunday.

Love is,

JB

Unknown said...

Izumi/Joy, its a wonderful thing that God adds a dose of Love with the Aaaacckkk! moments Holy Spirit creates. I feel ya!

I assume your question about the lips was rhetorical. Except for the one in the corner, I cannot make them look anything but creepy. Reminds me of a parenting story...angry Mom yelling at her child and a friend. Her child quietly helps the friend with "don't look at her, it's much better!"

Is that a Bishop story? My goodness, I'm joining Pastor Lou, I can't remember if that was my story or his.

Anonymous said...

Avatar, re: "its a wonderful thing that God adds a dose of Love with the Aaaacckkk! moments Holy Spirit creates,", reminds me of something a former pastor in Savannah used to laugh.

"Lord, I know You chastise those You love. But, why do ya hafta love me so much?!"

My question about the lips wasn't rhetorical. I really wondered if it was the lips or teeth that was disturbing. (Jabba the Hut's are way creepier to me)

Anonymous said...

cool word ver:
curee

I pray you all strengthened and well today!