Author: Dave Dishman (Page 173 of 458)

Several years ago a team of us worked in Athens, Greece, serving food to a crowd of refugees. Primarily men from Afghanistan and the Middle East, these guys lived in empty buildings, faced indignities daily, and hoped to move on to Germany or other parts of Europe. As we served, each man nodded a thank you as they gratefully received their meal.

Then they ate like wolves. Never have I stood in the midst of such a group of hungry, desperate men.

Jesus drew crowds, much like the men we fed in Athens. Those showing up dreamed of hearing or seeing or walking for the first time. Their desperation brought waves of compassion from Jesus. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion of them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Harassed. Not just sad, but threatened, intimidated, coerced. Who harassed them? Romans who conquered Palestine, their Jewish puppet rulers, and religious leaders all took a swipe. Add to the misery poor health and a dearth of opportunity. Prodded, ridiculed, and taken advantage of, these folks understood harassment—and so did Jesus.

Jesus noticed everyone, but the harassed and helpless drew his compassion. Good for us to remember in our most desperate times of life.

Matthew 9 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Sarvesh Bhagat

After sedating a storm at sea, Jesus faced two wildly possessed men who slept among tombs and attacked anyone passing by. Immediately the demons within the men cried out, What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?

Jesus (with only a word), sent the demons into a nearby herd of pigs, who drowned themselves like so many lemmings. The local people, hearing of the pigs and especially what happened to the demon-possessed men, sought out Jesus and begged him to leave.

After seeing such miracles, why insist Jesus move on? Two formerly possessed men now chatting peacefully with the disciples unnerved this crowd. Jesus proved too much to handle. Oddly, the demons among them felt familiar, comfortable even, and now all that was wiped clean. Jesus scared these folks.

Many people who reject Jesus find him too much to handle. Following his way means surrendering to Jesus, and that idea frightens us. What will Jesus do to me? What demons might he take away that I like to keep around, those I take out and caress when I need them? When I take a hard look at Jesus I’m unnerved by his teachings and his ways.

The demons in this story begged Jesus to cast them into the herd of swine—which he did. The herdsmen watched the stampede and begged Jesus to go away—which he did. The night before, the disciples begged Jesus to calm a raging storm—which he did.

We’re all in a position of begging, so what are you and I begging Jesus for today? To go away, to send us away, or to enter in and convolute our comfortable lives?

Matthew 8 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Egor Myznik

Peace of mind is hard to come by. With our 24/7 news cycle, I can access bad news on my television, my phone and my computer whenever I need a hit. None of which brings a sense of calm and hopefulness.

But I do know one place to counteract the agitation in my soul. The psalmist wrote:

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

The longer I live, the more I see the value of time spent in the Word of God. I watch saints much older than me turn to the scriptures, center their lives and buoy their hopes.

Even with the Bible open before me, peace plays hard to get. But if the outlay for peace involves daily time in the scriptures, it seems a small price to pay.

Psalm 119:165 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Aaron Burden

In a world filled with words, it’s helpful to contemplate the value of the Holy Scriptures. As we read in Psalm 119:

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Pilate famously responded to Jesus, What is truth? People continue to ask the question today. Many believe that truth is what you make it, that truth for you is not truth for me. All very confusing.

But rest assured, one source of truth remains, a gift from God that we hold it in our hands.

A few minutes in the Bible every day and God’s truth—the ultimate truth—opens to us. When the views and philosophies of the world sow confusion, look to the origin for all things truthful.

Psalm 119:160 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Leighann Blackwood