Date: 21 January 2009 Deployment-20 days
Bible (NT/OT):
Matt 16
The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs
16 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Confesses Jesus As the Christ
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs
16 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Confesses Jesus As the Christ
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Ps 17:13-14
Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, 14 from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
Sun Tzu:
“Use anger to throw them into disarray.”
“Wait for them to become decadent and Lazy.”
“When the military leadership is often angered, its strategy is easily thrown into confusion, for its nature is unstable.”
“If they are quick-tempered, then stir them up to excite them so that they go into battle carelessly.”
The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):
Plato (427-347 BC): Born to a wealthy family in Athens, Plato became a philosopher like his mentor Socrates (470-399 BC). Plato’s writings are dialogues in which two or more characters discuss a philosophical issue. The main Character in Plato’s writings is Socrates. Since Socrates never actually wrote down his work this is the only way that we know of him. This brings to question how much of Plato’s philosophy was his own and how much was just a report of Socrates? Scholars believe Plato’s earlier dialogues are historical accounts of Socrate’s teachings while in his later works Socrates is merely a literary character. Plato later became the teacher of Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Plato is best known for
1. “Theory of Forms.” Abstract, immaterial things imitated the physical objects of this world
2. “Knowledge is recollection.” Plato believed the soul was eternal. Before embodied, the soul knew all things without being distracted by sensory perception. When humans learn something, it is because our soul recollects what it knew before.
3. “The soul has three parts.” “Appetitive”-which desires sensual pleasures, “Spirited”-desires glory and honor and “rational”-desires to understand. In Plato’s philosophy all three parts must interact harmoniously but the rational should dominate.
Ps 17:13-14
Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, 14 from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
Sun Tzu:
“Use anger to throw them into disarray.”
“Wait for them to become decadent and Lazy.”
“When the military leadership is often angered, its strategy is easily thrown into confusion, for its nature is unstable.”
“If they are quick-tempered, then stir them up to excite them so that they go into battle carelessly.”
The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):
Plato (427-347 BC): Born to a wealthy family in Athens, Plato became a philosopher like his mentor Socrates (470-399 BC). Plato’s writings are dialogues in which two or more characters discuss a philosophical issue. The main Character in Plato’s writings is Socrates. Since Socrates never actually wrote down his work this is the only way that we know of him. This brings to question how much of Plato’s philosophy was his own and how much was just a report of Socrates? Scholars believe Plato’s earlier dialogues are historical accounts of Socrate’s teachings while in his later works Socrates is merely a literary character. Plato later became the teacher of Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Plato is best known for
1. “Theory of Forms.” Abstract, immaterial things imitated the physical objects of this world
2. “Knowledge is recollection.” Plato believed the soul was eternal. Before embodied, the soul knew all things without being distracted by sensory perception. When humans learn something, it is because our soul recollects what it knew before.
3. “The soul has three parts.” “Appetitive”-which desires sensual pleasures, “Spirited”-desires glory and honor and “rational”-desires to understand. In Plato’s philosophy all three parts must interact harmoniously but the rational should dominate.
Events:
Marla’s birthday was yesterday, so after reading, writing and a workout I met Marla and her team mates at Kona Grill. We had a good lunch. Marla has made great friends here in San Antonio, one of her best friends is Meredith (also her work partner) who gave her a great bracelet over lunch. After lunch we shopped for birthday “prizes” at La Contera Mall. Marla and I then went for a couples massage, awesome. After that we came home Marla worked for a while then went out with another great group of girls from church. The girls took her to a great restaurant named, the “Roaring Fork” and then to Coco’s chocolate lounge for desert. Marla has made great friends in San Antonio (guess that’s what happens when your husband’s in residency) and I am very thankful that we decided to leave her in SA while I’m deployed. Her friends have promised to keep her busy while I’m gone and I’m sure they will. By far the most stressful part of deployment is leaving Marla. If I was not married, I would have volunteered to leave far earlier and would likely try to stay deployed indefinably. However, being married to such a great wife makes any separation soooo painful. It breaks my heart to think of Marla here alone but it is comforting to be able to leave her here with such trustworthy and loving friends. Thanks especially to Jennifer for realizing that I may have been deployed on Marla’s birthday and organizing this party months ago.
Thoughts:
Bible:
1. "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." As a little leaven quickly grows and spreads through the whole loaf, Jesus warns of the Pharisee’s malignant doctrine. The Pharisees teach a doctrine of hipocracy, they teach of a religion based on inherited right and external appearance. The Pharisees doctrine was based on self-rightiousness (no problem if you were righteous in yourself like Christ, but big problem in you are “white washed tombs”). Why does this “leaven” have such metastatic potential? The religion of self gained, self earned righteousness is dangerously contagious because it is instinctive to all creatures. The instincts of “self preservation” and “fight or flight” are both healthy when fleeing a lion but when we come to salvation with this “save our self” attitude ultimately is condemning. David says, (Ps 49:7-8) “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice.” When we rely on our own outward works for salvation, we can only expect judgement because God looks at our heart, (1 Sam 16:7) “or the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." We can argue all day long about the theoretical “righteousness” of good men (without Christ) and their ability to stand before God’s Judgment and wrath and perhaps meet God’s standard and merit salvation based on their own righteousness. However, when I examine my own heart, apart from Christ’s righteousness, I see little that is truly good. If you do not consider yourself a Christian but feel this conviction...you may want to reexamine the gospel. Likewise, if you consider yourself a Christian but do not feel this conviciton, you too may want to reexamine the gospel.
2. 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Another solid verse that echo’s Mark’s discorce, (Mark 10:26-27) 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” When we are brought to repentance and belief, it is not through a process of learning or memorizing but a gift of God.
3. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." What chaos this one verse has caused. Peter is seen as the first Pope and every subsequent Catholic Pope (although the next was not for >300 yrs) claims the linage of Peter. Yes, Peter did start the church and, strictly as an apostle, did write books that are considered the word of God (1st and 2nd Peter). It is further true that the Church, when (and only when) it acts in accord with biblical direction, has the power to echo what has occurred in heaven in both accepting new believers and excommunicating unbelievers. However, it is not true that man’s Popes somehow retained this “apostolic authority.” There is no biblical promise that apostolic authority would continued past the age of the apostles. Further, I propose that simply based on the contradictions of the Catholic Churches “tradition” to the true word of God, the Bible, that this apostolic authority given to Peter here and subsequently other apostles died in the age of the apostles. I will post a more thorough essay on this topic soon. A little controversial but as always, I am more than happy (actually, let’s be honest, quite excited) to discuss it.
2. 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Another solid verse that echo’s Mark’s discorce, (Mark 10:26-27) 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” When we are brought to repentance and belief, it is not through a process of learning or memorizing but a gift of God.
3. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." What chaos this one verse has caused. Peter is seen as the first Pope and every subsequent Catholic Pope (although the next was not for >300 yrs) claims the linage of Peter. Yes, Peter did start the church and, strictly as an apostle, did write books that are considered the word of God (1st and 2nd Peter). It is further true that the Church, when (and only when) it acts in accord with biblical direction, has the power to echo what has occurred in heaven in both accepting new believers and excommunicating unbelievers. However, it is not true that man’s Popes somehow retained this “apostolic authority.” There is no biblical promise that apostolic authority would continued past the age of the apostles. Further, I propose that simply based on the contradictions of the Catholic Churches “tradition” to the true word of God, the Bible, that this apostolic authority given to Peter here and subsequently other apostles died in the age of the apostles. I will post a more thorough essay on this topic soon. A little controversial but as always, I am more than happy (actually, let’s be honest, quite excited) to discuss it.
4. "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Peter was still thinking of Jesus as a worldly king, one that would conquer and rule through his might not his death. In Christ's death he placed the final nail in Satan's coffin. Had Christ not been punished and killed for our sin, Satan would have succeed in condemning all men, however Christ choose to redeem his chosen people out of the world, as Paul says in Colossians 2:13-15 "God made (us) alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. In his death, Christ paid the penalty due our sins and triumphed over not only Satan but also death.
5. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. …27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done." Pretty self-explanatory (unlike the parables). If we live for our own desires and satisfaction we will never find them and in the end we will die alone, condemned. If, however, we live for Christ, for his desires and find our satisfaction in him we live more fully and die glorified. John Piper loves to say, “God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him.” When we find our self-worth, our Joy, our hope and our salvation in Him who is unchanging and eternally worthy, we are both fully satisfied and God is fully glorified.
6. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Tough verse. Had to look this one up. I remember that, as a young believer, I realized that the apostle John was the only one present there who had not been martyred and I dreamed that maybe he was still out their hidden in a cave somewhere (what an Indiana Jones movie!). Sadly, I was probably wrong and this verse seems to refer to the transfiguration that follows it in each of the 3 gospels that it is included in, though the exact meaning does seem to be up for debate, any thoughts?
5. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. …27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done." Pretty self-explanatory (unlike the parables). If we live for our own desires and satisfaction we will never find them and in the end we will die alone, condemned. If, however, we live for Christ, for his desires and find our satisfaction in him we live more fully and die glorified. John Piper loves to say, “God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him.” When we find our self-worth, our Joy, our hope and our salvation in Him who is unchanging and eternally worthy, we are both fully satisfied and God is fully glorified.
6. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Tough verse. Had to look this one up. I remember that, as a young believer, I realized that the apostle John was the only one present there who had not been martyred and I dreamed that maybe he was still out their hidden in a cave somewhere (what an Indiana Jones movie!). Sadly, I was probably wrong and this verse seems to refer to the transfiguration that follows it in each of the 3 gospels that it is included in, though the exact meaning does seem to be up for debate, any thoughts?
