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And when his disciples James and John saw it [villages not willing to receive Jesus] , they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

It is easy to be so caught-up in your own decision to follow the Lord all the way that you can become frustrated with those who are not “all in.” The disciples felt this when they saw the villages, places where Jesus had done some amazing things, who didn’t want too much Jesus. It was fine for Jesus to pass through and do some good, but when he wanted to stay there… that was a bit much for them. We may want to “call down fire” on the lukewarm, but don’t. Don’t waste your energy worrying about someone else’s commitment level, don’t cast your pearls before swine. Just leave the door open and move along to those who do have a desire to follow Jesus, there are plenty who’ve not yet been asked.

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

It is tempting, when you see someone in the public sphere (on TV or Online) teaching or doing something in the name of Jesus you find to be suspect, to seek to correct them to the general public… the only problem with that is, there’s no Biblical warrant to do that. Are you a Pastor or a Sunday School Teacher? Then by all means, educate and equip YOUR OWN PEOPLE on what is faulty (according to the Bible) in what they might have seen on a blog or in a magazine, but this public open forum of “correcting wrong” is counterproductive and a waste of Jesus’ time (assuming you’re trying to live for Jesus). Just drop it… No I don’t need to hear about how such-n-such pastor is running his church wrong, stop telling me about how this person is poison because he’s not a 5-point Calvinist or because he is a 7-point Calvinist… just stop… stop now. Are you upset that I’m telling you something? How do you like that? As a Pastor, I’ve got no authority to suggest how anyone outside my Church should act (see: 1Cor 5). So, to the folks at my church, if you see people from another congregation doing something, bless their hearts and move along. We’re not the “Christian Police.” The pattern Jesus gave us in Matthew 18 is for OUR OWN CONGREGATION, not others’. 

When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Historically speaking, those who picked-up and followed a Rabbi/Teacher were young teenagers. That also seems to be the case for Jesus’ followers, except for Peter. We know (from Luke) that Jesus began his public ministry at “about 30 years of age” (so mid-30s) and his disciples would have been younger, but this little exchange about the “Temple Tax” gives us more insight. This tax was for those who were 21 and older, and though all the disciples were present, only Peter and Jesus demanded the tax. That means the rest of the disciples were under 21 yet probably over 12, with Peter being older than 21 yet under 30-ish. Does that give you a different picture of the disciples? They were, by our standards, kids… yet, within 3 short years, they were released to see thousands upon thousands of people come to know Jesus as savior. Millennials are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today…

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

The call to follow Jesus is not simply one of intellectual ascent or philosophical agreement, but of action. Obviously you’ve got to believe in Jesus, but that belief, if it is true, will result in action. You cannot follow Jesus and not see any change in your life. To become a Christian is to die to yourself and live for Jesus, and this is a daily choice. You cannot simply punch your ticket and then put it in cruise control. Wake up every day and confirm your commitment to follow Jesus, not yourself. If you want to follow both Jesus and yourself, you’re going to be miserable… BUT, if you follow Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you can’t lose. Follow him!

And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

Jesus healed people all different ways, he touched them, he asked them to do things, or he’d simply say a word, he wasn’t even present sometimes! It’s important to remember that God give us results (in this case healing) but uses different means for different people. Don’t look to how God revealed his plan to someone else, be looking for what he wants to do with you. If Jesus had spit in your face, would you find that offensive? That’s how he was healing this man at the pool of Bethsaida. He also didn’t heal him all at once, it came in waves. Don’t be so impatient with God to demand he give you everything all at once, he’s good, trust him.