Whispers of Truth

Matthew Henry’s commentary on the Bible resonates with much truth and modern application, regardless of the fact that he wrote the words almost 300 years ago. My most recent “harvesting” of his writing is from his commentary on Matthew 13:1-2, which I was reading along with the scripture this morning. Some might wonder that any relevance could be found in commentary based on the the description of Jesus leaving a house to sit by the sea before getting in a boat to preach to a multitude, but there is significant relevance there. This week, many preachers had to find a “boat” to reach their congregations as their congregations could not come to the buildings to hear the Word preached. On Facebook and YouTube I saw several preachers sitting at their kitchen tables or in their living rooms or in their offices. Some, as my husband did, preached to empty pews with much sorrow and difficulty getting started. It was not anyone’s ideal Sunday morning, but certainly not the one any preacher w

Sometimes I admit that I don’t really pay enough attention. Ask my husband—I drive him absolutely insane at times because I don’t truly hear what he is trying to communicate to me. I am also the worst when meeting people for the first time, especially when in a crowd. I am looking at everyone, seeing their faces, hearing their voices, but somehow the new name escapes me in the middle of trying to accumulate and store all the data that my senses are gathering. I am simply not listening correctly, thus I sometimes miss the essential information. A recurring thought in Jesus’ teachings in the gospel is this: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Often, it is spoken to the multitudes who followed Him, and He makes it clear that many of them do NOT have ears to hear, as in Matt. 11:15-19 when He compares His generation to immature children playing games in the marketplace. Children’s play tends to imitate adult behavior, and Jesus’ simile shows that His grumbling generation always w

 I came across this today in Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew 10: “The design of the gospel was to conquer the devil and to cure the world.”  Isn’t this what we stand in  need of especially today?  We have a worldwide pandemic with COVID-19 and find ourselves facing the unknown. Many are choosing to dwell in fear instead of caution, stockpiling resources that others desperately need, reacting instead of responding by placing others before themselves. Obviously, people need physical resources to live; people spiritually cannot live without is Jesus, but they are reaching for everything else first. Unfortunately, some will die because of this crisis, and the One they need most, who gives eternal life abundantly and freely, stands ignored. Jesus can be the calm in the midst of the storm but only if one is in Christ. Matthew 10 shows Him as the One who gave His disciples the power to overcome the devil and cure the world of sin. The gospel is what the world needs right now,

Do you know my Jesus? If you do, there is no need to fear even during this pandemic of COVID-19. The reality of the virus is that for most people the effects will be mild and short-termed if they are exposed. The complications come for the elderly or immune-compromised people, thus the declaration of the pandemic, which is meant to protect and warn. However, the result is that panic and fear have ensued. As a follower of Christ, my life is hidden in Him meaning that if I die, I will go to live with Him in heaven. If I live, my desire is to serve Him here (“fruitful labor”) without being afraid of what might happen to me but rather being concerned with “real knowledge and all discernment” so that we are able to “approve the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10). If we are hiding away in a state of fear, we are unable to demonstrate our faith in God and His provision for our lives, and we are not being “fi