I thought it would be nice if DJ & Bailey had a Job description to go along with today’s baby dedication.
In fact, all of us could use this job description. JOB DESCRIPTION FOR PARENTS
POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously stopped up toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must, without notice, have the ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required. On-the-job training provided.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.
Tools Provided :
4 words…...”Because I Said So”
“BECAUSE I SAID SO”
Matthew 12: 1 - 14
When you were a kid, didn’t you hate it when your parents said "no" to something – and when you asked "why?" they just replied: "because I said so." "Well, who died and made you God?" you thought, but never dared utter.
But that experience doesn’t leave us at home. We get it at school: "why do I have to do this assignment?" "Because I’m the teacher and I said so."
At work: "This makes no sense." "No, but you’ll do it because I’m the boss who signs your paycheck, and I say so."
Jesus was told the very same thing by the Pharisees.
The Pharisees loved to tell people what to do based on their authority to do it.
What they said didn’t make a whole lot of sense. They thought they knew it all. They were stubborn….they didn’t want to be “shown up” by a poor Nazarene…
After all, they were the Pharisees and obedience to the actual character of the Lord wasn’t exactly what they practiced.
The trouble is, we can end up in the same situation if we don’t listen to what Jesus is telling us.
12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
Back in the day…people were walking along…they would get hungry, pick some heads of grain, rub it in their hands to remove the grain from the chaff, then eat it raw.
The Pharisee’s didn’t get mad because the disciples were hungry, they got upset because they were doing it on the Sabbath.
God commanded the children of Israel:
Ex 34:21 "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
Now, something got lost between when Moses wrote these words, and when Jesus walked the earth –
It’s called TRADITION.
The Pharisees took the simple idea of resting one day a week and, trying to be perfect, figured they had to help God out to tell people what resting really was.
So they came up with 39 different things that were prohibited on the Sabbath:
The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 10, "Work, Sabbath, published the list in 1969
They are as follows:
Sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing crops, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing wool, beating wool, dyeing wool, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, tying a knot, loosening a knot, sewing two stitches, ripping out to sew two stitches, hunting a gazelle, slaughtering, flaying, salting a hide, curing a skin, scraping a skin, cutting up a skin, writing two letters, erasing to write two letters, building, pulling down, putting out a fire, lighting a fire, striking with a hammer, and carrying objects from one domain into another.
Making two loops? Tying a knot?
What, did a lot of people trip on the Sabbath because their shoes were un-tied?!
The Pharisees apparently felt that Jesus and His disciples were "reaping" and "threshing" because they picked heads of grain then separated the grain from the chaff.
Well, what they did was actually okay – they weren’t picking for profit which is what the Sabbath is supposed to be about – don’t do your "regular" work one day a week.
But even though the disciples were picking for food, the Pharisees were picking a fight – and listen to Jesus’ response.
3 He answered, "Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread-which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ’I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Jesus gives 4 reasons why the Pharisees are wrong
1: David’s example
First, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of an example from the life of David. This story is recorded in 1 Sam 21:1-6. Each week twelve consecrated loaves of bread, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, were placed on a table in the house of God, here meaning the tabernacle.
(This bread was called the bread of the Presence or showbread.)
After its use in the temple, it was to be eaten only by priests.
Only one time….while David was running from Saul, he and his men had been given this consecrated bread to eat by Abiathar, the high priest.
And it was day old bread…..
Now God did not punish David because his need for food was more important than the priestly regulations.
2: The priest’s example
Even though you weren’t supposed to "work" on the Sabbath, you were supposed to worship – and that meant the priests had to offer sacrifices – it was their regular work, but because it involved the intent of the law, rather than the letter of the law, it was okay.
And that’s Jesus’ point – the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
The disciples were doing God’s "work" as they spread the good news.
3: The prophets
"I desire mercy, not sacrifice" is found in at least four places in the Old Testament.
God made it clear that compassion should be what guides our behavior.
Now we’re not talking about sin here – when it comes to following the heart of God’s character – yes, He does want us to obey.
But this involves how the Pharisees took it.
4: Who Jesus is
Finally, Jesus tells them that He Himself has authority over the Sabbath – and if He says this is okay, then it is indeed okay.
Now you know this twisted the Pharisees all up in knots.
I mean, claiming to be greater than the Sabbath was the same as blaspheme.
The Pharisees don’t do anything about it here, but as we read on, we see that Jesus isn’t finished with the tweaking, and the Pharisees haven’t really begun in their opposition to Jesus.
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
11 He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
13 Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
The Pharisees probably followed Jesus from the field to the synagogue where it would have been customary to attend Sabbath services.
They ask Him "is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
At this point, they didn’t want to hear about who Jesus was, they just wanted to go “You can’t do that that, because I said so!“
They wanted accusation.
The Pharisees, had a rule that you could only heal on the Sabbath if it was a matter of life and death because healing was practicing medicine and you couldn’t perform your profession on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees put the need to obey their rules above the need that this man had of healing.
Jesus could have waited another day……but to show how ridiculous they really were, He healed the man.
In doing so, Jesus points out the hypocrisy of their rule – their Sabbath rules allowed a man to "lay hold of and lift out" a lamb that had fallen into a pit, even though that was "work."
So, in response to all of this – instead of softening their hearts, the Pharisees plot to kill Him –
Kind of funny, since the Ten Commandments say "thou shalt not murder."
And that’s what happens when we put ourselves, our own authority or power, and our own interpretations in front of what God is shouting in our face.
Lessons:
I want us to take several lessons away from this short section of Matthew.
Who are you?
One way that people in authority keep that authority is by putting into place a set of commands that cannot be understood without the authority figure’s own interpretation.
We need to make sure that in everything we do when we are over others – we are fair, logical, and loving.
If you are a parent, how do you treat your kids?
Do you explain why you say and do the things you tell them?
Are you consistent in your behavior as you are in your words to them?
How about with employees? Or even friends?
Sometimes we keep control by keeping everyone guessing.
Who is your focus?
The Pharisees put their own ideals in front of the heart of God.
We always get in trouble when we begin putting more stock in what we think God should think, instead of knowing God’s heart.
Always put your focus on Jesus – learning of Him, being like Him, focusing on worshiping Him.
Once you find yourself focusing on the perceived misbehaviors of others you lose that focus. Again, I’m not talking about sin.
If you see your brother sinning, of not being like Jesus, then you should lovingly approach them to help them, not accuse them.
What are your "sacred cows?"
The sacred cow. We get that expression because the Hindus believe that the cow is sacred.
Sacred cows are traditions that are untouchable – "we do this because we’ve always done it this way!"
The "we’ve always done it mentality" means you don’t have to think – you don’t have to consider the other person – all you have to do is obey a rule because it’s a rule.
But Jesus challenges us to think bigger than that – what is the need here, who is God here, what is our focus here?
One way to identify your "sacred cows" is to be aware of the things that make you mad.
When someone says…“Why are you doing it this way?” –
Do you get mad and defend the way you do it?
If you do…..you may have found a "sacred cow."
So let’s leave off with some principals to keep us took a bath in.
God is not arbitrary
Jesus said Mark 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
God will sometimes ask us to do things which seem odd – like stop in the middle of a service and pray – or maybe not buy something so we can in turn give that money away.
God’s heart is ruled by love, not law.
Look to the whole, not just the parts
You can make just about anything out of the Scriptures you want, if you take it out of context.
We need to take the whole of God’s Word and the whole of God’s heart into account before we decide something is or isn’t right.
Don’t let your "Sacred Cows" keep you from experiencing all God has for you
Sometimes our minds are so focused on the "cow" or the tradition, that we miss what God is doing – feeding, leading, healing, changing our perspective – taking on our preconceptions, taking us onward to better things.
