Matthew 15 - Three Groups and Jesus

This weekend we will continue in Matthew 15. We will spend our second week looking at Matthew 15:1-20. I encourage you to continue to read and pray through this chapter and the upcoming chapters of this Gospel. A true worshiper will joyfully work at truly worshiping the Lord. One way we can do this is by coming to the Lord's Day prepared! This is a vital work. Jesus says to the second group we are going to look at this Sunday in verse 10 and says: "Hear and understand." It is one thing to hear, but something beyond this to hear and understand. I have to admit that there are times that my awesome wife is talking to me and my mind is somewhere else. I am hearing her, but I'm not. I know she is speaking but then I look at her and say something like, "Were you talking to me?" And the sad reality is, I know she was. Now, you can imagine what her response is. She never laughs and kisses me and stares deep into my eyes while saying, "You are the most loving and caring husband a woman could ever have." Rather, she is rightly upset and even hurt that I could not turn my attention to her as she was talking to me. I am working on really listening to my wife when she speaks to me. I, of course, don't tune out all the time or even the majority of the time, but I am trying to not tune out at all when she talks to me. This is a real reminder and pointer to what Jesus feels, in some ways, as we hear but do not understand. How many times have you listened to a sermon, but have no idea what was said? How many times have you left Sunday School and can't even remember what was discussed by the time you get to lunch? What about when you read Scripture in your daily time? Can you remember what text you read this morning and what the point was? I speak for myself and I know a lot of others when I say that most of us have many times like this. Jesus is saying to us: Hear and understand! We must come ready and prepared to worship and listen. We must ask the Holy Spirit to give us insight and grace to be ready to clearly know what He is saying. I wonder if I have missed out on some great conversation with my wife because of my lack of paying attention at times. How much more have we missed out on conversation with the Lord because our focus too often is not really on what He is saying. Might hear the warning from Jesus a few verses later in chapter 15 and know that if we continue in this path, it ends in a pit that we can't climb out of. We must not follow blind guides. Come ready to hear and understand this weekend. Blessings, Bro. Matt