February 25, 2016

ARE WE BURYING THE LEDE OF GOD'S STORY?

Matthew 16:1–12

Benson Hines
Thursday's Devo

February 25, 2016

Thursday's Devo

February 25, 2016

Central Truth

It is tempting to seek only God's grandiose activity or His help in the grainy details of life. But often His work seems either "smaller" or "bigger" than we're looking for, so we miss what He's up to all around us.

Key Verse | Matthew 16:9

"Do you not yet perceive?" (Matthew 16:9a)

Matthew 16:1–12

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, 1 16:2 Some manuscripts omit the following words to the end of verse 3 “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 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. 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

When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 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.

Footnotes

[1] 16:2 Some manuscripts omit the following words to the end of verse 3

Dive Deeper | Matthew 16:1–12

This passage describes two conversations. In the first, religious leaders challenge Jesus to prove His ministry through a grandiose "sign from heaven." In the second conversation, Jesus' own disciples miss His spiritual truth because they're thinking about lunch!

In both cases, Jesus responds with frustration.

And in both cases, I see a mirror of my own distractions.

Sometimes, I'm only interested in God acting in a way I consider "big." I want Him to provide immediate help, do something entirely unexpected, or answer a gigantic prayer. None of those desires is wrong! But it is wrong when that's my only focus and when I cease to care about what He's already doing and showing me.

On the other hand, there are also plenty of times when I'm interested only in my immediate concerns. I want God to solve a problem, provide a resource, or get me through a situation. And none of those desires is wrong, either! But it is wrong when the worries of life become my focus and when I'm distracted from what God's up to around me.

There is an expression borrowed from journalism: "burying the lede" (and yes, it's spelled a little funny.) "Burying the lede" describes sharing less-important details before getting to the key information of a story. (For an example, see my bio!)

In this passage, both groups ran into trouble because they buried the lede! The religious leaders overlooked the amazing things Jesus was doing and teaching daily. They wanted particularly "dramatic" signs—or they wouldn't accept anything else from Jesus. The second group missed the fact that Jesus could provide all their needs. So when He had spiritual things to teach, all they could think about was a literal loaf.

As is so often the case, the better path lies in the middle of extremes. If I only look for the grandiose, I’ll miss the miracles and truth God offers daily. And if I'm anxious about the grainy details of life, then I'll miss His work and teaching, too. The grandiose and the grainy both clamor for our attention . . . but let’s not bury the lede.

Discussion Questions

1. Are you more tempted to be distracted by your grandiose hopes or by the grainy details of life?

2. Think about how you spend most of your daytime hours (at work, at school, raising your family, etc.). Are the difficult aspects, boring details, or urgent assignments distracting you from considering God's role for you in that place? Do they distract from what He wants to teach you? Or from the little ways He's already working?

3. Think about your "biggest" prayer requests, personal challenges, or desires right now. Do your largest hopes and plans ever distract you from the small ways God is working in your life? Do they take your attention from how He'd have you obey Him today? Are you obeying His "last orders given," even as you wait on Him?

4. Are you completely open to whatever God wants to teach you next—whether it's something that seems too small to worry about or something that seems too big to deal with right now?