is blog the Bible (Matthew 16-18)

People are still unclear about Jesus and who he might be.  They marvel at his miracles and power of healing but they are not certain of his authority.  The Pharisees back in chapter 12 were starting to plot against him and the Sadducees as well try to trap him. (I am not looking anything up at this point but if I recall Pharisees and Sadducees are powerful people within the temple who see their power diminished by Jesus.)

But now Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is and Peter answers “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus praises Peter for his answer but then shocks the disciples by telling them that he must go to Jerusalem where he will be put to death but will rise on the third day.  

I can’t help but be intrigued here.  If Jesus is the Son of God, why has he picked this moment and how has he been feeling all his life up to this point.   Did he know ahead of time what God’s plans were and how he did he feel about them?  And if he isn’t the son of God, but just an ordinary human although a great teacher and healer, what is he thinking at this point?  Does he figure he needs to be martyred for his message to matter?  What dreams or spiritual insights has he been having?

And speaking of dreams the next episode is the transfiguration where three of the disciples see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah and then God’s voice tells them that Jesus is his Son and they should listen to him.  (I just wish Buddha and Krishna had shown up with Moses and Elijah.  Part of my problem with the Bible is its narrow location.  Why has God chosen this small group of people in the Middle East to hear his message?  Couldn’t he have had several sons to send to the Americas, Asia, and Africa.   That might have saved all the unnecessary religious conflicts over the years.)   Anyway,  Jesus tells them not to mention this e vent to anybody until after he has risen from the dead.  After curing a boy of a demon that the disciples couldn’t cure because of their lack of faith, Jesus again talks about his death and the fact that he will rise after three days.

Then we have a couple of famous parables.  The first is about going after the one lost sheep while leaving the other 99 grazing on the hillside.  It’s good to know that nobody will go unwanted or uncared for.  Next we have the parable about the unforgiving servant.  He owes the king money and when threatened with imprisonment he begs forgiveness which the king grants.  Later when another servant owes the first servant money, that servant does not show the same compassion and has him thrown in jail.   When the king hears about this, the king punishes the man.  Jesus says that that will happen to people who do not forgive their own brothers.

Forgiveness is definitely a big part of the Matthew narrative (as is punishment).