Saturday 21st September
Read Matthew 7:9-12
“‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (NIVUK)
The contrast Jesus draws between the generosity of humanity and the generosity of God is incredibly harsh. He uses the word ‘evil’, the same word He has previously used of the Satan! There is nothing flattering about the corruption He sees lying deep in our hearts.
The purpose of the unflattering comparison, whilst obvious on the surface (if even people as evil and flawed as you have hearts soft enough to be generous to your own children…) deliberately invites us to make deeper comparisons. The introduction of the ‘serpent’, the contrast between good and evil, the good and generous gifts promised by God and whether we can trust His word, hopefully make us meditate on the creation story.
There are further comparisons Jesus invites us to make, knowing His own experiences and the way He trusted in God’s word. When tempted by the ‘serpent’ in the desert, with rocks all around, Jesus is invited to turn them into bread, but relies on the word of God. Equally, when surrounded by those in need in the desert, people who followed Him there to hear His words, He supplied them with bread and fish. So much to meditate on in such a small contrast… Spend time reflecting on His words today.
