Upside Down
Opening Prayer
You walked this earth. Teach me how to be loyal to You, and from that, to be truly loyal to everyone I encounter.
Read Matthew 12:38-50
[38] Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” [39] He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. [42] The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. [43] “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. [44] Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. [45] Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” [46] While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. [47] Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” [48] He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” [49] Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. [50] For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What loyalties may be in the way of your walk with Jesus?Have you ever done something in one particular way–and then had someone point out a very different way to do it? And suddenly their way makes so much more sense and works far better. It’s turning the accepted way upside down, but it leads to doing something in a far better way. Jesus was good at doing exactly that–turning the world upside down when he challenged the accepted order or way of things in order to establish the ways of the kingdom. No wonder he upset so many people! I wonder how his family felt when they asked to speak to him, and he seemingly suggested that the disciples were now his closest family (49,50). Once again, this young man overturns the norms, this time with family relationships, and points to the fact that kingdom priorities are very different to our perceived way of doing things. But he also speaks into our own situations–read verse 50 again and see how it applies to you today.
Apply
The teachings of Jesus sometimes challenge conventional loyalties. Be prepared to follow him regardless.
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