Holdim

It's been a while since I've posted anything about Eva and Gabe.  But here are two videos we took in the last couple of days

"Hold Him":  Eva often comes up to Alison or I saying "holdim", a request to hold Gabe.  Here she's actually holding him, but we'll often put a pillow on her lap and lay him on the pillow.  She will proceed to point out his various appendages, attempt to poke his eyes pet his face, and otherwise lovingly play with him.  Her new thing is "Patty Cake".

But Gabe - Buddy Brother to Eva and I - doesn't need to be held all the time anymore.  He's able to use the saucer to sit/stand and get a different view of the world.  We also need to watch him a little closer which  means that he gets a bit more attention.  (The quality isn't great, but until my brother David gives me the camera he uses, you're going to have to live with it).

Jesus on Fasting, pt 2

(This series follows a series on Ramadan – the Muslim month of fasting.  Click here to read those posts). 

The bible doesn’t record a whole of about what Jesus says about fasting.  In the last post, we saw an example of Jesus fasting.  In this post, I want to look at the first passage where Jesus talks about fasting directly. 

Setting:  Jesus is giving his famous “Sermon on the Mount”.  In this chapter (and the chapter before), there are a lot of teachings, including commands to love our enemies, giving to the needy, and how to pray.  In the middle of all of this, Jesus talks about fasting.

The Verse:  Matthew 6:16-19
 ¹⁶"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Here are three points Jesus is trying to make:

1.       We should fast.  Jesus assumes that people are fasting when he says “And when you fast…”.  Israelites fasted before Jesus came, and the Christians fasted after Jesus came.   This isn't as strong as a command as, say, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."  But I would assert that there is an expectation from Jesus that his followers spend time fasting. 

2.       Don’t fast for the praise of people.  If we fast for other people, we may get their attention.  Maybe even their praise.  But that is all we will get.  I wonder what it is that we do that will be seen by others?  Maybe we tell people we are fasting.  Maybe we act very hungry and extra unhappy at work and home. 

3.       God rewards those who fast for God.  Jesus doesn’t say what that reward is.  But I suspect that one reward is that we hear God more clearly in our hearts.  Personally, when I fast, I find myself more clearly able to distinguish between my own feelings and desires and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To be honest, there’s not a lot here.  Conspicuously missing are the guidelines for when to fast (once a week?  A whole month once a year? 40 days?) and how to fast (just during the day? drink only water? Abstain from meat?)  But those things aren't the point of the passage.  They are secondary.  Rather, any fasting - whatever form it takes - should be done for God and not for man.  Even if there is a "right" way to fast, if our hearts are in the wrong place, our right method means nothing. 

Jesus on Fasting, pt. 1

We've just finished the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims (interested? see those posts).  But it did make me wonder - what did Jesus say about fasting?  Not all that much, it turns out.  Of course, whatever Jesus says is of utmost importance, so 'not much' doesn't mean 'unimportant'.  In fact, they are very important.  The first isn't what Jesus says about fasting, but an example of Jesus fasting - which is just as important.

Matthew 4:1-4  (in Arabic) ¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

 ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Observations:  There are lots of things we could say about this story, such as, this story is not about fasting (its about Jesus' temptation).  But lets focus on the fasting aspect: 

• Jesus fasted.  For 40 days and nights.  In the desert.  Uff.  That's big stuff.
• Jesus (and all men) live by the words that come from God.  I suspect that this has lost some of its umph.  People talk about how someone "lives and breathes football" or "lives and breathes" for shopping.  But Jesus is making a direct connection - we must have food to live.  We must have God to live. 
• Jesus quotes scripture.  When Jesus says "it is written", he is quoting the Bible, specifically Deuteronomy 8:3 (in Arabic)

What we learn:  this is somewhat a recap from the previous, but its good to consolidate:

• Jesus fasted, therefore, we should fast (this becomes more clear later on). 
• Jesus teaches us that we must have the word of God to live.  I think that we learn that from fasting.  When we are fasting, we are not sustained by food, and we remember we need God. 
• Jesus teaches us to quote God's word when we are tempted.