Waiting On The Lord

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:16-18

Then comes the fasting spoken of the in the text. The thing is it happens at times especially in days of old. They didn’t have stock markets and all types of stores like we have in this day. Nor are there hundreds of lines of credit just ready for the taking along with mountains of debt to be had and worked off. It’s a completely different time you see, one based entirely off the harvest and what work could be had in what kind of weather. Therefore, fasting in that day was a rather common occurrence unless of course, you manage to time the harvest just right so there’s plenty to be had all year round. That way, the fields don’t lie fallow at first then be planted on for two times of the year. By planting the crops in a sort of rotation, you can vary the time of the harvest. Ideally, you’d want it to look something like as in Revelation where there’s twelve different fruits trees lining the streets to be had all year round. Each month, a different fruit ought to come on the vine I would think. That’s the best part of it all. We’d need to do what we can of our part and then trust him to do all the rest. Let’s say Heaven forbid something should happen. People fast for all sorts of reasons including those religious and obviously personal. The proper response to things of personal and national nature should be to continue on as though absolutely nothing else were wrong. I mean, you could disfigure your face but of course. Back in that day, it would have looked something like this as prescribed by Levitical law. They’d have thrown dust on their face and covered their heads. Then after that, they’d quite possibly have torn their clothes to pieces as well. Special mourning garments known as sackcloth also were used. That’s so that everyone would see and immediately know of the situation. Then anything gotten could be from men but not from the Lord. Does the Lord use men to answer his pleas, but of course. That’s where doing as unto the Lord comes in from where we help by being his hands and his feet. Having rewards of men includes getting attention and things and even whatever is needed. Granted, fasting is done not to get the attention of God or beg for more things. I mean come on, it’s not like he’s some reluctant genie high up in the sky whom you have to impress. Nor is he the eternal Father with all riches beneath who’d just rather not answer your call. The very fact that Jesus is here right now telling us this is proof of all that. He knows and sees and cares. Imagine now this man who had no place besides at times to lay not his head. I mean, there was neither a den nor a nest quite unlike those animals which could rather find rest. I’m sure there were times when our Lord fasted aplenty both for the sake of the people and their own spiritual condition. I don’t think he really showed it though, do you? I mean, here the text says he’s got his face washed and probably his whole body too so he doesn’t smell of the earth. Then his head’s been freshly anointed with oil quite likely so he won’t want to fight the first person he sees. It’s an oil that speaks of joy and providing and not very much more. That way, no matter the issue, we live or die unto him. The Lord stands ever ready and waiting there to receive us. It’s out of his presence from there back into the world. Then again, consider what sort of a leader is this. I mean, it’s leadership central all over again, right? He’s the best at it ever cause he’s God so you’d think. You’d think for sure then you’d also be found in the right of these issues here. I mean certainly he doesn’t mean to go start a fight all due to the art school rejecting your creative assignment when it wasn’t even theirs to end up. Let’s just be real. I’d love to teach ethical lessons on what leadership means. Some say the learning’s best done while you watch. Instead, you’ll just have to take it from him. The lessons that is not the leadership later.

What Is Valued

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Well, isn’t that something this coming in for ethics and staying for the leadership classes gained by following him. I mean, when you’re lost and in charge of a lot, it kind of helps to have some place to go. What’s better than that of the Father to take you under his wing. Not to be funny, but that’s sort of a big deal to those who don’t have much. That’s where the true value of something comes in. Learning leadership from the Lord might mean everything to some and not much if at all to anyone else. Then again, what would you give for something like that. Not that the good Lord is out here in the business of charging people for simply taking lessons from him. I mean, that’s what some would do in this day by assigning a value based on their time. You could say that what that person finds most important is themself, that and the value that money can buy. You know, the treasures of earth like those wants and those needs are subject to the forces thereof the one and the same. Therefore, this world has some things that like the stuff too like the moth and the rust and the thieves. Things of this world like the riches our money can bring get lost or broken or are otherwise taken. That’s why we’ll have to take a look at where we’ll finally end up. Life lived with the Father isn’t all that it seems. There’s other stuff too of the Heavenly realm that really lasts forever it seems. Perhaps you don’t know what that is just yet. Neither do I, but lessons with the Father is a good place to begin. So then the ethical principle isn’t about learning from Jesus but about valuing things. It’s about spending all of your time and effort on all the wrong things and neglecting those greater than you like wonder and mystery and things that don’t really carry a price. Sure, Jesus could have settled down quite comfortably in Joseph’s woodworking shop. He might even have had a wife and a nice life having made all the places he lived. Having learnt a trade, he’d have had earthly fortune without all the fame that he seemed to collect. The issue though isn’t about the fame that lasted for as long as he lived. Rather, it was about issues far greater, that of a life well-lived for the Lord. It was fulfilled if you will. He might not have had all the latest material things but what he did have was well worth his while. He ran quite a large earthly ministry and an even larger one home up above. Come on now, let’s learn ought of the Lord. Your stuff might not live forever but you certainly will. Where your heart is then determines in large part your destination here and the one far beyond. Let’s stop stressing about all the smaller stuff and focus on the much larger things while we’re at it and have time more to keep. As the stories told from the ages of man, ‘the woods are lonely, dark, and deep with miles to go before” we sleep.