Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 354 | Jase Discovers the Greatest Religious Controversy & Why Jesus Doesn't Think Away Our Pain

Episode Date: September 29, 2021

Jase reveals the number one reason people shoot holes in signs and offers a glimpse of the happenings at his new farmhouse. Phil describes the crazy ways beavers can transform a landscape. The guys discuss how Jesus went about performing miraculous healings, what he was trying to show us, and why he doesn't remotely heal all the world's ailments. Jase takes issue with the phrases "model prisoner" and "good behavior." Zach talks about the cost of following Jesus and why miracles aren't the prize we should set our sights on. And Jase stumbles upon what may be the greatest controversy in organized religion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So that's when is shooting holes in anything a positive thing? That's right. Well, every sign I just passed coming out here at a hole in it. Phil said that saying. Some of our sayings are really weird. It feels like you're going to get up early in the morning before you shoot holes in what I'm going to say,

which means if I shot holes in what he said, that would actually be a positive thing. Up to now, most people. And you get up in the early morning to shoot holes and stuff. That's what we do. The only holes I've seen in this modern day is holes in signage all around me and my gate. There's hole. There's bullet holes in my gate.

It could have been a message. Don't shoot him, but we'll get around to him, but shoot holes in his gate. What is it in the redneck mind that every sign, you pass, you want to stop and shoot it. And they're paying for it. Yeah. Tax dollars pay for. But you're reading way too much.

I'm paying. Reading way too much in this. Here's, I'll give you. Me and Zach are paying for it. Can I give you the reason, the redneck reasoning on why? I would love to know. I have to say, back in the day when I was young, I have shot a sign or two.

So I'm not doing this. I'm not judging. I'm just saying. There's a variety of reasons, but I'll give you the number one reason. besides ignorance. No, I'm giving you the number one reason why people shoot signs, because this is the only reason ever shot them. Because signs are good.

It's a time thing. It's a time thing, you get a rifle, you get a new gun, which happens down here on a daily basis. People get guns. And instead of setting up some kind of target somewhere, and they got to cite it in, they're just like, well, there's a target right there. Put that, what, boom, look.

like you're off about six inches. They, I really think that's the number one. So I agree for a rifle hole, that makes sense. But most of them are shot with buckshot. You don't need to. That's number two.

That's anger issues, which I would rather you shoot a sign than somebody. That's true. So you have no issue with it. Start a campaign. If you're mad, shoot a sign. I mean,

I guess you're right, Jayz. I hadn't thought about it from that perspective. There you go. I just kind of went with it. Moving on. Dad's thing, wasn't that smart. But you got to shoot a hole.

You got to get up there to shoot a hole. Which is funny. So where are you been, Jay's? You were gone. Well, I have. He came in to the podcast studio with two dozen eggs. Yep. Out of everybody that's ever come in here, that's a first.

Most of them don't bring eggs. No, not. Jay's came in and brought eggs. I have acquired a property where I am no longer in need of eggs. I have become a man of the forest. It's better to give than to receive. I agree with that. Where's the property at?

It's in Tennessee somewhere. So you bring an eggs in from Tennessee? You're not going to stumble up on my place. So how do the eggs get from Tennessee to here? I acquired a property that had a farm, and these people were in a hurry to leave, which, look, I think this is probably a first. We acquired the property a couple months ago for some of money. It wasn't like they gave it to us. And the former owners of the property, they came and visited while I was there,

which was awesome because they had lots of questions. Oh, yeah. So they could kind of give you the lowdown on the... Yeah, it was kind of weird. So they told us about the place. They got teary-eyed, you know, they didn't. So they were telling us, because they were worried about the animals. They had a connection there.

So these chickens were laying. So they left their animals. animals. This was a buy the whole kitten. We bought the whole thing. So I got about 25 chickens and I got two reasters and they said you might want to do something about that. I said, what does that mean? It's the way you just need one. So I was like, oh, okay. So I've got 13 goats. There's three different kinds. Well, one that we've nicknamed bully. the kid is the lead you get at Billy

and Billy Goat Billy's the kid It was clever I thought it's pretty good But he's a bully Well he's a feigning goat And so they said Now look so don't be surprised

So he just fall out Well that's why I said What do you mean And there was three different I can't remember the three different kind But they said oh well don't be alarmed If like you scare him And he just falls out

And goes into convulsions and then just like stops breathing. I said, I can't wait. Because, you know, I met a guy who used to box goats, and I thought he was kidding. And he's like, no, it's the greatest time that goats ever had.

Because you can't, there's nothing you can do. First, I was a little upset about it because I was like, what do you being mean to goats? He's like, no, you can't hurt that goat. He said, I put boxing gloves on. He just whoops my tail every time, you know. Does he butt? Does he butt?

Oh, yeah. He whooped the boxer every time. He's a perfect record, like 127 and oh. He going to come out there because they butt each other. You can't hurt them with boxing gloves. So that's what he said, but I thought he was kidding. So I go out there. So I've been a little leery of all the goats, but you ought to see those things.

They'll square off and just butt into each other. Hard. Oh. me and you would be dead. So I'm a little nervous if they ever think I'm a tree. Yeah. You know, so anyway, I got these goats and I got the chickens. So it was, you know, he basically said I got to look at the trees and they've killed the trees.

And so they were moving their fence. I was like, what was those goats did that? Because I thought they were deer rubbing on the bottom of the trees. No, the goats eat the bark. kills the trees. So then he said, well, next, you know, we were going to get some pigs. The pigs then uproot the trees. They fall over.

Then grass grows, and then you bring the cows in. I said, are you serious? He said, yeah. I said, the problem is by the time all that happens, I'll be dead. But it did make me think of this. You know, the evidence, the evidence, well, the evidence of God's creation. That's what hit me in that. thought, I mean, basically, God created the earth through the animals to actually regenerate

itself in that capacity because he was actually right. You get a bunch of goats and then you have the pigs and a big wind and then the cows move in and then they just move over to the next side of the mountain. And then all these things that we do, I know like Mr. Hoover somewhere, I know probably he was sitting on a porch one day and he saw some beavers playing patty cake on a dam and he thought huh i got an idea the hoover dam so dad you've been hiring these guys to come clear your property you've been gone about it all wrong you needed to have a series of different animals that would have taken care of all that people knew the the interaction i have had for the last 40 years

with beavers that's what i'm saying you've got to harness that they would beavers they would be astounded on what beavers can do. Don't fight them. Join forces. Yep. So now I'm renovating my property via the farm animals. I thought it was pretty interesting. Everything we do over to our east, all that property. And it's substantial now. You know, it's a few miles wide and few miles long. But you look at it, but the beavers are the ones that they create the most work, move

in earth. They are very dedicated to what they do. You will not get them off of it. They're going to pack it. They're going to make levees, dams, the whole water. We break them so it doesn't kill all the timber. We've left some through the years, you know, but it's a change of habitat. They change the habitat. You know, they got that, the biggest animal made structure on the earth is in Alberta, right out of Alberta, Canada, they're up in there. It's over about a mile long, three-quarter to a mile long, one beaver dam holding, oh, huge body's water now. So they've been out of about 40 years, but they'll change the look of the planet. My point was, though, we got to this farm, and it's, you know, my whole family was there, and you just, I'll tell you what you don't do is watch TV.

You, you, it's peaceful, it's quiet, you're in the middle of nowhere, it's in the woods, you got all these farm animals, you work the farm, you talk, I mean, I see the power. So you missed the rider cup, farming? I did watch the writer cup, but, but look, same principle there. These guys who, I mean, a bunch of, let's face it, overpaid golfers for what they do. Yeah. I mean, they're making millions of dollars. They're out there.

enemies are hugging, you know, D. Shambo and Kepka. Oh, yeah. The European, these golfers, who are making millions of dollars, they're crying, tears. You know, I saw Roy and McElroy. He's dropping four-letter words, I mean, and crying over losing. And they're like, this is the greatest tournament ever.

And they get paid zero dollars for this. But it just shows you they're tapped into principles that we've been talking about in the sermon of Mount. When people come together, not for a materialistic reason or financial game, but they're playing for each other, and then their country. And it just does something that's hard to explain. They're trying to figure out what is this phenomenon. Well, yeah, you're not being selfish.

That's the phenomenon. Right. Because golf, let's face it, it's the ultimate selfish game. Right. It's totally solo. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good point. And they talked a lot about it, every one of them.

But you're right. You hear community. You hear brotherhood, you know, the idea of pulling for each other. I mean, I mean, the whole thing was around. And it looked, it's, people were fired up. They were there too. I mean, that was another thing. That was, I mean, they're chatting USA.

I mean, it was, they were into it. Well, that's why James 3, was it 16, this is, where you have envy and selfish ambition there, you find disorder. in every evil practice. I mean, the root of our problems is being selfish. So even in the world, if you can find something where you're being unselfish and you're being a part of something and you're having to be unselfish and team, I mean, you see great things can happen and emotions come and passion.

So, you know, you take that another step and get into what you have in Jesus and that what we share in that, well it's just going to be that much better because the benefits of being in Jesus, we can be together forever and he can, I mean, he can control the atoms and the molecules. And I mean, you start looking at the possibilities they're endless. If you want to be a part of something for a little while and do great things, or if you want to be part of a forever family, I'm going with a forever family. The other one of the things I thought was interesting, Jay, is what these guys are like,

you said they're all millionaires they you know obviously the best in the world but the sticky points of the competition were the same things that we were playing it was giving puts like you know because the one thing is there's a little bit of discretion as whether you give somebody at the putt or not how short it is and the few times i saw like people upset it was because they wouldn't give them a putt one time de shambo put his putter down like to show with the length how that thing was so in the leather you know i just thought That was funny that these guys who play and all these great shots, but they're still just like us.

They're like, you're going to make me put this? Yeah, at the end of the day, you got to remember, they dug a bunch of holes in the ground, beautiful scenery. Oh, my goodness, that place. And you're, you know, you're putting a ball in a hole in the ground. I mean, it's not real earth-shattering things that are happening. Well, to our text. Hang on, down.

Hang on, let's take a break. To our text, if anyone can get around this, that's you, J.S., you, Al, and old Zach out down in Carolina. One of the things Jesus said, beginning with the sermon on the Mount, the beatitudes, you've heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you'll be...

Which was my point about DeCambeau and... Be sons of your father. Enemies were loving each other over. a common... So Jesus rolls in after saying these things and you have a chapter and all it is is a series. I'll give you the definition in a minute. A series of events unfolded. The man with leprosy, we have a guy. It doesn't mention whether he was a Christian or a heathen. But you're saying there's a transition there, which to set this up, all of a sudden, between seven and eight, there's this huge transition. That's correct. That's what we're having this

pre-debate about. That's it. So Jesus is on the scene. So you got the man with leprosy, the faith of the centaur, and somebody was dying in his family, and he said, you say the word. Jesus said, now that's faith. Jesus heals many, about verse 14, 18, the cost of following Jesus. Then Jesus calms a storm. Then Jesus heals the demon-possessed men. You're like these people would be characterized as rank and file enemies of the cross. I mean, these people have a lot of, including just infectious diseases that he threw in there. I wrote this down. Well, some, because Peter's mother-in-law was one of them.

Mother-in-law, some people, that's right, but in and out. But he made no difference in them, whether they're just demon-possessed or whether they're Phillips. I was just saying they all weren't necessarily. necessarily negative. He just healed him at random. What I didn't grasp, but I learned to grasp it, you know, after I kept reading this, miracle. It's a strange thing. Jesus came down the mountain side, a man with lepros he came and knelt before him, said, Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean. Now, the guy believed he could do it. So we had faith. Jesus reached out his hand. Now here was the format on the way Jesus was healing the sick, the afflicted, the demon

possessed. Here's the format. I'm willing. Now check this out, Al, I'm willing, be clean. Bomp. I'm willing, be clean. Well, you're like, wait a minute. Then he said, don't tell anyone, go show yourself to the priest. They were still under the law of Moses. That, Jesus wrote many, many thousands of years, a couple thousand years earlier. You're like, he said, go to the priest. So go through the routine. Off of the gift, Moses commanded, we'll deal with that in a minute, as a testimony to them.

But first, get in your mind. A miracle. A strange thing. What Jesus did in Matthew chapter 8, there were strange things like it was nothing. to wonder at. Like, what in the world? Did he just do? An event or action that apparently contradicts known scientific laws.

Yeah. And it's hence thought to be due to supernatural causes, especially an act of God. I'm just giving you what an American dictionary says about the word miracle. A remarkable event that is marveled at. I just wrote down here just a thought. There's no change of money involved in any of this.

There's been a lot of people with a lot of schemes to say, what's this? And they're seers. They're, what they call them out? it, biblically speaking, seers and groups of individuals running around, the Apostle Paul named ran up on them in the book of Acts. There's hollering this and that and other, you know. Yeah, there was pretty good, there was pretty good commerce. So Jesus, in a matter of seconds, minutes, with each one of these groups that are hurting.

But one of the things I want y'all to look at, which I did, when the guy with leprosy was healed, He was told to do this. Go. Don't tell anybody, but go. Now, by the way, look, I'm going to heal this scourge you have, but don't tell anybody I did it. Now, what kind of person would say, yeah, I can heal you? He's healed. And then be told, don't tell anyone.

But he did say, show yourself to the priest, go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony to them. Well, because I think he told him not to tell him one, because the overall plan was to die for humanity. He's still at the beginning. He's got three years to go. Of course. Because later on he does.

He's doing this easily. No money's changing hands. There's nothing in it for him. He's just doing it. 9.30, you know, after he healed the. the guy that was blind, another, a different scenario, and the mute, a guy that was mute, he said, see that no one knows about this. Of course, the next verse says, but they went out and spread the news about him all over the region,

which he knew was going to happen. 818 says a crowd formed, you know, so even though he told him to be quiet, don't tell anybody, they came, you know, they definitely showed up. Yeah, so I zeroed in on, well, what does it mean to go show yourself to the priest and offer the gift? There's a gift involved in this that Moses commanded as a testimony to him. So I got back in Leviticus 14 when the Bible is talking about cleansing from infectious skin diseases, which says, the guy that Jesus healed had, leprosy. Now watch.

These are the regular, the Lord said to Moses. So here's the little caveat when he said, by the way, but go down and do what Moses told you to do. So he goes back to Leviticus 14. These are the regulations for the disease person and the time of the ceremonial cleansing, which he's brought to the priest. They all listen to this carefully.

And watch how long and drawn out this. If you had leprosy, to the law of Moses way back. You had a big problem. These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremony of cleansing when he is brought to the priest. Well, that's what Jesus told us that guy to do.

The priest is to go outside the camp, examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, the priest shall order the two clean live birds and some cedarwood, scarlet yarn, hyssop. And he goes through this big thing.

Well, you get out of verse 8. The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair. Now, look, stack this. So you get personal now. Stack this up with Jesus said, I'm willing to hear you be clean. Bong, bong. No shaving head, no doing anything, no washing the clothes. Dudes are gone.

Shave off all his hair, bathed with water, and he'll be ceremonially clean. After that, he may come into the camp, but he must stay out. outside his tent for seven days. This thing's turning into a pretty long, long-gated event. On the seventh day, he must shave his off his hair, shave his head, his beard, eyebrows, and the rest of it. I'm telling him that skin, be a skinhead from one end to the other. So watch.

He must watch his clothes, bathing himself, whatever, he'll be clean. On the eighth day, now watch. He must bring two male lambs and one you lamb, a year old, Each without defect, Defect, along with three-tenths of an a-faf, a fine flour, and mixed with the exact amount. A mix with oil for a grain offering, and one log of all. The priest who pronounces him claims shall present both the one to be cleansed

and his offerings before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Now, look, then the priest did to take one of the mail now. Look. It's a whole chapter devoted to what would you do under the law of Moses? What's the procedure that you must... And this looks like going from one doctor to the next one, and your gifts are coming out and shaving everything. It was sheer a nightmare to have some kind of...

infectious disease a thousand, five hundred years earlier, two thousand years. I mean, it is amazing. And I think what Matthew four is about is you say, look. Matthew 8. Matthew 8, I mean, when you look at Matthew 8, you say, what's that all about? It just shows you the one not only who gave these regulations. He's trying to tell everybody, my yoke is easy. my burden is light.

I will take care of you. Just trust in me. I can do this. And it's not the rigum of roar you've been going, you're having to do for the last 1,500 years. Yeah, I'll do it. Be clean.

How about it? And he's looking down, I mean, it's good. He said, that's the difference between me and the law. That the power, let's take a break. Is that amazing or what? It is amazing. Well, it is.

And it's one of the things you proved about reading that most of that chapter is I know now why every Bible reading program, somebody starts at Genesis White bogs down around Leviticus. I was hesitant to bring it up because I don't camp out in Leviticus. I camp out in Jesus, him crucivite, raised from the death. But it proves the point about the whole thing we just studied about why he kept saying, you can't live under law.

That's right. Because that proves what you came to fulfill the law, because if you keep this law up, what popped into my head when you were reading that? To me, it's the same thing when you look at the physical prisons and the physical breaking of man's law. We come up with phrases that don't make any sense. That's like, look, we'll call a guy a model prisoner.

Or does that make you feel good about this guy? He's a model prisoner. And look, they'll say, well, he got out early, why? Because of good behavior. Does it make you feel any? His heart could be, you know, he could have a rap sheet a mile long. And they're like, yeah, but he's been good here. And that's the way I feel about.

No, not even good. He's been better than the guy next to him. Well, right. He's a model. Just think about your son's in prison. And you're like, hey, this just in. He's a model. What struck me is, I think Jesus said his point, Zach, he's trying to get him to see

being under law is hard. Well, Phil, that's what I was getting to. My point is, though, if you follow all the rules and you do all the things you're supposed to do, you're still under law. Right. Read Leviticus and then wipe your brow and say. So you're only good until the next law is broken. That's right.

And ultimately, what we've said a million times on this podcast is the law, God gave it to us to show us that we cannot do this, which is why when Jesus came, we're like, oh, there's a way to fulfill the law through this guy? That's it. If you can do this, Jesus is saying, just think about being under me and my love for you and grace and mercy. Just think of the difference, and you'll begin to understand how my. My burden is light by yokesy. Well, look, he shows you he's greater than law because in verse three, he reached out his hand

and touched the man. That's a no-cand-do. You couldn't touch leopards. I mean, that was big time off-limits. Shave off every hair he has on his body and clinging his eyebrows. We don't want even an eyebrow hair to land on us. But look, I was talking about all those animals at the farm. You know, when you look, what's the difference between animals and humans, you know,

the animals that we, I have acquired, they're completely. on a law of work system. If you don't bring anything to the table, literally, and you are a nuisance, the wages of that sin is either banishment or death. Yep. You know, it's like the time I tried to get you to take the fire out of your dog,

I was like, well, look, Phil, you need to take him out of that pen and let him live in your house a little bit, and he won't be so fired up when he goes out there, the start out of it. The problem was the law of works at your house caused you too much misery. You said, nope, banishment, banishment, banishment. Because you turned him loose for two days. It started with him peeing on everything in the house and outside the house. So he cocked that leg up. I would add that it's not the negation of doing stuff. You have to do something. And I think

that Paul makes it clear at the end of Romans 9 when he juxtaposes the Gentiles and the Jews, he says, what shall we say then the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness, which is by faith, but Israel pursuing a law, going back to the law here,

of righteousness did not arrive at the law. Why? It's because they did not pursue it, which is doing, by the way, if you pursue something, you're doing something. their problem was they didn't do it the right way. They didn't pursue it by faith,

but as if it were by works. And they stumbled over the stumbling stone, which by the way is Jesus. So it's not the law does not, what Jesus is saying here in all of this is not saying you don't have to do anything. It's just what is your motivation in doing it? Is it coming from a position of faith that I trust

and I actually trust that God is able and that he's good? or am I trying to earn it? I think that's the distinction. Right in the middle of that, Zach, I think that's why, to your point, when it came to the centurion, the centurion said you don't have to go there. Just say the word.

He'll be all right. He believed that. Well, it was showing you right in the middle of all these things what faith could do. Jesus said, now there is the kind of person I'm looking for. Yeah, but that's exactly right. Because it goes back to that 548

when he said, be perfect, therefore, as the law says? No, Jesus was introducing this concept as your heavenly father is perfect. So it's like with all those farm animals I have, I have my kids there. Well, guess what? I love my kids because they're my son and my daughter. They're not under the law of work system. When they mess up, because I mean, we've all had our moments with our kids.

Yep. Maybe awkward for you, Phil. But yeah. And so, but it's a different concept. And that's what distinguishes us from the animal world because they're pretty much 100% selfish the entire time, the strongest will survive. But us as humans, we have this gift from God

that we can be fathers and mothers and have these relationships. And Missy and I was talking about this, a lesson she heard Sunday. She was like the sermon she heard, when you offer forgiveness, she was saying that means you may go, I'm releasing that. But the difference is in God's redemption, it says you may stay.

And she was just getting, I thought it was a good point that how despite our mess-ups and despite our flaws, you know, Jesus went through this whole thing on a cross. So not that just so we could live our own lives and feel good about it, that he loves us, that we could even coexist with him and still remain despite all our baggage. Well, that's something the law does not offer. That's right. Well, and I think... Plus, to your point, I brought it up yesterday in my sermon.

Love keeps no record of wrongs. No record of wrong. God being the king of love. You say, keeps no record of wrongs. Boy, if I got there, I would be there. Yeah, that's right. Keeps no record. Let's take a break.

Yeah, and I think to your point earlier, Dad, in Leviticus 14, or yeah, Leviticus 14, you only see the procedural nature. That's right. But remember, it started, it said, if for some reason you got healed. In other words, if somehow you got over it, here's the process. So imagine you're this priest, you're this spiritual, you're set aside person in all of Israel, and all you're dealing with is the procedures. You missed the point that some poor sap who had this disease comes in. So I thought it was interesting because Jesus, you know, it's almost contradictory.

In verse four, he says, don't tell anyone. But then he says, but go and to the priest and offer this gift. Why? As a testimony to them. Yeah. So in other words, he wanted them to know that this guy had been healed, which I thought was interesting because he said, you know, tell anybody, but I want you to go and show them as a testimony. He's trying to show them.

So they're going to be scratching their hands, but he didn't go through the rituals. How did he get him? How did this happen? He was wanting questions to be raised as to the why. And, of course, we didn't. Great point. We didn't go into this. But I think this whole purpose of chapter 8 and the first part of chapter 9 is because we ended the last one with the first 28 and 29.

He says he taught as one who had authority. So I think what you're seeing now is he's going to show. They all said, man, this guy seems like he's in. charge. And he's fixing to show you why he is in charge. Well, that's what I was going to say. How they never dreamed that we're talking to the guy here, the person who wrote it, the law and the law. That's exactly right.

When Phil said, I'm going to give you my explanation. That's a big bite there. Phil said, I'm going to give you my explanation of 8 and 9. And then Al said he's going to give his and I was going to give mine. But Al tapped into what I was going to say, because you got to remember, in Matthew 5, 1. It says he went up on a mountainside. And he sat down, disciples, and he told him, he basically discussed this, what he's bringing.

Yeah, why he's here. Well, in chapter eight, he came down from the mountain. And so my point is, this is what I'm going to do, as crazy as it was, and for us to get our heads around the beat, and these principles that sound totally opposite from the way the real world functions. Being poor in spirit and merciful and, you know, not only don't keep the commands, you got to like not keeping it. Love your enemies. Yeah, love, whoa.

Well, then he comes down and he shows. So to me, he tells them. And then when he came down, he actually was fixed to show them these practices, is what he just said in living time. That's why they're all so different. But if you look at it from the people's perspective, and I zeroed in on the one in chapter nine, which we'll eventually get to,

which he said, you came up there, the guy's paralyzed, and he's like, he comes up and takes heart, your sins are forgiven. Do what? I mean, because look, to that guy, I mean, I'm sure he was a little disappointed. he's paralyzed. He wants to be healed, and they're like, your sins are forgiven.

Because, I mean, he's looking at it like, I can go through the legal system and have that happen if I just meet the requirement. I'm positive. He was disappointed. But Jesus was trying to show more than the law. I bring more than what the law can offer, which eventually got it.

I think this is the thing he's getting at here in the whole narrative of Matthew's gospel is that the more that he's offering is not just a minimum legal requirement. That's the law. What the law gives you, what's the bare minimum? And so you think about your relationship with your wife. I heard someone say that recently, what if you went to your wife and said, what's the bare minimum that I have to do to legally stay married to you? Your relationship probably would go that well.

And what Jesus is offering here is not just the bare minimum. minimum. It's not just, you know, grind it out 80 years. You get to go to heaven and live your autonomous life in heaven forever. What he's offering is union with himself. That's why you look at verse 18. You see it. You get a picture of these people even here. They didn't get it because they're coming to Jesus for just what they can get out of him, primarily healing's miracles. And it says here in 18 of verse 8 when Jesus saw a crowd around and he gave orders to, and this is what they said. He said, teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go. Well, I'm thinking, of course you will.

Because you know this guy's healing everybody. Of course you'll follow him. But Jesus said to him, the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests. But the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. In other words, if you want to follow me, it's going to cost you something. And he ups the ante when he says, let me go bury my father. And Jesus is like, you don't get it. Let the dead bury the dead.

But if you want to follow me, it's going to cost you something. What I'm really offering you is not just the benefits of these miracles and healings and whatnot. What I'm really offering you is union. I'm going to take you into relationship with the Father, which is what he says later, right? I'm the way the truth in the life and nobody comes to the Father except through me. I think that's the more that we're missing out on is that Jesus is the prize. It's not just eternal existence. Jesus is the prize.

You know what I'm saying? Yep, yep. Yeah, I agree. I think in those verses he was basically saying also on the cost of falling Jesus, that you're just visiting here. This is not the end. So, because you think about why do we build homes? Well, we want to, that's where we want to live.

He's like, we don't live here. This is not your final destination. Because then the next one is, well, what about a funeral? Let me go back. We're not living here. This is not the final resting place. That's why the next story, he talks about calm and the storm. I mean, he's asleep, and it says the storm was furious.

And they're like, oh, Lord, save us, we're going to drown. Well, he had already just made this. Now, whether Matthew just did this to give you this visual image, but he already just said, let the dead bear the own day. We're not worried about that. You don't have to worry about having some final dwelling of retirement here and work your way into building a nice house on a hill where you'll retire, and then we'll put you in the ground.

He says, you have little faith. Why are you so afraid? And then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves that it was completely calm. Well, I don't know any other message that he's trying to tell them that I have power to take you off this place, to extend your life. If I can, if the things that can destroy you, I have control over. After about that third miraculous event, I'm saying I be with him. Yeah, because look at the difference though.

Look, he's healing people. He healed the guy with leprosy. He then, you know, we get into the demon possession. So you got like the physical, the spiritual, the mental. Well, then you get here, these are the natural things that could cause you problem. This is not by accident. He's going through every possible scenario that could cause problems. If you think this place is your final destination.

Because it's all about the king. Let's take our last break. I agree, Jay's. In fact, before we leave those first three, I don't think it's an accident that he, I call him the untouchables. So he starts out with a leper, couldn't touch him. Then a Gentile oppressor. I mean, not only was he a Gentile, this guy.

That's the story we need to not zero in on that. Yeah, we need to zero in. And then this is, that's a crazy story because all of a sudden he comes from nowhere. And it's basically the- And he's only heard about it. There's no way he knows anything. He's only heard people talking about it. And it's controversial because he's leading armies to other people's death,

which is, that's why look, when I got to the commentaries, when I showed up this morning I showed you all my notes, which I don't know if y'all can see this. But that's where Jason's mind was. This is Jason's mind. This is a blank sheet. Look, most of these commentaries. And he's done most of the talk about it.

Commentaries and scholars, look, they skip. Can I get this point now? Most of the commentaries and scholars skip this section. They go from seven to ten. I know, and they're so rich. Well, because, look, I didn't know that there was so. huge controversy about these demons, when Jesus cast out the demons from the men and put them into the hogs, they said, you know, send us into the hogs. And they go down a mountain and die.

It was like I stumbled up on, you know, the greatest controversy of the organized religion, which I wasn't real sure what everyone so shook up about. Maybe y'all can educate me on. but that's why people stay away from this kind of stuff because it's like not only did he take on all the controversial things from a Jewish mindset with the law and the sermon on the Mount now he just starts going and he does things that people are like what in the world that is correct there's a Roman centurion that he's welcoming oh I got to get a we're just fellowshiping him right now that's the point I made earlier

when he said you've heard you know love your neighbor and hate your enemies He said, no, he's healed them all here. Yeah, and he said, love your enemies. And I think what people miss about the demons being thrown out of the halls, whatever the ramifications of that were, they're forgetting about the two guys who were demon-possessed. That's why Jesus did it. I mean, there was no word in any of those commentaries

about being thankful and grateful that Jesus had compassion on those two guys, and freedom. It's all about what does it mean with the pigs going down? Why would Jesus kill a bunch of pigs? I mean, this is some kind of weird apocalyptic sign of it's just crazy.

That's what we talked about for with the Serbian on the mind. You have to understand why he was saying what he was saying and why he was doing this. So he gets to this guy and this, we're off the bat in verse 6, he says, Lord. So he calls him Adonai. This is a Roman centurium that

comes to a Jewish carpenter and calls him Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and is in terrible suffer him. He didn't even ask him to do anything. He's just reporting. And then Jesus says, I'll go and heal him. And he said, Lord, again, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. Again, this doesn't even make any sense. I mean, this is a guy who could have just said, hey, I'll go to my house and help my servant. That's the way he would have treated anybody else. So somehow he has faith. He said, just say the word. He said, I myself am a man under authority.

There's authority again. He's over watching all this and probably had seen Jesus before, whatever, and he'd already decided he's the one you want to go to. Well, he gives an illustration about his own authority, meaning that he's telling Jesus, you have authority over me and everything else. I mean, it's a submissive act. And then Jesus says, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone, anyone. anyone in Israel was such great faith.

And then he describes how a lot of people who claim to be faithful are going to find out they're not because they have faith in the wrong thing. So I just thought it was fascinating, Jason, that this is another untouchable that shows by faith that that's what he's looking for in the kingdom. What's his final statement out? Jesus said to the centurion, go. It'll be done just as you believe it would.

And the servant, he was healed at that very hour. So he did have the power to just think it. He didn't even say it. He just thought it. Well, which was so troubling because then, but people said, well, why don't he do that today? Yeah. Just like we said, the last. Are you talking about the healings?

Well, I'm saying, no, the fact, yeah, yeah. But I mean, the fact that he just, that he didn't have to be there. I mean, the centurion said, just give the word. Well, he just thought the word. You say, why does he do it today? So then people said, well, how come there's so much misery on the way? My answer, Jay, says, I just read Matthew 8. That's a good enough for me.

Well, me too. Well, and you know what I would say, Jay's what I was trying. If you ask that question, then you're not thinking like this guy thought. That's right. That's right. Right off the back. Because you're thinking, why am I not getting mine? He didn't approach that way at all.

In fact, when he could have tried to boss Jesus around, Jesus offered to go, he said, No, no, no, Lord. You don't have to go. I realize you're a man with authority. You can just say it. That's next level of faith. That's why he said. You've got to be careful, you've got to be careful not to seek the miracles over the miracle giver.

I mean, that is a, I do think that Matthew 8. I mean, I think that's what's in the smack dab in the middle of it. That's what I always say, yeah, when people say, would you believe in miracles, I'm like, well, of course, God can do whatever he wants to. but it's a greater, it's to your favor if you have faith and are in good standing position with the miracle worker. That's so much better than having a miracle done in your life. I mean, I'm like you, Zach, when I hear sermons that when they get up and say, who's ready for a miracle today?

I'm like, how about just give me the miracle worker? That's what we need. Good point. Well, and then the last of these untouchables is in 14 is a woman, which we've already established when we studied the book of John that women were seen in a different way, especially for Jewish leaders and rabbis. But Jesus comes into Peter's house, his mother-in-law's lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And then it shows you what kind of woman she is, and she got up and began to wait on it. I mean, which shows you, you know what I'm saying?

She's been laying there with a fever. Get up and rustles up a little grub. But again, I don't think that's accidental, as you said earlier, Jay, is that he starts out with, in this culture and the people he's talking to, three people that you would never want to, you know, be friends with, touch, you know, help, stay away from these people. And that's how he starts this show. I don't think it's an accident that there's the demon.

Yeah, so you've got the fourth one too. The demon possess a person. and says no one could pass by that way. So even him, he was an untouchable as well. And I think it's interesting that when Jesus cast out the demons, they have to ask him for permission to go into the pigs. Again, you see the authority of Christ. They go into the pigs, and the pigs end up killing themselves

because that's what evil does, at least to death. But, you know. Yeah. Yeah, and we'll talk a little bit more about that in the next podcast. I don't think it's an accident that there were 10 specific miracles in 8 and 9. Now, there's some other ones. There was 10 commandments, and he's making a transition into what we were talking about earlier. It's more what motivates you, but I do find that interesting, and I don't think it's an accident.

It may not mean anything, but it just seems weird that he gave 10 specific miracles in those next two chapters after he came. good point. Mike said just in his sermon, he was doing the sermon on the Mount, that when Jesus went up on that mountain side, in his mind, it was a visual of, you know, Moses went up on the mountain to get the law to relay that to the people. Now he was going to recast the whole idea, and he made that same link, you know, so that makes sense that even the post side. Here's 10 things that point about it. Maybe it's nothing, but you've got to remember, Matthew is pretty meticulous.

Yeah. And very Jewish, aimed at the Jewish person. All right. We'll try to do better next time. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell

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