Reading 17
One Bite at a Time—Matthew 16
For years, humans have been trying to boil down the Bible into bite-sized, easily-digestible chunks. One of the more infamous attempts to make the Bible easier to digest comes from Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson sat at his desk with a razor, carefully cutting out the chunks of text that detailed the seemingly indescribable pieces of Jesus’ life, namely his miracles and resurrection.
I’m not going to suggest that we follow in the footsteps of Jefferson and begin removing the pieces of Scripture that don’t make sense to us, but I am going to share that Matthew 16 helps me empathize with Jefferson. This relatively short chapter from Matthew’s Gospel tells five different stories, none of which can be left out without greatly skewing the scope of this chapter.
It begins with the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ demand for a sign, moves into Jesus’ warning about the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ teachings, details Peter’s accurate declaration of Jesus as the Messiah, quickly turns to Jesus rebuking Peter, and then ends with Jesus’ command to take up our crosses and follow him. Whew. That’s a lot.
While these stories may feel unrelated, when read together, they help us to see a more complete picture of Jesus. They show us that Jesus used imagery that was familiar to his listeners to help them understand his life and mission. They show us that Jesus couldn’t do it alone; he relied on the witness of his disciples to share the Good News. They show us that Jesus never promised us that life would be easy or without pain, but that life with Jesus is infinitely better than anything we have to give up to follow him.
In these days when news breaks so quickly and turns from bad to worse before we can blink, I’m particularly grateful for passages of Scripture, like this one, that force me to slow down and pay attention. They remind me that with Jesus at our side, we can get through hard things in life the same way we get through hard passages in Scripture: one bite at a time.
To Consider:
- When you slowly read through this chapter, is there anything you notice that you hadn’t noticed before? What details jump out at you the most?
- Do these little things help you to better understand the person and work of Jesus? Why do you think this is?
Jesus, our friend, help us to slow down so that we may know you for more fully, serve our neighbors more lovingly, and trust in your promises more confidently. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.
Julie Tonnesen is a 2019 graduate of Duke Divinity School and a candidate for ordination in the ELCA. She just wrapped up her internship year at Macedonia Lutheran Church in Burlington, NC and serves as the LEAF (Lutherans, Episcopalians, and friends) Campus Minister at Elon University. Julie loves hikes with her dog Gracie, strong coffee, and checking things off her to-do lists.
