The Jesus Pages: Jesus Unhinged

Matthew 23: 23-39 – Jesus Unhinged

Jesus meek and mild? Smiling, soft spoken, mamby-pamby? Wrong Jesus! He’s had enough of the

religious leaders because they are so extremely wrong. Deluded and deluding. They are poison in a

perfume bottle, Chlorox in a toddler’s sippy cup, a fine merlot bottle filled with turpentine. You get it,

right?

He already knows they’re going to kill him so trying to play nice with them won’t change their minds.

They are evil on the inside and playing pretty on the outside doesn’t fool God. They are doomed but what

makes Jesus wild-eyed is that they are determined to take the clueless sheep with them.

Jesus screams, “ENOUGH!” His heart is breaking for Israel, but they seem to have this death wish to

follow the rules and not God’s love. They are stubborn and are headed straight to hell – first in line, the

Pharisees.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)    

The Jesus Pages: Pushing God Off His Throne

Matthew 23: 1 - 22 - Pushing God Off His Throne

Watch out for the lawmakers because they are the biggest lawbreakers. What is it about the ruling class? They get a taste of the throne and decide that they are now God. If one law is good, how about ten? And then why not twenty? Or a hundred? Or a thousand? Wow, this is fun – except for the little people bearing the burdens. 

These religious leaders (like today’s politicians) sit in their holy huddles and take pen to paper and make impossible lists to try and keep the unwashed masses from spilling over into their sacred territory. But they are blind to the fetid and putrid condition they themselves live in. They think they are free from contamination, but are really rotten on the inside. Their god is their rulebook. They pretend to be religious . . . but wait – they ARE religious! That’s what religion is: rules, regulations, lists of dos and dont's.

They forgot about faith, love, and mercy. They pushed the God of the universe off His throne and now ask that people look at them up there in His place. They flash their religious clothing and want people to be impressed. Only Jesus isn’t impressed. He voices what the people already know – they are imposters, all dressed up but dead on the inside. Jesus calls them what they are and I think the people were dancing in the streets!

How did things get this way? Somehow they bypassed a heart change. They ignored what God had modeled for them. They thought that their way of burdens of laws was cleaner and neater. That’s why Jesus calls them blind. He asks the little people to turn their attention to the One who will liberate them from such burdens, and you can be sure they were excited to do it!

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)   

The Jesus Pages: Trapping God

Matthew 22: 23-46 -- Trapping God

Who do we think we are? Do we think we can actually trap God with His own words, like He is senile and forgot the original meaning of what He said or wrote?

“God, you said this . . . but did you realize it could actually mean that?”

We become the ones with the mental problems. God cannot and will not be trapped. We just illustrate how idiotic we really are. The Sadducees don’t believe in the resurrection, but they ask Jesus a hypothetical about a thorny issue in the resurrection. The Pharisees don’t believe in Jesus’ power, but want Him to solve a mystery.

Jesus sees through the puny traps we lay down, sidesteps them and watches as we fall into them ourselves. Snap! The snare only hurts us.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)   

The Jesus Pages: Party Time

Matthew 22: 1 - 22 - Party Time

I’ve put together two wedding receptions. A lot of work and money. Would have been a bummer if no

one showed. God did the same thing, but those He invited got uppity. They turned their noses up –

probably vegans who didn’t want to be around all that meat! Actually, He was talking about the Jews and

their refusal to see God for who He was.

They preferred their own rules and perverted way of seeing religion. They couldn’t see that walking with

God was a celebration. A celebration? No, no!! People might actually have fun and enjoy their relationship with Him – we can’t have that! 

He got tired of appealing to the ingrates and extended His party invitation to those outside of His family. How radical! He searched high and low and brought everyone in – especially those “undeserving” of His generosity.

Outrageous! Preposterous! Well, whatever you think, you better hurry up because the food is getting

cold.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)   

The Jesus Pages: Clueless Leaders

Matthew 21:23 - 46 - Clueless Leaders

Sounds so familiar: leaders working only for themselves, feverishly trying to stay on top, saving their tails

at the expense of the body of little people who get the picture right. They are supposed to be leaders but they follow what the opinion of the people is regarding Jesus. 

They are trying to catch Jesus in a “gotcha” moment, but they show what juvenile idiots they really are. They’ve spent their whole lives filling up on knowledge of laws and regulations but have not one speck of wisdom. And here the little people – the ones they think are stupid, clueless sheep – see the better picture of Jesus and recognize Him as a prophet. 

They are consumed with rage that their gig is up, knocked down by the simple things. They

would rather die trying to kill Jesus than follow Him. Now who really are the clueless ones?

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)     

The Jesus Pages: Honoring Donkeys

Matthew 21: 1 - 22: Honoring Donkeys

They were just nobodies waiting for somebody to give them a purpose. A donkey has no other thought than to be available for what humans want. Jesus had known before the dawn of time that this mother and child would be His partners in the Hosannah parade. 

Do you think they understood that their Creator was honoring them with His use? Maybe. Can you imagine their little donkey hearts so excited?! But they were just doing what He asked of them, humble, lowly donkeys. Without them Jesus would have just walked into town. But they elevated Him for all to see. 

I think Jesus loves especially to use the common, simple and lowly among us. He says that all His creatures have value. All beings can participate with Him to bring glory to God

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)    

The Jesus Pages: Be Careful What You Ask For

Matthew 20: 17-34 – Be Careful What You Ask For

 

I can understand the audacity of the mother. She wanted the “best” for her sons and asked that they get to rule with Jesus in the afterlife. Gee, I wish I had thought of that for my girls (but they will be there, and that’s enough.) 

She came to Jesus. He asked her, “What do you want?” and she blurted out her outrageous request! How many of my requests are outrageous? Am I seeking power? Control? Do I want freedom from inconvenience or pain or bothersome people? Or am I like the two blind men? They weren’t seeking power. Their lives were totally controlled by their disability and were relegated by their society to lives of begging. 

For them, Jesus had compassion. He asked them, “What do YOU want?” Excuse me!! Say that again! What do we want?! They wanted to SEE, and to be set free! And Jesus found great joy in granting that request.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)    

The Jesus Pages: God Doesn't Play Fair

Matthew 20: 1-16 – God Doesn’t Play Fair

            

             We each have entered into a contract with God. I have my terms and you have yours. Why do I feel I have to compare? But when I find out you have more than I do as compensation, I get all crazy and blame God for not being fair. But God doesn’t play fair; if He did, we’d all be cooling our heels in the pit of fire. God has the right to spend His resources as He wishes. This is a hard concept for my culture to understand.

 

             “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?” we ask. “No, you don’t!” We are envious and our eyes swing back and forth in a frenzy because God has sliced the pie into irregular sized pieces. What I have is enough for me, but you got a bigger piece and I’m mad about that. I should just eat my own pie and be satisfied. But my envy has poisoned it and I complain against God’s generous hand.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)   

The Jesus Pages: Getting Beyond the Impossible

Matthew 19: Getting Beyond the Impossible

 

             “Jesus. I just don’t think it’s possible to stay married to this person. I need a divorce. How does that fit in with your laws?”

 

             “My laws? Do you really care about my laws? Or do you want to twist them to fit with your circumstances rather than twist your circumstances to fit in with my laws? My laws were right from the beginning. I said that I made man for woman and they belong together. When they get married they should stay together. Yes, it’s tough. You have two sinners cooped up in the same space jockeying for position. If you call it impossible, then maybe it’s better to stay clear of marriage. Divorce was not an option in the marriage contract when I first wrote it. You’re just looking for an escape clause.”

 

             Now, YOU think it’s impossible that little children matter to Jesus. Are you kidding? He thinks they should be put at the front of the line. They are the essence of the kingdom of heaven. It’s not the powerful, educated, rich adults that turn His heart, because their hearts are HARD. Jesus loves the little children because they believe that anything’s possible and have a simple and pure faith in God. They do not know the word “impossible.” That’s an adult word – what a shame to become such an adult.

 

             Wealthy people: nothing wrong with having money unless you pile it up between you and Jesus. Money comes and money goes – just be careful that you are not tied to it because it will take you DOWN with it. Wealth to the left, eternal life to the right. Sometimes they work together; sometimes they don’t. Wealth can work on behalf of God, making things possible to usher others into God’s kingdom. When it becomes impossible to walk with God because of your wealth, you better have a yard sale and get rid of it!

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)  

The Jesus Pages: Really, Jesus?

Matthew 18: 21-53 – Really, Jesus?

 

             Jesus never pulled a story out of thin air. He carefully calculated His words to say exactly what He intended for His audience. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you – unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Throw me in prison – to be tortured? Never let me out until all of my own offenses have been taken care of?

 

             God has a HUGE heart, full of forgiveness and He expects us to mimic Him. When we don’t and take advantage of that, not extending the same lavish generosity to others, then He lets the full wrath of His punishment fall down on us. Very sobering.

 

             God is not an indulgent parent. He expects us to grow up and act like Him. Or else He’ll let us spend some time in spiritual jail.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)  

The Jesus Pages: God's Pecking Order

Matthew 18: 1-20 – God’s Pecking Order

We ask: who is the biggest? Most powerful? Who’s in control? The one with the most money? Biggest army? Largest castle? Jesus turns it upside down, inside out and shocks us all. He says it’s just a little child – I’m not kidding! The most valuable is a little child – humble, without the hardness of a bitter life, layers of sin, calloused from poor choices. 

Jesus knows that to be free of all the trappings of the world keeps a heart pure and simple. A heart that sees clearly, without the clutter of things, can see Jesus and follow Him.

When it’s all over, can you take your money and shoes and houses and degrees with you? No. So just hold onto them very slightly and grip onto Jesus ever so tightly. Jesus takes the hand of a child and leads him into eternity. Does He have your hand?

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com) 

The Jesus Pages: Acid Trip Jesus Style

Matthew 17 – Acid Trip Jesus Style

Jesus brings an acid trip to His disciples and it terrified them. To be fair, no drugs were involved, but Jesus is really tweaking them here. He stands on the mountain top and “glows like the sun” and brings Moses and Elijah back from the dead and has a chat-fest with them like a late night talk show. Why on earth did He go other-worldly on them? 

He sealed the vision with a cloud and a voice from heaven boomed a serious message. No wonder they were terrified! Like He really needed to tell them not to say anything? Did He think they were nuts?!

They weren’t even sure if they saw it, so who would believe them anyway? Jesus links John the Baptist (who already lost his head for the cause) with this Elijah they saw and then predicts His own fate as the same harsh treatment John got (minus the chopped off head). 

This was too much for the disciples. Where was that comfy, boring life they used to have? Tripping with Jesus is SO scary!

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Hey, This is All I Have!

Matthew 16 – Hey, This is All I Have

The religious leaders were blind and didn’t know it. They “saw” things but said “no” anyway. Seeing was NOT believing because, what they saw was impossible!

“Can you show me Plan B??

Jesus said, “Hey. This is all I have: lots of miracles. A great variety, too. I doubt if you saw another one you’d believe.”

The disciples were no better. Dumber than a rock. They never seemed to get Jesus’ parables. And Peter, after all those years, didn’t seem to get the connection between Jesus being the Messiah and what Scriptures had predicted was His final outcome. I can only imagine Jesus wanting to breathe a huge sigh and want to say, in a very loud voice: “Enough with these puny humans!”

He has to remind them that following Him is counter-cultural, not popular and has a big down side. It means saying “no” to a lot of things that scream their siren song. It’s just that in the end you can’t take all your possessions with you. You actually have to leave them behind. Yes, you do! So, leave them behind now for His glory.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Heartless Jesus

Matthew 15: 21-39 – Heartless Jesus

"Jesus, help me! My daughter has demons!" Silence. He gives this pagan the cold shoulder.

"What's up, Jesus?"

"She doesn't belong to my elite group; not my party affiliation."

"Help me!!"

"Sorry, but I only have enough for my own children, ungrateful though they are. I don't have

anything but crumbs for you."

"Please, Jesus, give me the crumbs. They're magic crumbs and they will be enough to heal my

daughter."

Now Jesus sees faith in this pagan that He's not seen in his select group, the Jews. Who really are

the pagans here? I think Jesus was setting things up for when He opens up the floodgates and lets

everyone in. That was His intent and He wants to make sure the Jews understood He was not an

elitist. The magic crumbs of salvation are for everybody.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Dirty Hands, Clean Heart

Matthew 15: 1-20 – Dirty Hands, Clean Heart

God came to earth to keep us from legislating ourselves into oblivion. We see the sins of others and we want to play God so we heap mountains of rules and regulations on the little people thinking this will keep sinful nature in check. Somehow it's not enough. In fact, it makes us even more unruly. Do we really think conforming to some arbitrary manmade laws is going to make us righteous? Earth friendly or even green? Think again!

Can we just wash our hands and still allow our hearts and souls to fester? "Turn your life inside out," Jesus says. Think about washing your heart with some heavenly Chlorox. Only Jesus can remove the stains AND keep it from getting filthy again.

When people say "no" to God being involved in their lives they create their own pitiful rules to try

and clean things up. It just adds to the clutter and they are still as filthy as before.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Just Get in the Boat, OK?

Matthew 14: 22-36 - Just Get in the Boat, OK?

Jesus was tired, bone tired. The crowds seemed to have worn Him out and He needed to be alone. What to do with the bumbling disciples? Make them get into a boat and go on ahead of Him to another town. Maybe He figured that they might have disturbed His prayer time up on the mountain – or did He? It was nighttime and the Sea of Galilee was fickle and unreliable and could turn ugly in an instant.

"He made them get into the boat . . ." Hmmm. Did He know something? Fast forward a few hours and now it's the middle of the night. He's on the mountain praying; they're in the boat in the midst of a fierce storm. No cell phones, text messages or air raid sirens. He knew they were in trouble and decides to check it out for Himself and goes out into the sea and walks on the water. Huh? Is this crazy or what?

Mark 6 says He intended to walk past them – just checking on them but not intervening. Some friend you are, Jesus! But I digress. Here He is, walking on the water – no jet skis, rowboat, paddle boat - just His feet. They are magic feet. And it scared the bejesus out of the disciples. How can they see Him, anyway? Was He glowing?

Peter thinks it looks like fun and after he determines it isn't a ghost he challenges Jesus to give him these magical walk-on-water powers, too. Peter walks, sinks, is rescued and then Jesus makes the entire storm stop! Is He a weatherman, too? Now He's got the attention of the Twelve. I guess the feeding of the five thousand didn't register. Or else they were slowly moving from ignorant to belief in tiny baby steps. I can't judge them too much. I've never had a friend feed an army out of thin air or make a raging storm stop.

The disciples recognized Jesus for who He was. The people on land also recognized Jesus and spread the word. Crowds came to be touched by Him. They saw Him as healer as well as provider and it compelled them to worship Him. 

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Sex, Hunger and Jesus

Matthew 14: 1-21 – Sex, Hunger and Jesus

Herod was a king, but was also a normal man. His stepdaughter danced a sexy, provocative number and he went bonkers and then made a stupid promise. John the Baptist lost his head – and his life – because of it. When Jesus heard, I'm sure He gave a huge sigh over the power of sex making animals out of humans. Our hungers can get us into all sorts of trouble.

 

Jesus can't even grieve in private. Five thousand people show up to see what miracles He can do for them and Jesus can't ignore them, even if they're fickle and only there for the show. He captivates them with His compassion but holds court too long. 

Now they're all hungry at once. The disciples' pockets were empty but Jesus' were not. He takes the meager meal given to him – bread and fish – and shares it with the giant crowd. What magic! How generous! It multiplied to meet the need because it came from the hands of Jesus, the miracle worker. Do you think anyone's spiritual hunger was satisfied, too?

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: The Good, the Bad and the Treasures

Matthew 13: 31- 58 – The Good, the Bad and the Treasures

We are God's seeds in the world's garden. We don't get to stay in an exclusive private garden with all the other heavenly seeds. He expects us to integrate and penetrate the evil world. We are God's yeast – well mixed into our culture and blending in – but not so weird looking that people can't mix with us.

 

Why do we insist on staying in our private gardens? We have to mix with the weeds! God will protect us as long as we keep Him in the front of our minds and hearts. How else can the weeds magically become like us if we don't tell them? 

We are God's treasure, His precious pearls. He discovered us and sold everything of value so that He could buy us from our slave owners. He didn't do this grudgingly: "in His joy He went and sold all He had . . ." God was tenacious, relentless, intentional in doing everything so He had enough in his pocket to pay the ransom required. Don't ever think God is stingy!

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Don't Blame the Seeds

Matthew 13: 1-30 - Don't Blame the Seeds

Jesus goes from seeds to weeds. He sets the record straight when He says you can't blame the seeds for not growing. They are dependent on their environment. If a seed shows up in my backyard it can get all sorts of treatment, but only one will make it grow into what it was intended. Good soil is the perfect partner.

Now, weeds love good soil, too. Sigh. 

So, there is a battle raging for space in the garden. And now we know where weeds come from – the Devil! Well, that's what Jesus says here – I'm not kidding. They are imposters. They are green and grow and even have showy flowers, but they are dangerous and can choke out the good seeds. They are worthless because they are good for nothing – just taking up space.

Sometimes you have to leave the weeds alone or you may damage the good plants. In time you can get rid of them and burn them in the trash heap at harvest. 

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Faulty Logic and Rotten Fruit

Matthew 12: 24-50 – Faulty Logic and Rotten Fruit

Who you are is who you are when no one is looking. When the tube is squeezed and the stuff inside comes oozing out, that's the real you. If you want better things to come out, forget the outside upkeep. Aim the overhaul on the internal working parts.

Never think you can keep the demons down by avoiding conflict. Conflict comes and what's inside gets forced into the light. I advise you to get your flashlight and go to work cleaning up the inside rooms. Do not call evil "good" and good "evil." Let your aim be to coordinate the inside with the right packaging.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

 

The Jesus Pages: The Law, the Lawyers, and the Law Giver

Matthew 12: 1-23

"Jesus! Don't do this and don't do that, for goodness sake! Why can't you obey all our laws?"

Well, Jesus has an answer for them: "Your laws are cold and harsh and dead. People are more important than your stupid laws." (OK, Jesus didn't use the word "stupid," but I'm sure He thought it).

His disciples eating grain right from the fields? They weren't stealing; they were hungry. The man with the shriveled hand? It's a good deed that didn't hurt anyone except the lawyers who were self-appointed morality police. The demon possessed man? Shouldn't he get release, no matter what special day it was, huh?

The Law Giver is trying to straighten out the lawyers and He has to take them back to the classroom for a refresher course on what the law is and how it's to be applied. He says you get "brownie points" for loving people more than loving the law. (OK, He didn't use the words "brownie points" because that came 20 centuries later, but you get what I mean, don't you?)

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Jesus' Campaign Manager

Matthew 11

John was in a scary place: dark, cold, dangerous. Is this how he gets rewarded for campaigning for Jesus? I mean, he spent his whole life getting ready to publicize Jesus' appearance on earth. Now, after he introduces Jesus, he gets thrown into the slammer.

"Jesus? Did I miss something? Are you God or not? If you are, then, OK, I'll suffer for you. But, if not, can you spring for my bail?"

Jesus - his friend, his cousin - tells the crowd that John is the greatest prophet. But the people are fickle. No matter how John came, he couldn't have pleased them. Judgement is coming. World events cannot be altered. We don't always get rewarded for living right, doing right. Sometimes we even get our heads handed to us on a platter .  . . I'm just saying . . .

Jesus saw it ahead of time and simply advises: come rest with Me because you can't figure it out anyway.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Misunderstood Jesus

Matthew 10:21 - 42

"Jesus, I thought we were supposed to sit in a circle, hold hands, smoke a joint and sing Kumbaya. What's this about betraying my brother and putting my parents to death? And persecution?!! I thought if I played nice and acted like You we could all get along? Act like You and I could end up in jail or be tortured and put to death? Didn't You come to bring peace and prosperity?"

"And carry my own cross? Excuse me, but I really thought You did that for me! Now You're asking me to stand up on Your behalf when it might be dangerous for me? When my good reputation might get tarnished?"

"And what's this about loving You more than my parents? OK. I can do that. My parents were a little psycho and dysfunctional - not a problem. I think I can do that. But, my children? Wow! Does that mean that I should stand up for Your principles when one of my kids steps out of line? That I let her experience pain - or maybe jail - and not intervene and manipulate things to keep her from hurting?"

"I am getting a different picture of you, Jesus, and it is very stark. I honestly thought you were the Maharashi Kumbaya Jesus. You're sounding like a harsh task master. It sounds like there's a battle going on between good and evil and evil is brandishing its sword. You want me to enter the battle for You? But, I'm a peacenik! Can't you see my peace sign?"

"You say the Devil is coming right for me? Can't you do something, Jesus? You already did? When? Oh, I forgot . . . the cross. Well, that was so messy and so yesterday. And blood's still being spilled today?"

"I honestly got things so confused. This life is not all there is. This is just a blip on the radar screen in light of eternity. Jesus, open my eyes so I can see King Jesus and help me keep my armor on so I can "whup" the devil!"

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Cloning Jesus

Matthew 10:1-20

Maybe Jesus was feeling a little tired, having to do all the work himself. Or maybe He just wanted to share the wealth. So, He cloned Himself 12 times and let them loose to do His magic. Their limits? Only go to to certain people (Jews) whom He calls "lost sheep." 

But, I don't think He considers them sheep; He calls them wolves later on. So, He's really setting something up here. Making His case for going to the whole world because He knows the sheep will reject Him. After all, sheep are basically stupid and only care about the next meal and the next place to lay their dumb little heads. Jesus wants that to be understood so they (the Jews) have no excuse. 

The Twelve have power to heal the sick, raise the dead!!!, take away leprosy and exorcise demons. Jesus is cloning Himself into them. And the amazing thing is there still will be people who reject them. Surprise! And I get all bent out of shape today when people don't want anything to do with the Gospel? Get over it!

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Extreme Faith

Matthew 9:18-38

I don't know of any people who ask Jesus to raise their loved ones from the dead. But I understand why the "ruler" tried - it was his daughter. He figured if anyone could do it, that would be Jesus. And He did!

The woman with the bleeding problem? No one for 12 years could heal her. But she knew Jesus could do what the doctors couldn't. All she had to do was touch Jesus - now that's extreme!

Are you blind? Let Jesus touch you. Demon possessed? Only Jesus has the power to cast them out. An extreme physical infirmity requires extreme asking. Notice who they did not ask: the powerless religious leaders. They went to the Power Source. Faith was the switch they threw to access the limitless power.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Words Mean Things

Matthew 9:1-17

Our troubles drive us to Jesus. Our faith gets His attention. And then we wait for Him to speak to our need. "Please, Jesus, say something," we cry. That pleases Him because it shows we recognize His power and authority. So, He speaks to our need and takes away that part of it that paralyzes us. We are set free and the feeling is glorious.

Sometimes there are those close to us who mock and scoff: "Stupid you! Who is this Jesus? You're deluding yourself thinking He's going to help you." 

Watch out, because Jesus has words for them, too. The scoffers are deluded themselves, thinking their own words are all they need. They need to take their tired rules and regulations and bury the book and start fresh. Or they will be ruined. Jesus' words don't make sense unless you strip away your tired layers and ask Him to make you new, starting from scratch.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Too Much Jesus

Read Matthew 8:18-34

We naively put our hands out and ask Jesus to fill them. When things begin to spill over and we get more Jesus than we bargained for, we panic. "Oh! I only wanted a little bit!" we shriek.

But Jesus says, "If you want any part of me you have to take all of me. You want to follow me? Then get behind me and follow. Go where I go. Ride in the boat and take whatever ride I give you. Stay in the same hotels or tents or sleeping bags on the ground. And if I choose to do something radical and miraculous - like clean up your life and set you free from your choke chain - then don't back down and tell me it's too much. It's all or nothing."

We want the Sometimes Jesus or the Part-Time Jesus. But the All-or-Nothing Jesus? For some of us, that's Too Much Jesus.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: The Currency of Sickness

Read Matthew 8:1-17

Even sickness has a purpose. The leper had nothing to lose because he had already lost it all: family, community, comfort. He had one last chance and it was Jesus. But what did he have to bargain with? He couldn't pay Jesus anything. Neither could the centurion. How dare they come to Jesus and ask for healing? Why should Jesus pay attention to them? 

Ah, but they did have something very valuable, currency Jesus loves to get: FAITH. In exchange for their faith in not only Jesus' power, but in His compassion and willingness to heal. How awesome is that? Can you imagine asking a doctor to heal you in exchange for your belief that he could do it? Sickness throws us on our knees before God and our faith is all He asks for in return.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: On the Outside Looking In

Read Matthew 7

You've spent a lot of time, money and resources building your life and now it's time to step outside of yourself and see what you've done. Do the outside and the inside match in style, decor, personality? How much pretension is going on? Do you cultivate the outside and let trash pile up on the inside? Pick at others' exteriors while neglecting your own interior? Have you invited God to be your partner or are you content to do it on your own?

Did you realize that He is more than happy to help with the yard work, painting, clean up? He has a 24/7 service! How does your garden grow? Do you have plants that have to be pruned? Then stop watering them and start lopping off those parts that are worthless and aren't producing anything! And, are you taking care of those cracks in your foundation? You better hurry before the bad weather comes and your basement fills with water.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: At the End of the Spending Spree

Read Matthew 6:19-34

How do I spend myself? How am I investing my personal resources? Oh, not so much the money, because the money only follows what my heart has settled on. Follow the money! It leaves an unmistakable trail that tells a tale of either waste or wisdom. All that I gather into my storehouse on earth will go back in the box at the end of my life. I can't take a single thing with me. It's better to divest myself of as much as I can before it's too late and someone else makes that decision for me. 

What lasts for eternity? Those things that I can take with me! People and deeds of goodness done for God's approval. Break open the checkbook. Sure, there are earthly things that I have to spend money on: food, shelter, clothes, car insurance. But do I go overboard on those things? Audrey told me she has 70 pairs of tights! I still can't get over that number unless you can beat it by Mildred's 100+ pairs of Ferragamo shoes! How many can you wear at one time? 

You cannot serve God and Money. We try, we try all the time and we deceive ourselves by thinking that our pursuit of things is harmless. Use your things to serve God. The "things" in my house, my garage, my closets represent that which I traded my time, my heart in exchange for. I get paid for my "work." In return I spend that payment on something. We deceive ourselves when we view that in terms of percentage instead of intensity. 

Poor people can be just as deceived as rich people. Jesus reminds us that God will take care of us. See how He manages the animal and plant kingdom? He values us more. Quit worrying about stuff. Stuff poisons us, blinds us, paralyzes us, buries us under and then smothers us. Store up treasures in heaven - it's OK to gather, just gather the right stuff. When you get up there you'll see what really matters, so why not see it NOW, change course, and then go on an eternal spending spree.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: How Not to Be a Hypocrite

Matthew 6:1-18

Why are you doing what you do? Who is your audience? Jesus says to be careful that our motives be to influence the right audience. To impress people, then that's your reward. To get God's attention, then God will reward you because your motivation is right. 

If you see needy people, you don't need to put on a show. If you really care about meeting their need, then do it without anyone knowing. Kind of hard, right? But isn't that what God does all the time? He sees a need, a million needs, fills them and doesn't sit up in heaven wringing his hands hoping that people will notice. He gives without thought of return. That is how we are to live. That is diametrically opposed to how a hypocrite lives. 

Jesus is our example. There was more witness in how He lived than in the deeds and empty words of a hypocrite. God doesn't fall asleep; He sees everything we do. And he will be the one to reward us, not the fickle bystanders we think we want to impress. Get over it. Impress the right person!

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Words of Warning

Matthew 5:27-48

"You have heard it said . . ." And everything you heard was wrong. You followed rules you thought would make you righteous and Jesus comes along and knocks you down from your self-proclaimed throne of righteousness. He says, "Start over." 

Start over? You mean I've been wasting my time? And I have to do better, be perfect? Well, now I'm paralyzed. I can't do all that extra stuff. I'm not God! Exactly! Only righteous people can be righteous and perfect and anything less God will not accept. 

Give as God gives, live as God lives, love as God loves. Now that this has immobilized you, realize that only God can do these things on your behalf. Unless He moves you to be like Him, you won't be. He is the power source - go plug yourself in. 

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: Words of Hope

Matthew 5: 1 - 26  

Are you poor, sad, weak, meek? Empty, messy, battered, bitter and want to get better? Good news - Jesus to the rescue. If you see your lack of goodness, if you hunger for mercy and righteousness and peace, then you're on the right track. Jesus recognizes we are broken and He doesn't judge us. It's when we try to use our own super glue and flimsy patches to mend ourselves that we end up losing. 

He reminds us that it is in the desire and hunger to be fixed that there is redemption. We throw ourselves at His feet and ask for His magic tape so that we can be permanently repaired. Then, then - we can now be used to help others. We are salt, taking the flavor of Jesus to the tasteless world. We become light and hope and truth. And, at times, we can use His Magic Tape to bind up the broken parts of people we encounter.

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)

The Jesus Pages: The Tested Man

Read Matthew 4

What makes you hungry? Food? Power? Popularity? The temptation can be great, but Jesus was there first. And the one offering to satisfy His hunger was the devil. Has the devil shown up at your house lately? 

I don't know why Jesus didn't do a simple, easy 3 day fast. 40 days? Kind of extreme (ok, I'm not criticizing). But He shows that even in a weakened condition the only power we have is truth. Three times the devil offers to satisfy His hunger. Three times Jesus doesn't fight him off with His own resources. He speaks truth even if He's not experiencing comfort. He will not trade His discomfort for a finite piece of this life which will turn to poison once He takes it. 

The devil IS powerful and the only defense is God and His Word. Any other is foolish and has no power. Jesus got it right and passed the test.  Like I said, He walked down that road first so He knows how to help us pass our own tests. 

The Jesus Pages is my journey through the New Testament in one year. I invite you to come along, read the Bible passage and leave comments. (If it's nasty or unrelated, I reserve the right to delete it.)

Scripture links are from The Bible Gateway, New International Version.

©2021 Debby Kratovil (kratovil@his.com)