Mt 12:14-21 He Warned Them

Mt 12:14-21  He Warned Them

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“Many people followed Jesus, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.”

Why did the Lord insist on something he knew would never happen?  That the people would keep his miracles a secret?  Scripture tells us it was to fulfill the prophecies.  That at the appointed time, in the appointed place, the Lord would be handed over:  no sooner, only later.

But I would like to share with you some spiritual reflections. 

He warned them.  God is who He is before and after His miracles.  He is my Lord even before I know it, just like a piece of land before Christopher’s discovery. 

Regardless of whether or not I can feel Him or see Him.  The Lord is independent of me, even when the Lord is in front or behind me.

Kaitlyn Fonzi, a 20-year old biology student at the University of Colorado lived below James Holmes, the mass murderer of Aurora, Colorado.  When she heard music blasting from his apartment, she went upstairs to find out what was happening.  It was just around the time of the shootings; it was midnight.  As she approached the apartment, she noticed the door was not completely shut.  It was left slightly ajar.  She told police and reporters that she was tempted to open the door to see what was going on.  But she didn’t.   If she had, she would be dead right now. 

The door was a trap.  Explosives were set to go off as soon as someone touched the door.  It was a diversionary tactic.  James thought that someone would open the door, thus creating a tremendous explosion in the apartment complex, resulting in a large number of law enforcement officers rushing to the scene while the killer was in the movie theater. 

It didn’t work…because she didn’t open the door. 

A reporter for FOXNEWS told the young lady, “You can thank your lucky stars you didn’t touch that door.” 

Kaitlyn responded by saying, “I thank God…There was a voice inside of me that kept telling me, ‘Don’t open the door.’  I listened.  I didn’t open it.  It was a miracle.”

“He warned them”…He warns us.  What we do with His warnings is up to us.    

Lucky stars and thanking oneself.  Luck stars had nothing to do with Kaitlyn’s survival.  If we blame God for evil, then we should also acknowledge Him for good.  Unfortunately, we do just the opposite.  When I am having an awful day it’s common to ask, “Why me Lord.”  When I am having a wonderful day it’s common to say, “It’s all me Lord.” 

Kaitlyn was not blessed to hear a voice; she was not lucky either, unless you consider hearing voices as being lucky.  She was blessed not because she heard a voice but because she chose to listen to it; a voice from someone who knew what they were talking about. 

Not to make Him known.  Every single day the Lord speaks to us in mysterious and not so mysterious ways.  His voice should sound familiar to us by now.  But I know a few people that hear His voice and consider it to be their own.  They like to think they came up with it first.  They say things like:  Peace, not war!  You should love others.  You should be more forgiving.  You shouldn’t judge!  God bless them!  They all talk and act just like Jesus, but take all the credit!  Well, you know what?  I don’t think He minds at all, as long as we do it. 

Is it possible to love everything about a person except that person?  You bet! That’s what happens to Jesus all the time, especially when we count our “lucky stars”.  It happens once in a while to us, especially when others take all the credit they don’t deserve.  Who cares, as long as His Will be done.