Days 7-9 of New Year

These last three days have been full of love as our first grandchild was born. I will not share anything beyond that. So far neither I nor the in-laws have posted social media, and I'm pretty sure her parents, like I, don't want her to have a social media footprint as a child, without her knowledge. 

In regard to our theme of facing the reality of Christian discipleship in 2024, I refer you to Matthew 8. Our church is reading the New Testament together. We were encouraged to use an app, but since I spend most of my time on a computer, my preference was to read a physical Bible. We are one day behind because the reading of the first day was from I Timothy about the origin and function of Scripture. 

Matthew 8 tells us of a leper healed by Jesus' touch. He was not supposed to touch a leper and lost his ceremonial cleanness that way. He told the healed man to follow the Mosaic legal requirement but otherwise to not broadcast the act; others would figure it out anyway. Many puzzle over why, but I can see a lot of reasons; one, it wouldn't be helpful for all of the sudden the crowds to think Jesus would get leprosy himself from the touch.  And He wanted to control the "news flow."

There are other miracles in the chapter, Jesus marveling at a Gentile's faith and reminding Jews that their heritage didn't ensure their spiritual future, two seemingly harsh conversations. "I need to bury my father" doesn't mean he was in the middle of a funeral and Jesus was saying leave that.  The scribe maybe overpromised and was likely to underdeliver.  "It's going to be real, and hard, and really hard, is the message. You just don't get to live the same way as before."

The chapter ends (of course, all such divisions are largely irrelevant) with the account of two demon-possessed men, not just one. Contradiction or additional information?   Why? Hard to tell.