That was me in youthful days, proud of my streamlined morning routine. It pumped up the adrenaline and I was ready to produce. I was addicted to adrenaline's focus, energy, and its "high." Time crunches particularly fueled the fantastic fires.
Then I read in the book Adrenaline & Stress, by Archibald Hart, that positive and negative stress both wear down the adrenals to the eventual point of exhaustion or even Chronic Fatigue. Quiet physical signs like rapid heart rate are tricky to notice, until one reads the book.
Rapid-fire, adrenal highs are a perfect segue to an intriguing play-by-play in the Book of Matthew, 20:29 through 21:20:
- Jesus heals two blind men as He exits Jericho, (20:29) then...
- Rock Star Jesus rides a donkey through a flash-mob crowd of worshippers in Jerusalem, (21:8) then...
- Jesus performs in the temple by overturning money-changer tables, (21:12) then...
- In the chaotic temple, Jesus takes time to heal the blind and lame, (21:14) and finally...
- The next morning, Jesus wisely seizes a key motivating moment; it is the calm-before-the-crucifixion-storm (21:19).
Author Matthew (tax collector-turned-disciple) knows well the art of selfishly manipulating people. Pre-disciple days, he strategically coerced his fellow Jews to pay their taxes, for the purpose of receiving his generous portion. Turning against his people to work for the ruthlessly domineering Roman government was profitable.
In 25 chock-filled verses, a condensed sequence of events unfolds. Matthew might be warming the readers to a strategic point. His almost matter-of-fact sequence of people-healings seems trivialized:
In 25 chock-filled verses, a condensed sequence of events unfolds. Matthew might be warming the readers to a strategic point. His almost matter-of-fact sequence of people-healings seems trivialized:
- "...immediately they received their sight and followed him." (20:34)
- "...and he [Jesus] healed them." (21:14)
But, then, in 21:19-20 Matthew dives further into a different kind of a miracle, and he includes the response of the disciples: "...Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed..."
In the hype and excitement of chapters 20 and 21 (Jesus' final days), Matthew's non-notation of the disciples' reactions to other miracles is either intentionally omitted, or, they had no reactions. Possibly their adrenaline-filled minds overlooked the healings. During their 3 years with Jesus, they saw more miracles than could be counted. OR, was Matthew's no-nonsense conveyance of events pointing to an important miracle? Did he intentionally leave out superfluous or extraneous healing information...
During the "temple high," Jesus could have manipulated the disciples for His purposes. They were adrenalized putty in His hands and hungry for insurrection. Instead, after Jesus' healings, they simply exit the temple; and, following a night of sleep, only then did Matthew's Gospel dwell on the pièce de résistance (the most important item in a series).
In the peacefully calm morning hours, Jesus connects with His pupils. He visually communicates. It is information they will soon need... after His death. The front-row, larger-than-life, 3-D opportunity is a "wowing" nature-miracle to really capture their attention. It is the miracle of the tree; it withers right before their eyes; they are amazed and attentive. The disciples ask questions and learn a key Jesus-principle: "...If you believe, you will receive anything you ask for in prayer."
In other words, for God's glory, Jesus-followers must produce spiritual fruit; maybe even "wowing" nature miracles; or, giving figurative or literal sight to the blind and limb-movement to the lame. Fruit and people and serving are the focus; not insurrection. Matthew's strategic vantage point sees the forest through the tree, or the big picture. Messiah Jesus didn't come to this earth to waste His time with adrenalized fighting, coercion, or manipulative tactics to make people follow Him. Spiritual fruit is the key, and that is tres bon.
... for us to see the forest through the tree?
During the "temple high," Jesus could have manipulated the disciples for His purposes. They were adrenalized putty in His hands and hungry for insurrection. Instead, after Jesus' healings, they simply exit the temple; and, following a night of sleep, only then did Matthew's Gospel dwell on the pièce de résistance (the most important item in a series).
In the peacefully calm morning hours, Jesus connects with His pupils. He visually communicates. It is information they will soon need... after His death. The front-row, larger-than-life, 3-D opportunity is a "wowing" nature-miracle to really capture their attention. It is the miracle of the tree; it withers right before their eyes; they are amazed and attentive. The disciples ask questions and learn a key Jesus-principle: "...If you believe, you will receive anything you ask for in prayer."
In other words, for God's glory, Jesus-followers must produce spiritual fruit; maybe even "wowing" nature miracles; or, giving figurative or literal sight to the blind and limb-movement to the lame. Fruit and people and serving are the focus; not insurrection. Matthew's strategic vantage point sees the forest through the tree, or the big picture. Messiah Jesus didn't come to this earth to waste His time with adrenalized fighting, coercion, or manipulative tactics to make people follow Him. Spiritual fruit is the key, and that is tres bon.
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