09/12/2026 – “By Spiritual Confusion” / “Ye know not what ye ask.”— Matthew 20:22 / Comment below
Ye know not what ye ask. — Matthew 20:22
There are times in spiritual life when there is confusion, and it is no way out to say that there ought not to be confusion. It is not a question of right and wrong, but a question of God taking you by a way which in the meantime you do not understand, and it is only by going through the confusion that you will get at what God wants.
The Shrouding of His Friendship (Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration of the man who looked as if he did not care for his friend, and He said that that is how the Heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think He is an unkind friend, but remember He is not; the time will come when everything will be explained. There is a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller communion. When God looks completely shrouded, will you hang on in confidence in Him?
The Shadow on His Fatherhood (Luke 11:11-13). Jesus says there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father, as if He were callous and indifferent, but remember He is not; I have told you — “Everyone that asketh receiveth.” If there is a shadow on the face of the Father just now, hang onto it that He will ultimately give His clear revealing and justify Himself in all that He permitted.
The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (Luke 18:1-8). “When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Will He find the faith which banks on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand off in faith believing that what Jesus said is true, though in the meantime you do not under stand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you ask.
Proverbs 13-15; 2 Corinthians 5
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
We are in danger of being stern where God is tender, and of being tender where God is stern. The Love of God—The Message of Invincible Consolation, 673 L
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Soli Deo Gloria!
I would recommend expanding beyond Matthew 20:22 to the entire sections on “Suffering and Service”: Matthew 20:20-27 and Mark 10:35-45. I got a kick out of the concluding comment in “The Apologetics Study Bible” for Mark 10:35: “Mark simplified the story in the interests of the main point.” That was Mark!
Concluding verse in Mark 10:45 from Jesus: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life – a ransom for many.”
The commentary: to 10:45: “This saying combines allusions to the Son of Man of Daniel 7 and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. These ways of understanding of Jesus were rare, if not nonexistent in the early church, and thus it is improbable that the church (instead of Jesus Himself) would have created this saying. In fact a similar saying in 1 Timothy 2:5-6 is reworded in a much more Hellenistic style, highlighting the antiquity and Semitic background of Mark’s version. The cross was central to Jesus’ messianic self understanding. (Mark 14:24)”
“He said to them, “This is my blood that establishes the covenant, it is shed for many.” ” Mark 14:24
For us, it takes more than just reading through the Bible in one year, much as that is an excellent first step that I expect very few self-professed christians take in their lifetime. 1) Understanding “context”; 2) “Letting scripture testify to scripture. ” All undergirded with prayer!
Humor aside re: Be it James and John themselves, or their mother – Asking Jesus to “allow us to sit at Your right and at your left in Your glory.” That’s the ticket!; don’t you know that was popular with the rest of the boys! Jesus’ nickname for James and John: “Sons of Thunder”
Thoughts? / Reflections?