The Birth of the Long Awaited Messiah (Matthew 1:1-17)

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

6 and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

14 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Matthew's "Boring" Introduction
It takes some perseverance to read all of the Holy Scriptures. It's not easy reading through the rituals of Leviticus, or the census figures of Numbers, or the strange visions Ezekiel. Any person who embarks on reading the Bible from cover to cover must have some degree of determination.

Genealogies with strange names are some of the less exciting portions of the Scripture yet Matthew introduces his gospel with one. In the few writing workshops I attended, we were told to learn how to compose a good introduction. Potential readers would discontinue reading if you have a crappy first paragraph.

Why then did Matthew begin with a boring genealogy? The answer is that it is boring only to the modern readers. For Matthew's audience, it is the most exciting thing that could be heard. It proclaims that Israel's long awaited Messiah has finally arrived!

Our lack of excitement over these verses indicates that our modern idea on the meaning of Christmas is distant from the ancient Jewish concept of the Messiah. A first century Jewish reader of Matthew would have had his heart thumping upon reading verse 1: "This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham". It calls to mind two important covenants in the Hebrew scriptures: the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.

But before we get into discussing these covenant, we have to tackle foundational matters.

The Promised Seed who will Crush the Serpent's Head

The first two chapters of Genesis give us an account of how the world came into existence. God made everything in six days. Man was the crown of creation for he was made in God's likeness and image. All things were beautiful and perfect: "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." (Gen 1:31)

The third chapter tells us about the entry of sin into the world. Adam and Eve chose to believe the serpent's lies. They rejected God's word. That single act ruined the world which used to be all bright and beautiful. Child-bearing became painful, even life-threatening. The ground was cursed therefore a man must go through painful toil so he could provide for himself and his family. The ground that used to yield only what was useful to man now also yields not just useless stuff but also things that would hurt him (thorns and thistles).

Then the worst of it all, the entrance of death and things associated with it, like suffering, sickness, murder and wars (Gen 3:19). All the heartbreaks and heartaches that you experienced as an individual and even the whole world in general is all because of sin's entry into the world.

Yet along with all the sad news contained in chapter 3 is a great promise. This is the first ever Christmas-related verse:

"And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)

This verse is also known as the proto-evangelion or the first announcement of the gospel. An offspring of Eve would one day give Satan a fatal blow that would crush his head. The mastermind of sin's entrance into the world would be defeated in the end. The wait for the victorious Messiah started in the garden.

With this foundation in the background, we could now proceed tackling the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.

Christmas and the Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis 12:1-3 is the primary verse on the Abrahamic Covenant: 

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”[b]

Abraham, who was then called Abram, was asked to leave the comforts of his home country to go and live into the unknown somewhere else. Along with it are promised personal, national and universal blessings. In faith, he obeyed.

This covenant also effectively narrowed down the puzzle into one nation. I mean, all the nations in the world came from Eve. From what nation will the serpent-killer come from? With God's dealing with Abraham, Israel is now identified as the home country of the Messiah. For from Abraham came, Isaac. And from Isaac came Jacob. And from Jacob came the 12 tribes of Israel.

A Scripture-informed Jew understood the connection between Abrahamic covenant and Christmas. For instance, Mary the mother of Jesus said:

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

(Luke 1:54-55)

Furthermore Zechariah, the father of the other miracle child (John the Baptist) in the Christmas narratives regarded the birth of the Messiah as a fulfillment of the oath made by God before Abraham that He will be against Israel's haters and oppressors (see Luke 1:71-75)

Christmas and the Davidic Covenant

I have said earlier that the puzzle has been narrowed down into a nation. It has been further narrowed down into one tribe in Genesis 49:1 & 10 when Jacob said that the scepter will not depart from Judah. David was from that tribe. While reigning as king, God made a covenant with him. The most relevant promise in the covenant is found in 2 Samuel 7:16-- "... your throne will be established forever."

When the Angel Gabriel gave the word to Mary that she would be the bearer of the Messiah, he said “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

So it turns out that the genealogy that is uninteresting to us brings so much excitement to the original Jewish audience of Matthew, for it traces the lineage of the newborn-king and connects him to the great promises made by God to Abraham and David.

Doubting Jesus as the fulfillment of the evangelion?

Some may ask, "Whatever happened to the promise crushing of the serpent's head?". This is a legitimate question since we could still see so much evil and suffering all around in the world.

John the Baptist, the one who introduced Jesus to the public as the "Son of God" and "the Lamb" (John 1:34-35) sent representatives to Jesus one day to ask this question: "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Luke 7:19). Imprisoned (and eventually beheaded), perhaps he started to entertain doubts because Jesus hasn't been making any political progress.

And at the Emmaus road, there's a couple of men who hoped that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel but were then frustrated when they witnessed how he was sentenced to death and eventually crucified (Luke 24:20-21).

Jesus told them: "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"

Excited about the sequel of the story

Some promises of God were fulfilled on Jesus' first coming. The reason why there is still sin, pain, evil, suffering and grief in the world is because the completion of the promises is yet future. To put it in another way, Christ's first coming is Part 1 of the story. It was exciting and the climax was when Jesus rose from the dead proclaiming his victory over sin. The sacrifice has been made. The atonement is powerful. “Death has lost it's sting!”

Yet the best is yet to come. And since Part 1 of the story was so much engaging, it should move our hearts to be excited about the sequel. He shall return! We shall soon see the fatal blow upon the serpent's head.

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Romans 16:20)

“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

Do you believe these? If you don't, I would like to say this to your face, “"How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:20)

May the promises fulfilled in the incarnation of Christ give us the faith to wait for his return. And while waiting, may we live pleasing lives before our Present and Future King.

----

The Treasures We Ought to Gather (Matthew 6:19-21)

A screen shot on The NIV 50th Anniversary app by Tecarta.

In the Holy Scriptures, we meet men of God who are well-to-do.

Abraham was abundant in livestock, silver and gold (Gen. 13:2). Before he was given a son, his frustration was the absence of an heir except his servant Eliezer (Gen.15:2-3).

When there was a severe famine in the land, Isaac was compelled to migrate in the land of the Philistines. There the Lord blessed his endeavors in agronomy and animal husbandry. On his first year of farming alone, his cropped yielded a hundredfold. It was like investing a hundred thousand pesos and by the end of the year, he earned a million. He grew so wealthy that the Philistines envied him. Eventually, their leader begged Isaac to move somewhere else because Isaac "have become too powerful". Perhaps they feared the great number of his servants could be transformed into a private army thus a treat to them all. (Gen. 26:12-15)

Then there was Job. After surviving the great test, he was made richer than before. He accumulated 14,000 sheep + 6,000 camels + 1,000 cows + 1,000 donkeys.

If we could spend more time going through the Scriptures, I'm sure we could find more of such servants of God who were well-to-do. I therefore conclude that one could be wealthy and godly at the same time. We can condemn the "health-and-wealth gospel" as a false teaching without demonizing those who are blessed with the skill of growing wealth.

Aside from giving us accounts of godly people who were wealthy, the Holy Bible also encourages diligence (Prov. 10:4), enterprise (Prov. 31:16), investments (Luke 19:22), and saving for future needs (Prov. 6:6-8).

But there is a kind of wealth-gathering that is harmful to our souls so Jesus instructed his audience to stop¹ it. I see three things from our text:

1. IT IS A SELFISH FORM OF WEALTH GATHERING


NIV: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... "
ESV: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth..."
HCSB: “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth..."

What's common in the translations above? They all point to a self-centered kind of wealth-gathering². Selfishness is never ever God's intention to those whom he has entrusted wealth. Rather, what he wants them to learn is to do various good deeds and to be kind to those in need (1 Tim.6:17). He also wants them to know that wealth spent on doing good unto others is never wasted for it earns better rewards in the life to come (1 Tim. 6:18).

2. IT IS A VIEW OF POSSESSIONS THAT HAS NO ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

There are two kinds of treasures in the Lord's teaching. First, are the treasures on earth. The second one is treasures in heaven. What is being corrected here is the zealous collection of the first kind of wealth without giving value to the second kind. It is a view of possessions that ignores eternal and spiritual things. It is focused only on things that are visible to the physical eyes. We will identify this as materialism: "The theory or doctrine that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life."³

Materialism is foolish because:
i. Our earthly possessions won't last forever. They could be ruined or stolen (Matt. 6:19)
ii. Upon death, we cannot bring them with us (1 Tim. 6:7)
iii. It leads to the practice of various evil deeds (1 Tim. 6:9-10)
iv. It is contrary to the very essence of the Christian faith which values unseen things above all (2 Cor. 4:18)

3. IT IS A SYMPTOM OF MISPLACED LOVE AND DEVOTION

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

Whom are we suppose to love above all? To whom are we suppose to offer our most passionate devotion? Of course you know very well that it should be unto God. We are to love him with all our hearts, souls and minds (Matt. 22:37). But if that love and devotion is dedicated to earthly treasures, it just shows that we are offering our worship to created things, not the Creator. Preoccupation on treasures that will not last is a symptom of misplaced loved and devotion.

It is vital that we understand what the word "heart" means in 6:21. Most of the time, we understand it to mean as the muscle inside our chest that pumps blood all-over the body. But for the ancient Jew, it could mean "the center or focus of man's inner personal life. The heart is the source, or spring, of motives; the seat of the passions; the center of the thought processes; the spring of conscience.⁴" And this is what was intended here.

The heart is the center of our personality. It encompasses the mind, emotion, and will. The heart dictates what will come out of the mouth (Matt. 12:34-35). An evil heart moves a man to do all sorts of evil acts (Mark 7:21-22). No wonder the wise father counseled his son to guard the heart, for it is the wellspring of life. It is the starting point of all our acts (Prov. 4:23).

When Jesus said "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also", what he meant was whatever you adore above all shall control your life. D.A. Carson puts it this way: "... the most cherished treasure subtly but infallibly controls the whole person's direction and values.⁵"

• Where do you go when you have the freedom and the time?
• What do you do when there are no restraints?
• What do you imagine when you think nobody knows what you imagining?

All these are determined by what your heart treasures.

Sometimes we think we can give half of our hearts to the Lord, and the other half to the world. But it doesn't work that way. The heart cannot be in two places at the same time-- it can only stay at the
place where its treasure is.

So how shall I start storing treasures in heaven? The good news is this: the Lord takes notice of every good deed done in His name. We can start by taking to heart what is already here in the current chapter we are tackling. The Lord rewards...

• publicly unknown help to the needy (Matt. 6:4)
• publicly unknown prayer (Matt. 6:6)
• publicly unknown fasting (Matt. 6:18)

And once he sees your deeds done in his name, he will never forget them (Heb. 6:10). They will never be in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). These are the treasures we ought to gather. Go and start filling your vault in heaven.

------------
ENDNOTES:
1. Daniel Wallace observes that the grammatical construction in Matt. 6:19 "either expresses a command to stop an action already in progress or establishes a general precept". (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics; Zondervan, 1996). Charles Quarles surveyed Matthew's Gospel and concludes that Jesus intended the former nuance. He remarks "Several features in Matthew suggest that Jesus observed that His disciples were too focused on earthly treasures and that His prohibition called them to change their priorities" (see Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church; B&H Academic, 2011)

2. D.A. Carson, "Jesus is concerned about selfishness in misplaced values." (EBC Volume 8, 1st edition; Zondervan, 1984)

3. American Heritage Talking Dictionary (The Learning Company, 1997)

4. Owen Rupert Brandon ("Heart" in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 1st edition; edited by Walter Elwell; Baker Books 1984)

5. D.A. Carson, ibid

Huwag Maging Artista (Mateo 6:1-18)

Sa paggawa ng mabuti, tumitibay ang ating katiyakan na tayo nga ay mga anak ng Diyos (1 Juan 2:29). Sa pamamagitan rin ng paggawa ng mabuti, ating naluluwalhati ang ating Ama sa langit (Mateo 5:14-16). Ganyan kahalaga ang paggawa ng mabuti.

Para sa mga Hudyo, may tatlong pangunahing gawain ang isang taong matuwid ⁱ:

• a. pagbibigay sa mga kapus-palad
• b. pananalangin
• c. pag-aayuno

Bagamat duda ako na ang mga ito nga ang dapat na ibilang bilang mga “pangunahing gawain”, sapat naman ang datos sa bibliya na ang mga ito nga ay mga gawaing inaasahang makita sa mga taong nagmamahal sa Diyos.

Ang problemang tinugunan ni Hesus sa mga talatang ating sinusulyapan ay ang palagiang pagnanais ng tao na maitaas ang kanyang sarili. Madalas na ang layunin sa paggawa ng mabuti ay hindi na ang pagluluwalhati sa Diyos kundi ang sila ay palakpakan ng mga nanonood.

Noong sinabi ni Hesus sa Mateo 6:1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people...” , ang pandiwa na ginamit na isinalin bilang “Beware” o “Be careful” ay isang present imperative. Ang utos ay pagbabantay o pagmamatyag ng walang tigil o pahinga. Ayon kay Charles Quarles:

”The grammatical form implies that the disciple must continually and consciously avoid making a show of acts of righteousness since the temptation to seek personal aggrandizement is ever present.”ⁱⁱ

Samakatuwid, likas sa makasalanang tao ang humanap lagi ng kanyang maipagmamalaki at ipagmamayabang. Kailangang bantayan ang ating sarili sa tuwi-tuwina sapagkat naririyan lagi ang pagnanais ng laman na magmapuri sa sarili.

Ang mga Artista 
Sa aking napiling pamagat na “Huwag Maging Artista”, wala akong intensyong hubaran ng dangal ang mga taong ganito ang propesyon. Ako man ay nanonood ng ilan sa kanilang mga obra at napapahanga rin sa husay ng ilang mga artista sa kanilang sining.

Ang pamagat ay hango sa salitang Griyego na hupokrites na isinalin sa wikang Ingles bilang “hypocrites” (verses 2, 5 and 16). Ang salitang ito ay orihinal na tumutukoy sa mga artistang nagtatanghal sa entablado sa mga teatro.ⁱⁱⁱ Sa isa namang Greek lexicon, ang depinisyon sa salitang ito ay “one who pretends to be other than he really is"^iv Ganun naman talaga ang mahuhusay na artista: kahit maginhawa ka sa totoong buhay, napapaluha mo ang mga tao kapag nakikita nila ang iyong paghihikahos sa telebisyon; kahit ikaw ay may problemang dinadaanan, napapahalakhak mo ang mga manonood; o mabait ka naman sa totoong buhay pero nasusuklam sa iyo ang mga tao sa iyong pagganap bilang kontra-bida. Sa Kalye-serye ng Eat Bulaga, ang mga gumaganap na lola ni Yaya Dub ay mga lalake!!! 

Ganyan ang mga mahuhusay na artista. Kapanipaniwala at epektibo sa kanilang pagganap. Ang pag-arte ay isang talentong kahanga-hanga sa entablado, telebisyon at sine. Pero ang kakayahang ito ay nagiging masama kung gagamitin upang magmukhang banal sa paningin ng mga tao, tumanggap ng mga papuri at palakpak, at hindi na ang kaluguran ng Diyos ang layunin. 

Ang Logical na Istruktura ng Leksyon^v 
Sa bawat gawaing tinalakay, pare-pareho ang lohikal na istrukturang ginamit ng ating Panginoon.

1. Babala na huwag gumawa ng mabuti sa layuning ikaw ay mapapurihan ng mga tao. (pagbibigay limos 6:2a/ pananalangin 6:5a/ pag-aayuno 6:16a)

2. Sa mga hindi makikinig sa babala, makukuha nila ang gusto nila ("papuri ng mga tao"), pero hanggang doon na lang yun (pagbibigay limos 6:2b/ pananalangin 6:5b/ pag-aayuno 6:16b)

3. Ang bilin na gawin ang kabutihan ng palihim (pagbibigay limos 6:3/ pananalangin 6:6/ pag-aayuno 6:17-18) 
  4. Ang katiyakan na ang Ama na nakakita ng palihim na kabutihan ay magbibigay gantimpala (pagbibigay limos 6:4/ pananalangin 6:6b/ pag-aayuno 6:18) 

Paano Magbigay sa mga Nangangailangan (Mateo 6:2-4)

Ang pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan ay isang gawain na dapat gampanan ng sinumang may pananampalataya sa Diyos (Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Leviticus 19:9-10, Matthew 25:34-40). May mga ipinangako pa ngang mga pagpapala at gantimpala sa mga tumutupad nito (Deuteronomy 15:10, Proverbs 19:17, 1 Timothy 6:18-19). Ngunit meron rin namang mga gumagawa nito na hindi kinalulugdan ng Diyos. Sila yung mga nagbibigay sa layuning sila ay mapansin at parangalan ng mga tao. Hindi kaluwalhatian ng Diyos ang kanilang hangad kundi ang pagtingala sa kanila ng lipunan.

Paano sila magbigay? Inaanunsyo nila ang kanilang pagbibigay sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatunog sa trumpeta. Iba-iba ang opinyon ng mga nasangguni kong iskolar tungkol dito:

1. May mga nagsasabi na ito ay literal na pagpapatugtog ng trumpeta.
2. May mga nagsasabi na ito ay isang sisidlan na hugis trumpeta kung saan inihuhulog ang mga alay na salapi.
3. May mga nagsasabi na ito ay hyperbole lamang na ginamit ni Hesus upang ilarawan ang mga taong papansin sa pagbibigay

Ang aking puso ay may pagkiling sa pangatlo: ito ay hyperbole lamang na ginamit ni Hesus pang ilarawan ang mga taong papansin sa pagbibigay. Paliwanag ni Craig Keener:

 “Although some scholars have argued that people actually blew trumpets during giving in the synagogues, Jesus probably simply uses rhetorical exaggeration to reinforce his point, as when picturing the Pharisees who swallow a camel whole but strain out a mere gnat (23:24)”^vi

Para sa mga taong ganun magbigay, natanggap na nila ang kanilang gantimpala (“they have received their reward in full”). Ang salitang Griyego na isinalin bilang “in full” ay apechousin na nangangahulugang "to receive something in full, with the implication that all that is due has been paid"^vii . Ibig sabihin, nakuha na nila ang gusto nila: ang sila ay parangalan ng mga tao. Ngunit hanggang doon na lang yun. Wala na silang matatanggap pa na parangal mula sa langit.

Paano ang tamang paraan ng pagbibigay sa katuruan ni Hesus? Huwag ipaalam sa kaliwang kamay ang pagbibigay ng kanang kamay. Siyempre hindi literal ang kahulugan niyan. Muli, ito ay isang hyperbole. Ito ang nagkakaisang opinyon nina Charles Quarles at William Hendriksen:

“the image of keeping one’s acts of goodness secret even from oneself is a hyperbole meaning that the disciple must not give so that he can pat himself on the back or applaud his own goodness.” (Charles Quarles)^viii

“the expression probably refers to the fact that as much as possible a person must keep his voluntary contribution a secret not only to others but even to himself; that is, he should forget about it, instead of saying in his heart, “What a good man, woman, boy, girl, am I!” (William Hendriksen)^ix

Ang ating Ama sa langit ay nakakakita ng ating mga kabutihan na ginagawang palihim. May gantimpalang laan para sa atin. 

Paano Mag-ayuno (Matthew 6:16-18)
Ang orihinal na utos tungkol sa pag-aayuno (fasting) ay ibinigay kasama ng utos sa paggunita sa Day of Atonement ng mga Israelita. Higit sa pagkain at inumin ang saklaw nito. Ang utos ay deny yourselves (Leviticus 16:31; 23:27). Kaya naman may mas malawak na depinisyon (broader definition) ang pag-aayuno:

"... fasting... must not only be confined to the question of food and drink; fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting." (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)^x

"Traditionally this self-denial included abstaining from eating, drinking, sexual activity, washing, anointing, or putting on sandals." (Charles Quarles)^xi

Subalit ang pag-aayuno na saklaw ng kasalukuyang leksyon ay ang mas makitid na depinisyon (narrower definition) nito: "The act of total or partial abstinence from food for a limited period of time, usually undertaken for moral or religious reasons." (Robert D. Linder)^xii 

Kung tutuusin ay mayroon pang mas makitid na depinisyon. Ito ang depinisyong alok ni Donald Whitney: “a Christian’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes”. ^xiii Ang mga salitang sinalungguhitan diyan ay pawang mahalaga:

• Christian: hindi natin bibigyang pansin ang pag-aayuno sa ibang relihiyon tulad ng sa Islam at Jainism sapagkat wala namang ispirituwal na halaga ang mga ito.

• for spiritual purposes: hindi natin ibibilang ang mga nagha-hunger strike o nagpapapayat

• voluntary: hindi natin ituturing na pag-aayuno ang mga taong nagkataon lamang na wala talaga silang budget pambili ng pagkain o 'di kaya ay ang mga taong nagmamadali sa pagpasok sa trabaho at wala ng oras mag-almusal.

Ang pag-aayuno ay maaaring gawin ng kongregasyon (Acts 13:2). Maaari rin itong gawin ng isang indibiduwal (Matthew 4:2). Ang uri ng pag-aayuno na tinalakay dito ni Hesus ay ang personal na pag-aayuno ng mga indibiduwal.

Iba-iba rin ang mga biblikal na dahilan ng pag-aayuno:

• 1. bilang pagpapahayag ng pagluluksa (1 Samuel 31:13)

• 2. bilang pagpapakita ng pagsisisi (2 Samuel 12:15-23)

• 3. upang idulog sa Diyos ang isang seryosong suliranin (2 Chronicles 20:1-4)

Nakapulot ako ng pang-apat na biblikal na dahilan ng pag-aayuno mula kay Donald Whitney:

• 4. bilang pagpaparamdam natin sa Diyos ng ating pag-ibig at pagsamba sa kanya tulad ng isinabuhay ni Anna (Luke 2:36-37)

Paliwanag ni Whitney:

“Fasting can be an expression of finding your greatest pleasure and enjoyment in life from God. That’s the case when disciplining yourself to fast means that you love God more than food, that seeking Him is more important to you than eating. This honors God and is a means of worshiping Him as God. It means that your stomach isn’t your god as it is with some (Philippians 3:19). Instead it is God’s servant, and fasting proves it because you’re willing to sublimate its desires to those of the Spirit.”^xiv

Ngunit merong mga nag-aayuno na mga mapagkunwari. Hindi sila nag-aayos sa sarili at sinasadya nilang magmukhang malungkot sa layuning sila ay mapansin ng mga tao. Sila ay walang mapapalang anuman sa langit. Ang parangal sa kanila ng tao ang tanging babaunin nila sa kabilang buhay.

Sa aral ng Panginoong Hesus, ang mga nag-aayuno ay kailangang mag-ayos sa sarili. Lumabas at ngumiti sa mga tao. Huwag ipahalatang walang laman ang iyong sikmura. Hindi man alam ng mga tao ang iyong mga banal na gawain, meron ka namang Ama sa langit at siya ang magbibigay gantimpala sa iyo.

Meron ka bang alalahanin na lubhang seryoso at nangangailangan ka ng isang ekstra-ordinaryong pagkilos mula sa Panginoon? O 'di kaya nais mo lang magpahayag ng pag-ibig sa Diyos? Bagamat ang pag-aayuno ay hindi gaanong naipapangaral at nabibigyang atensyon sa mga iglesya ng Diyos ngayon, ang pamamaraang ito ng pakikipagpisan sa Panginoon ay nariyan pa rin at maaari nating gamitin. Tandaan lamang na ito ay ating gagawin hindi upang mapansin ng mga tao. Mayroon taong Ama na nagbabantay sa atin. Nakikita niya ang lahat ng kabutihang gawa mo kahit ito pa ay ginawang palihim. 

Paano manalangin (Matthew 6:5-6) 
Gustong-gusto nating maglaan ng oras upang makasama ang mga mahal natin sa buhay. Hindi nga ba't 'yan din ang dahilan kung bakit naghihinagpis tayo sa pagpanaw ng isang taong mahalaga sa atin. Sa sandaling naputol na ang kanyang paghinga, alam mong hindi mo na siya makakausap; hindi mo na rin maririnig ang kanyang tinig. Nagluluksa tayo dahil alam nating hindi na natin sila makakaniig sa kasalukuyang buhay. 

May mga tao na gusto nating makasama; mga taong itinuturing nating mahalaga sa buhay natin. Kung gayon, hindi ba't dapat ay sabik din tayong makausap at makaniig ang Diyos? Hindi ba't nararapat lamang na ang Diyos ang pinakamamahal ng ating puso? "Ang umiibig sa kanyang ama o ina nang higit sa akin ay hindi karapat-dapat sa akin. Ang umiibig sa kanyang anak nang higit sa akin ay hindi karapat-dapat sa akin" (Mateo 10:37).

Sa panalangin, nakakapisan natin ang ating Manlilikha (Acts 17:26b), Tagapangalaga (1 Peter 5:7), Tagapagligtas/Manunubos (Isaiah 43:11), Manananggol (Proverbs 23:10-11) at Kaibigan (John 15:15). Sa anumang relasyon, mahalaga ang komunikasyon. Ipinapahayag ng Diyos ang kanyang kalooban sa atin sa pamamagitan ng Bibliya. Naipapahayag naman natin ang ating saloobin sa pamamagitan ng pananalangin.

Ngunit gaya ng iba pang mga mabubuting gawain, ito ay maaaring mawalang saysay dahil sa maruming motibo. Ang motibo ng maraming tao noon sa panahon ni Hesus at maging sa ating kapanahunan ay hindi ang pakikipagniig sa Diyos kundi magpa-impress sa mga tao. Pinuna ni Hesus ang gawain ng marami sa panahong iyon sapagkat sinasadya nilang tumayo at manalangin sa mga lugar kung saan maraming tao. Makukuha nga nila ang nais nila: papuri ng mga tao, subalit hanggang doon na lang yun. Wala na silang maaasahang gantimpala pa buhat sa langit.

Salungat sa pamamaraang ito, ang dapat na panalangin ayon kay Hesus ay dinadala sa isang lugar (Marcos 1:35-36) na walang ibang makakaalam kundi ikaw. Ang Diyos na nakakakita ng mga lihim na bagay ang siyang magbibigay gantimpala. Hindi nito minamasama ang lahat ng pampublikong pananalangin (Acts 4:24). Ang punto ay ano ba ang motibo sa pananalangin? Ito ba ay para ikaw ay hangaan ng mga tao sa iyong “kabanalan”?

Kailan at saan ka nakakapanalangin? Sa piling lang ba ng isang grupo tulad ng konggregasyon o isang bible study group? Isa sa mga sukatan nga ispirituwal na kalusugan ay ang pagkakatugma ng kanyang public prayer life at private prayer life. Ika nga ni D. A. Carson: 

 “The person who prays more in public than in private reveals that he is less interested in God's approval than in human praise. Not piety but a reputation for piety is his concern.”^xv

Ang ating audience

Sa mga artista, paramihan ng audience ang laban. Pataasan ng ratings ang mga istasyon ng TV. Sa mga mananampalataya, iisang audience lang ang mahalaga; siya ay ang ating Ama na nakaluklok sa kanyang walang hanggang trono at nanonood sa atin mula sa langit.

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FOOTNOTES

i the three chief acts of Jewish piety: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (C.G. Montefiore and H. Loewe, A Rabbinic Anthology). Cited by D. A. Carson in EBC, 1^st edition

ii Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church

iii Craig Keener, Matthew (IVP New Testament Commentary)

iv J.P Louw and Eugene Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains

v H.D. Betz, "Eine judenchristliche Kult-Didache in Matthaus 6:1-18; cited by D.A. Carson in EBC, 1^st edition

vi Craig Keener, Matthew (IVP New Testament Commentary)

vii J.P Louw and Eugene Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains

viii Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church

ix William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (NTC)

x Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

xi Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church

xii Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 1^st edition (Walter Elwell, editor)

xiii Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

xiv Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

xv D. A. Carson, Matthew in Expositor's Bible Commentary, 1^st edition

"Mapalad ang mga nagugutom at nauuhaw sa katuwiran" (The Beatitudes, part 5)

"Mapalad ang mga nagugutom at nauuhaw sa katuwiran sapagkat sila ay bubusugin."  (Mateo 5:6)

Hindi na nga nakapag-almusal si Pilar, tumagal pa ang pulong ng higit sa inaasahan. Nanginginig ang kanyang tuhod sa gutom at halos mahihilo na siya. Paglabas niya ng gusali ay may natanaw siyang dalawang tindahan: ang nasa kanan ay tindahan ng mga kakanin at ang nasa kaliwa ay may ukay-ukay. Alin sa dalawang tindahan ang sa tingin ninyo ang lalapitan ni Pilar?

Ang naranasan ni Pilar ay ilang oras lang ng pagkagutom, ano pa kaya sa mga panig ng daigdig kung saan may mga taggutom na tumatagal ng mahabang panahon. Sa isang taong hindi pa kumakain ni umiinom sa loob ng ilang linggo, wala siyang ibang hanap kundi pagkain at tubig. Ikaw man, kung halos mamatay ka na sa gutom at uhaw, hindi mo ba ipagpapalit ang iyong mga mamahaling gamit kapalit ng bigas, mga de-lata at malinis na tubig? Bakit mo panghahawakan ang mga bagay na hindi naman magpapahaba ng iyong buhay?

Sa buhay ispirituwal, madalas ang ninanais ng mga tao ay ang mga bagay na hindi naman magbibigay ng buhay at sigla sa kanilang kaluluwa. Halimbawa ay sa Isaias 55:1-3 kung saan ang mga tao ay sinasabing nag-aaksaya at nagpapakapagod sa mga bagay na hindi naman nakakabusog. Ang paanyaya ng Diyos ay lumapit sa kanya ang mga gutom at uhaw sa kaluluwa at sila ay bibigyan ng walang bayad. Ito ay madalas na nangyayari sa ating pagtalikod sa Diyos sa pag-aakalang maaari tayong mabuhay ng wala siya. Ngunit sa ating pagtalikod ay lumalayo tayo sa tunay na bukal ng buhay (Jeremias 2:13).

Ang iba ay uhaw sa karangyaan at kasikatan; ang iba ay gutom sa kayamanan at kapangyarihan at ang mga ito'y hinahanap-hanap ng kanilang puso ng hiwalay sa Diyos. Ngunit ano nga ba ang mapapala ng tao makamtan man niya ang buong sanlibutan at mapapahamak naman ang kanyang kaluluwa? (Mateo 16:26)

Ayon sa Panginoong Hesus, ang mga mapapalad ay ang mga nagugutom at nauuhaw sa katuwiran. Ano ang ibig sabihin nito? Sa kanilang personal na buhay, ang nais nila ay kung ano ang matuwid. Sila ay lumalayo sa mga daan at pananaw na baluktot. Nais nila ay maibigay ang tama sa lahat at mamayani ang katarungan sa buong daigdig. Sa paghahari lamang ng Diyos matutupad ng ganap ang pangako sa kanila na sila ay bubusugin. Hanggat hindi pa bumabalik ang Panginoon, ang daigdig natin ay magpapatuloy na ganito-- salat sa katarungan at katuwiran. Kaya naman ang dalangin ng mga taga-sunod ni Kristo ay ang paghahari ng Diyos sa lupa sapagkat sa paghahari lamang ng Diyos makakamtam ang perpektong daang matuwid at makatarungan¹.

Tunay nga na ikaw ay nagugutom at nauuhaw sa katuwiran kung:
1. ang iyong pagka-uhaw ay naka-sentro sa Diyos (Awit 42:2; 63:1)
2. ikaw ay gutom na sundin ang kalooban ng Diyos (Juan 4:34)
3. hanap-hanap mo ay ang kanyang salita (Amos 8:11 ff.)
4. ito'y nagsisimula sa pagkabatid na wala kang sariling katuwiran at ang iyong tanging pag-asa ay kung ibibilang na iyo ang matuwid na buhay ni Kristo (Romans 3:10-24)

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FOOTNOTE:
1. "So it is better to take this righteousness as simultaneously personal righteousness and justice in the broadest sense. These people hunger and thirst, not only that they may be righteous (i.e., that they may wholly do God's will from the heart), but that justice may be done everywhere. All unrighteousness grieves them and makes them homesick for the new heaven and earth--the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Satisfied with neither personal righteousness alone nor social justice alone, they cry for both: in short, they long for the advent of the messianic kingdom. What they taste now whets their appetites for more. Ultimately they will be satisfied without qualification only when the kingdom is consummated." D. A. Carson, Matthew, Expositor's Bible Commentary (1st edition)