But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end!

Matthew 10:16-23

16 "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. 17 "Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation-- just because you believe in me. 18 Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you-- and me-- a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! 19 And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; 20 the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. 21" When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. 22 There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. 23 It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.

Food for the soul!

What is it that you get from this Jesus' training? What is it that Jesus is telling his chosen people of yesterday and today, you and me, if not that life is not meant to be easy? That life and living is hard even for those that Jesus has chosen.


Jesus is training his people for THE WAY LIFE IS. Jesus is saying that life is just as insecure as sheep running through a wolf pack.


In his training Jesus is also saying that GOD IS IN CHARGE. However, God being in charge does not mean a suspension of THE WAY LIFE IS. The lion or crocodile will always eat meat, even of humans. God will not change that. Women will always feel pain in child birth. God will not change that. We will always feel sad when our dear ones die. God will not change that because this is THE WAY LIFE IS, the way God made life to be.


God's care is not to be seen as rescue FROM the way life is. It is rather guidance THROUGH the way life is. God does not save us from getting into trouble, He empowers us to go through trouble: "Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you and me a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words."


For that reason, continues Jesus, we can't be naive nor take things for granted. We have to stay alert 24/7, like sheep running through a wolf pack. Such sheep can't call attention to themselves, other wise they are eaten; imagine yourself going through a park of lions or crocodiles... you would not call attention to yourself, but would have to be as cunning (discreet) as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. This is how Jesus wants us to live this life, 24/7.
  

The way human life is!

Matthew 10:16-23

16 "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. 17 "Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation-- just because you believe in me. 18 Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you-- and me-- a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! 19 And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; 20 the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. 21" When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. 22 There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. 23 It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.

Food for the soul!

What is it that you get from this Jesus' training? What is it that Jesus is telling his chosen people of yesterday and today, you and me, if not that life is not meant to be easy? That life and living is hard even for those that Jesus has chosen.
Jesus is training his people for THE WAY LIFE IS. Jesus is saying that life is just as insecure as sheep running through a wolf pack.
In his training Jesus is also saying that GOD IS IN CHARGE. However, God being in charge does not mean a suspension of THE WAY LIFE IS. The lion or crocodile will always eat meat, even of humans. God will not change that. Women will always feel pain in child birth. God will not change that. We will always feel sad when our dear ones die. God will not change that because this is THE WAY LIFE IS, the way God made life to be.
God's care is not to be seen as rescue FROM the way life is. It is rather guidance THROUGH the way life is. God does not save us from getting into trouble, He empowers us to go through trouble: "Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you and me a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words."
For that reason, continues Jesus, we can't be naive nor take things for granted. We have to stay alert 24/7, like sheep running through a wolf pack. Such sheep can't call attention to themselves, other wise they are eaten; imagine yourself going through a park of lions or crocodiles... you would not call attention to yourself, but would have to be as cunning (discreet) as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. This is how Jesus wants us to live this life, 24/7.

Be different and you'll make difference!

Matthew 10:7-15

 7 And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand! 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give. 9 Take no gold nor silver nor [even] copper money in your purses (belts); 10 And do not take a provision bag or a wallet for a collection bag for your journey, nor two undergarments, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the workman deserves his support (his living, his food). 11 And into whatever town or village you go, inquire who in it is deserving, and stay there [at his house] until you leave [that vicinity]. 12 As you go into the house, give your greetings and wish it well. 13 Then if indeed that house is deserving, let come upon it your peace [that is, freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin]. But if it is not deserving, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive and accept and welcome you nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or town, shake the dust [of it] from your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Food for thought!

Yesterday, Jesus chose his team. He is the team leader, he guides it, he gives them instructions. Under him, the team of ordinary people became a team of extraordinary people. As we said yesterday, Jesus chose these men, not only for what they were, but also for what they were capable of becoming under his influence and in his power. Yes, under Jesus you and I can become different and can make a difference in the world. The question is, do you see yourself different, and are you making any difference around you?
You can't change yourself and you can't change anybody without the Lord. Many of us are lead by bottom-line pressures. We wrestle with challenging issues, trying to make sense out of situations that have no simple solutions. We truly want to be different and to make a difference in others lives but don't know how.
Today's gospel reading shows us how very ordinary people like the twelve apostles became different and made difference in the world. Their secret was in their instructor; their secret was Jesus. Before they succeeded in the world, they first succeeded in listening to the instructions of Jesus.
I want to invite you to make a change that will change you. Consider making Jesus make you. Consider making Jesus your CEO (chief executive officer), your leader. Let us let Jesus lead us as he lead the twelve apostles, let him be our instructor, not only on Sundays, but also in the week, not only during the few moments we are in the church, but also when we are Down Town on the Main Street.

Jesus gave and gives clear instructions on what to do where: heal the sick and raise the dead. He even told them what to wear and whom to talk to, and even how to behave in the face of defeat or rejection. Jesus did not just send them out without a clear plan. It was these instructions that made ordinary men perform extraordinary work. Jesus' instructions can do the same with you and me. (Heb 13:8) For Jesus doesn't change, yesterday, today, tomorrow. What he did yesterday he does today and forever. Amen.

Jesus can use us too!

Matthew 10:1-7

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of sickness and disease. Here are the names of his twelve disciples: Simon (also called Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (Zebedee’s son), John (James’s brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (Alphaeus’s son), Thaddaeus, Simon (a member of “The Zealots,” a subversive political party), Judas Iscariot (the one who betrayed him). Jesus sent them out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

Food for thought!

This passage is special because when we look at the kind of men Jesus chose and used in those days it gives us hope in these days. If Jesus can use men like these in the manner that he did, then surely he can use people like you and me in these days. With the Twelve, Jesus set a precedent, that we all have a place in his service.

There are two facts about these men which are bound to strike us at once.

(i) They were very ordinary men. They had no wealth; they had no academic background; they had no social position. They were chosen from the common people, men who did the ordinary things, men who had no special education, men who had no social advantages.

With these men, Jesus set a precedent, of looking, not so much for extraordinary people, as for ordinary people who can do ordinary things extraordinarily well. Jesus sees in everybody, not only what that man or woman is, but also what he can make him or her. Jesus chose these men, not only for what they were, but also for what they were capable of becoming under his influence and in his power. Yes, under Jesus you and I can become different and can make a difference in the world.

(ii) They were the most extraordinary mixture. There was, for instance, Matthew, the tax-gatherer. All men would regard Matthew as a traitor that had sold himself into the hands of his country's masters for gain, the very reverse of a patriot and a lover of his country. And with Matthew there was Simon the Cananaean. Luke (Lk.6:16) calls him Simon Zealote. Zealots were the opposite of Matthew; zealots were fanatic, comparable to today's suicide bombers. If Simon the Zealot had met Matthew the tax-gatherer anywhere else than in the company of Jesus, he would have thrown a bomb at him. Here is the tremendous truth that people who hate each other can learn to live in peace and love each other when they both love Jesus. Jesus not only brings us together, he also keeps us together.

The fact that Jesus was able to use these men with all their weaknesses and failures lets me know that he can use us too. These men lacked spiritual understanding. They lacked humility. They lacked faith. They lacked commitment. They lacked power. These men were always getting into trouble; missing the point or Christ’s teachings; they were always saying the wrong thing; walking away from their commitment to Jesus; among other failures and problems. Despite their weaknesses, the Lord used these men to turn the world upside down for His glory. If he can use them, surely he can use us too! That ought to give us hope today!

Let us forget and forgive injuries!

Matthew 9:32-37

When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed. But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.” Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

Food for thought!

Have you ever been misrepresented? Has anyone ever taken your words and works and twisted them around and used them against you? Have you ever done something good, with good intentions, which was misinterpreted as bad? Have you ever been attacked, slandered and envied for doing good? This is what is happening to Jesus. He has done something good, he has healed a man, and his enemies are not happy; because they were helpless to oppose him by fair means, they resort to slander and to character assassination.

This said, Jesus does something that is a real food for thought. Immediately after being slandered, Jesus moved on. The gospel says: the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.” Jesus did not nurse the insert; he rather moved on as if nothing had happened. And this is the best way to deal with insult; it is the best way to respond to slander.

Yes, it hurts to be wronged. It can be maddening, infuriating, and unfair. But repeatedly reliving what happened a day, week, month, or even years ago is not healing but “rehearsing.” It becomes a process of practicing old routines, rather than learning new responses or thinking in fresh channels. When we continue to pick at emotional scars, we are indulging in useless, unnecessary suffering instead of getting on with our life.

On occasion, it can be a healing experience to recall and face traumatic experiences. This type of remembering can enable us to see past events for what they were and release them, instead of dreading some future time when there may be hurting or embarrassing revelations. Forgiveness can be a powerful healing agent. Forgiveness is a process of giving up the false for the true, erasing error from mind and body and life. Forgive yourself. Forgive others. Forgive everything!

An old African proverb says, “he who forgives ends the quarrel.” Are you willing to end your quarrels? “Only the brave know how to forgive…. A coward never forgave; it is not his nature.” (Laurence Sterne). Are you prepared and willing to get on with your life as Jesus did in today's gospel reading and “let go and let God” handle everything else? Yes, you can!
   

Ever ready to help!

Matthew 9:18-26

18 As Jesus finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, "My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live." 19 Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along. 20 Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. 21 She was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I'll get well." Jesus turned-- caught her at it. Then he reassured her: "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well." 22 The woman was well from then on 23 By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbours bringing in casseroles. 24 Jesus was abrupt: "Clear out! This girl isn't dead. She's sleeping." They told him he didn't know what he was talking about. 25 But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to her feet-- alive. 26 The news was soon out, and travelled throughout the region.

Food for the soul!

What strikes us in this story is Jesus' readiness to help those who need him. The man and the woman just came to Jesus without appointment. The official just came to Jesus forced by the circumstances of her dead daughter. Before, he may have ignored Jesus but now thanks to her daughter's situation, he approached Jesus. And when he came, Jesus did not ask questions, but immediately started off to the officials house. The same with the woman. Unclean as she was, she just came and touched Jesus. Jesus did not rebuke her, but kindly said, "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well."
There is a double lesson here. It means that we do not have to wait until we are clean to come to Jesus; we may come to him exactly as we are, and from where we are. And it means that we have no right to criticize others whose motives we suspect, whose faith we question, and whose theology we believe to be mistaken. It is not how we come to Christ that matters; it is that we should come at all, for he is willing to accept us as we are, and able to make us what we ought to be.
It means that it does not matter how we come to Christ, if only we come. No matter how inadequately and how imperfectly we come, his love and his arms are open to receive us all, men and women, orthodox and liberals. And when we do come, all come to a standstill; all stop, only we matter for Jesus. This is what Jesus did when the man came in need; Jesus left what he was doing and went immediately to help. The same happened with the woman, when she came and touched Jesus. All at once Jesus halted; and for the moment it seemed that for him no one but that woman and nothing but her need mattered.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Isaiah 55:1-3

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

He was amazed at their lack of faith!

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Food for thought!

Our meditation will focus on the last verse: "He was amazed at their lack of
faith." As you may know, in his entire earthly life, there are only two recorded instances of Jesus being amazed! And both these two instances were in relation to FAITH. It means that, the only thing about us that amazes Jesus, is our (lack of) faith.

The first time Jesus was amazed was / is in today's gospel (Mark 6:5-6). The
gospel says that because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles
among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.

The second Jesus was amazed is found in Luke 7:2-3, 6-10. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

As you can see, in the first place, Jesus was amazed because of a gross
demonstration of unbelief. In the second place Jesus was amazed because of
a great demonstration of faith! What amazes Jesus is our faith, or lack of it.
Please note that because of their lack of faith, Jesus was unable to perform many miracles there. Only a few sick folks were healed. This fact shows us that without our faith Jesus can't do much; just a little; "because of their unbelief he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them." Without our faith Jesus can't help us. It means that faith is the starting point and the basis of all “miracles.” Faith is the only known antidote for failure! Faith is the element, the “chemical” which, when mixed with prayer, gives us direct communication with God. Faith is the only agency through which the divine force of God can be harnessed and used by you and me. We miss much by our lack of faith in Jesus.

New wine is put into fresh wineskins!

Matthew 9:14-17

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Food for thought!

The wo/man who works and walks with Christ works and walks in radiance of joy. This is what Jesus is trying to teach us on innumerable occasions. This time round, he compares this joy to a wedding joy. At the wedding the bride enjoys the company of the bridegroom, and the bridegroom enjoys the company of the bride. All this means that it is good for our souls to be with Jesus, and that Jesus too enjoys our company. Think about it, Jesus enjoys to be with you. Do you enjoy Jesus moment? Do you have in your day any JESUS MOMENT?

It also tells us that no human joy lasts for ever. John's disciples were at this time sad because John was already in prison. For Jesus' disciples that time of sorrow would come when Jesus is imprisoned. It is one of the great inevitabilities of life that the dearest joy must come to an end. All humans and their joy pass away. Jesus alone is the same yesterday, today and for ever; God alone abides amidst all the chances and the changes of life. The dearest human relationships must some day come to an end; it is only the joy of heaven which lasts for ever, and if we have it in our hearts, nothing can take it away.

This also means that days will come, days of challenges, of hardhsips, of suffering. It means that life was not meant to be easy. Life is a challenge. Even for Jesus there was a moment of agony; he could not and did not escape it. Jesus was never under any illusions; clearly at the end of the road he saw the Cross awaiting him. He knew that for him the way of life was the way of the Cross, and yet he did not swerve one step aside from it. Here is the courage of the man who knows what God's way costs, and who yet goes on.

So, we end the week with the call to seize the moment, to seize the present joy, for days will come when it will not be possible. If for you the present moment is of suffering, know as well that no suffering lasts for ever; days will come when it will not be. The same with problems. All problems do end. So, don't be seized by your suffering, your problem or your joy.

So applying Jesus' principles, let us not bring this week's failures into this weekend; let us be elastic and receptive to new ideas, new opportunities but also new challenges. Let us not put the old into the new! It doesn't work. You can't drive forward your car, your life, your business when all the time you're looking into the rear view mirror. Can you?

Experience the Risen Lord!

John 20:24-29

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Food for thought!

Thomas the apostle has always received a lot of bad press. He is given such name as “Doubting Thomas,” "Unbelieving Thomas", and others. But as we are going to see, Thomas' primary problem was not his doubting; Thomas was a realist! He is the kind of man that uses his more his head (reason) than his heart (faith). He was the kind of person that needed evidence first before believing. In the Bible Thomas' character always stands out. For instance:

Once when Jesus spoke of the mansions in his Father's house, Thomas asked: "Lord, we know not where you are going, how can we know the way?" Logical, isn't he?

When Jesus turned to go toward Bethany to the grave of Lazarus, at once Thomas feared the worst and said in Jn 11:16 “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

When Jesus died on the cross, Thomas stayed with the image of bloody Jesus, dying on the cross; he got seized by the moment of the cross. When he heard that the Jesus he saw dying was after all alive, he could not believe it. He demanded to have a personal experience first in order to believe: "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." What Thomas demands is having a direct experience of Jesus prior to believing.

What we learn from Thomas is that there are some things in life you just have to experience for yourself. You cannot borrow the experience of Jesus. We can listen to sermons about Jesus, and we can read all the books on Jesus, and not experience him. Jesus can only be experienced personally. And this is what Thomas was demanding. That's what he meant when he said: "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." Notice the "I" and "my" and "I" and "my." What Thomas is saying is that if I don't experience PERSONALLY Jesus I will not believe.

And this is what Jesus tells Thomas. Jesus knows that Thomas' problem is realism. That is why Jesus teaches him and us that, "In order to experience me, if you want to have a personal encounter with me, BELIEVE first." Thomas thought the opposite; he thought that we experience Jesus first, then we believe. Jesus says, it is the opposite. Believe first and you will be blessed with my presence and experience. Because they're BLESSED indeed who believe without seeing.

All of this tells us this fact: faith is having a positive outlook, is looking at life positively. When you get any challenge as you do many times, any problem, crisis as you do, believe, that is, be positive that something good will come out of it. That is the faith, which will transform your helplessness into hopefulness.

Yes, he knows about our thoughts!

Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus got into the boat and went back across the lake to his own town, where some people brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a bed. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.” Then some teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man is speaking blasphemy!” Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and so he said, “Why are you thinking such evil things? Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!” The man got up and went home. When the people saw it, they were afraid, and praised God for giving such authority to people.

Food for thought!

Jesus continues to teach us. Today, the gospel says that when Jesus told the paralyzed man, "Courage, my son. Your sins are forgiven," some teachers of the Law said to themselves, that is, they spoke in their mind, "This man is speaking blasphemy."

Even without opening their mouths, "Jesus perceived what they were thinking, and so he said, 'Why are you thinking such evil things?'" It means that Jesus perceives our thoughts; and he can perceive if we are thinking good or evil. He told them, Why are you thinking such evil things?

Jesus sees us not only on the outside but also on the inside; he sees us in and out. This is why he told the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven" because he saw the man's sinful past. And this is what makes Jesus special: he knows all about all of us, and yet he loves us. For many of us, the more we know someone, the less we love them. We even say, "I know you too well." For Jesus the more he knows us, the more he loves us.

John 2:24-25

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

John 16:30

Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”
John 6:64


But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

Luke 9:46-47

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side.

Psalm 139:2

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.