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That's Blasphemy READ Matthew 9:3 3 But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?” After Jesus told the paralyzed man his sins were forgiven, this is the reaction of the onlookers. They realized only God could forgive sins, but they didn’t believe Jesus was God. There are also those today—some standing behind pulpits—who think Jesus was only a good example but not God. REFLECT Do you attend a church that te

Mercy Not Sacrifices READ Matthew 9:12-13 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” The Pharisees were indignant when they saw Jesus associating with tax collectors. Jesus’ remarks were directed at the Phari

Back to Life READ Matthew 9:23-26 23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. The leader of a synagogue had asked Jesus to come to his house b

The Twelve READ Matthew 10:1-4 1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James’s brother), 3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, 4 Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later

Enduring Hatred READ Matthew 10:21-23 21 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.” Jesu

A Sword READ Matthew 10:34-36 34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!’” Some people believe Jesus came only to bring peace. That is not what He said. He refers to Micah 7:6 as He mentioned divisions within families. Many families a

Report What You Have Seen READ Matthew 11:4-6 4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5 the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 6 And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” John the Baptist was in prison and having doubts about whether Jesus was really the Messiah. He sent some disciples to a

Comparisons READ Matthew 11:16-17 16 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’” God had sent John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus who was the promised Messiah-King. His many miracles showed Him to be qualified as this Messiah. The nation of Israel rejected Him, however, and o

The Father and Son READ Matthew 11:27 27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus told who truly knows Him—only the heavenly Father. He also told who truly knows the heavenly Father—only those to whom He chooses to reveal Him. This verse shows no one can completely understand God and all His workings. One would have t

Greater Than the Temple READ Matthew 12:5-6 5 “And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple!” Jesus continued telling the Pharisees what they should have known from their Scriptures. Even the priests were allowed to work on the Sabbath. The Israelites were fixated on the Temple, which was the center of worship for them. As Jesus stood in fron

Many People Followed READ Matthew 12:15-16 15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was. Jesus left the area because the religious leaders wanted to kill Him for healing a man’s hand on the Sabbath. Note that even though the religious leaders rejected Him, “many people followed him.” He healed the sick among them but didn’t want them to t

Divided Then Conquered READ Matthew 12:25-26 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.” The Pharisees accused Jesus of being able to cast out demons by the power of Satan, the prince of demons. Jesus pointed out how illogical it was to think what the Phar

A Tree and its Fruit READ Matthew 12:33-34 33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” Jesus rebuked the self-righteous Pharisees. Their words were bad and their actions were worse. Their words revealed what was in their hearts. Jesus said they were like

Greater than Solomon READ Matthew 12:42 42 “The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.” Jesus continued to rebuke the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees for their lack of faith. He had mentioned Jonah; here He referred to the queen of Sheba and Solomon. The queen had come a long w

Of Seeds and Soil READ Matthew 13:3-5 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.” A “parable” is a short story to illustrate a point. The word literally means “alongside,” so it acco

The Purpose of Parables READ Matthew 13:13-14 13 “That is why I use these parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. 14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.’” Jesus explained to the disciples why He used parables. It was to hide truth from those who had willfully rejected hearing it. He quoted f

Thorny Problems READ Matthew 13:22 22 “The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.” Jesus continued to explain the parable of the sower that He had told. Some hear God’s word but the message gets crowded out by worries and love of wealth. As a result no fruit is produced. Notice the desire Jesus had was to see fruit

A Mustard Seed READ Matthew 13:31-32 31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” Some debate about whether modern science knows of a smaller seed. Jesus said it “is the smallest of all seeds.” It was, however, the smallest known in the East at that time.

Time of Harvest READ Matthew 13:39 39 “The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.” When the Son of Man sowed good seed in the world the weeds grew up with the good grain. Who planted those weeds? Jesus said that it is the devil. Jesus also indicated when the harvest would take place to separate the wheat from the weeds—“the end of the world.” The word in the Greek text of Matthe

A Full Fishing Net READ Matthew 13:47-48 47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away.” Jesus continued to tell about believers and unbelievers in the kingdom of heaven while the king was absent. When the net was full of fish it was dragged up to the shore, the f

Herod's Assessment READ Matthew 14:1-2 1 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.” This Herod was a son of Herod the Great who was responsible for killing the babies of Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Herod Antipas is also known as “the tetrarch” because he ruled one-fourth of Palestine. He was also the one Jesus appeared before in Hi

Attempted Solitude READ Matthew 14:13-14 13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. After Jesus learned of the death of John the Baptist—and likely some of the details—He went alone to a remote area. Even when He wanted to be alone, the crowd

It's a Ghost READ Matthew 14:24-26 24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” Jewish time had about 12 hours of daytime (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). It also had four watches of three ho

Ignoring Traditions READ Matthew 15:1-2 1 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” The Pharisees and teachers of religious law were scrupulous about keeping the Old Testament laws. The “teachers of religious law” were the scribes who copied the Scriptures and were those in author