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Pharisees Offended READ Matthew 15:12 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” Think of the disciples questioning Jesus about what He had just said. They were concerned because the Pharisees had been offended by what He said. Is it possible they thought Jesus could come to be the Messiah of Israel and not offend those who were rejecting Him and always trying to trap Him in some debate? REFLECT

A Shepherd for Israel READ Matthew 15:23-24 23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” 24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” In contrast to Jesus who was compassionate, the disciples seemed often to be impatient and uncompassionate. They wanted this woman sent away who was begging

Nothing Left to Eat READ Matthew 15:32 32 Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” The huge crowd was a concern to Jesus. They had brought people to be healed and had been with Him for three days. Now they had nothing left to eat. Jesus did not want to send them away hungry as the

Forecasting READ Matthew 16:2-3 2 He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; 3 red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!” The Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus to prove His authority by showing them a sign. Here was His answer. Jesus reminded them they could tell what kind of weather was coming by looking

The Son of Man READ Matthew 16:13-14 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Caesarea Philippi was north of the Sea of Galilee. Here Jesus questioned His disciples to learn what others were saying about Him. Their answers were similar to what you would hear if you

Looking Ahead to Jerusalem READ Matthew 16:21 21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. Jesus described what He was facing, but it must have been a shock to the disciples. Some had followed Him because

Moses, Elijah and Jesus READ Matthew 17:3-4 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. 4 Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Notice that Moses and Elijah began talking to Jesus. The Bible does not record what they said or why it was these two specific people from the Old Testament that were the ones who appeared. Peter was

Demon Rebuked READ Matthew 17:17-19 17 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. 19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” This was Jesus’ answer after the man with the suffering son said he brought him to the disciples but they could

The Greatest READ Matthew 18:1 1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” This is an interesting question from the disciples. One could imagine many things about the Kingdom of Heaven, but few would wonder who will be the greatest in that kingdom. One wonders what was on their minds as they asked this question. REFLECT In all of your thinking about heaven, have you wondered who will be the greatest there?

Not One Should Perish READ Matthew 18:12-14 12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.” (You may have noti

Seventy Times Seven READ Matthew 18:21-22 21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” The previous verses dealt with one believer offending another one. Now Peter wants to know how often he should forgive such a person. Some translations indicate Jesus’ answer not as 70 times 7 but as 77 times. There is a large difference between 49

A Question About Divorce READ Matthew 19:1-3 1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went down to the region of Judea east of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him there, and he healed their sick. 3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” Jesus now goes from Galilee in the north toward the south and east of the Jordan River. As usual, large crowd

Jesus and the Children READ Matthew 19:13 13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. This verse reveals how precious children are to Jesus. It also tells of concerned parents bringing their children to Jesus. They wanted Him to pray for them. Regrettably, the disciples—as some people today—think God is too busy to care about little children. The d

Camels and Needles READ Matthew 19:22-24 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The young man had boasted of keeping all the commandments, even loving his neighbor as

Put to Work READ Matthew 20:3-5 3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.” This passage continues Jesus’ parable about the farmer hiring workers. The first group was hired around 6:00 a.m. and agreed

Places of Honor READ Matthew 20:20-21 20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked. She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” The thought now shifts from the parable of the farmer and workers to a question asked by the mother of James and John. Jesus gracious

Instantly READ Matthew 20:32-34 32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him. The two blind men yelled louder when the crowd wanted them to quiet down. Notice Jesus’ question whose answer seems obvious. One medical doctor has said that sometimes people want to be identified by their handi

Den of Thieves READ Matthew 21:12-13 12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” This is the second time Jesus cleansed the temple. The money changers were taking advantage of visito

By What Authority READ Matthew 21:23 23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” The religious leaders were always trying to trap Jesus. Although many of the common people believed in Jesus as the Messiah, the leaders did not. This is why in reading the Scriptures and seeing the word “Jews,” one must determine if it is

Killing the Heir READ Matthew 21:37-39 37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.” Jesus continued the parable of the owner who represented God and a vineyard that represented Israel. A

Ignoring the Invitation READ Matthew 22:4-6 4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.” The invited guests would not come so this is what the king said to his servants. E

Give to Caesar READ Matthew 22:21-22 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” 22 His reply amazed them, and they went away. As the Roman coin was given to Him, Jesus asked whose picture and title were stamped on it. This was their reply, and Jesus’ answer to them. Their attempted trap failed so they went away without accomplishing what they had hoped. This passage reveals the need

A Test from the Pharisees READ Matthew 22:34-36 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” The Pharisees thought they could be more successful than the Sadducees in trapping Jesus so He could be arrested. A lawyer who would have been

Seeking Honor READ Matthew 23:5-7 5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. 7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’” Jesus continued to warn his followers about the teachers of the Old Testament