Matthew
The Service of Christian Workers
If you tell others about me, I will tell others that you belong to me, but if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don’t belong to me (vv. 32-33). Once we have identified our self with Jesus Christ, we are part of a war that started between God and Satan back in Genesis 3:15 …
Jesus Walks on The Water
As soon as the disciples had finished helping Jesus feed the 5,000, He sent them away in a boat and He went up into the hills alone to pray (vv. 22-23). Jesus spent a good deal of His time alone with the Father in prayer. He had this practice not only to make requests to the father, but even …
Giving to Others in Secret
Don’t be a showoff when you give (vv. 1-4). Jesus warned that to give gifts to the poor and needy just to be seen by men has no reward from the Father in heaven (v. 1). The Pharisees made a great show of their giving in the synagogues and on the streets, thinking they were proving how spiritual …
The Need For Humility
Selfishness and disunity of God’s people was and continues to be a big problem. By nature, all of us are rebels who want to be celebrities instead of servants. The disciples were no exception; they wanted to know who was greatest in the kingdom (v.1). In this passage Jesus teaches three …
The Death of John the Baptist
This event likely took place after the mission of the disciples (Mk. 6:7). The multiplication of Jesus influence through His disciples caused Herod to get upset. When Herod heard about Jesus and His miraculous powers, he was sure that John the Baptist had risen from the dead (vv. 1-2). This was …
What the Kingdom of Heaven is Like
Jesus’s fifth and sixth parables are linked (vv. 44-46). In the fifth parable the kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure hidden in a field & in the sixth parable it is compared to a pearl of great value. In both parables the one who found the treasure and the pearl went and sold all that they …
Jesus Enters Jerusalem on a Donkey
Since it was Passover, there were probably about 2 million people in and around Jerusalem. This crowd was composed of Jews who lived in Jerusalem and those from Galilee and the surrounding countryside. Jesus and the disciples were approaching Jerusalem from the east as they came up the …
Love Your Enemies
The Lord addresses the matter of oath making (vv. 33-36). Don’t make a promise unless you are going to keep it. The basis for Old Testament oathtaking is found in Leviticus 19:12, Deuteronomy 23:21, and Numbers 30:2. Oaths taken in the name of the Lord were binding. By Old Testament …
A Rich Man’s Question
Jesus encountered a rich, young ruler. Possibly the ruler of a synagogue. He asked Jesus what “good thing” he must do to get eternal life (v. 16)? It implies that he wanted to perform some work that might gain him salvation. Jesus replied, “there is only one who is good,” namely, God, and …
The Sabbath Law
Sabbath observance was a binding ceremonial obligation for Israel and most Jews had no idea of the original purpose of the Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples were going through the grain¬ fields on the Sabbath, when His disciples began to pick the grain and eat it (v. 1). The pharisees immediately …