Matthew
Pray to Your Father in Private
The Gentiles in Jesus day made prayers not to God but to false gods. These prayers consisted of long repetitive phrases (v. 7). The principal here is that a believer should not make a show of prayer or pray in such a way that it draws unnecessary attention to himself. God is not impressed …
Blinded to God’s Truth
Jesus had great sorrow for the Pharisees because they were blinded to God’s truth and their sins. In this passage & the next, we see eight woes that we might contrast to the eight beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. The beatitudes described true righteousness and here Jesus describes false …
Steps to Problem Solving
When Jesus heard the news of John’s murder He quickly withdrew from that area and went by ship to a lonely place (v. 13). The people watched where Jesus and His disciples were going, and a great crowd walked along the shore and met Him when He landed (v. 14). Although Jesus …
The Sermon on the Mount
Jesus’ disciples gathered around Him, and he taught them (vv. 1-2). This passage of Scripture is known as the Sermon on the Mount. It is one of the most misunderstood messages that Jesus ever gave. It does not tell a person how to be saved as some people say but instead it tells us what it is …
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
This passage shows three characteristics of Jesus (1) Realism (v. 31): He foresaw what would inevitably happen and yet he went on. (2) Confidence (v. 32): Jesus always saw beyond the Cross. He was every bit as certain of the glory as He was of the suffering. (3) Sympathy (vv. 33-35): Jesus …
Jesus Condemns the Pharisees About Law
This was our Lord’s last public message which was directed especially to the Pharisees. There were about 6,000 Pharisees in that day and most of them were middle class businessmen. The name Pharisee came from a word that means “to separate” and the Pharisees separated themselves from …
Religious Opposition to Christ’s Followers
Jesus spelled out that living for Him would not be easy and that it would be like sheep living among wolves (v. 16). The words of the Lord had application in His own lifetime and was certainly demonstrated in the lives of the Apostles after Jesus had ascended into heaven. It seems that the …
The Parable of the Wheat & the Weeds
Jesus told a second parable about a farmer sowing wheat in his field (vv. 24-30). Later in the chapter (vv. 36-43) Jesus explained the meaning of the parable to the disciples. The Kingdom of heaven is like a farmer (Jesus) who sows good seed (believers) in a field (the world). But in the …
Jesus Puts a Curse on a Fig Tree
Jesus began to drive the money changers out of the temple and the blind and lame came to him to be healed (vv. 12-14) The priests and religious leaders saw His miracles and were indignant (vv. 15-16). God desires that His name be honored and that His people be treated well (v. 12). He then …
Doubting of John The Baptist
1. Obvious doubt. (vv. 1-3) “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or …