Matthew 14:14

Matthew 14:14 says, And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.  When Jesus saw the graet multitude around Him, He was moved with compassion for them.  When we see great multitudes of people today, we should be moved with compassion for them if we are followers of Christ, especially for the unsaved in the multitudes.  Verse fifteen states. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.  That evening, Jesus' disciples came to Him saying that it was past meal time so He should send the multitudes away so they could buy food for themselves.  The disciples may have had compassion, but they weren't going to attempt meet the needs of the multitude themselves.  When we see people around us today, do we simply want to send them away so that they don't bother us?  Do we. like the disciples, attempt to tell Jesus what to do about them?  Verse sixteen declares, But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.  Jesus said for the disciples to not send them away but to feed them.  Jesus still expects us to feed those who are hungry today, especially those who are spiritually hungry, without looking for reasons why we cannot do so.  Verse seventeen says, And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.  The disciples basically said that they didn't have enough to feed the people with.  Too often I believe we look at what we have instead of what God can do with what we have if we dedicate it all to Him.  Verse eighteen states, He said, Bring them hither to me.  Jesus told the disciples to bring what they had, five loaves and two fish, to Him.  What we need to do today as Christians is to bring all that we have to Jesus, no matter how little it may be.  Verse nineteen adds, And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.  Jesus had the multitude to sit, the He blessed the food, and had His disciples to begin distributing the food.  The multitude also had to obey Jesus, by sitting and doing what He instructed them to do.  We cannot force others to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, but we can only present the gospel to them.  Verse twenty says, And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.  After all the people ate, the disciples collected what was left over, and it filled twelve baskets.  That would have been a basketful for each disciple.  When we reach out to others with the gospel, it in no way diminishes what we have, but instead multiplies it as well.  There was more left for the disciples than they had before.  Verse twenty-one declares,  And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.  Over five thousand men had eaten, plus the women and children.  We may read this passage of scripture and say that could not happen today because Jesus is not here, but the Holy Spirit, Whom Jesus said was able to do more than He was is with us.  Faith was, is and always will be the key to doing great things for God.  The disciples had to believe that Jesus could feed the multitude with so little, and the multitude to a degree at least had to believe so also.  Verse twenty-two states, And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.  Jesus had his disciples get into a ship to go to the other side of the sea while He sent the multitude away.  We cannot all follow Jesus the same way, but must go where He sends us and do what He tells us to do under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-three adds, And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.  After sending the multitude away, while the disciples were on the ship, Jesus went up the mountain alone to pray.  Jesus needed time alone with the heavenly Father, and so do we today.

Matthew 14:1

 Matthew 14:1 says, At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,  Verse two adds, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.  When Herod heard about Jesus, he thought that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead.  Herod had a reason to be concerned about that.  Verse three states, For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.  Herod had arrested John and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brothers wife, who was now his.  Verse four says, For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.  John had been imprisoned for telling Herod that it wasn't lawful for him to have Herodias, which was the truth.  John was not afraid to proclaim the truth, even to the ruler of the land, and neither should we be as Christians.  Verse five adds, And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  Herod would have put John to death, but he was afraid of the multitudes, who considered John to be a prophet, which he was.  Verse six states, But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.  On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter danced for him which he enjoyed.  Verse seven adds, Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.  Because Herod enjoyed the girl's dancing, he took an oath to give her whatever she asked. He was ruled by sensual emotions, and people today often get themselves in trouble because of sensual emotions or desires.  Verse eight says, And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.  Herodias instructed her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a charger, or plate.  I guess she didn't like what John had said any more than Herod did.  Verse nine declares, And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.  We are told that Herod was saddened by this, but because of his oath he had to carry through.  We may sometimes get ourselves into a situation that we are not happy to be in, but because of circumstances find ourselves unable to get out of the situation. That is why we should be careful what we promise.  Verse ten states, And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.  Herod fulfilled his oath and had John beheaded.  Verse eleven adds, And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.  John the Baptists' head was brought to the daughter, who gave it to Herodias.  It seems a rather grotesque gift, but it was what she wanted.  Verse twelve states, And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.  The disciples of John the Baptist took his body and buried it, and then told Jesus what had happened.  When things go wrong for us today as Christians, the best thing we can do is bring our cares and concerns to Jesus.  Verse thirteen declares, When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.  When Jesus heard the news, he departed into the desert, not because he was afraid, but to be alone with His heavenly Father for awhile I believe.  When they heard that Jesus had gone into the desert, the people followed him on foot out of the cities.  It would be wonderful if people today had the same desire to come to Jesus, but most of the people then and many today come for the wrong reasons.   

Matthew 13:44

Matthew 13:44 says, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.  In this parable, Jesus spoke of a man who found a treasure in a field, hid it, and then sold everything he had in order to buy the field.  The gospel is the treasure, we should hide it in our hearts, and then give everything that we have in this world to God for His use.  Verse forty-five states, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Verse forty-six adds, Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.  Once more, the gospel is the pearl of great price and it should be more valuable than anything we own in this world.  Verse forty-seven says, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:  Verse forty-eight adds, Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.  Then verse forty-nine continues, So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,  Then verse fifty concludes, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Like a fisherman who casts a net and draws in all the fish that he catches and then separates the good from the bad, everyone will one day be gathered together before God where those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord will be separated from those who haven't.  For those who haven't, it will be a day of weeping and gnashing of teeth since they will be cast into the fiery furnace, or hell.  Verse fifty-one asks, Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.  Like Jesus' question then, the question today is do we understand what Jesus is saying.  If we are a follower of Christ, then we can answer yes.  Verse fifty-two says, Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.  In order to understand the gospel and God's will in our lives, we must understand both the Old and New testament, or in other words all of God's teachings;  Verse fifty-three declares, And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.  When Jesus finished the parables, he left where He was.  When we understand the gospel and accept Jesus Christ, then we cannot stay where we were spiritually but must move on to share the gospel with others.  Verse fifty-four says, And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  Jesus returned to His own country and taught in the synagogue, and the people there questioned who had given Him this wisdom and the ability to do these mighty works.  Verse fifty-five adds, Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  Then verse fifty-six continues, And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  The people in His home area only saw Jesus as a carpenter's son, whose mother, brothers and sister still lived there.  For some people today, Jesus is a historical figure, but they do not see Him as anything more than a carpenter's Son Who may have had some good teachings.  Knowing the historical facts about Jesus does not save us, but accepting the spiritual facts about Him is the only way to salvation.  Verse fifty-seven declares, And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.  The people there were offended by Jesus, just as today many people in the world, and in America, which calls itself a Christian nation, are offended by Jesus.  Verse fifty-eight adds, And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Like the people in Jesus' home area, if we do not believe in Him as the Only begotten Son of God, then our disbelief will prevent Him from doing anything in our lives.  Jesus ability to save will never be any less anywhere, but He cannot save anyone who does not believe in Him or work in the lives of those who do if they begin to lose faith in Him.

Matthew 13:31

Matthew 13:31 says,  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:  Jesus told the people another parable, this time about a grain of mustard seed.  Verse thirty- two adds, Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.  Jesus said that the mustard seed was the smallest seed, but that it grew into the largest of the herbs.  Verse thirty-three states, Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.  Then Jesus shared the parable of the leaven, which a small amount of could leaven a whole loaf.  He did not immediately tell the disciples and the crowds the meaning of the parables, but gave them time to think about them on their own.  Verse thirty-four adds, All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:  We are told that Jesus spoke only in parables.  Verse thirty-five says, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.  This was also the fulfilment of a prophesy about the Messiah.  Through the parables, Jesus was revealing the secrets of the world.  Verse thirty-six states, Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.  Jesus sent the multitudes away and went into a house, where the disciples came to Him and asked him to tell them the meaning of the parable of the tares in the field.  If we do not understand God's word, then we need to go to Him in faith and He will help us to understand it.  Verse thirty-seven declares, He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;  Jesus said the the Son of Man, the Messiah, Jesus Himself was the One Who sowed the good seed.  We need to acknowledge that all good comes from God, and the gospel is the good seed that leads us to God.  Verse thirty-eight adds, The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;  Jesus said the field was the world, and the good seed were the children of God' kingdom and the bad seed were the children of the wicked one, or the devil.  These were the only two choices, and still are.  Verse thirty-nine continues, The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.  Jesus said the Devil sowed the tares and that the harvest was the end of the world and that the angels were the reapers.  That day is coming, and those who accept Christ as their Savior and Lord will be separated from those who don't.  Verse forty declares, As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.  Again, there only two possible outcomes in judgment.  We are either gathered together into God's kingdom, or we are sent away into everlasting punishment, based on our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse forty-one adds, The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;  Jesus said the angels will gather those who offended and did iniquity.  This will be those who had not accepted forgiveness by putting their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Verse forty-two continues, And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Those who do not believe will be cast into the fiery furnace, or hell.  Verse forty-three declares, Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.  The righteous, those who have accepted salvation through faith in Christ, will be gathered into heaven.  Jesus said to let those who had ears hear, and we can only understand the word of God by putting our faith in Christ.  Until we do. we will never understand the message of faith.  

Matthew 13:17

 Matthew 13:17 says, For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.  Jesus said that many prophets and righteous men had desired to hear and see what the disciples and those around them had seen, but they had not seen nor heard what they had.  Jesus was the One they had been looking for, and He is the One that we look back to.  We have not physically seen Jesus, but we see Him spiritually by faith.  Verse eighteen states, Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.  Jesus told them to hear, or understand, the parable of the sower.  Just hearing God's word is not enough,  We must also understand what it means.  Verse nineteen says, When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  Jesus said anyone who heard His word and did not understand it was like the seed sown by the wayside.  He also said the wicked one took them away, and Satan does take away those who do not understand the gospel.  Verse twenty states, But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  Verse twenty-one adds, Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  Jesus said that those that made a quick profession of faith were like the seed planted in stony ground.  They were faithful until trouble came, and then they were offended by the gospel.  Verse twenty-two says, He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.  Jesus said that those who received the gospel until the riches and cares of the world deceived them, or led them away from a complete faith in Christ were like the seed that among the thorns.  They were unfruitful.  Verse twenty-three declares, But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Jesus then said that those who heard and understood the word and brought forth fruit were like the seed that landed in good soil.  This would be any Christian who put complete faith in Jesus..  Notice that bringing forth fruit is part of the requirement, but the amount of fruit varies.  Verse twenty-four says, Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:  Verse twenty-five adds, But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.  In this parable, it wasn't the seed that were planted that was the issue, but the fact that an enemy came and sowed bad seed among the good.  The world today sows bad seed, or false teachings, even among the people of God.  We just have to be able to recognize it when it happens.  Verse twenty-six states, But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.  Jesus said that when the seed brought forth fruit, both the good and bad seed did so.  I believe this would refer to those who professed to believe the word of God, but added to or took away from the gospel.  Verse twenty-seven asks, So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?  The Man's servants came to him and asked if He did not sow good seed, and if He did where did the tares come from.  We can be certain that the gospel is always the good seed, but many would sow other seed amongst it.  Verse twenty-eight declares, He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?  The Man said that the enemy had done this and the servants asked if they should go and gather them up.  Verse twenty-nine states, But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.  Then verse thirty adds, Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.  The Man told the servants to let them grow, and at harvest time He would separate the tares and bind and burn them, and then He would gather the wheat into His barn.  Jesus is the Man in this parable and the gospel is the seed and those who believe in the gospel are the wheat.  Jesus said that we will grow along with the bad seed until harvest time, and then we will be separated from the bad seed or tares.  Those who truly accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord will be gathered into heaven, and those who don't will be sent way to everlasting punishment.

Matthew 13:1

 Matthew 13:1 says, The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.  Verse two adds, And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  When Jesus went out by the sea, the multitudes followed Him, so He went out on a ship and they stood by the shore.  We never seem to have a problem of too many people following Jesus today, but then they were following Him for the wrong reasons.  Verse three states, And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  Jesus spoke to them in many parables, this one speaking of a sower.  Verse four adds, And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:  Jesus said as the man sowed, some seed fell by the wayside and the fowls devoured them up.   Verse five continues, Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:  Some seed fell on the stony grown and sprang up quickly because there was no depth to the soil.  Verse six adds, And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  When the sun came up the plants quickly withered away.  Verse seven states, And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  Some seed fell among the thorns and were choked off by the thorns.  Verse eight declares, But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  Fortunately for the sower, some seed fell on good soils and brought forth fruit, though to varying degrees.  This is the way that it is with the gospel.  Some people refuse to hear.  Some hear and seemingly quickly accept but the gospel has no depth and it quickly dies out.  Others seem to accept the gospel even in life a life filled with problems, but the problems choke it out.  Then, there are those who truly allow the gospel to take root in their lives, and they bring forth fruit, though not all to the same degree. We, as followers of Christ, must be the good seed and bring forth fruit for the kingdom of God.  Verse nine states, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.   Jesus said it was up to people to understand what was being said, since nearly all could hear the words.  It is not enough to just hear God's word.  We must understand and accept it for it to be of value to us.  Verse ten asks, And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  The disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables.  Verse eleven declares, He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  Jesus said that it was because it was given to His disciples to know the kingdom of heaven.  I don't believe that Jesus was saying that some people are deliberately denied the ability to understand the gospel, but that understanding must come by faith.  Verse twelve adds, For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  Again, I believe that this refers to having faith in Christ and God's word.  Verse thirteen states, Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  I believe that Jesus was saying that a person had to do more than just hear the words or even see the signs of God.  They had to look with faith through a relationship with Jesus.  Verse fourteen declares, And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  Jesus said this also fulfilled a prophesy of Isaiah.  Verse fifteen adds, For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  Jesus said that it was up to each individual to understand the gospel, and if they did he or she would be converted and healed.  Verse sixteen concludes, But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.  Jesus was talking to His disciples then and to all who have come since.  We are blessed when we accept the gospel of Christ and believe in Him.

Matthew 12:38

Matthew 12:38 says, Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.  Some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign that He was the Messiah.  The only sign that they would really get was the sign of the cross and empty tomb after His death, and they, like we, would have to accept Him by faith.  Verse thirty-nine declares, But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:  Jesus said an evil and perverse generation sought after a sign, and that His three days in the tomb like Jonah's three days in the belly of the whale before he was delivered to life again would be the only sign.  Verse forty adds, For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  This is what I just stated.  We either believe this or not, but it is the only way to salvation and we will be given no other sign.  Verse forty-one continues, The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  Jesus said the men of Nineveh would rise up in judgment against these scribes and Pharisees, because the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, and they did not repent at the preaching of Jesus, One Who was much greater than Jonah.  Verse forty-two says, The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.  Jesus said that they would also be judged by the queen of the south who came from the farthest reaches of the world to hear Solomon, and One much greater than Solomon was there.  We live in a time after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so we will be held more accountable than those who did not believe in Him before He came I believe, just as the scribes and Pharisees were in that day.  Verse forty-three declares, When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.  Verse forty-four adds, Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.  Verse forty-five continues, Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.  Jesus compared the people of that day to one who had a demon cast out, and the demon not finding rest returned to the one that he was cast out of.  Finding the man appearing to be sane, the demon would return with seven other spirits more wicked than himself and possess the man.  I believe that what Jesus was saying is that we cannot clean our own life simply by having things appear normal.  We may cast out one sin, but if we are not empowered by the Holy Spirit after accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we will ultimately just give in to a greater sin.  Verse forty-six states, While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.  While Jesus was talking to the people around Him, His mother and brothers came desiring to talk to Him.  Verse forty-seven adds, Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.  Someone told Jesus that His mother and brothers wanted to talk to Him.  We are not told why they wanted to talk to Jesus, only that they did.  As his earthly relatives, they may have felt that Jesus owed them more, or they might have simply been there to ask Him to come home where it would be safe, but that is speculation on my part.  Verse forty-eight asks, But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?  Jesus asked who His mother and brethren were, and it was not to be based on earthly ties, but on spiritual ones as we will see in the next verse.  Verse forty-nine declares, And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!  Then verse fifty adds, For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.  The only way to have a personal relationship with Christ is through faith in the heavenly Father.  I know some people pray to Mary, but I believe that we see here that she has no more influence with Jesus than any other believer.  If we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we have as much access to Him through the Holy Spirit as anyone else does.

Matthew 12:22

 Matthew 12:22 says, Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.  A man who could not see or speak and was possessed of a devil was brought to Jesus, and Jesus restored the man's sight and his ability to speak, proved by the fact that the man could both see and speak   Verse twenty-three states,  And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?  the people were all amazed, and asked if He were not the Son of David, or the Messiah.  Before we can accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we must first acknowledge Who He is.  Verse twenty-four states, But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.  The Pharisees once more attempted to discredit Jesus, claiming that he cast out devils by the power of the devil.  We should never attempt to claim that Jesus is empowered by anyone but the heavenly Father Himself.  Verse twenty-five declares,  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:  Jesus knew their thoughts, just as He knows ours today, and stated that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.  We need to remember that today.  Verse twenty-six adds,  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?  Jesus then asked if Satan was divided against himself, how could his kingdom stand.  Christians may sometimes be divided among themselves, but Satan never is.  Verse twenty-seven continues,  And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.  Jesus asked if He was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, then by whose authority did the people of Israel cast them out, and to let the people be the judge.  Verse twenty-eight declares, But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.  Jesus then said if He cast out devils by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God was come to them.  Ultimately, we must decide Who Jesus is individually, and if He is the Messiah, then the kingdom of God has come for us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.  Jesus said that in order to steal from a strong man while he was in the house, you needed to first bind the strong man.  Of course, Jesus cannot be bound except by our lack of faith in Him, and then He is really not bound, but the gift of salvation is bound for anyone who rejects Him.  Verse thirty proclaims, He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.  Jesus made it very clear that there is no neutral ground.  Each individual is either for Jesus or against Him.  Verse thirty-one adds, Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  If we blaspheme against the Holy Ghost we will not be forgiven.  Verse thirty-two continues, And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.  Jesus said that a person could be forgiven for speaking against Him,, but speaking against the Holy Ghost could not be forgiven, now or in the world to come.  I believe that is because once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and then we should always give God credit for everything in our life.  We all at one time spoke against Jesus.  Verse thirty-three states, Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.  Jesus said that we would be known by our fruit.  Verse thirty-four declares, O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  Jesus called the people of Israel, and the Pharisees in particular, a generation of vipers.   Jesus also said that we will speak what is in our heart.  Verse thirty-five continues, A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.   Jesus said a good man, one who had accepted Him as Savior and Lord, would bring forth good things, and an evil man would bring forth evil things. Verse thirty-six declares,  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  Jesus said that we would be accountable for every idle word that we speak.  Verse thirty-seven adds, For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.  This was speaking about blasphemy, and we cannot attribute the things of God to the world or Satan and be held blameless.  

Matthew 12:9

 Matthew 12:9 says, And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:  Verse ten adds, And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.  Still on the Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue where He met a man with a withered hand.  The Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal a man on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees didn't really care about the man, but were simply trying to trick Jesus.  Many people today will use any method possible to attempt to discredit Jesus.  Verse eleven declares, And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?  Jesus replied with a question of His own.  If the Pharisees, or anyone there, had one sheep and it fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would the person not lift it out.  This would be work under Jewish law and would be wrong.  We must never become too legalistic in our relationship to God, but must act out of love and concern for other people under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twelve adds, How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.  Jesus said a man was more important than a sheep, and therefore it was lawful to do good for him on the Sabbath day.  Verse thirteen continues, Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.  Jesus then told the man to stretch forth his hand, and when he did, it was made whole.  Jesus could have just said that the hand was made whole, but He required the man to act in faith that it would be.  Jesus came to save all people, but we must act in faith in order to accept that gift of salvation.  Verse fourteen states, Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.   Instead of rejoicing that the man had been healed, the Pharisees got together to try to figure out how they could destroy Jesus.  It is bad that the lost people of the world attempt to destroy Jesus, but it is even worse when those who call themselves God's people do.  Verse fifteen declares, But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;  When Jesus knew what the Pharisees were up to, He left the synagogue and great multitudes followed Him.  Hopefully, Jesus will not have to leave the places where we gather in His name today in order to keep us from preventing people from coming to Him.  Verse sixteen adds, And charged them that they should not make him known:  Jesus told the multitudes to not make Him known.  Verse eighteen states, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  This would also be the fulfillment of a prophesy of Isaiah,  Verse eighteen adds, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  Jesus said that He was the Servant that Isaiah prophesied about, and that He would show God's judgment to the Gentiles.  Jesus came first to the Jews, but He came to save all people who would put their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord.  Verse nineteen states, He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.  Verse twenty adds, A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.  Jesus did not come with great fanfare, but as lowly Servant to all.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.  Because of the actions of Jesus, and also partly because of the actions of the Jews, God's chosen people, the gospel would be spread to the Gentiles.  Unlike the people around Jesus then, we as His followers have the command to make Him known to the world.

Matthew 12:1

Matthew 12:1 says,  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.  As Jesus and His disciples were travelling on a sabbath, they were hungry and began to pluck ears of corn to eat.  This was prohibited by Jewish law since it was work, especially the way it had been interpreted.  Verse two states, But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. The Pharisees, who were seemingly always watching Jesus to find fault with what His disciples and He did, told Jesus that what His disciples were doing was unlawful.  We need to be careful that we do not attempt to spend all our time trying to find fault with other Christians.  Verse three declares, But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;  Jesus answered the Pharisees by referring to the scripture, asking if they had not read about David when he was hungry.  If we question others, or they question us, the answer to determine who is right or wrong should be based on the scripture, the Bible.  Verse four adds, How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?  Jesus said that when David and those with him were hungry that he went into God's house and ate the shewbread, which was only lawful for the priests to do.  David was viewed as the greatest king, and yet he had done something that would be considered wrong when following the literal interpretation of the law.  We must not become too legalistic that we ignore the acts of faith under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse five continues, Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?  Jesus continued to refer to the scripture, asking if the Pharisees had not read in the scripture that the priests did what would be considered work on the sabbath, and yet they were blameless.  Jesus is much greater than any priest, so how could the Pharisees claim that what He was doing of necessity was wrong.  Verse six proclaims, But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.  The Pharisees were proud of the temple, but Jesus said that in that place was One greater than the temple, and that was Jesus Himself.  We need to be careful that we do not begin to hold the things associated with the church building as being more important than the people of the church.  Verse seven adds, But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.  Jesus asked the Pharisees if they knew the meaning of the scripture that God would have mercy over sacrifice.  Our sacrifices cannot bring us forgiveness, but only the mercy of God can.  Verse eight declares, For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.  Jesus stated that the Son of Man, the Messiah, Jesus Himself, was the Lord of the sabbath.  We cannot become so legalistic that we forget about God's mercy.  It is important to observe the sabbath, or the Lord's Day in our case, but we should never use observing it as a reason to condemn others.  

Matthew 11:16

Matthew 11:16 says, But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,  Verse seventeen adds, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.  Jesus asked who He could compare that generation to.  He said that they would claim that the people did not become festive when they said they should, nor did they mourn when others told them to.  Verse eighteen declares, For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  Jesus said that John the Baptist came and did not eat or drink a lot of normal foods, and the people accused him of being demon possessed.  Verse nineteen adds, The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.  Jesus said He, the Son of Man, came and ate and drank and was accused of being a winebibber and a friend of the publicans and sinners.  God's people were attempting to judge John the Baptist and Jesus by their own standards instead of by their actions toward God and His word.  We cannot judge people as to their relationship to God by what they eat or drink, nor by whom they eat or drink with, but only by their relationship to Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty proclaims, Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:  Jesus began to unbraid the cities where His most mighty works were done because they still did not repent.  God's mightest work was given to us by providing a way to salvation through faith in Christ, but many people still refuse to accept Him as their Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-one adds, Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  Jesus said that if the works done in Chroazin and Bethsaida, two cities of the Jews, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, two cities of the Gentiles, that the people of those two cities of the Gentiles would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, but the cities of the Jewish people did not.  Verse twenty-two continues, But I say you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.  Jesus said that it would be more tolerable for those in Tyre and Sidon than it would be for those in Chroazin and Bethsaida.  We in America call ourselves a Christian nation, and have had access to the gospel for the whole time we have been a nation, so we will be found more responsible for our rejection of Christ if we reject Him than those who have not had easy access to the gospel.  Verse twenty-three declares, And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  Jesus said that Capernaum, which exalted itself as a city of God, would be brought down to hell, and that if the mighty works done in Capernaum had been done in Sodom that Sodom would still be standing. which implies that the people of Sodom would have repented.  Verse twenty-four adds, But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.   Though destroyed for its wickedness, Jesus said it would be more tolerable in Sodom on judgement day than it would be in some of the cities that called themselves cities of God.  Verse twenty-five states, At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.  Jesus said that He thanked the heavenly Father for making the way to salvation understandable to even the simplest of people whereas it was often hidden to those who thought themselves to be wise.  Salvation can never be based on anything other than a relationship with Jesus Christ by faith in Him as Savior and Lord, and for too many people, this is just too simple for them to accept.  Verse twenty-six continues, Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.  Jesus said that the plan of salvation was the plan of the heavenly Father.  Verse twenty-seven declares, All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.  Jesus said that the only way to know the heavenly Father was through faith in the Son, and the only way to know the Son was to know the Father.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One God, and we must accept this by faith if we are to be saved.  We do not have to be able to fully explain the triune nature of God in order to be saved,  Verse twenty-eight states, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Jesus called on those weighed down by the burdens of life to come to Him to find rest.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  Jesus said that if people would yoke themselves with Him that they would find rest, and that He was meek and lowly of heart.  If we are truly following Christ, we must take on the nature of Christ, which means that we should be meek and not think too highly of our self.  Verse thirty concludes, For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  The burden that Jesus puts on us is simply to put our life in His hands through faith and then to live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  As long as we live by faith, the problems that we face in life will always be easy, because we are already a part of the kingdom of God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.

Matthew 11:1

 Matthew 11:1 says, And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.  After Jesus gave His command about how they were to go about proclaiming the gospel, He Himself went to teach and preach in the cities around Him.  We, as followers of Christ, have His command to go into the world and proclaim the gospel, and it is not just the responsibility of the preachers to do so.  Verse two states, Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,  John the Baptist was in prison by this time, but he heard of the work of Jesus and sent two of his disciples to Jesus.  Verse three adds, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?  John asked Jesus if the was the Messiah, or if they should look for another one to be the Messiah.  Ultimately, this is the question that everyone must ask, and the answer is that Jesus is the only Messiah, or Savior, that ever was, is or will be.  Verse four declares, Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:  Jesus told John's two disciples to return to John and tell him what that had seen Jesus do.  It was still up to John whether he believed that Jesus was the Messiah or not, just as it is up to each individual today.  Verse five adds, The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  Jesus told them to tell John what He had been doing, including preaching the gospel.  What evidence would we offer today if we were asked to give proof that we are truly a Christian?  Verse six proclaims, And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.  If we are not ashamed of being a follower of Christ today, we will be spiritually blessed.  Verse seven says, And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?   When the two disciples of John left, Jesus asked the people why they had gone into the wilderness to see him.  Verse eight adds, But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.  Jesus asked if they went because they thought John would be somewhat weak and dressed in finery, and then He warned them against putting their faith in those such people.  Verse nine continues, But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  Jesus said that they went to see a prophet, and someone who was much more.  When we go to hear someone preach today, it should be because they are proclaiming the gospel and not because of how they may be dressed.  Verse ten continues, For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  Jesus said that John was the messenger sent to tell the people to prepare for the coming Messiah.  Verse eleven declares, Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  Jesus said that there was no greater man than John the Baptist, except Jesus Himself of course, and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than John.  Verse twelve adds, And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  Jesus said that since the coming of John, the kingdom of God had been under attack, so we shouldn't be surprised if it is today.  Verse thirteen continues, For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  Verse fourteen continues, And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.  Jesus said that all the prophets before John had prophesied about the coming Messiah, and that John was the one who had proclaimed that He was here.   Verse fifteen concludes, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  We today must hear and believe in Jesus as the Savior of the world if His coming is to have any effect in our lives.

Matthew 10:29

 Matthew 10:29 says, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  Jesus was still talking about God providing for the needs of the disciples while they were out sharing the gospel.  Jesus said that not even a sparrow could fall to the ground without God knowing it.  Verse thirty adds, But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Jesus then told the disciples that God even knew the number of hairs on their head.  Verse thirty-one then declares, Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.  Jesus then told the disciples to not be afraid to go as God directed them, because they were more valuable than many sparrows.  We today can be certain that when we are doing what God calls us to do as followers of Christ that He will meet our needs everyday.  Verse thirty-two proclaims, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  Jesus tells us that if we declare Him before men, which would happen after we accepted Him as our Savior and Lord, then He would confess for us before the heavenly Father.  Verse thirty-three adds, But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.  Jesus then states that if we do not accept Him and declare that to the world that He will deny us before the heavenly Father.  Verse thirty-four declares, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  Jesus said that He didn't come to bring peace in the world, but to bring a sword.  We are called on to live at peace with the world as much as possible, but we need to realize that proclaiming the truth of God is always going to put us at odds with the world.  Jesus is not the cause of the world being at war with Him, but it is their actions toward those who follow Him that cause the problem.  Verse thirty-five declares, For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  If we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, and our family members have not, then Jesus tells us that we will be at variance with them.  Our values will no longer be the same as theirs.  Verse thirty-six adds, And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.  Jesus said that if we follow Him and members of our household do not, then they will be our foes.  Verse thirty-seven continues, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Jesus tells us that He must come first in our lives, above even the closest family relationships.  Verse thirty-sight declares, And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  The cross brought the death of Jesus in this earthly body, and we are to likewise die to the flesh by placing our life on the line for Jesus daily.  We are to die to the earthly desires and to live by faith in Jesus.  Verse thirty-nine adds, He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  If we place our life above a relationship with Christ, then we will ultimately lose our spiritual being, or our soul.  If we put our relationship with Christ first, then we will have everlasting life with Him.  Verse forty states, He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  Jesus told the disciples that if someone received them as they were sharing the gospel that  they received Him as well.  I believe that this is because those who did not believe in Christ would not accept those who were witnessing for Him.  Verse forty-one adds, He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  Again. I believe this means that if they accept the disciples, those made righteous because of their faith in Christ, then they too would have the reward of the righteous.  I believe this is more than just accepting the disciples into their homes, but also means accepting Jesus as their Savior and Lord and acting from faith in their belief.  Verse forty-two concludes, And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.  Jesus did not nor does not expect us to make those who proclaim His word, or even those who have simply put their faith in Him, to be made rich, but He does expect us to give what we can to help spread the gospel. 

Matthew 10:16

 Matthew 10:16 says, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  Jesus told His disciples that He was sending them forth as sheep among wolves, so if someone calls us a sheep today as followers of Christ, we should not see that as an insult.  I believe that Jesus meant that we are to be wise to the ways of the world, but that we are not to let that make us want to do harm to anyone.  Verse seventeen adds, But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;  Jesus did not tell the disciples to expect material wealth and happiness based on their worldly status, but to beware of the people of the world who would deliver them up councils, or worldly authorities, and synagogues, or religious authorities.  I often hear people say that Jesus wants me to be happy and have what I want in the world, but I do not find this in the Bible.  We are still His disciples and are no better than the first disciples.  Verse eighteen continues, And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.  Jesus said that they would be brought before governors and kings for His sake.  We may speak about how bad things are for Christians today, but in America, we still have not experienced real persecution like the first disciples and many Christians do in other parts of the world today.  Verse nineteen declares, But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.  Jesus did not say if they were delivered up, but when they were.  They were not to be concerned what to say, because what they said would be delivered to them.  The first disciples did not proclaim God's word by their own abilities, but by the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the words to say today.  Verse twenty adds, For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.  When we speak in the world today as Christians, do we speak under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit?  I believe that if we do that what we say will always point people to Christ and bring honor to God.  Verse twenty-one proclaims, And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.  Jesus said that families would be divided because of the relationship with Him or the lack thereof.  Faith in Christ should separate us from the rest of the world, and sometimes it effects our relationship even with our closest family members.  Verse twenty-two adds, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  Once more, Jesus did not tell the disciples that they might be hated by the people of the world, but that they would be.  Jesus also promised that those that endured to the end would be saved.  I believe that if we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord that we will endure whatever the world throws at us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-three says, But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.  Jesus told the disciples that if they were persecuted in one city to flee to another and that they would not have gone over the cities of Israel before the Son of man had come.  At this point, the disciples still did not realize Who Jesus really was and the the Son of man, the Messiah, had already come.  Verse twenty-four declares, The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  If we preach a prosperity gospel, we are saying that we are more important to God than Jesus is, and if we are Christians, then He is our Master.  Verse twenty-five adds, It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?  The disciple should never be above the Master, but we should not follow the leadership of the worldly master, but of the heavenly One, Who is Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-six declares, Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.  Jesus told the disciples then and tells us today as His disciples that we are not to fear the powers of the world, and that nothing can ever be hidden from God.  It is not enough to just claim to be a Christian, but we must truly put our faith in Christ no matter what.  Verse twenty-seven adds, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.  Jesus told the disciple that what He was teaching was in darkness, or not yet revealed to the whole world, but that they were to listen to Him and then proclaim the gospel from the rooftops.  What they were to preach was to be given to them by the Holy Spirit I believe.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Jesus once again told the disciples not to fear those who could only destroy the body, but to fear those who could destroy the body and soul.  As Christians, we should never be afraid of the powers of the world as long as we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit and are living under His power.  God does not call us to be fearful Christians.

Matthew 10:1

Matthew 10:1 says, And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.  When Jesus had called His twelve disciples, He gave them great power.  As followers of Christ today, we have also been given great power through the power of the Holy Spirit and for God's glory.  Whatever we do must be done by faith and must be in accordance with God's will.  Verse two states, Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;   Verse three adds, Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;  Verse four concludes, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.  Matthew simply gives us the names of the disciples and tells us a little about some of them.  Judas, who spent as much time with Jesus as the other twelve betrayed Him, and some today who profess to be a Christian will betray Jesus if the price is right or the cost of following Him becomes too great.  Verse five declares, These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:  Jesus told His disciples to not go to the Gentiles and the Samaritans at first.  Verse six adds, But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  The disciples were commanded to first go to the lost people of Israel, who were called to be God's people but who had ceased to follow God.  Verse seven commands, And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Then verse eight adds, Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  The message of the disciples was to be that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.  The Jewish people had been awaiting the Messiah, and He was there.  The kingdom of heaven has been at hand every since.  The disciples were to have great power by their faith in Christ.  It may be that we need first to go to those who profess to be God's people today and call them to repentance and obedience before we can effectively reach the lost people of the world.  If we lack power in the world today, it may be because we lack faith.  Verse nine says, Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,  Verse ten adds, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.  The disciples were to go strictly by faith, relying on Jesus to provide for their needs.  We need that same kind of faith today, where we walk by faith and not by sight.  Verse eleven states, And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.  The disciples were to ask who was worthy of allowing them to stay with them and were to abide there when they went into a city.  Remember, the disciples were going to those who professed to be God's people, and putting up strangers should not have been viewed as an imposition but a requirement if not an honor.  Verse twelve says, And when ye come into an house, salute it.  The disciples were to be respectful to the ones who put them up.  We are not to act as though people owe us anything even if we doing God's will in our life, but we are to be grateful to those who help us along the way.  Verse thirteen declares, And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.  I believe this means that not everyone who claimed to welcome the disciples into their home would really want them there, and if they didn't the disciples were to leave.  Verse fourteen continues, And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.  If the people would not listen to the disciples, they were to simply leave.  These were God's chosen people that the disciples were being sent to, so they should have been familiar with God's word, and if they did not listen to the disciples, they were in effect rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.  Verse fifteen declares, Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  Those who reject the gospel, especially those who profess to be God's people, will find their punishment to be worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Matthew 9:26

 Matthew 9:26 says, And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.  As Jesus' fame was spreading, He was once again moving away from the fame.  As He was doing so, two blind men called out to Him, calling Him the Son of David, which would imply that they recognized Jesus as the long awaited Messiah.  The two men were first looking to have their physical sight restored, but they and we must come to Jesus first and foremost to have our spiritual sight restored.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.  When Jesus got to the house where He was staying, the two blind men came to Him, and Jesus asked them a question of whether or not they thought He could restore their sight, and they said they believed.  In order for Jesus to restore our spiritual sight by forgiving our sins and allowing us to enter into a right relationship with God, we must first believe that He can do so.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  Jesus touched their eyes, but He said that their faith was what was going to restore their eyesight.  Without faith, even if Jesus touched their eyes they would have still been blind.  Jesus at some point touches everyone to bring forgiveness for their sins, but unless a person believes that Jesus can bring them forgiveness they will go away spiritually blind still.  Faith in Jesus was, is, and always will be the key to salvation.  Verse thirty continues, And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.  Their sight was restored, and Jesus told them to tell no one how it had happened.  Jesus was not there to bring physical healing, but to bring spiritual healing.  Of course, today when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord by faith then we have the commission to go and tell everyone.  Verse thirty-one concludes, But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.  When the two men left they spread the fame of Jesus into all the country where they went.  We should have the same desire to spread the fame of Jesus into the world today, and we even have the commission to do so.  Verse thirty-two says, As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.   Verse thirty-three adds, And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.  A man who couldn't speak and was possessed of a devil was brought to Jesus, and Jesus cast out the devil and the man spoke.  The people marveled at what Jesus had done and said that they had never seen anything like that in all of Israel.  When we come to Jesus for forgiveness of our sins today we must acknowledge that no one else can bring us spiritual healing.  Verse thirty-four declares, But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.  The Pharisees, some of the religious leaders of that day, accused Jesus of casting out the devils by the power of the prince of the devils, or Satan.  Some religious leaders today do not accept Jesus as the only way to salvation, but He is.  Verse thirty-five states, And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Jesus went from city to city teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God, while also healing every sickness and disease among the people.  We today need to be teaching the word of God to the people of the world that we encounter, and we must especially do so when we gather together as God's people.  Verse thirty-six declares, But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.  When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion, because He saw the people scattered as sheep without a shepherd.  We today should be moved with the same compassion for the lost people of the world today.  Verse thirty-seven adds, Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;  Jesus saw the need for more workers to spread the gospel, and there is still that need today.  Verse thirty-eight concludes, Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.  Jesus told the disciples to pray to the lord of the harvest, which is God Himself, to send more laborers.  If we are to reach the world with gospel today we need to pray to God that He will send more laborers.

Matthew 9:18

 Matthew 9:18 says, While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.  While Jesus was still speaking, a certain ruler came to Him, worshipping Him and asking Him to bring his daughter to life again.  The ruler said that he knew if Jesus would just lay His hand on her that she would live again.  We today need to acknowledge that Jesus did not come just to heal us physically, but to heal us spiritually, and if we come to Him in faith, He will do so.  This is not to say that God cannot heal us physically, but the emphasis should always be on spiritual healing, and then no matter what happens to this old physical body, we still have everlasting life through Christ.  Verse nineteen declares, And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.  This time, Jesus and His disciples went with the man.  He could have raised the girl without following the man had He chosen to.  We must allow God to work in His own way in every situation.  We cannot say that since Jesus acted in a certain way in a past situation that He must act the same way in all situations, but must simply put our faith in Him to do what is best in all situations.  Verse twenty says, And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:  While Jesus was on the way to the rulers house, He was touched by a woman who suffered from an issue of blood for twelve years.  She had faith that she could be healed by simply touching the hem of Jesus' garment as the next verse states.  Verse twenty-one, For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.  Then verse twenty-two states, But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.  Jesus acknowledged the woman and said that her faith had made her whole, and not the physical act of touching His garment.  When we come to Jesus for healing, it is an act of faith and not a physical act.  Verse twenty-three says, And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,  Then verse twenty-four adds, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.  Jesus, when He got to the house, told the people to stand aside because the girl was not dead but only sleeping.  The people laughed at Jesus with scorn.  There are a lot of people today who are spiritually dead, who instead of coming to Jesus for healing by putting their faith in Him  instead laugh at Him with scorn.  Verse twenty-five declares, But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.  When the people allowed Jesus to come in, He took the girl by her hand and she arose.  When we allow Jesus to come into our life today, He will take us by the hand and we will be spiritually resurrected. 

Matthew 9:10

 Matthew 9:10 says, And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.  While Jesus was in the home, publicans and sinners came and sat down with Him.  Of course, even if they did not acknowledge it, even the most religious of leaders were sinners as well, just as we all are sinners today.  Verse eleven declares, And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  The Pharisees questioned Jesus' disciples as to why He ate with publicans and sinners, once more not acknowledging that they themselves were sinners.  Also, instead of questioning Jesus, they questioned His disciples.  For us to really even begin to understand why Jesus did what He did, we must first establish a personal relationship with Him.  Verse twelve states, But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  Jesus said that people who are well do not need a physician, but sick people do.  I also believe that the sick people must acknowledge that they are sick and need a physician and put their faith in him, just as we must acknowledge that we are spiritually sick and acknowledge that Jesus is the Great Physician and put our faith in Him to spiritually heal us.  Verse thirteen adds, But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Jesus told the Pharisees to go and learn what He meant by that.  Jesus added that He came not to save the righteous but the unrighteous.  What the Pharisees, and everyone else then and since have to understand is that none is righteous of their own merit, but can only become so through putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse fourteen says, Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?  The disciples of John came to Jesus next asking why they and the Pharisees fasted often, and Jesus' disciples did not fast.  They were putting the emphasis on physical displays of righteousness and not on the spiritual relationship with Jesus that John had called them too.  They were basically sayin that the Pharisees and they were more righteous than Jesus and His disciples.  No matter how many rituals we go through today, unless we put our faith in Jesus we will never be righteous, which means to have a right relationship with God.  Verse fifteen declares, And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.  Jesus compared His disciples not fasting to not fasting when the bridegroom was present.  Jesus is the Bridegroom in this analogy, and while He was with the disciples it was not the time to mourn or fast.  Verse sixteen states, No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.  Jesus was not to be a patch on the old garment of religious acts, but was to be the fulfillment of the old covenant between the people of Israel and God and the beginning of the new covenant.  Verse seventeen adds, Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.  Jesus was also the new wine and people had to come to Him understanding that He was not to be contained by old religious habits but was come to fulfill the prophesies of the Messiah.  Jesus was and is the only way to salvation.

Matthew 9:1

 Matthew 9:1 says, And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.  Jesus got on another ship and went back to his home town.  Verse two states, And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.  People brought a man lying in a bed sick with the palsy to Jesus, and we are told that Jesus saw their faith.  When we come to Jesus with problems today, He should be be to see that we come with faith in Him.  Jesus told the man to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven.  The man was not brought to Jesus for a spiritual reason, but for a physical one, but he received an even greater blessing.  Jesus said that the man's sins were forgiven because of his faith in Jesus.  People may come to Jesus for the wrong reasons today, but if they truly put their faith in Him, then they have the best reward, in that their sins are forgiven.  Verse three says, And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.  Certain scribes, some of the religious leaders, accused Jesus of blasphemy.  We had best hope that the religious leaders of today do not begin to accuse Jesus or the word of God to be blasphemous.  When we begin to hear things such as the fact that Jesus is not the only way to salvation then whoever is proclaiming this is guilty of blasphemy.  Verse four declares, And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?  Jesus didn't have to hear their words, because He knew their thoughts.  Our words may not question God, but He knows our very thoughts, and if our words do not reflect our true thoughts, then God is going to judge our thoughts.  Verse five asks, For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?  Jesus asked which was easier, to say that the man's sins were forgiven or to tell him to rise up and walk.  If Jesus had simply said rise up and walk, it would be easily verified that Jesus had the power to heal if the man did so, but when He said for the man to be of good cheer that his sins were forgiven, then it required the man to act in faith that Jesus could forgive his sins.  The only way that we can have our sins forgiven is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse six adds, But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.  Jesus said He did this so that the people would know that He had the power to forgive sins.  He then told the man to rise up, take his bed and go to his house.  Verse seven continues, And he arose, and departed to his house.  The man did as Jesus told him to do.  After we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we must do what He tells us to do if we are to be successful in our spiritual life.  Verse eight declares, But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.  The scribes may have questioned God, but the people marveled and glorified God.  No matter how the rest of the world may react, even religious leaders, we must marvel and glorify God when Jesus forgives our sins.  Verse nine states, And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.  Then, as Jesus was passing by, He called Matthew to come and follow Him.  Jesus calls us wherever He finds us and invites us to come and follow Him.  All we can do is put our faith in Him and follow wherever He leads us if we are to be forgiven of our sins and successful in our spiritual journey.

Matthew 8:23

 Matthew 8:23 says, And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  Jesus and his disciples got into a ship to get away from the crowds for awhile.  Verse twenty-four declares, And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.  While Jesus was asleep, a great storm arose covering the ship in the waves.  Sometimes in life we may feel that we are being swamped and wonder if God is asleep, but we can be certain that He never is and that He will be with us through the storms, though He may not immediately calm the storms.  Verse twenty-five adds, And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.  The disciples, some at of whom as fishermen should have been familiar with storms at sea went and awoke Jesus, saying if He didn't wake up that they would perish.  We may at times wonder if God is not aware of what is going on in our life, but as followers of Christ, we never should.  Verse twenty-six asks, And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  Jesus asked the disciples why they had so little faith, then He rebuked the winds and there was a great calm.  If we find our self in a storm and begin to doubt, then Jesus may ask us why we are of so little faith.  Do we only trust in God when life is going smoothly?  Verse twenty-seven proclaims, But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!  The men on the ship marveled at what Jesus did and asked Who He was that even the wind and sea obeyed Him.  Who He was, and is, is the God of the universe, and as Christians we should always remember this and declare it to the world no matter what our situation may be.  Verse twenty-eight states, And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.  When Jesus got to the other side of the sea, He was met by two demon possessed men who lived in the tombs and blocked His way.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?  Even tough they were demon possessed, they recognized Jesus as the Son of God.  This was something that even His disciples had not acknowledged.  We can be certain that Satan and those that follow him know Who Jesus.  They asked if Jesus had come to destroy them, but we know that Jesus did not come to destroy, but that He came to seek and save those who are lost.  The first step to that salvation is to acknowledge Jesus for Who He is.  Verse thirty states, And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.  Verse thirty-one adds, So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.  The devils asked that they might go into a herd of swine when Jesus cast them out.  They did not question His ability to cast them out.  When we are acting under faith in God, there is no force that can stand up to His power, no matter what the outcome may be here in this lifetime.  Verse thirty-two declares, And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.  There was not a great battle to get the devils out of the two men.  Jesus just said, "Go," and the demons went into the herd of swine, which then ran down into the sea and perished.  Verse thirty-three adds, And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.  The ones who were keeping the herd of swine ran into the city and told everything that had happened to those two men possessed of the devils.  Nothing as dramatic may have happened at our conversion, but if we put our faith in God then He will cast out all the demons in our life, and then we should tell everyone what has happened.  Verse thirty-four concludes, And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.  The whole city came out to meet Jesus, and asked Him to leave their coasts.  The men who kept the swine had lost all their herd, and instead of rejoicing at the two men being freed from the demons evidently were more concerned with what it had cost them financially.  There are many people today who will not accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord because they are worried about what it will cost them financially, but no price is ever worth paying to not accept Him.

Matthew mother=in-8:14

 Matthew 8:14 says, And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.  When Jesus came to Peter's house, He found Peter's wife's mother to be sick with a fever.  This tells us that Peter was married, so he had to put following Jesus ahead of his wife.  I don't believe that this means that he just abandoned his wife, but that following Jesus became his priority.  We cannot allow a spouse to keep us from following Jesus and doing what He calls us to do, nor can we use following Jesus as an excuse to abandon a spouse.  Verse fifteen adds, And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.  When Jesus touched her hand, her fever left.  She then got up and ministered to them.  I don't believe that Jesus healed Peter's  mother-in-law simply so she could minister to them, but that He did so out of love for her.  God does not save us simply so that we can do what He wants us to do, but because He loves us while we are still sinners.  Then, like Peter's wife's mother, we need to start ministering to the needs of others, starting with our family.  Verse sixteen declares, When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:  While Jesus was there, the people brought many to Him who were possessed with devils and He cast the devils out with His word.  There was no great battle, simply Jesus speaking to the devils.  Jesus also healed many sick people.  We need to realize the power of the word of Christ.  We do not have to go through any great ritual to be saved, but simply have to put our faith in His word that He will forgive us of all sin.  Verse seventeen adds, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.  Jesus healing others was also the fulfillment of a prophesy of Isaiah.  We know that when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord that He forgives our sins and takes the penalty for them on Himself.  Verse eighteen adds, Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.  When Jesus saw the great crowd, He gave the command for His disciples and Himself to depart to the other side.  This was not because of a lack of concern for the people on the part of Jesus, but because physical healing alone was not why He came.  Jesus was preparing His disciples to carry on His work after His death, and this was His priority.  We today need to make certain that we do not allow concerns for the physical well being of others to keep us from doing what God has called us to do to meet their spiritual needs.  Verse twenty states,  And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.   A certain scribe came to Jesus and said that he would follow Jesus wherever He went.  This is what we should declare today when we accept Jesus.  Verse twenty adds, And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  Jesus basically told the scribe to count the cost and that following Him was not going to lead to material riches.  Before we accept the call to follow Jesus, we must acknowledge that it is not a call to material wealth, and that we come to Him because He calls us and not just because we decide to follow Him for our own reasons.  Verse twenty-one declares, And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  One of Jesus' disciples asked Jesus to allow Him to first go and bury his father.  Verse twenty-two declares, But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.  Jesus said to the disciple to let the dead bury the dead.  This might seem calloused to us, but I believe that Jesus was saying that following Him must come above everything else.  We cannot allow anything or anyone in this world to come between God and us if we are to truly be obedient followers of Christ.

Matthew 8:1

 Matthew 8:1 says When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.  When Jesus came down from where He had withdrawn to the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  Most still were not following Him for the right reason though.  Verse two states, And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  There was a leper who came to Jesus and stated that he knew Jesus could make him whole if He wanted to.  The leper had faith in Jesus' ability to heal him physically, and people too often still come to Jesus for physical or material reasons instead of coming to be healed spiritually.  Verse three declares, And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Jesus said that He would make the leper clean, touched him and he was immediately clean.  We are not told that the man had professed faith in Jesus to forgive his sins, so all that we can say for sure from what we are told here is that the leper was physically healed.  Verse four adds, And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.  Jesus told the man to tell no one what Jesus had done but to simply go to the priest and present himself in accordance with the command of Moses.  Verse five says, And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,  When Jesus came to Capernaum, He was approached by a centurion, a Roman solder.  Verse six adds, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  The centurion came not for his own sake but for the sake of his servant who was tormented with palsy.  We should bring our concern for others to Jesus through prayer.  Verse seven says, And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.  Jesus was willing to go with the centurion and heal his servant.  Verse eight declares, The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.  The centurion stated his own unworthiness to have Jesus come with him, but he also expressed faith that Jesus could heal his servant simply by declaring him to be healed.  The centurion had a lot of faith in Jesus, at least in His ability to physically heal.  When we pray for someone to be healed today, we must likewise pray with faith that Jesus can heal if it is God's will for healing to occur.  Verse nine adds, For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.  The centurion related his own authority over his soldiers to Jesus' authority over the disease.  The centurion did not have to go everywhere that he ordered those under him to go to ensure that what he told them to do was actually done.  The centurion said that he believed that Jesus had that same authority.  Verse ten declares, When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.  Jesus told the crowds that He had not found so great a faith in all of Israel.  I wonder what Jesus would say of my faith today.  Verse eleven adds, And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus said that people from all over the world would come to be a part of the heavenly kingdom of God, and not just those who were born as an Israelite.  Verse twelve continues, But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Jesus said while many Gentiles would be saved, likewise many Jews would not accept Him and would be sent away into everlasting punishment.  Verse thirteen concludes, And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.  Jesus told the centurion that he could go on his way and that his servant would be healed, and that very hour the servant was healed.  When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are immediately healed spiritually, and that is what really matters.