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.  At this time, the disciples were with Jesus.  They were passing by a corn field, and they were hungry, so they began to pluck some of the corn.  I guess we could asks why they would pluck someone else's corn, but I believe that it was acceptable to gather a little in that time if a person was hungry.  Now they couldn't gather the whole crop, but just enough to satisfy their hunger.  As God's people, we have a responsibility to feed the hungry and not to worry about the cost.  It really all belongs to God anyway.  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.  Since the Pharisees saw them and did not question their right to pluck the corn, but instead questioned their doing so on the Sabbath, we can assume that the plucking was alright.  The Pharisees were again concerned about following the letter of the law, that had been greatly added to, instead of the spirit of the law.  In verse three Jesus asks, But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;  Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus basically asked them if they were familiar with the scripture.  If someone begins to condemn us for our spiritual actions today, they need to make sure that their condemnation is based on what God's word really teaches.  We cannot base our view of the actions of other Christians on tradition or personal views, but must evaluate all, whether we see the action as good or bad, on the teachings of God through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus asked the Pharisees if they remembered what David did.  Verse four declares, 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?  David ate the shewbread in the house of God, as did those who were with him.  Under the religious law, they were not entitled to do so, since they were not priests.  We must remember that our status with God is based on our relationship with Him through faith and not by being made righteous by our own actions.  Verse five says, 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?  Again, Jesus asked the Pharisees if they had read the law.  In the law, or scripture, the priests work on the sabbath day and are blameless.  Though Jesus did not say it at this time, He is our great High Priest, and we as His followers are a priesthood of believers, so whatever was lawful to a priest is lawful to us.  Even beyond that, we are not judged by the law of God, but by our relationship to Christ.  Verse six declares, But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.  Here, Jesus makes an indirect reference to His being greater than the temple.  We do not need to worry about what people do until they have a relationship with Christ, the One Who is greater than the temple and the law.  Verse seven states, But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.  Jesus told the Pharisees, and tells us today, that mercy is more important than sacrifice.  Jesus said the Pharisees did not understand this.  We today must understand that salvation is based on faith in Christ, and not on anything we may sacrifice to God, nor on how well we keep the law.  Faith in the mercy of God in sending Jesus to die for our sins is the only way to salvation.  Verse eight further declares, For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.  Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, so anything that we as His followers do for Him on the sabbath, or Sunday in our case, is lawful.

Matthew 11:25 says, 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 pauses to pray.  I believe that whenever we face a difficult situation, especially one that might cause us anger, then we need to stop and pray.  I know some people would say that Jesus wasn't angry, but that He felt righteous indignation.  Whatever we call it, I believe that Jesus was upset at the attitude of those who were supposed to be God's people.  I believe that we can likewise be upset with those who call themselves followers of Christ when they act in such a way as to discredit Him.  If we are, then we need first to pause and pray.  Jesus thanked the heavenly Father for making the way to salvation easy to understand.  Those who are wise and prudent in their own understanding miss the truth of the gospel.  We must come as babies, trusting fully by Christ in faith without attempting to come to Him by our own reasoning or understanding.  Verse twenty-six says, Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.  Jesus said that He accepted the will of the heavenly Father, just as we must.  We must seek what seems good in the sight of God.  Verse twenty-seven says, 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 no one truly knew the Son, Jesus, but the heavenly Father, God, and that the opposite was also true, with the exception of those that Jesus revealed the heavenly Father to.  I cannot fully understand the Trinity, but I can understand that the only way to know the heavenly Father is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the Son.  There is no other way to know God.  We can only begin to understand God and become a part of His family by putting our faith in the salvation provided by Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-eight states, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  I believe that without God in our lives, we are always going to be weak and heavy laden spiritually.  We may seem to have it all in the eyes of the world, but until we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will be spiritually weakened and heavy laden by sin.  Jesus invites us to come to Him.  Verse twenty-nine declares, 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. We are called to take on the yoke of Jesus.  We are to be guided by Him and to work for Him.  Jesus tells us that He is meek and lowly in heart, and we should be likewise.  Jesus did not go around pointing out His superiority to others, though He well could have, but went into the world as simply a carpenter's Son in the eyes of the world.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will find rest from the burdens of sin.  Then, verse thirty adds, For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  This is true because once we accept Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is always with us to guide and strengthen us.  We just need to always pray for God's guidance, and then accept it when it comes.

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,  Jesus asked who He could compare that generation to.  He may be asking that same question about us today.  Jesus said that they were like children sitting in markets calling to others.  Verse seventeen states, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.  Jesus was speaking about the testimony of John and of Jesus Himself that He was the long awaited Messiah, but that the people did not listen, or believe, them.  The were called to repentance as Jesus mourned their spiritual state.  Like children, they were only interested in what made them happy.  We today need to realize that we should be happy because Jesus has brought us the gift of salvation, and not be looking simply for material blessings from God.  Verse eighteen states, For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  Since John the Baptist had a different diet and way of dress, many accused him of being demon possessed.  Even though he was remaining true to his calling, many of God's chosen people rejected John the Baptist because of the way he lived.  We cannot afford to judge other Christians by our own standards.  As long as they are true to God's calling for their lives, we should celebrate with them instead of judging them.  Then verse nineteen declares, 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 they accused John the Baptist of being demon possessed because of his strict diet, but then they accused Jesus of being demon possessed because He ate what He wanted, and did so with publicans and sinners.  We are given the freedom to eat what we like without being spiritually defiled, and we not only can but should do so with the lost of the world so that we might reach them with the gospel.  Verse twenty declares, Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:  Jesus began to speak against those cities that He had done mighty works in but where they still had not repented, some of which are named in the next few verses.  There is the same condemnation for all those who hear and do not accept Christ, from the time He came until the time He returns.  Verse twenty-one says, 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 same mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon that they would have repented.  Tyre and Sidon were known as very bad cities, but Jesus said they would have repented had the gospel been preached there, whereas Chorazin and Bethsaida did not.  Verse twenty-two states, But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.  I believe that the meaning here is that those who hear the gospel openly proclaimed and reject it will be held more accountable than those who do not.  I believe that this does not mean that some will not be held accountable, but that some have heard and rejected the gospel more often.  Verse twenty-three says,  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.  Then verse twenty-four states, But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.  Jesus said that it would be more tolerable in Sodom, which was destroyed for it wickedness, than in cities that were supposed to be cities of God's people, but rejected the Messiah.  The more we hear and reject the gospel, the more accountable we become.

Matthew 11:7 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?  The disciples of John the Baptist went back to give their report to him.  He was still in prison.  We might have expected Jesus to have freed John the Baptist from prison, but He did not.  Sometimes, we may be left in dangerous situations as we witness for Christ, but if we are, we simply need to remember that this life is but temporary and salvation through Christ is forever.  Not all sickness is healed nor are all those who are imprisoned for their faith in Christ set free in this world, but they are all healed and set free in the everlasting world to come.  Verse eight asks, 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 those who had gone out into the wilderness what they expected to see when they saw John the Baptist.  If they were expecting to see someone who wavered in his beliefs, they would be disappointed.  John the Baptist was steadfast in his message, and did not waver even when imprisoned.  We must be just as steadfast today.  Jesus also asked if they thought John the Baptist would be clothed in soft or fine cloth.  Jesus further stated that soft or fine cloth was for the king's house.  We are not called to follow Christ for the fine things in life, but instead are called to take up our cross daily.  Verse nine asks, But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  Jesus asks again why they went out to see John the Baptist.  Did they go out to see a prophet of God?  Some people may come to hear a preacher today simply because they are curious about him, but if that preacher is true to his calling he will simply point them to Jesus.  Verse ten states, For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  John the Baptist was the messenger that would point people to Jesus, as had been foretold in the scripture.  If we are followers of Christ today, we are the messengers who are to point people to Jesus also, though it is after He fulfilled His purpose.  We, like John the Baptist, can only point people to Jesus.  Verse eleven says, 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 even though there had been no greater mortal man than John the Baptist that anyone who was even the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than John the Baptist was.  I believe this means spiritually greater than he was by his physical nature.   Verse twelve declares, And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  After John the Baptist started preaching repentance and preparation for the coming Messiah, the kingdom of heaven, or of God, began to suffer violence, and it has continued since.  Verse thirteen states,  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  The prophets before John the Baptist could only prophesy under the law, but after him they would prophesy under the grace of God.  Verse fourteen says, And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.  The people of Israel were looking for Elias, or Elijah, to come again to proclaim the arrival of the Messiah, and Jesus said that John the Baptist was spiritually the one they were looking for, if they only would believe, or understand, that fact.  John the Baptist was in no way a reincarnation of Elijah, but was like Elijah spiritually.  Verse fifteen states, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  If we would know what God wants us to do and what He is doing in the world today, we simply need to listen to Him.

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.  I believe that we often think of the disciples as simply following along behind Jesus in every step that He took, but having just commissioned the disciples to go and preach, teach, heal and work miracles, Jesus departed from them.  Now, this could refer to the time after Jesus' death on the cross, or to disciples other than the twelve, but it seems to refer to this particular time and to the twelve.  Matthew Henry says that Jesus may have departed because the disciples would have been reluctant to leave Him.  We today, since we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, do not have that problem, but we must still go out into the world to share the gospel.  Sometimes, it might seem easier to just sit alone communing with God, but just like the disciples, we have a commission to go and spread the gospel.  Even if they were temporarily physically separated from Jesus, He was still with them in spirit.  Verse two says, Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,  John the Baptist was in prison, but he heard of the works of Jesus and sent two of his disciples to check on what Jesus was doing.  When we hear of someone doing something great in the name of Jesus today, we might do well to make sure that they are truly doing so based on God's word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Verse three says, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?  This is the ultimate question that everyone has to answer himself or herself today.  Is Jesus the Messiah, the promised Savior of mankind?  The only way to salvation is to answer yes.  The only way to salvation is to answer the question of Who Jesus is.  Verse four says, Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:  Like the disciples of John the Baptist, we need to tell those seeking Him what Jesus is doing in the world today through the work of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of those who follow Jesus.  Verse five states, 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.  We may not know of personal examples of some of these miracles, but we do hear of them and must give God the credit for them.  We should all know the reality of the last thing, and that is that the poor have the gospel preached to them.  The more that we live by faith, the more miraculous things we will see, but we should always proclaim the gospel to the world.  Verse six says, And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offened by me.  I believe that this means that we should always give Christ the credit for the good things that happen in life, instead of almost apologizing for believing that He is at work.  We can never be ashamed of following Christ.

Matthew 10:35 says, 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. I believe that this means that when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord that we will be at variance with those in our families who do not believe in Christ.  Our values will be different than their values.  This does not mean that we automatically have to look for ways to be at odds with them, but that we will be living by different standards.  We should still reach out to them with the gospel of Christ, but we cannot allow ourselves to live by their standards just to maintain peace.  Verse thirty-six declares, And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.  It is ideal when a whole family comes to salvation through Christ, but this is often not the case.  In many families today, there are those who believe in Jesus and those who do not, and this will always lead to conflict.  Verse thirty-seven states, 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.  We know that God commands us to love our father and mother, but we cannot allow that relationship to come between God and us.  All parents should love their children, but not to the point of allowing them to come before God.  Verse thirty-eight declares, And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  The cross was an implement of death, and we must daily take up this cross and die to self so that Christ may live through us.  Nothing on this earth, even family, should come between God and us if we are truly followers of Christ.  Jesus never promised riches, but instead promised a war with the world that does not accept Him.  Verse thirty-nine says, He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  This is a continuation of the statement about taking up our cross.  We cannot live simply to save our physical self, but must live to keep our spiritual life through Christ alive.  Verse forty states, He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  I believe that this means that receiving the gospel is more than just receiving us physically.  We may be welcomed into homes, but the message of Christ that we should always put first may not be.  Jesus tells us that those who do accept Him as Savior and Lord also accept the heavenly Father.  Verse forty-one states, 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.  I believe that this means that we cannot be saved simply by being close to a man of God.  We are not saved by any person, except for Jesus Christ.  If we are to be righteous, we can only be so through the salvation that Christ gives us through the cross.  Verse forty-two states, 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.  Matthew Henry says these verse refer to a person being rewarded for aiding a minister, but I believe that it goes beyond that.  I believe that these verses mean accepting Christ because of one sharing the gospel with a person and then aiding in the ministry.

Matthew 10:24 says, The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  Jesus tells us that we should never expect that we are due better treatment than what He Himself received.  If Jesus, Who is the Master, was beaten and crucified, then why should we, the servants, expect better treatment.  It may be that if we are totally at peace in the world that we are not following Christ closely enough.  Verse twenty-five states, 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?  Jesus tells us that it is enough for us to be like Him.  We should always hold Jesus up as our example of faith.  Some might say that this is a much different world than the one that Jesus lived in, but our lives are still to be lived by faith in the heavenly Father, just as Jesus lived His life.  Jesus was accused of being of the house of Beelzebub, so why should we be surprised if we are called narrow minded people.  Verse twenty-six says, Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.  We have no reason to be afraid of those that would persecute us, because one day the truth of our faith will be revealed for all to see.  There are no secrets from God.  When God's ultimate judgment comes, we will be judged by our relationship to Christ, and not by the things we have done.  I believe that this goes even further, to the very motives for our actions.  We may fool the world, but God will never be fooled.  Verse twenty-seven declares, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.  I believe that this means more what Jesus tells us in the spiritual darkness of the world than in the physical darkness.  What Jesus tells us in spiritual darkness, if we accept His truth, it will bring spiritual light to our lives, and we are to preach what Jesus tells us from the roof tops.  Verse twenty-eight says, 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.  We are told to be more concerned about our soul than we are about our body.  If we follow anyone other than Jesus hoping for salvation, or look for any other way to salvation other than faith in Christ, we will suffer the destruction of both body and soul.  Our spiritual life should always be more important than our physical life.  Verse twenty-nine says, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  Jesus tells us that the heavenly Father even knows when a farthing, an almost materially worthless bird, falls to the ground.  God did not create the world and forget it, but has always sustained His creation.  Verse thirty states, But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  We do not even know the number of hairs on our head, but God does.  You might say that a bald person knows, but generally even those who are bald on top have hair on the side.  The point is that God knows everything about us, even more than we know ourselves.  Verse thirty-one declares, Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.  We are not to be concerned with the material things of life, but are to be concerned with the spiritual instead.  God has promised to meet our needs if we follow His leadership in our lives.  Verse thirty-two says, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  If we are truly followers of Christ, we will confess Him to the world, not just by words, but by the way we live our lives.  Verse thirty-three warns, But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.  As with confessing Jesus to the world, I believe that this means with our actions as well as with our words.  Verse thirty-four then declares, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  I believe that we as followers of Christ will always find ourselves at war with the world, because those who do not accept Christ will always be at work trying to destroy His gospel.  Though Jesus Himself warned us that we would be at war with the world, we often act surprised when it happens.