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.