The disciples say they understand. Jesus says then they are like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new and old treasures.
Jesus then traveled to his hometown of Nazareth to teach. They were amazed by his wisdom and miraculous powers. They knew he was Mary’s son and his brothers were James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, and his sisters. The took offense because they couldn’t see how he could have these powers. Jesus told them he was without honor amongst those who knew him. Since they lacked faith, Jesus did not do many miracles there.
11a) The responsibility to teach others.
b) The “old” treasures refer to the Old Testament laws and the “new” treasures refer to Jesus and the redemption he brings. Alternatively, you can think of this as the “old” as the truths and mysteries that Jesus (the “new”) fulfilled.
c) Having both the knowledge of the Old and the New Testament gives you a full picture of how to live your life on this side of heaven. The treasures God has given me is helping others through this medium know him. And, helping my family and those I know understand God’s Word, too.
12a) They took offense.
b) He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
c) Some people will never turn to the Lord no matter what they see or hear.
13) None, in truth.
I always love the idea of old and new, like putting on your new self (Ephesians 4:22-24). It gives me hope when I sin that I can be new again.
Great resource!
The disciples say they understand, but how many times have you said you understood when in reality, you had no clue? More would be revealed as time goes on, which is how our journey in Christ looks, too. The more we know, the deeper we grow with God and the more we understand.
The parable of the household or homeowner is Jesus’s last parable of the kingdom of heaven.
You bring items out of a storeroom to share.
Since the disciples understand, they must now impart that knowledge to others. Teachers of the Word must understand so that the people do.
No one can believe a lowly carpenter’s son can do such things. He was a normal boy when they knew him.
We can infer that most people of extraordinary talent or ability are normal people.
Note how important belief is again in Jesus’s healing and helping others. You must believe if you are to be helped.
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Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, and the Pharisees said it is only by Beelzebub, or the devil, that Jesus can drive out demons. Jesus pointed out that why would Satan go against himself by driving out demons he put into people? And the priests drive out demons, too. Are they working for Satan, too? A house divided against itself cannot stand, Jesus says, and whoever is not with him is against him.
God won’t forgive anyone who speaks against or blasphemies the Holy Spirit, calling God’s work evil. A good tree will bear good fruit; a bad tree bears bad fruit. By your words, you will be condemned.
The Pharisees ask Jesus for a miraculous sign, and Jesus calls them wicked for asking. Jesus will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth like Jonah was three days and nights in a fish’s belly.
Jesus’s mother and brothers came to see him. Jesus calls all of his disciples who do the will of the Father his brother, sister, and mother.
13a) His power over evil and the devil.
b) You have to subdue the person before you rob him. Jesus overcame Satan first to heal the man. He binded Satan’s power. He is stronger than Satan.
14a) They are not genuine. They are looking to trap Jesus and try to get him to prove himself. Jesus does not have to do that.
b) Jesus will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth like Jonah was three days and nights in a fish’s belly. There will be a sign (Jesus’s death) and a call to repentance.
15) Treat everyone as family.
Long passages of Jesus fighting against the Pharisees. The fact of the matter is that the Pharisees want to see Jesus go away, which is why they are plotting to kill him. He is ruffling too many feather and changing the way things have always been done. They want to maintain power here. why Jesus essentially only humors them.
Why would Satan cast out Satan? Jesus says the Pharisees are making no sense right now.
Jesus uses the Spirit of God to heal.
He tells the Pharisees since they are not for him, they are by default against him. If the leaders reject Jesus, they are rejecting the Holy Spirit. God will not forgive them, and they will face eternal consequences.
Jesus points out to the Pharisees that they are bearing bad fruit (or are evil) as they condemn him.
“Brood of vipers” is like calling them the “sons of Satan.”
Careless or idle words do nothing for Christ. Our words reflect our hearts, and you can often tell where a person’s heart lies by their heart. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Jesus had already given countless signs; the fact they asked for a sign shows their unbelief.
Jonah was effectively dead in the fish’s belly and then he was given new life. This reflects Jesus’s resurrection. The three days and nights could mean a portion of those days and nights and not the full effect. The Ninevites recognized Jonah; the Queen of Sheba recognized God in Solomon. The Pharisees have failed to recognize Jesus.
Jesus says he is greater than Solomon, a king who is very highly regarded in Jesus’s day.
Jesus will judge the Pharisees moreso than the people of Ninevah as his light is greater.
Evil spirits look for those who are empty of the spirit of Jesus. If you are filled with Jesus, you can never be empty.
Bible scholars believe that Mary and his brothers have arrived to maybe bring Jesus back home and somehow end or curtail his ministry. They are probably worried about him. They do not hold any special privileges. Instead, it’s those who do the will of God who are special.
Jesus sees every believer like his mother, brother, and sister. How cool!
Jesus and his disciples were walking through fields of grain. His disciples were hungry, so they began to eat the grain heads. The Pharisees claimed this was unlawful. Jesus responded that David ate consecrated bread when he was hungry and the priests desecrate the day by doing temple work. He says one greater than the temple is here, since he, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath.
The Pharisees ask Jesus if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath. He uses the example of if a sheep had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, would they not rescue it? It’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand, and the Pharisees plotted how to kill Jesus.
Jesus withdrew and healed all the sick, telling them to tell no one who he was. This fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah.
9a) No. The law was to do no work on the Sabbath. Picking heads of grain was not only allowed according to Deuteronomy 23:25, but it most definitely is not work. The law did not say, “starve on the Sabbath.”
b) Jesus responded that David ate consecrated bread when he was hungry and the priests desecrate the day. He says one greater than the temple is here, since he, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath. Mark 2:23:27 says the Sabbath is made for man and his rest. In 1 Samuel 21:4-6, we read that the priests gave David and his men consecrated bread to eat as long as they had kept themselves from women. Jesus meant that as Lord of the Sabbath, he can do what he pleases.
10) He cared more about people than laws.
11) The Pharisees are beginning to plot against him. Jesus knows he still has work to do before he is called home to God, so he withdraws to protect himself. He’s trying to keep a low profile and not draw attention to himself, so he tells those to not tell others, so he can continue his ministry here on earth.
12) I love how in his name, there is hope. Jesus’s name is so powerful that all we need to do is hope in him.
Human nature is to bring those down around you who are more successful than you, more popular, and who are helping others. Here, we see Jesus begin to suffer for his goodness.
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This passage shows us how the Bible can be misinterpreted and the consequences thereof. The Pharisees would have Jesus and his disciples starve because in their minds they were doing work on the Sabbath. This is not what the Bible says at all.
Jesus, of course, never broke a law; he did break man’s interpretation of that law, and sometimes on purpose, to make a point.
Here, human need is more important than the rules of the Sabbath. Besides, Jesus says, the priests break the laws of the Sabbath constantly by performing their rituals, which is work. Mercy is more important than sacrificing for principles (Hosea 6:6)
Jesus once again proclaims his deity with his declaration that he is Lord of the Sabbath and greater than the temple, which was everything to the Jewish people at that time. He himself is worthy of love, admiration, honor, sacrifice, service, and worship.
Jesus sets the example of us going to church on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees try to set Jesus up with a man who needs healing, knowing Jesus will have compassion on the man and heal him.
Here, the Pharisees turn from just rejecting Jesus to plotting to murder him.
Jesus withdrew to preserve God’s plan for him. He healed all who came to him in faith, and this probably took a long time.
Jesus is the chosen Servant of God. Matthew 20:25-28, Matthew 23:11, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:43-45. He still serves us by being our guiding light, our Savior, and loving us despite our sins every day.
Jesus doesn’t need to draw attention to himself; his deeds speak for themselves.
Jesus is gentle with those who are bruised and nourishes us who are like smoldering flames.
“The nations” refers to Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles.
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Jesus began travelling through all the towns and villages, preaching the Good News and healing every disease and sickness. Jesus has compassion on the crowds. He told his disciples that they needed more people to preach, so ask the Lord to send out more workers to meet the need.
3a) “They were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Basically, they were ignorant of God’s Word and needed to be fed.
b)
Psalm 23:1-3: God is our shepherd, providing us with everything we need. He restores our souls and guides us in righteousness.
Isaiah 53:6: All of us sin, but God leads us back.
Ezekiel 34:5-16: God will be our shepherd and look after us, his flock. He will rescue us and pasture us and gather us. God will bring back the lost, bind up the wounded, and strengthen the weak.
John 10:11-15: Jesus says he is the good shepherd. He knows his sheep, and the sheep know him. He lays down his life for his sheep.
1 Peter 2:24-25: Jesus died for our sins so that we could live. His wounds healed us. We were sheep that had gone astray, but now we have returned to the Shepherd.
c) Knowing they all need a Savior. The desire to help in a broken world.
4) There are more needy people than those who can help them, essentially.
5) God is the Lord of the harvest, so the Lord of everything. He is asking for prayer for more followers to preach the Good News.
I love the shepherd analogy. Shepherds weren’t the highest of classes in ancient times, so when God and Jesus say they are shepherds, they are identifying with us all.
Try this light for better reading during these shorter days!
We see God as a shepherd all throughout the Bible, beginning with Jacob (Genesis 48:15) to Revelation 7:17. It was a powerful image for those who were shepherds in ancient times.
The original Greek word for “moved with compassion” is a very strong word that was used for pity.
Jesus is saying that for so long, the people have had no shepherds because the Levite priests were not doing their job and were corrupt themselves. It’s like they had no shepherd. In order to reap the most out of the harvest, workers are needed. We are to be the workers and help those seeking the Lord come to him.
“Send out workers” or thrust them forward in the ancient Greek. We are all to work for God’s kingdom.
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A ruler came to Jesus to ask him to raise his daughter from the dead. Jesus and his disciples went with the man. At this time, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came up to Jesus and touched his cloak, believing if she did this, she would be healed. Faith healed the woman.
At the ruler’s house, there were flute players and a noisy crowd. He told them to go away because the girl was only sleeping, not dead. The crowd laughed at Jesus, and they were kicked out. Jesus then went to the girl, took her hand, and she got up. This news spread.
9) Both are characterized by faith. The woman believed she only had to touch Jesus’s cloak to be healed. The ruler believed Jesus had to touch the girl to be healed. In both cases, what they believed is what happened.
10) How Jesus heals by faith and in different methods and ways: with touch or just by touching his clothes.
11) When accompanied by faith, Jesus can and often does anything, including miracles.
12) I have a lot of needs lately it seems. I’m very unhappy with my job, so I’m looking for a new one. I’m don’t like where I live, so I would like to move sooner rather than later. My kids all have dreams they need help fulfilling, as does my husband. We are all waiting on God to move. This draws all of us closer to Him.
I love how faith is the answer in all of Jesus’s healings. Someone has faith that Jesus is God and in his healing abilities. Jesus then responds. This is true for us today. Have faith; Jesus will respond.
Something light-hearted for your week, especially for coffee lovers!
The ruler worshipped Jesus, as is appropriate for God. Humans (Acts 10:25-26) or angels (Revelation 22:8-9), are not to be worshipped.
Note how the centurion in Matthew 8 believed Jesus could heal from afar and this ruller requests Jesus to come and touch his daughter. Thus, the centurion had greater faith.
The woman with blood has great faith Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:43-48 . Jews considered the woman unclean, so, odds are, she didn’t even think she could ask Jesus to touch her to heal her. However, her faith was big enough that a garment would suffice.
The garment that Jesus wore was like others in the time (he did not dress like a King). She touched a corner of his garment that had a tassel on it. These tassles of blue reminded those who wore it they belonged to God.
Note everyone who Jesus healed had faith in him, not in his clothes, his touch, or his words.
Jesus cured her immediately. He made sure people noticed the woman, although she didn’t want to be seen. Jesus wanted to make sure she knew:
The ruler paid the flute players and crowd to mourn, which was common in that day. The crowd did not deter Jesus. Obviously, they had no faith.
Jesus healed this girl out of mercy and compassion. The ruler had enough faith to warrant this, too. While Jesus did not raise everyone from the dead (he will some day) that he encountered, he healed/raised those out of God’s will and when faith was shown.
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Jesus encounters two demon-possessed men in the region of Gadarenes or Gergesenes. They would not let anyone pass. The demons recognized Jesus and asked him why he has come.
They then asked Jesus if he would drive them out into the herd of pigs. Jesus granted their request. The herd of pigs then rushed off a bank into a lake and drowned. This scene scared the shepherds. They ran off to tell everyone what they had seen. The whole town became scared. They told Jesus to leave their region.
13a) They two demonized men recognized Jesus and asked him why he has come and if he would torture them before the appointed time. They then asked Jesus if he would drive them out into the herd of pigs, which Jesus did.
b) They recognized that Jesus was the Son of God. James 2:19 tells us that even demons know that there is only One God — and they are afraid. They know they are doomed.
14) He took pity on the men.
15) Jesus’s actions scared the townspeople. Perhaps they thought he’d do the same to them. Jesus left because he knew they would not listen to him (Matthew 10:14).
16) It’s truly awe-inspiring and hard to put into words. It gives me hope to trudge along each and every day as I continually seek His purpose for my life.
I love how Matthew throws in so many varied stories. We go from Jesus healing many people to him rebuking a storm and helping those who are demon-possessed. Great stuff.
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The exact location of the region of Gergesenes (or Gadarenes) is unknown. Bible scholars believe it is located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galiee and was a small town where the larger city of Gadara was lcoated. Here, many Gentiles lived.
Do note the other Gospels tell this story, but only mention one of the demon-possessed men.
Any contact with dead bodies made Jews unclean. So these men who were coming out of tombs (presumably they were living there) were terrifying to the Jewish people.
Seeing Jesus, the demons knew their time was up. They knew they would be cast out and would suffer in hell forever.
Pigs are unclean to the Jewish people. Why they were there, no one knows. But it is the perfect place to cast out demons at that time. The demons wanted to possess the pigs rather than be left without something to terrorize. Note they had to get permission from Jesus in order to take over the bodies of swines.
Note that this is the only example of casting out demons into the bodies of animals. This may be where stories have come from of humans possessing animal bodies.
The demons were bent on killing, which is why they killed the pigs immediately. This proved, too, that the demons were now inside the pigs and not the men. Jesus wanted to ensure everyone knew this miracle had occurred.
One could say that the people could easily have been pleased that Jesus had driven the demons out of the men. Truthfully, it could have gone either way here. However, fear ruled, so the townspeople asked Jesus to leave. Plus, the destruction of the pigs cast doubt into the minds of those who saw. Would Jesus destroy them, too? This is exactly what Satan wants you to think. This is a message to us to be wary always.
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After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus came down from the mountain. His teaching amazed everyone. A man with leprosy approached Jesus and asked him to make him clean. Jesus healed the man and told him to not tell others but instead to go to the priests and offer a gift that Moses commanded as a testimony instead.
In Capernaum, a Roman centurion (an elite soldier) came to Jesus to ask him to heal one of his servants who is paralyzed. Jesus agreed to come. However, the centurion did not think he was worthy to have Jesus under his roof, so he asked Jesus to heal the man from afar. Jesus admired his faith and did so.
Jesus arrived at Peter’s house. His mother-in-law was sick. When he touched her, he healed her.
Jesus healed many more and cast out many demons.
3) He asked Jesus in a humble way (kneeling and worshipping him) to heal him and Jesus did. He had faith Jesus could heal him; it was only a matter of if Jesus was willing. Leviticus 13:2-3 tells us that priests declared those with an infectious skin disease unceremoniously. Verses 44-46 tell us that those who continue to have an infectious skin disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, and cry out, “Unclean!” They must live alone and outside of camp. Here, Jesus touches the man without hesitation despite his unclean status.
4a) The centurion asked Jesus to heal one of his servants who is paralyzed. Jesus agreed to come.
b) However, the centurion did not think he was worthy to have Jesus under his roof, so he asked Jesus to heal the man from afar. Jesus admired his faith and did so.
5) Healing people showed Jesus’s compassion, his authority, and his power. It also showed he fulfilled prophecy, as we read in Isaiah about how their savior will heal the deaf, the blind, the lame, to free captives from prison, and to release those in the dark. It revealed he was God’s chosen one.
6) It’s encouraging that Jesus has the power to change lives.
I love these stories of Jesus’s healing ministry. It gives me hope that Jesus will heal others, and I love to imagine what it would have been like to see Jesus do so.
We will not see 10 miracles that Jesus performs after the Sermon on the Mount. This served to further establish his authority. Matthew puts these in no particular order, and they differ considerably from the order in Mark and Luke. These chapters will focus on Jesus’s power and authority over all things. Here, we’ll see three people who normally would have been ignored in the Jewish culture.
Leprosy was akin to COVID-19 except you had no hope of a cure. You had to stay in isolation, away from friends and family. You had to stay 6 feet away from lepers (sound familiar?), so you wouldn’t be unclean. Those with leprosy were essentially dead. This man wanted cleansing — cleansing of his life, of the treatment he had to endure, of the mental anguish he suffered.
NOTE: This is the first place in the Bible where Jesus is called Lord. And note it’s by a leper, an outcast in society. It’s also Jesus’s first recorded healing in the Gospels.
You could not touch a leper, but Jesus did. He didn’t have to, but the leper needed to be touched. Mark 1:41 Jesus has compassion. He shows this to us each and every day.
We see Jesus carefully controlling his reputation when he tells the leper not to shout to the world what happened. Instead, he tells the leper to go quietly to the priest so he could be declared clean and enter society again. He did not want the crowds to get excited. Instead, he meets us where we are at. However, we see in Mark that the leper proclaimed his healing anyway. (Mark 1:44-45).
Jesus lived in Capernaum Matthew 4:13 , so he was going home here.
The Centurion was a man of substance, stature, and wealth. He must have cared a great deal about his servant to come to a Jewish leader on his behalf. Under Roman law, if a slave became ill, the owner could kill him. This would have been the normal reaction, not going to a rabbi.
FUN FACT: There are at least 7 centurions mentioned in the New Testament, and they are all good-hearted.
Jews were not allowed to enter Gentiles’ homes because they would become unclean. The centurion knew this so was looking out for Jesus.
The centurion understood that Jesus did not need to be present to heal. He had faith in Jesus’s powers.
You could say that this centurion understood who Jesus was much more than 99% of the Jewish people at this time, and more than most of the spiritual leaders/Pharisees, too.
Jesus praised this faith, going further by saying that Gentiles will share in God’s kingdom, too. He says that Jews are not guaranteed entry just because of their identity, either.
Heaven will have people sitting and people from everywhere.
FUN FACT: Jesus spoke of hell more so than any other in the Bible.
This makes it clear that Peter was married, making it clear you did not have to be celibate to be a priest. Again, Jesus uses a touch to heal; he cares for the big hurts and the small hurts alike. She rises and serves.
Matthew shows Jesus as the true Messiah and the one Isaiah speaks of. Jesus takes our sicknesses and carries them himself. This is how we can be with God.
There were many possessed of demons at this time, and the reasoning for it is unclear. Bible scholars say it was just a dark time and magic was prevalent.
God heals physically in many ways as we see here — with a touch, words, and other ways. Jesus heals those who ask, those who others ask for, and those who don’t ask. God is sovereign in His healing powers.
Luke records how the angel of God reassured Mary, too. We are told that the angel, Gabriel, went to Nazareth in Galilee to a virgin named Mary. Gabriel told Mary that the Lord was with her and that she is highly favored. However, Mary was afraid, but the angel said that God has favored her and chosen her to bear His son to be named Jesus. He will inherit the throne of David and will reign over God’s people for eternity.
The Holy Spirit will come upon her. Her relative, Elizabeth, will have a child (John the Baptist) in her old age for nothing is impossible with God. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered, and the angel left.
11a ) Gabriel told Mary that the Lord was with her and that she is highly favored. The angel said that God has favored her and chosen her to bear His son to be named Jesus. He will inherit the throne of David and will reign over God’s people for eternity. The Holy Spirit will come upon her. Her relative, Elizabeth, will have a child (John the Baptist) in her old age for nothing is impossible with God.
b ) The Holy Spirit. Because it is God’s child, his Son, the Savior of the World.
12 ) “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be as you have said,” she told the angel Gabriel upon hearing she would bear God’s Son.
13 ) How I can see everything working in my life that He planned, not me. To impact my little corner of the world as He sees fit. Everything has come to this moment.
I love how we can have the same stories from different points of view. So great! God is good!
Curiously enough, no writer of the Old Testament ever mentioned the town of Nazareth. This tells you how insignificant it truly was. Until this moment when God chooses the human parents of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They live in Nazareth. Here, we get the term “Jesus of Nazarth” plus the Nazarenes, or followers of Jesus.
One could say we are all favored, blessed, and have the Lord in the form of the Holy Spirit with us.
Mary’s mind turns to the practical when asking how she will have a baby when she has never had sex. Does this show a lack of faith? No. It simply is a question that most of us would ask. How will this happen?
“Overshadow” has the same meaning as cover with a cloud what God appeared in (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:16, 34:5, 40:34) and when Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34). The cloud is God or the Holy Spirit.
The example of Elizabeth strengthened Mary’s faith in the the angel’s words.
Mary will face scrutiny from man for her pregnancy. Yet, God’s words are stronger.
Fun Fact: Note in no other culture does a virgin birth occur.
A great book about Mary! Happy Reading!
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