Today’s passage: Matthew 16:21-28

Helpful thoughts:

• On the heels of telling His disciples not to spread the word about being the Messiah, Jesus tells them about His mission, to die on the cross.  His disciples give evidence to the difficulty it would have been for everyone to understand.
• Following Jesus includes putting off immediate worldly gain and looking forward to future glory.
• Jesus is coming again.
• The meaning of verse 28 seems tough to understand.  Jesus hasn’t come back yet and all the disciples are dead… So, either the phrase “some standing here” just means people on the earth and is not specifically referring to the disciples.  Or, this statement is fulfilled in the next chapter when Peter, James and John get a sneak preview of Jesus’ glory at the transfiguration.  This second option makes the most sense to me.

Questions to consider:

1. How was Peter setting his mind on things of man and not on the things of God?  What are some ways that we get stuck in the here and now, and forget about the Kingdom of God?
2. Who did Jesus blame for the worldly thinking of Peter?  How would this exchange of words coincide with Ephesians 6:12?
3. Is there anything in your life, in your heart that you treasure more than Jesus Christ?  Ask yourself the question from Jesus, “What will it profit a man…?”

Today’s Passage: Matthew 16:13-20

Helpful thoughts:

• In asking His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”, Jesus was telling them who He was.  “Son of Man” is/was a well known name for the Messiah.  This was an open-book test of sorts.
• To say that Jesus is John the Baptist, Elijah, or anyone else is to say that Jesus is NOT the Christ.
• To say that Jesus is the Christ is believing He is the promised Messiah.  To call Jesus the Son of the living God is to believe in His divinity.  Peter was saying, “You are the promised Messiah. You are God.”
• Jesus, without question, without parable, tells them that the signs, teachings, their family backgrounds, etc. did not cause them to believe.  They believed in who Jesus was because God the Father revealed it to them.
• Peter’s new given name is in the Greek, “Little Stone”, then Jesus says, “Upon this rock”, which in the Greek refers to a large stone or a rocky mountain or peak.  The “rock” that the Church is built upon is the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
• The “keys” given represents authority in the church.  Which, when exercised correctly will always be in agreement with the Word of God.

Questions to consider:

1. Who is Jesus? (Every single soul on the face of the earth must answer this question.)
2. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, and you have put your faith and trust in Him, how did you come to that conclusion? (Hint: It wasn’t a different process than Peter’s.)
3. How would verse 19 be viewed/exercised today without the existence of the local church?
4. Why would Jesus tell His disciples not to tell anybody that He is the Christ?  How might people’s view of what they wanted the Christ to be for them negatively affected Jesus’ ministry and purpose?

Today’s passage: Matthew 16:1-12

Helpful thoughts:

• The Pharisees and Sadducees did not come to learn or sincerely ask questions.  They came to test Jesus.
• Signs are to be read, not revered.  Jesus is better than signs.
• The people did not want Jesus, they wanted what they thought the Messiah could give them.
• The disciples were not confused by Jesus’ warning because they were stupid, but because they were lacking in faith.

Questions to consider:

1. Why do you think the disciples were lacking in faith at that moment?  What was their focus?
2. What are some things you would be prone to love or desire that Jesus could give you MORE than Jesus Himself?  (Another way to ask this question: Have you ever been angry with God for not answering your prayer?)
3. What does the illustration of leaven remind us of when we think of the consequences of false teaching and sin?  Once you have spoken, can you choose how far the consequences will go?

Today’s passage: Matthew 15:32-39

Helpful thoughts:

• This is not the feeding of the five thousand!  Jesus did this miracle twice.
• Physical needs matter to Jesus.  He knows what it feels like to be hungry.
• The disciples would certainly have not forgotten the first miracle Jesus did to feed thousands of people. They were probably just acknowledging that they themselves were unable to feed the crowd.
• The word used for “basket” in this passage is different than in chapter 14 and would have been quite a bit larger.  So, even though there were fewer baskets left over, there was probably more food.

Questions to consider:

1. Was the feeding of these Gentiles the point of the passage, or does this passage read more like a conclusion to what we have been reading over the last few days?
2. What was the greatest thing that happened in the second half of chapter 15; Jesus doing miracles or Gentiles calling the God of Israel their Lord?
3. What is the purpose of miracles?  What is better than God doing a physical miracle in your life?

Today’s passage: Matthew 15:29-31

Helpful thoughts:

• The crowds coming to Jesus on this occasion are the result of the Canaanite woman.  This was probably a largely Gentile crowd.
• Take a minute and imagine the scene…thousands coming, hastily bringing these people to Jesus, seeing them healed right before their eyes, crying out for joy as the next come in right behind them with eagerness that is ready to explode at the prospect of what they are about to see.  This happens over and over again on this day.
• These Gentile people recognized the futility of their pagan gods and glorified the God of Israel.

Questions to consider:

1. What do we (you) tend to turn to when we need helped out of a jam? (Who are our pagan gods?)
2. How would the Gospel of Jesus Christ be water to a dehydrated, thirsty soul?  Why might we take for granted what a lost person, searching for rescue desperately needs to hear?
3. How can you point people to Jesus today?  How might someone look at your life and glorify the God of Israel?

Today’s passage: Matthew 15:21-28

Helpful thoughts:

• The region of Tyre and Sidon was outside of the Jurisdiction of Herod and the Sanhedrin.  It was Gentile territory in what today is southern Lebanon.
• Since this woman was a Gentile from this region, she would most likely have been raised a worshiper of false gods, who chose instead to make request of the Jewish Messiah.
• She pledged her allegiance to Him when she called Jesus, “Lord, Son of David.”
• Jesus’ first response was to His disciples, not to the woman, though she was certainly able to hear.
• The woman was undaunted by the way she seemed to be treated and Jesus applauded her for it and healed her daughter instantly.

Questions to consider:

1. Who were the disciples irritated with, Jesus or the woman?  How did they expect Jesus to treat this Gentile woman?
2. Who do you think Jesus was actually teaching by saying these things?  Did it seem like He needed to inform this woman of her standing as a Gentile or was she already well aware?  Who needed to learn something about people and faith?
3. Compare and contrast the humility and faith of this Gentile woman and the pride and rejection of many of the Jews in the Gospels.  How did Jesus respond to people who were humble and genuinely believing, regardless of their ethnicity and background?
4. How can the faith of this Gentile woman and Jesus’ response to her encourage and impact you today?

Today’s passage: Matthew 15:10-20

Helpful thoughts:

• The disciples showed greater concern for offending the Pharisees.
• The things that come out of your mouth come from within your heart (The inner man)
  • We do what we do (or say what we say) because we want what we want.
  • Your actions are the result of your desires…your desires are the result of your thinking.
• Jesus gives several examples to show He isn’t just talking about speech, but all of our actions.

Questions to consider:

1. What is happening in our hearts when we are more concerned about how people feel about what we say than we are concerned for their actual well-being?
2. Given the exposed hypocrisy from yesterday’s devotion; Is it possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons?  Could we do things that seem religious or even just kind, in order to satiate our own selfish desires?
3.  How does this truth help us to see the depth of our depravity?  How does this truth help us to see how great the forgiveness of God is?  Knowing how desperate we are gives us a greater love and appreciation for Jesus Christ!

Today’s passage: Matthew 15:1-9

Helpful thoughts: 

• After hearing of all the “unclean” people who are touching Jesus and being healed, the Pharisees and scribes decided to complain about the disciples hand-washing.
  • Notice, this hand-washing was a “tradition of the elders”.  This is not even in the Law.
• Jesus does not answer their question.  He is not threatened by the opposition in the heat of the moment.
• Jesus points out the Pharisees’ and scribes’ manipulation of the Law, which they have used for their own personal wealth and in opposition to the spirit of the Law.
  • This practice of calling the finances “God’s” was also a tradition of the elders…  Jesus is reiterating the Jewish leaders’ error of placing tradition over the Scripture.
• He quotes Isaiah 29:13 in telling the Pharisees ans scribes that all their works of righteousness are in vain.  Their efforts were fruitless.  They weren’t righteous at all.
• “Commandments of men” can often start out as an attempt to help people obey actual Scripture.  But, they can quickly turn into more than what they should be.
  • This is why we refer to this practice as “Legalism”.  Making up laws and believing a person’s righteousness is based on whether or not they kept the laws.

Questions to consider:

1. What are some things we have treated (or still do) as doctrines which were only the “commandments of men”?
2. Where do we need to repent of this practice?
3. What would be the danger of “whip-lashing” back from legalism?  What is the right, biblical perspective to have?
4. What is your righteous standing based on?  Praise God for our righteous substitute!

Today’s passage: Matthew 14:22-36

Helpful thoughts:

• After the miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus wanted to be alone to pray.
• The fourth watch was between three and six in the morning.
• The disciples had been battling the storm at sea for some time before Jesus arrived.  Their nerves were probably shot when they saw someone walking on the stormy sea.
• The Greek word for “ghost” means a figment of the imagination.  They were saying, “We are seeing things!”  The fact that the disciples thought they were seeing a “ghost” does not advocate for the existence of ghosts…and, it was Jesus.
• Peter’s faith in Jesus Christ got shaken when he was distracted by the very storm that Jesus commanded.  Peter’s faith was little (or weak), but it was faith and it was in the right place.  He knew who to ask for salvation when he started sinking.
• The miracle was complete when Jesus stepped into the boat.  As soon as the storm had accomplished its God given purpose, it ceased.

Questions to consider:

1. What can we learn about Jesus from this passage?
2. How do trials strengthen and expand our faith?
3. Do you think Peter was aware what the limit of his faith was before this occurred?
4. Seeing and focusing on the wind and waves distracted Peter and caused him to doubt.  What are the wind and waves in your life that can take your eyes off of Jesus?