Today’s passage: Matthew 10:16-25

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus sends out His sheep into the wolves’ territory.
• Jesus does not call His children to be willfully ignorant of the nature of man.
• When a disciple would endure persecution, Jesus promises that the Spirit would minister through them.  They won’t be left alone.
• The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons in 9:34.

Questions to consider:

1. Does God ever send His children into places that are not physically safe? (See verse 16)  Does He expect His children to be careless in the danger? (See verses 16-17)
2. Who is doing the persecuting of these disciples specifically, the Gentiles or Israel?  Should we be surprised when our main opponents seem to be coming from within? (See Acts 20:29-30)
3. What is the problem with the fear of people’s rejection keeping us from sharing the Gospel?  What does this passage promise will be true?  Is it an appropriate goal for a Christian to be completely un-hated?

Today’s passage: Matthew 10:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus “called” or “summoned” His disciples.  The commander has called together His own to give them their orders.
• The disciples did nothing of their own authority.
• The command to not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans was only temporary, for this particular time and task.
• Jews would shake the dust off their feet before returning from a Samaritan or Gentile town to make sure not to bring in any trace of the dust on their sacred home land.  Jesus was commanding the disciples to turn that around.  Paul and Barnabas would later do the same when the Jews rejected the Gospel.
• Jesus’ instruction to the disciples will continue through to the end of this chapter.

Questions to consider:

1. To whom in Israel did Jesus command the disciples to go?  Who would the disciples have been looking for with the commands Jesus gave them, the cream of the crop or the down and out?
2. Was this mission meant to result in the personal wealth of the disciples?
3. How were the disciples told to respond when the message was rejected?  Should we be concerned for our own reputation/personal rejection or for the soul of the individual hearing the Gospel?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:35-38

Helpful thoughts:

• There were around 20 cities and an estimated 3 million people in Galilee during this time.  This was the “size” of the crowds Jesus would have been thinking about.
• The wording for the compassion that Jesus had for the crowds/the lost indicates a physical sickness.  He was literally sick to His stomach or aching.  He was emotionally and physically effected.
• As well-educated or wealthy as any of the people might have been, Jesus saw them as harassed and helpless.
• With the great harvest field in mind, and right before their eyes, Jesus calls on His disciples to…pray.

Questions to consider:

1. Why does it make more sense to have compassion on the lost instead of being frustrated with them?  What is their condition?  Why are we any good at all?
2. Why is it significant that Jesus is commanding the disciples to pray for laborers and not just to pray for the lost?
3. Who could you pray for today?  (Please pray for our church – A body of laborers!)

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:27-34

Helpful thoughts:

• These two blind men are the first in the Gospel of Matthew to publicly say who Jesus is in calling Him the “Son of David.”
• It says the two men were crying aloud, so anyone else who was in the crowd would have been able to hear their claim of belief.
• Notice, the two men asked for mercy.  Then Jesus asked them if they believed He could give that to them.  They professed their faith (“Yes, Lord”) and then he healed them.  So, it is quite possible these men were both saved from their sin AND healed of their blindness simultaneously.
• This passage shares the healing of the blind and the deaf/mute, pointing back to OT prophecy of the Messiah and preparing for Jesus’ encouragement of John the Baptist later in the Gospel.

Questions to consider:

1. Compare and contrast the blind men and their response to Jesus and the Pharisees.
2. Why do you think Jesus told the men not to spread the news?  Why do you think it was so hard for them not to share?  What would they have been sharing specifically? (Hint: It wasn’t their blindness being healed)
3. Since the Pharisees couldn’t deny the miracles, they had to deny the source of power…Why were the Pharisees against Jesus?  What were they unhappy about?  What was most important to them?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:18-26

Helpful thoughts:

• There are two displays of faith in today’s passage.
• The woman was considered “unclean”.  For her to reach out and touch someone who was “clean” was unacceptable.  But remember, when Jesus touches, He makes things clean.
• Jesus now shows that He has authority even over death.
• His great authority was a comfort to those who had faith.

Questions to consider:

1. How does Jesus’ interest in individuals over the crowds help you to think about relationships? How might that affect our idea of multiplication in the Great Commission?
2. Why does Jesus’ authority as God the Son give comfort to those who have faith? Why would it be troublesome to those who don’t believe?
3. How does Jesus’ power over death help us to see death differently?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:14-17

Helpful thoughts:

• These are disciples of John the Baptist.
• Remember the Hosea reference from yesterday?  Israel (God’s people) was the bride, and God is the groom.  Jesus is telling these disciples of John who He is!
• Before Christ came, people were fasting while looking forward to the coming of the King.  So, it was no longer time to fast for that reason.
• Jesus is also making another statement in mentioning new cloth and new wine skins.  A new time has come.  There will be new reason to fast.

Questions to consider:

1. What seems to be the reason for fasting?  Is it just supposed to be a ritualistic practice?
2. Why is it appropriate for us to fast now?  To what should we be looking forward?
3. What are some things you are looking forward to when Jesus makes all things new?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:9-13

Helpful thoughts:

• Tax collectors would set a number for collection that was higher than what Rome required to pay their own salary.  So, picture a Jew working for Rome taking money from other Jews to give to Rome and make themselves personally wealthy…these men were hated.
• Matthew, the tax collector, hated by many, became a follower of Jesus!
• Religious leaders (The Pharisees) did not approve of Jesus’ company.
• “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” is from Hosea 6.  The imagery of Hosea compares Israel to an adulterous woman.  The Pharisees thought they were righteous, Jesus was telling them otherwise.  They belonged in that crowd just as much as anyone else.

Questions to consider:

1. How many righteous acts did Matthew have to perform before Jesus allowed him to become a follower?
2. How does this dinner party compare with Jesus touching and healing the leper?  What direction was the impact flowing?  Were the sinners making Jesus sinful or was Jesus changing them?
3. Were the Pharisees well?  Were they righteous?  Did they have need of a physician?  What was Jesus telling them?
4. Honestly ask yourself…do you think you are well?  Do you need Jesus or are you already righteous?
5. If we as a church are following Jesus, who should we expect to see joining together with us?  How “righteous” do they have to be before we welcome them in?
6. What is the goal of our relationships with unbelievers?  What do I have to believe about my own life and our God in order for that relationship to be effective?

Today’s passage: Matthew 9:1-8

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus, in forgiving sin, shows us that forgiveness is a more urgent problem than any paralysis we may experience and that His authority goes deeper than physical health.
• The scribes knew that only God can forgive sins.
• Jesus healed the man to authenticate His claim to be “The Son of Man” (Daniel 7) and to show that He has authority to forgive sin.  He was very clearly telling them that He was the Messiah!

Questions to consider:

1. If Jesus knew to tell the paralytic to “Take heart”, do you think He knew what the man’s greater concern was?  Did Jesus know what the paralytic believed and was concerned about?
2. If the scribes knew that only God could grant forgiveness, what didn’t they believe about Jesus?
3. Even though it says the people “glorified God,” did they really understand what they had just seen if they thought God had “given such authority to men”?
4. How do faith-healing prosperity gospel ministries cheapen the true Gospel and Jesus Christ?
5. How might the truths in this passage help us to think rightly during our own times of sickness?

Today’s passage: Matthew 8:28-34

Helpful thoughts:

• In the last few days, we have learned that Jesus has authority over diseases, disciples, natural disasters and now today, demons.
• Everyone in the area was afraid of these two demon-possessed men.  But the demons were afraid of Jesus!
• The demons had fear because of their belief.  We often have fear because of our unbelief.
• The passage says nothing of the people’s concern for the pigs or for the two men.  They wanted to meet Jesus.
• Once they met Him, they wanted Jesus to leave.

Questions to consider:

1. It’s easy to focus on the pigs, the townspeople, or even the demons in this passage. But, who was Jesus serving?  Who was the focus of His attention and help?
2. Why was it right for the demons to fear Jesus?
3. Is there anything or anyone who has power over Jesus?
4. How can believing who Jesus is help you to overcome fear/worry/anxiety?