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?

Today’s passage: Matthew 14:13-21

Helpful thoughts:

• Given the nature of family sizes and the fact that the number here is given with the added “besides women and children”, it would make perfect sense that this crowd could have been at or above 25,000 people.
• When Jesus wanted to be alone, He had compassion and served. (Mark 10:45)
• It would have been a fine response for the disciples to say to Jesus, “We cannot feed all these people, but you can.”

Questions to consider:

1. Did the disciples use Jesus to feed all these people or did Jesus use the disciples?
2. Do we use Jesus to accomplish our purposes or does Jesus use us to accomplish His?
3. How does Jesus’ character as a servant and a compassionate Savior set a precedent/example for us and make the answer to the previous question a good thing?

Today’s passage: Matthew 14:1-12

Helpful thoughts:

• Herod was gripped by the fear of man.  He wanted people to think he was great.
• Herod was also prideful.  He thought God would raise John the Baptist from the dead just to mess with him.
• When Herod thought that everything was about him, it made him a slave to everyone around him.
• Contrast all this with John the Baptist, who was willing to tell Herod he shouldn’t be marrying his sister-in-law, regardless of the consequences.
• Herod’s self-interest made him totally miss the glory of Jesus Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. Honestly ask yourself, would you rather be John the Baptist or Herod in this narrative (Remember, John the Baptist is dead and Herod is king…)?
2. After you think through the previous question, dig deeper and ask why.
3. What prevents people from talking to others about things that they think might stir up some controversy?
4. Was John the Baptist hating Herod when he warned him or was he loving Herod when he warned him?
5. What are some reasons why we should be thankful we have been made aware of our sin?  What came of that?  What still comes from that?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:53-58

Helpful thoughts:

• There is good evidence in this passage that Jesus was fully man.  He is fully man and fully God.  Some people believe that He was not fully man.  These people in this passage sure did!
• Jesus had half-brothers and half-sisters because Joseph and Mary had children together after Jesus was born.  Mary was not a life-long virgin.
• Notice, they never deny Jesus’ “mighty works”.  They can’t deny that He did them.  But, they did reject Him.
• Jesus’ response to the people of Nazareth’s unbelief was not to work among them.  He would go elsewhere.

Questions to consider:

1. The pattern on display here was an unwillingness to believe, followed by attempted reasoning, followed by offense and rejection.  What are some examples you could think of where people today do not want to believe and follow this pattern?
2. What is the cause of a prophet going “without honor” in his hometown?  Who is responsible for the lack of honor?
3. Do you struggle with the idea of Jesus withholding the display of His glory where people do not believe?  Why or why not?
4. How does this passage encourage you in your obedience to share the Gospel with others?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:44-52

Helpful thoughts:

• The kingdom of heaven is worth everything.
• In verse 44, the kingdom is the treasure. In verse 45, the kingdom is the merchant searching for the treasure.
• The parable of the net is very similar to the parable of the wheat and the weeds.
• Jesus is speaking to His disciples in this passage.  Jesus is telling them that they are the scribes (experts of the Scriptures) who are going to bring out (Spread the message) from what is old (Old Testament) and what is new (The teachings of Jesus, the New Testament).

Questions to consider:

1. How do you value the kingdom of heaven?  Is there anything in this world that you value higher?  How would you be able to tell?
2. What is the Bible compared to in verse 52?  What makes the content of the Bible so valuable?  When do we most appreciate its value?
3. Who is the giver of all this treasure?  How can this encourage you today?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:36-43

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus shares with His disciples what each component of the parable represents.
• All causes of sin will be removed from the Kingdom at the end of the age!
• Hell is real.  We don’t rejoice in anyone going to hell (Jude 23), but we don’t refuse to believe it either.

Questions to consider:

1. Again, as was asked a few days ago, who are the planters in this field?  Who are all the players in this battle?  What part do we play in this parable?
2. What will it be like to live forever with Christ where there aren’t even any causes of sin present?  How amazing will that day be?
3. How should the reality of Hell motivate us? Both in our own lives and in how we look at others?
4. Jesus says again after this explanation, “He who has ears, let him hear.”  The last time He said this was after sharing a parable.  Is it possible to hear the explanation of a parable and STILL not understand/believe?  What makes the difference?  What has to happen (Beyond explanation) for a person to start understanding? (Hint: The answer is in these last few parables)

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:31-35

Helpful thoughts:

• The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of Leaven are coupled together to emphasize a similar point.
• The prophecy Jesus is fulfilling by speaking in parables is in Psalm 78:2.
• Remember, the little mustard seed and the little piece of leaven are the Kingdom of Heaven…not little things you can do to make the world a better place.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the consistent feature of both parables?
2. What do you think these parables mean? (They were shared together so go with one meaning)
3. Why do you think the disciples did not come back and ask Jesus to explain these parables?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:24-30

Helpful thoughts:

• Be careful not to combine the previous parable with this one.  In the previous parable, the soil that received the seed was being compared and contrasted.  In this parable, the different types of seeds/plants are being compared and contrasted.
• The kind of weed mentioned here in the Greek looks much like wheat early on in their growth.  It’s not always easy to tell the difference between these plants without looking closely.
• If you pulled out the weeds at this time, you may mistake some of the wheat and pull it up, or mistakenly pull up the ground around them.  The day of the harvest (The judgement) will come and everything will be rightly identified.
• Jesus explains this parable later in the chapter.

Questions to consider:

1. As you await the Savior’s explanation (Or did you look ahead?), What do you think this parable is teaching?
2. Who was responsible for the weeds being present in the same field as the wheat?  Did the plants plant themselves?
3. Who is ultimately responsible for separating of the wheat from the weeds?