Jesus overturns the tables of the money changers in the temple courts saying in Matthew 21:13 “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers!” then he goes on about his day healing and the people are responding to him and in Matthew 21:15 the children shouting in the temple courts and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”. The chief priests and elders challenge Jesus so he gives them the parable of the vineyard and at the end, they answer rightly, in Matthew 21:41 They said to him, “He will destroy those evil men completely and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers” but Jesus is talking about them and he quotes Psalm 118:22–23 “The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is from Yahweh; it is wonderful in our eyes” and he tells them in Matthew 21:43 “For this reason, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruits”. 

My House Will Be Called a House of Prayer

Matthew 21:12–17
Jesus had been in Jerusalem before. He had participated in the feasts and seen the way business was conducted yet now, as he comes near the time of Passover, and people are making their pilgrimage to the city, he is incensed by what is happening in

Matthew 21:12–13 And Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. 13 And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers!”

but he doesn’t dwell on this, he moves on to the people in

Matthew 21:14 And the blind and the lame came up to him in the temple courts and he healed them.

And as they always do, the religious reacted in

Matthew 21:15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children shouting in the temple courts and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant.

and when they came to complain to Jesus about what the children were saying so he would make them stop, instead he answers in

Matthew 21:16 And they said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” So Jesus said to them, “Yes, have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of children and nursing babies you have prepared for yourself praise’?”

If You Have Faith And Do Not Doubt

Matthew 21:18–22 

Who Gave You This Authority?

Matthew 21:23–27
The next day, as Jesus comes again to the temple, he is again challenged in

Matthew 21:23 And after he arrived at the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him while he was teaching, saying, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?”

If this had been an honest question he might have answered them directly, but again, they were trying to trap him so he turns it around by asking them a question in

Matthew 21:25-26 From where was the baptism of John—from heaven or from men?” And they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “If we say ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd, because they all look upon John as a prophet.”

Jesus caught them in their posturing as they dodged the truth with their answer saying “We don’t know” in Matthew 21:26. It wasn’t that they didn’t know, it was that they didn’t want to take a truthful position in front of the crowd because that would lead to a truthful answer about Jesus as the son of God.

Which of The Two Did The Will of His Father?

Matthew 21:28–32

They Will Respect My Son

Matthew 21:33–41 

This Came About From The Lord

Matthew 21:42–46
Still talking to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem, Jesus has just told the parable of the vineyard that ends with their answer to him in

Matthew 21:41 They said to him, “He will destroy those evil men completely and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruits in their season.”

and now Jesus quotes to them from Psalm 118:22-23 in Matthew 21:42 “This came about from the Lord” and tells them in

Matthew 21:43 For this reason, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruits.

These were God’s chosen people, the seed of Abraham, they had the Law of Moses. They were God’s people and Jesus is telling them that they have lost their place. And they were lost because they were so bound up with religious ritual that they could not recognize the power of God working right in front of them. As Jesus had said to them earlier, they were, in

Matthew 15:7–8 Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me.

Come To The Wedding Celebration!

Matthew 22:1–7

Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen

Matthew 22:8–14

Study Verses

• Matthew 21:12–17 My House Will Be Called a House of Prayer
• Matthew 21:23–27 Who Gave You This Authority?
• Matthew 21:42–46 This Came About From The Lord

Today’s Reading

• Matthew 21:12-46
• Matthew 22:1-14

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On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples he will be crucified and will rise again. Two of them ask for a position with him and he corrects them all in Matthew 20:26 “It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant”. Along the way, two blind men cry out to Jesus because they cannot get to him in Matthew 20:31 And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! Jesus demonstrates this idea of being a servant and stops and asks and listens and heals them. When they come near Jerusalem, Jesus sees what is coming and sends two disciples to prepare. As Jesus enters the city riding on a young colt, the people recognize him as their coming king from Zechariah 9:9 and cry out in Matthew 21:9 “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”.

Many Who Are First Will Be Last

Matthew 19:24–30

He Sent Them Into His Vineyard

Matthew 20:1–8

They Thought They Would Receive More

Matthew 20:9–16

The Son of Man Will Be Handed Over

Matthew 20:17–19 

The Son of Man Did Not Come To Be Served

Matthew 20:20–28
Jesus is headed for Jerusalem with his disciples and has just told them he will be crucified and raised from the dead. Then, the mother of two disciples comes to ask him in

Matthew 20:21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom.”

Isn’t this like a mother to be thinking only of the future of her sons? And isn’t the response of the others a very natural human reaction in

Matthew 20:24 And when the ten heard this, they were indignant concerning the two brothers.

But they all had the wrong mindset, they were thinking as mere men, they were thinking like the Gentiles in

Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them to himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them.

and Jesus corrects them in

Matthew 20:26 It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant

 

Have Mercy On Us, Son of David!

Matthew 20:29–34
The crowds were gathering around Jesus wherever he went and it was the same in Jericho in

Matthew 20:29 And as they were going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him.

but these crowds also prevented some from finding their way to Jesus as happened to these two men in

Matthew 20:30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they called out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

and you can imagine how it was with the crowd, Jesus, his disciples, some of the religious leaders and people of position, and then, off some distance, the untouchables. Those that were poor or infirmed or blind as these men were. So these blind men are crying out to Jesus. And what does the crowd do? They tell these men to be quiet in

Matthew 20:31 And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

We all have a certain social etiquette that helps maintain order, but it can also prevent us from breaking out of a bad situation. There are times when we should cry out for change. Jesus was not offended by them. Jesus heard their cries and stopped and asked and listened and did what they asked in Matthew 20:32-34. One of many great promises includes these words, “call upon me” and is found in

Psalm 91:14–16 Because he loves me, therefore I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. 15 He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

 

Behold, Your King Is Coming To You

Matthew 21:1–11
As they came near Jerusalem, Jesus had seen the things that were needed, we might call it a word of knowledge or it may have come to him as a prophetic vision, but he sent two of his disciples and in

Matthew 21:6–7 So the disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.

This is exactly as described in

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king comes to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a male donkey, the foal of a female donkey!

and the people who had seen his miracles and heard his teaching recognized as “the Son of David” and responded in

Matthew 21:8–9 And a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 And the crowds who went ahead of him and the ones who followed were shouting, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Study Verses

• Matthew 20:20–28 The Son of Man Did Not Come To Be Served
• Matthew 20:29–34 Have Mercy On Us, Son of David!
• Matthew 21:1–11 Behold, Your King Is Coming To You

Today’s Reading

• Matthew 19:24-30
• Matthew 20:1-34
• Matthew 21:1-11

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How close is our life experience to the way God created it to be? Men came to Jesus asking about divorce and Jesus responded in Matthew 19:8 “from the beginning it was not like this”. Why is divorce so prevalent? Jesus answered in this same verse, “Moses, with reference to your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce”. We read the Bible and recognize God’s eternal power as if everything around us is the way he intended and we gloss over or skip past the authority he has given us in Matthew 18:19 “Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask, it will be done for them from my Father who is in heaven”. God’s will is one Church, the body of Jesus Christ operating in the love and joy and peace of one Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciple in Matthew 18:15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother”. He also knew there would be times when hardness of heart would result in separation. How much could we gain if we could find a way past our differences, if we could find love for each other and come together? From the beginning, it was not like this, or as Paul said in

Ephesians 4:1–6 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called: 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; 4 one body and one Spirit (just as also you were called with one hope of your calling), 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

 

If Your Brother Sins Against You

Matthew 18:15–20
Jesus said that offences would come, and they don’t just come from the unsaved. We also have differences of opinion and sometimes we are just wrong in our thinking. Jesus did also say in

Matthew 18:19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask, it will be done for them from my Father who is in heaven.

There are things that God has spoken and that we are to follow and there are doctrinal truths that govern the kingdom of heaven and there also are many things for us to choose and decide in our own lives.

We have enough trouble sorting out doctrinal differences even though we are all reading the same book and have the same Spirit. It becomes a real problem when we act in self will and become hard hearted and hard headed about what we want to do and how we want to do it. It is good for us to speak up when a brothers actions cause an offense as Jesus said in

Matthew 18:15 “Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Sadly though, sometimes people don’t listen so he also said in

Matthew 18:16 But if he does not listen, take with you in addition one or two others, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.

and if it can’t be corrected, and they continue with division then in

Matthew 18:17 And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses to listen to the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

and as difficult as this is, we are to separate ourselves from them. It is this very thing that has caused rifts in the Church. Here is a truth though, God able and willing to love people on either side of a dispute. Do you remember that God loved the tribes of Israel even though each was different? Do you remember that God will have people from every tribe and nation and tongue? But when we have a division, we have lost the love and relationship of our brother in our life.

How Many Times Will I Forgive

Matthew 18:21–27

Should You Not Also Have Shown Mercy

Matthew 18:28–35

The Two Will Become One Flesh

Matthew 19:1–6 

From the Beginning It Was Not Like This

Matthew 19:7–12
We are born into this world as it is. For us, it is normal, it is the way we have always experienced it. But, there are things in the world that are not the way God created them to be. Jesus said it this way in

Matthew 19:8 He said to them, “Moses, with reference to your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not like this.

Divorce, which is so prevalent in our generation, was never part of Gods plan. Divorce doesn’t happen because you fall out of love. Divorce doesn’t happen because two people are incompatible. Divorce doesn’t happen because you two just grew apart. Divorce happens because of hardness of heart.

If you have suffered the loss of a relationship through divorce, hear what Jesus says, “from the beginning it was not like this”, God never wanted you to suffer that hurt or loss. God has a better life for you ahead as you renew your mind in

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may approve what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.

and as you are conformed to the image of Christ in

Romans 8:29 because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.

Allow the Children to Come to Me

Matthew 19:13–15 

What Good Thing Must I Do So That I Will Have Eternal Life

Matthew 19:16–23
This is the eternal question,”What must I do?” and we know that there is a way for us to live as Jesus said in

Matthew 19:18–19 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “Do not commit murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

but this alone was not enough. Jesus told him to do two more things in

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.”

Jesus told him to let go of all of his possessions and give them to the poor because his treasure would then be in heaven. And, Jesus told him “follow me”.

Study Verses

• Matthew 18:15–20 If Your Brother Sins Against You
• Matthew 19:7–12 From the Beginning It Was Not Like This
• Matthew 19:16–23 What Good Thing Must I Do So That I Will Have Eternal Life

Today’s Reading

• Matthew 18:15-35
• Matthew 19:1-23

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Jesus had begun in Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day. Then he takes Peter and James and John with him to pray. Jesus is transfigured and in Matthew 17:3 “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him”. Peter speaks out and is interrupted in Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!”. As they go forward, the disciples are not able to cast out a demon and Jesus explains their failure in Matthew 17:20 And he said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Then they want to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven and Jesus says in Matthew 18:3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn around and become like young children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven!” His disciples were no different from us. We want to speak when we should be listening. We want God to do what he has given us the authority to do. And, we often are looking for position, approval from people rather than pursuing the mission Jesus began in Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.”

Let Him Deny Himself and Take Up His Cross

Matthew 16:21–28 

This Is My Beloved Son Listen to Him!

Matthew 17:1–13
Jesus often went off to pray and there are only a few places where we find insight into his private times of prayer. Here, Jesus takes three disciples with him in

Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus took along Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

Then, Jesus changed in appearance as he connected with the realm of heaven in

Matthew 17:2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became bright as the light.

Now, they were all talking together, not just Jesus and his disciples, but in

Matthew 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him.

Peter, as he often did and offered to make shelters in Matthew 17:4 but this was not the time to be talking, but the time to be listening and another voice interrupts Peter in

Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

These three disciples were in the middle of a conversation about the most important event in history, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross yet didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the moment. Jesus instructed them in

Matthew 17:9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them saying, “Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

 

If You Have Faith Like a Mustard Seed

Matthew 17:14–23
Jesus has taught and demonstrated the power of the kingdom and his disciples have witnessed it. Jesus had sent the twelve in Luke 9:1-2 “he gave them power and authority over all the demons” and sent the seventy two who returned in

Luke 10:17 And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

yet now, as this man comes, the disciples had not been effective in

Matthew 17:15–16 and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely, for often he falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they were not able to heal him.”

Jesus simply rebuked the demon in

Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him and the boy was healed from that hour.

and when his disciples asked “Why were we not able to expel it?” in Matthew 17:19, Jesus answers in

Matthew 17:20 And he said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

The power of God was there to heal, to expel the demon. The authority had been given to the disciples, yet they didn’t believe it. Their faith was weak.

So That We Do Not Give Offense To Them

Matthew 17:24–27

Who Then Is the Greatest

Matthew 18:1–5

Woe To the World Because of Causes for Stumbling

Matthew 18:6–9 

Do Not Despise One of These Little Ones

Matthew 18:10–14
The disciples had asked Jesus in

Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came up to Jesus, saying, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

and rather than naming them and ranking them as his disciples, Jesus calls a child and in

Matthew 18:3–4 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn around and become like young children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven! 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child, this person is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”

Then he goes on to say how important children are in

Matthew 18:10 “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven constantly see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

so what is it that is important in heaven? That none perish in

Matthew 18:14 In the same way it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Jesus said the humble one is great in the kingdom of heaven, the one that gathers in or as in

Jude 21–23 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt, 23 and save others by snatching them from the fire, and have mercy on others with fear, hating even the tunic stained by the flesh.

Study Verses

• Matthew 17:1–13 This Is My Beloved Son Listen to Him!
• Matthew 17:14–23 If You Have Faith Like a Mustard Seed
• Matthew 18:10–14 Do Not Despise One of These Little Ones

Today’s Reading

• Matthew 16:21-28
• Matthew 17:1-27
• Matthew 18:1-14

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Jesus came to bring a message, and it still resounds today. The message begins with a simple statement in Matthew 15:18 “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person”. We are separated from God and the only fix is a change of heart. Jesus came and demonstrated God’s love in Matthew 15:30 “And large crowds came to him, having with them the mute, blind, lame, crippled, and many others, and they put them down at his feet, and he healed them”. And, in Matthew 15:32 “Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd …” and he fed them. But his message wasn’t just healing them or feeding them it was to bring into the world this revelation in Matthew 16:16 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it!” and then he also said in Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven”. Now, we are to, in Ephesians 4:23–24 “be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man (in accordance with God), who is created in righteousness and holiness from the truth”. Now, we are to stand in the authority we have. 

Hear and Understand

Matthew 15:10–20
The Jews had many rules separating the clean from the unclean to distinguish the holy from the profane. These were all external markers, they were outward indicators. So Jesus called the whole crowd around him and made a special point saying in

Matthew 15:10b–11 “Hear and understand: 11 It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.”

What caused him to raise this point? We are told to “pay respect to whom respect is due; pay honor to whom honor is due” in Romans 13:7 and Jesus disciples came to him after he said “what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person” and they told him in

Matthew 15:12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

They said this because the Pharisees were learned, religious, leaders and the disciples thought they must consider their feelings but Jesus reacted harshly saying “Let them!”, let them be offended in

Matthew 15:13–14 And he answered and said, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Let them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

and Jesus was surprised when Peter pressed this further saying to him in

Matthew 15:16 But he said, “Are you also still without understanding?

This is a strong message to us that we are not to look at the outside, at how a person dresses or their title or social standing, but we are to look at what comes out of their mouth because the mouth speaks what is in their heart in

Matthew 15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person.

This is how you will know what is in them.

Even the Dogs Eat the Crumbs

Matthew 15:21–28

The Crowd Was Astonished

Matthew 15:29–31 

I Have Compassion On the Crowd

Matthew 15:32–39
Jesus had tried to get away to a quiet place but the crowd followed him he ministered to them, healing them in Matthew 15:30 for three days then he says “I have compassion on the crowd” in

Matthew 15:32 And Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with me three days already and do not have anything to eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry lest they give out on the way.”

The disciples, looking only at their circumstance, couldn’t imagine feeding all of these people in

Matthew 15:33 And the disciples said to him, “Where in this desolate place can we get so much bread that such a great crowd could be satisfied?”

Jesus simply took what they had, blessed it and broke it piece by piece until they all were fed in

Matthew 15:36 he took the seven loaves and the fish and after he had given thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

Show A Sign From Heaven

Matthew 16:1–4

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!

Matthew 16:5–12 

You Are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Matthew 16:13–20
Jesus has traveled throughout Israel preaching his message of the kingdom of God and now comes to this place, Caesarea Philippi, where “According to some its original name was Baal-Gad (Josh. 11:17), or Baal-Hermon (Judg. 3:3; 1 Chr. 5:23), when it was a Canaanite sanctuary of Baal. It was afterwards called Panium or Paneas, from a deep cavern full of water near the town … associated with the worship of their god Pan.”¹ and it is here that Jesus asks what people believe about him in

Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he began asking his disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Then Jesus asks the more important question of his disciples in

Matthew 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter, always quick to react and respond answers first in

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Jesus gives an important response because this revelation doesn’t come naturally, but only by the word of God through the Spirit of God in

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Many have taken this next statement as a directive to Peter because Jesus says in

Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it!

Jesus does use Peter’s name which is πέτρος, meaning a stone or “of a boulder forming a landmark”.² and says “I also say to you”, speaking this name to Peter but then he says, speaking again to them all, “on this rock”, on this revelation that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God!”, on this foundation “I will build my church”. Then, still speaking to them all, Jesus says in

Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.”

and he finishes speaking to them all in

Matthew 16:20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

Study Verses

• Matthew 15:10–20 Hear and Understand
• Matthew 15:32–39 I Have Compassion On the Crowd
• Matthew 16:13–20 You Are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Today’s Reading

• Matthew 15:10-39
• Matthew 16:1-20

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References

• 1. Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.
• 2. Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon (p. 1398). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Jesus was born like every other person on earth is. He grew and matured as everyone else so when he came to his home town teaching about the kingdom of God, they said in Matthew 13:54–55 “From where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55 Is not this one the son of the carpenter?” They could not see him for who he was, the son of God. He was conceived differently so was without sin and he was anointed differently, with the Holy Spirit residing on Him so he had the wisdom and power of God. Wherever he went, he had compassion on the people teaching and healing and feeding them. And, wherever he went there were those religious people that tried to catch him breaking the law but every time he answered not only with correction but with the true intent of the law and exposed them as in Matthew 15:8–9 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me, 9 and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Like Treasure Hidden In a Field

Matthew 13:44–52 

From Where Did This Man Get This Wisdom

Matthew 13:53–58
Jesus was God taking on human form. He was born of a woman just as we all are. He grew up in a family as most of us have. The people in his home town had known him since he was a child so when he began to teach with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they said in

Matthew 13:54–56 And he came to his hometown and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and said, “From where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55 Is not this one the son of the carpenter? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? From where then did this man get all these things?”

They were trapped in their history with Jesus, they could not believe that he was more than that child that grew up down the street from them. Because of this, in

Matthew 13:58 And he did not perform many miracles in that place because of their unbelief.

He Wanted To Kill Him

Matthew 14:1–12 

He Withdrew From There To An Isolated Place

Matthew 14:13–21
Jesus had heard that John was beheaded and wanted to get away in

Matthew 14:13 Now when Jesus heard it, he withdrew from there in a boat to an isolated place by himself. And when the crowds heard it, they followed him by land from the towns.

but the crowds followed him and were there waiting when his boat arrived in

Matthew 14:14 And as he got out, he saw the large crowd and had compassion on them and healed their sick.

even though he and the disciples were grieving the loss of John, he still had compassion on the people and the crowd was great and they ministered all day, so much so that the disciples finally came to him to send the crowd away in

Matthew 14:15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him saying, “The place is desolate and the hour is late. Release the crowds so that they can go away into the villages and purchase food for themselves.”

The disciples were speaking out of their fatigue, but Jesus saw a crowd hungry for the power of God so he responded in

Matthew 14:16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

Jesus pushed them beyond their past experience, and beyond their individual ability to this place where they could only trust in the power of God. Jesus asked what they had, and blessed it in

Matthew 14:17–18 And they said to him, “We do not have anything here except five loaves and two fish.” 18 So he said, “Bring them here to me.”

and it was more than enough in

Matthew 14:20 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.

They Saw Him Walking On The Sea

Matthew 14:22–33

All Those Who Touched It Were Cured

Matthew 14:34–36 

Teaching As Doctrines The Commandments of Men

Matthew 15:1–9
The religious people of the day, the Pharisees and the scribes came to Jesus quoting their writings, the rules of religion as they accused Jesus and his disciples of breaking them. But they are accusing Jesus who is anointed with, filled with the Holy Spirit, the same spirit that was with Moses as he wrote their law. So Jesus quotes what God says in

Matthew 15:4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die.’

and then he contrasts this with their tradition which says in

Matthew 15:5–6 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother, “Whatever benefit you would have received from me is a gift to God,” 6 need not honor his father,’ and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

Then he tells it like it is, they are far from God in

Matthew 15:8–9 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me, 9 and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Study Verses

• Matthew 13:53–58 From Where Did This Man Get This Wisdom
• Matthew 14:13–21 He Withdrew From There To An Isolated Place
• Matthew 15:1–9 Teaching As Doctrines The Commandments of Men

Today’s Reading

• Matthew 13:44-58
• Matthew 14:1-36
• Matthew 15:1-9

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