Category: Matthew

Matthew 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

I read an incredibly interesting piece by Nadia Bolz-Weber entitled “It’s a low bar (thank God)” this morning on this section of scripture. (I encourage you to google it. It’s worth the read.) She, like me, has always read this scripture as a rebuke from Jesus about the lack of faith in the disciples. Yet she talks about the significance of Greek grammar tenses and comes to see this scripture in a new light, as a reminder of the importance of the foundation of faith that we *do* have, no matter how small it feels.

Matthew 17:20a He replied, “Because you have so little faith….

My internal critic is really loud. She is mean and caustic. She berates me at every opportunity for all the things I cannot do well….and there are so many things. But Jesus, with His quiet voice of truth, is always there, whispering to my heart that He is with me, that I am His, that I am enough simply because I am His. That truth is my mustard seed, and it’s big enough to sustain me–He is big enough to sustain me–no matter what trials I face. Thank You, Jesus.

Matthew 17:20b …Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move….

Lord, This world is so loud, my doubts are so loud, my failures are so very loud. Help me to cut through the noise and chaos of life to hear You whisper to my heart–I am Yours, Your grace is perfected in my weakness, when trouble comes as it always does, my teeny, tiny, mustard seed of faith, of belief, in You can see me through. I just have to hold on. Amen.

Matthew 17:20c …Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 

Today I want to focus on Matthew 28:20, the last part of the verse: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus says this to the disciples after His arrest, after their denial and betrayal, after His crucifixion and resurrection, after He sends them out in His name. He has already been with them through all of these trials. He knows that what He is asking of them now–Go and make disciples of all nations–will involve even more trials, and He promises to be with them. Always. No matter what.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Just like every human on the planet, my life has had its ups and downs. There have been times when nothing made any sense, my pain, anger, and bitterness were through the roof, there were no answers, there seemed to be little comfort. I was angry and bereft. And in my darkest times, when I felt nothing but the pain and hurt, when I desperately wanted answers that weren’t mine to have, Jesus sat with me in that silence, whispering to my heart, “I am here. You are not alone. I am with you. Always.”

Matthew 28:19-20a Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Lord, I want answers, comfort, smooth paths. You don’t promise any of that. You promise to be with me. Always. In my doubt, in my fear, in my pain and questioning. Thank You for understanding that I need You more than I need anything else. Thank You for helping me to learn that truth as well. You are with me. Always. You are all I need. Amen.

Matthew 28:20b  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 

As someone who doubts and questions and examines as a routine part of life, I appreciate hearing about the doubters in the Gospels–why they doubted, how they were received, how they learned to move forward. I grew up believing (and whether I came to this conclusion myself or was taught it, I still don’t know) that doubt was weak faith. So hearing in multiple Gospels that the original disciples doubted brings me comfort that it’s not just me.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

And I know with certainty that when I come to Jesus with my doubts and fears, when I lay them before Him, when I surrender those doubts and fears to Him again and again and again, wrestling with myself to surrender them completely, my faith is strengthened, my relationship with Christ is strengthened.

Matthew 28:19-20a Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Lord, There is so much that I don’t understand. There are so many things that bring me doubt, fear,  grief,  pain, bitterness. Thank You that I can freely come to You with my doubts, without fear of rejection or worse. Thank You that I can be honest with You about how I am feeling. Thank You that You are bigger than my feelings, bigger than my fears, bigger than my doubts. Help me to trust You always, even when I don’t understand. Amen.

Matthew 28:20b  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 

Sometimes I feel like I can either worship or doubt, but the disciples here show that I can do both. And I think that the reason they can is directly tied to Jesus’s promise that “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” During the walk to the cross, the disciples doubted. They ran. They denied. And here Jesus is AFTER these events, telling them “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 

The disciples *know* they can worship even if they doubt because Jesus has already seen them at their worst, and He still went ahead of them to Galilee, He still loved, accepted, and incorporated them in His ministry. He can do that with me, too. I can worship even when I am afraid, confused, angry, hurt, even when Jesus seems so very far away. I can still worship Him. I can offer my doubts and fears and anger up to Him. I can praise Him through the storm.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Lord, This passage speaks to me about worshiping You honestly and authentically. You don’t want me to hide my doubts and fears. You want me to bring them to You so that You can allay them, so that I can worship You with my whole heart. Thank You, Jesus, and help me to always be honest with You. Amen.

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 28:11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 

The guards were afraid that they would get in trouble. The chief priests were afraid that people would actually believe that Jesus, whom they had tried to discredit for His entire ministry, had risen from the dead just as He said. Once again, money is involved in the plot. But God…

Matthew 28:12-13  When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’

In the tale of this coverup, Hebrews 11:1 comes to mind–”Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Part of faith is belief. Part of belief is the fact that Jesus’s death and resurrection isn’t an accepted fact to all. As a Christian, as a believer of Christ, I choose to believe that He is who He says He is, that He does what He says He does, that He keeps His promises. That’s faith.

Matthew 28:14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 

Lord, Faith, hope, and love are central tenets of our faith, but love–You–are at the core. Thank you for my faith, which is so strong, for hope, which is so powerful, but most of all, thank You for Your great love, which gave all so that I can have eternity with You. Thank You. Amen.

Matthew 28:15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 28:9  Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 

The angel has just told the women to go and tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee. The women are afraid yet filled with joy. And suddenly, there is Jesus. He is not disguised. They are not kept from recognizing Him. They have no doubt about who He is. They clasp His feet and worship Him.

Matthew 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

I just find it fascinating that the women see Him, know Him, worship Him immediately when the disciples all doubt at first, though Thomas is the one whose doubt is most pronounced and remembered. There is no doubt for these women who love Jesus so, who are afraid yet filled with joy.

Matthew 28:11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 

Lord, Thank You for those times when Your presence in a situation is so very clear to me. Help me to look for You, see You, glorify You always, no matter my circumstances. Amen.

Matthew 28:12-13 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Matthew 28:5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

It’s easy to lose sight of the minor characters in the Easter story, but I am reminded with today’s scripture that Jesus has a role for all of us and that every role we serve in God’s eternal narrative is important.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

The Centurion realized “Truly this man was the Son of God;” Joseph of Arimathea boldly asked for Jesus’s body and buried Him; Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, go to grieve and anoint the body with spices yet are used to remind the disciples that there is work to do. These people–who at a glance seem almost inconsequential–are crucial to the Easter story, the Christian story. And so are we.

Matthew 28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Jesus, Let me be proud to play whatever part You have for me in Your eternal story. Let me shine Your light and encourage Your people. Let me hurry away, even if I am afraid, filled with joy. Let me boldly tell Your people of Your great love. Amen.

Matthew 28:8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 27:20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

Today was one of those days that as I read scripture, a reflection plan was forming in my mind, but as I read commentary, God whispered, “This is what I want you to see, to think about.” Jesus—the innocent Lamb—died in place of Barabbas—an insurrectionist and murderer.

Matthew 27:21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered.

When I read this scripture, I am usually so caught up in what they are doing to Jesus that I don’t consider Barabbas, but Barabbas *is* me, and you, and all of us. He’s absolutely guilty, deserving of punishment, but he is set free because of Jesus. I want to ask, “What does that feel like?”, but I know—I *know*—because Jesus took my place, too.

Matthew 27:22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”

Lord, Thank You for this new perspective on Your sacrifice and my salvation. I am Barabbas. I am guilty. I deserve the punishment. Yet You take my place. “Thank You” is inadequate. Help me to love others as You love me—deeply, fiercely, completely, and even when they don’t deserve it. Amen.

Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Have a blessed day.