Category: Matthew

Matthew 15:1-2 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

I love routine and tradition. There is great comfort in knowing what to expect. But Jesus cautions here about the danger of blindly following tradition and of putting tradition before God.

Matthew 15:3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

This scripture, to me, is an invitation to examine our actions. The expression “What would Jesus do?” takes on new significance in this light. Are we doing something to bring glory to God, to shine His light, to comfort His people? If not, what’s our purpose?

Matthew 15:7-9 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”

Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that unless You are our focus and purpose, blindly following tradition, no matter how comforting, is not from You and does not glorify You. I want to honor You, always, with my lips, my heart, my words, and my actions. Help me. Amen.

Matthew 15:10-11 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 13:10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

Once again Matthew 7:7 comes to mind as I read Matthew 13: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I think our ability to understand God’s word is increased when we ask, seek, and knock. I think when we dig in, seeking to understand His word, it makes a difference.

Matthew 13:12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

Lack of faith, lack of desire to understand, makes a difference, too. Jesus couldn’t heal in His hometown because they had hardened their hearts to Him. Similarly, He can’t make clear His truth if we don’t try to understand.

Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

Lord, Thank You for the understanding that following You is not a passive activity. It takes effort to seek, ask, knock. But You reward that effort by allowing us to know You more. Help me to seek You always. Draw me closer. Amen.

Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 11:27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Matthew 7:7 comes strongly to mind as I read Matthew 11:27: “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” I can’t help but think the Son chooses to reveal the Father to those who ask, seek, and knock, actively trying to know the Lord more.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Verse 28 puts me in mind of the job that I do. Some days are really hard. But when I am able to connect with a student, give them hope and encouragement, those days I can totally see how He gives me rest as He works alongside me in the classroom.

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Lord, Thank You for the invitation to ask, seek, knock. Thank You that You are not a god behind the curtain—pulling all the strings but not known or knowable. Thank You that You are in the trenches with me, beside me, helping me every step of the way. Thank You. Amen.

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

There have been several devastating mass shootings in the news recently. That fact came to mind when I read verse 28. It seems like there is so much to fear in this life, but Matthew reminds us that the body and soul are not the same thing and the eternal soul is more lasting than the earthly shell.

Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.

Then Matthew reminds us of our value in Christ, something that I am guilty of forgetting far too often. Christ loves me and knows me to the point of counting every hair on my head. That level of being known is a little mind-boggling but incredibly comforting.

Matthew 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Lord, Thank You for seeing me and for knowing me. Thank You for the reminder that I am an eternal soul as well as an earthly body. Help me not to be afraid because You know me, you are with me. Always. Help me never to forget my value in You. Amen.

Matthew 10:31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 9:2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

The verses pulled here all deal with Jesus’s healing according to the faith of the ones asking for healing. The faith of the friends prompts Jesus to heal the paralyzed man. The faith of the bleeding woman and the blind men allow Jesus to heal them. If they had not approached Him, had not had faith in His ability to heal, they would not have received healing.

Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

All of Matthew 9 seems an illustration of verse 13–mercy, not sacrifice. No one says, “Jesus, I fasted every time it was required. I check all the religious boxes. I deserve healing.” There was no mention of deserving anything. Jesus healed them out of His mercy. He asks us to go into the world in that same spirit.

Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Merciful Jesus, Thank You for Your compassion, mercy, and healing. Thank You for recognizing our faith, even when the world discounts our presence. Help us to grow in faith and mercy as we minister to Your people. Amen.

Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 8:24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

I have always been drawn to this story. Perhaps it is because I identify so easily with the disciples. I, too, would be terrified in the middle of the lake in the middle of a storm. I, too, would be baffled by the fact that my Lord is sleeping soundly through it all.

Matthew 8:25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

I, too, would allow my fear to override everything else. There would be no room for reason or faith to seep in. There would be no understanding that Jesus, Son of God, would not sleep through a crisis and yet He’s sleeping through the storm, meaning the situation cannot be as it appears to me.

Matthew 8:26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Lord, Forgive me when I allow my fear to get the best of me. Help me to know that You are in control always, even when my fear runs wild. Instead of focusing on the wind and the waves, the raging storm, help me to focus on You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Jesus uses an extended analogy in this section, which makes my nerdy English teacher heart happy. One of the things commentary points out in this analogy is that the only difference is the foundation. Everything else is the same. So when life goes sideways, as it inevitably will, our foundation is what can save or sink us.

Matthew 7:25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

This entire section gives new meaning to the expression “hitting rock bottom.” If God the Rock is our foundation, then rock bottom allows us security, traction, to finally stop falling, to catch our breath. If we’ve built on shifting sand, then even hitting bottom doesn’t give us solid ground.

Matthew 7:26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that it doesn’t matter what we build in this life if we don’t have You as our foundation. Thank You for being a firm foundation always, even when life is falling apart. Draw us closer to You. Amen.

Matthew 7:27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Yesterday, my pastor talked about, among other things, the fact that we are all on the same team. While this is an analogy I frequently use in the classroom, I hadn’t really thought much about it in life. But that shift in perspective that we are all part of the same team instantly changes my perspective of the people around me. We are a team, a community. It’s not me against “them.” We are on the same side.

Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name….

And as I was reading commentary on verse 6, the fact that it says “Our Father,” not “My Father”—a collective pronoun instead of a singular one, reinforces that idea of community, and quite frankly, was something I had never thought about before, reinforcing this idea of team.

Matthew 6:10-11 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.

Lord, Thank You for placing these insights on my heart. Thank You for these connections that You place in my life, for allowing me to see them, examine them, draw closer to You because of them. Thank You for our need for community in You, for the fact that we are all on the same team, Your team. Draw us closer to You as we encourage each other. Amen.

Matthew 6:12-13 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 5:1-2 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

This chapter is the first real look at Jesus’s teachings. And what I see here is a caution and reminder. The Pharisees and Sadducees uphold the letter of the law in fact, not in spirit. They follow the law, but their hearts are not in it. Jesus says the law is important, it will not be abolished, but following the law is not enough.

Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

This chapter is a reminder that faith and righteousness go beyond just following the letter of the law. It involves the spirit of the law, the spirit of our hearts and the Spirit of God. It involves our intentions and our hearts, our thoughts and our minds, not just our actions. Belonging to Jesus goes way beyond just following a set of rules.

Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You know our hearts, and You want our hearts and not just our actions. We can’t just academically follow You. We have to be all in—body and soul. Help me to live for You with that level of passion and commitment. Draw me closer. Amen.

Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Have a blessed day.