Week 4
Monday, January 20
Matthew 14:22-15:20
Commentary
Today’s
reading contains Jesus walking on the water, one of the more well-known stories
in the gospels. Jesus had withdrawn to pray alone while his disciples went to
the other side of the lake. As in chapter 8, there is a mighty storm and the
disciples are afraid. This time, Jesus isn’t on the boat, but he comes to rescue
them by walking on the water – a miraculous feat (like the pun?) that only God himself
could accomplish. Peter exhibits bold faith at first, knowing that Jesus could enable
him to walk on the water, but he begins to sink when he takes his eyes off Christ
and worries about the wind instead. Jesus is merciful, rescuing Peter from the
consequence of his lost focus and wavering faith. Verse 33 shows us the effect of
Jesus’ miracle – his disciples proclaim that Jesus truly is the Son of God.
We
see another summary paragraph of Jesus’ healing ministry, this time in Gennesaret,
which was not too far from Capernaum, where Jesus spent much of his early
ministry. Jesus is loving and merciful, happy to heal all who came to him. When
you are overwhelmed with sin or worry or sickness, don’t be afraid to cry out
like Peter or these sick folks, “Lord, save me!” Our Savior is gentle and lowly
in heart, and he gives peace and rest to all who come to him to be saved.
The Family Worship Bible Guide gives an excellent summary of verses 10-20: “The heart of sin is the sin of the heart. The scribes and the Pharisees focused on external sins, especially the rituals they dictated [like the ceremonial washing of hands before eating], but the Lord Jesus said that all the moral evils of mankind proceed out of the heart (v.19). When God works in our hearts, He gives us the ability to see how deeply rooted sin is and how deceitful our hearts are. Our salvation cannot simply be dressing up or cleaning up the outside of our lives. Christ must heal our blindness.”[1]
Application/Discussion
1. Why
is it important to keep our focus on Christ rather than our problems? How can
you practice this in your daily life?
2. How does what the Bible teaches on heaven and hell impact your desire to share the gospel with the people God has placed around you?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for sending Jesus to be our perfect Savior and show his mercy to us, despite
the abundance of our sin and the weakness.
2. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you keep your focus on your Savior and not your sins or struggles.
Going
Deeper
These
articles give further insight into Jesus walking on the water:
· https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-lord-of-the-storm/
· https://www.gotquestions.org/walking-on-water.html
Tuesday,
January 21
Matthew 15:21-16:12
Commentary
A lot
is going on in today’s passage. First is one of the more challenging stories in
the gospels, this Canaanite woman who begs for Jesus to heal her daughter. A few
things to note here: 1) by initially refusing to answer, Jesus intentionally
draws her into a deeper conversation, 2) Jesus came first for Israel, who God
made a covenant with and gave his Word to, so it was appropriate for Jesus to
focus on the Israelites, and 3) she recognizes she does not belong at Jesus’
table, an honest and humble confession of one’s need for a Savior that very few
people in the gospels exhibit. She recognizes she has no place in this story,
yet she begs for Jesus’ help, even calling him (before the disciples or the
rest of the Jews) the Son of David. This is what we need for salvation, too, to
recognize that because of our sin, we don’t truly deserve a place in God’s household,
and to plea for Christ’s mercy to forgive and help us anyways. She is one of my
favorite women of the Bible and a shining example of faith and humility for us
all.
Next,
we again see a summary of Jesus healing many, with the note that this led
people to worship the God of Israel. Again, this is what Jesus’ miracles were
intended to do – lead people to turn to God and show his divinity. After this,
Jesus feeds another massive crowd with just a couple sack lunches of bread and
fish. This story especially gives us déjà vu because the disciples have already
forgotten Jesus could do this, worrying about where they could possibly get enough
food to care for the crowd as Jesus wanted.
Jesus
gave these signs to inquiring crowds and his disciples, but told the religious
leaders he would only give them “the sign of Jonah.” This is a callback to
12:38-42, where Jesus foretold that he would be buried for three days as Jonah
was in the big fish for three days, and then be raised back to life as Jonah was
spit out of the fish.
Jesus uses the feeding miracles and the disciples running out of food as an occasion to teach his disciples to be wary of “the leaven of the Pharisees.” Leaven makes bread rise, so just a bit of it can cause a whole batch of dough to rise and expand. Jesus teaches that their influence is like that – letting in this ritualistic self-righteousness into your heart and mind can easily corrupt your walk with God. Trust in Christ’s perfect righteousness alone for salvation!
Discussion
Questions
1. Jesus
likening the Canaanite woman to a dog, and her agreeing, is hard for us to
swallow. It makes us uncomfortable to see people as this “low,” but without
Christ, we really don’t deserve a seat at the table and we really are as low as
a person can be. How does this story teach us to be honest about our own
sinfulness and unworthiness?
2. We can be hard on the disciples for forgetting something as miraculous as the first loaves and fishes miracle or missing the meaning of Jesus’ teachings, but we are forgetful too – that’s why Jesus teaches them this lesson again and why the Bible has so many reminders! What do you regularly forget or ignore in your walk with God? How does the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of believers encourage you to be more faithful in this aspect of your life?
Points
of Prayer
Today, practice what you’ve been seeing and learning through these points of prayer. How can you pray based on what you read today?
Going
Deeper
Tim
Keller has a wonderfully helpful sermon on Mark’s account of the Canaanite
woman:
· https://gospelinlife.com/sermon/goodness-and-severity/
Wednesday,
January 22
Matthew 16:13-17:13
Commentary
We have
read today several key moments in the story of the gospels. Peter, the most
prominent apostle, declares that Jesus is the promised Christ (Messiah, Savior)
and the Son of God. Jesus notes that God has revealed this to Peter – in our sinfulness
and spiritual blindness, we can never come to see who Jesus is without God’s
help. Jesus commends Peter’s confession of him as the Christ and gives him the
new name (or nickname) of Peter, which means small stone or pebble in Greek. He
then says he will build his church upon this rock. This is a bit of wordplay,
but the word for “rock” here means a large rock, like a boulder or a
cornerstone. Jesus isn’t saying he will build the church upon Peter, but upon what
Peter confesses – Jesus is the Christ. The Bible tells us again and again that
Jesus is the cornerstone that the church is built upon (Ephesians 2:19-22), and
in Matthew 16 we find this same truth.
After
Peter’s confession, Jesus tells his disciples that he would suffer, die, and
rise again. Peter, loving his master and fearing for his life, said Jesus certainly
shouldn’t go through this. Jesus, in contrast to commending Peter’s last words
as truth coming from the Father, rebukes Peter and even calls him Satan! Jesus
loved Peter enough to tell him he was dead wrong in refusing to want a suffering
Savior, the idea is demonic because it is radically opposed to Jesus’ mission.
We want a Savior who is like us, and since we don’t want to suffer we tend to
recoil at the idea of a suffering Savior. Jesus tells the disciples that he would
suffer and that following him means sharing in that suffering. We must deny our
sinful desires and pursue the self-sacrificing, God-honoring example Jesus set
for us.
Finally, we see what is commonly called the Transfiguration – the event where Jesus is shown to be shining bright with the glory of God. Moses, the giver of the Law, and Elijah, the greatest prophet, appeared alongside Jesus. The disciples were amazed and Peter, the only one bold enough to speak, asks if they can all camp out and enjoy a nice conference with these three great preachers. God the Father, speaking from heaven, answers Peter’s well-intended but silly question – Jesus, the Word become flesh, God the Son himself, is the one we should desire and listen to, not sinful men.
Discussion
Questions
1. Jesus
didn’t want to know what all the other people in the world thought of him, he
wanted to know what the disciples thought of him. Do you also find yourself
more concerned about other people’s view of God than your own? How can you
focus on your own walk with the Lord while still sharing his Word with others?
2. Are you tempted to idolize people, even good people like family members or pastors, rather than expect God alone to always do the right thing and never let you down?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God that we can approach him with confidence that he loves and will hear
us because of the suffering and resurrection of Christ.
2. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to love and look up to Jesus more than anyone, and to faithfully live out his example.
Going
Deeper
The
Master’s Seminary blog has a helpful study of Peter and the rock Jesus built
the church on: https://blog.tms.edu/upon-this-rock
This
is an encouraging sermon on Luke’s account of Peter’s confession. I was blessed
to hear this in person while I was a student at NOBTS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzT_PvtE5AY
Thursday, January 23
Matthew 17:14-18:6
Commentary
This
passage shows the disciples encountering a demon that they cannot cast out of a
suffering child. Jesus, of course, can and does cast out the demon and rebukes
the disciples for trying to do this in their strength rather than God’s. Jesus
tells them that anything is possible for them if they have enough faith. A word
of caution is vital here – read this passage, like every passage, alongside the
rest of the Bible. Jesus is not saying God is a genie waiting hand and foot on
those with enough faith to boss him around for several reasons.
First,
he says all that is required for moving a mountain is faith like a mustard
seed, the smallest seed in ancient Israel: “The ‘amount’ of faith is not
important; even the smallest is enough. What matters is the God in whom that
faith is placed, who can achieve the proverbially impossible (moving mountains).”[2] Second,
Jesus says this in the context of helping a demon-possessed boy. We shouldn’t
pray for God to help with our petty, worldly desires, but for help in reaching
others for him and glorifying him in our lives. Third, our prayers, even when
prayed with the best of intentions, do not come from a perfectly good and all-knowing
perspective. We don’t know best, but God does, so in our prayers, we should
humbly submit our desires to him, ask for his help, and trust his wisdom and
timing.
Jesus
again foretells his suffering and his disciples are distressed. Jesus’ death was
part of God’s redemptive plans from eternity and was the only way people could
be saved, but again the disciples have trouble coming to terms with this. The
collectors of the yearly temple tax for Jewish men tracked Jesus and Peter
down. Jesus tells Peter that neither the King (Jesus) or his family (the
disciples) should have to pay this tax, but Jesus does to avoid controversy.
The religious leaders hated Jesus enough as it was, and Jesus showed wisdom by not
offending them to the point that they would kill him prematurely.
Finally, the disciples ask Jesus who will be the greatest in his kingdom. In response, Jesus shows them a little child and tells the disciples that greatness in his kingdom comes from having faith like a child, a humble, trusting faith from one who knows he needs help, guidance, and protection.
Discussion
Questions
1. You probably aren’t performing exorcisms regularly, but there are other opportunities you have to serve the Lord regularly – sharing the gospel with a friend, helping in the nursery at church, answering a Bible question from a less mature believer. When these opportunities arise, do you take them on thoughtlessly, or do you humbly ask for God’s help?
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God that all our sins can be forgiven if we turn to Christ because of his
death on the cross in our place.
2.
Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in growing in faith and obedience in your daily
life.
3. Pray for God to opens the eyes of one or two people in your life who you feel strongly convinced will never come to repentance. Ask God to give you the compassion and the courage to continue in prayer and in witness for them.
Going
Deeper
If you’d like to learn more about the issue of Matthew 17:21, which is absent in most modern translations, see this article on the Family Bible Reading blog: https://familybiblereading.blogspot.com/2025/01/who-stole-matthew-1721.html
Friday,
January 24
Matthew 18:7-35
Commentary
This
passage is much like 6:29-30, with the same point – whatever is keeping you
from following God, get rid of it! Jesus also repeats his warning not to harm
any little ones, speaking metaphorically of followers of Jesus, who should have
the child-like faith we learned about yesterday. We should not allow any obstacles
to our personal walks with God, nor should be an obstacle for others. God loves
each of his sheep enough that he will pursue and rescue any of them who stray away.
God loves us despite our tendency to set up obstacles to our faith and make mistakes.
Jesus’
instructions to pursue a brother for reconciliation is modeled after God’s own seeking
out of his wayward people. The reason why people in the church must confront unrepentant
sin from fellow brothers and sisters in the church is because God loves us
enough to send Jesus to rescue us from our sin and from Hell. In a similar way,
we are supposed to pull our fellow believers out of sin. This is the first use (and
I think only) use of “church” in Matthew. This is the Greek word, ekklesia, meaning
gathering or assembly, and the church is the people of God, assembled by God
himself through his work of saving his people.
This
is one of the key passages on church discipline, the process of leaders of the
church confronting those in unrepentant, repeated sin and seeking to win them back
over to obeying God. This should be done as privately as possible for the
dignity of the offending person, with the goal of lovingly restoring this
person rather than tearing him down or belittling him. If this person will not
repent, the entire local church may need to be involved, and Christ has given
the church the authority to discipline and rebuke believers as needed.
Our reading for today ends with Jesus telling a parable about forgiveness. We should forgive our brothers and sisters an infinite amount of times – seven symbolizes completeness, so seventy times seven means something like a “super duper perfect” amount of times. The parable explains why – if you are part of God’s redeemed people, God has forgiven you of a great debt of sin. Therefore, you should show this same mercy to others. May we be forgiving as our Father is forgiving and seek to help, love, and forgive our fellow believers!
Discussion
Questions
1.
Are there sources temptations or obstacles in your life currently? What can you
do to minimize these distractions?
2. Do you struggle with forgiveness? While forgiveness does not necessitate putting yourself in a position to be hurt or abused, it does require letting go of your frustration and entrusting the person and situation to God.
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God for Jesus paying the price for our sins and bringing his people together
in the church for his service
2.
Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in identifying sources of temptation in your
life and eliminating them.
3.
Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you love and forgive others.
4. Pray for the leaders in your church as they seek to teach, encourage, and correct faithfully.
Going
Deeper
These
are some helpful resources on forgiveness by Tim Keller, who also wrote a whole
book on forgiveness:
· https://podcast.gospelinlife.com/e/forgiveness-and-reconciliation/
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRlGs9hz_ho
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMJiB9fuiEA
Saturday,
January 25
Matthew 19:1-30
Commentary
In our passage today, Jesus teaches
about divorce. Marriage is a fundamental human relationship, the greatest
connection two people can have with each other, and a vital building block of
society. From the beginning, God designed sex, romantic love, and family
building to happen between one man and one woman in a loving, devoted marriage.
There is no other way to pursue these things and please God, anything short of
this is sin. The only asterisk God has given us to this relationship is the
possibility of divorce. Jesus says the only reason God gave a process for
divorce in the Old Testament law is because of human stubbornness and
sinfulness, and divorce is only biblical warranted in the case of infidelity. Marriage
is a weighty thing, therefore Jesus says some are born as or choose to be eunuchs,
men who have been, for lack of better words, castrated and unable to have sex. He
doesn’t mean that those who don’t marry have to have a painful surgery, he
simply uses this familiar image to express that some people may not marry to
focus more on God.
We then see Jesus encourage the
children to come to him, again calling back to Jesus’ teaching on having a
childlike faith. Jesus is met by a rich young man who desires to enter God’s
kingdom. He claims to have obeyed all the ten commandments perfectly, but he really
hadn’t. He had broken the first one, to not worship anything but God, because he
worshipped his money and possessions. He can’t handle it when Jesus says he should
use all his wealth to help others.
Jesus explains that its hard for people with great wealth to enter God’s kingdom, and the rich young man showed us why. To trust in God rather than things, and love him most of all, and be willing to deny your own desires and follow Jesus in self-sacrifice is hard! This is especially true with people who feel they are fine on their own from having comfortable lives. Fortunately, God loves us enough to overcome our sinfulness and rebellion, and he will provide us with all our needs, even family.
Discussion
Questions
1. If
you are married, are you honoring God in your marriage? If you are not, are you
restraining from sexual sin? For all of you, are you seeking your fulfillment
in God or a spouse? Only God can fulfill us and he is the only one our lives
and relationships should evolve around!
2. If
you have children in your life, do you tell them about Jesus, or do you neglect
this responsibility and privilege?
3. Are there things you are “rich” with that distract you from God? Common ones are family, careers, physical healthy, relationships/connections, and possessions.
Points
of Prayer
1.
Thank God that Jesus sacrificially laid his life down to save and sanctify us.
2.
Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in cultivating humility and reliance on God.
3. Ask
God to help you love him more than worldly wealth and distractions and to be
willing to get rid of them if needed to follow him more faithfully.
4. Pray for the salvation of someone you know who lives in reliance on things and possessions rather than God.
Going
Deeper
You
can also learn more about what the Bible teaches on divorce from these
articles:
· https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-did-jesus-teach-about-divorce-and-remarriage/
· https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-metaphor-of-christ-and-the-church
· https://cbmw.org/journal/grounds-for-divorce-why-i-now-believe-there-are-more-than-two/
Sunday, January 26
Matthew 20:1-34
Commentary
This passage teaches a lot about humility. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard workers is about salvation. Salvation is promised to all who receive Christ, just as the same wages were promised to everyone who worked the vineyard, regardless of when they were hired and began to work. God alone has the power to forgive, we have no place questioning when and why he saves people, other than to rejoice for new brothers and sisters and be grateful for our own salvation.
This is a hard lesson to learn, and harder for some than others. After Jesus says a third time he would suffer, die, and rise, the mother of James and John asks Jesus if he will give her sons the places of greatest honor in the kingdom. Jesus stresses that they cannot drink the cup he will drink – the cup of God’s righteous wrath against sin. Jesus uses himself as an example of how believers are to seek humility and service to others. If even Jesus served others sacrificially, then we have absolutely no right or warrant to be clamoring among ourselves for places of honor.
At the close of chapter 20, we see the final healing miracle in the gospels. Two blind men cry out to Jesus, calling him both Lord and Son of David. They call him the title of Son of David even before the Palm Sunday crowds do in the next chapter, and unlike those folks, these two blind men follow up their declaration with sincere thankfulness and follow Jesus.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever resented others for coming to salvation or being blessed in particular ways despite their sinful past? How can you cultivate humility and empathy rather than jealousy when thinking of others?
2. Do you tend to serve others simply for the joy of serving God, or do you find yourself wanting further rewards or recognition?
Points of Prayer
1. Thank God for Christ humbly laying down his life in service to us.
2. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help in serving others and not seeking your own prestige or praise.
3. Pray for the salvation of someone in your life who seems far from God.
Going Deeper
These articles from Crossway will help you think over how to serve others in a God-honoring way:
https://www.crossway.org/articles/serve-outside-the-spotlight/
https://www.crossway.org/articles/living-an-others-oriented-life/
https://www.crossway.org/articles/3-lies-women-believe-about-serving/
https://www.crossway.org/articles/do-you-orient-yourself-toward-others/
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