Here are a few thoughts I jotted down as I read the Scripture for today:
- Lots of healings in this passage
- Centurion and a Canaanite women are shown to have the greatest faith in Jesus, greater then the faith of most Jews
- 2 showdowns with the Pharisees about the Sabbath...Jesus is challenging the religious leaders and they don't like it
- Jesus sends out the disciples rather early to share the message of the Kingdom of God and to perform miracles in the power of Jesus - seems our churches today (including ours) don't equip people for ministry as effectively or efficiently as Jesus did!
- The feeding of the 5000 and 4000 is in these chapters...it's almost humorous that the disciples still don't believe Jesus can feed the crowd the second time...it'd be humorous if it wasn't so sad...are there times I doubt Jesus can come through even though he always had proven himself faithful?
- Peter is a rather entertaining disciple, going from an A+ student to a total bonehead in a few sentences! Gives me great hope for myself!
- A lot of hard teaching from Jesus in these chapters...deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me, lose your life for Jesus, if we disown him before people he will disown us before the Father, whoever wants to be great must be servant of all...ouch!
- Judgment is a common theme in these passages...if what was done here would have been down in Sodom and Gomorrah they would have repented...this is not the popular, Jesus is my buddy Jesus here...this is the Son of God speaking judgment against those who reject him
- Jesus begins to predict his death in Jerusalem and his resurrection from the dead...either Jesus is Lord, liar, or lunatic
- Jesus often doesn't feel to be very patient with his disciples. Does he often lose his patience with me, with our church?
- Matthew 18 - Jesus commands us to take our sin very seriously...
- Matthew 18:15-17 - how to deal with personal conflicts...don't talk to others about your frustration with someone else...talk to them about the problem!
- Matthew 18:21-35 - shows how silly we look when we rely on God's forgiveness of us but fail to forgive others
- Matthew 19:21 - am I hanging on to anything too tightly? Can I give it all up for Jesus?
- Matthew 22:46 - Jesus' conflicts with the religious leaders grow
- And grows, Matthew 23:33
- Overall, I love reading big sections of Scripture like this because it helps provide us with the flow of the story and also helps us see the recurring themes
Get ready for tomorrow as we finish up Matthew and begin Acts!
Grace and peace,Steve
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