Scripture

“Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Observation

Jesus asks His disciples what people are saying about His identity. They report that some are saying He is John the Baptist, others Elijah or one of the prophets.

Jesus then asks them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter says that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus tells Peter that his confession about Jesus was a revelation from the Father, and not the result of human reason. Jesus then says that Peter will now be known, not as Simon, but as Peter- the Rock. Jesus will build the church, and the power of hell will not prevail against it.

Application

Here is the question that we must all answer for ourselves, and it is the question that determines our eternal destiny: “Who do you say i am?”

It is not enough to parrot other people’s opinions- He is Elijah. or a prophet, or a good man or a teacher. It is your confession, your belief, your understanding of Jesus’ identity that determines your salvation.

This is not a question that allows for an intellectual opinion. The answer must come from the heart.

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” This is an all or nothing answer to an all or nothing question. If Jesus is who He says He is, then I have to give Him everything- my life my ambition, my desires.

Alternatively, I give Him noting and continue living for myself.

This was the understanding that I came to when I first had a vision of Jesus in 1976. that revelation from the Father changed everything for me. I had to choose between a salvation that would cost everything or reject the whole christian story as a myth. There was no grey area. There can be no following of God as a part-time hobby.

“Who do you say I am?”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, for you my salvation cost everything. Help me to give back everything in joyful gratitude. Amen.

Scripture

“Watch out!” Jesus warned. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Observation

Some Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus, demanding that He perform a miraculous sign to prove His authority.

Jesus says, “Only an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign.” Later He warns His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The disciples begin to argue among themselves because they had brought no bread with them. Jesus rebukes them because they have so quickly forgotten about how He had provided food for the crowds. Then they understand that the warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was not about food but about deceptive teaching.

Application

The deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees is all around us still, but we often fail to see it.

The Pharisees were the legalists who took the Law of Moses and made it more extreme. If the Law said, “Do nor work on the Sabbath,” they took that law and defined carefully what actions were allowable and what were not.

They believed that if they were good enough, God would bless them and raise them to eternal life.

There are people in every church who think that they have to prove themselves to God. Just say the prayer the right way, be a good person, and so on. This is the yeast of the Pharisees.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. They were the people of unbelief, the “liberal” wing of the Jewish leaders. They believed in maintaining the traditions and co-operating with the pagan Romans.

If you believe that God does not heal people or perform miracles any more, you have the yeast of the Sadducees.

Prayer

Lord please deliver me from all forms of legalism and unbelief. I thank you that you love me, and that by your grace you have saved me. Amen.

Scripture

A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who could not speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed!

Observation

A vast crowd gathers around Jesus, bringing people suffering all kinds of ailments. Jesus heals them all, and everyone is amazed. Those who have been healed praise the God of Israel.

Jesus calls the disciples together and tells them they need to feed the people. They find seven loaves and a few fish which Jesus multiplies to feed 4000 men plus women and children.

Application

A large crowd gather together to meet with Jesus. They are hungry for an encounter with the Lord. They bring everyone they know who is ill or maimed in any way. He heals them all. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.

When do we come together in church with an expectation that we will meet Jesus?

When is the last time Jesus healed everyone in church?

We have to regain that sense of anticipation, of wonder, of amazement at what God will do amongst His people.

We can make theories and excuses, but the fact is that often our experience of church is nothing like this gathering of people.

The Holy Spirit is here.

Let faith rest on this fact.

Can I expect that God might do something amazing his Sunday? Or even right now?

Prayer

Come Holy Spirit. Let my faith find your grace today. Come and heal the sick, feed the hungry, raise the dead. May the people in my community praise the God of Israel. Amen.

Scripture

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Observation

Jesus explains His statement that people are not defiled by what they eat, but by the attitudes of the heart that are expressed by what comes out of their mouths. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile a person.

Jesus and the disciples head north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman pleads with Him to heal her daughter who is tormented by an evil spirit.

Jesus at first seems to refuse to help her, but as she persists, He sees her faith and tells her the child is healed.

Application

Faith in Jesus is what releases the power of God. In this passage, Jesus interacts with the woman in such a way as to provoke her faith. Then the daughter is healed.

What is the gradation between faith as small as a mustard seed that moves mountains and “great faith” that releases healing and deliverance?

In the case of this woman, it was the determination to persist despite Jesus’ apparent refusal to help her.

How many people pray one prayer for something only to give up when it didn’t happen straight away?

Many people give up praying for healing when the condition shows no immediate improvement or even gets worse.

Real faith persists and digs deeper when God seems to say “No.” Real faith holds on to God even when He seems far away.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to grow stronger in faith and to trust you even when my prayers go unanswered. Help me to cling to you until I get the breakthrough. Amen.

Scripture

“These people honour me with their lips

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship is a farce,

for they teach man- made ideas as commands from God.”

Observation

Some Pharisees criticise Jesus because His disciples ignore the traditions about ceremonial hand washing prior to eating.

Jesus replies by asking them why they violate God’s law with their own traditions. He goes on to quote Isaiah who condemned people for honouring God with their lips, but having cold hearts towards Him.

Jesus tells the crowd to ignore the Pharisees. They are blind leaders of the blind. The Father will uproot them because they were not planted by Him.

Application

Hypocrisy is a real temptation for everyone who seeks to follow the Lord.

It is also very easy to accuse other people of hypocrisy, and people do make that kind of smear all the time about christians. We need to make sure that our hearts are indeed right with the Lord.

God does not judge those who sincerely love Him but don’t always get it right. That applies to all of us!

What angers God as much as anything else is self-righteous hypocrisy. This is where we pat ourselves on the back for being much better than other people, while covering up our own sins.

What God wants is a heart that is soft towards Him, a heart of love for the Lord. Such a person, He will not reject.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the assurance that I do not have to be perfect, just humble towards you and other people. Give me grace Lord to rise above hypocrisy. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

Observation

After the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus sends the disciples away on a boat and He dismisses the rest of the crowd to go home. Then He goes up to the mountains to pray.

On the lake, the disciples are overtaken by a storm. Jesus comes to them walking on the water. At first, they think it is a ghost, but Jesus tells them not to be afraid.

Peter calls out, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus does this, and Peter walks towards Him on the water. Peter wavers in his faith and begins to sink, but Jesus rescues Him.

They continue on, and when the people of Gennesaret recognise Jesus, they bring all their sick to be healed.

Application

Fear sneaks up on us from all directions, and it is easy to be overwhelmed if we let it get to us.

When I was in Theological College, I used to become physically sick every weekend. After ruling out physical causes, I realised that it was all due to anxiety. Naming the root cause and confessing it stopped the weekend sickness.

Psalm 91 says that if we dwell in the shelter of the Most High God, we will find rest. He promises to rescue us so that no fear, dread or anxiety can overcome us.

“Do not be afraid” is a command. “Fear not” is how the older translations put it. It is a command that we redirect our attention away from the threat and towards the Saviour, from the thing that we fear and to the God who is our hope and our redeemer.

Prayer

Father, I confess my fear to you today. I come to you, my refuge and fortress, and I put my trust in you. Amen.

Scripture

So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl who took it to her mother.

Observation

Herod had had John the Baptist imprisoned because john had told Herod that his marriage to Herodias was against God’s law. At a feast for Herod’s birthday, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that please Herod. Herod promised the girl anything she wanted. The girl demanded the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

The king regretted his vow, but he had no choice. So John was beheaded and the head was given to the girl.

Application

How evil are the hearts of people when they are not surrendered to the Lord! The ways of God bring life, but the ways of people lead to death.

Since God controls even the most evil of tyrants, it is clear that John’s days were ordained by the Lord and it was time for John to go to heaven.

John represents the old covenant, the covenant of the Law and the Prophets. Jesus said that John was the greatest of the old covenant prophets, but even the least person in God’s kingdom was greater than John.

The kingdom of God is here. The kingdom of King Jesus has been established.

We need to understand that God works in seasons and ages. The death of John signalled that an age had passed, and so in our own lives we can be sure that different seasons are appointed for us.

We always need to be ready to discern when God is ordaining a new season. We have to be ready to move on when God says move, and not clinging to the activities and expectations of an old season.

Prayer

Father please help me to see when a season in your Spirit changes. Amen.

Scripture

“A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his home town and among his own people.”

Observation

Jesus tells more parables. The parables of the buried treasure and the precious pearl show us that the kingdom of heaven is worth giving up everything in this life for.

The parable of the fishing net teaches us that there will be a great judgement at the end of the age.

Jesus then goes to his home town of Nazareth. People there refuse to accept Him. They refuse to believe in Him, so He can only do a few miracles.

Application

Jesus was respected as a teacher and miracle worker everywhere except in Nazareth. There, for some reason, they decided that the proverb was true that “nothing good comes from Nazareth.” They knew His family, so He couldn’t be anything special.

This quest for novelty goes on today. People are still more impressed by a visiting preacher than by their own pastor, even when they say the same things.

Frustrating as it may be for the local pastors, it it is an unfortunate trait of many people.

We must not fail to honour our leaders who put in years of faithful service. We must not have more faith in the anointing on a visiting preacher than the anointing on a young person who grew up in our church.

If we fail to see the Holy Spirit at work in a person, regardless of where they come from, Jesus will not be able to do many miracles among us.

Prayer

Father, please overcome my prejudices. Help me to see your Spirit working on everyone who seeks to serve you. Amen.

Scripture

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.” It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree and birds come and nest in its branches.”

Observation

Jesus tells two more parables- the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. The kingdom starts off small, but becomes something big and visibly significant.

Jesus always used stories and parables to explain the hidden things.

The disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable of the weeds in the field, which He does. Jesus explains that it is a parable about the judgement of the wicked.

Application

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It seems to be tiny and insignificant. Over time, it grows into something great.

Despite what our secular media would have us believe, christianity is growing around the world at a phenomenal rate. Over a quarter of the world’s population claims to be christian. In some places, notably China, the church is growing so quickly that it is becoming a threat to the power of the ruling Government.

When the N.S.W. Government was easing Covid restrictions, the churches were at first ignored. Within hours, after much prayer and lobbying, churches were allowed to reopen along with pubs and restaurants.

People overlook God’s kingdom because they think it just doesn’t matter, or sometimes because they hate God and His people.

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom grows so big that the birds of the air come and nest in it. From the previous parable about the seeds and the soil, we may assume that the birds represent the devil. People who are not saved, even people who are followers of satan not Jesus, will infiltrate the church. We must always be on the look out for these wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the Kingdom. May I see your church as it really is- in all its glory as well as its limitations. Amen/

Scripture

“Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat into the barn.”

Observation

Jesus explains the meaning of the parable about the sower and the different kinds of soils.

He goes on then to give another parable. A farmer plants good seed in his field, but an enemy comes at night and plants weeds. When his workers report this, he instructs them to let the weeds and wheat grow together. He will instruct the harvesters to separate the wheat from the weeds. The wheat will be put into the barn, but the weeds will be tied up and thrown into the fire.

Application

It was not unheard of for someone to contaminate a sown field with a weed such as bearded darnel which closely resembles wheat and cannot be distinguished until both plants are mature. It seems like a very determined and premeditated form of vandalism.

We need to be aware that our enemy is sowing things into our lives to distract us or even remove us from the kingdom.

In the previous parable, Jesus explained that the weeds were the cares of the world which choke out spiritual growth or which lure us away from God’s will.

Satan plants these weeds in our lives in the form of financial and relational pressures, temptations, people who distract us from God’s kingdom, and so on.

We must always be on our guard against satan’s distractions without becoming guilty of ascribing everything in our lives to the devil.

Just as farm workers needed discernment to tell the difference between wheat and weeds, we need spiritual discernment to tell whether people in our lives have been placed there by God or by satan, whether they are opportunities for the Kingdom or distractions.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please show me how to react to different people in my life. Grant me discernment, Lord to know whether you are stretching me or satan is assaulting me. Amen.