Scripture

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

Observation

A gentile woman comes to Jesus, begging him to heal her demon possessed daughter. Jesus gives her no reply, and the disciples urge Jesus to send her away.

Jesus tells her that He was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel and that it’s not right to take the children’s food to feed the dogs.

The woman replies that even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table.

Jesus is impressed by her faith and declares that her daughter is healed.

Application

Jesus has a way of drawing faith from people. Here, He seems to be ignoring the woman and then, when He does speak to her, it seems that He is pushing her away.

But what He is really doing is causing her to press in more and to express that seed of faith more determinedly.

In the end, Jesus heals the girl, but tell her that her faith is great.

Unlike the disciples who have little faith, or faith as small as a mustard seed, this gentile woman has great faith.

While it is impossible for us to measure faith, God obviously can. We can have a little faith, a measure of faith, great faith.

The issue is this: how much can I trust God for? Am I willing to yield my family, my job, my house, my possessions over to God and trust Him for the result?

Prayer

Lord, I believe you. I trust you. Please help me to grow to great faith. Amen

Scripture

” Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak are from the heart – that is what defiles you.”

Observation

Some Pharisees and teachers of the law come to Jesus and ask why he violates their traditions regarding hand washing before eating. Jesus turns the question back on them. While the law teaches us to honour our parents, they teach that they can sidestep the law by offering to the priests what they would have given to the parents .

Jesus then tells that it is not what goes into their mouths that makes them unclean, but what comes out of their mouths. What we eat passes through our body, but the words that come from our mouths reveal what is in the heart. and those sinful words and thoughts lead to a catalogue of sin .

Application

The words that we speak reveal what is in our hearts. We can do all kinds of religious activities, but if our hearts remain unclean, then we are not acceptable to God.

There are many people in churches who have not given their hearts to the Lord. There are many pastors who have never surrendered to God.

It doesn’t matter how good you are on the outside, it is the state of your heart that God looks at.

Our words will indicate where our heart is at. In that sense, our words render us unclean before the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, please cleanse my heart from every sinful desire or tendency. I surrender my life to you. Make of me what you desire. Amen.

Scripture

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

Observation

Jesus sends the disciples back across the lake in a boat. Jesus goes up to the hills to pray.

A strong wind arises on the lake, and the disciples are afraid. About 3 o’clock in the morning, they see Jesus walking on the water towards them.

Jesus calls to them to reassure them that He is not a ghost. Peter calls to him,“Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

So Peter walks to Jesus on the water. When they get back in the boat, the storm calms.

Application

In the gospels, boats can often be seen as a symbol of the church. Here, the boat is being assaulted from every direction by wind and waves. To get to Jesus, Peter does something brave and unexpected – he leaves the safety of the boat and steps into the storm.

Sometimes, to find Jesus we have to temporarily leave our comfortable safe place, to go in faith to be with Him.

The test that Peter put out is brave. “Lord, if it is really you command me to come and walk on the water.”

Traditionally, we use safe tests of God’s will. But here, Peter lays his life on the line to know Jesus.

Finally, we have the words of Jesus: “Take courage. I am here.”

Whenever we are afraid or feeling under great pressure, we need to listen to Jesus. Peace comes from hearing the voice of the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you Lord that you meet us in stormy places, in scary places. Please help me to look to you, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up towards heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.

Observation

When Jesus hears the news about John the Baptist’s death, he crosses the lake in a boat to be alone. But a huge crowd follows him on foot. Jesus is full of compassion so he heals their sick.

The disciples become concerned about feeding the people. They tell Jesus to send them away so they can buy food. But Jesus tells the disciples to feed the people.

Jesus takes five loaves and two fish; He blesses them and breaks them before passing them to the disciples to distribute.

Everyone has enough to eat and there is far more left over than they started with.

Application

I am fascinated by this story of God’s provision for people. They had just one boy’s lunch, and Jesus gave them enough to eat – 5000 men plus women and children- and an abundance of leftovers.

In my experience, God is not stingy in his provision. When we focus on serving Him and obeying His word, He gives us more than enough. I have experienced this for many years. There have been times where we have had just enough, but there have been times when we have had an abundance. Even in the tough times, we always managed to be generous to others and tithe to our oversight We used to say that if you kept the money moving fast enough, you never noticed that there was not enough to go around

God is mighty in provision

Prayer

Thank you Lord for providing not just what I need, but enough to share with others as well. 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 Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, hears about the miracles Jesus is doing. He thinks that He is John the Baptist come back to life.

Sometime earlier, Herod had arrested and imprisoned John because John had been telling him that it was against God’s law for Herod to marry Herodias. At a party for Herod’s birthday, Herodias’s daughter had performed a dance for which Herod promised to give her anything she wanted. She demanded John the Baptist’s head brought to her on a tray. So John was beheaded. His head was taken on a tray to Herodias’s daughter, who gave it to her mother.

Application

The rich and powerful have always wielded control over people’s lives and punished those who criticise them.

These days, their power is more subtle than in the past. People are cancelled from social media or their jobs for expressing the wrong opinion.

Christians must not be afraid to speak the truth, regardless of the threat of reprisals. We must always speak the truth in love, but we must speak it anyway.

In his book, “Letter to the American Church,” Eric Metaxas writes that the Nazis were able to wield power ruthlessly because pastors and other Christians were afraid to speak up.

In our day, Western civilisation is rapidly falling apart, and Christians have a duty to confront evil and promote God’s righteousness.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the testimony of Christians through the ages who have stood up for truth at the expense of their own lives. Please give me that kind of courage. Amen.

Scripture

“The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”

Observation

Jesus tells more parables about the kingdom.

The kingdom of Heaven is like a man who finds treasure in a field. He sells everything he has in order to buy that field. Again, the kingdom is like a merchant who comes across a pearl of great value. He sells everything to buy the pearl.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that catches fish of all kinds. A sorting takes place, like the judgement that will happen at the day of judgement.

Jesus travels to Nazareth where the people reject Him because they saw Him grow up as a normal person. Consequently, Jesus could only do a few miracles there.

Application

God’s Kingdom is more valuable than anything else in this life. Like a man who finds treasure or a merchant finding a pearl, the kingdom has to be our number one priority.

For many Christians, their belief is just a part of life. But when you really understand how great God’s love for you is, then you realise that serving the Lord has to be everything.

This is not about going into ministry. Every Christian is called to serve God full-time, just not necessarily in preaching ministry.

Jesus is telling us here that everything – money, career, family, where we live, possessions – all of this is at God’s disposal because the kingdom of heaven is worth more than all of it.

Walking in friendship with God is the most precious thing any of us will ever have.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the kingdom of God. Please help me to always put you first in every part of my life. Amen.

Scripture

“And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom.”

Observation

The disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable of the wheat and the weeds. He tells them that the seed is the people of the Kingdom and the weeds are the people who belong to satan.

Just as the weeds are sorted and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. Those who are servants of sin will be removed and thrown into the fiery furnace. But those who belong to Jesus will shine in the glory of the Father.

Application

Many people recoil from the idea that Jesus judges people. We like the Jesus who loves us, but we are not so keen on the Jesus who literally sends unrighteous people to hell.

Jesus taught more about the end time judgement than almost any other topic. He literally did not want anyone to miss heaven on the basis of ignorance.

The christian assurance is that we will go to heaven. Our future life is guaranteed by the promise of God.

Because God is righteous, He is determined to stamp out sin for eternity. Can we imagine heaven as a place where people fight, murder, and steal?

Sin must be conquered and unrepentant sinners must be separated and judged.

It is not loving to let cancer destroy a body when it could be removed by surgery and save a person’s life. God would not be loving if He allowed sin to continue into eternity.

Prayer

Thank you Father for your love and your righteousness. I confess my sin to you now and ask for your forgiveness in Jesus name. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus also used this illustration:“The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Observation

Jesus tells some more parables.

A farmer finds his wheat crop has been contaminated with darnell by an enemy. The workers ask him what they should do. He tells him to leave the weeds alone until harvest, when they can be separated and burned.

The kingdom is like a mustard seed that is tiny, and yet it grows to become a tree. It is like a tiny amount of yeast that permeates a much larger quantity of dough .

Application

The Kingdom of God is like yeast in that it spreads through the world imperceptibly.

It only takes a teaspoon of yeast to make a whole loaf of bread rise. That is the miracle that living organisms create. The yeast multiplies and breathes, causing the bubbles in the dough which make bread lighter and more palatable .

The Kingdom of God is a living organism, and as the people who make it up spread through a town or a nation, they change the culture .

Sometimes it is acts of kindness and love that impact lives. Sometimes it is the words that we use which encourage a person to become a follower of Christ.

Nations such as Australia are deeply affected by 200 years of faithfulness of Christians.

We don’t have to make a big name for ourselves. We don’t have to be heroic. We just spread through the dough, affecting people with the love of God.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the Kingdom of God which permeates every corner of our society. Please help me to be that yeast in my corner. Amen.

Scripture

“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.”

Observation

People’s failure to understand Jesus is a fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Their hearts are hard, their ears cannot hear, nor their eyes see.

Jesus goes on to explain that the seeds in the parable represent people and their response to the gospel. Some have hard hearts and so the seed is quickly stolen by the devil. Some hear the message, but their acceptance of it lasts only a short time until problems come. Others are choked off by the cares of the world.

The seed that falls in good soil produces a great harvest of thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was planted.

Application

Jesus expects us to be fruitful in the Kingdom.

If we read this parable with a legalistic or religious mindset, we might get discouraged. I haven’t knowingly led thirty people to the Lord, let alone a hundred. Most devout, committed christians haven’t either.

The point is that God call us to be productive in the Kingdom. Our faith in him produces a heart that is inclined to serve the Kingdom of God rather than just being self-centred.

Again, this is not about counting returns on God’s investment. We don’t have to worry about not making the grade because this is not about producing results that we can measure.

This parable is about walking faithfully and obediently with God, letting Him produce a harvest in our lives.

Prayer

Thank you Lord that you love me enough to die for me. May I show my faith by dedicating all of my life to you. Amen.

Scripture

“To those who listen to my teaching more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

Observation

Jesus addresses a crowd from a boat while the people listen on the shore. He tells many parables. One of those parables concerns a farmer who sows seed. Some of it falls on shallow soil, where the seeds sprouts quickly, but wilts in the sun because their roots are shallow. Some seed falls on a path where birds come and eat them. Some seeds fall among thorns which choke out the tender plants. But some of the seed falls on fertile soil and produce a huge crop.

The disciples ask Jesus why He teachers in parables. He replies that they are given for those who listen to his teaching. Those people will increase in knowledge, but those who don’t listen, even the little knowledge they have will be taken away.

Application

Spiritual gifts are like muscles; the more you use them, the stronger they become. Faith, understanding, wisdom, prophecy, prayer; all require effort on our part if we are to grow in them.

Jesus used parables to separate those who are receptive to His message from those who are stubborn. Parables take effort to decode. They reveal whether the heart of a person is rocky soil or fertile soil.

Am I prepared to put in the effort to work on my relationship with the Lord? Will I spend time in prayer and reading the Bible?

To those who seek the Lord with some effort, more understanding will be given.

Prayer

Please help me Lord to be more diligent in seeking you. Amen.