Scripture

“My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”

Observation

Jesus denounces the towns where He worked many miracles, but people have not repented of their sins. Places such as Sodom would have repented of their sins, but the people of Caesarea, Chorazin, and Bethsaida did not. Therefore, these people will be judged, and they will not see God’s Kingdom.

Jesus prays, thanking God that He has hidden the way of salvation from those who think they are clever, but revealed it to the humble people.

Jesus invites people to come to Him who are weary or heavily burdened. We should take up His yoke and His burden, for they are easy to bear.

Application

Jesus gives us a way of living for God that is free of the burden of law. Every religion is based on rules and regulations. We must do certain things to please God and avoid other things that make God angry.

The problem with the law is that it tells you what to do and then condemns you when you fail. But the grace of God encourages you to do what is right, empowers you to do it, and forgives you when you fail.

This is the burden of Christ. This is the yoke that is easy to bear.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank you for your for your easy yoke and light burden.You have placed in me a desire to please you because of your love and not from fear. Amen.

Scripture

“From the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.”

Observation

Jesus says that John the Baptist was the greatest person that ever lived, but the least person in God’s Kingdom is greater than him. The Kingdom of Heaven is advancing forcefully, but violent people are trying to attack it.

John is the Elijah foretold by the prophets. The people rejected John’s message because he did not engage in eating and drinking. But the same people criticise Jesus, accusing Him of being a glutton and a drunkard.

Application

The Kingdom of Heaven is forcefully advancing, and forceful people are laying hold of it.

There are two ways of interpreting the Greek of this verse .

The translators of the New Living Translation have opted for the negative interpretation that violent people are attacking the Kingdom in its inexorable growth, trying to stop it.

Another interpretation is that violent or forceful people can gain entrance into the Kingdom by being bold.

The truth is that both versions are true. Wherever the gospel has been preached, people have tried to destroy God’s work. This is sometimes through violence and persecution, and at other times through undermining and ridicule. But the Kingdom of God advances to every part of the world.

Opposition to those who believe in Jesus is inevitable. They crucified Jesus, so why would His disciples expect any other response?

The Kingdom of God is growing everywhere. The followers of Jesus are, as people say, on the right side of history.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the knowledge that your Kingdom is advancing, that more and more people are following you. Amen.

Scripture

“Are you the Messiah we have been expecting or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Observation

Jesus sends out His disciples and goes around the towns in that region Himself preaching and teaching.

John the Baptist is in prison. He sends some of his followers to ask if Jesus is the Messiah, or whether they should look for another. Jesus tells him that His ministry is validated by people being healed, the dead are raised, and the Good News is being preached to the poor .

Jesus then asks the crowd what they expected to see in John. He is a prophet but more than a prophet; he is the one who prepared the way for the Messiah.

Application

The question every single person has to answer is the question John asked: “Is Jesus the Messiah, that is the Son of God, or not?”

The answer we give to that question determines our life’s direction and our eternal destiny.

Jesus says that whoever confesses that He is Lord will be saved, but those who deny that He is Lord will be condemned to the fire of hell.

If we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, then He has the right to command every part of our lives. To say, “Jesus is my lord,” means that I am not Lord, nor is any other power that would seek to control my life. I must yield to Jesus in all things.

Prayer

Jesus, I declare that you are Lord of my life. Thank you for saving me. I pledge myself to follow you and to obey you in all things. Amen.

Scripture

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on Earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”

Observation

Jesus warns that those who acknowledge him here on earth, he will acknowledge before his Father in heaven, but those who deny Him, he will also deny.

Jesus did not come to bring peace to the earth but conflict. Families are divided and a person’s enemy will be found in their own household.

We must love Jesus more than we love our own family.

Those who receive the disciples receive the Father. Those who receive a prophet will receive the reward of the prophet. Anyone who offers even a cup of water to a follower of Jesus will receive a reward from the Father.

Application

This section is all about loving Jesus above all things – family, friends, life itself.

All followers of Jesus must declare their faith publicly. Often this is done at baptism, but we need to be open about our faith in our daily life.

If we try to leave as “secret agents” in God’s Kingdom, then Christ will not acknowledge us as his followers on the Day of Judgement.

We are all made differently, with different gifts. Some of us are called to be preachers, others Hollywood celebrities, still others to be quiet workers in the community or at home. We all need to make sure that, regardless of our calling and personality, the people we influence know that we love the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, these words are confronting. Please help me to be public with my faith, and advocate for you in a world that is opposed to you. Amen.

Scripture

“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.”

Observation

Families will be split apart by the preaching of the gospel. We will be hated by all people because of Christ. But those who stand firm to the end will be saved.

The head of the house is called Beelzebub, so how much more will the followers face opposition?

We must not be afraid of people, who can kill the body but not the soul. Rather, we must be afraid of the Father, who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

Application

Jesus was persecuted by religious leaders, and so we too should expect opposition at the hands of people.

Christians are the most persecuted people in the world. We have a false sense of what life is like because the church in the West has been a dominant part of culture for many centuries. Yet, for people in parts of Asia and Africa, becoming a Christian means to sign up for imprisonment, alienation from family, torture, or death.

When people oppose us because of our faith, we must stand firm. The most they can do is destroy our body. But if we break under the pressure and deny Christ, then we may face eternity in hell separated from Him.

So we must stand firm and endure to the end, even when following Jesus seems to make life difficult.

Prayer

Lord, please help my brothers and sisters for whom living for you brings severe persecution. Please help them to remain steadfast in their faith. Amen.

Scripture

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

Observation

Jesus continues his instructions to the Twelve as He commissions them to go with the Good News.

When they enter a city or a village they are to look for a person of honour, that is someone who is open to the message. They are to stay in his home until they leave that town. They should bless the home as they enter it.

If a town or household refuses the message, they should shake the dust off their feet as they leave.

Jesus is sending them out like sheep among wolves. They are to be shrewd like snakes and gentle like doves. They will be arrested and put on trial because of the gospel, but this is an opportunity to tell the magistrates and rulers about Jesus.

Application

Christians often naively assume that if we are nice, people will accept the gospel. No, the world and many unsaved people are opposed to the message. They hate the name of Jesus and our niceness will not persuade them as such.

This is not to say that christians should not be loving towards unsaved people. We should expect that people will treat us like wolves might react to a sheep in their midst.

Yes there will be persecution. There will be unfair treatment by governments, media, and culture.

Jesus tells us to be shrewd like a snake. That is, we must be ready for opposition and work out how to react to it. We must also be gentle like a dove, not repaying evil for evil, but always imitating Jesus all the way to the cross.

Prayer

Lord, it is true that many people hate you. Please help me to discern who is open to your salvation and to share the Good News with them. Amen.

Scripture

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received.”

Observation

Jesus Calls together the Twelve, and he gives them authority to heal every kind of sickness and to cast out demons.

He sends them out to Israel. They are not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans. Their mission is to announce that the Kingdom of Heaven is here. They are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers, and cast out demons.

Application

First Jesus passes on authority to the disciples. Then He sends them out to exercise that authority to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God really is here.

The signs of the kingdom are very powerful miracles. They are to:

* heal the sick. They have authority over every kind of sickness, so this is will not be a problem.

* raise the dead. This is a very powerful miracle, not seen everyday, a sure sign that God is with them.

* cure lepers. Leprosy was not just a physical sickness, but it caused social isolation as well.

* cast out demons. The Kingdom of God is much stronger than the kingdom of the Devil

This commission is still for Christians today. We are to tell people about the Kingdom of God, and the message is to be backed up by signs of God’s power

Prayer

Holy Spirit come and fill me with your power. May I experience your miracles in my daily life. Amen.

Scripture

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great but the workers are few. So pray to the lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him send more workers into his field.”

Observation

Jesus travels through the region teaching in the synagogues and preaching the Good News. He has compassion on the crowds, because they are confused and helpless.

Jesus tells His disciples that the harvest is huge, but there are so few workers. He tells them to pray for the Lord to send more workers into the harvest field.

Application

Jesus is motivated by compassion for those who are lost and helpless. He said there is a huge harvest, but not enough people to bring it in. This is a chronic problem even today, whether the harvest is fruit, grapes, cotton, or wheat.

Jesus tells us to pray for the Lord to send more workers into the harvest fields. He doesn’t tell us here to go and do the work of evangelism. He tells us to pray.

This reminds us that evangelism is a spiritual activity from start to finish. The conviction of sin and recognition of the Saviour only happen in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must pray for the holy connections where the right witness connects with the right listener.

Praying for the lord to send out workers is also an expression of readiness to be used by God. The prayer to send out workers implies a readiness to say “Send me.”

Prayer

Lord I am available to be used to bring people into your kingdom. Show me the one person you want me to talk to about you today. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?” “Yes, Lord, “they told him, “we do.”

Observation

After raising the girl from the dead, two blind men follow Jesus asking Him to heal them.

Jesus asks them, “Do you believe I can make you see?” “Yes,” they reply.

And so Jesus tells them that their faith has healed them.

A demon possessed man who could not speak is brought to Jesus. Jesus casts out the demon and the man can speak. The crowd is amazed because nothing like this has ever happened before.

Application

All through the gospels, we see Jesus encouraging people to express faith before He heals them. He doesn’t do this for His own benefit, but to grow the faith of the person being healed as well as the faith of the people watching.

Part of the reason why we see so few miracles these days is that we have such little faith for healing. We need to practise faith and encourage it to grow .

Faith is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.

One way to do this is to pray for even small and trifling things Pray out loud and command that cold or pain to go in Jesus’ name. When we do this, we can start to believe for bigger diseases, and even for apparently incurable diseases.

It takes faith, a conviction that Jesus is able to and willing to heal us.

Prayer

Please grow my faith Lord so that so that I can trust to heal to heal any disease. Amen.

Scripture

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old wineskins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skin. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

Observation

Jesus calls a tax collector named Matthew to come and be his disciple.

Matthew invites Jesus and the disciples to come to his house for dinner. He also invites other tax collectors and “sinners”. The Pharisees question why Jesus mixes with such people. Jesus tells them it is not healthy people who need a doctor but sick people.

The disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus why His disciples don’t fast. Jesus tells him that they are celebrating while the bridegroom is still with them. God is giving new wine and a new wineskin is necessary.

Application

God is pouring out his Spirit in new and powerful ways around the world.

The task of the church is to always be the new wineskin, ready to grow and move with the new move of God. We must be always adjusting our practises to what God is doing.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day failed to see this new thing that God was doing. They were obliterated by the expansive move of the Holy Spirit .

At various times, churches have been caught flatfooted by the Holy Spirit. New churches and denominations have arisen to be the new wineskin.

What is true of churches and denominations is also true of individual followers of Jesus. What He is doing with us today may not be what He does with us tomorrow. Our eyes need to be constantly towards Him.

Prayer

Lord, you are the new wine. Come and fill me with your presence and keep me flexible in following you. Amen.