Day 14: Matthew 10:1-23

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.” - Matthew 10:8 ESV

We ended our reading yesterday with Jesus asking all of us to request the "Lord of the harvest to send out" workers. Now we get to see Him model that with the official choosing of his 12 disciples. Luke (6:12) records that Jesus preceded this choosing with an entire night spent in prayer.

It is interesting to note that Jesus doesn't just choose these men to fill positions. He chooses them to send them. He gives them the authority to be extensions of the work He had started. This was work that Jesus could have done Himself, but it was time to show how incredible of a leader He truly was. The best leaders bring others with them and then entrust them with a share of the work.

Jesus has chosen to scale His kingdom through disciples like you and me. Honestly, I am a little intimidated by this thought. Even still, I trust Jesus knows what He is doing.

Just like the original 12, we aren't sent out as ill-equipped workers. God gives us everything we need to do this work (see 2 Thessalonians 1:11).

Freely we have received. May we freely give.

This won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

"The blessings associated with discipleship come solely by grace and must be similarly imparted." - Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew (Vol. 22, p. 171)

Day 13: Matthew 9:18-38

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” - Matthew 9:36-38 ESV

"The most Christian compassion is compassion to souls; it is most Christ-like." - Matthew Henry

Our reading for today is crammed with examples of healings that no modern faith healer can touch. I love how wide-ranging they are. From the ruler to the unclean woman to the two blind men to a mute demoniac, there was nothing Jesus couldn't do. No disease or affliction was outside of His ability to cure.

I also love how these healings happen in everyday settings. The backdrop was not an inspiring synagogue service with choice selections of songs from the Psalms. The lighting didn't have to be just right. The environment was earthy.

Yet, at the end of all this, Jesus declares that more laborers would be needed. He would only be in the flesh for so long. The end game was not for Jesus to stay and make this earth into heaven. In Revelation 21, we see the opposite taking place (this place will need a significant renovation by fire). Instead, Jesus sees us as part of his plan to see transformation take place right where we are (until He returns).

Are you a laborer in this harvest Jesus speaks of? Do you spend time asking God each day to send out more workers for His kingdom? There is so much work left to do!

Elizabeth Mills’ (1805-1829) lyrics of this well-known hymn are perfect to close out our time today. She only had 24 years to do the work of Jesus. How long will we have?

O land of rest, for thee I sigh!
When will the moment come
When I shall lay my armor by
And dwell in peace at home?

We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
We'll work till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.

Day 12: Matthew 9:1-17

“But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” - Matthew 9:12-13 ESV

Jesus is getting hounded for his close association with notorious and hated sinners of His day. In response to that criticism, He says the words above, including a quote from the Greek translation of Hosea 6:6 (Septuagint). Yet listen to how the verse sounds from the Hebrew translation: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

The Jewish religious leaders had their methods down to a science. They knew when to offer the sacrifices, and they knew the ins and outs of all 613 commands found in the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy). Externally, they seemed flawless, but Jesus saw through all of that. If we are perceived as flawless, we are probably concealing too much.

The Apostle Paul (quoting Psalm 14) wrote in Romans 3:10 that "there is no one who is righteous, not even one."

Jesus can only help those who realize how much they need His grace.

Are we relying on flawless religious activity to save us, or are we leaning on the everlasting arms to drive us into a steadfast love for our Savior? May we lean into the grace of Jesus today.

"A fundamental difference between Jesus and his opponents relates to how one interprets Scripture. Ultimately, for Jesus, the law must be understood in terms of its disclosure of the character of God." - Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 9:12–13)

Day 11: Matthew 8:18-34

“And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” - Matthew 8:26 ESV

After a long day of ministering to crowds of those who needed healing and authoritative teaching, Jesus was seemingly exhausted. Even though Jesus was God, he also had a body like ours that required sleep. This, though, seems to be the only reference to our Savior catching some shut-eye.

The storm that arose on the water was troubling to the disciples. It was probably the "swamping" of the boat by the waves that did the trick. They cried out, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!"

"We can imagine Jesus lingering in the midst of this violent scene, holding the disciples’ eyes for a moment to let his rebuke settle in, and then getting up from where he had been sleeping to calm the sea." - Weber, S. K. (2000). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 120)

Their fear was apparently something that they could have done something about, and its remedy was their faith (trust) in Jesus.

The phrase "of little faith" is one word in Greek: oligopistos. It is used five times in the New Testament, and always by Jesus speaking to his disciples.

We would do well to pray something like this today: "Father, grow my faith. In your great power, eradicate fear from my life as my trust in You increases. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen."

Day 10: Matthew 8:1-17

“And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” - Matthew‬ ‭8: 3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So, how does Jesus really feel about us? Are we those that He tolerates, because His status as God demands it? Or does Jesus feel obligated to care for us? What is Jesus’ motivation?

When I read about this leper, I often find myself relating. Many times, I am not “boldly approaching the throne of grace.” (See Hebrews 4: 16) I mostly approach Him hesitantly, hoping that He will find it in His heart to forgive me.

Yet He is willing.

This means the door for grace is always open for me to walk through.

Leprosy was viewed as incurable (see 2 Kings 5: 7). Lepers in Israel also had to abide by the strict quarantine rules of Leviticus 13-14. Something we all related to during the pandemic.

Know that Jesus doesn’t want you to keep your distance from Him. He longs for you to draw near; because one touch from our Savior sets everything right.

May we draw near today.

"To touch an unclean person was to contract defilement oneself (Lev. 5:3); Jesus’ disregard for this ceremonial point should be seen in the light of his attitude to the law in 5:17–48 and such passages as 12:1–14 (on Sabbath observance) and 15:1–20 (on ceremonial defilement). The mission of Jesus and the demands of love clearly took precedence." - France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 156)

Day 9: Matthew 7:15-29

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." - Matthew 7:24 ESV

There is nothing more fortifying than choosing to obey the teachings of Jesus. They are not just quaint sayings to apply when we feel like it. Instead, they are a commitment to the best lifestyle imaginable. It is one that makes life worth living now and prepares us for eternity.

The picture Jesus gives here of "building your house upon the sand" was an ancient shortcut in construction during the first century. Building upon the rock meant digging down deep, beyond the sand, to the bedrock underneath. Sure, building upon the sand is time-efficient and incredibly easier, but it is disastrous in the long term.

Remember what Jesus said in our reading yesterday?

"The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." - Matthew 7:13

Jesus wants what's best for us. He always wants to help us make decisions today that will benefit us forever.

The next time we see Jesus use this word "rock" (petra in Greek) in Matthew's gospel is in 16:18 when Jesus quizzes the disciples on His identity. The way we can build our homes on the rock is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

There is no storm in this life or in the final judgment that can send us crashing if our trust/obedience is in Jesus.

Day 8: Matthew 6:25-34, 7: 1-14

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" - Matthew 6: 25 ESV

"Because of this fact last mentioned, the impossibility of dividing your service. Cease to be anxious about things of this life, for anxiety about these is a mark of your attempting this impossibility." - Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (1909). St. Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 237)

Recently, I had someone say to me (when seeing someone from afar), "I wonder how much they make." I responded as I usually do when I hear that competitive and comparative tone, "When we’re in our 80s, it won't matter at all." We spend so much time worrying about finances and advancement that we let the Devil distract us from what really matters.

Being wealthy will not matter as we go to draw our final breath. Yet, we insist on trying to position ourselves to become prosperous. We think attaining more will decrease anxiety, but it actually increases it.

A Princeton University study showed that, even in expensive cities, when someone exceeds $75,000 in annual income, it will not contribute to that person feeling better about his or her life. This is a direct quote from that study: “you can’t get emotional well-being much higher just by having more money.” (The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, page 197)

It's as though Jesus knew what He was talking about.

So, if life is more than what we can accumulate, what is it about?

Jesus lays that out in 6: 33. We are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. We would do well to take a trip back to the beginning of Matthew 5 and soak in Jesus' definition of success.

May we position ourselves to be eternally in God's presence, not to be temporarily at ease.

Day 7: Matthew 6: 1-24

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Matthew 6: 3 ESV

Jesus goes right after the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were the supposed experts, and they weren't shy about flaunting their expertise. Their giving, their prayer lives, and their fasting became nothing more than a show. Everything was right on the outside, but everything was wrong on the inside.

Beware of the experts, the show-offs. Those that thrive on notoriety.

One thing that really strikes me in today's reading is that Jesus doesn't just give us examples of giving, praying, and fasting; He makes assumptions that we will be actively involved in doing them. He says, "When you" not "If you."

It seems that in an effort not to overburden those that follow Jesus, we soften the expectations. We say things like, "If you have time" or "It only takes five minutes." Is this the kind of faith that Jesus has called us into?

Those that follow Jesus will be generous. They will pray with ferocity. They will deny themselves through fasting. We won't do it so that others can see us; we will follow through because we know that God sees us.

"We serve a God who looks upon the heart, not mere outward appearance (cf. 1 Sam 16:7), therefore religious devotion begins with the heart and the inner motivations behind the external act." - Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 6: 3–4)

When it comes to how Jesus sees us, He’s much more interested in our hearts than our heroics.

Day 6: Matthew 5: 27-48

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” - Matthew 5: 48 ESV

Many of us may read our passage for today, put down our Bibles, and let out a big sigh. This is because we know when we've looked too long in lust. We have seen marriages (maybe even in our own families) fail. We all have given not-so-straight answers when we feel defensive. We've all held onto grudges for far too long. We may have even wished harm to our enemies, definitely not going out of our way to bless them.

We have all fallen short of God's standards which are apparently higher than we thought they were (see Romans 3:23).

So, is it time to find a hole to crawl into? Or is it maybe time to give up on following Jesus? I mean, there is no way we will be able to be perfect as God is perfect.

King David was someone who was far from perfect, but he knew the one who was able to make things perfect when he wrote/sang: "God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect." (Psalm 18:32)

The same Jesus who calls us to a high standard is the One who went to the cross to ensure we could reach wholeness by trusting in His blood for our atonement.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2: 13 NASB

Day 5: Matthew 5:1-23

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6 ESV

In our Scripture for today, we see Jesus begin what is now called the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In all nine of these opening "blessed" statements, Jesus is saying, "Let me tell you who is successful in my eyes" or "these are the fortunate ones."

These statements aren't prescriptive (do this, and you will be successful). Instead, they are a picture of Jesus meeting these people where they were, in their desperation and humility, and telling them that His kingdom has a place for them to thrive.

Can you identify with that?

Do you long, in humility, to see God move in your generation? Do you feel overlooked? Are you quickly dismissed, excluded, or mistreated because of your faith in Jesus? Jesus' Kingdom isn't about worldly status or fame. It is one in which we all are declared valuable and considered equal in view of the cross.

This closing comment on our passage today by S.K. Weber illustrates it well: “Our modern idea of happiness is a diluted version of the joy implied by the term Jesus used. Our idea of happiness is a dependence on circumstances. Instead, God’s happiness or joy is dependent on the assurance of God’s blessing (sometimes present, often future), not on current circumstances, and it abides deep and undisturbable within the believer.”