Day 18: Matthew 12:46-50; 13:1-23

“And he told them many things in parables, saying, ‘A sower went out to sow.’” - Matthew 13:3 ESV

In Eugene Peterson's book, "Tell it Slant," which is a book about the parables of Jesus, he builds off of the following quote from Emily Dickinson:

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant--
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind--

How do you get an individual to the point of believing/trusting in the name of Jesus? Spiritually, they may have ears that don't hear and eyes that don't see. To them, the Gospel isn't Good News; it is just more noise.

This is the power of the parable. It is a story that tells us something that we may not have been interested in if it were told directly. The parables aren't meant to confuse us; they are meant to intrigue us into a deeper understanding of who we are and what Jesus intends to do through us.

Also, there's another side to this. Jesus used stories to illustrate what the Kingdom of God is like. Our stories are also important to tell when it comes to God's faithfulness. They can make a connection to those who don't know Jesus or who are skeptical of the Bible. May we work on being that bridge to Jesus each day.

"The kingdom of heaven, for all its growing power (v. 31–33), is a ‘secret’ (v. 11), and a secret is a secret only if not everyone is in the know. That so crucial a revelation is offered to men, and so powerful an agent is at work, and yet there are some who remain unresponsive and unaffected—this is the great mystery which these parables are designed to explain." - France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 220)

Day 19: Matthew 12:22-45

“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” - Matthew 12:31-32 ESV

This has to be one of the most debated sayings of Jesus that we see in the four biographies of His life in the New Testament. As a kid, I remember having extreme anxiety about this at night. I would think, "What if I accidentally blaspheme the Holy Spirit and go to hell?” I mean, some wild thoughts passed through my mind.

Rest assured, this is not what Jesus was communicating. This is no accidental act. It is an intentional refusal of God's presence, His breath (Holy Spirit translates literally as Holy Breath).

So, when does someone reach the point of no return, the moment they will not turn back to Jesus? That's the thing; we don't know.

What can we do? We can wake up every morning and literally say out loud, "Holy Spirit, have your way in me. Create in me a new heart. Renew a steadfast spirit in me." This isn't so much about the overwhelming thought of your entire life as it is about all the individual days that will fill your time on earth.

The following from Blomberg's commentary is especially helpful as we close, along with a quote from the Apostle Paul: "If one rejects the Spirit of God in Jesus, there is no one else in all the cosmos who can provide salvation. But we dare never label anyone as having committed this sin. Only God knows human hearts, and we would often make the wrong guess. Moreover, professing believers who fear they have committed the unforgivable sin demonstrate a concern for their spiritual welfare which by definition proves they have not committed it." - Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew (Vol. 22, p. 204)

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." - Galatians 5:25

Day 17: Matthew 12:1-21

“He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” - Matthew 12:19-21 ESV

Have you ever been in an environment where the person who was the loudest received the most attention? Whether it is at home or church, or work, all of us have unfortunately experienced this. Then the more self-controlled individual ends up being ignored.

Have you also noticed that Jesus often would tell people upon whom His miracles fell not to let anyone know who healed them? Ever wondered why? In our Scripture for today, we see part of the answer to that question. He was fulfilling, yet again, the Messianic prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-3. Nothing Jesus did was unintentional.

Also, I think Jesus was showing us that we don't have to increase the volume of our voices to be heard. Try to wrap your mind around the fact of how many "Gentiles" (non-Jewish people) will be worshiping Jesus this coming Sunday morning. Literally, on every point of the globe, you'll see someone eating bread and drinking wine to remember what Jesus did on the cross.

Think Jesus needed to raise His voice in the streets to have eternal influence? Apparently not. Neither do we.

"From this text Matthew reminds his readers that Jesus was not a political or warrior messiah for the present time; he humbled himself as a suffering servant until the time when he would lead ‘justice to victory’ (12:20)." - Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 361)

Day 16: Matthew 11:7-30

“Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.” - Matthew 11:20 ESV

Everyone likes free stuff. I mean, the T-Shirt canon at a Pacers' game evokes screams of passionate fans who will do anything to get their hands on an XXL shirt that they'll never wear.

What about something that will cost us? We are much more skeptical and reluctant. These people that Jesus was pouring out all kinds of healing upon still didn't "repent." This word in Greek is metanoeo, and it is used 34 times in the New Testament. It can also be translated as “to change one's mind.”

Jesus' miracles were not enough to change these people's minds (I can't believe I just typed that). Did they appreciate the change in their conditions? Why, yes. Did they benefit? Again, yes. Did it cause them to alter how they lived? No, it didn't.

If our minds are unaffected, our behavior will be left unchanged as well.

So, what does it take to see minds/lives change?

It takes a willingness to trust God enough to surrender all of our agendas to His. Unfortunately, most of us stuck in lifestyles of sin can only be shaken from our behavior by a jarring event that causes us to reevaluate everything. On this side of eternity, God will allow pain in our lives to help us see what the best life really looks like.

May we see the consistency of repentance in our lives and those we are trying to reach as well.

"When one recalls that Jesus’ message about the kingdom necessarily entailed the exhortation to repent (4:17; cf. 3:2), it is clear that the refusal to repent in the face of Jesus’ “mighty deeds” is the result of a failure to interpret Jesus’ deeds in terms of their disclosure of God’s presence. While his miraculous deeds were a source of interest and wonder, they cannot be separated from the demands of his message." - Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 11:20)

Day 15: Matthew 10:24-42, 11:1-6

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 10:32-33 ESV

We (and our culture at large) put so much stock in what others think of us. Our reputation seems to be the thing we hold onto the tightest.

Would you be willing to put your reputation at stake by letting someone know that you follow Jesus?

Our reading today is pretty straightforward. Claiming Jesus as Lord and Savior is going to cost us. The book of Revelation fleshes this out even further. We will not benefit, in the end, financially or in notoriety (see Revelation 13:17).

Jesus will bring peace in us, but He will bring a sword to everything that is not bringing honor and glory to His name.

Don't let people intimidate or discourage you. As your days on earth increase, your faith will not fail. You may lose business, friends, family, or fame, but you will gain what matters most. Go ahead, lose this life, and find an eternal one by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord (see Romans 10:9-10).

"A man’s standing before God is thus explicitly made to depend on his relationship to Jesus, and Jesus himself stands in the role of arbiter of a man’s ultimate destiny." - France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 191)

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)