God Walked Among Us

Matthew 14:22-27
22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Jesus gave the example after ministering to many to then go and pray, to talk with God our Father. Here He sent the disciples on ahead while He dispersed the others, telling them He would catch up with them. But how He did that - walking on the lake - troubled the disciples who still did not understand that God walked among them (Emmanuel). There is no fear, but peace, in knowing God in this way. This is good news!

True Manna from Heaven

Matthew 14:16-20
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

Jesus was moved with compassion on those lost without a shepherd, not only to heal broken bodies but also to feed hungry souls. He spoke to them of the kingdom (Luke 9:11) and fed them of Himself as manna from heaven in the wilderness. Jesus ministered to the whole person and did it because He loved us so. So they ate and it satisfied their bodies and souls, and there was enough left for each of His disciples also. We can learn much on serving here (see Mark 10:45 also).

God's Power at Work

Matthew 14:1-2
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

Herod thought that Jesus' power was from man - a dead man come back to life after he had him put to death. The reality is that Jesus is God come back from the dead by His own power, not a ghost or walking dead but a living God and Savior. Even now people see Him as a man, whether prophet or gifted, but fail to see clearly that God was among us as a man. Knowing who He is makes all the difference, for only a perfect man (who was also therefore God) could live perfectly and so die in our place to justify us before a holy and righteous Judge.

Wisdom and Power, Glory and Honor

Matthew 13:54-58
54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ... 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Those who see Jesus as just a man think He is just another Joe from next door, and so question how He could ever do things only God can do. His wisdom and power cannot be reconciled as just a man, so they take offense. God chooses not to do many great things when people do not take Him at His word. Such lack of faith would not be moved by great miracles nor by deep wisdom alone. So we preach Christ crucified, even when a stumbling block to wisdom and miracle seekers.

Scribes of the New and Old

Matthew 13:51-52
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Understanding parables means we need to see how all of God's word fits together. The Old Testament is revealed in the parables and other New Testament books. Jesus told His followers to then dig into the Scriptures to unearth those treasures hidden before and revealed now. We have the Spirit to give understanding now, just as the disciples had Jesus in flesh in front of them then. He teaches us all things as we study to show ourselves approved and seek old and new things from cutting the word straight. So we teach others as we make disciples.

He Will Separate Wicked and Just

Matthew 13:47-50
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

God will gather everyone in the end together from every part of the world, but then they will be separated between good and bad for the kingdom - those made just and righteous by Christ, and those left as wicked from birth who have rejected the good news of the kingdom and remain in their sin. The fires of torment are real and, though made for the devil and the fallen angels, those who remain unrighteous in the end will go from net to the fire... People do not want to be accountable to God and deny this as hate speech, but love compels us to warn and offer reconciliation.

Kingdom Treasures

Matthew 13:44-46
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Do we find that the kingdom found through Jesus Christ is so precious that we are willing to give all we have, even our very lives, to gain it? Have we sold all we own to buy that most precious possession of God Himself? Or do we choose to hold to the things that fade away, rusting and rotting, until we are left with nothing of lasting value... If we truly count the cost, we will run after the eternal.

God's Seed and World's Weeds

Matthew 13:37-43
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

When Jesus had to explain the parable of the sower, His followers heard the war for men's souls. God's word, the good news of Jesus Christ, is what our enemy is doing all to keep from us so we are kept from God as he is - we have a chance to be reconciled, and he does not. So we sow seed and pray that many will be washed clean and made righteous in this truth war.

Parables of Foundational Truth

Matthew 13:33-35
33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” 34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Yeast spreads of its own accord in dough, softening and making it palatable. So God's word works by His Spirit in the regenerated, filling him out as he ought to be - and not by his own power. God's kingdom within us is moved by Him; we must keep in step by obedience, but He enables the conquest of our rebellious nature. This "mystery" as shown in a parable is only understood when we are given ears to hear. When we are made new, we can grasp these as He works within us.

Smallest Seed of Faith

Matthew 13:31-32
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

God's kingdom begins with the smallest seed of realization of His reconciling grace shown in mercy by Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection. That faith, when rooted deep in Him by His word, fills the life as it grows until the Kingdom is seen on earth within His people. Then there is refuge for others to nest in as well by His word in that tree of life passed on as disciples are made. All this is from the seemingly smallest of seeds given as the greatest gift from above.

Wheat to Eat, Tares to Burn

Matthew 13:24-30
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ... 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’... 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

The enemy plants religious people among God's who appear the same from the outside, and can even act the same by using the well known words and phrases as a chameleon uses color to fit in. But in the end, those God calls are as wheat for an eternal harvest, while the imitation in he midst of the church are burned as weeds. Time grows shorter, so examining yourself to be certain where you stand in grace and faith in Christ alone is essential when eternity is at stake.

Receive Implanted Word to Save the Soul

Matthew 13:19-23
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Does God's word find receptive and fertile ground in our hearts, and does it take root to bear fruit as His chosen are called by faith to do (Ephesians 2:10)? This parable spells out our responses, and only those who are cut to the heart and receive it, planting Gospel seed deep inside and fertilizing with obedience (active faith, not just assent) grow and bear fruit to God in the kingdom. Ears to hear and feet to follow fully.

Why Parables?

Matthew 13:10-17
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Jesus goes further to explain how He used parables to speak to those chosen to hear, while those rejecting Him could not grasp the truth. Blinded eyes and deafened ears clouded their spirits, but the things sought over the years by study and effort could only be realized when given as a gift by God's good will through faith in what He shows. People seek great wisdom or miracles, but Jesus pointed to Himself as truth. We need to come as a child who is told that truth and receive it as such with opened eyes.

The Sower's Crops

Matthew 13:3-9
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Jesus often used stories that veiled deeper meaning which only those seeking Him could grasp the real significance of. The parable of the sower here is one often debated even among those who identify as His followers today. It was a common scene of a farmer planting seed, but the lesson and truths told under its surface needed ears able to listen from the spirit and heart.

His Blood is Thicker Than Water

Matthew 12:47-50
47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

If we follow Jesus Christ, we are His family. Even Jesus pointed out that relationship was more important than that of blood. So when natural family turns against us because of Christ, we should rejoice in knowing that we do what He says and follow Him as His children, loved first and forever. His blood that bought us is stronger than the water we were born in. In this way, blood is "thicker than water."

Put Off Sin, Put On Christ

Matthew 12:43-45
43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

If we only have the repentance of John, saying no to sin but not going further to yield to Christ coming in as Spirit, then we only prepare ourselves for more evil. Repenting from dead works must be followed by faith in Jesus Christ so we may be reborn and have His Spirit come live in us forever. If not, our last state is worse with unregenerate ritual cleansing surrounding a filthy and unrepentant heart within. We fool ourselves, but not God nor the Enemy.

Sign of Jonah, Resurrection

Matthew 12:38-41
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

Why do so many demands signs and wonders to believe? Because they do not take God at His word with faith as moved spiritually by God Himself. So they need Jonah to come after 3 days by the mouth of a fish to turn from sin to God - yet even Nineveh listened; Jesus was 3 days dead and people still want more. What is needed is hearing, being cut to the heart, repenting, and trusting to be reconciled in Jesus Christ to God.

Tree Known by its Fruit

Matthew 12:33-37
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

What we say and do does matter; though we are saved by grace through faith alone, we are called out to be conformed to Christ. The Pharisees looked only to checklists, not the underlying heart motivating their actions. We must work on the heart by obedience out of love, and He will enable us to change by His working in us. But we must continue to obey in word and deed, driven by grace and mercy. Let no one mislead you - we will stand before our Lord to answer for our lives.

Unforgivable Sin: Against Son and Spirit

Matthew 12:31-32
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12:24. Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

If you do not have eyes opened to know Jesus and attribute God's work in Him as satan's, you blaspheme God's Spirit working truth. So, never coming to Christ, you will not be forgiven in eternity. To avoid this, let Him call you and be saved from God's justice and wrath due to us all apart from Christ. If you are truly His, you can then not do this and need not worry about the unpardonable sin.

He Knows Our Thoughts

Matthew 12:25-30
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

If we are with God, we stand on the winning side of the One defeating our adversary both now and in eternity with the final swing of the sword from His mouth. Those fighting against Christ are not His, and lose their souls, but we do not scatter but fight with Him against every thought set against.

Blaspheming God

Matthew 12:22-24
22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

When Jesus did what seemed impossible by freeing a man to be able to see and speak, some wondered if He was the promised one of God. The religious leaders quickly said it was of the devil, fearing for their own power and authority. They ignored what the finger of God was doing before their eyes since they did not do it, and so blasphemed God in His presence. They thought they could see, but proved they were blind themselves.

Justice and Trust

Matthew 12:16-21
16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 18 “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. ... 21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

Isaiah 42:7 To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Jesus came to bring justice through trust (faith) in Himself as the way to God. Yet He did not go about with banners and heralds declaring who He is or what He was doing - He instead humbly and directly spoke and worked the words and works of God in our midst. He was bringing trust in Him to the nations, to open our blind eyes and resume us from the prison of sin's dark trap and the sentence of execution due all by just wrath. He came to set us free.

Christ Restores Us

Matthew 12:11-14
11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Those who live by man's rules of religion miss God's truth and purpose. Here men actually tried to test God by twisting the purpose of His law, but Jesus brought out the goodness of God's intended meaning and application - to bring healing and wholeness out of compassion and love. It was not to rigidly (and wrongly) apply the law with their own interpretation and additions. We must judge with righteous judgement to see wisdom justified by her children as it is written..

Lord of the Sabbath and Temple

Matthew 12:5-8
5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus set us free from the slavery to the Law, for the Law could only teach through "do this and do not do that" that we always fall short of God's perfection. So Jesus justifies and makes us righteous where following rules could never do. But by His Spirit within us, as reborn from death to life, we now can be conformed to Him with the Law in our hearts, motivating us where following rules in outward attempts always fails in the end.

Rest for the Soul

Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

When we cease working to know and please God in order to be saved, we find grace looking through mercy's eyes justifying us forever in Jesus Christ. The yoke of "slavery" to righteousness is nothing compared to the bondage of sin, death, and hell. Jesus not only paid our price to ransom us back, He also rose from the dead to defeat the eternal consequence of sin. What a light burden we carry compared to what He bore on the way to the cross and the painful death there - yet we count it all joy seeing the empty tomb!

Christ's Will Saves Us

Matthew 11:25-27
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

God has hidden away in Christ all He has from those who think they can reason Him out or uncover all His plans. The wisdom of people in our time has been seeking a "God particle" to answer all things, but they miss the One in whom all things hold together, Jesus Christ. Only Christ, who has all authority, can reveal what is hidden to us - including Himself, so the only way to God the Father is Jesus Christ. As little children we must come to Him, trusting no other, and find wisdom in our helplessness.  Christ's will alone saves us.

Judgment and Mercy

Matthew 11:20-24
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ... 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

God owes us judgement, but offers forgiveness and mercy. He demonstrated who He is by the power and authority behind all the miraculous works He did while walking this earth toward the cross. To think that if He had showed these things to past cities - even Sodom destroyed utterly by fire - that even they would have repented and turned from rebellious sin against their Creator and Lord. So we do well to tell the good news of Christ laying down His life to buy us back from destruction and bring us from darkness into His marvelous light! This is why we celebrate His death and resurrection. This is a Good Friday of suffering a cruel death to heal us inside by those stripes.

Wisdom Justified

Matthew 11:16-19
16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

Many will not hear God's word because they don't hear what they want to hear. Unless the one speaking for God aligns the messages to dance to the world's tune of anti or extra-biblical teaching, we are not playing along with them. But true wisdom is validated by the eternal outcome - is what is said or written by men true according to God's word (all of it), and does it glorify God? Wisdom then brings peace from God.

Jesus Speaks after Prophets

Matthew 11:10-13
10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Hebrews 1:1-2.
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

John pointed to Jesus as he pointed to the sin of men needing repentance. Prophets came before and were killed to stop God's words from being spoken, but the Prophet who is God's Word in flesh has spoken once for all. And we in Him are "greater" than the prophets without the living hope of Christ in is and His message we now carry.