The Pharisees have just accused Jesus of working on the Sabbath when He did good. Now they go out and work for evil in plotting together to kill Him—on the Sabbath.

Jesus avoided unnecessary conflict. He didn’t needlessly challenge His enemies in debate or use physical force against them. He is not a violent man. Jesus is the gentle, promised Messiah of Isa 42:1-4. Jesus is God’s beloved and approved, Spirit-anointed servant (Mat 3:16-17). His ministry was gentle and restrained and didn’t cause harm to even the weakest of people. “In His name the Gentiles will hope.” This is our hope. The Jews had lived in hope of the coming Messiah. We now live in hope of the second coming of Messiah. This hope is not wishful thinking but an expectation of something certain (Tit 2:13).

Jesus heals a demon-oppressed man who was both mute and blind. This was immediately recognised by the people as a sign of the Messiah (Isa 42:1-4) and they ask “can this be the Son of David?” But the Pharisees mislead the people by saying that it was by the power of Satan that Jesus was able to cast out the demon. Jesus points out the ridiculousness of their suggestion. How does it benefit Satan to cast out his own demons? If he were doing that, then he would be fighting against himself and his kingdom would have no chance. The Jewish exorcists were also casting out demons (though not from people who were blind and mute). How were they doing it? Also by the power of Satan? It didn’t make sense that the Pharisees held Jesus to one standard while applying a different standard to their own. The glaring issue was if Jesus was casting out demons by the power of God, which was the only logical explanation, then they had to face the fact that the kingdom of God had arrived. But they rejected the facts without any logical explanation. If you want to go in and take goods from a strong man’s house, it is only logical that you need to first tie up the strong man before you can take anything from him. Satan is the strong man. He had in his house the oppressed people. Jesus is the Stronger One who is able to bind Satan and release those who are oppressed. There is just no way that Jesus and Satan were allies. Satan is Jesus’ adversary and Jesus exercised His authority over him by tying him up and releasing people from his influence.

How are you in the face of opposition? Do you needlessly engage in confrontation? The lesson is not to avoid confrontation, but to be wise about what really needs confrontation and then to be bold to speak up when speaking up is warranted.

Jesus and His disciples are walking through a grain field on the Sabbath when they get hungry and begin to eat some of the heads of grain. The Pharisees stop Jesus and ask why His disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. It was not their grain field but the Pharisees are not accusing them of stealing, they were allowed to eat from the field (Deut 23:25). The Pharisees are accusing them of working. Picking the heads of grain was considered work on the Sabbath. Beginning with a high view of God’s law that is commendable, the Pharisees had established additional laws that were designed to prevent one from ever getting to the point where they might break the law. If the law says don’t work on the Sabbath, then defining almost everything you can do as work seems to be helpful. But they had gotten to the point where they now considered these safety measures at the same level as God’s actual law.

Jesus responds by pointing out two situations where God’s law was broken and it was not counted against them. David, when he was being chased by Saul, found himself without food and the only food the priest had to give him was the bread of the Presence from the tabernacle that was reserved for the priests (1 Sam 21:6). The principle is that preserving human life was of greater value. A second situation is that even though the law forbade working on the Sabbath, the priests work in the temple on the Sabbath and are guiltless. If it is lawful to work in the temple on the Sabbath, then it is lawful to serve Christ who is greater than the Sabbath. Once again Jesus points to God’s desire for mercy (love for fellow man) over sacrifice (strict obedience to the law with no regard for its application).

When Jesus enters their synagogue, the Jews see an opportunity to trap Him on this issue of working on the Sabbath. They point to a man with a withered hand and ask if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus shows their hypocrisy by pointing out how badly they have missed the point. They were happy to rescue an animal if it fell into a hole on the Sabbath (Ex 23:4-5; Deut 22:4), but ignored acts of mercy to fellow men. Logically it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus then backs up what He said by healing the man in front of them. God would never do something that violated His own law and so this act of healing validated His teaching.

Rules are good for us. They help us know the boundaries and give us a safe space within which to live. But it is tempting to look at rule-abiding as a sign of holiness. The Pharisees were very good at keeping to their long list of rules but their hearts were very far from God. Are you tempted to be rule-abiding so you put on the appearance of godliness? Or is your heart really right with God? When your heart is right, the rule-following becomes a lot easier. Are you judging others by their rule-following, or are you getting to know them and seeing their heart?
Do you judge others by their actions while expecting them to judge you by your intentions?

Jesus had performed a number of miracles to prove that He was the Messiah and yet Israel had rejected Him. Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were all evil cities of the Old Testament. The miracles Jesus performed in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum would have moved even those evil cities to repentance. Because of this, the people of those evil cities would be better off in the day of judgement. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum did not repent in the personal presence of Christ. As a result, their accountability is greater and their judgement will be more severe. In this passage, we learn that there will be degrees of punishment in hell just as there are degrees of reward in heaven. Everyone is condemned to hell unless they believe (John 3:36). But the depths of suffering that someone will endure is conditioned on what they did in this life. These three key cities of Galilee serve as an example of how Jesus is not being received by Israel.

But there were those who did receive Jesus. Jesus thanks the Father that, while those who may have considered themselves wise rejected Him, others who had faith like children received Him. Such is God’s gracious will. The older we get, the smarter we think we are and the less likely we are to believe something. Children are much more likely to just believe. God is not calling for a blind faith though. Jesus had been performing incredible miracles right there for them to see that He was who He said He was. We have those and the rest of God’s works written down in His word (1 Cor 10:11). It is through Jesus that we know the Father.

Jesus offers a spiritual rest to those who would come to Him. The Pharisees had made religion impossible to bear (Mat 23:4). Jesus offers us rest from the impossible task of trying to deal with our own sin. He offers a free gift of rest (Rom 6:23). Then He offers that we take on His yoke. A yoke is a collar for two bulls to pull a plough, not one. When we take on Jesus’ yoke, we are choosing to work with Him. He has work for us to do, but not to do alone. His burden is light because the work He has for you to do is perfectly suited to you and is to be done in His strength, not your own. Are you struggling to do something you were never meant to do? Are you struggling to deal with your sin problem on your own? Or are you finding rest doing exactly what God wants you to do in His strength?

It appears that John the Baptist is having doubts. He is in prison and things don’t seem to be turning out the way he expected. He had been the one to introduce Messiah but Jesus wasn’t doing what He expected. He, and many others, expected Jesus to be coming to bring peace by opposing the oppressive rule of the Romans. But Jesus had not done anything to speak against the Romans at all. John sends two of his disciples to ask if Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah they had been waiting for. Jesus responds by pointing to the work He had been doing, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and even raising the dead. These were the things that the Scriptures had prophesied that Messiah would do. At that time they didn’t understand that Messiah would come in two ministries, first as suffering servant, and second as conquering king.

Jesus turns to the crowd and gives them reasons why they should not think less of John. John was strong and courageous, he was not a reed shaken by the wind. He had boldly and consistently called for repentance of the nation in face of opposition. He was not self-indulgent. He had not dressed in the finest clothes or lived in luxury. He had dressed in a robe of camel’s hair, a leather belt and ate locusts and wild honey. He lived a life appropriate for a prophet with his mission. Finally, John was the greatest Old Testament prophet. He was the coming messenger of Malachi 3:1. He was the forerunner that would lay the groundwork for Messiah’s coming. He was the only prophet to have the privilege of introducing the Messiah. Had that generation accepted him as the prophet who came in the spirit of Elijah and repented as a nation (Mal 4:5-6) then things would have turned out quite differently, Jesus would still have had to die but the kingdom would have come. Instead, we see a generation who are like children who can’t make up their minds.

Jesus’ story is of two groups of children. The first say, “let’s play ‘wedding’, we’ll play the flute, and you dance”. But the second group won’t dance because the game is too happy. So the first group says, “okay, we’ll play ‘funeral’ and we’ll sing a dirge (a mourning song)”. But the second group doesn’t want to mourn because that game’s too sad. That generation of Jews behaved in the same way, not being satisfied with the ministries of either John or Jesus. They criticised John for fasting and Jesus for feasting. John was too simple and Jesus to social. They didn’t want to hear the warnings of John or the good news of the Son of Man. But both John and Jesus were purposeful in their ministries and the wisdom of God’s plan would be seen in how both fulfilled their missions.

Sometimes we may have doubts as we consider how God is working. Sometimes things just don’t make sense. But God doesn’t do things our way (Isa 55:8-9). When we doubt, we need to go back to the Bible. What does the Bible say about God’s character and how He can be trusted to be holy, righteous, good, and sovereign in all things, at all times?

This passage is a continuation of the last two days quiet times. Jesus has sent out his disciples, now called apostles, to spread the good news of the coming kingdom to the Jews. He then warns them about the persecution they will face.

The beginning of today’s passage has been interpreted by some to mean that to acknowledge Jesus before men is a necessary condition for salvation to eternal life. But if this were true, then salvation would not be by grace through faith alone (Eph 2:8-9), but by the work of acknowledgement as well. We also see in John 12:42-43 that some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus, but because they were afraid of being rejected by man, they kept quiet about their faith and did not confess it. What Jesus is talking about is a lifetime of acknowledging Him even in the face of persecution. Such a costly profession will be recognised and rewarded at the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:9-10). Verse 33 deals with the same thing but from a negative perspective. If we fail to persevere in faith and good works, Jesus will not deny us eternal life, but He will deny us the reward of reigning with Him (2 Tim 2:12).

One potentially high cost of following Jesus is that it can bring severe division within the home. If you decide to follow Jesus and the rest of your family don’t, then the stakes become very high. You could find yourself facing persecution within your own home. Jesus demands to be of utmost importance in your life, even more so than Mom or Dad, brother or sister.

To follow Jesus is a choice to deny yourself and take up your cross. When Jesus spoke here of taking up your cross, it was before the disciples even knew that Jesus would die on the cross. We have a backwards-timeline view of the cross. We associate the cross with Jesus’ incredible sacrifice for us. Try to see things from the perspective of the disciples at this time. A cross was a hideous symbol of torture reserved for the worst criminal. A criminal carrying his cross was a symbol that the Romans were right in executing a death sentence over him. Jesus was asking them to accept death at the hand of man before He did. If we cling to our lives here on earth, we will find that we lose all that eternal life can be, but if we deny ourselves in this life, then we will find a fullness of life, full of reward, one day in heaven.

Eternal life is a free gift offered to all—absolutely no strings attached. To be a disciple is a costly decision. Are you prepared to pay with your life to follow Jesus?

Jesus has just commissioned his apostles to go out and preach the kingdom was near to all the Jews. Now He continues by telling them that persecution will come as they go out. As you read this section, you will realise that what Jesus predicted didn’t happen in that first missionary trip they took. It appears that Jesus was giving a more general warning that spoke of the full scope of missionary work that would and does continue today all the way up and through the tribulation. When you read through the book of Acts you see a lot of what Jesus predicted happening to the apostles. Almost all of the apostles died martyr’s deaths as Jesus predicted. Today we see many suffering for the gospel as Jesus predicted.

Verse 22 appears tricky at first glance. If we read it with salvation in mind then it says only those who persevere through persecution will be saved. But it’s important to know that the word “saved” in the Bible is not always talking about salvation to eternal life. In fact, more often than not, the word “saved” in the Bible is talking about physical salvation—being physically saved from physical death. So the one who endures is the one who stands firm in the face of persecution. The end most likely refers to the end of the tribulation when Messiah will return triumphantly and save the faithful as He ushers in the Kingdom.

But Jesus warning of persecution also contains many encouragements. When we find ourselves in a tough situation, like being hauled before authorities, then we need not be anxious because the Holy Spirit Himself will give us the words we need to say (in the context of proclaiming Him).

We are also told not to fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead we should fear God who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Our focus must be on God who has ultimate authority over body and soul, far more authority than any persecutor might have. Any torment a persecutor may inflict on us would pale into insignificance compared to what they would suffer if left to suffer at the hand of God. Today as we are faced with the Coronavirus this is quite pertinent. We need not fear a virus that at worst can kill the body, instead, we should be focussed on God who is the one ultimately in control. Jesus points to the sparrows which are essentially worthless, being sold for half a penny. And yet not one of them will die outside of God’s will. If God knows the number of hairs on your head, does that not show how infinitely more worth you are to Him than a sparrow. If He won’t let a sparrow die apart from His will, you can rest assured that nothing will happen to you outside of God’s will!

Jesus calls His twelve disciples and gives them the same authority He has, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. From this point, they are called apostles. Jesus sent them out as His representatives to declare the coming Kingdom. They weren’t to go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans, only to the people of Israel. Their message was that the promised kingdom was available and their ability to perform miracles was to validate their message to all who saw and heard. The apostles were not to provide their own provisions for this mission but to depend on God to provide. They were to travel light and depend on the generosity and support of those who would receive them in each town they visited. But Jesus also warns them that they would face rejection from those who were unworthy. From those unworthy towns that would not receive them or their message, they were to depart and shake the dust from their feet. They were to move on to those who were more receptive. Those who wouldn’t receive the message, God would hold them more accountable than Sodom and Gomorrah, the two cities who were known for their extreme wickedness (Gen 13:13).

God has given us all a job to do for Him (Eph 2:10). At the very least we know that we have all been commissioned to declare the good news of salvation from sin by grace through faith (Mat 28:18-20). God doesn’t expect you to get it all together before you begin serving Him. Just like the apostles, He wants you to step out in faith. He will provide all you need. Your job is to trust and obey.

The two blind men follow Jesus calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” They recognise Him as the King of Israel and are expecting a messianic miracle (Isa 35:5; 42:7). Once again we see that Jesus heals them based on their faith in who He is and what He is able to do. Jesus sternly warns them not to tell anyone about what was done for them. But they can’t help but spread His fame through the area. Why did Jesus instruct them not to tell anyone? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but it was probably because Jesus didn’t want to be overrun with people only looking for physical healing or to promote Him as the literal king to reign over Israel. I want to celebrate that they couldn’t help but share the good news, but they disobeyed Jesus and there is no reason to ever disobey God. Are you so excited about what Jesus has done in your life that you can’t wait to tell others? Thankfully we have been told that we should tell everyone (Mat 28:18-20) so there is no excuse. But another question to ponder is, is there anything you are doing that is disobedient to what Jesus has commanded, yet you justify it for some reason? No matter the reason, it is never okay to disobey.

Jesus restored the ability to speak to the demon-oppressed man who was mute. This is another miracle that proves He is Messiah (Isa 35:6). The crowds see it, but the Pharisees deny it. Instead, the Pharisees attribute Jesus’ ability to heal to the work of Satan (the prince of demons). How sad that some people outright deny Jesus despite all the evidence that shows He is God among us.

As Jesus continues to minister throughout the area, He has compassion on the crowds because they are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The Pharisees, whose job was to lead them, had abdicated their responsibility and were not leading them in spiritual truth, in fact as we see in the previous paragraph, they were actively leading them away from spiritual truth. Jesus tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. There are many who are ready to hear the good news and who are needing to be led to spiritual maturity. As Jesus told His disciples to do, we should pray for more people to do God’s work of evangelism and teaching. A prayer for you to consider: “Lord, are you sending me?”

John the Baptist’s disciples approach Jesus and ask why His disciples aren’t doing what they and the Pharisees are doing. They are fasting, but Jesus’ disciples are not. Fasting was typically associated with mourning over sin and suffering. It wasn’t appropriate for Jesus’ disciples to fast because He was with them and it was a time of life, celebration, and feasting. But He did say that a time would come when He would be taken away (in death) and then they would fast. Jesus continues with two illustrations of how new and old don’t mix together. New cloth patching an old piece of clothing would tear away and make the tear worse than before. New wine in old stretched wineskin would try to stretch the already stretched wineskin and burst it, ruining both the wine and the wineskin. Jesus brought in a new ministry of grace which was in contrast to the way of the Pharisees. Jesus brought the message of salvation by grace through faith which was incompatible with the Pharisees’ message of salvation by works. Do you find yourself trying to please God by what you do? Don’t put the cart in front of the horse. God has prepared work for you to do for Him, but your work for Him must flow from love and thankfulness for what He has done, not as a means for Him to love you for what you have done. Ephesians 2:10 comes after Ephesians 2:8-9.

The next story shows another ruler who has great faith, not only to heal but to raise someone from the dead. Mixed in is another story of a woman who had suffered for twelve years with a menstrual problem. For twelve years she had been unclean (Lev 15:19-30). Luke tells us that she had spent all her money on doctors trying to get well (Luke 8:43) but nothing had worked. She too has great faith realising that if she could just touch Jesus’ clothes she would be made well. This is another moment where we see that Jesus is no ordinary man. He is omniscient (knows everything) because He knew that He had been touched even though they were in a bustling crowd (Luke 8:45). Jesus tells her that her faith has made her well. Jesus continues to the ruler’s house where he tells the mourners that the girl is not dead but only sleeping—her death was temporary and she would be raised. Jesus then takes her hand and she is raised to life. Jesus is the object of our faith, He is the one who can fix our impossible situation and He is the one who is the ultimate power over sin and death we so desperately need.

A group of friends bring a paralysed man to Jesus who, seeing their faith, tells the man, “Your sins are forgiven.” This causes quite a stir amongst the Jewish leaders (the scribes). They begin to mutter amongst themselves and call Him a blasphemer because He is claiming to be able to forgive sins—something only God can do. It says, that Jesus knew their thoughts, something only God knows. Jesus laid aside His majesty to become a man but remained fully God (Phil 2:6-8). Anyone could say, “your sins are forgiven” but how would you know that your sins were indeed forgiven? That’s the point Jesus is making when He says, “which is easier, to say ‘your sins are forgiven’ or ‘rise and walk’?” Neither are really easier to say, but both are impossible for man to do. Then Jesus tells the man to get up and walk, proving He has the power to both heal and forgive sins. This is really important for you and me because Jesus said many things that we need to know we can believe. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). He said, “I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hands” (John 10:28). And He said “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He will not come into judgment but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). If we are to believe these promises, then we need to know He can keep them. Jesus performed the miracles He did to show He had the power to do what He said He could do. The greatest miracle, His resurrection from the dead, proves that He has the power over death He promises us. Our faith is not just in the promise of life, but in the promise giver, Jesus, to be able to actually give us that life.

When Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector (and the author of this gospel), He goes to his house and eats with his friends (also tax collectors and sinners). Again the Jewish leaders, this time the Pharisees, are upset because Jesus is hanging out with sinners. Jesus’ response is that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. He then points them to Hosea 6:6 to remind them that, while God expected them to follow the law, He was primarily interested in mercy. The Pharisees had made the law everything but left it void of mercy. For us, it is important to remember that following Jesus is about loving others, not only about obeying Him (following rules). But if we look at what Jesus taught, they end up being the same thing, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and He also said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). As believers, it’s not wise to have our closest friendships with unbelievers (we need our strongest relationships to pull us towards God), but we must not avoid hanging out with “sinners”, because if we don’t hang out with them, how can we ever hope to lead them to Jesus?