Matthew 10:26-28

Matthew 10:26-28 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Jesus was telling His disciples to be bold! He told them not to be afraid of people, but rather to be afraid of displeasing God. And that’s a good lesson for us. We can’t please everyone, so we must carefully chose who we are going to please. Are we going to please ourselves? Are we going to please other people? Or are we going to please God.

Matthew 10:22-25

Matthew 10:22-25 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Just like yesterday, Jesus was not trying to soften the difficulties that his disciples would have. It would be difficult to follow Jesus. The religious leaders would harass them and throw them into jail. But Jesus’ disciples would be sharing the words of life! What a blessing. And these words are a blessing for us to share as well! You may be mocked and you might be made fun of, but you will be happy inside knowing that the words that you share are the words of life everlasting!

Matthew 10:16-20

Matthew 10:16-20 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Jesus told the truth. He told it to his disciples just the way it would be. Things were not going to go well for Jesus. He was facing the cross. And things were not going to go well for his disciples. Just like the religious leaders soon would kill Jesus, the same religious leaders would attack the disciples too. But Jesus gave His disciples a good word: He would be with them and God would be with them! When they would be dragged into the courtroom, God’s Holy Spirit would give them the words to say. And God’s words are perfect. And that is good advice for us. Don’t worry that you have the perfect words to say, just remember to speak the words that Jesus would speak if He were here. Jesus was always truthful and compassionate with sinners. And we should be the same. Speak the truth ... in love.

Matthew 9:36-38

Matthew 9:36-38 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Sheep are domesticated animals. They are made for people to use and they need people to protect them. A sheep needs a shepherd to protect them and to meet their daily need for food, water, and shelter. And her in these verses Jesus is comparing people to sheep. Sheep need a shepherd and people need a leader. And Jesus reminded his disciples that God was the One Who was in charge of meeting mankind’s needs. We are sinners and are in need of a Savior. Jesus reminded the disciples that God was the One Who sends pastors and missionaries out into the world. We may preach and teach, but the overall responsibility belongs to God. Instead of preaching and working, we should pray. And then, God will send out workers and teachers. After all, He is in charge, isn’t He?!

Matthew 9:23-26

Matthew 9:23-26 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. Jesus knows everything. He not only knows what happened and what is happening, Jesus knows what is going to happen. So when Jesus came to the ruler’s house Jesus knew that she would be raised up again. Jesus knew that the little girl was only temporarily dead and not dead, dead. It was if the little girl was only sleeping and not really dead. But the mourners who were there at the little girl’s house did not believe in Jesus, and they for sure didn’t believe that Jesus could raise the little girl up from being dead. They mocked Jesus and laughed at Him. But Jesus wasn’t offended; He was there to bring comfort to a grieving father and to give life to a little girl. And that is exactly what Jesus did! Can you imagine the shock of those unbelieving people when Jesus came out of the bedroom leading the little girl by the hand? They weren’t mocking any more. Jesus was The Man! And Jesus is still the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is great!

Matthew 9:9-12

Matthew 9:9-12 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. How many disciples did Jesus have? That’s right. Jesus had twelve disciples. And in our verses for today Jesus called Matthew to be His disciple. Matthew was excited to be chosen by the great teacher, so he held a party at his house. But no one liked the tax collectors. They were the lowest scoundrels in the community. So the only ones who Matthew knew to invite were other scoundrels just like Matthew was! And Jesus came to their party! But the religious uppity-ups looked down their noses at Jesus. “What business did Jesus have eating and socializing with sinners!?” they whispered among themselves. But Jesus klnew their wicked hearts! And he confronted them and said, “People who are well do not need a doctor, only those who are sick need the doctor.” And that is true. Jesus came to look for sinners. Good people do not need a Savior; only sinners. But, we are all sinners. We all need a Savior. And I am so glad that Jesus came. And I am glad that He came to seek out sinners, aren’t you?!