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Day 10 – Matthew 8:1-9:39
As you read chapters 8 and 9 you’ll find that Matthew has written about ten miracles of Jesus and
placed them together. Did you find all ten in your reading? Isn’t it exciting to read about the power of
God that was displayed in Christ? Can you imagine what it would have been like walking with Christ
and watching him? Seeing him firsthand heal a leper, control the sea, and raise a girl from the dead.
I know how I feel just reading about his miracles 2000 years later, I can’t even imagine what a thrill it
would have been to follow his actual steps.
As you walk with Christ through the scriptures, be careful not to miss some of the subtle words
spoken by Jesus in the midst of the supernatural crowd pleasing miracles. For example, in-between
the crazy man/pig episode (8:28-34) and the girl being raised from the dead (9:23-26) Jesus makes
a statement about why he came to earth. Did you catch it? In Matthew 9:12-13 Jesus explains why
he came to earth and who he came to reach:
The lost.
The non-religious.
The outcasts.
We see the heart of Christ again when he looks at the crowds and his heart breaks with compassion
because the people looked so lost…like sheep without a shepherd (9:36-37). This truth is very
important for you to know as you continue to read the New Testament. The bigness of his miracles
helped people see he really was who he said he was (God in flesh) but the words he spoke reveal to
us the heart of God.
I’m so glad you’re reading God’s word and seeing his power and hearing about his heart. Keep
looking, keep learning, and you’ll see God do some type of miracle in your life.
Day 11 – Matthew 10:1-42
Wow! There’s a lot to unpack after today’s reading. This is one of the those chapters you could
study for days and then, when you think you really understanding everything Jesus communicated,
you’d probably only be half way to the depths of his work.
As Jesus sent out 12 disciples to preach and heal, he prepared them with a “don’t give up”
message that speaks to us now. Today, Christians are part of a war…it’s been going on a long time.
God declared war on Satan (Genesis 3:15), Satan goes after Jesus (Matthew 4), and now we live in
a world that Satan influences. Because of this, following Jesus has its difficulties.
The Christian life is a battle and Jesus wants us to know about our future and that following him and
living God’s way has a cost… As a Christian you will be opposed, it may be from:
by religious people (v. 17),
by the government (v. 18-19), or
by your family (v. 21)
When you face opposition for your faith (and I hope you do because that means you’re living God’s
way), view the attacks as minor wounds that a loving God easily heals. Your flesh may injure but
Jesus makes it clear that our soul can’t be harmed (10:28) and that we don’t have to fear. “Fear not”
is a strong message of Jesus. Why? Because God’s love for you is incredible (10:31).
Isn’t it wild that God loves you so much that he even has your hairs numbered? Why? Because God
is concerned with every detail of your life and he wants you to know it. Trust him as your strength so
you can live as a courageous soldier who can walk into the world of wolves suited with His armor of
love.
Day 12 – Matthew 11:1-30
I hope that when you came to the end of chapter 11 you got a smile on your face. Read this
paraphrase of verses 28-30 from The Message and imagine Jesus saying these words directly to
you….
“[your name] ____________ Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get
away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and
work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy
or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Have you ever been tired of doing good? Did you know that a lot of people who serve God and
follow him get tired? In Matthew 10 we read about those who were sent out to do God’s work and
were doing a job that may have made them weary.
I know I get tired doing God’s work because it never ends. Sometimes I focus on what I’m doing
instead of who I’m serving and I get tired. I focus on the labor and not on the Lord.
I also find myself getting tired because I begin to doubt that my work for God is making a difference.
I get discouraged and weary. John the Baptist did the same thing. He’s sitting in jail and begins to
doubt… “are you really the Messiah or should we keep looking?” And this is from the greatest of all
the prophets that ever lived…and he doubted.
There is good news! Jesus promises us rest when we surrender our lives to him, when we slow
down and hang out with him. It’s an undeniable truth that we become who we hang around…what
kind of people do you hang around? Keep company with Jesus and your life will change…that’s a
promise.
Day 13 – Matthew 12:1-50
God in the flesh is standing before religious leaders and they don’t recognize him. Jesus is a mystery
to them. The Pharisees had spent so much of their growing and learning years studying about how
to act religious that they actually missed God in action. It’s almost comical, but it’s too sad to be
very funny. Jesus claims equality with God by stating he’s the Lord of the Sabbath and the “religious
actors” miss the moment.
In chapter 12 we read about the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus so they could “prove” Jesus wasn’t
the Son of God and that he was nothing more than a devil-following freak show. It seems every
attack thrown at Jesus was met by an answer that baffled the Pharisee’s thinking and challenged
their religious game.
In verse 30, Jesus makes a bold statement that there is no middle ground in following him. He says
that you can’t be neutral about following him…it’s either all or nothing. This is challenging! And Jesus
reminds us that following Jesus is begins with the heart. He slams the Pharisees and then tells them
he can “see” their heart by how they talk. Their religious show meant nothing, but their heart mean
everything.
It’s good to stop and think about the commitment you’ve made to follow Christ. You might try writing
your answers to these questions below:
> Where do you need God to perform surgery on your heart?
> Can others tell the condition of your heart by the words you speak?
> If you find yourself being neutral about your walk with Christ, what do you need to do?
Also, take a minute and tell God that you don’t want to act like a Christian (Pharisee) but that you
want to be identified by the fruit you display in your life (v.33).
Have a great day as you walk with Christ in your life!
Day 14 – Matthew 13:1-58
Everyone likes a good story! As you walk with Christ, you’ll find that Jesus tells a lot of stories. It’s
his number one way to communicate truth. Not all this stories are easy to understand and that’s why
the disciples have to ask him to explain himself. But all his stories lead to truth.
The chapter you read today has a lot of stories and they’re good stories…if you’re a Christian.
If you’re not….ouch. In Jesus’ story he paints a clear picture of what judgement will look like.
Christians will be separated from non Christians (or the wheat from the weeds) and there will be
weeping and pain for those who made a decision to live their life without God. That’s a story that
doesn’t have a happy ending.
The ending can be changed in everyone’s life if they hear God’s word and accept it into their life
(v. 8-9). Not only will eternity be planted in their lives but they (we) are given an abundance of
knowledge for living today (v. 12).
As you go through your life today be thinking about your friends who need to hear the life-changing
story of salvation that is only offered through Jesus. This story isn’t fiction and isn’t made up…it’s a
real story of a real man who died on a real cross so we could receive real forgiveness and not end
up at judgement day looking like a weed. Can you share that story with anyone today?
Day 15 – Matthew 14:1-36
Try to imagine what this one day would have been like if you were able to walk around with Jesus.
You’d have seen our Lord in all types of situations; from grieving the death of a friend, to feeding
5000, to walking on water, and calming the seas…unbelievable!
What strikes me about this chapter are the times where Jesus went to be by himself. After the news
of his friend’s death he wanted to be alone (v.13), and after feeding the multitudes he retreated
(v.23). In the midst of all the hoopla, Jesus sought solitude. He knew he had many things to
accomplish and lots of people to heal but he also knew he needed time by himself. His miracles
were amazing, but in the midst of grief, people, pressure, agendas, and a mission…he needed to be
alone.
He gave us a picture of what we should be doing. Can you learn anything about the importance of
spending time with God in the midst of a busy day? When was the last time you experienced some
solitude? Is it difficult to pull away from the crowd to be with the Creator? You need some of this
quiet-time every day to grow spiritually and become more like Jesus. Learn from the model of Jesus
and make sure this happens on the busiest of days. Maybe that’s why God said, Psalm 46:10 “Be
still and know that I am God.”
Day 16 – Matthew 15:1-39
Sometimes I lack faith. I hate to admit it…being a pastor and all…but it’s the truth. I know I should
have total faith in God’s way and not question or worry, but that’s not always the case. I’ve seen
God work in the past and yet I still wonder if he’s going to work in the present. I can point to specific
times when God has faithfully answered my prayers but I still wonder if he’s going to hear my pleas.
Basically, it boils down to either I lack faith or I’m really forgetful about what God has done in the
past. To make it worse, I feel guilty about it too. Can you identify with this?
But I begin to feel a little better when I read this chapter and see that the disciples were a lot like me.
They just saw Jesus feed 5,000 people a few days ago (Matthew 14) and now they have the nerve
(or lack of faith) to ask, “where are we going to get the food?” (v.33). Huh…maybe they were a lot
like me (and you?) because they were faced with a tough situation and they had forgotten God’s
work and provision in the last tough situation. How quickly we forget God’s ability to provide.
Today, be encouraged that God still works when you lack faith. He can repeat miracles in your life
even when you question. When you’re faced with discouragement over an issue in your life take
some time (remember the alone time from yesterday?) and consider God’s faithfulness in the past.
God is good and he’ll keep working even when we’re faithless, forgetful, or just plain dumb (like me
at times).
Day 17 – Matthew 16:1-12
Pharisee and Sadducee yeast sounds a little weird. At first the disciples didn’t know what it meant,
so if you were a little confused with today’s reading you’re not alone. Again, in these few verses of
chapter 16, Jesus uses another illustration to communicate the essential truth that the inside of a
person is more important than their actions.
Typically, the Pharisee and Sadducees were religious enemies because they disagreed on many
issues. But when it came to their hatred for Jesus and his teaching they became a team with the
goal to discredit and destroy him. In Jesus’ eye Pharisee and Sadducees were both religious frauds
because they didn’t focus on the issues of the heart (their insides) but on actions (their outside) from
the law. As you’ve been reading, Jesus hated this.
Now, you might have thought, “what the deal with “yeast?” Yeast is an ingredient used in cooking
to make bread rise. Too much yeast can ruin everything. That’s why Jesus called the Pharisee and
Sadducees “yeast.” Even a small amount of evil in their lives was ruining an entire group of people.
Sins in your life that seem “little” may very well be “yeast” and have big effects on your relationship
with God, your witness, and your other relationships. Your sin can impact others just in the same
way the sins of the Pharisee and Sadducees were leading others away from the truth that Jesus
brought. Evaluate your life today and see if there’s any “yeast” that needs to be dealt with.
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