Matthew

February 14, 2013

An angel clothed in white with an appearance of lightning announced the resurrection to the women as they came bearing spices for Jesus’ body. They expected a morning of mourning, but they left sprinting with surprise. Have you yet fearfully peered into Death’s tomb and discovered that the Christ has left it empty?

February 8, 2013

This is what Jesus will say at the last judgment to those who have cared for those who are hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, sick or imprisoned. Would you do something for Jesus? If He came to your door, would you put him up for the night or offer Him supper? If you would do something for Jesus, then here’s your chance: Do something for the “least of these.”

February 5, 2013

This was a part of Jesus’ answer to the disciples questions concerning end times. The Greek word translated “nations” is ethnos (ἔθνος). It might also be translated every race/culture/tongue. According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, there are still 350 million people in the world who do not have a Scripture translation in their heart language. There are still “ethnos” who have not heard the gospel. God is still asking, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isa.6:8).

February 4, 2013

Jesus accused the Pharisees of the hypocrisy of outward expressions of holiness without any true heart change. The Pharisees had added layers of rules on cleanliness in their interpretation of the Torah. They even had instructions on how to do dishes. Yet, their eyes were blind and their ears deaf to Christ’s message. The disciples of Jesus may not have washed their hands according to the Pharisaic tradition, but their hearts were humble and open to Christ’s teachings. As God told Samuel, “man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart” (1 Sam.16:7). What does God see in your heart?

February 2, 2013

What Jesus said to the Sadducees, He might say to our generation as well. Who were the Sadducees? They were a Jewish sect that existed during the intertestamental period and consisted of a wealthy ruling class of priests that were often seen as allies of the Romans (or whoever was in power). They claimed to be Torah only followers, rejecting the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. They denied the after-life, the resurrection, the existence of angels, and a final judgment. They mostly saw the Scriptures as a basis for morality and no more. The way I was taught to remember them in Sunday School was that “They didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they were sad-you-see.” I think we have a lot of “sad-you-sees” in our world today.