Cover-to-Cover

Matthew 13:1-23   After ministering to a great multitude, Jesus went out of His house and sat by the sea. The multitudes see Him and come to Him, so He gets into a boat, probably to put a bit of distance between Himself and the crowd.    He teaches the parable of the sower, who is the Lord, who sows seed, which is the Word of God, on different types...

Matthew 12:22-50   The Pharisees heard the crowd refer to Jesus as the Son of David, another term for the Messiah. Hearing the people believe in Jesus, the Pharisees say that Jesus could only cast out a demon because He did so with the power of the ruler of the demons.    Jesus did not hear the Pharisees talk, but He knew their thoughts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy...

Matthew 12:1-21   In verse 7, Jesus says, “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”    They condemned, or “pronounced guilty,” the guiltless, or “those who did nothing wrong.” Jesus’ disciples were gleaning grain from a field on the Sabbath. In Jewish Law, no work was to be done on the Sabbath. According to the Law,...

Matthew 11   John the Baptist was an ordinary man that was anointed by God as a prophet. He was certain that the Messiah would follow him. John was in prison, held captive by an authoritarian, known as a violent leader. If John had concerns about his life, they were reasonable; after all, he was beheaded by Herod. John wanted reassurance that Jesus was that Messiah, the one for whom...

Matthew 10:16-42   Jesus tells the disciples that persecutions would be coming. Would a good God allow Christians to be mistreated, beaten, or even killed? Obviously, God allowed it then, but would He allow that now? Will He allow it in the future?   Let’s remember that the world system has authority on the earth. We are not OF the world, but we are IN the world. As far as...

Matthew 10:1-20   Jesus’ primary mission was the cross and our redemption. Jesus also had the purpose of training disciples to minister underneath His authority and power. After Jesus was resurrected, another purpose of His was to ascend and then give the Holy Spirit. From there, the kingdom would expand and spread around the globe.    As part of their training, Jesus would demonstrate His authority and power. Then we...

Matthew 9:18-38   JESUS AND KINGDOM MINISTRY When Jerry went to Africa, he spoke with a leading African minister in Uganda, and he said, “The people want to see the supernatural. They will come from everywhere for the power of God. We have had many Americans who want to come here to take their pictures with the crowds to draw money from their supporters, but we need pastors.” He said...

Matthew 9:1-17   The friends of the paralytic man wanted to get him to see Jesus so He could be healed. Jesus was in a home that was packed with people. When the friends saw they couldn’t get in the door, they went up to the roof and lowered the man into the home. Roofs were usually made of rods or sticks.    Inside the home were Jewish scribes who...

Matthew 8:18-34   A very great multitude was approaching Jesus, and it seems Jesus wants to pull away from them at this time. Perhaps He and His team needed to rest. Perhaps God wanted Jesus to move on to the next city. Whatever the reason, Jesus commanded His disciples to go to the other side of the sea.    Some wanted to follow Jesus, but the price for following Christ...

Matthew 8:1-17   The word “save” in the Greek is sozo. It means “to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health. heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. Sozo includes a physical saving and a spiritual saving, translated “to give new life” and “to cause...

Matthew 7   VERSES 1-5 Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount to His people, the Jews. Again, Jesus is focusing on the heart of the Jew under the Mosaic Law. The Law was a tutor to lead us to the Savior, helping us to recognize our need for Him. Once the Law was broken, on any point, a man or woman was then guilty of the Law and unqualified...

Matthew 6:19-34   This portion of Scripture is part of the Sermon on the Mount. In context, Jesus is speaking to Jews that need to know a new covenant is coming, a covenant that will change the heart. It’s a covenant based on grace and not on works.    He has already dealt with many different matters in this message, pointing out the rules, but leading to relationship. In today’s...

Matthew 6:1-18   Jesus continues his message to the Jews with His Sermon on the Mount. In these verses, Jesus is addressing people who live under a set of rules, the Mosaic Law. His message was focused on the heart, not the performance or discipline.    In verses 1-4, Jesus focuses on the heart of the giver, giving to the Father without seeking praise from men. This isn’t saying that...

Matthew 5:33-48   Jesus, under the old covenant, continues His Sermon on the Mount to Jews. He continues to speak to them as people living under a set of rules that were impossible to keep.    He tells them to simply say “yes” when they mean yes, and “no” when they mean no. To swear by heaven, earth, or your own head may have been ways to communicate how strongly...

Matthew 5:1-32   Chapter 5 begins what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. We’re not certain which mount He was on, but most likely it was near Capernaum. There was a much wider audience than His twelve disciples, but His target audience was the Jew, the Jew who lived under the Mosaic Law. Let’s keep that in mind as we read His teaching.    Also, in the Sermon...