“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” (Matthew 9:5)
This sentence is full of the searching wisdom of Jesus, and may not be what it appears at first blush. Which IS easier, to say that a person’s sins are forgiven, or to make them rise and walk? There are a couple of layers of truth here: Continue reading
“And Jesus knowing their thoughts …” (Matthew 9:4)
These may be some of the most intimidating and convicting words in scripture. They should serve to eliminate ANY pretense of “self-righteousness” from every one of us: “Jesus, knowing their thoughts.” Continue reading
“Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2)
Someone might not think there was anything strange about the words that Jesus spoke here — except that they were spoken to a man who was paralyzed! Some people brought this man, paralyzed and laying on a bed, to Jesus. It was obvious to most people what his biggest problem was: of course it must be his paralysis! He couldn’t work; he couldn’t function as a normal person in any way. Surely the most important thing you could do for him would be to heal him physically. And yet that is NOT what Jesus addressed in his life first. Continue reading
“The men were amazed and said, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'” (Matthew 8:27)
Jesus’ disciples were just beginning to understand Who He was. Caught in their boat during a storm, and being covered with waves, :25 says they called out: “Save us, Lord we are perishing!” The next verse tells us that Jesus got up and rebuked the sea, “and it became perfectly calm” — which elicited their amazed response: “What kind of man is this … ?” Just Who He really was, was beginning to register with them. Continue reading
“When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.” (Matthew 8:23)
It is notable that after Jesus shared something about the commitments and priority of discipleship, that verse 23 immediately followed, describing the actions of His disciples: “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.”
It is not hard to see who the real disciples of Jesus are, based on their actions. Continue reading
After Jesus finished His great Sermon on the Mount, in which He laid forth the character and many of the standards for His disciples, He then went about ministering and actually making disciples. In Matthew 9:19 and following, we see something of what Jesus demanded in the way of priority from those who would follow Him as disciples: Continue reading
“Then a scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'” (Matthew 9:19-20)
It is remarkable that in His exchange with this scribe, Jesus did not seem to really “encourage” his discipleship at all. Rather He set forth the costs in almost discouraging fashion: Continue reading
“Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea.” (Matthew 8:18)
Why, when Jesus saw that a crowd had gathered, would He tell His disciples that it was time for them to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee? While it is not “spelled out” for us as such, the reason seems clear: Jesus had more in mind than merely attracting a “crowd.” Continue reading
“… and He cast out the spirits with a word.” (Matthew 8:16)
It is obviously significant that the scripture indicates here that it was “with a word” that Jesus cast the demons out. It didn’t take an elaborate ritual, or any extreme effort on His part. It was merely “with a word” that He did it. This emphasizes Jesus’ power, and the facility with which He does His work. Continue reading
“Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled …” (Matthew 8:10)
What an amazing statement that is: “when Jesus heard this, He marveled.” The centurion had just come to Jesus, telling Him of his paralyzed servant, and Jesus indicated that He would come and heal him. But the centurion responded, “Lord … just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” He explained how he was a man under authority, and was able to command those under him, and he knew that Jesus could do the same thing: “Just say the word.” And the Bible says that Jesus “marveled” at the centurion’s statement. Continue reading
I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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