“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
“… and it fell, and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:27)
In Jesus’ story of the houses with two foundations, He shares how “the house that was built on the sand” stood for a time. But later, when “the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and slammed against that house”, He says, “It fell, and great was its fall.” Here is a word of wisdom: Continue reading
“The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house” (Matthew 7:25, 27)
It should be instructive to us that the words quoted above are found in BOTH Matthew 7:25 AND 7:27. “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew” against BOTH houses in the story that Jesus told: both the house that was built upon the rock, and the house that was built on the sand. The words are exactly the same in both cases. It was not that the house that was built on the rock didn’t get any rain or floods or winds; it did. The difference was not in the difficulties that were faced; the difference was the foundation the house was built upon. Continue reading
“Greater love has no one than this: that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Often when a soldier gives his life in battle, it is said that he made “the ultimate sacrifice.” Humanly speaking, that is true. A man can give no more than his life. This Memorial Day, Americans should pause to remember those who made that ultimate sacrifice for us, that we might enjoy the freedoms that we do.
But we should also realize that the sacrifices that each of these men and women made on our behalf is a picture of an even greater sacrifice: Continue reading
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)
Having just admonished His disciples to enter by the narrow way to heaven (:13-14) Jesus now warns against false prophets. These are those who are calling people to follow them in “the broad way that leads to destruction”. God’s people must understand the significance of His warning. 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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