Matthew 14:22-33
Christ has just miraculously provided for 5,000 people. The disciples were given the command to feed the crowd but they had neither the understanding or the faith. Jesus demonstrated His power and showed that He is able to provide to the point that even the leftovers are ample to sustain us.
He immediately tells the disciples to get in the boat and cross the sea. While He retreats to the mountain for prayer and solitude, the disciples find themselves in the midst of a storm. Christ was fully aware of the approaching storm and knew what they would encounter. Sometimes storms come into our lives to correct us or to refine us. This was the disciples opportunity to grow. The “fourth watch” was a Roman military term which referred to the hours between 3:00 and 6:00AM. This meant that the disciples had been battling the storm for over 9 hours and they were probably to the point of exhaustion and despair. It was at that time that Christ came to them. He waited until the ship was far away and there was nothing that they could depend upon other than Him.
Because of the miracle of Christ’s resurrection, our situation is different. For those of us who are in relationship with Him, Christ dwells within us and is with us always. May we always remember that Christ is always with us in the midst of the storm and that our dependence is upon Him. We must not be distracted by the circumstances around us but keep our gaze fixed on Jesus. We no longer have to wait for Him to come, He is already there.
Matthew 13:53-58
While Capernaum had become His home during His Galilean ministry, Nazareth was the place where Jesus grew up. The questioning of Jesus’ lineage was motivated from a desire to know where He got His authority to have such power. Christ had no special breeding or education to claim. While they could not deny His works, they couldn’t accept His for who He was. How often have we done this with others in our lives. It’s been said that familiarity breeds contempt. When we categorize people based upon our history with them, we rob ourselves of the ability to be able to receive what the Lord is doing in and through them. We must always be willing to see others currently and not hold them to a perspective of the past. When we do this, we dam a channel that God is using to demonstrate His power and blessing. Let us always contend to see people as they are today and not the biased lens of their past.
Matthew 13:24-30
In this parable, Christ describes the field of a man who diligently sows good seed in his filed. While sleeping, his enemy sows weeds among the wheat that had been planted. The fact that the man was asleep does not mean that he was neglectful, but rather it speaks to the cunning maliciousness of his enemy. the weeds that were sown were probably darnel (also referred to as tares or cockle) which is a weedy rye grass with poisonous black seeds. Darnel very closely resembles wheat and is only distinguishable at maturity. In fact, it is often referred to as “false wheat.” When the ears of real wheat appear, they are so heavy they make the plant drop down. Darnel’s ears are light and continue to stand upright. The seeds of Darnel are poisonous to man and herbivorous animals. They produce sleepiness, nausea, convulsions, and sometimes death. They can’t be pulled out because their roots are intertwined with the wheat which signifies that we are to co-exist with with unbelievers until the day of judgment. In the end they will be separated from the wheat and destroyed.
Many will appear to be righteous but their fruit will reveal otherwise. In fact, they will bear seeds of compromise that will render others sedated, ill, or even produce lethal consequences. We must walk in the discernment to distinguish between the two and continue to resist the influence of deceptive compromise in our midst.
Matthew 13:10-23
Christ used parables to communicate truth in a narrative form in order to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. His parables produced different results in different people. One of the functions of a parable was to present the truth in a veiled way. When the disciples asked Him why He taught with such parables, He replied that the secrets of the Kingdom are to be given only to those who are truly disciples. This reflects His teaching on not casting pearls before swine (7:6). His purpose was to harden and reject those who were hard of heart; meaning that they have already resolved to reject Him and His teachings. He simply hands them over to their resolve. Those who are His disciples are able to receive the revelation of His teachings. Being obedient to Christ does not make us disciples, but rather it identifies us as His disciples. They point of the parables is to reveal the state of the heart. If it is fully devoted to Him, then it will serve as good soil and we will know the “secrets” of His Kingdom and bear fruit.
Matthew 12: 1-8
The Pharisees accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath by his plucking heads of grain for food. This violation was just one of thirty-nine kinds of work forbidden on the Sabbath. It was Jewish custom to leave the edges of a field unharvested, so that the poor and hungry, orphans, foreigners, and widows could gather food for themselves. This was way Jewish society provided for the needy. Once again, the Pharisees miss the point. Christ tells them that He desires mercy and not sacrifice. Their sacrifice was the observance of religious rituals rather than the demonstration of hesed or mercy which means “steadfast love.” This would have led the Pharisees to care for those in need and Jesus did. It was the “steadfast love” of the Pharisees that was needed in this situation. Programs and protocol must never come before people.