Matthew 16:5-12 Danger of Religion

And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, " He said that because we did not bring any bread." But Jesus, aware of this, said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?  Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?  Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. [Matthew 16:5‭-‬12 NASB]

Religion is the enemy of Christianity.

The Pharisees and Sadducees taught a strict adherence to rules and rituals. Their traditions replaced God's laws, and their rituals replaced a relationship with God.

I see it widespread in churches today. Church tradition is more important than the words of scripture. In many cases, the teaching of the Bible is explained away or ignored. For example, there are many traditions that have no knowledge of the rapture, even though it is clearly taught in several places of the Bible. (The word "rapture" isn't in the Bible. That is a theological term taken from Latin, meaning "to be caught up".) "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NASB]

I once had a conversation with a woman whom I believe to be a sincere Christian. Upon hearing someone quote, "Put on the full armor of God," [Ephesians 6:11 NASB] she was aghast. "That sounds so militant. That's not very Christian." She had never been taught Ephesians chapter 6, nor about spiritual warfare.

There are a lot of spiritual leaders who cast themselves as spiritual professionals. "Don't try to interpret the Bible on your own. You lack the education. You need a professional to properly interpret it for you." 

But the Bible wasn't written in scholarly languages. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, which was spoken by all of its Jewish audience. The Greek language at the time the New Testament was written had two forms. There was a common form which the common people spoke, and there was the high form which was reserved for scholars. All the books of the New Testament were written in common Greek. The intention was that everyone should be able to read it for themselves and understand it.

I recently heard a preacher say that Christians still need to keep the laws of the Old Testament. As evidence of that, he quoted Jesus, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." [Matthew 5:17 NASB] But we are taught in the book of Hebrews that we are under a New Covenant. (The words "testament" and "covenant" are interchangeable.) Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant so that He could usher in the New Covenant by His blood.

"For this is the covenant that I will  make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people." And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, 'know the Lord,' for all will know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." [Hebrews 8:10‭-‬13 NASB]

Under the New Covenant, we don't obey law written in stone or on pieces of paper. We obey the Lord as He speaks to our hearts. We don't follow the rules established by another person, but we each know God individually, and He teaches each one of us, according to our needs. 

He goes on to plainly say that the Old Covenant is obsolete.

Don't let religion steal away your relationship with God. The church rules and dogma are the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They will keep you so focused on what you should do and what you should know, that you will lose sight of Who you should know.

Matthew 16:1-4 Seeking a Sign

The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, ' It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'  And in the morning, ' There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?  An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away. [Matthew 16:1‭-‬4 NASB]

Picture this for a moment: a man is brought to Jesus with a broken leg. He cannot work or earn a living. Jesus heals his leg. A woman is dying of a disease. Jesus eradicates the disease from her body, and she is well. Another man has lost his hand in a accident. Jesus touches him, and he has a new hand.

Jesus has performed miracles in the full view of thousands, and the His fame has spread through all Israel and the neighboring nations.

In the midst of this, the religious leaders say, "show us a sign."

Clearly, they are not interested in knowing God. They do not want to glorify the Lord for His good and mighty works. Their purpose in seeking a sign is to find a way to entrap Jesus.

Jesus is clever in turning the demands of these religious people back on them. They asked for a sign from heaven, so He points to the heavens. They can see the world around them. They can discern the appearance of the sky, but their minds are closed to spiritual truth.

Jesus is practicing what He preached when He said, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." [Matthew 7:6 NASB]

The only sign He would give, He said, was the sign of Jonah, which was a prophecy of His own death and resurrection.

I think it is natural for people to want a sign. Years ago, the church I was involved with experience a renewal movement, during which many people received miracles of healing. Many people were saved. During this time, we received visitors from all over the United States. A lot of these had been to other churches around the country, and to conferences that were exhibiting the same phenomenon.

Only God can judge their hearts, but their behavior indicates that they were traveling the country, seeking signs. It seems that they were never satisfied with knowing God. They wanted the external stimulation, not the internal relationship.

I don't question whether that movement was from God. Many people were drawn in and saved. Many lives were permanently changed. On the other hand, many lives remained unchanged. Some who had directly experience the power of God, fell into sin.

What they failed to realize is that signs and wonders do not cleanse your heart, nor do they produce long lasting change. Experiencing a miracle does not change your heart, unless you allow it to inspire you to have a closer relationship with God. But that choice is up to the individual.

The Sadducees and Pharisees saw many of the same miracles as the disciples. The disciples chose to draw close to Jesus and know Him. The religious people chose to stand apart.

Don't seek after signs. Jesus already gave us the greatest sign by rising from the dead. You can choose to accept that and follow Him, or you can be religious and stand apart from Him. The choice is yours, but I urge you to draw closer to Him.

Matthew 15:29-39 Feeding of Four Thousand

Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."  The disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan. [Matthew 15:29‭-‬39 NASB]

This almost feels like a re-run. Jesus healed the sick and lame, and fed the multitude.

There are some differences between this and the previous record.

First, and most obviously, this is a different crowd. In Matthew 14, Jesus fed five thousand, here he fed four thousand.

We see in the book of Mark that when Jesus left Tyre and Sidon, He went into the region called Decapolis, on the Eastern side of Galilee. This region was predominantly Gentile, so it is reasonable to think that the majority of the crowd that came to Jesus in this place were Gentiles. He fed the five thousand on the Western side of Galilee, which is predominantly Jewish. Even though Jesus was, as He said, "sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," [Matthew 15:24 NASB] He, nonetheless, went to the Gentiles. In His life, he made it clear that His ministry was to be for the whole world.

The reaction of the disciples is interesting. Having just recently witnessed the feeding of the five thousand, you would think that they would expect Jesus to provide for the crowd. However, when Jesus told them that the crowd needed to be fed, they responded, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" It's as if they had learned nothing.

Unfortunately, I don't think that their reaction is much different from what ours might be. How often has God proven Himself by providing for us? Yet when a crisis comes, how often do we fret as if He may not provide again?

I don't think that Matthew is being redundant in relating the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand. Jesus proved that He can provide by multiplying the fishes and the loaves. Then He did it again, proving that His provision is not a one time shot.

God has provided in the past, therefore we can have faith that He will provide in the future. When a crisis comes along, and we don't see where the answer will come from, that is the time to call out to Him and believe that He will provide.

Matthew 15:21-28 Intercession

Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."  But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once. [Matthew 15:21‭-‬28 NASB]

This is the only occasion that we are told Jesus left Israel as an adult. He traveled north into Lebanon. We are not told why He went there, but I believe it was specifically to meet this woman.

Jesus' behavior in this instance is not consistent with what we normally see of Him. In other cases, whenever anyone asked His help, He was quick to respond. The mere fact of her being a gentile should not be an issue, since Jesus had already healed the servant of a Roman centurion. Also, Jesus approached the Samaritan woman at the well, and initiated a conversation with her.

When the Canaanite woman approached Jesus and asked Him to heal her daughter, He remained silent. In fact, He seems almost cruel in His treatment of her. But one thing we know about Jesus is that He is not cruel. Nor does act (nor fail to act) without reason.

It seems that by withholding an answer, Jesus tested her faith. And in that testing, her faith was strengthened. In the end, He said to her, "O woman, your faith is great."

We can learn valuable principles for intercessory prayer from the example of this woman's pleas.

1. Be persistent. His seeming indifference didn't discourage her. The disciples said, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." When you pray, you may not receive an answer right away, either yea or nay. Don't be discouraged, but keep on praying.
2. Answers to prayer are not based on your relationship to God, but on God's will and goodness. Jesus told her, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." While Jesus taught that the gospel would be preached in all the nations, He limited Himself to Israel. As a non-Jew, she was not in the right relationship with Jesus. She did not let this stop her from coming to Him.
3. Worship before you receive an answer. She came and began to bow down before Him. This was an act of worship.
4. Identify with the object of your intercession. The woman bowed down before Jesus and said, "Lord, help me!" She was interceding for her daughter who was demon-possessed, then having made the need known, she prayed, "Help me!"
5. She was humble before the Lord. Most of us, if we were called a dog, would storm off in a huff saying "Who does He think He is?" Instead, she accepted her lowly state, and asked for crumbs. She didn't elevate herself in any way, nor try to make the case that either she or her daughter deserved mercy. She merely asked for grace.

We are told, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." [Jeremiah 29:13 NASB] Don't be discouraged when it seems that your prayers are not being answered. Allow your faith to be tested. If you persevere, your faith will grow strong through the testing.

Matthew 15:10-20 Unwashed Hands

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, "Hear and understand.  It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."   Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.  Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."   Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us." Jesus said, "Are you still lacking in understanding also?  Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?  But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." [Matthew 15:10‭-‬20 NASB]

To put this in context, the Pharisees had just accused Jesus' disciples of breaking tradition by not washing their hands. Jesus asked in turn why the Pharisees break the Law to honor traditions.

After calling them out for their hypocrisy, Jesus answers them, "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

Of course, Jesus isn't advocating poor hygiene. The washing of hands that the Pharisees are speaking of is a formal ritual of cleansing. It was not commanded in the Law, but was taught as tradition which, as Jesus has just demonstrated, the Pharisees held in higher esteem than the Law.

In effect, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that, not only do their traditions violate the Law, they don't even make sense.

I find the disciples' reaction to be humorous. They come to Jesus, get Him away from the crowd, and speak to Him as if they are telling Him something He doesn't know. For His part, Jesus doesn't mock them, but gives a serious answer.

First, He says, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted." He's referring to tradition. One day, all the traditions of men; every variety of religious teaching that is not from God will be done away with, leaving only the pure word of God.

Next, concerning the Pharisees, He says, "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind."

When we encounter traditions that are counter to the word of God, we are to reject the traditions in favor of God's word. Regarding the people who promote such traditions, Jesus said, "Let them alone." I take this to mean that we are not to argue with such people nor should we try to convince them.

Paul said, "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions." [Romans 14:1 NASB] Those who are weak in the faith rely upon rules and tradition in its place. He goes on to say, "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s." [Romans 14:4-8 NASB]

As God, Jesus can judge. As men, we cannot. Rather, we are to accept one another as we find each other, and let God be the judge.

If you have grown up with a tradition of rules and church law, I would urge you to seek God for the faith to walk in grace. The Spirit of God guides us into freedom.

Matthew 15:1-9 Traditions

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?  For God said, ' honor  your father and mother,' and, 'he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,"  he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.  You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:  'this people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. 'But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'" [Matthew 15:1‭-‬9 NASB]

This is the danger of religion. Are all traditions bad? No. Some traditions are harmless, and some honor God.

Christmas is a tradition that we commonly practice. Skeptics love to point out that Jesus wasn't actually born on December 25th. The date was chosen because of some pagan holiday. Their intent is to discredit Christmas as a holiday. But I say, "So what?" If we choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on that day, then we have redeemed that day to honor Him.

It's the same with Easter. If we choose to Honor Jesus by celebrating His resurrection, then we have redeemed the day. In each case, tradition doesn't violate the Word of God. Even though Christmas and Easter aren't proscribed in the Bible, neither are they prohibited. We don't celebrate because of commandment, but by conscious choice to follow a tradition, and to honor God.

There are other traditions that are harmful. Their are some traditional churches that teach praying to saints. They make statues, which they bow down to, and pray to Mary, or angels, or whatever saint they prefer. This is in violation of the Commandment, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me," [Exodus 20:4-5 NASB]

Jesus taught that we should pray like this, "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name." [Matthew 6:9 NASB] He said, "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father." [John 16:26-27 NASB]

Jesus taught us that we are to pray directly to the Father in Jesus' name. Any prayers to saints or angels, or any carved image or likeness is idolatry. So, in that case, the tradition of the church invalidates the word of God.

Protestant churches are just as guilty of putting tradition above the word of God. I was raised in a tradition that taught a strict adherence to church law. You will not dance, you will not touch alcohol, you will not attend movie theaters. They became like the church in Galatia to whom Paul wrote, "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" [Galatians 3:1-3 NASB]. In the same way, they taught grace for salvation, but sanctification required an adherence to their rules.

Other churches have their own traditions. The "once saved, always saved" doctrine flies in the face of  Hebrews 6:4-6, "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." [Hebrews 6:4-6 NASB] Some make the argument that if they have fallen away, then they were never truly saved, but Hebrews 6:4-5 is a thorough description of a Christian, leaving no doubt as to the author's intent.

In summary, what I'm saying is this: Examine your traditions from a Biblical perspective. Hold on to those which are good. Be ready to surrender any tradition that violates the word of God.

I left the denomination I was saved in because of a tradition of legalism. Your walk with God - in truth and in Spirit - is more important than any church or tradition. If you can stay in your church and not follow ungodly traditions, then you should stay. If your church would require you to violate the word of God for the sake of tradition, then they are forcing you to choose between tradition and God. I urge you to choose God.

Matthew 14:22-36 Walking on Water

Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea....Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"  When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!" [Matthew 14:22‭-‬36 NASB]

After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus got in a boat and went to a secluded place to be alone. The crowds, however, followed him on land an met Him in that place. Jesus, having compassion on them, set aside His own grief to heal the sick. Instead of having time for Himself, He spent the day - into the evening - helping others.

Finally, He sent the crowds away, as well as His disciples, so that He could be alone. He processed the death of John the Baptist by getting alone with the Father in prayer. What a wonderful example this is for us. When overwhelmed by life - the grief of loss, the demands of others - it may seem impossible to find time to get alone with God in prayer. That is when you need to make the time.

Jesus went up into the mountains alone in the evening. He came down during the fourth watch of the night, or roughly 3:00 or 4:00 AM, walking on the water.

This is one of the most told and retold events of the Bible. The obvious life application is also retold in countless sermons: keep your eyes on Jesus and not on the storm, but if you falter, call on Him and He will be there to rescue you.

What strikes me is that Jesus describes Peter as having "little faith"

It must be a matter of perspective. What I see is the one and only person to step out of the boat in the first place. Yes, he allowed doubt to enter when he saw the winds. Relative to Jesus, Peter had little faith. But, since he actually stepped out of the boat, relative to the other disciples, he had extreme faith.

Peter had an advantage that we no longer have. He could physically see and hear Jesus calling him onto the water. Without that clear calling, if I went out in a boat and stepped out onto the water, it wouldn't be faith, but presumption. There is no reason to assume the God would honor my presumption of stepping out without a calling by allowing me to walk on the water.

If, however, you have confidence, and your heart bears witness that He has called you, then by all means, step out. This applies to any calling, whether it be full-time ministry, or weekend volunteerism, or being His witness at work.

According to Jesus, it only takes a little faith to step out. It takes great faith to continue without doubting.

A little faith will get you out of the boat, but extreme faith will get you across the water.

Matthew 14:13-21 Grief and Compassion

"Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children." [Matthew 14:13-21 NASB]

Jesus has just heard the news that John the Baptist was beheaded. In response, He just wanted to be alone for awhile. The Bible doesn't describe His feelings at the time, but consider the circumstances. John and Jesus were cousins. Since Mary and Elizabeth visited one another, it is reasonable to assume that John and Jesus knew one another as children. Jesus wept at Lazarus' grave, so it is not unreasonable to surmise that he must have wept over the loss of John.

Jesus was fully human and had the full range of human emotions, so it is reasonable to think that He mourned the loss of John. Paul said, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope." [1 Thessalonians 4:13 NASB] We do not grieve over the fate of those who have died in Christ, but we still grieve our own loss of their company. I expect that is what motivated Jesus to get in a boat and go to a secluded place to be alone.

The crowds had a different idea. Whatever their motivations, whether need, desperation, or selfishness, they cared little about the death of John or the grief of Jesus, and they pursued Him on land - following the sea shore - so that when He arrived, they were waiting for Him.

Here, Jesus shows His true nature. He doesn't sail away again. He doesn't roll His eyes an huff. He doesn't berate the crowd nor insist that he be left alone. He has compassion on them and heals their sick.

Afterwards, He feeds five thousand men, plus women and children.

Yes, the miracle of the loaves and fish is a great miracle. But the greater work is the compassion that Jesus showed to the crowd in His own time of need.

How many of us would sacrifice our own time of mourning and loss to minister to crowds of people we don't even know? 

We talk about Christianity as being a religion of compassion and selflessness. I have known some godly men and women who gladly put others needs before their own, but never to this extent. This is an example of true selflessness. 

I don't condemn anyone who sets aside ministry for a time for the sake of mourning. But in our goal to be more like Jesus I propose that we challenge our own notions of selflessness and giving.

Matthew 14:1-12 Death of John the Baptist

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."  For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus. [Matthew 14:1‭-‬12 NASB]

When Herod the Great died, he divided his kingdom among three sons. Archeleaus ruled in Judea,  Herod Antipas (Herod the tetrarch) ruled in Galilee, and Philip ruled in Syria. Antipas visited his brother, Herod Philip in Rome (note: this is not the same Philip that ruled in Syria), then returned to Galilee after divorcing his own wife and marrying Philip's wife, Herodias. She was a power grabbing schemer. Herod Philip was expected to have a position of power after the death of Herod the Great, but Herod excluded Philip from his inheritance, so he returned to Rome. When Antipas came along, she latched onto him since he was ruler over the Galilee. Later, at her urging, Antipas petitioned the emperor to be named a king in Galilee instead of a tetrarch. She wanted to be called Queen Herodias. The request was denied, and Antipas and Herodias were sent into exile instead, where they committed suicide.

John the Baptist was particularly irksome to Herodias because he called them out in their sins. The account in the gospel of Mark tells us that she wanted to put John to death, but Herod kept him alive, knowing that he was a righteous man. He was also afraid to put John to death because he feared the people who considered John to be a prophet.

Herodias, knowing Herod's passions, manipulated the circumstances to have her way. It was Herod's birthday. He had invited his lords, military commanders, and leading men of Galilee to a banquet. of course there would be lots and lots of wine. Then, Herodias had her daughter, Salome, dance for the men of the banquet. Salome was about 16 or 17 years old, and her dance was more strip tease than ballet. The goal was to stir the men's passions. She succeeded. Herod responded just as predicted, "Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you." [Mark 6:22 NASB] Salome responded just as her mother had prompted her, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

Herod acquiesced because he was afraid to lose face in front of his guests.

About this time, the fame of Jesus was spreading, and word of Jesus' miracles reached Herod. Being a superstitious and self-centered man, he convinced himself that John the Baptist had returned from the dead to torment him. John the Baptist never performed a miracle, but when Herod heard of Jesus' miracles, he decided that these supernatural powers accompanied the risen dead. There is no indication that Herod had faith in the resurrection, but rather saw Jesus as John's ghost, or perhaps a something like a zombie.

Herod was a fearful man. He feared the crowds. He feared his wife. He feared his own superstitions. He feared the opinion of men instead of God.

John said, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us." [1 John 4:18-19 NASB]

As humans it is easy to be swayed by fear. As Christians, let us place our faith in God, and rise above our fears.

Matthew 13:53-58 The Humanity of Jesus

When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household."  And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. [Matthew 13:53‭-‬58 NASB]

As Christians we often emphasize the deity of Jesus. He is God, the Son. But in this visit to His hometown, we see a glimpse into the humanity of Jesus.

The first thing to note about the reaction of His fellow Nazarenes is their astonishment. There have been all sorts of speculations about the childhood of Jesus. Speculative stories tell of Him raising a bird from the dead, or performing other acts of wonder. But the astonishment of His countrymen indicates otherwise.

If Jesus had lived anything but an ordinary life before He started His ministry, His words and actions would have been expected. But, apparently, there was nothing special to be seen in Him.

He wasn't regarded as a scholar, or as one who is particularly knowledgeable, or pious, or holy. They knew Him as the carpenter's son. Mark 6:3 refers to Jesus Himself as a carpenter. As such He would have been respected for His skill as a carpenter, but otherwise despised as a poor laborer. He certainly wouldn't be classed with the rabbis and scribes, having received no formal education.

The people of Nazareth knew Jesus' mother was Mary, who had given birth to His four brothers plus sisters. Mary should be honored for her role in the birth of Jesus, but she should not be deified. There is no indication in the Bible that she remained a perpetual virgin. Matthew 1:25 says that Joseph "kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."

When Jesus taught and performed miracles, the Pharisees were offended because He challenged their traditions. The townspeople of Nazareth didn't care about that. They were offended by the ordinariness of Jesus. How could somebody so ordinary, so much like us, say and do these things? They probably believed, like many of us, that great men come from great beginnings. They are born in kings palaces, they attend prestigious universities. And, perhaps most importantly, they come from somewhere else.

As always, Jesus is our great example of how to live. I have known some pious people. They are always seen clutching their Bible. They are quick to condemn the sin of others, and love to quote scriptures at people. But I don't see Jesus acting like that.

Jesus was the holiest man who ever lived, and nobody knew it. All the people he knew saw an ordinary boy grow up to be an ordinary man, until He began His ministry. Jesus taught us in the sermon on the mount that we are to pray privately, give without seeking recognition, and fast in secret. In other words, we are not to show outward displays of piety, but we are to live righteously in the sight of God. If you want to be holy, let your holiness come from God, and let it be between you and God, and not before men.

Matthew 13:44-50 Treasures

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.   "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,  and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind;  and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.  So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,  and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [Matthew 13:44‭-‬50 NASB]

The field is the world, and we are the treasure. The man who found the treasure and purchased the field is Jesus.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would bow down to worship him. Jesus did not refute Satan's right to make the offer, He simply declined it. Satan is called the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).

Satan - for now - is the ruler of this world. So for our sake, Jesus gave all that He had to purchase us from Satan's power. He lay aside His deity and lived among us as a man. And He died a horrible death on the cross. "Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." [Philippians 2:6-8 NASB]

He paid a great price for us. The church is the treasure in a field, and the pearl of great price. In the parable of the pearl, he says "upon finding one pearl of great value..." The one pearl is the one body of believers; the one bride of Christ; the one church. 

Jesus finishes His parables with another illustration of the corruption that will inevitably come into the church. 

He casts his net to gather as many as possible, and catches both good and bad. He is not in a hurry to purge corruption from the church, nor to remove evil from the world. It will happen when the time is right. At the end of the age, He will judge those who truly knew and followed Him from those who gave lip service only.

Going to church and following the traditions of the church does not make you a Christian, except in name only. The true followers of Jesus have a living relationship with Him. 

Follow the example Jesus set. Just as He gave everything for your sake, in turn you need to surrender everything for Him. Don't let yourself be deceived by the world, or by the traditions of the church, or by your own mind. Know Him fully, and let His Spirit lead you, and you will truly be a child of God, and a treasure worth having.

Matthew 13:31-33 Faith and Corruption

He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;  and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."   He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened." [Matthew 13:31‭-‬33 NASB]

These parables compliment each other, and have to be read in context. Jesus has just finished telling a parable that describes the corruption that will come into the church. Sandwiched between the parable its explanation are these two parables.

First he tells of the mustard seed. If you read various commentaries you will likely find two interpretations of this parable. The most popular is that the mustard seed represents the church, which starts small, and grows to become a big and beautiful thing, providing a refuge for the weary. This is a beautiful picture of the church, but it doesn't fit the reality of the church, nor the context of scripture.

The second opinion says that the mustard seed represents corruption in the church (as in the previous parable), and the birds represent the evil one who comes to snatch away the word of God. This has the advantage of taking into account the immediate context of scripture, but doesn't hold up to closer scrutiny. The man in the story sowed the seed in his own field. This would imply that Jesus sowed corruption in the church.

Looking at the broader context of scripture, what other reference is made to mustard seeds? Jesus said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." [Matthew 17:20 NASB]

I believe the mustard seed represents faith. Paul said, "God has allotted to each a measure of faith." [Romans 12:3 NASB] So we each receive a measure of faith, like a mustard seed, and as we experience the grace of God, our faith in Him grows. This applies equally to individuals and the church at large.

But, coupled with the second parable, we see that it comes with a warning.

Throughout the Bible, leaven is used to represent corruption. Within the context of corruption and false teaching, Paul said, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." [Galatians 5:9 NASB]

We see it in Christians who start off with great faith and zeal. But over time, they allow the cares of life to intrude. They listen to the teaching of naysayers who deny the power of God. Over time, these once zealous Christians become complacent, and just come in to warm a pew, or worse, they walk away from God altogether. A little bit of doubt can kill your faith.

We see it over and over in the church throughout history. A great move of God brings the power of God with great revival, and masses of people coming to Christ. Over time, the leaders of each of these movements has decided to organize themselves, and create a new denomination. Eventually, each of these denominations became concerned with finances, social and political matters, and their standing in the world. And they each have become just as irrelevant as the churches they once condemned.

There's not much we, as individuals, can do to change the world, but we can look after our own faith. 

Jesus has sown faith in you, as a gift. It is now up to you to nurture and protect that faith so that it will grow. You do this by staying true the word of God. Study the Bible, so that you know what it says. Know what you believe and why you believe it. This way, if a word comes along that would steal your faith, you are shielded against it.

Remember that the only absolute authority is God. Not a best selling author. Not a popular televangelist. Not your own pastor. Only God. Feel free to question everything and study it out in the Bible for yourself. Pray for wisdom and let the Holy Spirit guide and teach you.