Category: Gospel of Matthew
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Asleep in the Boat: Why We Can’t Take Our Cues from Circumstances
As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” But He said to them, “Why are…
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The Call to Follow: What We Give Up to Follow Jesus—And What We Gain
When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. A scribe approached Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go!” Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place…
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Jesus in the Trenches: The Empathic Healer and the Mystery of Suffering
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He Himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases. (Matthew 8:14-15) In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life, healing…
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She Got Up to Serve: A Story of Healing, Service, and the Family of God
When Jesus went into Peter’s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him. (Matthew 8:14-15) This third encounter with Jesus in Matthew 8, just after the ending of the Sermon on the Mount,…
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Great Faith in a Great God: What Makes Our Faith Great Is the “Who” Behind It
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith!” … Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment. (Matthew 8:10, 13) Reading…
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Sons of the Kingdom: Why Faith, Not Ethnicity, Is the Door to the Kingdom of God
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons…
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Jesus in Authority: What It Means to Say “Jesus Is Lord”
When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!” “I will come and heal him,” He told him. “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant…
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When You Really Need to Change: Jesus and the Way to Personal Transformation
Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.” (Matthew 8:4) At one time or another we all have this in common with the leper: We need to change. Through circumstances, introspection, or shame, we…
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What God Really Wants: Encountering the Person of God in the Will of God
When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” (Matthew 8:1-3) The encounter…
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You Can Make Me Clean: How Jesus Reverses the Curse
When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was…