Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-9

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:

‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

Commentary

The Pharisees and scribes appear to be conflating the tradition of the elders with the worship of God. Anytime someone adds to the word of God, they are adding something God didn’t want there.

Jesus immediately points out their hypocrisy in that they nullify the word of God for the sake of following their tradition.

He then says, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me”

Today, honoring God with one’s lips while the heart is far from Him describes any person who calls themselves a “Christian” and goes through the motions of participating in Christian traditions but doesn’t actually have faith in Christ. Here are some simple examples: Anyone who attends church only on Christmas and Easter is a person who is following traditions, but whose heart is far from God. Anyone who perhaps goes to church every Sunday but who, from the back row, watches football highlights on their phone or plays a video game throughout the sermon, or perhaps doesn’t even enter the sanctuary at all but sits on the couch in the foyer eating donuts and drinking coffee during the sermon, has a heart far from God.

Let’s be clear: I myself have been seen sitting in the foyer eating donuts during a sermon on occasions when I was asked to show up early to help set up and arrived without breakfast. I’m not talking about occasional circumstances. I’m talking about a person who makes it their habit to be spiritually disengaged. The issue isn’t whether or not your behavior honors God; the issue is whether or not your heart loves God.

[And to the person who says, “I’ve been hurt in a church, and that’s why I no longer attend,” my advice is: go to a different church! There is a point at which reasons start to become excuses. When you received poor service at a restaurant, you didn’t afterward claim to have sworn off all restaurants, but that’s what you did with church because your heart is far from Christ.]

Verses 10-11

Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”

Commentary

Jesus speaks spiritual wisdom to the crowd; we will examine its meaning below when He explains it to the disciples in verses 16–20.

Verses 12-15

Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

Commentary

The disciples asked if Jesus was aware the Pharisees were offended. Why do you suppose Jesus offends people? Our culture often seeks to paint a picture of Jesus as being a soft, all-loving man who perhaps just wants to give everyone a hug. In reality, however, Jesus wants everyone to turn from their wicked ways, and he rebukes, judges, and condemns those who claim to be religious but are actually leading others astray.

Jesus says “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots”, a reference to the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30 & 36-43.

Jesus then tells his disciples to disregard the Pharisees. Keep in mind that they were the preeminent religious leaders of the time. Always be cautious of spiritual leaders until their character has been proven and you’ve had a chance to see the fruit on their tree. There’s nothing worse than spending years attending a church and only then discovering that you’ve been following a Pharisee. This happens because people want to assume a pastor is a person of integrity. However, that’s not always the case. Instead, enter every church with healthy skepticism, looking for what’s wrong. But again, to do this correctly, you must know the Word of God. Otherwise, you’ll judge the pastor according to your preferences.

Verses 16-20

“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

Commentary

Many skeptics and naysayers have labeled Christians hypocrites because we eat pork, shrimp, lobster, and catfish (see Leviticus chapter 11). But such people fail to understand two important points:

One: Salvation is not by works. The Bible is not a self-help book of behavior modification. Christians don’t search the Bible looking for a list of approved behaviors.

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Second: The purpose of the Levitical law was not for salvation but rather to show us that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin. (Romans 3:20)

What comes out of the heart is that which defiles a person, not what goes into their stomach. The human heart is inherently evil, however, when we put our faith in Christ and as a result are filled with the Holy Spirit, we die to sin and become alive to Christ (see the entire book of Romans).

Verses 21-28

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”

But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Commentary

Jesus left Israel and went to Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman (a Gentile, someone who is not Jewish) approached him begging that he heal her daughter. But Jesus at first refused because he needed to bring his ministry to Israel first. Why Israel first?

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:22)

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:46)

I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! (Romans 11:11-12)

It was very important that Jesus’s earthly ministry be presented first to Israel, so that after they rejected him, he could bring salvation to the rest of the world.

Jesus said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” The children are God’s chosen people, the Israelites. The dogs are the Gentiles (non-Jewish people).

When she responded, ‘Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table,’ she was confessing that Jesus is Lord by calling him her Master.

that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

This woman is speaking a faith that justifies and saves. She confesses with her mouth, she believes in her heart that Jesus is Lord. Thus, she is justified by her faith. This is something the Pharisees and Sadducees repeatedly refused to do.

Jesus answered, “O woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Verses 29-39

Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down. Large crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them. The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.” The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. A total of four thousand men were fed, besides women and children. After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

Commentary

Once again, Jesus provided for the people by creating something out of nothing. There were only seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. So then, where did the seven basketfuls of broken pieces come from, not to mention the fact that all 4,000 men plus women and children ate their fill and were satisfied? God created all the additional food out of nothing. Despite the fact that God rested from his work at the end of the creation week, he is still able to create things from nothing. This should be a great encouragement in that nothing is impossible for God. If God can create something out of nothing, then there is no limit to his abilities. Our earthly lives can be boiled down to merely the gathering and utilizing of resources (I need food, I need shelter, I need clothing, I need transportation, I need communication). If God is able to provide for people in such miraculous ways, there is no reason why we cannot depend upon him for everything.

Some will say, ‘God doesn’t work in such miraculous ways today,’ and I would more or less agree. But the issue is not how he works, but rather that he is capable of doing anything to provide for you.

Our curse, which came through Adam and Eve’s sin, is that we toil and labor and earn our living by the sweat of our brow (Genesis chapter 3). Thus, we can’t sit under a shade tree and expect God to act like our servant bringing us lunch on a platter. Rather, when we put our faith in Christ, we know that he has the ability to work things for our benefit.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verse 1-2

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Commentary

Perhaps Herod had some guilt or regret about having killed John the Baptist, because it appears that John the Baptist weighed heavily on his mind.

Verses 3-12

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give to her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted and sent to have John beheaded in the prison. John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

Then John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. And they went and informed Jesus.

Commentary

Herod arrested John merely for having told him that he shouldn’t be sleeping with his brother’s wife. Herod wanted to kill John but was afraid of the people because everyone regarded John as a prophet.

I’ve always wondered whether the little girl (the daughter of Herodias) grew up, became mature, and then realized in hindsight the opportunity she had missed and how horribly selfish her mother had been. That little girl could have asked for money and resources enough to be wealthy for the rest of her life, and Herod would have given it. She went to her mother to ask for advice, but that selfish scumbag of a mother told her to ask for John the Baptist’s head; something that was of no benefit whatsoever to the little girl. Herod reluctantly agreed and had John beheaded.

Verses 13-21

When Jesus heard about John, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But the crowds found out about it and followed Him on foot from the towns. When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” “They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said. And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About five thousand men were fed, besides women and children.

Commentary

In the feeding of the five thousand men, besides women and children, we see that although God rested from all his work after the creation week, he still continues to create physical things out of nothing. And on this occasion, he did so to provide for the people. The same was true of the manna from heaven documented in Exodus chapter 16. God created something out of nothing for the sake of people’s provision.

However, I don’t believe this is how God normally operates. Instead, God most often works through other people, giving both the receiver and the giver the opportunity to be blessed. One of the takeaways, however, from reading about the feeding of the five thousand should be that nothing is impossible for God when it comes to taking care of you.

When I was in my mid-twenties, I was, on one occasion, at the home of my spiritual mentor. We were sitting in his living room, and at one point he got up and went to the restroom. During his absence, there was a knock at the door. Figuring my friend was otherwise occupied, I went and opened the door. Two men stood outside and said, “We’ve brought you some groceries.” I assumed these were some acquaintances of my friend, so I invited them in, and they brought in several bags of groceries, set them on the counter, offered their departing farewells, and left. A few moments later, when my friend emerged from the bathroom, he looked at all the groceries on the counter and asked, “What’s all this?” I told him about the two men, and he asked, “Who were they?” I said I had not asked for their names, but I described what they looked like and described the vehicle they drove. My friend, however, had absolutely no idea who they might have been and was in no way expecting anyone to deliver groceries. But it’s worth noting that my friend had been praying for God’s provision because he didn’t have enough money that week for groceries.

Verses 22-24

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After He had dismissed them, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Commentary

Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. He didn’t pray for 30 seconds. He was up there on the mountain praying until evening came. The amount of time he spent in prayer was enough for the disciples to row far from land against rough waters and with the wind against them. So I’m guessing that Jesus prayed for at least an hour or more.

I suspect that most people seldom pray, and of those who do, I presume many pray with brevity. I encourage you, however, to form the habit of spending quality time with Jesus in prayer. By no means am I suggesting that correct prayer is defined by its length. However, what I am suggesting is that if you have never spent an uninterrupted half-hour in prayer with our Lord Jesus Christ, you are missing out on the most essential aspect of a relationship with Him.

Organize your prayers in a text document, preferably on your phone. Start by writing down “Praise God,” or if you prefer, write “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” Then write down every reason that God is worthy of praise, including everything which God has done for you.

In your prayer list, write down the names of each of your family members. Pray for them individually. Then write down the names of your friends. Pray for each by name. Write down the prayer requests you’ve recently received. For example, you’re at a Bible study and a person asks that everyone pray for his daughter. You write that on your prayer list so that you can remember to pray for her.

Lastly, write down your own needs, concerns, and worries, and then pray about those as well. And finally, don’t forget to take a little time to be quiet and listen. In your prayer, say, “Lord, I’m going to be quiet now and listen for your voice. If there’s anything you want to say, I’m listening.”

Something else I recommend that can readily extend the duration and quality of your prayer life is to go on a prayer walk. When you’re at home trying to pray, the dog may be barking, the children may be screaming, the cat may be pressing against you asking for attention; it is very hard to remain focused while at home. But if you plot a walking course that you know will take 20 or 30 minutes to traverse, starting at your front door and ending at your front door, you’ll find you have plenty of time for quality prayer in solitude: just you and Jesus.

Verses 25-33

During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” said Jesus.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

Commentary

I’ve heard scholarly people try to explain away the miracle of Jesus walking on water. Some say he was walking on ice. Others say he was walking on a sandbar. Pessimists such as these are merely searching for any excuse to say that nothing miraculous happened and that Jesus was no one special. So then, how did Jesus walk on the surface of liquid water, on top of a lake that is 140 feet deep?

There is an insect called a water strider. They are common in freshwater creeks and streams. They readily walk on the surface of water by means of the water’s surface tension. I suspect that when both Jesus and Peter walked on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, God had miraculously altered the surface tension of the water in such a way that it was able to support their body weight, much the same way a water strider is able to walk on the surface of a pond.

Regardless of how the miracle occurred, the disciples in the boat rightly agreed that Jesus was the Son of God.

Verses 34-36

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region. People brought all the sick to Him and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

Commentary

Contrast the people of Gennesaret to the people of Nazareth.

Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:54-58)

Meanwhile, the people of Gennesaret brought all the sick to Him and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

What does this contrast tell you? Your belief is what welcomes God to do His will and work in your life. Your unbelief is what pushes God away from blessing you.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.

Commentary

An ingenious method for creating both a stage and an amphitheater: He sits in a boat a few feet from shore while his “audience” stands along the shoreline.

Verses 3-9

And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

He who has ears, let him hear.”

Commentary

Jesus then presents the parable of the sower to the crowd, which we will examine below when He explains its meaning to the disciples in verses 18-23.

Verses 10-17

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Commentary

The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” This is a great question which Jesus is about to answer. If I had been there among the disciples, I might also have been inclined (out of ignorance and limited spiritual understanding), to raise my hand and suggest that more people could be saved if He presented His message more plainly.

Can you imagine if missionaries from your church traveled to foreign countries today and then intentionally spoke to the people in parables so that they would not understand? It seems to make little sense. Why would Jesus not want people to understand?

He then explains, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

The kingdom of heaven has mysteries? The Bible says that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). This is why I believe self-discipline is an important part of our daily worship. Again, salvation is by faith, not by works, but God desires to reward those who earnestly seek Him.

Let’s compare two people in modern times. The first says he doesn’t have time to read the Bible. The second makes time to study God’s Word daily, even when his schedule is busy or he doesn’t feel like reading. Between the two, which one will be rewarded with the knowledge to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven?

Likewise, the person who prays regularly and seeks God consistently is the one who is rewarded with the knowledge of these mysteries. Similarly, the one who takes time out of a busy schedule to fellowship with mature and wise believers is also rewarded with this knowledge.

For example, I know some Christians who shrug their shoulders and claim we’re just not meant to understand the book of Revelation. Yet I also know other Christians who can explain it in great detail (granted, there are different interpretations), but my focus here is on those who don’t even want to try to understand it. Why? Because they’re not interested. Perhaps the self-discipline required for diligent Bible study feels too laborious for them. Thus, it remains a mystery.

Yet the person whose burning desire is to know God more will make Bible study a lifestyle. They will study the Bible in great detail over the course of years and decades. Those who earnestly desire to know God are the ones rewarded with the knowledge of these mysteries.

Jesus gave the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to His disciples, but not to the crowds. Why? “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables.” (Matthew 13:12-13a)

Whoever Has and whoever does not have? Have what? I believe verse 15 gives us the answer: “For this people’s heart has grown callous.” It appears that the person who has a heart for God will be given even more of a heart for God, but the person who does not have a heart for God may have his heart hardened further by God.

Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds because he knew they didn’t really have a heart for God; they were just following Him because they wanted him to give them stuff; food, healing, and so on.

Verses 18-23

Consider, then, the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

Commentary

The seed sown along the path

Jesus then goes on to explain the parable of the Sower. In his explanation, we see that there are four types of responses to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ (the message of the kingdom). The first is the person who doesn’t understand it; demonic forces come and snatch away what little was sown into their heart.

In the book of Romans the apostle Paul writes “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

I want to focus here on being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let’s assume for a moment that you hear the gospel, a sermon, or a Bible study teacher expounding God’s Word (i.e. you hear the message of the kingdom), but you do not understand it. What should you do? It should be your desire to ask questions and seek understanding. You should have an inner desire to seek wisdom. The one who is indifferent is the one from whom it is snatched away.

The “Rule of 7” is a commonly cited principle explaining how people internalize information: individuals often don’t fully understand, accept, or commit to a message until they’ve encountered it seven to ten times. Only after this repeated exposure does the message finally sink in and click.

The person who hears the gospel once, doesn’t understand it, shrugs his shoulders and goes back to whatever he was doing before, demonstrates that he doesn’t really care. But the one who says, “Wait a minute, can you repeat that?” or “Let me take a closer look at that,” shows genuine interest in God and a desire to understand what they are being told. They will go back and read it again, and again. They may pray for understanding, consult multiple translations, or listen to a sermon on the passage. This is the person who will eventually get it; they will come to understand.

The seed sown on rocky ground

The second type of person in the parable of the sower is “the seed sown on rocky ground.” This is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but because he has no root, he remains only for a season.

Receiving the word with joy but having no root; what does that mean? I suspect it describes a person who has head knowledge about Christ but has never been filled with the Holy Spirit. It is knowledge of the mind without transformation of the heart.

These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

If you desire God, ask, seek and knock, and he will give you the Holy Spirit.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

I have met people who can give all the right answers when asked about their faith; a knowledge probably gained in youth, perhaps from a time when their parents took them regularly to Sunday school. They can talk about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They can speak at length about the cleansing of sins and the sacrificial Lamb, yet this same person does not attend church, has no Christian fellowship, does not read the Bible, and does not pray. Although they have plenty of time for hobbies and games, they have no time for God. The rocky ground is their heart. They received the message and considered it good news, yet all of that head knowledge is useless if the message never moved to their heart.

I’ve also heard many accounts of people who were once Christians but are no longer. Such people may have once praised the name of Jesus. They may have volunteered at church, led Bible studies, or sung on the church stage, yet today they no longer even believe in God. They lasted for only a season. As soon as something in their life made it inconvenient to follow God, they quit. For them, God was like a hobby; no different than when I once took up shoreline fishing. It was fun while it lasted, but when financial difficulties arose, I no longer wanted to pay for frozen shrimp and squid every time I went fishing. I put my fishing pole away and quit.

When a person has no root (the Holy Spirit) their involvement in Christianity is a hobby. When it becomes inconvenient, they will quit. This can happen to laypeople, pastors, elders, deacons, worship leaders; anyone. If you are not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, you are not yet a true follower of Jesus Christ. Being filled with the Holy Spirit requires faith; you must genuinely desire God. I suspect that many of those who have no root are seeking some other superficial benefit of being a Christian: friendships, finding romance or a spouse, or perhaps receiving accolades from people. For pastors who have no root and do not last, I suspect it was merely a career choice.

There are many well-known former pastors who are now atheists. A simple Google search will reveal several names. They are the seed that fell on rocky ground. They had no root. They never sought, nor asked for, the Holy Spirit. They were an empty shell; like a seashell on the beach: beautiful on the outside, but with nothing living on the inside.

The seed sown among the thorns

The seed sown among the thorns represents the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. Let’s first consider the worries of life, and then we’ll examine the deceitfulness of wealth.

Notice that, unlike the first two types of individuals, this person is saved but unfruitful. The first did not understand the gospel, and it was snatched away. The second received it for a time but fell away when difficulties arose. The third, however, is not described as unsaved, only as unfruitful.

Christians can move in and out of this group repeatedly throughout their lives. Whenever worries arise, they can distract an individual to the point of becoming unfruitful.

There have been times when my own problems occupied so much of my mind and mental energy that I had little empathy for the prayer requests my church sent out by email. For example, when my car broke down and I didn’t have enough money for the repair, I found myself very worried about how I was going to get to work and earn my paycheck. At the same time, I received an email asking for prayer for a church member’s sister’s teenage daughter who was about to take an important math test. I found it difficult to be concerned about a high school student’s math test when I was on the verge of losing my job because I had no transportation.

When I am weighed down by the worries of this life, I find that my prayers become almost entirely inward-focused. There is little upward focus toward God and almost no outward focus toward others. Unless someone is dying, I find that when my own problems seem so big, I tend to have little concern for other people’s struggles, including their need to hear the gospel. The worries of this life cause me to become unfruitful.

Walking in faith means having complete trust that what Jesus Christ said, what the Word of God says, is true. If Jesus Christ is true and the Word of God is true (which is what we place our faith in), then when we read in Scripture that God is our provider, we should be able to make a conscious decision to trust that God will provide, or at the very least, that He has a better plan. Furthermore, God also said:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Thus, if you are struggling, and the cause of your struggle is your own lack of wisdom (i.e. your struggles are the results of your own poor decisions) you should have the faith to ask for wisdom, as the Bible instructs, and believe that God will give it, just as Scripture says He will. Walking in faith is the act of making conscious decisions based upon your willingness to believe that what God said is true, even when your present circumstances seem to point to the opposite.

Walking in faith is a willingness to set aside what present circumstances appear to be and instead choose to act on the belief that what God has said is true, a belief that is, of course, accompanied by abundant prayer.

The deceitfulness of wealth

First, let’s define what wealth is. In the United States, when people talk about the wealthy, they are most often referring to millionaires and billionaires. However, if you live in the U.S. and earn $35,000 a year, you’re among the top 10% of wealthiest people in the world. Therefore, when you read in the Bible about the deceitfulness of wealth, do not assume it doesn’t apply to you simply because you’re not a millionaire.

Now consider the meaning of the word “deceitfulness.” It means to mislead someone through lies and trickery. A deceived person is not someone who devised a crafty plan to do evil; on the contrary, they are misled. They fully believe they are doing the right thing, but in reality they are unknowingly following a lie.

What is the deceitfulness of wealth?

A reality of life is that aside from salvation, love and friendships, money can solve all other problems. There is no problem in life, besides the three aforementioned, that money can’t solve.

If you’re hungry, with money you can buy food. If you’re cold, with money you can buy warm clothes. If you need transportation, with money you can buy a car. If you need faster transportation, with money you can buy an airline ticket, and at your destination pay for a hotel. I can go on and on. Money is the solution to nearly every problem.

Because money is a universal remedy for problems, it’s understandable that those who lack money place their hope in obtaining it. Likewise, it’s easy to see how those who have a lot of money can come to rely on it and place their trust in the money they have.

Meanwhile, Jesus Christ wants us to put our hope, reliance and trust in Him. To overcome the deceitfulness of wealth, one must recognize that while money could solve all your problems, your hope must remain in Christ.

The seed sown on good soil

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” (Matthew 13:23)

The good soil is operating our lives in faith to Jesus Christ.

What is the crop? It is the spreading of the gospel, contributing to the spiritual growth and maturity of others, and supporting ministries and missionaries that do the same.

When a kernel of corn is planted in good soil, what does it produce? An ear of corn containing hundreds of kernels. If you’re a follower of Christ, you’re planted into the good soil and the crop you produce is more Christ followers. Sometimes 30x, 60x or 100x more followers of Christ.

[Notice that the description of the good soil above can help us better understand the thorny soil mentioned earlier. The Christian who makes no effort to create more Christians is unfruitful.]

Here is a list of ways a Christian can help create more Christians: pray; volunteer at church so that visitors have a welcoming and pleasant experience and want to return; tithe so your church can operate; financially support missionaries so they can continue sharing the gospel in other countries; support ministries that bring the light of the gospel to various places; and tell others of what Christ has done for you.

Verses 24-30

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Commentary

Jesus then presents the parable of the weeds to the crowd, which we’ll explore in the commentary below when He explains its meaning to His disciples in verses 37-43.

Verses 31-32

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Commentary

Jesus does not explain the meaning of this parable as He did with the others, so I will offer my best attempt to interpret it here.

When we talk about sharing the gospel with others, we may often mistakenly assume that it’s our job to ensure they become saved. While that can sometimes happen, we should not expect that a brief conversation with a non-believer will immediately lead them to their knees to accept Christ as their Savior. That is unlikely.

Instead, we should think in terms of planting seeds. The mustard seed is very small, like a grain of sand. Our prayer should be that each day we have the opportunity to plant a small seed of faith in someone’s life.

Here’s an example of how the Lord works his will in the life of an unbeliever:

I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

Imagine a coworker comes to you and shares some good news. You respond, “Oh, praise God, that is a blessing from the Lord.” Perhaps that’s all you say about God, but it is enough to plant a tiny seed in that person.

A few days later, someone else enters that person’s life and waters that tiny seed. And a few days after that, yet another person interacts with them and waters the seed again. Over time, these repeated waterings cause the seed to begin growing. Perhaps the person finds themselves thinking of God more often, and their heart starts to soften. Then, one day, they have a conversation with another person who senses they are on the fence. That person shares the gospel, and they accept Jesus as their Savior.

None of the previous people are aware of one another or of the waterings that took place before their encounter with this person. The individual may not even remember all the people who spoke words of truth into his life. But little by little, the seed grows into a faith that leads them to salvation. Thus, within the person, the kingdom of heaven grows into a spiritually large tree, even though it all began with the tiniest seed.

Verse 33

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

Commentary

Jesus is reinforcing the same point He made in the parable of the mustard seed. Leaven is mixed into the flour until it permeates the entire batch. The leaven is like the tiny seed, and mixing the flour is like watering the seed.

Verses 34-35

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Commentary

Recall earlier that Jesus said the reason He speaks to the crowds in parables is because their hearts were hard. God is looking for people who will worship Him in faith, rather than follow Him because He gives them things. The disciples had softer hearts, and thus God allowed them to understand His parables. And where they didn’t understand, Jesus explained it to them using plain language.

In the Gospel of John, we see this clearly from the very beginning. When the first disciples, who had been with John the Baptist, heard John’s testimony about the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, they immediately began following Jesus. One even ran to fetch his brother and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” From the start of Jesus’s ministry, His disciples (with the exception of Judas) had already placed their faith in Him (see John 1:35–51).

Verse 36

Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

Commentary

I find it interesting that Jesus dismissed the crowds and sent them away. Earlier, He spoke to them in parables because their hearts were hard, and now Jesus is sending people away from Himself. This is very reminiscent of Him saying, in Matthew chapter seven, “Depart from Me; I never knew you.”

Elsewhere, the Bible says, “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Yet here we see Jesus sending people away. Why? Because they were not given to Jesus by the Father. They were seeking only to get something from Him, but they did not put their faith in Him.

Verses 37-43

He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

He who has ears, let him hear.

Commentary

Without question, this is an end-times prophecy. Those who are not saved will be cast into the lake of fire, and the righteous will receive glorified bodies. The weeds being thrown into the furnace takes place immediately after the great day of judgment, which follows the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, itself coming after the tribulation.

Verse 44

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Commentary

The key point of this verse is that the man sold all he had to raise enough money to buy the field containing the treasure. In other words, the buried treasure was far more valuable than all his earthly possessions combined. This illustrates how priceless your entrance into the kingdom of heaven is. It is worth more than everything you value on this earth combined. Be willing to give up anything that hinders you from following Jesus with all your heart.

Verses 45-46

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.

Commentary

This is another illustration of the same previous point. Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is worth more than everything you possess in this life.

Verses 47-51

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away.

So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.

Commentary

It’s been said that when something is repeated in the Bible, it is because God is placing emphasis on its importance. Jesus is making the same point here that He made in the parable of the weeds. This is the same end-times prophecy. At the end of the age, the saved and the un-saved will be separated, and the un-saved will be tossed into the lake of fire.

Verse 52

Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Commentary

There have been many different interpretations regarding the meaning of verse 52. Let’s examine it closely. The first thing I notice is the phrase “For this reason.” This is referring to whatever was previously spoken; however, I don’t believe Jesus is referring to the separation of the saved from the un-saved at the end of the age. Instead, I believe He is referring to His parables of hidden treasure. Remember, the first man found treasure hidden in a field. The second man found a pearl of great value.

Now Jesus says, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A scribe is a person who studied the Law of Moses and made handwritten copies of it. I believe what is being said here is that the Word of God is the treasure and that it keeps on giving. The parable may be about people who are diligent in studying God’s Word. Furthermore, Jesus mentions both new treasures and old.

It has been my experience, and the experience of nearly all devoted Christians, that you can read a passage from the Bible numerous times, yet on another occasion suddenly see something you never noticed before. Thus, the Bible is like a storeroom filled with treasures. The person who studies the Bible diligently (like a scribe) will continue to cherish the spiritual truths they’ve already learned (i.e. old treasures), but out of this same storeroom they will also find new spiritual truths (i.e. new treasures) they hadn’t noticed before.

Be diligent about studying your Bible. Explore different methods of Bible study and various translations. Purchase an exhaustive concordance so you can look up the intended meaning of the original languages. Participate in group Bible studies. In other words, be excited about getting to know God, and treat your Bible knowledge as something you long to grow in and excel at.

Verses 53-58

When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place. Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him.

But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.

Commentary

There is a phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt,” which means that when a person has extensive familiarity with an individual, they may tend to have less respect for that person.

Sometimes when my wife asks our daughter to do something, she acts like it’s a great burden. But when we take this same daughter to dance class, the teacher can issue a dozen instructions over the course of an hour, and our daughter will do every single thing she’s told; no fuss, no complaining, just action. Why? Because her mother is without honor in her own household.

Jesus said, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

This is why I think it’s important for children to have, in addition to their parents, a wise spiritual mentor who is not their mom, dad, or immediate family member. This could be a Sunday school teacher, a youth group leader, or a pastor. Children in their teens may tend not to listen to their parents’ advice. Meanwhile, someone who is not of their own household can give exactly the same advice the parents were giving, but all of a sudden, the teenager acts like she’s hearing great wisdom for the first time.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-6

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.

Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent? But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.

Commentary

On the Sabbath day, Jesus’s disciples were passing through a grainfield and began to pick and eat some of the grain. The Pharisees seized the moment to accuse His disciples of breaking the Law. But notice what Jesus says; “have you not read…”. Jesus does with the Pharisees the same thing He did with Satan in Matthew chapter four. He uses the word of God to rebuttal and rebuke his adversaries.

I would like to ask you, the reader: “How well do you know the Word of God?” As a follower of Jesus Christ, you should cultivate a hunger for His Word. Don’t be content with merely a “verse of the day.” With over 31,000 verses in the Bible, reading only one verse per day would take more than 85 years to read through the Bible once. True devotion comes from immersing yourself in Scripture, letting God’s Word shape your mind and heart. Approach the Bible with intention and a sincere desire to know God more fully.

For those who have never read the Bible before but want to read it all the way through, my advice is that you start with the New Testament and then go back to read the Old Testament. The book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Old Testament, is largely census data and architectural measurements. Many first-time readers of the Bible who attempt to start at the beginning with the Old Testament never get past the book of Numbers before giving up.

Once you’ve read the Bible a few times, the Holy Spirit can then, at the exact moment you need it, remind you of the verse that speaks to your situation. Then, like Jesus, you can use the Word of God to rebuke Satan’s schemes (see John 14:26).

So the question was, “Why was it acceptable for the disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath?” By reminding the Pharisees of what David and his companions had done, Jesus was showing them that their interpretation of the Sabbath law was wrong.

In much the same way, a naysayer today may point to Christians eating pork and accuse them of hypocrisy. However, we can respond by saying, “Have you not read what Jesus said in Mark chapter 7 about eating with unwashed hands? Jesus declared all foods clean.”

Verse 7

If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Commentary

Jesus reminds the Pharisees of what is written in Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” If the Pharisees had understood this, they would have shown mercy to the disciples, recognizing that they were not farmers harvesting a field on the Sabbath, but hungry travelers simply passing through a grainfield and picking something to eat. Did the Pharisees themselves put food to their own mouths on the Sabbath? Yes, they did. In condemning the disciples for doing no different than they themselves did, the Pharisees exposed their own hypocrisy.

Verse 8

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Commentary

Jesus is declaring to the Pharisees that He is the Messiah. The title “Son of Man,” drawn from the book of Daniel, is Jesus’s veiled way of identifying Himself as divine.

Daniel writes,

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

Every time Jesus refers to Himself as “the Son of Man,” He is alluding to these passages in the book of Daniel.

Verses 9-14

Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Commentary

I have always been truly baffled by the attitudes of the Pharisees. They witnessed Jesus perform miracles that only the Messiah, sent from God, could do; genuinely helping people in their times of greatest need; yet their greatest desire was to accuse Him of wrongdoing.

On this occasion, they notice a man among them with a withered hand. Seizing the opportunity, they ask Jesus whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, speaking flippantly, as if such healing powers were commonplace. Jesus points out that if one of them had a sheep fall into a pit on the Sabbath, they would readily lift it out. He concludes, “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

But notice that He did not address only the legality of healing on the Sabbath. That was their specific question, yet Jesus broadened His answer by saying, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” His response can include any action that helps a person on the Sabbath.

For example, they had already accused Jesus’s disciples of wrongdoing for picking grain to eat on the Sabbath. But imagine encountering a hungry family on the Sabbath with no food to eat. You have the means to provide a meal, but doing so would require traveling to the grocery store, purchasing food and supplies, preparing the meal, and delivering it to the family; all on the Sabbath day. Because feeding the hungry is an act of mercy, Jesus would say that you did the right thing. The Pharisees, however, would have objected, preferring strict Sabbath observance over compassion. In doing so, they revealed hearts more concerned with rules than with people. This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

Jesus then healed the man with the withered hand, but the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Him. Isn’t that perplexing? Why would anyone conspire to kill a man for doing good? What if the man with the withered hand had been a Pharisee’s own son; would that Pharisee still have hated Jesus? Their attitude and behavior toward Him is baffling, and it’s still the same today. Jesus Christ seeks to save lives and rescue people from death, and still so many people today hate Him for it.

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

Verses 15-21

Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all, warning them not to make Him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.”

Commentary

Recall that I discussed this in my commentary when John the Baptist was arrested (Matthew 4:12-16). Jesus knows that in order to complete His mission and ministry, He must avoid being arrested or killed before everything is accomplished. Therefore, whenever someone seeks to arrest or kill Him, He withdraws to another place.

He continues healing people and warns those following Him not to make Him known. I suspect this is so His timeline would not be accelerated. Verse 14 states that the Pharisees were plotting to kill Him; therefore, we can conclude that by warning people not to make Him known, Jesus is intentionally managing the timeline of events which He knows are unfolding toward His own crucifixion.

Verses 22-28

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see. The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Commentary

A demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute was brought to Jesus. I assume that the cause of his blindness and muteness was his demon possession. Jesus healed him, to the astonishment of those around Him, and the people began to rightly wonder whether Jesus was the Messiah.

But once again, here come the Pharisees (pearls before pigs). No matter what evidence is presented to them, they will not accept it. This time, their excuse is to accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan. In other words, they want so badly for Him not to be the prophesied Messiah that they will grasp at any straw with which to accuse Him.

Jesus points out how ridiculous their accusation is: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste.” He explains that the only other alternative is that He is driving out demons by the Spirit of God, which means that the Kingdom of God has come upon them. In doing so, the Pharisees repeatedly demonstrate their rejection of God.

Verse 29-30

Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Commentary

Jesus continues His rebuttal of the Pharisees’ accusation that He is casting out demons by the power of Satan by explaining that He has bound the strong man; Satan. This is not literal, as Satan will not be fully bound until the yet-to-come Millennial reign. Rather, recall when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness and overcame him. Jesus said, “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” After this, the devil left Him (Matthew 4). That event is the key to understanding this verse:

“How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”

By commanding Satan to depart, Satan lost that battle and no longer had power over Jesus. Satan cannot remain where Jesus is actively ministering (with the exception of the moment when Satan entered Judas). Thus, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that not only does He not cast out demons by the power of Satan, but that He has driven Satan out of their geographic area in order to minister fully and unhindered.

Jesus then rebukes the Pharisees by declaring that they are against Him, and that instead of gathering the spiritual harvest, they are scattering. The work they are doing is contrary to Jesus’s mission.

Verses 31-32

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

Commentary

Jesus continues His rebuke of the Pharisees with a warning that whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. I want to pause here and spend a little more time on this verse because of its infamy.

“Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.” Praise God! This is the good news! All of your sins can be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. It is He who makes you righteous before God, and it is He who enables you to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

“but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.”

Any person who goes to their grave without the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Today, if you ask most people how to get into heaven, they will say that you have to be a good person. Consider the implication of that belief: those who think they can earn their way into heaven by being good are essentially claiming they can enter without God; without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. They are attempting to bypass the Holy Spirit entirely. In other words, trying to get into heaven by being good means that salvation would be entirely of their own doing.

That is pride; the highest form of blasphemy. Pride is what got Satan cast out of heaven. How then, can anyone think they will enter heaven by their own pride? They say, “I am a good person; I have lived so well that I will be ushered into heaven by my own excellence.” Pride, pride, pride, pride.

“I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ~ a quote from Lucifer (Isaiah 14:13-14)

If you die without the Holy Spirit, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven and your sins will never be forgiven. Period. End of statement.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:15-20)

So we see that even among those who call themselves Christians and do good works, there will be many who do not enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus says, “I never knew you,” He does not mean that He was unaware of them. Rather, He means that they were never in a true relationship with Him and were never filled with the Holy Spirit. They believed they could enter heaven simply by being good people. In doing so, they attempted to bypass the Holy Spirit; and this is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus said “but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven”, what is the Father’s will? It is that we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

In summary, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, from which there is no forgiveness, is going to your grave without ever having been filled with the Holy Spirit.

But how do you receive the Holy Spirit?

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Verses 33

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

Commentary

Jesus is condemning the Pharisees as bad trees that bear bad fruit. Again, this is how we are to recognize false teachers: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16a). Any priest, pastor, or preacher who claims that Jesus was wrong, or that the Bible is wrong, outdated, or mistranslated, is a false teacher. Anyone who has a low opinion of scripture is a false teacher.

Verse 34-37

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Commentary

Remember when John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers (Matthew 3:7)? Jesus is deliberately echoing John’s words. He goes on to say that what comes out of the Pharisees’ mouths reveals what is in their hearts; and that it is evil.

“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.”

This makes perfect sense. If you went to a farmer’s market and a vendor had rotten eggs, what would he bring out to sell you except rotten eggs?

People will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. Those who, with their words, rejected Jesus Christ will be condemned. Meanwhile, those who declare, “Jesus is Lord,” will be acquitted and saved.

Verse 38

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Commentary

These ignoramuses have been watching Jesus heal the sick, restore a man’s withered hand, give sight to the blind, make the mute speak and the lame walk, and now they claim to want to see a sign from him?

What they are doing is the equivalent of today’s skeptics saying, “Prove to me that there is a God!” In this case, they are saying, “Prove to us that You are the Messiah.” But what does God want from us? As I wrote only a few paragraphs ago, the will of the Father in heaven is that we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

Do we worship God by proof? No; because then it would not be faith. Anyone who says, “Prove to me that there is a God,” has already missed the point, because God will never force someone to worship Him by proof. That will never happen. However, to the person who seeks God through faith, Jesus will make Himself known. But the person who demands proof, has already lost because they have no faith.

The words “Prove it” are a declaration of their own rejection of Jesus Christ. The person who says, “Prove it,” is, by their own words, stating that they do not believe. And what did Christ just say? “By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Verses 39-40

Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Commentary

In response to their demand for a sign, Jesus says that the only sign they’ll be given is that He will be placed in the grave for three days and then rise to life again. Yet even this they won’t accept.

Verses 41-42

The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.

Commentary

The people of Nineveh repented when Jonah spoke to them, yet Jesus’s generation did not repent; even though He is greater than Jonah. Likewise, the queen of the South traveled 2,500 miles from what is now Ethiopia to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but these Pharisees would not even walk the five and a half miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see the Messiah when He was born.

On the day of judgment, the people of Nineveh and the queen of the South will rise up and testify against the Pharisees of Jesus’s generation and will condemn them.

Verses 43-45

When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”

Commentary

These are frightening verses. I want to begin our focus with the final sentence: “So will it be with this wicked generation.” Jesus is saying that, in some cases, the people from whom He cast out demons would eventually become re-possessed, making their final condition worse than their former one.

We know that the men possessed by Legion sought to follow Jesus, but He sent them back to their hometown with instructions to tell others what God had done for them. They obeyed, and in doing so, they lived lives marked by faith.

Most of the Jewish people who crowded around Jesus, however, did not place their faith in Him; they simply wanted something from Him. After Jesus ascended into heaven, how many of those from whom He cast out demons became re-possessed?

Notice that the key to the verses we are now examining is that when the demon returns, it finds the house vacant. Once again, light and darkness cannot exist in the same place at the same time. When I walk into a room early in the morning and flip on the light switch, the darkness instantly flees, and I have to squint because the light is so bright.

In the same way, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and, through that faith, are filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, we can never be possessed by demonic forces. Ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit.

Verses 46-50

While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Commentary

The first thing I notice here is that these verses indicate that the Catholic tradition of Mary remaining a virgin throughout her entire life is not correct. Jesus’s mother and brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak with Him. Jesus had siblings; He was not an only child.

Jesus did not immediately go out to meet them. In fact, it appears that He may not have gone out at all. Is this an example of Jesus dishonoring His mother? No. Jesus is God, and He does not sin. I suspect that His family may have come to discourage Him from continuing the work He was doing. They had likely heard that the Pharisees were planning to arrest Him, or even to kill Him, and perhaps they came to say, “It’s time to come home and go back to making furniture.”

But Jesus did not go out to meet them. Instead, He continued in His ministry. He said to those around Him, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Then, pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” This statement strongly indicates that we are meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is calling us His family. Elsewhere, Jesus says,

You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)

Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ become the friends and family of God.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verse 1

After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Commentary

Jesus was teaching and preaching in various cities, primarily throughout Israel.

Verses 2-6

Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.

Commentary

It seems that from his prison cell, John the Baptist began having some doubts. I can imagine that in his miserable state behind bars, he started questioning both himself and his God. So John sent some friends outside the prison walls to speak with Jesus, asking, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’

The way Jesus responds to John’s question is very interesting. He doesn’t simply confirm that he’s the one. Instead, Jesus instructs John’s friends to return and tell John about the miracles he is performing. This serves to reassure John that Jesus is indeed the one who was to come, the Messiah.

Notice, however, that the Pharisees, who have likely studied the Scriptures even more than John, have also witnessed the miracles Jesus has performed, and yet they refuse to believe.

Recall from a previous chapter when Jesus said that whoever denies him before men, he will also deny before his Father in heaven. The Pharisees are an example of those who deny Jesus before men. They know the scriptures and very likely are aware that Jesus aligns with everything the scriptures say about the Messiah, yet they still denounce him.

Verses 7-15

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings’ palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.

Commentary

Jesus describes John the Baptist as more than a prophet and declares that no one is greater than John. However, John’s greatness does not stem from personal holiness or spiritual superiority, but from the unique role he was appointed to fulfill.

All the other prophets spoke of a Messiah who would come in the future. John, however, proclaimed, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” John’s purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. While the prophets before him looked forward to the coming Messiah but never being given the opportunity to see him, John was granted the unique privilege not only of seeing the Messiah but also of baptizing Him.

John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.” (John 1:29-31)

Jesus continues, “Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” John is the greatest prophet because he was the one appointed to announce Jesus’s arrival. But consider those who are already in heaven, who are able to behold with their own eyes the Almighty God seated on His throne.

Verse twelve states, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.”

Huh? What does Jesus mean when He says that the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence?

First, let’s examine this passage phrase by phrase. The statement, “From the days of John the Baptist until now,” refers to the entire span of Jesus’s earthly ministry up to that point.

Likewise, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John” means that the Law of Moses and every prophet who came before John merely foretold the coming of the Messiah. Now, however, the Messiah Himself is standing before the crowd and speaking to them.

Just as Andrew declared to his brother Peter “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41b)

Therefore, whatever is meant by the word “violence”, it must relate to Jesus’s earthly ministry.

We know that large numbers of people were coming from every town in Israel in search of Jesus. The crowds were big. People pressed in around Him, climbed trees just to catch a glimpse as He passed by, cried out to Him, pleaded with Him, and even pushed through the crowd simply to touch the hem of His garment.

I believe this is the sense in which Jesus uses the word “violence.” It refers to the forceful determination with which people were striving to draw near to Him.

Then Jesus refers to John the Baptist as being the Elijah who was to come.

In John 1:21, John the Baptist denies being Elijah when questioned by the Jewish priests and Levites. John is not a reincarnated Elijah, as there is no such thing as reincarnation. Therefore, John is speaking accurately and truthfully when he says that he is not Elijah. However, Luke chapter 1 states,

And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)

When Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear,” it signals that He is speaking something requiring discernment. John the Baptist is not literally Elijah, but figuratively, he comes in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Verses 16-19

To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

Commentary

The Jewish leaders of Jesus’s time were inconsistent and hypocritical in their judgments. When John the Baptist came, fasting and abstaining from wine, they accused him of being demon-possessed. When Jesus came, eating and drinking with others, they called Him a glutton and a drunkard. This demonstrates that nothing would ever satisfy them; regardless of what anyone did, the Jewish leaders were determined to find fault and make accusations.

Verses 20-24

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Commentary

First of all, cities themselves do not go to hell; people do. So when Jesus says, “It will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you,” He is referring to the people of Tyre and Sidon, not the buildings or the land.

Jesus is saying that if the people of Tyre, Sidon, and even Sodom had witnessed the miracles He performed, they would have repented. Yet the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum did not.

It is also noteworthy that, according to this passage, there appear to be varying degrees of judgment. Jesus states that it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for the cities He is addressing.

So what does this mean? The Biblical timeline is as follows: upon death, the unsaved go to hell until the day of judgment. At that time, they will be resurrected from hell to stand before God and give an account for what they did during their lives. The unsaved will then be judged and ultimately cast into the lake of fire, along with Satan and his demons.

I have heard, and am willing to accept, that there may be different levels of hell, with varying degrees of severity. However, I do not believe the same is true of the lake of fire. I am inclined to assume that the lake of fire represents a uniform punishment for Satan, his demons, and all who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Therefore, what is described as more or less bearable on the day of judgment must refer to the act of being judged by God; not the punishment itself, but the experience of standing before the Almighty to give an account and receive His reprimand. It might be similar to the difference between going to your earthly dad and telling him you spilled some milk versus confessing that you burned down the house after being warned not to play with matches.

Verses 25-26

At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

Commentary

Immediately after condemning these cities, Jesus praises the Father for having hidden these truths from the wise and learned. Pride is the antithesis of worshiping God; it is what caused Satan to be cast out of heaven. Simply put, pride declares, “I can handle this myself; I don’t need God.”

The wise, well-educated, and the wealthy face obstacles that hinder them from fully relying on God. In this way, those who choose to turn from God and depend on themselves are, in a sense, assisted in their rebellion, for God allows them to remain unaware of simple spiritual truths.

To offer an earthly comparison, I once worked for a company with a high level of security. To get from the parking lot to the building, every person had to pass through one of several turnstiles, each designed for only one person at a time. Each turnstile required a badge swipe to operate. One day, I forgot my badge, and the turnstile would not turn for me. No matter my wisdom, knowledge, or financial resources, the turnstile would not let me through without my badge. To make matters worse, I had carpooled with a coworker who had already passed through the turnstile and was unaware of my predicament. I then had to walk along the outside of the fence for approximately half a mile to reach the administration building where I obtained a temporary badge.

In this example, the badge represents humility and a genuine desire to seek God. Those who are wise, well-educated, or wealthy may be tempted to try to get to heaven without humility. In response, God places a turnstile between Himself and such individuals. The turnstile symbolizes God withholding simple spiritual truths from them; truths they are then unable to grasp on their own.

If you are reading this commentary and consider yourself well-educated or wealthy, what should you do? I once took a PhD-level scientist fishing and was surprised to discover that he did not know how to tie a knot. He was unable to attach his fishing hook to his line, so I had to teach him how to do it.

If you have a high level of education, be humble enough to recognize that your expertise is generally confined to the specific area of your degree. In all other matters, you are as ordinary as someone who never attended college. For example, holding a PhD in thermodynamics does not mean you know how to tie fishing knots or which knot is appropriate for the type of fishing you are doing and the tackle you’re using.

When you read the Bible, do not approach it as if it were a college textbook, assuming you can understand it through your intellect alone. Instead, be willing to acknowledge that without the Spirit, you cannot grasp what is spiritually discerned. Get rid of your pride.

And what do little children have to do with it? Little children depend on their parents for everything. That same dependent attitude is what we should have toward God.

Verse 27

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Commentary

All things have been entrusted to Jesus. This is a broad statement for a reason. When Jesus says “all things,” He literally means everything. In Matthew 28:18, He declares, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Jesus is the King of kings, and whatever He commands, and by extension, whatever the Bible teaches, represents the ultimate authority.

Therefore, when someone claims that the Bible is obsolete or no longer relevant to modern society, they are in error. Regardless of its age, the Bible embodies the authority of Jesus Christ.

Jesus continues, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Here, He makes clear that He is the only path to salvation. Without Jesus, there is no hope of reaching the Father; none at all.

Verses 28-30

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Commentary

This verse has always perplexed me. Jesus repeatedly warns that those who follow Him will face persecution, perhaps even death. And yet now He says that His burden is light. How can being persecuted or even martyred be considered a light burden?

However, let’s consider the statement from a different perspective. Just moments earlier, Jesus declared that He is the only path to salvation. Throughout the New Testament, we see that salvation by faith brings freedom from the Law. In this sense, the burden is light; not because following Christ eliminates trials or persecution, but because there is no requirement to earn salvation through hard work. Salvation is instead by God’s grace through faith; a very light burden.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verse 1

And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.

Commentary

Whenever a sentence in the Bible begins with And, Therefore, But, Or, Thus, etc….it is a continuation of what was being said previously. I had a pastor who would often say “Whenever you see the word Therefore, ask yourself, what is it there for?”

Jesus, having just finished stating at the end of chapter nine that more workers were needed, then gives authority to his twelve disciples. He gave them authority over unclean spirits, enabling them to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.

The author of this commentary holds the opinion that Jesus giving the disciples authority over demons and illnesses was a special circumstance for that particular moment. Today, if you or I cast out a demon, it is not we who do the casting, nor is it by our own authority; rather, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, if we lay hands on someone and pray for healing, and that person is healed, it is not by our authority that the healing occurs, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

After the resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (Matthew 28:18)

Do not lend yourself to pride by believing that you possess the authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. Remember what Jesus says in Matthew chapter seven: “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.’”

I have no doubt that demons may, at times, be willing to leave voluntarily in order to allow a person to delude themselves into believing they have been given special powers and spiritual authority. Do not become prideful.

likewise, also recall what it says in Acts chapter nineteen,

Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. (Acts 19:13-17)

I once attended a small-group Bible study at a pastor’s home. We were discussing the topic of miracles being performed by people. The pastor pointed out the window toward the swimming pool on his back patio (in Florida, almost everyone has a pool in their backyard) and said, “I could have all the faith in the world to walk on water across the surface of that pool, but I would never be able to do it unless God first told me to do it.

Thus, it is not we who perform miracles, as though we are someone special; it is God who performs miracles through us. God gets the glory, not us. We do nothing more than follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in obedience.

Do not believe the pastor who claims that he possesses miracle-working powers. Miracles are real, and they do occur, but God is the one who makes them happen. He sends us only to deliver the miracle.

Verses 2-4

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

Commentary

The names of the twelve disciples are listed, and notably, Judas is among them. He too was given authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. Judas was given every opportunity to put his faith in Jesus Christ; yet, even after being an eyewitness to all of Jesus’s miracles, and after being granted authority to perform such miracles himself, he remained unwilling to put his faith in Jesus.

The author of this commentary firmly believes that on Judgement Day, some of us will be shocked to see who doesn’t get into heaven. There will be some pastors, elders, deacons, Christian music artists, Christian book authors, and people of all types whom we once regarded as outstanding examples of Christianity, yet who never truly placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

Likewise, there will also be some of the most vile human beings you and I have ever heard of who will be ushered into the kingdom of God, followed by the words, “Well done.” The reason is that, at some point before the end of their earthly lives, they placed their faith in Jesus Christ. In some cases, it may have occurred even in their final minutes as they lay dying.

Salvation is not earned by good behavior, nor is damnation determined by bad behavior. Salvation comes through faith, and damnation results from a failure to put one’s faith in Christ.

What is faith? It is not only believing in the existence of God and Jesus Christ, but of greater importance is the act of trusting that what God has said is true.

Verses 5-15

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his housed until you move on. As you enter the home, greet its occupants. If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it, but if it is not, let your peace return to you.

And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Commentary

I recall that at a previous church, before anyone was allowed to go on a mission trip, each person on the team was required to take a class called Missions 101. The class provided instructions on how to share the gospel and how to conduct oneself while on the mission trip.

When reading verses five through fifteen, I feel as though Jesus is teaching Missions 101.

As part of the Missions 101 class, students were instructed to go out into the community near the church and share the gospel with people. Many Christians have never shared their faith with anyone, so rather than traveling to a foreign country and only then trying to learn how to share the gospel, our church wanted us to gain that experience in our own hometown first. That way, when we arrived at our foreign destination, we already knew what we were doing. We were not attempting something new for the first time thousands of miles from home.

Much like Missions 101, Jesus, in these verses, is instructing His disciples to go out and share the good news only within Israel. In other words, He is sending them out locally first, so that they may learn in their own hometowns what to do before He later sends them out to make disciples of all nations.

Verse 16

Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Commentary

This verse has stayed with me throughout my entire adult life. When I was in my mid-twenties, my spiritual mentor told me, “Be as shrewd as a snake but as innocent as a dove.” Those without the Holy Spirit can be manipulators, liars, tricksters, and hucksters; wolves who are able to present themselves as the most innocent, kind, and sincere people, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Being as shrewd as a snake means being street-smart; aware of the schemes of men and able to recognize when someone is attempting to deceive you. Meanwhile, being as innocent as a dove means that although you are street-smart, you do not engage in those same deceptive practices yourself.

Off the top of my head, I can immediately think of two scenarios in which a Christian today needs these two qualities. The first involves deciding who will be your spiritual leader (i.e. your pastor). Many churches today have been corrupted by pastors who embrace the culture at the expense of the gospel. When you become a member of a church, you are, in effect, making that pastor your spiritual leader, so you must be as shrewd as a snake.

My parents taught me not to take candy from strangers. In the same way, do not take spiritual guidance from strangers; myself included. Please verify in the Bible that what I say is true. Before committing yourself to a church, be sure that the pastor is faithfully preaching the truth of God’s Word.

The second scenario is a warning to single people in the church who are looking for a spouse. For single women, be aware that some men attend church because they believe Christian women are naïve and easily taken advantage of. These men are often easy to identify because they boast about their own righteousness, believing that such bragging will impress Christian women.

For single men, be aware that some women have spent their twenties and early thirties living wildly and promiscuously. As age begins to show and attention from worldly men vanishes, she may believe she can simply walk into a church, find a good Christian man to marry, and rely on him to provide for her. She isn’t seeking Jesus; she’s seeking financial security.

Know this: A quality man or woman will display spiritual wisdom. Be as shrewd as a snake. When discussing matters of faith, look for someone who knows God’s Word and can articulate spiritual understanding. Anyone who possesses little spiritual insight is likely not yet marriage material. Ask the Lord for wisdom, and He will guide you.

Verses 17-20

But beware of men, for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Commentary

The world hates Jesus. Throughout history; and in many places today; Christianity has been, and in some cases still is, completely illegal. I have read several books and testimonies from individuals who were imprisoned because of their faith in Jesus Christ. In such situations, what should one do? Rely on the Holy Spirit.

“When they hand you over, do not worry about what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

I have experienced; and seen it happen to others; that when the Lord speaks through you, you’re aware that you said something, yet you have no idea what it was. Those around you may be enraged by your words. They may be ready to punch you, yet you haven’t the slightest clue what it was you said. That is the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. I cannot say for certain, but I suspect that the Lord speaks to them about their personal, hidden sins; something you could not have known. The Lord calls them to repentance, but for those who refuse, it only fuels their rage.

Verses 21-22

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Commentary

When Jesus talks about a brother betraying a brother to death, or a father his child, He is highlighting that, for some, pressure from immediate family members can be especially intense. When I read this verse, I immediately think of instances in the Islamic faith where, if a Muslim converts to Christianity, their own family members might threaten or even kill them. Jesus is emphasizing that those who persevere to the end will be saved.

Let me remind the reader that salvation equals life. Recall what Jesus said to the Sadducees in Matthew 22: “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

Thus, a person who is killed in this mortal life for the sake of their faith in Christ does not truly die but continues to live spiritually. At the second coming of Jesus Christ, they will be reunited with their body (then glorified) and will rule and reign with Christ on this earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20). The takeaway is that there is still a great deal of life to be lived for those who die for Christ.

Verse 23

When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Commentary

Many scholars have offered a variety of interpretations of verse 23. As for me, when I see the phrase “Son of Man comes,” I immediately associate it with the second coming of Jesus Christ. However, that interpretation makes little sense because, following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the upper room (Acts 2), the gospel has been carried far beyond the towns of Israel.

Whenever you encounter something in the Bible that seems wrong or contradictory, you must conclude that the error lies in your own limited understanding. God knows everything. Compared to God’s intelligence, our own is like that of a goldfish compared to a person with a PhD.

Therefore, it’s perfectly okay to live your life in faith, pursuing Jesus Christ, even while not having all the answers to every nuance of God’s Word.

So what does this verse mean? I lean toward the interpretation that Jesus is not referring to His second coming at the start of the future Millennial reign, but rather to God’s wrath being poured out on Israel, particularly during the events of 70 AD. However, what I can say with absolute certainty is that the second coming of Christ did not occur in 70 AD. I have met some people who cling to that interpretation.

There is no possible way that the second coming of Christ has already occurred, or that the Millennial reign has already happened or is currently taking place. I can say this with confidence because, as a kid, my friends and I would go out into the fields to catch garter snakes and corn snakes; they would always try to bite us, and sometimes they did actually bite us.

The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Verses 24-25

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Commentary

Jesus is again emphasizing that if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute His followers.

Verses 26-31

So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Commentary

Continuing His teaching on persecution, Jesus instructs His followers not to fear those who will persecute them. He is telling the disciples not to hide the gospel, but to speak it openly and proclaim it boldly; even from the rooftops.

The phrase “there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known” likely refers to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven mentioned in Matthew 13.

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10-17)

For all of human history, up to and including the life of Jesus Christ, many aspects of God, heaven, and salvation remained a mystery to mankind. After Christ rose from the grave and ascended into heaven, it became the responsibility of all Christians to reveal these mysteries; to make them plain and clear to everyone on earth, to disclose them and make them known. We are instructed to be so bold in this task that Jesus compares it to shouting from the rooftops.

He goes on to say that persecutors may be able to kill the body, but afterward they can do no more; they cannot touch the soul. “Instead,” Jesus says, “fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell,” namely God.

But then Jesus offers reassurance: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father’s will. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Jesus is saying that God values you greatly and that nothing will happen to you apart from His will. This, however, does not mean health, wealth, or prosperity. Rather, it means that if you are killed for boldly proclaiming the name of Christ, it will be God’s will to glorify you in the kingdom of heaven.

Verses 32-33

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

Commentary

The interpretation of this verse is straightforward: if you deny Christ, you will not be saved. However, always remember that as long as you are alive, you remain under grace and have the opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. A person who denied Christ in their youth but accepted Him as Savior later in life does not need to worry about being denied before the Father, for their sins are forgiven.

For every person, however, there comes a point at which it is too late to change your spiritual destination. That point is physical death. When your soul departs your body, you either ascend to heaven or descend to hell, and nothing further can be done to alter that course.

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7b)

Verses 34-36

Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

Commentary

This verse refutes the prosperity gospel. Jesus did not come to make every individual rich, posh, or comfortable. Rather, His desire is for every person to be saved. Simply put, Jesus is divisive; and rightly so. God is seeking those who love Him, but most people hate Him because:

The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

It has become a common Hollywood trope; so much so that it is almost cliché; that a villain, trying to hide his evil deeds, will seek to silence the person attempting to expose him. The analogy is more or less true of Christianity. We are tasked with telling people that they are sinners in need of a Savior. Some will strongly resist facing their own sins, while others will oppose the very idea that they need a Savior. In this light, it makes sense that Jesus did not come to bring peace, but rather a sword.

Verses 37-38

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

Commentary

Remember, Jesus is speaking to a group of Israelites. Imagine, even today, if a young Jewish man or woman were to go home and announce that they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. It could cause division within their household. A young person who denies Christ simply to maintain peace at home is acting in a way unworthy of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

Verse 39

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Commentary

I have heard this verse applied in various ways. In its proper context, however, Jesus is still speaking about persecution. A person who denies Christ in order to save his own life will ultimately lose his soul in hell (that is, eternal spiritual death). But the one who is killed for the sake of Jesus Christ will find eternal life.

Another way I have heard this verse applied is in the context of what a person devotes their life to and whether they are willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of following Jesus Christ.

One might say, “I am going to find my life by pursuing wealth and abundance,” and then devote his life to becoming rich. In the end, without Christ, he will lose his life when he dies and faces eternal separation from God.

By contrast, another man who was on the same path of pursuing wealth and abundance encounters Jesus and makes the conscious decision to give up that pursuit (to lose his life) in order to follow Jesus. In doing so, he finds the true purpose and meaning of his life.

The example above is not a condemnation of wealth, but of dedicating one’s life to the pursuit of something other than Christ. I encourage you to manage your money wisely so that it grows, but do not devote your life to the pursuit of wealth. Devote your life to Jesus Christ.

Verses 40-42

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

Commentary

Logically, if you or I bring the message of Jesus Christ to someone and they receive us, then by receiving that message they are receiving Jesus. In verse 41, Jesus builds upon verse 40 by offering examples that illustrate this simple truth: if you receive a prophet, you receive a prophet’s reward; if you receive a righteous person, you receive a righteous reward. Likewise, anyone who receives Jesus, receives Jesus’s reward; eternal life. Furthermore, verse 42 indicates that this reward can never be taken away or lost.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verse 1

Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.

Commentary

Rather than walking all the way around the Sea of Galilee, which would take about a day, Jesus crossed it by boat. The verse says he came to his own town; however, this is not referring to Bethlehem where he was born, nor is it referring to Nazareth where he grew up. Instead, it’s referring to Capernaum which became his home-base during his ministry years. While in Capernaum he would stay at the home of Peter and his brother Andrew, or at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He may have stayed in other people’s home’s as well, but Jesus himself did not own or rent any dwelling.

Verse 2

Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Commentary

Notice that Jesus saw their faith. Whose faith? The faith of the men who were carrying the paralyzed man. This gives indication to the idea that we can carry the burdens of others and through our own faith, bring to Jesus a request for their healing or for their needs. This is called intercessory prayer. We are bringing to Jesus, the concerns of others.

Jesus then says to the paralyzed man “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. This is huge, because without the forgiveness of sins we are all damned.

Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him, everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

Verse 3

On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

Commentary

Isn’t it curious that Jesus didn’t immediately heal the man? That is what He normally did. I believe His statement, “Take courage, your sins are forgiven,” was a deliberate attempt to provoke the scribes. In other words, He said it knowing this would upset them.

The Jewish people rightly understood that only God could forgive sins. What the scribes and Pharisees failed to grasp; and what Jesus was then implying; is that He is God and therefore possesses the authority to forgive sins.

However, I want to clarify something. We are instructed by Jesus to forgive those who sin against us; but there is a difference between sins that separate us from God, and that of our letting go of bitterness. We have the ability to “forgive” in the sense that we can choose to no longer hold a grudge. But our guilt before God can only be forgiven by God.

So when Jesus says to the man “Your sins are forgiven”, Jesus is demonstrating that he has the authority to forgive sins, and is indirectly revealing that he is God, in the flesh.

Critics will state that Jesus never claimed to be God. Well, he just did, and just like the Scribes and Pharisees, it goes right over the heads of modern-day critics.

Verses 4-8

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” And the man got up and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Commentary

When Jesus responds, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?” He is demonstrating, through the healing of the paralyzed man, that he has the authority to forgive sins (i.e. Jesus is God). He is the Messiah.

However, the crowds think God gave authority to a man, and in some sense, they are correct because Jesus is both fully man and fully God, which is what we’re going to see at the transfiguration when we get to Matthew chapter 17.

Verse 9

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

Commentary

Jesus finds Matthew. Let’s make note of the fact that tax collectors were generally viewed as dishonest people (sinners). In those days tax collectors would frequently charge more than was necessary and would keep the difference for themselves.

Therefore, what we are seeing is that Jesus is calling sinners to follow him. Now in reality, everyone is a sinner, but to call a tax collector to follow him, he is calling a person who is publicly viewed as a sinner. As a matter of fact, let’s look at what happens in the next two verses.

Verses 10-11

Later, as Jesus was dining at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Commentary

Jesus tends to gather to himself the humble and lowly. The Pharisees are sinners just like everyone else, but they tend to be prideful and arrogant about their position in society and about their self-perceived position with God. As a result, Jesus not only dismisses them, but often scolds and rebukes them.

Pride says, “I’m good enough, my actions make me right with God” or even “I don’t need God”. Humility says, “I can not get there on my own, I need help”. If you want to get to heaven, look to Jesus for help.

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live. (Numbers 21:8-9)

Again, we must look to Jesus for our salvation.

Verses 12-13

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Commentary

Jesus came to heal the sick and save the lost, so logically where does Jesus need to perform his ministry? With those who are sick and lost. The pharisees believe that sinners are beneath them. However, the Pharisees are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of Israel, yet, they’re very condescending and judgmental toward the people they’re supposed to be leading. Jesus, however, is right there with the sinners, pointing them to God.

Jesus then insults and challenges the Pharisees. He says to them, “go and learn what this means”. Think about this, Jesus is talking to the foremost experts in the law. They’ve spent their whole lives studying scripture and now Jesus is shooing them away saying “why don’t you go learn something.”

Jesus is quoting the book of Hosea. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. What does this mean? In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus says it again,

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:23-24)

The scribes and Pharisees made a habit of neglecting the more important things of the law like having mercy toward others. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” means that to make a sacrifice for sins committed is much less desirable to God than to have done what was right in the first place. To show mercy to people in need, to the poor, to sinners, to one’s enemies, etc…. By showing mercy to people, we have the opportunity to point them to God. And that’s what the Pharisees were not doing.

Verses 14-15

Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?” Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Commentary

It seems odd that John still has disciples. The bible says that John’s purpose was to declare Jesus’s arrival. Therefore, one would assume that all of John’s disciples would have become Jesus’s disciples, but it appears that is not the case.

John’s disciples tell Jesus that they often fast and Jesus relates fasting to mourning. Remember that at this time, John is in prison so John’s disciples have reason to mourn.

Meanwhile Jesus describes himself as a bridegroom, and indeed Matthew 25, Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19, and Revelation 21 refer to the church as being Jesus’s bride. The wedding of which is an event still to come.

Jesus states that while he is with his disciples, they are not fasting, but a time will come when he is taken away from them. This of course is referring to the crucifixion and later his ascension into heaven.

Jesus equates fasting with mourning and he intended for us to fast after his departure.

Verses 16-17

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.

Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Commentary

For those who don’t know what a wineskin is, this is what they look like. You can still buy these today. They sell them on Amazon.

Jesus is specifically talking about the soon-to-come new covenant. When Jesus is taken away, the Holy Spirit will be given to believers. That in turn, will introduce the new covenant spoken about in great detail in the book of Hebrews.

By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

Therefore, in verse 16 the unshrunk cloth represents this new covenant of salvation by faith through Jesus Christ, while the old garment represents the Mosaic Law. Likewise, New wine represents faith in Jesus Christ, while the old wineskin represents the Law.

No one sews a patch of “faith in Jesus Christ” onto the law of Moses. And no one pours “Faith in Jesus Christ” into the law. In other words, salvation by faith in Christ is not something being added to the law.

Salvation by faith is incompatible with salvation by works (i.e. the Law). You can not combine the two.

Remember: The Law is meant to show us that we are sinners. Faith in Christ is meant to save us from our sins. The Law and faith serve two different functions. Therefore, when Jesus said in Matthew 5, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law,” His words were entirely accurate, because the Law still serves its intended purpose; to reveal sin. For example, “You shall not steal” identifies theft as sin. If you have ever stolen anything, the Law declares you a sinner.

But faith in Christ brings about the forgiveness of sins. The Law and faith are not compatible because they serve two different functions. This is why you cannot sew a patch of faith onto the Law. Salvation is not accomplished through the Law. The Law is meant only to inform us that we have sinned, and having recognized our sin, we then see our need for a Savior.

Verses 18-19 & 23-25

While Jesus was saying these things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.” So Jesus got up and went with him, along with His disciples.

When Jesus entered the house of the synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd. “Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him. After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

Commentary

First of all, let’s acknowledge the faith of this synagogue leader. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.” That’s an amount of faith that is worthy of pointing out as a good example.

Jesus then goes to his home and raises her from the dead. Why? Let’s look at verse 26 to find out.

Verse 26

And the news about this spread throughout that region.

Commentary

It’s my opinion that the miracles Jesus performed were mainly for the purpose of establishing that he is the Messiah. Recall when John the Baptist began doubting himself. He sent people to ask Jesus “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.” (Matthew 11:3-6)

When John asks, “are you the messiah?” Jesus replies, “look at my miracles”.
Today, if a man’s daughter dies, should he pray for her to be raised from the dead? Yes, because nothing is impossible for God. If she is raised from the dead, give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, if she is not raised, understand that Christ has already done the work of establishing that he is the Messiah. Should that man then curse God because of his daughter’s death? No! We praise God in both good times and bad. Don’t be to God a fair-weather friend.

Verses 20-22

Suddenly a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak. She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.

Commentary

In the midst of the synagogue leader’s plea for Jesus to raise his daughter from death to life, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak.

Consider the impossibility of bringing a dead person back to life, and yet Jesus was able to take a person’s departed soul and put it back into their body. How much easier is it, therefore, for Jesus to heal a living person who merely has some bleeding?

Always remember this: whatever ailment you may have, it is a simple thing for Jesus to heal you. You should pray often and repeatedly, while having the attitude that your illness is a simple task for God to heal.

God answers every prayer with either “Yes”, “No” or “Not yet”. Believe that you can be healed. Give praise to the Lord even if you are not.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever. (Psalm 118:1)

Verses 27-29

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked. “Yes, Lord,” they answered. Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”

Commentary

Two blind men come to Jesus begging to be healed. Jesus asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They answered “Yes”. Jesus then says “According to your faith will it be done to you.”

Hypothetical scenario: A person today has a serious illness; they pray for healing. Healing does not come. Should they conclude that their faith wasn’t strong enough? No, because when you begin down that path, you are moving away from believing that God heals, and into the error of believing that you somehow magically heal yourself through the strength of your own faith.

“If only my faith were stronger, I would be healed.” That in essence would be having faith in your faith. Like having faith in yourself. That is false doctrine. You’re not healing yourself through the strength of your own faith. You’re looking to Jesus because of his strength. We are weak, but He is strong.

So then what is happening in the verses we just read? Jesus asks them if they believe that HE is able, and they said yes. Then according to their faith in Jesus, they were healed.

Jesus is the healer. These two men believed that Jesus could heal them. They didn’t believe that they could heal themselves. They came to Jesus because they whole heartedly believed that he could do it.

Take notice that in verse 28 Jesus directly asks “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” It is the strength of Jesus that is able to heal, not the inner-magnitude of your own belief. Granted, faith is a requirement, we can’t expect to receive anything if we doubt that God exists, but it’s not the strength of our inner will power that heals. If we believe in Jesus, we can ask for healing and it is he who can heal us.

But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)

Verses 30-31

And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!” But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout the land.

Commentary

After Jesus heals the blind men, he tells them not to tell anyone. Why did Jesus say that? Why shouldn’t they tell everyone?

This is a difficult verse to interpret. In researching it, I reviewed what four different pastors had to say about this verse and each of them had a different interpretation. And I didn’t care for any of their interpretations.

So, I’m going to tell you what I think these verses might mean. But understand that my interpretation is just one of many.

First, I take notice of the fact that they came calling out to him as “Son of David”. My suspicion is that these two blind men rightly knew that He was the Messiah. The second thing that I notice here is that because these two men did not keep quiet, news about Jesus spread throughout the land.

Remember the last time Jesus told a man not to tell anyone? It was a man with leprosy which Jesus healed. Jesus then told him to go and show himself to the priest, but to not tell anyone else along the way. I had interpreted that as meaning that the leper went out and told many other lepers what had happened, and that contagious lepers began following Jesus everywhere. Therefore, people in cities and towns would likely not want those types of people coming into their living spaces. Thus, Jesus had to remain in solitary places.

In this scenario I believe this is about his timing and timeline. Because his time had not yet come. Jesus appears to consistently control the pace at which His identity was revealed. If His miracles were broadcast too widely, opposition from religious leaders would intensify prematurely and his ministry could be cut short before its intended completion.

Jesus is working a timetable. News that he is the Messiah, spreading throughout the land might disrupt his time line, perhaps forcing him to make adjustments to his coming and goings in order to get himself back on schedule.

Verses 32-33

As they were leaving, a demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

Commentary

I believe that all of these casting out of demons and the healings of various people, and the performing of miracles, serve to demonstrate and prove that Jesus is the Messiah. It may sound like I just contradicted what I said a moment ago about Jesus not wanting the news that he is the Messiah to spread too quickly throughout the land. Now, I’m suggesting that Jesus is seeking to prove that he is the Messiah.

Jesus doesn’t want all of Israel declaring Him the Messiah too soon. He doesn’t want that to happen until the day he enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

In the meantime, however, he does want those who put their faith in him to know that He is the Messiah. Remember what happened when John the Baptist was in prison and he began to doubt himself? He sent some friends to Jesus to ask “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?” In other words, John is saying, “Hey, I wasn’t expecting to end up in prison. So I just want to double check; “Are you the Messiah?”

And look at how Jesus responds. He doesn’t simply say “Yes I am”. Rather he says,

“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

To those that believe in him, Jesus wants to demonstrate that he is the Messiah. That is the reason he is performing all these miracles, so that his disciples and John the Baptist, and everyone that puts their faith in him will believe that he is the Messiah. And guess what, that also includes you and I today. Jesus performed all those miracles back then, knowing that today you and I would read the Bible and conclude that Jesus was the Messiah. So, Him proving that he is the Messiah is as much for our benefit today as it was for the benefit of his disciples and John the Baptist back then. But the same was not true for his adversaries. Remember Jesus said,
“The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ (Matthew 13:11-13)

Verses 34

But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”

Commentary

But no amount of evidence is going to persuade the Pharisees. They have made up their minds that Jesus is their enemy and they intend to stick to that, no matter what they witness or what evidence is presented. Even when people are raised from the dead, it will not change their minds.

This is still true today in many different scenarios. People can decide, before viewing the evidence, what they are and are not going to believe. For example, a scientist who, in his youth, decided in his heart that there is no God, will, throughout his career, dismiss all the obvious evidence that points to creation, no matter how strong that evidence may be. He will instead only consider and accept evidence that points to evolution over millions of years, no matter how flimsy that evidence may be.

Frank Turek will sometimes ask the atheists he speaks with, “If Christianity were true, would you accept it?” and the atheists sometimes respond, “No”. And so we see that still today, there are people who will reject Jesus Christ no matter what is presented to them. They are the pigs before whom pearls are cast.

Verses 35-37

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

Commentary

Jesus knew that this was too much work for one man, let alone twelve men.

Imagine 2,000 years ago what the human population on earth was. Most estimates put it at around 300 million. That’s basically the population of the United States today, except imagine that population spread out across the entire earth.

Today, however, there are 8 billion people on earth. Way more than in Jesus’s time. 68% of the human population today lives in non-Christian countries. Therefore, how much more relevant and applicable is Jesus’s prayer request today for more workers than it was during his own time?
Pray for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with others in your own community. The whole reason why you live where you do is because God has called you to be a light to that location.

Don’t you think it’s strange how a person ends up living where they do? For example, I have never been to Kenton Oklahoma,

but it has a population of 31 people. It’s in the middle of nowhere. How does a person end up living there?

How does any person end up living where they do? Of all the places where you could live, how did you end up living in the town where you currently live? It’s because God wants you to be a light to that town. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray that God would make you a worker that brings light to your town. Pray for opportunities to share good news with other people. Get plugged into a good church that teaches the truth of God’s word and then, once you have vetted that it is, in fact, a good church, volunteer there so that the worship experience of the other people visiting the church is optimal. Remember that not everyone sitting in the pews at church is saved. Tithe to your church so that they have the resources to maintain the building and to invite more people to attend.

Also, pray for opportunities to financially support those who are actively engaged in spreading the gospel, such as missionaries. Almost every church supports at least one missionary. Go to your church and find out who the missionaries are that your church is supporting and then add to that support.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-3

When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Commentary

The man with leprosy asked to be healed. Jesus touched him and immediately the leprosy was gone and he was healed. Think about what this implies at the cellular scale. Leprosy is a skin disease caused by a bacteria. In today’s modern medicine, a person with leprosy would take antibiotics over a period of time, which would kill the bacteria. Then the skin would have to heal itself over time, likely leaving behind scars. But Jesus healed the leper instantly. The implication is that God is able to act outside the laws of our physical world.

Isaac Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force. But when God instantly healed the leper, how were the bacteria removed from the man’s body? How were the cells of his skin instantly made new without the cells having to regrow?

Furthermore, in some cases, untreated leprosy can cause an individual to lose extremities such as fingers, toes or their ears. If this particular person who came to Jesus had, let’s say, missing fingers due to his leprosy, God, in healing him, instantly made matter out of nothing, and then made that matter living tissue and seamlessly reconnected it to his hand so that he had all of his fingers back again.

The point that I want you to come away with, is that nothing is impossible for God. He can even operate outside the laws of physics. He can create anything, out of nothing. He can make life from nothing; at any time he chooses. Knowing this then, can you believe that God is able to help you in your time of need?

But what if God doesn’t help you? Then can you believe that God has a greater plan for you?

Verse 4

Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”

Commentary

To understand Matthew 8:4, we need to “properly divide the word of truth” by reading the parallel account in Mark 1:40-45

Then a leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him, and the man was cleansed. Jesus promptly sent him away with a stern warning: “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter. (Mark 1:40-45)

Why did Jesus say to the man, “See that you don’t tell anyone”? Because after the man went and told everyone, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view but had to remain in solitary places. I strongly suspect that this man told other lepers that Jesus had healed his leprosy. As a result, dozens, perhaps hundreds of lepers, along with people suffering from all kinds of diseases were likely desperately pursuing Jesus, hoping to be healed. This may be the reason he could no longer enter a town. Lepers were social outcasts because their disease was contagious and no one wanted a leper in their town.

Verses 5-13

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him, “Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.” “I will go and heal him,” Jesus replied.

The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Commentary

Again, as stated before, this demonstrates that nothing is impossible for God. Jesus didn’t even need to go to the centurion’s house. He didn’t need to see or touch the servant in order to heal him. God is omnipresent.

But I want to focus for a moment on Jesus’s response. He said,

“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Who comes from the east and the west? That’s you and I! People who are not from Israel. The sons of the kingdom are the Jewish people. We know that from the time they left Egypt, all the way up to the time of Jesus they have not walked in faith. And after Jesus Christ, all the way until today, 97% of the Jewish people in Israel, reject Jesus as their Messiah.

If you are Jewish, I want you to know that following Jesus Christ does not mean abandoning your Jewish identity. Jesus Himself was Jewish, as were all of His disciples. If you are Jewish, I encourage you to read Isaiah 53 in your own Tanakh and consider carefully whom that passage is describing.

Verses 14-15

When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.

Commentary

When you and I recover from a fever, we may often feel tired or worn down for hours or even a couple of days after the fever has left. But when Jesus touched Peter’s mother-in-law, she instantly felt fine and was able to get up and serve him. Again, nothing is impossible for God.

When it says she began to serve him, I am picturing in my mind that she served him some food or perhaps something to drink. But in the broader picture, we see that God enables us to serve him.

We don’t earn salvation by doing good deeds. Salvation is by faith. It is then through faith that God enables us to do good deeds. In other words, good deeds do not draw us closer to God. Good deeds are the result of God touching us and enabling us to get up and serve him. Ask Jesus to enable you to serve him.

Verses 16-17

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

Commentary

Demon possession. What is that about? Demons are basically evil angels. They are the ones who got kicked out of heaven when Lucifer rebelled. Now, it appears that these demons have the ability to enter into a person and afterward have tremendous demonic influence over that person.

However, light and dark can not exist in the same place, at the same time. It is impossible for a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit, to be demon possessed. When you walk into a dark room and flip on the light, what happens? The darkness fleas. Again, light and darkness can not occupy the same place at the same time, so ask Jesus to give you the Holy Spirit and then you will be filled with light.

We also see in these verses that Jesus has total authority over the demonic world. When Jesus tells a demon to leave, it leaves. Don’t picture Jesus and Satan as being equal opposing forces. Rather, Jesus has all authority. Satan is nothing compared to Jesus.

Jesus was casting out demons and healing the sick in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

That’s from Isaiah chapter 53. That’s what I was just referring to a moment ago. 700 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah talked about the coming Jewish Messiah. Isaiah was referring to Jesus.

Verse 18

When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.

Commentary

Jesus is trying to get away from the crowds, probably to get some rest or to be able to speak privately with his disciples.

Verses 19-20

And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.

Commentary

First of all, congratulations to this scribe for going out and finding Jesus and telling him he would follow him anywhere. The scribes and the pharisees were notoriously opposed to Jesus. This particular scribe was willing to reject the position of all his colleagues and apparently wasn’t concerned with how it would affect his career. Jesus lets him know that the journey may not be comfortable for him.

And for you and I, the journey of following Jesus Christ into eternal life may not always be comfortable. There may be times that it becomes a rough ride. You may have to make uncomfortable sacrifices. For example, let’s say a young woman makes the decision to follow Jesus. Her unbelieving boyfriend then dumps her and her heart is broken as a result. But I tell you, give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ that you were able to so easily get rid of that dumb schlub. Yes, your heart is broken because you got dumped. But just know that Jesus has someone out there for you who will be to you a gift from God.

Verses 21-22

Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Commentary

I recall first reading this verse as a teenager and thinking Jesus was unkind to deny this man the time to attend his father’s funeral. However, somewhere along the way (I think in my early 30’s) I heard a pastor’s sermon in which he concluded that this disciple’s father was not yet dead. That this individual was telling Jesus he would follow him a few years from then, after his elderly father eventually passes away.

I feel this is probably the better interpretation. And Jesus responds by telling the disciple to come follow him now.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion. (Hebrews 3:15)

Verses 23-27

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Commentary

What kind of man is this? He is God! That’s who. The fact that the winds and the seas obey Jesus’s commands, fully demonstrates that Jesus is not just a good teacher, a wonderful prophet, or merely a nice man. Jesus Christ is God.

Skeptics and scoffers will often say that Jesus never claimed to be God; a statement that is blatantly false. However, even if that were true, Jesus did not need to make the claim verbally. His actions demonstrate that he is God. Calming the wind and waves, healing the sick, raising the dead, and His transfiguration are all works far beyond the ability of any mere man. Through these acts, Jesus shows us that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). Jesus is God. Praise the Lord!

Verses 28-34

When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” “Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.

Those tending the pigs ran off into the town and reported all this, including the account of the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.

Commentary

Just taking a cursory read of these verses, several things stand out to me:
1. The demons instantly recognized that Jesus was the Son of God.
2. The demons incorrectly assume Jesus was there to torture them.
3. The demon possessed men were so violent that no one could pass that way, yet when Jesus is passing that way, these ultra-violent demons are seen begging Jesus. Therefore, it would appear that they are totally powerless against Jesus and they are fully aware of their powerlessness before Him.
4. The demons know there is an appointed time for them to be tortured (i.e. cast into the lake of fire).
5. The demons also know that this particular day is “before” the appointed time.
6. The demons had to ask to be sent into the herd of pigs. Is the implication that they couldn’t go into the pigs on their own?
7. Why did they want to go into the pigs?
8. The entire herd of pigs drowned in the water and died. So what then happened to the demons? Did the demons not consider that the pigs might do this? Were the demons unable to control or manipulate the pigs’ behavior? (i.e. were the demons unable to prevent the pigs from drowning themselves?)
9. The town’s people beg Jesus to leave. Why? Are they scared of him? If the pigs were their livelihood, perhaps they feared additional loss if Jesus remained in their town.

The fact that the demons recognize who Jesus is, but wrongly assume he’s there to torture them demonstrates that even demonic forces don’t fully understand the will of God. Probably from the time they got kicked out of heaven, they haven’t understood the will of God and while in heaven, being led by Satan, wanted to exalt themselves above God.

What they do understand, however, is the power that God has and that they are powerless before Him. Probably the lessen they learned after getting themselves kicked out of heaven. This is a valuable lesson for us to understand also. Satan and his demonic forces have zero power over you, if, like Jesus, you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Light and darkness can not abide together in the same place. Light always pushes darkness away. Just this past week, I was at a church building on a weekday. I had not been in this building before. The church secretary told me I needed to go to the end of the hallway and turn left. When I got to the end of that hallway and looked to my left, it was absolutely pitch black. I couldn’t tell if I was about to walk into a wall or hit my face on a closed door. It was pitch black. I felt along the wall and found the light switch. When I flipped the switch, the darkness instantly vanished and I could see every detail of what was before me in the hallway. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with light. The powers of darkness no longer have any hold over you.

The Bible says:

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36).

Yet these demons know that this particular day was “before” the appointed time. How do they know this?

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door (Matthew 24:32-33)

So we can conclude that the demons, although they don’t know the day or the hour, they do, however, know the signs of the times and they were aware that this particular day was not the day of the Lord.

Why did the demons ask for the pigs and why did they need to ask at all? I suspect that the very reason they were begging was because they knew Jesus had the power to bind them into hell. Elsewhere in the Bible it describes some demons who are prisoners in hell and do not have the freedom to move about the earth.

And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day. (Jude 1:6)

I suspect that these demons believed Jesus was going to bind them in hell, so they begged for an alternative. The closest thing to them was the herd of pigs, so they begged for that and Jesus agreed. However, the pigs immediately drowned themselves. By the way, did you know that pigs are excellent swimmers? Why did the pigs drown? I think Jesus intended to bind these demons into hell no matter what. He gave them permission to enter the pigs but then immediately killed the pigs. I am assuming after the pigs died, the demons were then bound in hell until the day of judgement. But then why did God kill all the pigs? My hunch is that there was a greater work which Jesus wanted to do in the people of the Gadarenes. Yes, they came out and asked him to leave, but he’s going to come back to them later.

Commentary Matthew 7

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Click here to access the group bible study resource for Matthew 7.

Verses 1-5

“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Commentary

These verses are not instructions on how to treat others, but rather a lesson on how to think critically about your own sins.

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?”

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably heard nonbelievers use the verse “Do not judge” to defend their own sinful lifestyles. They often respond to someone sharing the gospel by saying, “You’re supposed to be a Christian; Jesus said, ‘Do not judge,’ so why are you judging me?”

People who reject Jesus Christ often quote Him when confronted about their sins, saying, “Do not judge.” But you cannot reject Jesus and then use the words of Jesus to justify your rejection of Him; that makes no sense. Either you accept His words or you don’t. If you’re going to use Jesus’s words when defending your sin, then you must also accept what Jesus said about everything else. Don’t be a hypocrite. Either accept Him or reject Him; but you can’t do both. You cannot use Jesus’s words for the purpose of rejecting Jesus’s words.

But as mentioned a moment ago, the statement “Do not judge” is not meant as an instruction on how to treat others. Every Christian knows you cannot take the Bible out of context. Once you remove a verse from its context, you lose its true meaning.

Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. You can’t simply pull three words out of a 45-minute message and use them as the foundation for your personal theology. You have to consider the entire message; what was Jesus really talking about? What point was He making?

The meaning of these verses is a call to personal introspection; to examine your own sins first. Jesus is urging each of us to look inward, to evaluate our own lives, and to turn away from the wrong things we do.

“First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

What was the very first thing Jesus preached in his ministry?

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus wants us to turn from our evil ways. Remember, if you truly love Him, you’ll desire to live in alignment with God’s will rather than your own.

Again, when Jesus says, “First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” He is teaching us that we are supposed to judge other people’s sins in order to help them, not to condemn them. But we can only do this after we’ve dealt with the greater sin in our own lives.

My friend may have a speck in his eye (a small sin), but I have a beam in my own eye (a much larger sin). Before I can speak to him about removing his small sin, I must first deal with the bigger sin in my own life.

So before we continue, let’s review how we can remove a particular sin from our lives.
Maybe you’re struggling with a bad habit or a secret sin that you truly want to overcome. How do you do that?

I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

First, the bad news: sin is bound in the flesh. It’s like an ugly tattoo you can’t wash off. You’re stuck with it.

But here’s the good news: Jesus took your sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. Three days later, when He rose from the dead, He defeated both sin and death. And when He ascended into heaven, He poured out the Holy Spirit upon all who put their faith in Him.

The secret to overcoming habitual sin is to place your faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can remove sin from your life. When we follow Christ, He fills us with the Holy Spirit, which brings us into a new and transformed life.

Verse 6

Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Commentary

Now Jesus begins offering us advice on how to treat other people. When we point out the speck in someone’s eye; in other words, when we tell others about their sins and their need for Jesus Christ, there will be some who are so vehemently opposed to the gospel that it’s of no value to keep trying to talk to them about God. Jesus said,

“And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.” (Matthew 10:14)

Verses 7-11

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Commentary

What is the “it” that Jesus is referring to? He’s talking about the Holy Spirit. If you ask for the Holy Spirit, you will receive the Holy Spirit. If you knock, the door will be opened for you to receive the Holy Spirit. And if you seek the Holy Spirit, God will allow you to find the Holy Spirit.

In my opinion, this is one of the most critical verses in the New Testament. Salvation comes by faith, and those who truly have faith receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Later in this chapter, we’ll read how, on the Day of Judgment, many who call themselves Christians will hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” He will be referring to those who were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, God knows us because He lives within us. The phrase “I never knew you” does not suggest that God is ignorant or unaware of certain people; He is both omniscient and omnipresent. Rather, when Jesus says, “Depart from Me; I never knew you,” He is referring to those who never placed their faith in Him and therefore were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

Those who claim the name of Christ yet are never filled with the Holy Spirit have no excuse, because all they ever had to do was ask, seek, and knock; and they would have received the Holy Spirit. But since they never placed their faith in Jesus or believed His words about asking, seeking, and knocking, they never received Him.

Most people without the Holy Spirit don’t recognize their need for Jesus. They believe they’ll go to heaven simply because they’re “a good person.” This, however, is pride. The Bible says that…

pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18a)

In my opinion, this is the dividing line between those Christians who are saved and those who will hear Jesus say, “I never knew you.” The difference is the infilling of the Holy Spirit through faith. Many who call themselves Christians will not enter the kingdom of heaven because they never truly knew Christ; they were never filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself said that many will come to Him on that day saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” proving that they wrongly believed they could enter heaven through their good works while bypassing a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

Think about it this way: when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, God begins to speak to you in various ways and through different means. From that point on, He can no longer say that He never knew you. He spoke to you. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit and, through His power, have personal interactions with God (in other words, you have a relationship with Jesus Christ), then on the Day of Judgment, He could not say, “I never knew you” because you could respond, “Wait a minute, Lord, don’t You remember when You spoke to me back in July of 2025? We had a conversation. I prayed, and You answered. How can You say You never knew me?”

The infilling of the Holy Spirit leads to a relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship should give the believing Christian full confidence that Christ knows them personally.

If you have not yet received the Holy Spirit, ask, seek, and knock daily:
• Ask: “Lord, may I have the Holy Spirit?”
• Seek: Read the word of God daily, get plugged into a Bible study group where people who are spiritually wiser than yourself can help you to understand the nuances of what you’re reading.
• Knock: Don’t just ask and seek one time and that’s it. Be like the person from Luke chapter eleven.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’

And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:5-10)

Verse 12

In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

Commentary

It’s astonishing to me that our world is so evil.

From 1915 to 1917 the Ottoman Empire murdered 1.5 million Armenians. From 1922 to 1952 Joseph Stalin murdered 6 million people in Russia. The same people he was supposed to represent as their leader. Likewise, from 1934 to 1945 Adolf Hitler murdered 6 million people. Between 1943 and 1976 Mao Zedong murdered 80 million Chinese people. Between 1971 and 1979 Idi Amin murdered half a million people. Between 1975 and 1979 Pol Pot murdered 25% of Cambodia’s population, roughly 2.8 million people. In 1994 the Hutu people murdered 800,000 of their neighbors the Tutsi people.

In writing that previous list, I chose to include only figures from the 20th century and excluded any genocide in which fewer than half a million people were killed. But rest assured, that list could have been much, much longer.

And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Satan deceives the whole world. Every single one of the murderers just mentioned thought they were doing the right thing. Why? Because they were deceived by Satan.

To be a follower of Jesus Christ; to put your faith in Jesus Christ, you must believe that what Jesus said is true. To not do what Jesus said is to demonstrate that you don’t fully trust Him.

Faith equals trust. Putting your faith in Jesus Christ means that you trust Him and that trust extends to believing what he said.

Jesus said that the essence of all the law and all the prophets is that you treat other people the way you want to be treated.

To the man who hits his wife, I ask this question: Do you want to be punched in the face? No? Well then stop hitting your wife. You lack the Holy Spirit. That’s why you have anger issues. Pray to the Lord and ask him to give you the Holy Spirit.

To the man who is too busy to spend quality time with his children. Do you want other people to ignore you? No? Well then turn off your electronics at 5:00 and sit down on the floor with your little children and play with them. They are your ministry.

To the woman who has a habit of gossiping about other people, I ask: Do you want people to talk about you behind your back? No? Well then stop gossiping and start praying for those people you otherwise talk about.

Why is this so hard? If you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will choose to treat people in the same way you want to be treated, with patience, courtesy and kindness, everywhere you go.

Verses 13-14

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Commentary

The wide gate is referring to hell. The use of the word destruction is also a reference to hell. Many people go to hell.

Enter through the narrow gate. Enter where? Enter what? What is he talking about? He’s talking about heaven, salvation, eternal life. The narrow gate is Jesus Christ.

Salvation is not exclusive to Christians. Paul wrote;

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Both Jewish people and Christians can be saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. For the Jewish person, if you believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and if you put your faith in Jesus as your messiah, you will be saved. Think about it this way: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and Peter were all Jewish.

The entire Bible, from cover to cover was written by Jewish people, except for Daniel chapter 4, which was written by King Nebuchadnezzar. He was the only non-Jewish person to write part of the Bible.

Jesus Christ was not a Christian. He was Jewish. Remember, the gospel is the power of God for salvation first to the Jew and then to the Christian.

And as for Christians, it’s not enough to mentally acknowledge the existence of Jesus. It’s not enough to become a member of a church or of a denomination. It’s not enough to read the Bible from cover to cover and then place a checkmark on your goal sheet.

Many Christians will go to hell because they believed their good deeds would get them into heaven. This is the reason why the way that leads to life is narrow and small and few people find it, because it’s counter intuitive. It doesn’t make sense in a world where one has to earn everything they have.

Jesus Christ died for you. He died in place of you. He took your spot on the cross. Anyone who rejects faith in Christ, continues onward toward death and hell. But those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, have their sins taken up by Christ. Those sins are nailed to the cross. It is your sins that are put to death with Christ, so that you can live.

Verses 15-20

Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Commentary

Just a moment ago, Jesus told us that the way to life is narrow and that few people find it. Even among Christians, pastors, priests, and religious leaders, only a few will find eternal life. Now, Jesus is warning us to watch out for false teachers.

This is what I often advise: when you begin attending a church that’s new to you, I strongly recommend placing the pastor on probation for the first six months. Be ever seeing and ever perceiving. Verify through Scripture that what your pastor is preaching is true. Remember, false doctrine is deceptive, it often sounds good when you first hear it, but later, when you study your Bible and reflect, you begin to realize that something isn’t right.

Jesus said that by their fruit you will recognize them. Think of the old story about United States Secret Service agents learning to spot counterfeit money; not by studying the fakes, but by becoming thoroughly familiar with real money. It’s the same with Christian doctrine. To recognize bad fruit, you first need to know what good fruit looks like. That’s why reading the Bible is essential.

I suggest, as a matter of practicality, that you spend more time in the New Testament than in the Old. Consider reading the New Testament twice for every time you read the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is very valuable, and you should read it. But the New Testament is where the message of Jesus Christ is most clearly revealed and where the doctrines of the Christian faith are spelled out. A false teacher isn’t going to try to confuse you over whether Jethro was Moses’s father-in-law. Instead, they will try to mislead you about the doctrines established in the New Testament.

If you’re a new Christian seeking to read the entire Bible, start with the New Testament before moving on to the Old Testament. I’ve heard, perhaps a dozen times, of new Christians who set a goal to read the whole Bible for the first time. Logically, they start at the beginning; the Old Testament. But by the time they reach the book of Numbers, which is almost entirely census data, land measurements, and architectural specifications, they grow bored and quit reading the Bible altogether. Many never return, carrying the impression for the rest of their lives that the Bible is a long, boring read; unaware that they missed the very best of its message by only a few hundred pages.

So, let’s come back to the verse in question. Jesus said “beware of false prophets”. We need to define what false doctrine is.

Because everything in life can be represented on a bell curve that has two extremes, in this example, one extreme of the bell curve are those who claim everyone in the pulpit is a servant of God and we should try to learn from everyone. They’ll argue “who are you to question other people’s credentials.”

On the other extreme of the bell curve are those who use the label “false teacher” too aggressively. They might denounce even the most biblically faithful and humble pastors as false teachers simply because of a minor disagreement in Biblical interpretation; often on secondary and non-essential matters. This creates division within the body of Christ and can reveal a person more concerned with pridefully winning arguments than seeking the truth in love. Not every disagreement is evidence of false doctrine; sometimes it’s just a difference in perspective among sincere students of God’s Word.

I don’t agree with everything my pastor says, but it doesn’t cause me to quit the church. Likewise, you also are not going to agree with every single thing your pastor says. But don’t label him a false teacher just because he thinks tithes should be paid from pre-tax income rather than from post-tax income.

So what exactly are false prophets, false teachers and false doctrine? And what exactly is not considered false doctrine?

Jesus says, in these verses we are now examining, “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

The trouble with false teachers and false doctrine is that no one ever walked into the pulpit and announced, “I’m now going to teach you false doctrine.”

Instead, false teachers are in sheep’s clothing. False teachers come to you looking like they’re on your team. False doctrine is often very subtle and requires that you are paying attention, and that you know your Bible well. Most false teachers will preach a mixture of truth and lies. This is why I recommend giving yourself at least six months of attending a church before making any commitment to becoming a member, because it might take you that long to identify the subtlety of false doctrine.

When you are in church, write down every verse the pastor references. Then during the rest of the week, when you’re at home doing your own personal Bible study, look up each of the verses he referenced in his sermon. Read them in the proper context and see if what he said about those verses line up with what the verses actually mean.

Here are a few examples of false doctrine. This is not a complete list:
• Jesus was just a good teacher or prophet, but not divine
• Jesus sinned
• Jesus made mistakes – and the pastor claims to know what Jesus should have done (revealing that he or she considers themselves more righteous than Jesus).
• Jesus did not rise from the dead
• The Bible has errors in it and they (the false teacher) are going to tell you what the Bible should have said.
• Every Christian that has ever lived, has interpreted the Bible incorrectly, but now (the false teacher) is the only one whose been able to figure out what it actually means.
• You must follow and obey the pastor rather than Jesus.
• Everyone goes to heaven
o Hell is empty, or there’s no such thing as hell
o People are inherently good
• You must do something to earn your salvation
o That your spiritual standing depends on adherence to man-made rules
• New revelations supersede the Bible
• That you personally, possess some sort of magical or God-like powers.
o That you can speak things into existence, such as health, wealth, happiness and success.
• That God is going to give you the desires of your flesh
o Wealth
o Fame
o Success
• That God will give you what you desire only after you give money to the pastor.
o Or that the pastor “needs” something extravagant or impractical, such as a sports car or a mansion.
• Salvation is only found in a specific denomination
o Other sincere, Christ following believers, will go to hell merely because they attend church at a different denomination.

Also, be aware that false teachers have a low view of the Bible. They do not honor the Word of God. They rarely encourage their congregation to read it, and some even discourage it. A false teacher may go through entire sermons without ever referencing the Bible, or worse, may openly criticize it. Whenever you hear a pastor say that the Bible is wrong, that it contains errors, or that you shouldn’t be reading it, you can know immediately that you are dealing with a false teacher. False teachers always have a low view of Scripture.

Now let’s look at what is not false doctrine. You might agree with some of these and disagree with others. However, if you hear one of the following being taught in a church, and you disagree with it, it may be your preference to go to a different church or you might choose to continue attending that church while keeping your disagreements to yourself.
• Spiritual Gifts
• Cessationism
• Church leadership, roles and responsibilities
• Christian engagement in culture
• Bible Interpretation
o predestination vs. free will
o Pre-tribulation rapture vs. mid-trib or post-trib
• Preferred Bible translations
• Christian Liberty
o Is it okay for Christians to drink alcohol in moderation?
o Can Christians watch secular movies or listen to secular music?
o Are tattoos or piercings sinful?
o Degrees of modesty in clothing

These are just a few examples, but it all comes down to not majoring in the minors. My pastor might believe or preach something I disagree with, but my position is that while I don’t share his view, I’m not going to accuse him of being wrong. I simply keep it to myself.

Verses 21-23

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Commentary

These verses are evidence that not everyone who claims the name of Christ is saved.

Jesus says, “only those who do the will of my father in heaven will be saved” Well, what is the will of the father in heaven that we must do? The answer is to put our faith in Jesus Christ.

For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

Eternal life means that when you “die”, you will continue to live. You will be in the presence of the Lord. And then, on the last day, you will be resurrected back into your body, which will be without blemish, pain, old age or illness.

I am talking about things which we will get to in detail as we progress through the New Testament. But for now, let me simplify the whole thing. By putting your faith in Jesus Christ, you will live forever. If you do not put your faith in Jesus Christ, you will die.

Now, again, that’s a very simplistic explanation, and we will get into the details in future installments. But for now, just know that everyone who looks to Jesus and believes in Him shall have eternal life.

Eternal means you will live forever.

Verses 24-27

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Commentary

Remember, we always try our best to read the Bible in context. And just five seconds ago Jesus was saying that many Christians will come to him on the day of judgement and say, we performed all these acts and good deeds in your name. But he is going to say, “I never knew you, depart from me.”

Now, the very next thing Jesus says is “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is wise”. Therefore, that which Jesus is saying is wise, is not performing acts of good deeds in an attempt to earn salvation.

When Jesus says, everyone who hears these words of mine, what words is he referring to? Doing the will of the Father by putting one’s faith in his son, Jesus Christ.

Remember, faith is not merely a mental acknowledgment of historical facts and persons. Rather faith is putting complete trust in Jesus Christ. In your prayers, ask Jesus to help you have faith and to help you trust in him and his word.

Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

We just read a few moments ago that the path to life is narrow and few people find it. So ask Jesus to help you find that path.

Verses 28-29

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Commentary

Jesus taught as one who had authority because Jesus is the ultimate authority.

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verse 1

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Commentary

Up until about the 1950’s the word men was understood to mean all human beings rather than just males. So when Jesus, 2,000 years ago, said do not perform righteous acts before men, he meant “before people”. This could just as easily be a woman performing her righteous acts before other women. The verse is not speaking only to males. It’s referring to people. There are some versions of the Bible which have sought to replace the word men with the word people. The modern NIV and the NLT both do this. Regardless of what version of the Bible you read, just know that when it says things such as “if you forgive men their trespasses”, what it’s referring to is mankind, meaning people. Language changes over time. This is why having different Bible translations is beneficial, as well as having study bibles and other resources.

Performing your righteous acts in order to be seen by other people is an easy error for any Christian to stumble into. The reason is that advancement in business and culture is based nearly entirely on merit and who you know. To advance in nearly any aspect of this life, from high school team sports to employment, and throughout your entire career; it requires that someone of authority above you, notices your hard work, talent and good deeds. Only then might they choose to advance you into a better position of more responsibility, higher pay or greater authority. That’s the world we live in.

But when it comes to Christianity, God doesn’t want you to try to impress other people with your acts of righteousness and good deeds. Performing righteous acts to be seen by other people is a form of bragging. it’s source, therefore, is pride.

God, however, wants us to rely upon Him rather than on our own abilities and talents.

Furthermore, salvation is by faith, not by performing good deeds and righteous acts.

Verse 2

So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

Commentary

Imagine there’s a person who volunteers at a food pantry where he helps to feed homeless people. That’s very kind and very charitable of him. But then when he attends his church’s prayer meeting, he asks that people pray for this food pantry where he volunteers. He describes to the members of his prayer group how he volunteers there and the work that he does.

His request for prayer, however, is a disguise. What he’s actually doing is letting his whole church know that he gives to the needy and serves the hungry. His boasting is disguised as a request for prayer.

Now let me be clear. This is a hypothetical example. There are lots of people who are both sincere with their prayer request, and sincere about the ways in which they serve others, including those who serve food to the homeless. Again, this is a hypothetical example of an individual who serves in order to receive recognition. It’s his opportunity to brag.

The objective should be to check your heart. Analyze your motivation. If you want recognition for your righteous deeds, don’t bother to do them.

Verses 3-4

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Commentary

Let’s be clear, the objective here is not total anonymity. The objective rather, is to not seek glory for yourself.

Here’s an example: If somehow someone secretly deposited a large amount of money into my bank account, upon discovering it, I would assume the bank made an error and I would go immediately to the bank teller to inform them that there’s been a mistake and that, that money should not be in my account. Because if you’ve ever experienced this type of bank error before, (which I have) you know that the bank is going to figure out their mistake, and they’re going to take that money back again. So if you’ve already spent it when they come looking for it, you’re going to be in big trouble!

Most good deeds can not be done in complete secrecy or totally anonymous. Good deeds often require the cooperation of others in order to bring about their fruition. For example, if you want to pay a needy family’s electricity bill, you have to call the electricity company and let them know of your intent to pay that family’s bill.

Another example; if you wanted to give $100 to a needy family at church. You have to go to the pastor or church deacons and ask them if there are any needy families at church. How else are you going to find out about such people? Then, you would have to give instructions to the church treasurer that the money you are giving anonymously is supposed to go to those people. The church treasurer is not a mind-reader, you have to tell him or her what you are doing. But the point that Jesus is making is that you must not seek to be honored and recognized for your good deeds. You are not announcing to everyone what you are doing. As much as is possible, do your good deeds in secret. When you need to enlist the cooperation of others, do so without trying to exalt yourself.

Verses 5-6

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Commentary

The same applies when it comes to prayer. If you are seeking to be honored by the people around you, or are trying to impress people with your self-perceived holiness, you’re doing it wrong! Prayer is about having a relationship with God. Praying in order to receive praises from people is one aspect of using the Lord’s name in vain.

Jesus is giving an example not a recipe. The objective here is not to suggest that the only legitimate prayers are ones delivered from inside a closet. We pray at church as a congregation, we pray in fellowship at our bible study, We pray with other people who have various needs. The point is not the act of locking yourself in a closet, although you can do that if the closet is a favorite place to pray, the point, however, is that you are not praying for the purpose of trying to impress other people.

The point of what Jesus is saying is not that you must be in a closet. His point is that you are not performing theater.

Verses 7-8

And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Commentary

Again, the Christian faith is about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. The pagans in Jesus’s time thought that by babbling on and on with their many words, they could somehow force God to hear them. That is not what God is looking for.

Verses 9-13

So then, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Commentary

Jesus offers an example of how to pray. However, this is not a formula. It’s a template. The irony from verse 7 is that some Christian churches will stand to their feet and recite the Lord’s prayer every Sunday as a memorized babbling chant. I recall visiting a church and receiving the impression that the people sounded robotic when they recited the Lord’s prayer.

When we examine the Lord’s prayer bit by bit, what do we see happening?

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.’ – This is giving praise to God.

‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ – We are seeking God’s will above our own.

‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ – We want to rely upon God for our sustenance, provision and needs.

‘forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’ – This is asking the Lord to forgive us of our sins and reminding ourselves that we also must forgive those who sin against us.

‘lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ – This is asking the Lord to be our guide as we walk through life and to be our shield to protect us from demonic influences.

So let’s review: Praise, God’s will, reliance on God, God’s provision, forgiveness, God’s leading and deliverance.

Notice that Jesus is giving an example of a prayer that is not a babbling, repetitive chant.

I often find humor in our group prayer meetings at church because there will almost always be someone who feels the need to explain to God the circumstances surrounding a prayer. Now, in reality, I understand that such explanations are for the benefit of the other people in the prayer group, so that they can know what it is they’re praying about, but it’s humorous to me that the background information is presented as part of the prayer as though God needs to be informed of something.

For example, someone might pray,

“Dear Lord, Marybeth fell on her steps at home last Tuesday and hurt her knee. Now the doctors are telling her she may need surgery, but she was planning to visit her grandchildren in Florida next week, and this surgery might force her to cancel that trip, so we come before you to pray for healing for Marybeth.”

My personal opinion is that if it’s necessary to give some background information to your prayer group members, do so before beginning to pray.

Verses 14-15

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.

Commentary

These two verses are a curiosity to me because if a person is saved, all their sins are forgiven. The Bible describes it this way:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

Therefore, if you are saved, in other words, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, even if you harbored some grudge against a person, (which is a sin) the Lord would forgive you of that sin. By putting our faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.

Again, as stated numerous times in this commentary, we can not earn salvation. Salvation is by faith. Thus, by rightly dividing the word of truth, we must dismiss the idea that verses 14 and 15 are interpreted as our sins being forgiven by our good deeds. That would be an error.

What then do these verses mean? Let’s think logically about this…whose sins will the heavenly father not forgive? Those who do not put their faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Jesus says “if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.” To whom is he referring? He must be talking about unsaved people. They are the only ones whose sins will not be forgiven. Therefore, we can conclude that those who forgive men their trespasses must themselves be those who have already put their faith in Christ.

So, I am interpreting these two verses as being a type of external hint regarding a man’s internal condition. For the past several paragraphs Jesus has been warning against performing righteous acts to be seen by men. But now it would seem he’s flipping the example by showing us not what is external, but what is internal. If you are unwilling to forgive someone who has wronged you, it may be an indication that you are not yet saved. You have not yet put your faith in Jesus Christ. Because anyone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ, will come to a point at which they are willing to forgive those who have wronged them.

Verses 16-18

When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Commentary

Again, as stated before, do not perform your righteous acts to be seen by men.

Verses 19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Commentary

Treasures on earth is an easy concept to understand. Anything that moth and rust can destroy or which thieves can steal could be considered a treasure.

If the intent of your heart is to place so much value on your material possessions that you’re inclined to store them up, they are to you a treasure.

For those of you who are young, let me tell you what a clothing moth is.

Clothing was once often made entirely of wool which comes from sheep, and there is a caterpillar that eats wool, that caterpillar turns into a moth. I’m now 53 years old, and when I was a little kid, (we’re talking about the late 1970’s and early 1980’s), I can remember that the homes of elderly people would often smell like moth balls. Which were like cotton balls covered with insecticide.

So it use to be, maybe just two or three generations ago, that without moth balls in the closet, a person would hang up a sweater at the end of winter and 6 months later when the weather started getting cold again, that person would reach to the back of their closet to pull out that sweater only to find it was full of holes because moths had gotten in there, laid eggs, and those caterpillars literally ate the sweater.

So Jesus is illustrating this example that moths can destroy expensive clothes and

Rust can destroy things made of metal.

So Jesus is saying “don’t set your heart upon storing up things that don’t last”.

My wife and I joke about middle-class America. Whenever you are walking or driving through a middle-class American neighborhood, and someone has their garage door open,

You’re likely to see that their garage has no room for cars because it’s filled with boxes of stuff. These things are stored up treasures that the home owner never uses. My observations have been that the same is not true for rich neighborhoods.

When the garage door of a large mansion is open, you’re likely to see only vehicles inside the garage. I could speculate on why this is, but that would be outside the scope of this commentary. The point I want to make is that it’s often the people who are not rich that choose to store up treasures in boxes filled with the stuff they never use.

There is a bible verse that says:

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me…(Matthew 10:37)

We will get to Matthew chapter ten very shortly, but in the context of this chapter, just know that if you love anything more than Jesus, you are not worthy of Jesus. Thus, the danger of storing up treasures on earth is that you may love them more than Jesus.

Jesus’s advice is to store up treasures in heaven. What are treasures in heaven? Jesus is suggesting that what we do in this life can lead to the storing up of treasures in heaven. What did Jesus ask us to do in this life? What could those treasures in heaven be? I believe they are eternal relationships. Jesus wants us to go out to all nations and share the gospel.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

So imagine this; in this life you make it a priority to either share the gospel with others or to financially support those who do. Rather than spending your money on treasures that you pack into boxes and store in your garage, instead, you use your money to support the spreading of the gospel. To support missionaries, printing Bibles into foreign languages, to provide scholarships for Bible school or seminary students, to give to gospel-centered nonprofits and charities, help finance church planting efforts, support prison ministries and hospital ministries, support christian media ministries and digital evangelism, contribute to christian radio, and tithe to your local church.

As a result of your efforts, people come into a relationship with Jesus Christ and then, at the end of their earthly life, they enter into the kingdom of heaven. Those same people, while in heaven, are going to come and find you, in heaven. They’re going to say “Thank you, because of what you did, we came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

From that time onward, forever and forever more, you and they will be the best of friends. Those eternal relationships will be to you a greater treasure than anything money can buy in this life.

 

Verses 22-23

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Commentary

These verses have been interpreted in two ways; the first way this verse is often interpreted is out of context with our discussion of storing up treasures but is none the less a good point.

The way in which you view the world will often determine if you are full of light or full of darkness. If you go around, all the time, seeing everything as negative; if you spend all your time complaining about everything and criticizing everyone, you will be full of darkness. However, if you choose to see the good things in life, to be kind and patient with people and to give thanks to the Lord in all circumstances, your whole body will be full of light.

Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

However, both before and after verses 22 and 23, Jesus was talking about material possessions, money and wealth. So it seems to make little sense that he would suddenly interrupt his line of thought with something concerning a different subject.

Prior to these verses he said, do not store up treasures on earth. After these verses he says we can’t serve both God and money. So then in that context, what could it mean that your eyes are light or dark and your body is filled with light or dark?

It could be a metaphor of generosity or stinginess. You see a person in need but you’re not willing to help them because you want to save up your money to buy a new boat. That stinginess leads to your whole body being filled with darkness.

Whereas, on the other hand, you see the needs of others and you’re willing to help, or contribute or to take the time out of your schedule. You will be filled with light. You are the light of Christ.

Verse 24

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Commentary

What you value most is what you will love the most. If you value money more than Jesus, you will end up loving money and despising Jesus.

Verses 25-34

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Commentary

Verse 25 begins with the word “therefore”, which means that what comes next is the conclusion drawn from what was previously stated. So let’s look back and review. Jesus said we can not serve both God and money, “therefore” he says, do not worry about your material needs.

He is now about to tell us that we shouldn’t worry about what we will eat, drink or what we will wear, in other words, our basic needs.

I personally define basic human needs as being: food, water, clothing, shelter, sleep, security, transportation, communication and relationships.

It appears to me that the overall idea being conveyed is that we should not prioritize above God, the earning of money for the meeting of our basic needs. We aren’t worried about making ends meet, instead, we are relying upon our heavenly father to be our provider.

By no means does this mean we can sit on the couch all day playing video games and expect God to act like our servant, balancing our checkbook, going through our mail, and paying our bills. Nor is God outside mowing our lawn or washing our car. He said;

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground…(Genesis 3:19a)

In Matthew thirteen, Jesus talks more about those who always worry.

“The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

If we prioritize money over God, and if we spend all our mental energy worrying about how we’re going to afford groceries and how we’re going to pay the bills, we are choking the word of God within us and are thus becoming unfruitful.

If, instead, we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things will be added to us as well. In other words, God is our provider. If we prioritize God over the pursuit of money and the worries of meeting our basic needs, we can have assurance that God will meet our needs.

Again, this doesn’t mean we can quit our jobs and just sit under a tree in the shade waiting for money to fall from the sky. We have to earn our living by the sweat of our brow. In other words, it’s God’s will that we work hard.

Although we are required to toil, there is no need to prioritize work and finances above God. God will meet our needs. We should trust in him more than we trust in the money we are trying to earn.

A critical part of your walk with Jesus Christ is learning how to rely upon Him rather than upon yourself. The God that is able to speak to the wind and the waves and have them obey, is the same God that can provide you with food, water, clothing, shelter, etc…

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8a)

Here is another way to interpret those verses and I tend to hold both of these interpretations together.

Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. There are a lot of people who go to bed thinking about their worries and they wake up in the morning thinking about their worries. They gobble down breakfast and rush out the door to go pursue the earning of money.

But what if the first thing you did every day was to seek God and his righteousness? In other words, seeking first the kingdom of God could be interpreted as a matter of priority, but it could simultaneously also be interpreted as the sequence of your daily events.

Jesus says the Gentiles strive after all these material things. But imagine if the first thing you did every day was to pray, read from the Bible and spend time with Jesus. Seek first, the kingdom of heaven. Then go to your job or your business to pursue money.

Drawing near to Jesus Christ requires self-discipline. Make the habit of turning off the TV at night, going to bed earlier, so that you can get out of bed each morning with enough time to pray, read your bible, have breakfast, walk the dog and still get to work on time.

Many successful people have given the advice that we ought to do the most important things in our day, first. Make the first thing you do each day, spending time with Jesus. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

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