Even when Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the scribes & Pharisees, He still desires them like a mother hen gathering her chicks around her, for protection, provision & life-giving to them. He did not hate them but He wanted to show them the truth however He was rejected. Their consequences would be to left to desolation but there’s still hope for those who eventually believe & accept our Lord Jesus Christ as stated in v39.

It’s a reminder for us that we ought to be balance in our views but most importantly to view our brothers & sisters thru God’s eyes & thru God’s heart. Sometimes a soft word or a rebuke spoken appropriately will be beneficial for their lives. May the Lord help us to be wise & discreet in our heart, words & actions in order to glorify our God.

What are the works? James’ letters mentioned those who send the brothers & sisters away knowing their needs empty handed without help. This touches the issue of kindness, compassion, mercy & generosity. It could also mean the mission or tasks given by God, everyone is capable of knowing God’s will thru reading the bible, praying & meditating on the scriptures, the Holy Spirit draws near to those who draw near to Him. This is due to people who learn the ways of God transactionally without relationship & lean heavily on what they can get out of it so it’s common for them to fall into temptation to abuse the grace given by God which led to impenitent & causes a whole other cycles of sins & consequences that harms themselves & others.

The Pharisees & Sadducees asked some hard questions but our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated His spiritual wisdom that silenced them. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord, our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, then the second commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. These are the principles that branches out those many other laws in details to cater for the harmony in a community. Then Jesus Christ asked them a question that they could not answer with logic as this is also part of where Jesus Christ claimed the title as the Son of David, the Messiah, the Son of God. The point is to stir them in their thinking & perhaps the desire to want to find out more or seek the truth about it. As it is recorded, Pharisees had zeal for the law of God, they studied it extensively, persistently in their beliefs that it can save them so while the Pharisees challenged Jesus Christ for the sake of trapping Him, our Lord Jesus Christ asked them questions with the intention of awakening their ability to think outside the law.

There are times that answers that we seek does not come in words nor logic but thru experiences spiritually & those who have gone thru that, knows it & it’s never easy to have it explain. Those who believe, believes. Those who doesn’t will always jump arounds the points of doubt. However it is also crucial for us believers to ask God for wisdom so that we can stir the unbelievers to be able to think & experience God themselves that eventually lead them to salvation. We do our part by planting the seeds & let others water it then let God do His part in growing them.

This part is important to be in contrast as His authority was challenged by the chief priests and the elders of the people when He was teaching in the temple. The crowd recognized Him as they believed in Him & accepted Him whereas the chief priests & elders did not. Mostly their heart were envious of Jesus Christ but the most important part is that they cannot accept nor do they believe that when He was praise by the crowd “Hosanna to the Son of David”. It’s a term that are familiar with the house of Israel as it refers to the Messiah & their expectation of a saviour did not match. In that era of power struggle, they wanted a leader or a saviour with power & might rather than miracles of healing, casting out demons or teachings of love. It is understandable that people under oppression for a long time due to the consequences of sins from generations after generations to want deliverance from the powerlessness & hopelessness but most of the time the way of God is higher than the way of men.

The parables talks about a pattern of who exactly is the one that does the will of God. Those are the ones that produce the fruit that Jesus Christ was talking about from the fig tree. Fig tree represents Israel often times & their leaves & fruit usually grow at the same time or the fruit comes first, this time though the fig tree only produce leaves. Hence Jesus cursed it to wither. The other parables of the two sons & wicked tenants brings the same message of who actually did the will of God. Those who do the will of God is because they listened to Him & then believed in Him, their faith in Him was the motivator of doing the will of God. This is a hard saying for the chief priests & the elders as they truly believed that they were doing the will of God, they taught the law of Moses & tithed. They were the leaders of the synagogue & hold high positions that influenced the people of Israel. So when Jesus Christ called them out saying that they are not doing the will of God, they probably could not accept that all that they have done was futile.

It’s a reminder when God prompted us that we are going against His will, better to cut the losses & to turn back to the path He wants us to go, but this chapter’s key message is that our faith should also produce the fruit by doing the will of God & avoid doing only religious rites or practice regularly on the laws without relationship with God. The zeal for the laws & rites is not a bad thing but it will only be beneficial when it’s done in a relationship with God in faith by His grace thru the Lord Jesus Christ lest we puff up in arrogance…

When Jesus Christ spoke of His death & resurrection again to His disciples, probably a needed reminder as it’s coming soon & it will be still a great shock seeing the death of the Messiah on the crucifixion. Sometimes people have tunnel vision that just comes overwhelmingly due to fear & might only focus on the bad part which is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, but here Jesus Christ is reminding again that there’s a good part coming soon as well, that’s the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day!

As the mother of the sons of Zebedee understood what Jesus Christ meant, she missed the mark by wanting to secure a high status or high position for her sons. This matter stirred up division & dissension among the disciples & probably make it harder for them to be united in times of tribulations. However Jesus Christ address the root issue at heart which is wanting to be a “somebody” in the society or to be greater than others, but the value in the kingdom of heaven in God’s eyes is totally different from the world view. Those who wants to be great or first must be the slave = servant for Jesus Christ Himself also came not to be served but to serve & He gave His life for many.

Leaving Jericho, the crowd wanted to prevent the two blind men from seeking attention from Jesus Christ & order them to be quiet but our Lord Jesus Christ was moved with compassion & healed them. Then they begun to follow Jesus Christ. Sometimes the voice of the crowd seems weightier or even more influential, however we must learn to be moved by the heart of God, when we are prompted in our hearts to have compassion towards people who are needy, follow God’s will & be not wavered by the sound of the crowd or the number of votes.

The center of the message though in this is not to leave the parents helpless or dishonoring them, but it’s to build a family with the wife together as one, to support & build up each other. So then the Pharisees asked about Moses’ command to divorce to state that it is lawful for divorce, again it’s not about lawful or lawlessness, it’s about the heart of God, divorce is destructive towards a family that often involves children as well, for the culture in their era, it is extremely difficult for a divorce woman to have any rights at all & they will have no social status, meaning their livelihood will be in jeopardy. That was why there’s a standard, when it is adultery, then they can divorce. For the sentence of who marries a divorced woman commits adultery is not separated from the former sentence but it’s to prevent a divorce for the sake of a man or woman wanted to be with someone else. A marriage is a covenant & it is sacred, rightfully so that it is as serious as the covenant of God with Israel as well. Hence the frequent reference of marriage in the relationship with God & Israel, Jesus Christ & the church.

The next paragraph touched the issues of striving with self-effort, but the key phrase is “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” The rich often rely on their own wealth & fall into temptation of pride easily hence the young man wanted to strive to be perfect than the given law, it had revealed his heart of his reliance on his ability, self-righteousness & wealth. So when Jesus Christ ask for that one security that he cannot do without, he went away grieving because now he sees the truth about his own heart.

To one that is self-centered, self-righteous or self-dependent, it will be hard for them to accept that there’s actually something that they cannot do or achieve & they feel sad because they can’t achieve it not because they were not saved. This root out from pride & trust in self rather than trust in God, who tried to earn God’s favor, blessing, grace & salvation… but it is given & often times they cannot accept that. Hence it is important to be humble & acknowledge that God is the creator who created human and all beings. He was the one that created the whole earth & space. So this connection made sense with the “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”, it’s to address the issue of pridefulness which God resist but He exalt the lowly. Just like when Jesus Christ blessed the little children & taught that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

The humility in a child means true to the heart in purity, even when they try to hide it, their eyes, facial expressions & body language will let us know what they truly want. Often times when a child tries to hide what they wanted, it’s because they felt threatened or that it’s unapproved to want that something by the experienced or what they learned from their surroundings. They do not think that they are more or less nor higher nor lower than who they are, they just be. This is what our Father wants from us, a true heart when we pray or talk to Him. A humble heart is to see the reality of what it is, no facade, no mask but just come as you are to the Father. Our Father in heaven will never reject such a person. People mask up to be accepted by people, our Lord Jesus Christ does not reject a humble person.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was trying to teach the disciples that He desires purity in heart with humility & do not cause these little ones who believe in Him to sin. In this context Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples to avoid striving or competing to gain a great position or to think that only there are certain people only can be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. People often wanted a higher position usually because they think they deserve it or they should get it for they have earn it or there are certain benefits behind the position & they can use that. It depends on how they were trained, taught, groomed or raised, usually it causes an effect of fear which led to fight or flight. So it’s important to always come before God & ask God to create in us a pure heart to trust in Him. In contrast, a child doesn’t calculate like that. They want what matters to the heart now because they haven’t learned all those “survival skills”…our Lord Jesus Christ welcomes such a child & being humble is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Then it goes deeper, it was all about appearance, Jesus Christ taught them to no despise the little children thinking that they are of no use. Appearance can be deceiving however God does not look at appearance, He knows when one goes astray or lost, people sometimes get lost in their faith, these are the ones that sometimes church or leaders shun them away for their “disobedience”. These are the ones that God go looking for to lead them back to Him.

As for the unforgiving servant, he was shown mercy, but when his servant needed that mercy, he refused & threw him into prison. Literally, it’s about a financial debt which can be calculated in materials & there was a huge relief now the debt is gone, but he went and imprisoned his servant because of a lesser debt, maybe out of wanting to feel in control or powerful, maybe greed or cruelty & so when his master heard it, he was handed over to tortured until he would pay his entire debt. This is the vicious cycle of pride, greed, cruelty that roots out of selfishness & self-centeredness. It’s a reminder that our Lord Jesus Christ is the one that paid the price so that we can reconcile to our Father in heaven.

In this chapter’s context, we should not stop others from receiving our Lord Jesus Christ because of their sins or thinking that they must earn it somehow before they can be a follower of Christ or to enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s all based on Christ’s sacrifice that was completed, justified by faith which means anyone that believe & accept our Lord Jesus Christ is welcome. Based on works, no one is worthy for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This is the gift of salvation that our Father in heaven has given to us thru Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion & resurrection on the third day.

Afterwards they were tested in their faith, a boy who had epilepsy, in this case it was cause by a demon. This time they couldn’t cast it out because of the lack of their faith. Jesus Christ reminded them again of His future to the disciples again but they seemed to be greatly distressed by only a part of Jesus being killed & couldn’t comprehend yet that on the third day He will be raised. The three events put together in this connect per chapter whether accidentally or coincidentally or intentionally serves a purpose to strengthen or increase their faith.

Then Jesus Christ taught Peter in a session of Q&A where he understood the principle of sonship & slavery after much listening & experience. Sonship include “belongings”, not just a sense of belonging, they are exempt from paying by the law but they do it anyway because they care about others just like Jesus Christ intentionally try not to cause offense to them in this case as it doesn’t involve life or death situation.

1 Corinthians 8:13 “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never again eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.”

It’s a balancing point where Jesus Christ was showing how to maintain harmony in a community of different rules, doctrines & laws. Sometimes we may get lost in trying to adhere to certain laws & traditions or theological doctrines but after reading much of the chapters in the Gospel of Matthew, there has been multiple different cases & scenarios where Jesus Christ desire mercy over rigid laws & then another different case of giving sacrifice by ignoring the parents’ needs, this chapter is another scenario where Jesus Christ handled wisely. However the point is that Jesus Christ wanted to bring out the principle of faith & sonship in God’s view.

It’s a reminder for myself to realign my heart, my view with our Father in heaven again in every area of my life, to see what He want me to see & learn what He want me to learn & to truly pay attention in listening to His words.

Another point of view of the sign of Jonah was that Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh a place with wickedness, he went there and proclaimed the word of God, a warning to the people there, then the king of Nineveh led them into repentance which prevent their total destruction. Though after a few generations they were also utterly destroyed because of their wickedness. This led to thought where a generation’s repentance does not bring forward to another generation, just like how the Pharisees took pride in their ancestor’s line from Abraham, or the rituals & rules of Moses thinking that it will save them but Jesus Christ came to tell them the truth about mercy & grace. When God gave warning thru Jonah, He did not use violence but by the word of God. So our Lord Jesus Christ came without violence but by proclaiming the word of God, teaching the heart of God, doing the will of God & to set an example for the people to follow. This happened after the war of the Jews which was recorded in the book of Maccabees, the point is to bring out that Jesus Christ did not use violence to establish the kingdom of God.

In Caesarea Philippi, a place infamous of idolatry, Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples. When Peter said that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ then told them this revelation comes from the Father in Heaven. From a point of view, it is said that the revelation of God equals to the word of God & the will of God. In this context, the rock means the foundation of the confession that comes from the Father in heaven : “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Peter was given the keys of the kingdom of heaven & he was assigned the duty to do the will of God & carry it out with authority.

Jesus then began to show the disciples His future in Jerusalem & Peter was rebuked with the seriousness of being Satan, a hindrance to Jesus because he set his mind not on God but on human things. This is a much needed drastic correction as Peter’s role has changed & must take it seriously by denying himself. Jesus Christ was teaching him & the disciples to let go of their own desire but to set their mind on things of God, to focus on Jesus Christ & the will of God. This is the cross they have to bear & so do we as believers & disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has given us the gift of His Son & the Holy Bible, recorded with His will, characters, what pleased Him & what He hated. I’m grateful that Jesus Christ took up His cross & sacrifice Himself to fulfilled the will of our God, Father in heaven, so that we can have eternal salvation. It’s a reminder that we ought to put down our desires & focus on doing God’s will in our lives.

Here Jesus Christ was very specific about support towards the father & mother, this is the deception of prosperity gospel, many are still deceived from corrupted preachers & it cost a lot to many families which complicates the relationship in between God & people because preachers were supposed to be the mascot or representative of God’s words. So when someone points out the truth especially in a church or community settings, they would possibly be exiled, again in this context of hypocrisy, not referring to the ex-communication of wolves. Even so, Jesus Christ said let them alone as they will fall into a pit. Jesus Christ demonstrated to us how He handled the conflicts of hypocrisy, He did not ignore them when He was confronted, but He told them the truth then He left them. I like to believe that some of them was convicted & maybe even follow Jesus afterwards or maybe in secret because it costs everything for a Pharisee or scribe to follow Jesus Christ. In a Jewish synagogue, community & social is their strength & livelihood, without that, they will be disowned & there will be no inheritance, no relationship & no more social status. However it was exactly all these that they valued so much that led them to a pit; all gone in the end… I wonder if they knew which cost more, what would they choose…?

I agree that people are not perfect but these are the ones that know the word of God & as representative of the word of God, they were self-serving & self-righteous to begin with, manipulating people & God for their own sake. These are also still happening in some of the prosperity gospel preaching churches, some are so subtle & only to be revealed after much time when it’s too late. Jesus Christ displayed urgency when Peter asked Him to explain the parable. We can almost hear the tone from the rhetorical question “Are you also still without understanding?” He knew that He did not have much time with them but He taught them patiently anyway. The message is clear : It’s not what goes in the mouth that defiles a person but what comes out of a person’s heart. Evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness & slander are what defile a person, not the food that was consume with unwashed hands. Jesus Christ was saying that it’s the heart, not the rituals that matters, He was teaching the disciples to be pure hearted, righteous, loving, kind, holy, just, honest & build up people, slander equals to character assassination & that leads to many problems in a social circle.

Jesus Christ’s main mission was to preach & minister the lost sheep of the house of Israel, meaning the Jewish community. However a Canaanite woman from Tyre & Sidon heard about the healing & miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ & insist on wanting to get her daughter a cure from the tormenting by a demon. She was desperate & did not take offense at what Jesus Christ had said towards her, her faith in Him was so great that her daughter was healed from that moment. Her heart was fixated on one thing, that is to get her daughter healed & she believed wholehearted that our Lord Jesus Christ can heal her, so she wasn’t even wavered by logic of fairness in this case. Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated mercy over rules in this case. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed compassion towards the people around Him by ministering to them by healing the sick, casting out demons & feeding the hungry. Our Father shown His love thru our Lord Jesus Christ thru all these events by helping to deliver the people & providing for the needy.

It is a comfort for us believers & disciples of Christ that we can trust in God wholeheartedly that He will help us as He is full of mercy & compassion. Let us pray, Father in Heaven, I ask for Your mercy to heal the sick, deliver the tormented by demons & to feed the hungry until all are filled, please provide for us & help us in our needs, strengthen us in our inner spirit & help us to love You with our whole heart, in Jesus Christ’s name, I asked.

After that, He gave the disciples a task & dismissed the crowd then went up the mountain to pray by Himself. He did not neglect or dismissed His own needs to mourn but He provide & prioritized others’ necessity first before His emotional health. This is a reminder for all servants of our Lord Jesus Christ that we ought to put other’s necessity first, arrange & steward the people and daily tasks but always find a time to address the grief or tend to our own emotional health as well. Our Lord Jesus Christ went to a secluded place to pray to our Father in Heaven & was strengthen, we can do the same & ask our Father for comfort & He will strengthen us as well.

Sometimes the evil of the world overwhelmed me & I was grieved, vexed in my heart & spirit, then I read Psalm 73 & it brings me back again to the Shalom in God so that I can move forward another day, another step. God is so good that He never fails to provide comfort to my soul & spirit as long as I yield my emotions to Him & surrender by crying my heart out to Him.

Somedays we are like Peter full of faith, somedays we are like the Peter that doubt but our Lord Jesus Christ always shows up when we cried out to Him. God is a good good Father & though the circumstances did not change but the comfort He provided to our souls always brings peace & strengthen us again.