TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:58
TODAY IN THE WORD
In Charles Dickens's story, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge lives a pathetic and miserly life. He acquires great riches for himself, none of which he shares. On the night of Christmas Eve, soon after the death of his business partner, three spirits visit him. They show him Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. When Scrooge sees that after his death none mourn him and some even mock him, he repents and becomes a changed man.

We won't have the opportunity to hear what is said of us after we die. Perhaps if we could hear the words spoken at our funerals, we would have the will to change our legacy.

Our reading today brings us to the final scene of Moses' life. He, like us, made his mistakes and had his regrets. God mercifully grants him a look at the land that the Israelites were preparing to invade and occupy. But he cannot enter because of his sin at Kadesh (see Feb. 25). In his final moments, we might imagine that Moses' mind replayed the scene at Kadesh and wished he could have written it.

Even this mistake, however, does not overshadow the heroic and faithful legacy that Moses left behind. The words recorded here in Deuteronomy 34 ensure that no one would forget the important role that Moses played as the Lord rescued His people from Egypt. He would serve as a standard for the Israelite people from this time forward. His prophetic power and authority were never to be rivaled in the Old Testament. Only in the coming of Jesus Christ was Moses finally replaced by someone of superior position.

As Moses prepared to die, he heard God's voice a final time. Just as He had all throughout Moses' life, God revealed Himself to Moses. He reassured Moses that all he had worked for, all he had believed, was being fulfilled. “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham” (v. 4). Moses could die knowing that his labor had not been in vain.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Moses' story encourages those of us who feel that our lives have been a mixed bag of regrets and successes. Psalm 90, written by Moses himself, encourages us with a realistic perspective on our own lives and our human frailties. The psalm concludes with an earnest prayer: “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands.” Like Moses, we must work diligently at whatever God has called us to do, but ultimately, we rely on God for the results—and our own legacy.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hebrews 11:24-28
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
G. K. Chesterton, a British philosopher and writer of the early twentieth century, describes his journey to faith as an “English yachtsman who slightly miscalculated his course and discovered England, under the impression that it was a new island in the South Seas . . . I am the man, who, with the utmost daring, discovered what had been discovered before.”

Our journeys of faith lead us to discovering God. It is not a new pursuit, but it does require eyes to perceive the invisible. Faith is first of all eyes to see God. If we have faith, God will suddenly and consistently dominate our line of vision. That was true for Moses. The writer of Hebrews credits Moses' extraordinary legacy to his extraordinary faith. Because Moses saw God, and believed in the greatness of His character and the reliability of His reward, he was able to live his life radically and intentionally for God. In a few short verses, we see how faith motivated Moses toward deliberate acts of following God.

Moses' faith gave him wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to conduct one's life for the greatest eternal gain. Wisdom is only possible when one can understand the future implications of one's choices. Foolishness is living for the moment; wisdom is planning for the future. Moses could have had a lot of luxury and ease as an Egyptian prince. But wisely, he understood honor and wealth to be short-term gain compared to the eternal riches and honor to be had when following God.

Finally, Moses' faith catapulted him to obedience. We see the relationship between faith and works: there is never one without the other. Faith is the willingness to put into action the confidence that we have about God and His Word. Moses lived and acted upon this confidence, and this is the reason for his heroic legacy.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If faith was such a key element in Moses' life, then we need to figure out just how we can have more faith. The Bible teaches that faith is inspired by the Scriptures: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). The Scriptures reveal who God is and what He is up to, and faith is our response to that revelation. Growing in faith means that our confidence in God grows, and then our willingness to obey God grows, too.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hebrews 1:1-4; 3:1-6
Fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. - Hebrews 3:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Athletic records will always be rivaled and surpassed. Babe Ruth's baseball home run record was topped by Hank Aaron, who had his record topped by Barry Bonds. Tiger Woods is at the heels of Jack Nicklaus in golf; Roger Federer closes in on Pete Sampras in Grand Slam tennis titles.

There will be no outdoing the legacy and ministry of Jesus Christ. Hebrews, a book specifically written for a Jewish audience, spends a great deal of effort comparing the Old Covenant to the New, the ministry of Moses and Aaron to the ministry of Jesus Christ. And there's no question which is superior.

The writer of Hebrews offers commendation for the ministry of Moses. He was faithful to all that God called him to do. Because of that faithfulness, he is worthy of our honor and respect. None of us could ask for more to be written and said of us after our death.

Yet, Moses is contrasted with Jesus Christ. Jesus surpasses Moses in every dimension. Moses saw God's glory and was radiant after having been in God's presence. But his glory faded. Jesus, the Son of God, has a glory that will never fade. It isn't a glory that comes from proximity to the Divine. It is the glory of deity itself. Moses was a servant; Jesus is the Son. Moses was a house being built by God, a life transformed by God's presence and God's purposes. Jesus is Himself the Builder. Moses' authority was symbolized in the form of a wooden staff. Jesus' authority rests in His very words.

As we close our month's study of Moses, we're reminded that the men and women we hail as heroes of the faith, whether they are biblical characters or present-day saints, ultimately bow to the one God-Man, Jesus Christ. We can learn from the examples of others, but our ultimate model of a life wholly pleasing to God is that of Jesus Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How has God challenged you by Moses' example this month? In what areas would you per-sonally like to grow? Do you want to have more faith in God's power? More courage to do God's work? More faithfulness to God's Word? More perseverance in the midst of criticism? Spend some time journaling and praying through these areas. Ask God to change you. And then ask someone else to help you be accountable for submitting to God's leadership in these areas.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 1:1-17
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. - Genesis 12:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
When asked his opinion of the British royal family, an Englishman replied, “That's a bit like asking me what I think about the planet Neptune. It's not something to have an opinion on—it's just the way things are. The royal family links to tradition, and that's very important to us.”

Royal families have long relied on genealogy to provide legitimacy for their position. As we begin our study of the Gospel of Matthew this month, we see a similar argument in the opening verses. Far from a dry recounting of generations of fathers and sons, God reveals important information about who He is and how He works.

Three names appear at the beginning and end of this genealogy: Jesus Christ, David, and Abraham. This is an important signal—Matthew is explicitly connecting Jesus to the lines of David and Abraham. The importance of being from the line of David is clear; this was the royal line of Israel, and God had promised that David's descendants would rule forever (see 2 Samuel 7). Jesus had the legal authority to claim the throne of David.

Why mention Abraham, then? After all, Jesus' descent from David implied being in the family of Abraham. Here Matthew reveals part of the grand story of the gospel. Jesus is the answer to the promise that God made to Abraham, that all nations would be blessed through him (see Gen. 12:1-3).

Several women are also mentioned in this genealogy. It was highly unusual to mention women in public records during the first century. Indeed, the women mentioned seem unlikely candidates to boost credibility: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (Uriah's wife). Each was a non-Israelite (see Genesis 38; Joshua 2; Ruth 1; 2 Samuel 11). Yet God brought them into His people and into the line of Jesus, again foreshadowing the inclusion of both Jew and Gentile into His people of blessing.

As we shall see tomorrow, this last part of the genealogy provides significant evidence of the true nature of Jesus Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Have you ever composed a spiritual genealogy? Take some time to reflect on people who have been influential in your life spiritually. It might include parents, Sunday school teachers, or friends. How much do you know about their spiritual roots? In tracing this spiritual “family tree,” pay attention to the surprising twists and turns that reveal the working of God. Thank Him that He still chooses unlikely people and unexpected ways to reveal Himself.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 1:16-25
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
Several ancient myths tell stories of a god impregnating a human woman. One of the most famous is “Leda and the Swan,” in which Zeus assumed the form of a swan in order to seduce the girl Leda. According to Greek mythology, Leda then bore Helen, the beautiful woman who ignited the Trojan War.

Some skeptics use these myths to discredit the account of the virgin birth of Jesus. Is this passage in Matthew just another ancient tale of the gods dabbling in the affairs of men? The answer is a resounding no.

As Matthew's genealogy concludes, a break in the formula occurs in verse 16. No “father of . . .” construction is used; Joseph is identified as the husband of Mary, and she alone is mentioned as the parent of Jesus. The verses that follow explain: Mary and Joseph were engaged but not yet married, and she became pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit although she was a virgin. In obedience to God's directive, Joseph took his pregnant bride and fulfilled the fatherly obligation of naming this boy.

Matthew is concerned with the legal, not physical, genealogy of Jesus. Joseph was in the kingly line of David—but he was not the physical father of Jesus. But because Joseph adopted Jesus and fulfilled the Jewish requirement of naming Him, Jesus legally could claim the same genealogy, with full rights in the line of David.

Unlike the lurid tales of ancient mythology, there is no description of just how Mary became pregnant. Two points in particular differ from these myths: Mary's virginity and the role of the Holy Spirit. They are intertwined in their significance. First, the mention of the Holy Spirit recalls God's creative power (see Gen. 1:1-26). The coming of Jesus, the Messiah, is a work of the Spirit that signals the new creation of the people of God. Second, a virgin birth is a miracle, the sort of miracle associated with the work of the Holy Spirit. It was a fulfillment of Scripture and also evidence of God's continuing work through unexpected people and means to fulfill His promises.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The name Immanuel reveals the role of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father has sent the Holy Spirit to make possible “God with us” in the fully human and fully divine person of the Son. As we approach the celebration of Easter later this month, prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to use this study of Matthew's Gospel to show you more about the person and work of Jesus. You might want to record your insights in a journal or the back page of this devotional.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 2:1-23
And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet. - Matthew 2:15
TODAY IN THE WORD
A study conducted between 1991 and 2007 asked 750 former Muslims from 30 countries why they decided to follow Jesus. For many, the role of dreams and visions was significant; 27 percent reported dreams before they decided to follow Christ, 40 percent cited dreams at the time of their conversion, and 45 percent described dreams and visions after their conversion. Often the pre-conversion dreams featured a loved one urging them to follow Jesus, and post-conversion visions gave encouragement during trials like imprisonment.

Our passage today has a mix of God speaking through dreams as well as His Word to reveal Himself. Before that, let's look at some of the main characters in this dramatic passage.

Herod the Great embodied brutality. He ruled the region under the authority of Rome, that gave him the title, “King of the Jews,” although he did not come from a Jewish royal line. His duplicitous and murderous ways were on display, as he attempted to trick the Magi and then slaughtered the infants of Bethlehem. Matthew has already established that Jesus is in the royal line of David, and in this dark episode of the loss of children we also have a taste of hope of another king, the true “King of the Jews,” who will rule justly (see Jer. 31:15-34).

The Magi came from the east (perhaps Persia or Arabia) to worship the new king. They were “overjoyed” to find Him (v. 10). We saw in Matthew 1 the presence of non-Israelite women as important links in the genealogy of Jesus. Here we find non-Israelites responding to Him with joy, worship, and gifts.

Finally, God speaks through both dreams and Scripture. One principle here is that God's leading will not contradict His revealed Word. He used dreams to guide Joseph in specific actions, always in harmony with Scripture. Another principle is that God requires obedience to His Word. Joseph demonstrated that he was a “righteous man” (1:19) through His immediate, unquestioning obedience.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Our text today presents us with three alternative responses to the birth of Jesus: Herod heard the word about the coming shepherd of Israel, and he reacted angrily that his plans might be upset. The chief priests and teachers of the law also heard, and they decided to do nothing. The Magi heard this word, and they acted on it—they made the trip to Bethlehem where they found Jesus. When we are confronted with God's Word, how will we respond—in fury, failure, or faith?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 3:1-17
Here is . . . my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. - Isaiah 42:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Last December, media mogul Rupert Murdoch named his son, James, as the chairman and chief executive of the European and Asian divisions of News Corp. The move has been seen as signaling that James Murdoch will be the heir of Rupert Murdoch's vast media empire. The elder Murdoch described his son as “a talented and proven executive.”

Our passage has a far more dramatic pronouncement from a Father about His Son. In the opening verses we meet John the Baptist, preaching repentance in the desert and drawing great crowds. For the first time in Matthew's Gospel we encounter the Pharisees and Sadducees, characters who recur throughout the book. John the Baptist charged them with hypocrisy: it wasn't enough to undergo a ritual in order to claim a spiritual heritage. Their lives and actions needed to match their professions of repentance (v. 8 ).

John refused to baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees because they would not repent. He also hesitated to baptize Jesus—because Jesus had no need to repent. He was without sin; indeed, He was the promised One who would bring in the kingdom of heaven. Why would He be baptized?

Some scholars suggest that He demonstrated His commitment to what He would call His followers to do (see Matt. 28:19). Others see His baptism as identification with humanity whom He came to save. Whatever merit these ideas might have, it's best to look at the reason Jesus Himself gave: “It is proper to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus was demonstrating obedience to God's will.

Obedience is the hallmark of the Son, as confirmed by the divine pronouncement. As in the first chapter, we see God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here Jesus was empowered by the Spirit as He began His public ministry. God the Father declares who Jesus is: He is the Son of God, the Anointed One, the Messiah, and the promised King (see Psalm 2).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
John the Baptist announced that repentance was necessary because the kingdom of heaven was near (v. 2). The world then, as now, had corrupt rulers, lifeless religions, and suffering. John did not, however, exhort his hearers to live differently and thereby change the world. Rather, he urged them to recognize that the world was being changed—the old order was being upended—and therefore they needed to repent in order to receive forgiveness and restoration. Are we willing to repent and submit to the power of Jesus?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 4:1-25
Fear the Lord your God, serve him only. - Deuteronomy 6:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1 Samuel 16, young David was chosen as king. He was designated by God, anointed by Samuel, and he received the Spirit (1 Sam. 16:11-13). He was set for life, right? Not exactly—the following chapters describe David fleeing for his life from Saul and the Philistines, battling the Amalekites, and waiting for years before he finally took the throne over Israel (2 Sam. 5:1-3).

Jesus had been announced publicly by God the Father as the Son. The presence of the Holy Spirit was confirmation of His identity. And yet the very next episode presented in Matthew's Gospel recounts Jesus being tempted by Satan. Divine pronouncements are not vaccines against trials and tribulations.

Again, the role of the Trinity is interesting. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted (v. 1). While it was the Devil who tempted Jesus, this entire event was under the divine supervision of God. Israel had wandered in the desert for forty years, which God described as a test of their faith—a test that they largely failed (see Deut. 8:2-5). Now Jesus endured testing, and He remained faithful.

The placement of the temptation of Jesus is important, located between the encounter with God the Father and the Spirit and the beginning of Jesus' public ministry of preaching and healing. The core of the temptations turns on the issue of who Jesus is: God had declared Him the Son, but would He be obedient to the Father? The Devil challenged Him to prove Himself; his question, “If you are the Son of God . . .” is reminiscent of his question to Eve, “Did God really say . . .” (vv. 3, 6; Gen. 3:1). Satan delights to challenge our understanding of who God is and what He requires of us.

Unlike Adam and Eve or Israel—or any of us confronted with temptation—Jesus responded with steadfast patience and confidence in God's faithfulness. He was hungry, but He would wait to be fed in God's time. He would fulfill all the prophecies about the Messiah and would one day receive the adoration and worship of all the nations, but in God's time (Phil. 2:9-11).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When Jesus called His disciples, they were busy at their jobs—minding their own business, we might say—when Jesus disrupted their lives forever. Everything from their businesses to their families changed when they followed Jesus to be “fishers of men.” God often interrupts “normal” life with His call; we've seen the examples of Mary and Joseph. When He calls us, will we allow our lives to be disrupted in order to follow Him? Are we willing to give up reputation, comfort, income, and relatives in our obedience to Jesus?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:1-48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48
TODAY IN THE WORD
An article in the New York Times painted a dark picture of perfectionists as people plagued by self-critical depression, practicing zealous control of others, or prone to such extreme people-pleasing behaviors that they were at risk for suicide or eating disorders. Our closing verse in Matthew 5 tells us to be perfect—does Jesus call us to this sort of perfectionism?

To answer this, we must wrestle with the first part of the Sermon on the Mount. First, note that Jesus addresses these words to His disciples (v. 2). Others might have been present, but the text clearly identifies that the followers of Jesus—those who have just left their ordinary lives for an extraordinary calling—are the audience. Jesus calls disciples; then He teaches discipleship.

Second, Jesus speaks these words in a context of grace. The Beatitudes (vv. 3-12) identify blessings for those whom the world declares miserable. It is not coincidental that the preceding verses recount His ministry of healing physical bodies (4:23-24). The kingdom inaugurated by Jesus cannot be obtained through physical or moral perfection—it is only through accepting the reality of who He is and what He has come to do. He is the ultimate model of what it means to mourn, be meek, merciful, and persecuted for righteousness (see Isa. 61:1-3).

Third, Jesus explains His relationship to the Torah, the Law given by God to Moses. He is not overturning the Law; rather, He is showing that it can be fulfilled only in Him (v. 17). Spiritual life is not keeping a list of do's and don'ts. This mentality will lead to perfectionism. Only by accepting Jesus can we hope to be capable of resisting lust and anger. Only by following His example can we be children of God who show love to our enemies.

This, then, is what it means to “be perfect”: God the Father has declared Jesus His Son with whom He was pleased. If we are to please the Father, we must be like His Son, which is only possible through faith in Christ and His grace.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If you have felt burdened by a notion of being spiritually “perfect,” take comfort in the grace from today's passage. God extends blessing to those who hunger for righteousness, those who accept Jesus as the Son of God and follow Him. This is not a cheap grace; following Jesus requires that we adjust our priorities, pride, and maybe even our possessions. And more is at stake than just our own spirituality: we also are a witness to the world of the grace of God through Jesus (vv. 13-16).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:1-34
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. - Matthew 6:32-33
TODAY IN THE WORD
Julius Caesar adopted his great-nephew, Octavian, as his own son. Better known as Caesar Augustus, Octavian himself adopted his stepson, Tiberius. This adoption made Tiberius the heir to become the next Roman emperor, a position he held from 14 to 37 AD (during the life of Christ). People in the first century would have known these famous examples of receiving titles and privileges by virtue of being adopted by a famous father.

Jesus emphasized the connection between relationship and righteousness that comes from the Father to followers of Christ. Notice in today's passage how many times the word Father appears. The exhortations in this passage cannot be separated from our relationship to our Father. And we receive benefits far greater than the wealth and power of a Roman emperor.

The first verses in this chapter seem to contradict Matthew 5:13-16 where we are told not to hide our light, so that others will see our good deeds. Here Jesus addresses three spiritual actions—giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting—and says they should be done in secret. How do we make sense of this? Note that Jesus does not say that we should abandon giving to the poor, prayer, or fasting. The activity itself is important, but even more important is the right heart or intention. We are to do the right deeds for the right reason: because we are the children of God and we want to please Him. This is the heart of righteousness.

The second half of this chapter addresses our priorities. Our urge to accumulate stuff in order to feel secure and our urge to pursue treasure in order to feel worthy make no sense in light of who our Father is. He is the one who provided manna each day for His people in the wilderness. Now He instructs us to ask only for our daily bread (v. 11). He wants to free us from the tyranny of worry by trusting Him. Here is where righteousness gets at the heart of who we are, and we see that it is impossible apart from a relationship with our Father.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As you reflect on the passage today, prayerfully ask the Lord to help you see any ways where your pursuit of righteousness is hampered. Do you do the right actions in order to be thought of as a “good person”? Do you feel trapped by worldly priorities of stuff, status, and security instead of trust and righteousness? Ask God for a renewed sense of your relationship to Him as Father so that you can be free to seek His kingdom first and receive His blessings of peace, mercy, and trust.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 7:1-29
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. - Psalm 6:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor during the Nazi regime, was executed for opposing Hitler, just weeks before his concentration camp was liberated by the Allies. His book, Cost of Discipleship, continues to inspire believers. He made these comments about our passage today: “Disciples live completely out of the bond connecting them with Jesus Christ. Their righteousness depends only on that bond and never apart from it.”

Yesterday we saw how our pursuit of righteousness is connected to our relationship with the Father. Today that theme continues. The opening verses warn against judging. Often this is misused to say that we can never declare something right or wrong, or that we are not to exercise our reason. Neither of these is accurate; the Greek phrase implies trying to play God to exercise condemnation. Attempting to declare anyone outside the bounds of God's mercy is inappropriate for followers of Jesus who know that they have received boundless mercy and should be filled with mercy toward others (5:7).

Jesus returns to the source of our encouragement in the path of discipleship in verses 7-11. The point here is not that God forces us to be persistent before He will respond. Rather, we can have confidence about the character of our Father so that we can ask, seek, and knock and expect that He will respond with love and generosity.

The “golden rule” is the epitome of Jesus' teaching on discipleship, and again it connects righteousness with relationship (v. 12). This is not abstract ethics, nor is it rooted in ourselves—the emphasis is not on our notions of how we want to be treated. It is rooted in the Law and Prophets, that is, Scripture. And we understand Scripture through Jesus (5:17). To know how to treat others, we must know Jesus and His Word.

The sermon concludes with reminders that we cannot separate our profession from our practice. Jesus calls us to follow Him into relationship with the Father through the power of the Spirit. How will we respond?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The final verses of this chapter tell us that the crowds were amazed at these words; they recognized the authority of Jesus. But we know that many in the crowd would later turn against Jesus. He does not ask for our admiration or amazement—He requires our love and obedience.

Pray for the spiritual focus and encouragement to be a doer of the Word and not only a hearer of this call to discipleship (James 1:22-25).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 8:1-9:8
All things were created by him and for him. - Colossians 1:16
TODAY IN THE WORD
Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 through 1967, became a legend for his work ethic and winning record. He demanded that his players follow a strict regimen, not only on the field but also off the field. One story goes that he required players to be in bed with the lights off by 11:00 pm—and would occasionally check on them and impose fines if they were even one minute late. His players followed Lombardi's rules because they respected his authority and his goals.

The theme of authority connects our passage today with the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (7:29). We read that Jesus taught with authority; now we see how He acted with authority.

The healings in this passage reveal the nature of faith. The man with leprosy and the centurion both recognized that Jesus had the ability and authority to heal. Their faith was not just a dose of positive thinking; it was accepting the truth of who Jesus said He was. They are examples of “Ask and it will be given to you” (7:7).

Jesus also demonstrated His authority over nature. Here the small faith of the disciples is contrasted with the great faith of the centurion. Jesus had already assured His followers of God's care for them and even used illustrations from nature to encourage them not to worry (6:25-34).

The account of the healing of the demon-possessed shows Jesus' authority over demons and evil spirits. This story also has a link to the sermon in the previous chapter: when the villagers ask Jesus to leave, He complied. Jesus did not force Himself on those who chose to value a herd of pigs rather than the One— the Son of God—who could deliver a crazed maniac (see 7:6).

In the final story in our passage, Jesus healed the paralyzed man to confirm His authority to heal souls as well as bodies (9:2-7). This illustrates another principle from the Sermon on the Mount: driving out demons and miracles of healing should serve the purpose of testifying to the saving reality of Christ (7:15-23).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Since Matthew 5, Jesus has been showing His followers what discipleship means—the righteousness that comes from a relationship with God. To read the reflections of other Christians on discipleship, consider the classic book The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Another excellent contemporary resource is True Discipleship by John Koessler. The insights, challenges, and encouragement in these books will help you follow the way of our Savior. Both are available in bookstores or online.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 9:9-38
I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. - Hosea 6:6
TODAY IN THE WORD
Saul was king over Israel and had just destroyed the Amalekites . . . well, most of the Amalekites—he spared the king and some of the best cattle. The prophet Samuel, through the direction of the Lord, confronted Saul: he had disobeyed the express commands of God to destroy everything. To make it worse, Saul then lied to Samuel, first claiming that he had obeyed and then asserting that the cattle were for sacrifices. Samuel gave him the verdict of God: “To obey is better than sacrifice . . . the Lord has rejected you as king” (1 Sam. 15: 22-23).

In our reading, the Pharisees objected to Jesus sharing hospitality with tax collectors. The Pharisees desired to keep themselves ritually pure, and they could not understand how Jesus had so little concern for this rigorous path. Jesus responded, “Learn what this means: ”˜I desire mercy, not sacrifice'” (v. 13). This call to mercy has been a repeated theme in God's dealings with His people (see key verse; Ps. 40:6-8, Matt. 5:7). The Pharisees thought they could separate religious practice from relationship with God.

Mercy requires us to realize our own need for God's healing. If we think that we are just fine in our attempts to be “good people,” we will not realize our need of the Great Physician. We cannot be merciful—this key distinctive of followers of Jesus—if we do not acknowledge our need of God's mercy.

As you might have noticed, Matthew's sequence of events here does not match the other Gospels. Some have attacked this to undermine the credibility of the Bible, but they misrepresent Matthew's goal: he is organizing the material in a thematic and theological way. The account of the healing of the hemorrhaging woman is one example; in contrast to the Pharisees' obsession about ritual purity seen just a few verses earlier, Jesus extends healing mercy to restore a woman physically and spiritually. The other accounts of healing further illustrate Jesus' authority and those who had faith that He was who He said He was.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The Pharisees, who serve as bookends for this passage, did not dispute that Jesus had raised the dead, healed the sick, and cast out demons—they disputed what it meant. Rather than seeing Jesus' authority demonstrated in these examples of mercy, they attributed divine power to demons. Jesus had pointed them to the truth in verse 13, but they refused to “go and learn.” What a sober warning for us! May we heed Jesus' instruction to study Scripture to know how to be His followers.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 9:35-10:42
How can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? - Romans 10:14-15
TODAY IN THE WORD
Out of Turkey's population of 70 million, only about 3,500 are Protestant Christians. Turkey, an officially secular country, has tried to curb religious violence. Yet nearly a year ago, three Christian men—two Turks and one German—were executed at their publishing house that printed Bibles. The killers released statements that they wanted to protect Turkey from Christian influence.

As our passage indicates, suffering and death might be the price required for following Jesus—even so, we can have great comfort and not fear.

We begin with Jesus' compassion for the needs around Him. He exhorted the disciples to pray for more workers—and they became the answer to that prayer as Jesus commissioned them to carry out His ministry. They were charged with representing Christ; they were to preach, heal the sick, and cast out demons—activities of Jesus that the Gospel has just recounted (10:7-8). We don't know the backgrounds of all the disciples, but this was hardly an impressive group with a former tax collector and fishermen! What mattered was not their credentials but their call from Jesus.

The disciples were instructed to minister in Israel. Matthew has already shown that some Gentiles were open to the person and work of Jesus, but here the Gospel makes clear that God had not forgotten Israel. Jesus embodied the fulfillment of God's promises, and God's faithfulness to His covenant people meant that the message of Jesus would go out to them. The disciples were to travel light; just as their authority came from the call of Jesus, so also would their provisions come from trusting God, not from their stockpiles of stuff.

Jesus does not promise an easy road. But His followers need not fear: the Spirit will assist them (10:20), they serve a God with more authority than earthly rulers (10:28), and they are valuable to and loved by the Father (10:31; cf. 6:25-34).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How are you involved in spreading the message of Jesus? You might financially support missionaries or faithfully witness to your neighbors and loved ones. Several mission organizations offer short-term mission projects (such as serving in hospitality ministries or on construction or prayer teams) for young people through retirees. If you feel the Spirit calling you to go to the harvest field, inquire with mission boards supported by your church or visit www.ywam.org or www.missionfinder.org/retirees.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 11:1-30
My yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:30
TODAY IN THE WORD
Former missionary Gracia Burnham's memoir, In the Presence of My Enemies, recounts her experience as a hostage (along with her husband and others) of a Muslim extremist group in the Philippines. She dedicated the book to those who faithfully prayed for them, and has noted that during the yearlong ordeal she would often feel her own prayers to be worthless. One faithful pray-er also admitted to his own questions: “How long is this going to drag on? How long will I have to pray for God to work? Do these prayers mean anything?”

Gracia Burnham and those who prayed for her are not the only ones who have gone through suffering and wondered where God is and if it's worth it to keep hanging on. Our passage today opens the third major section of the book of Matthew, and we find John the Baptist in prison. This did not seem to be how things should work out for the one preparing the way for the Messiah! If the kingdom was here, why was he in prison? John instructed his followers to ask Jesus the honest question: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v. 3).

John's question, Jesus' answer, and the Pharisees' response (which we'll see tomorrow) alert us that the kingdom might not take the form that we envision. Referencing the accounts in earlier chapters, Jesus assured John that the kingdom was indeed here. He also encouraged John to remain steadfast (v. 6; cf. 5:3-12).

Verses 25-26 offer a glimpse of the personal relationship between Jesus and the Father. In this brief snippet of a prayer, Jesus praised God for who He is—Lord of heavens and earth—and for how He works. Jesus then explained a facet of the relationship within the Trinity: the Father and Son are completely known by each other, a phrase that implies both a oneness and also their distinct Personhood. Perhaps most shocking is that Jesus offers a way for others to know the Father. The Son provides a way for others to become the children of God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The closing verses of our passage have comforted countless believers through times of trial. Hearing the testimony of others can also be helpful; Gracia Burnham's follow-up book To Fly Again details her trust in the Lord after losing her husband. Most of all, soaking ourselves in the Word of God helps prepare us for the times when we might feel like John the Baptist in prison. Consider Psalm 77, which captures the cry of anguish in hard times and the comfort of remembering God's faithfulness to His promises.