Latest Commentaries

Jesus and disciples arrive ashore and the word quickly spreads of His arrival. The people bring many who are sick to be healed by Jesus.

As night falls Jesus sends His disciples in a boat to the other side of the lake (Galilee) while He remains behind to pray. A fierce storm arises and strands the boat out on the sea for hours. As the disciples struggle to navigate their boat to shore Jesus appears walking on the water. The disciples are terrified, mistaking Him for a ghost until He identifies Himself. Peter then calls out to Jesus, and Jesus bids him to walk to Him on the water. Peter does until he doubts. Jesus saves Peter and calms the storm.

Jesus multiplies the provisions of five loaves and two fish to feed over five thousand people. This miracle parallels the God’s provision of manna for the children of Israel in the wilderness during the time of Moses.

Jesus is back in Galilee. Having learned of the murder of John the Baptist, He seeks a place of solitude. He gets in a boat to find a secluded place, but the crowds see and follow Him on foot. When Jesus gets to shore He has compassion for them and heals their sick.

Matthew narrates the fate of John the Baptist. He tells why he was imprisoned and how he came to be gruesomely executed by Herod.

Herod hears about the miracles of Jesus and incorrectly presumes that Jesus is John the Baptist returned to life.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth and begins to preach and perform miracles. But His hometown refuses to believe that this man who grew up among them is the Messiah. Consequently Jesus does only a few miracles among them.

Matthew concludes Jesus’s teachings on parables with a question from Jesus to His disciples and an exciting riddle about what understanding the scriptures and seeking the kingdom is like.

Jesus tells another short parable about the kingdom of heaven. It is about a fishing net that catches all manner of fish. The good fish are kept. The bad fish are thrown away.

Jesus tells two short parables about the kingdom of heaven. In each He shows the immeasurable value and worth of finding the kingdom.

Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the wheat and the tares. It is parable about what happens to the faithful sons of the kingdom and the unfaithful sons of the evil one at their respective judgments.

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to leaven hidden in flour resulting in a feast’s worth of bread.

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed that grows from a small seed into a large life-giving tree.

Matthew records Jesus’ second parable concerning the kingdom of heaven. He compares it to a man who sows good wheat in his field, but later an enemy sows toxic, unproductive tares.

Jesus explains to His disciples the meaning of the Parable of the Sower. The first soil is like a heart that is hard was from the outset and fails to receive God’s word altogether. The second soil is like a heart that is afraid and loses its joy over the immediate sufferings it encounters. The third soil is like a heart that cares more for the lesser goods of this world than the eternal goods of Heaven’s kingdom and is rendered unfruitful. But the fourth soil is qualitatively different. It represents a heart that trusts, fears, and loves God and it bears much fruit and produces exponentially more in proportion to its faithfulness

The disciples ask Jesus why He speaks to the people in parables rather than teaching them through literal statements. Jesus gives them a full response by explaining that only those whose hearts are open to Jesus can understand the mysteries of the kingdom.

Jesus teaches a parable about a sower who scatters his seed on four different types of ground. The first three types of ground fail to produce a crop, but the fourth type of ground is good soil and it produces a very good harvest.

Paul still desires to see the Thessalonians in person and to teach them more. He tells them to love each other and all other people with an overflowing love. Love is the means by which Jesus prepares us for His return to earth, so that He will find us living a life set apart from the world which He will judge.

Timothy reported to Paul that the Thessalonians were thriving despite their persecution. They continue in faith and love, and they miss Paul as much as he misses them. He is comforted by this news, and declares that when believers overcome suffering, we are living out the fullest, most rewarding life God intended for us.

Paul sent Timothy to check in on the Thessalonians, to strengthen them in the midst of their persecutions. He reminds them that they should expect suffering because of their faith in Christ. It should never surprise them, or worse yet, cause them to buckle and stop living a life of faith.