Meeting With Christ

Spiritual growth cannot be measured by a stopwatch. The kingdom of God may begin in a person’s life in an instant, but its growth becomes visible only with the passing of time and the practice of faithfulness. This is one aspect of the kingdom of God that Jesus describes in the parable of the growing seed, a story that is recorded only by Mark. Let’s read this passage. Mark 4.26-29. Mark 4.26. And...

The parable of the tares is peculiar to the gospel of Matthew, just like the parable of the growing seed (which we studied in our previous lesson) is only found in Mark. Let’s read this story about the sowing of wheat and weeds. Matthew 13.24. Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 "but while men slept, his enemy came...

In our previous lesson, we were studying the parable of the tares, a parable describing the kingdom of heaven. We saw that the kingdom’s present state here on earth is imperfect. It is a kingdom in which wheat and tares are mixed. The good is mixed with the bad. Such description of the kingdom makes us wonder about its future. We might become somewhat discouraged. What future does the kingdom of G...

Whenever Jesus taught people about the kingdom of God, He often used examples taken directly from everyday life. The parable of the leaven is one good example. Let’s read this short parable. Matthew 13.33. Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." Text format available. Read and download...

Matthew’s chapter of parables (Matthew 13) contains two parables that form a pair. We can say that they are twin parables because they are almost identical. We are talking of course about the parables of the hidden treasure and of the pearl. Even though they are very closely related, we will study them separately. Let’s begin with the parable of the hidden treasure. Matthew 13.44. Again, the kingd...

We mentioned in our last lesson that the parable of the lost treasure can be interpreted in two different ways. The first interpretation understands the treasure to represent Jesus and the believer as the man who sold everything to get it. This is the view we explained the last time. Today we will defend the other interpretation which takes the view that Jesus is the buyer of the field. The treasu...

The kingdom of God as proclaimed by the Lord Jesus is described as something exciting and extremely valuable in the parable of the pearl. Let’s read that story. Matthew 13.45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Text format available. Read and download this episode in tex...

The last parable in Matthew 13 is called the parable of the dragnet. It closes a series of seven parables with a comparison of the kingdom of God to a fishing scene. Let us read this passage. Matthew 13.47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels b...

In Matthew 13.51-52, we find these sentences. These are the words of our Lord Jesus addressed to His disciples. Matthew 13.51. "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." What can we learn from a passage like...

In the NT, there is only one miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all the gospels. It is a passage known as ‘the feeding of the five thousand.’ We can read this extraordinary story in Matthew 14.13-21, Mark 6.33-44, Luke 9:11-17, and John 6.2-14. The fact that all four evangelists recorded it shows that its meaning is of great importance in our understanding of Jesus. Let’s look at this incident i...

The story about Jesus and Peter walking on the water is a vivid lesson about the role of faith in being a disciple of Christ. This very unusual incident is spoken of in three gospels. We read about it in Matthew, in Mark, and also in John. Each evangelist tells the story from his own perspective. When we put them all together, we have a fairly good idea of what the apostles experienced on the lake...

The Lord Jesus has many times rebuked the disciples for their ‘little faith’ (Matthew 8.26; 14.31; 16.8). By contrast, there is one person to whom Jesus said, Great is your faith . And this person turns out to be a Gentile. We are told specifically that she is a Canaanite, a term which has inevitable OT associations with the pagan inhabitants of Palestine. You remember that they were to be extermi...

There is probably no passage in the teaching of Jesus that has called forth more discussion than Matthew 16.18. In Matthew 16.18, the Lord Jesus says this. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it . As you know, this has been the most important passage in the interpretation of claims to papacy and indeed...

This is the second part of a study on Jesus’ declaration concerning Peter in Matthew 16.18. The Lord said to him, You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it . This passage has given rise to many interpretations, the main point of discussion being the meaning of the word ‘rock’. What did Jesus mean by ‘on this rock’? What is the rock?...

It was clear to the apostles that Jesus was the Messiah. The notion that He was the suffering Messiah was much harder to digest. It required frequent repetition from Jesus to make real to their minds the thought that their Lord had to suffer and be killed. One of those instances is in Matthew 16. Let’s read this passage. Matthew 16.21-23. Matthew 16.21. From that time Jesus began to show to His di...

The hopes of the disciples about the Messianic reign were crushed when Jesus told them plainly that He was to die. They were not prepared for such a shocking revelation. As an encouragement, the Lord Jesus assured them that though His death was near, yet the time will come when His kingdom will be established with great power. Let’s read this passage, Matthew 16.27-28. Matthew 16.27. "For the Son...

The Lord Jesus often had to bear with unbelief among His own disciples. The story of the healing of an epileptic boy is one example among many. Let’s read this passage. It contains a wonderful lesson on faith and power. Matthew 17.14-21. Matthew 17:14. And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic...

This lesson constitutes the second part of a study on Matthew 17.14-21, a passage describing Jesus healing a boy with an unclean spirit. This mountain The last time, much of our attention was focused on v. 17 where Jesus said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? Today, we will explore the meaning of v. 20. In this declaration, Jesus promised a share in His power to a...

The Lord Jesus, in His teaching, used the example of a child as a model of true discipleship. Most Christians know this passage in Matthew 18 where Jesus instructed His disciples to 'become like children.' Let's read it from v. 1 to v. 4. Matthew 18.1. At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the m...

The followers of Christ have to face constant temptations. These temptations are referred to as 'stumbling blocks' in Matthew 18. They are a real danger and Jesus speaks very seriously about them. This is what He teaches in Matthew 18.5-9. Matthew 18.5. "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is bet...

In our previous lesson, we were studying Matthew 18.5-9 where Jesus said to His disciples that they must take great care not to cause anyone who believes in Him to stumble. We saw that the stumbling is to be understood in the very serious sense of falling away from Christ. 'Because God cares so much for each of His little ones,' Jesus said, 'That the punishment of the person responsible for their...

Sin in the Christian community is a matter of great concern for Jesus. It can be so damaging to the church that the Lord lays down very specific steps as to how the problem is to be handled. These steps are described in Matthew 18.15-20. This is what Jesus says. A brother who sins Matthew 18.15. "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your broth...

The Lord Jesus taught His followers not just to receive forgiveness but also to show such forgiveness. This point is at the heart of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. The story is recorded only in Matthew, Matthew 18.21-35. It goes like this. There was a king who called his servants for an appointed day of accounting. One of them owed him 10,000 talents - a huge amount of money. What was the...

In the Scriptures, a few verses have the reputation of being ‘one of the most difficult passages in the Bible.’ We are going to study one of those today. The passage that I have in mind is Mark 9.49. We will read v. 50 as well. Mark 9.49-50. Mark 9.49. For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and...

The Feast of Tabernacles was probably the most popular feast among the Jews. Because of its popularity, it was simply called The Feast (1Kings 8.2). It was celebrated to remember how God protected Israel in its travel across the wilderness to the Promised Land, providing the nation with manna and even water. During that seven-day festival, a priest stood in front of the Temple with a pitcher of wa...