Real Voices

In Matthew’s Gospel, he continues to narrate Jesus’s ministry in Galilee. In this portion of his narration, Jesus travels to an area populated by the Canaanites where he meets with a woman. Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came […]

In his discussion with the Scribes and Pharisees about purity (Matthew 15.1-9), Jesus didn’t address the topic directly. Now, he does address it and emphasizes that he wants the crowd to understand very clearly what he has to say. Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is […]

To best understand the dispute between Jesus and religious leaders who had come to Galilee from Jerusalem, we need to consider the role of ritual purity among Jews in the first century. It is hard to overstate the importance of purity for the Pharisees. They firmly believed that to participate in the life and worship […]

One of the impressive ways we learned how authentic the Bible is, is how it treats its heroes. Heroes in ancient literature are often painted larger than life. In this short passage, we find Peter, who was the founder of the church and the most prominent figure, as impulsive, fearful, and doubtful. Peter answered him, […]

After feeding a crowd of 5000+, Jesus sent his disciples to the other side of the lake and went to a nearby mountain for a time of prayer (Matthew 14.22-23). Most of us recognize that if something’s good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for us. The problem we have with spending […]

When Herod heard about Jesus, he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him” (Matthew 14.2). Matthew provides a flashback of events that led to John’s death at the hands of Herod. For Herod had arrested […]

Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness with all the power and glory the world has to offer. He said, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God,and serve only him.’ ” […]

During the 1970s, I served one of the poorest churches in a very small community in southwest Louisiana. No one would be so arrogant as to believe that, out of that congregation, a world-changing ministry would emerge. Even though I was impacted and blessed by my time there, no world-changing ministry arose from that congregation. […]

To best comprehend Jesus’ teachings on parables, it’s helpful to examine his dialogue preceding and following the discussion of these parables. In Chapter 11, Jesus addresses cities that have witnessed his miracles yet failed to repent. He delivers a word of judgment upon them (Matthew 11.20-24). Then, he expresses gratitude to the Heavenly Father for […]

As we study the Gospel of Matthew, it’s helpful to remember that Matthew wrote this gospel for a church that was suffering persecution and internal struggles. On one level, Jesus told the parable of the sower to remind the church that the kinds of soils mentioned in the parable represent different responses to the gospel […]