The Private Night: Matthew 14:22-36

Focus Passage: Matthew 14:22-36 (GW)

22 Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to the other side ahead of him while he sent the people away. 23 After sending the people away, he went up a mountain to pray by himself. When evening came, he was there alone.

24 The boat, now hundreds of yards from shore, was being thrown around by the waves because it was going against the wind.

25 Between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them. He was walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and began to scream because they were afraid.

27 Immediately, Jesus said, “Calm down! It’s me. Don’t be afraid!”

28 Peter answered, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.”

29 Jesus said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed how strong the wind was, he became afraid and started to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately, Jesus reached out, caught hold of him, and said, “You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?”

32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped blowing. 33 The men in the boat bowed down in front of Jesus and said, “You are truly the Son of God.”

34 They crossed the sea and landed at Gennesaret. 35 The men there recognized Jesus and sent messengers all around the countryside. The people brought him everyone who was sick. 36 They begged him to let them touch just the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was made well.

Read Matthew 14:22-36 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In between two of the most well known events in the four gospels, we are often tempted to simply skip over a verse that is incredibly relevant for us today. Perhaps we skip over it because the gospel writers don’t focus more on it, or perhaps it is simply because they chose to use it as a transition-style statement to set the stage for the big event that follows. Maybe we simply see it as a part of the transition rather than being important on its own.

However, because I like to draw our attention onto overlooked verses like this one, we’ll ignore the stories on both side and focus in on what this simple verse means. To give a tiny bit of context, the verse we will focus on follows one of Jesus’ big food multiplying, feeding-the-crowd events, and the miraculous event where Peter walks on the water comes after it.

Between these two events, we read, “Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to the other side ahead of him while he sent the people away. After sending the people away, he went up a mountain to pray by himself. When evening came, he was there alone.” (v. 22-23)

I include two verses there to give a little more context to this whole transition, but the part I want to focus us on is verse 23 where it says that Jesus “went up a mountain to pray by himself. When evening came, he was there alone.

This is important because Jesus valued and prioritized alone time with God. While He may have slept for part of that time, He likely spent the majority of it praying and focusing on God.

This is important because it is often times skipped or ignored because it is not glamorous. But that leads us to the big idea that I see supported in Jesus’ actions: Our public platform is only as solid as our private foundation. Jesus modeled both how to build the private foundation through prayer and how this foundation is the most important key to having a successful public “platform” (i.e. ministry).

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Jesus the Cornerstone: Psalm 118:15-23


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Continuing where we left off last week looking at one of Jesus’ parables that He shared leading up to the night He was betrayed and arrested, let’s turn our attention onto what Jesus taught immediately following the conclusion of this parable. However, since this is our year focusing on prophecy and connection points between Jesus’ ministry and the Old Testament, let’s first begin by looking at the psalm Jesus quotes from while wrapping up the parable He challenged the religious leaders with.

This psalm is number 118, and let’s read it using the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 15, the psalmist writes:

15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.

Let’s jump out of reading this psalm here. Overall, this psalm gives praise to God for all the blessings He has given to His people. However, tucked within this psalm of praise is a message about some builders rejecting a cornerstone. While this might be a reference to something that took place in the Old Testament, a quick search while I was preparing for this episode did not turn up a specific event in Israel’s history that I could refer to.

While there may be a time I wasn’t able to find, what I find even more fascinating than the specific details surrounding this psalm and why this idea was written into this psalm, is how Jesus ultimately frames this idea when He draws attention to it in the New Testament. While this phrase is shared in several of the gospels, let’s read it from Matthew’s gospel. Let’s also step back and read the parable we began with to give this teaching the context that those listening to Jesus would have had.

So with this said, let’s read from Matthew’s gospel, chapter 21, and starting at the beginning of the parable in verse 33, Jesus says:

33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. 44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46 When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.

As this event concludes, I find it fascinating that there are two ways Jesus frames understanding this psalm.

The first way of understanding it may have been the traditional way that those in the first century had understood this idea. This framing said that the Jewish nation, which was rejected by most every society at most points in history, ultimately will be made into the cornerstone of God’s kingdom.

On one hand, I believe this to be a true statement, with the only clarification or modification to what I shared earlier being that this cornerstone would be known as spiritual Israel, rather than the literal Jewish nation. While framing this idea as spiritual Israel allows for God-fearing Jews to be included, it also allows all of God’s people who started their life’s journey apart from God who come to God later in their lives. These people are welcomed in, and grafted into God’s family too.

However, I suspect that while these first century religious leaders may have believed this first angle for understanding this psalm, they rightly concluded that Jesus’ use of this psalm did not align with their frame.

Instead, Jesus takes the concept in this psalm, and subtly applies it to Himself. While it is very tempting to jump to the end of this conclusion and claim that Jesus is referring to Himself as the cornerstone, moving too quickly to this endpoint misses several powerful additional ideas Jesus shares in His conclusion.

Immediately following the conclusion of His parable and quoting this psalm, Jesus challenges the religious leaders by saying: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” (v. 43)

With this verse as the immediate context for Jesus’ challenge, the best, first frame for understanding Jesus’ quotation is that what God is building is the kingdom of God. With the context being on Jesus warning these religious leaders that their lack of returning to God the fruit He desired was going to cost them their place in the kingdom of God, it was no surprise to anyone present that these religious leaders were opposed to Jesus.

However, with the context of this quote being framed as God building His kingdom, where would be the best place to look for a cornerstone. Some people, including many of the Jewish leaders living in the first century, believe the cornerstone of God’s kingdom would be the scriptures. I can understand the logic involved with this conclusion. The scriptures are a gift from God and a great foundation for growing our spiritual lives. Also, God’s Word, and His law form one big foundational element in His kingdom.

But elsewhere in the gospels, specifically in John’s gospel, we read Jesus challenging some religious leaders with the truth that the scriptures actually point to Someone. According to Jesus’ framing of the scriptures, when we are actively using them to base our life on, we will be logically pointed towards the One they were written to point us towards. According to Jesus, scriptures themselves don’t contain eternal life; they simply point to the One who has the power to give eternal life. This conversation is found in John, chapter 5, verses 39 and 40.

With all this in mind, we can then conclude that according to Jesus, God’s kingdom is built on the truth of the One scripture points us to, and the One scripture points us to is God the Messiah, who many people believe to be Jesus Christ Himself.

It is amazing in my mind that Jesus’ parable concludes with the tenants killing the vineyard owner’s son, and the psalm Jesus quotes also talks about the builders rejecting the cornerstone. The first century Jewish leaders were the ones entrusted with building up God’s kingdom, but they ultimately miss, discount, and reject the Cornerstone that God provided to Humanity.

However, we can be thankful for this because through Jesus’ death, the way has been made for our salvation. Jesus finishes this teaching in verse 44 by saying that: “he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.

While we don’t have time to unpack this portion of the verse as well as I would like, it is worth noting that every member of humanity must come to grips with Jesus. If we choose to fall to our knees before Jesus, we will be broken and ultimately rebuilt into being the people God created us to be. However, if we choose to hold back on being broken by Jesus, this Cornerstone will figuratively crush us and scatter us like dust.

Jesus is the cornerstone of God’s kingdom. With this as one of the biggest themes in the Bible, it is up to us how we respond to Jesus. Jesus challenges us to come humbly to Him, bringing with us the fruit God wants us to have, and letting Him transform us into being the people He created us to be.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to let Jesus transform you through His love. Choose to place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus, the Cornerstone of God’s kingdom, and His sacrifice on the cross.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to Jesus each and every day. Through regular prayer and Bible study, discover how much Jesus loves us and what He was willing to go through because He wants each of us with Him in the New Heaven and New Earth.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Year of Prophecy – Episode 43: From looking at an Old Testament psalm about a cornerstone being rejected, discover several different ways this psalm could be understood, and a powerful truth that’s relevant for all of God’s people living throughout history.

Join the discussion. Share your thoughts on this passage.

Bigger than the Box: Matthew 26:57-68

Focus Passage: Matthew 26:57-68 (NCV)

57 Those people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders were gathered. 58 Peter followed far behind to the courtyard of the high priest’s house, and he sat down with the guards to see what would happen to Jesus.

59 The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so they could kill him. 60 Many people came and told lies about him, but the council could find no real reason to kill him. Then two people came and said, 61 “This man said, ‘I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.’”

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?” 63 But Jesus said nothing.

Again the high priest said to Jesus, “I command you by the power of the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

64 Jesus answered, “Those are your words. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.”

65 When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes and said, “This man has said things that are against God! We don’t need any more witnesses; you all heard him say these things against God. 66 What do you think?”

The people answered, “He should die.”

67 Then the people there spat in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. Others slapped him. 68 They said, “Prove to us that you are a prophet, you Christ! Tell us who hit you!”

Read Matthew 26:57-68 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In Jesus’ interrogation after the mob has arrested Him the night before His crucifixion, we see an interesting statement Jesus makes when challenged by the high priest.

All through the trial to determine Jesus’ “death-worthiness”, Jesus says nothing. This in itself is interesting, but what follows it amazes me most every time I read this.

The high priest is fed up with the witnesses’ lies not adding up, he is fed up with Jesus’ silence, and he realizes that if he cannot get some momentum in this case soon, it will crash down around him and the whole arrest will fall back on them. So he challenges Jesus in the strongest way he can: “The high priest said to Jesus, ‘I command you by the power of the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’” (v. 63b)

The high priest cannot come up with a stronger command. He challenges Jesus to answer about whether He is the Messiah, the Son of God.

But Jesus’ response is interesting. Jesus begins His response in verse 64 by saying “Those are your words.” By beginning this way, Jesus makes a clear distinction that is not directly denying the implication of the high priest’s challenge, but it tells us that Jesus sees Himself differently. And Jesus was different.

The Jews expected a messiah to come who would free them from the Romans and set up Israel as a kingdom that would exist independently for the rest of history. The implication in the High Priest’s challenge is asking if Jesus was that messiah – and Jesus does not confirm those words.

Instead Jesus continues His response by describing the second coming, when He will return with God the Father: “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.” (v. 64b)

One of the big things I see in this passage is Jesus confirming that He was sent from God, but that He was a different Messiah than what the Jews were expecting. This also prompts me to wonder if Jesus was bigger than the box the Jews wanted to place Him in, He may also be bigger than the box I may try to place Him in.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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Validating a Decision: Luke 7:18-35

Focus Passage: Luke 7:18-35 (NCV)

18 John’s followers told him about all these things. He called for two of his followers 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?”

20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?’”

21 At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses, diseases, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many blind people. 22 Then Jesus answered John’s followers, “Go tell John what you saw and heard here. The blind can see, the crippled can walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. 23 Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are blessed!”

24 When John’s followers left, Jesus began talking to the people about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed blown by the wind? 25 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, people who have fine clothes and much wealth live in kings’ palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, and I tell you, John is more than a prophet. 27 This was written about him:

‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare the way for you.’

28 I tell you, John is greater than any other person ever born, but even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than John.”

29 (When the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s teaching was good, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts on the law refused to accept God’s plan for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.)

31 Then Jesus said, “What shall I say about the people of this time? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying,

‘We played music for you, but you did not dance;
    we sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’

33 John the Baptist came and did not eat bread or drink wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine, and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is proved to be right by what it does.”

Read Luke 7:18-35 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

In Jesus’ main teaching about who John the Baptist was, the gospel of Luke includes a side-note that is worth paying attention to. This side-note reveals a key aspect of human nature and it is one that is very relevant for us living today.

Luke describes how the people responded by saying, “When the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s teaching was good, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts on the law refused to accept God’s plan for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.” (v. 29-30)

This is incredibly important for us to notice, because even before Jesus arrived in the spotlight, John the Baptist’s ministry was creating a distinct dividing line between the people. The common people, that also happened to include people as horrible as tax collectors, accepted John’s teaching and were baptized. This led them to be open and receptive to Jesus’ ministry a few years later.

On the other hand, the Pharisees and religious experts rejected or ignored John’s ministry, and because of this, they ultimately rejected Jesus’ ministry as well.

This draws our attention to a key insight in human nature: It is easier to validate a decision you have already made than it is to change your mind.

The religious leaders had decided that John’s new teaching was not significant, relevant, or worthy of attention, and because of this, they simply validated their previous decision when Jesus steps onto the scene. Their closed minds and attitude towards John led them to be closed-minded towards Jesus as well.

But being open-minded towards John the Baptist led people towards being open-minded and accepting of Jesus – and this group of people was the ones Jesus specifically came for. This group of sinners realized their need for a Savior, and Jesus stepped into humanity to be their “Messiah” for eternity.

In our lives today, we should be open to the people God brings our way and test their teaching with what the Bible has taught us God is like. Being open, accepting, and loving are things God has called us to do for each other, but we are also called to test all ideas based on the God who loved us enough to die for us. It is easier to validate previous decisions than to change our minds, so we must be intentional and thoughtful about the decisions we make.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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