Matthew 12 is all about conflict. And in Matthew 12:38-50, we come to the final confrontation of the chapter. You could think about this section as the final battle of an epic confrontation trilogy.  In the first confrontation, we saw the Pharisees attack Jesus directly with false accusations of breaking the law.  In the second…

All kids know the rhyme: Sticks and stones may break my bones…but words can never hurt me.  And all know adults know this is ridiculous.  We all know few things can cause as much pain…or as much joy as words.  In Matthew chapter 12 we have one of Jesus’ strongest and most forceful statements about…

On the surface, the story we find in Matthew 12:22 seems like the simplest story:A man is hurting.He comes to Jesus.Jesus heals him.Some people get mad. Why does Matthew tell us this story? He says that Jesus healed all who came to him, so why does this story take center stage?  What we see in this…

Matthew 11 and 12 are all about misunderstandings and conflict. Times of conflict, times of misunderstandings, and rejection can be disorienting. In times like that, you need an anchor; you need something to reorient and remind you of what you know to be true.  Matthew 12:15-21 is that anchor. These 10 lines that Matthew quotes…

When we pause to review our lives, whether the occasion is a birthday, an anniversary, or the dawn of a new year, we tend to ask certain questions: What was the most memorable event of the past year? The most dramatic change? The greatest accomplishment? Our passage this week offers another set of questions: Where did…

Matthew 12 is all about conflict and controversy.  Here Jesus is publicly confronted and he has to defend his disciples, his ministry, and his message.  There are few things that matter more for the quality of your life, the health of your relationships, and the work you do than how you deal with conflict and…

As we return to the book of Matthew this week we will remind ourselves of some of the great truths we have seen and look ahead to some of the key things coming. Matthew’s Gospel is the pathway for walking in the way of the Word. It is the blueprint for building Christ’s kingdom and Christ’s Church, and it…

Tymek, was just like all toddlers. Active, energetic…prone to put things in his mouth that he shouldn’t. Most of the time it was harmless. Until it wasn’t. Tragically, Tymek got his hands on toxic chemicals… and drank them. In the panic of the emergency, neither his parents nor his doctors knew if we would live.…

We all know what kind of situation we are in if: – in a waiting room during a loved one’s operation, the doctor comes and tells us that the surgery is taking longer than expected because they are trying to keep a vital organ from failing. – or if we are on a plane and…

Last Sunday we turned our attention to Peter’s betrayal of Jesus in Luke 22. The key questions we wrestled with were: Who is the real you? Is the real you, you when you are confident, successful, and victorious? Or is the real you, the frustrated and failing you? In that passage, Satan seeks to “sift”…