Category Archives: Help / Serve Others

Church / Body of Christ, Help / Serve Others

Good (and Godly) Friends Can Make a Big Difference

Reflecting on the miraculous healing of the paralytic in Mark 2 and also on the sour response from the scribes are often some obvious and key focus areas when reading this scripture. However, I want you to focus today on the friends of the paralytic as you read. They not only brought their friend to Yeshua, but also were quite determined to get to Him. They were not easily discouraged.  Their actions changed the life of their paralytic friend.

Mark 2:1-13

The Paralytic Healed

      1When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11“I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

      13And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

I would encourage each of us, myself included, to seek out good and godly friends and invest time to build relationship with them. I would also encourage each of us to seek to invest time to be that friend and encourager for others in the body of Christ.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to be the friend to others like these men were to the paralytic Yeshua healed. Help me also invest in building relationships with others so that they can help build me up and encourage me when I need it. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Am I on the path?, Compassionate, Demons, Healer, Help / Serve Others, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind

Yeshua Made Time With the Father a Priority

Yeshua set an example for us in so many different ways. We do well to search them out in scripture and ask the Spirit to enlighten us and guide us in understanding and applying it in our lives.

How often might we say we want to have time to pray or study the word, but then we get busy and don’t follow through, or not as much as we know we should? There is an excellent example in Mark 1, where Yeshua was having a busy evening. Many ill and demon possessed people were brought to Him as sun set, ending Shabbat. It is written that the whole city had gathered at the door.

Mark 1:32-39

  32When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

      35In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36Simon and his companions searched for Him; 37they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” 39And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

We do not need much imagination to realize it was a busy evening for Yeshua. In fact, even in the morning people were still looking for Him. In the midst of this busy time, and busy with very meaningful time spent healing people and casting out demons, Yeshua woke up early, while it was still dark, to go to a secluded place and pray.

He did not take the day off to rest, but rather got up to go and preach throughout Galilee. It is also interesting that He did not stay to help everyone who came to Him from the one location before leaving. He knew that He had come to preach across many towns, not just one or a few. He did not stay and heal every person. They were still looking for Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for sending Yeshua as an example for us as well as a Savior. Thank You for the written word and Your Spirit to lead and guide us. Help me to see others through Your eyes, with compassion and patience. Help me to put Your work and Your purpose ahead of my own comfort and rest. Encourage me to make time to pray and spend time with You rather than to make excuses why I can not. There is nothing I am doing that is more important that what Yeshua did when He was here in the flesh for a short, three year ministry. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Grace / Patience, Help / Serve Others, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Mercy, Patient, Purposeful / Intentional

More than Just Names and Faces

I am not a great student of the genealogies, but I do try to reflect them and I try to find value and meaning in them as I read through scripture. It is easy to just glaze over sections of names that are hard to pronounce for us. Each on of these names represents not just a character in a story, but a real life person who had hopes and dreams like each of us do. I find it overwhelming at times to really reflect on that in life as it passes by around me.

Think of everyone you meet or pass by, even in a car or in a crowd. They are not “extras” in a movie about your own life. Each is living out their own life which is as important to them as ours is to each of us. Try to take on the perspective of others when you see the action going on around you or are reading in the scriptures about these generations of God’s people.

1 Chronicles 7

Genealogy from Issachar

      1Now the sons of Issachar were four: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. 2The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam and Samuel, heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was 22,600. 3The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Isshiah; all five of them were chief men. 4With them by their generations according to their fathers’ households were 36,000 troops of the army for war, for they had many wives and sons. 5Their relatives among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, enrolled by genealogy, in all 87,000.

Descendants of Benjamin

      6The sons of Benjamin were three: Bela and Becher and Jediael. 7The sons of Bela were five: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth and Iri. They were heads of fathers’ households, mighty men of valor, and were 22,034 enrolled by genealogy. 8The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. 9They were enrolled by genealogy, according to their generations, heads of their fathers’ households, 20,200 mighty men of valor. 10The son of Jediael was Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish and Ahishahar. 11All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers’ households, 17,200 mighty men of valor, who were ready to go out with the army to war. 12Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir; Hushim was the son of Aher.

Sons of Naphtali

      13The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

Descendants of Manasseh

      14The sons of Manasseh were Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. 15Machir took a wife for Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister’s name was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named him Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18His sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah. 19The sons of Shemida were Ahian and Shechem and Likhi and Aniam.

Descendants of Ephraim

      20The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, 21Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to take their livestock. 22Their father Ephraim mourned many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because misfortune had come upon his house. 24His daughter was Sheerah, who built lower and upper Beth-horon, also Uzzen-sheerah. 25Rephah was his son along with Resheph, Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Non his son and Joshua his son.

      28Their possessions and settlements were Bethel with its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer with its towns, and Shechem with its towns as far as Ayyah with its towns, 29and along the borders of the sons of Manasseh, Beth-shean with its towns, Taanach with its towns, Megiddo with its towns, Dor with its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.

Descendants of Asher

      30The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah, and Serah their sister. 31The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. 32Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer and Hotham, and Shua their sister. 33The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. 34The sons of Shemer were Ahi and Rohgah, Jehubbah and Aram. 35The sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh and Amal. 36The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri and Imrah, 37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera. 38The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa and Ara. 39The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel and Rizia. 40All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes. And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to see others through Your eyes. Help me to see them as individuals that have value to You and to others. Let me not remain focused in on my own view on the world as if everyone else is simply an extra in a story about my life. Help me to have compassion on them and understanding. Help me to love them and be friendly and reach out to them. Guide me to be a light to them to draw them to You. Help me to treat them as I want to be treated. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Pride, Selfishness, Worldliness

To Truly Lead Is to Serve, Not to Be Put on a Pedestal and Admired

It is all together too easy to listen only to what Yeshua says we should do and overlook something equally important. Let us pay attention to the fact that Yeshua rebuked those who were doing wrong, even those in a place of authority. We do well to pay attention to what He tells them, and us, not to do.

Clearly He is not pleased simply with someone claiming the name of Yahweh. He wants us to truly worship and respect and obey the Father. It is in what we do, not what we say or how we look, that we demonstrate our righteousness, our love for Father, and our submission to Him.

Matthew 23:1-12

Pharisaism Exposed

      1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4“They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6“They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

When seated in the chair of Moses, they were to read only from the Torah. Thus Yeshua emphasizes that we are to obey the law of Yahweh. However, He also calls out the hypocrisy in how the Pharisees do not live out the law they teach to others. Thus, do as they say (when teaching the law), and not as they do.

When Yeshua speaks of tying up heavy burdens and not doing them, I believe He is referring to the Pharisees adding on to the law with their own instructions and commands. Their additions created a burden for people to follow, yet they did not even do God’s law themselves.

Yeshua calls out the Pharisees for their desire to be called out with special respect and emphasis among the people. They like having the spotlight and a place of honor. They were not seeking relationship with the Father, but rather focused on getting the attention of men. We should be the opposite of that, focused on pleasing the Father rather than impressing men.

There is also an important point made here about leadership. Do not seek to be a leader to lord it over people as one who is better than they. Do not seek to be called father or rabbi as a sign of respect as if you have some unique insight into the Father’s will. Instead carry the attitude of being brothers, all seeking and following our Messiah. Help, lead, serve. I close with the last two verses, which can not be emphasized enough.

11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to be humble and to have a servant’s heart. Let me now lord over people any position of authority, but rather use it as an opportunity to serve them and help them. I pray You would raise up leaders with this attitude around our nation in political office and teachers of Your word. Cast down those who seek to elevate themselves rather than serve and help others, especially those who do so while calling upon Your great name. Help me and all of Your people to understand how to live out Your instructions according to the law. Raise up more workers for the harvest. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Generous, Giving, Greed, Help / Serve Others, Money / Finances / Wealth, Share the Good News

How Does Yahweh Provide for Those in Full Time Service to Him?

Note: This article was developed in partnership with GrowGodsMoney.org.

There can be quite a debate about whether or not the tithe is still required and if it is, are we required to pay it to the church. There are arguments on both sides. We could have these debates, and if done based on scripture, they could be very meaningful discussions. If done on emotions or tradition of men, they have significantly less value.

Perhaps the greater question is not “am I required” to tithe or give money to those serving God, but rather “should I” in order to be pleasing to God. We can also explore the other side from the perspective of one who would be accepting such donations.

I am going to start by focusing on scripture from Paul in 2 Corinthians 11.

2 Corinthians 11:7-9

     7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? 8I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; 9and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.

I do not claim this is authoritative for every situation, but rather very interesting to note. Paul accepted money when it was offered, but did not require it or pressure people to give to him just because he was preaching the gospel to them.  Those that gave to Paul arguable were not giving to the “church” as we think of it today. That would have been tithing to the Levites at this time. If they had only tithed to the Levites, Paul would not have received financial support. Neither would any of Jesus’ disciples or Jesus Himself in His earthly ministry.

It is probably worth highlighting at this time that Jesus accepted donations from supporters. We know from the biblical record of the money found in the mouth of a fish and the miracles of the loaves and fishes that Jesus could have simply made His own money. He set an example by accepting support from those that supported Him. That said, I have not found any scripture where He passed around a collection plate during His teaching and asked for money either. He did not appear to make it a focus of His ministry to ask for donations.

 Luke 8:1-3

1Soon afterward, [a]Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

If we look back to the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), we can see how the LORD provided for the Levites. He did not give directly to them an inheritance as He did for other tribes. He instructed others to provide for them.

Numbers 35:1-5

Cities for the Levites

     1Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. 3“The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their beasts.

      4“The pasture lands of the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits around. 5“You shall also measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits, with the city in the center. This shall become theirs as pasture lands for the cities.

YHWH still wants His people to support those He calls into full time ministry. Some of us will serve Him in business roles (e.g. Daniel, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, many of the people were farmers, etc.). However, some will be missionaries and pastors and Biblical teachers and these may need the support of the community of believers as a means for God to provide for them.

I would encourage these individuals to also consider the example of Paul and work in such a way as not to be a burden to others. They can provide sometimes for their own needs or by modest in what they spend. One receiving donations from hard working people should not be flying in private jets unless they earned that money in another way aside from donations.

Keep in mind that Moses turned away donations that were made when they were in excess of what was required. It was not his goal to get personal wealth from donations from the people.

Exodus 36:3-7

 3They received from Moses every [g]contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to perform [h]the work [i]in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him [j]voluntary offerings every morning. 4And all the [k]skillful people who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from [l]the work which they were performing, 5and they said to [m]Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the [n] construction work which the LORD commanded us to [o]perform.” 6So Moses issued a command, and circulated a [p]proclamation throughout the camp, saying, “No man or woman is to perform work any longer for the [q]contributions of the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7For the [r]material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

Do not let your own selfishness or greed stop you from making provision for those whom He calls to His service. Give joyfully. Give generously. However, I also encourage you to give wisely. Do not assume your job is to simply write a big check to the local church. That is not a very active way to steward what He has provided you. Remember, it all belongs to Him… He has just entrusted some of His things to us to manage and enjoy.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please lead and guide me in giving. Help me to by joyful, kind, and generous. Help me be wise and discerning in regards to whom I give. Help me be a good steward of what you provide. Help me to trust you in my finances and be thankful for what you have given rather than coveting what others may have. Amen. 

(For those that also receive money in donations and support from others): 

Please help me to spend wisely and respect what has been given to me. Let me not seek personal wealth based on someone else’s donations. Let me seek to be a good steward of all I receive. Help me to have a right spirit in me in regards to how I request financial support and let me not pressure others to give but rather trust in you to provide by leading and guiding them. Amen.  

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Contentment, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

The Greatest Are Those Who Serve and Sacrifice

Do not seek to be great in the LORD’s kingdom for your own glory, but rather for His. Do not take lightly what it means to be glorified and lifted up in His kingdom either. There is a cost to be paid. We must also remember what it means to be great in His kingdom, which is very different than what it means in the eyes of men.

Matthew 20:20-28

Preferment Asked

      20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. 21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

      24And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to seek to honor you over myself. Let me be joyful and content with whatever you call me to do. Help me to be prepared and willing to courageously face difficulty and persecution for your glory and for your name. I ask also these things on behalf of your people everywhere, that we would all serve you more abundantly and selflessly. Help me not be tempted by personal glory in the eyes of men. 

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Wickedness / Evil

Who Is Greatest in the Kingdom?

Many people have differing ideas of greatness. Sports start, movie stars, politicians… many are held up as great. But by what standard should we judge who is truly great? As for me, I like to use the standard set by Yeshua. Spoiler alert, it is very different than the measure of greatness in the eyes of the world.

Matthew 18:1-5

Rank in the Kingdom

      1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 23:10-12

10“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

So pay attention when the world tells you greatness comes from being a better athlete or better business man or just being wealthy or famous. None of these define greatness in the eyes of God. If you want to set out to be great, ask the LORD’s help and begin by serving others in His name. Humble yourself before God and submit to His word and His guidance for you. In these ways you can be great and you do not need special circumstances, talent, or money to get started!

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Compassionate, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Healer, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Miracles, Miracles, Peace / Rest, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Our Messiah Provides Thought Provoking Context Regarding Sabbath

Yeshua provides us thought provoking commentary regarding Sabbaths in Matthew 12. He was confronted by Pharisees seeking to condemn Him by finding Him guilty of violating the letter of the law of Torah. They were not interested in learning from His reply, but we should be as His servants and disciples.

Matthew 12:1-21

Sabbath Questions

      1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6“But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

      8“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

      9Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12“How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

      15But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16and warned them not to tell who He was. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

      18“BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL–PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

      19“HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

      20“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

      21“AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

There are a handful of really important points.

  • If we are simply trying to find a reason to condemn Christ or those who follow Him, we will not learn anything about our LORD. We will simply go about trying to set traps and miss the opportunity to grow in relationship with Him.
  • Yeshua does not deny the Sabbath or the Sabbath instructions are important.
  • Yeshua highlights that there are times when certain needs may take priority over following the letter of the law for Sabbath. He states that in this case it is about compassion, truly caring for people which is more important than strict adherence to the law. Of course, this puts great responsibility on us to know our LORD and to apply this carefully and not simply disobey whenever convenient.
  • Yeshua is Lord of the Sabbath. He has authority over it. This is also a claim to being divine… being God and not simply a prophet or a teacher.
  •  Yeshua was deeply aware of prophecy and careful to act in keeping with what the God previously declared about Messiah so as not to contradict what God had said.
  • I find it really interesting that He warned the people healed not to say who He was. He was obviously not concerned about Pharisees knowing He was healing. He did so in front of them, deliberately. What a different approach than what we would expect from a man. Men typically want recognition or personal gain. God’s ways are not our ways.

To read more about Sabbath, consider our teaching, Remember the Sabbath.

The Barnes Notes for Matthew 12, on BibleHub.com, provides more background and context well laid out. However, we must always remember that the notes and commentary are supplemental tools representing someone else’s study and conclusions… they are not part of the infallible word of God. Test them.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Kindness / Gentleness, Learning To Pray Effectively, Pride, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Selfishness, Submitted / Servant

Do Not Practice Righteousness to be Noticed by Man

His ways are surely not our ways. Do not practice your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Normally we think this would be good. Don’t we want to be noticed? Don’t we want to be a light? Yes we do, but take care in what way. Our motives matter as much as our actions.  The context here is speaking against doing the right things for the wrong reasons. We should seek to honor and glorify God, not get personal recognition from man, lest our motives be impure. If all we are seeking to do is get praise from man, then that is all the reward we will ever get. Let us stay focused on pleasing God.

Matthew 6:1-14

Giving to the Poor and Prayer

      1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

      2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

      5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

      7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

      9“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

      10‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

      11‘Give us this day our daily bread.

      12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

      13‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15“But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

For a deeper study of the LORD’s prayer, review our teaching Learning to Pray Effectively. There is so much more to study and digest than this short  article.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Help / Serve Others, Protector / Deliverer, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Study the Word, Submitted / Servant

There Is a Lot to Learn from Yeshua’s Confrontation with Satan in the Wilderness

The timing and manner with which Satan comes to tempt Yeshua is very interesting, and worthy of note. This is one strategy the enemy may also use with us.

The temptation of Yeshua takes place directly after His baptism in Matthew 3 and before He starts His ministry later in Matthew 4. Yeshua handles the temptation very effectively because He already knows the word of God and in its proper context. He quickly deflects the temptations of the enemy, who also knows the word of God very well and tries to manipulate it and twist it to lead people away from God.

From a timing perspective, this perhaps warns us that Satan may attack people when they first publicly commit their lives to die to self and live for their Creator. Further, we can note that he may not wait until someone is well under way with their ministry and serving the LORD. He may tempt them as they are just getting started.

He also sought out Yeshua when He was alone and vulnerable. Perhaps this encourages us if we are mature believers to seek out and help new believers or those early on their journey and for any of us who are new on the journey to seek out more mature believers to help mentor us should we face attack.

Matthew 4:1-10

The Temptation of Jesus

      1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

      5Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’;
and
‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

7Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

      8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 11Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Take some time to review and reflect on the attack strategy Satan used. What else do you recognize in his approach? e.g. He did not stop after trying once… he offers a path that appears “easy”… he twists scripture and the way to beat him is to know scripture in proper context… what else? Prayerfully reflect.

Note: YHWH does allow faithful believers to be tempted by the enemy (reference Job and Yeshua).

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.