Matthew 14 - 11.20.25

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 14:13

“When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.” 

OBSERVATION 

Jesus had just heard of the beheading of his cousin, John the Baptist, and he went to a “deserted place”, not out of cowardice knowing what was next. He would have been mourning the loss of this precious man, and Jesus wanted and needed to be comforted and alone with God. At the same time, the multitudes who had been coming to hear of who he was, followed him in their desire to know more of his words—and the disciples had followed him too.  When he saw them, he became more concerned about the “multitudes” than his sorrow.  Moved with compassion verses 14-16, he began to heal the sick and to teach them. Jesus did this all the way until evening. His gracious compassion for the demanding crowds was remarkable.  And because it was evening and they hadn’t eaten he asked the disciples to get them something to eat.  

Jesus Displays Authority over Nature, verses 20-21 You give them something to eat: With this, Jesus challenged both the compassion and the faith of the disciples. Yet He did not ask them to do anything to meet the need without also guiding them through the work. It was the compassion of Jesus and His awareness of the power of God that led Him to go about the miracle of Him feeding the multitude from five loaves of bread and two fish.  

APPLICATION 

In this beautiful story of the compassion of Jesus Christ, how do you select only one scripture? Jesus showed sorrow over someone he loved BUT He had compassion for others over his own feelings. The prominence of this story – recorded in all four gospels – shows that both the Holy Spirit and the early church thought this story was important.  It is more than an example of the miraculous power of Jesus; it defines the compassion of Christ.  

This story is an example to not always focus on ourselves but look for those around us who may need help.  It shows that Jesus had compassion and care for the people of God, even when we might have expected His patience would be exhausted.  It’s God’s example when we see others struggling, to have compassion and faith, and STEP UP and ask to help, “feed them the bread of life in His word”, in prayer.

The feeding of the 5,000 also gives us three principles regarding God’s provision.

· Thank God for and wisely use what you have.

· Trust God’s unlimited resources.

· Don’t waste what He gives you. 

PRAYER 

Lord Jesus, in all the heartache you were going thru in the loss of someone you cared for, you knew of the prophetic words of God for your future, and you needed to get away to pray /talk with/to GOD.  BUT YOU still put others first, because YOU knew of your purpose: to be the savior of your people, as the son of God, the third party of the Trinity.  Lord, this is a lesson for me to have compassion and put others first no matter the trials I face. And come to you in a “quiet place”. And Jesus, thank you for who you were then in these beautiful stories of your life on this earth, and all you did for others in the journey from your birth until your death at age 30; and now. And LORD, to think of the compassion of the stories of you that were written in the gospel by your disciples…who carried your compassion, through faith, to give your word to all nations and died, and are resurrected with YOU. Words fail to thank you and them…let me live a life that reflects your compassion and your Glory! AND always look for others that need to come to know YOU.  Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.  Amen!

- Charleen Zakarian

Matthew 13 - 11.19.25

Scripture

Matthew 13:54-58

Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Observation

The people of Nazareth could see Jesus’ wisdom and power. But the Jesus they saw didn’t match what they thought they knew of him, so they rejected him. Because of their lack of faith, the people of Nazareth lost out on their miracles. Another version says, “And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”

Do we make assumptions about Jesus – who he is, what he does or doesn’t want to do – that cause us to miss out on what Jesus can do? Do we make assumptions that because he doesn’t work in the way we expect him to, that he is not at work? Do we reject his teachings or the things he speaks to us because they’re not the answer we want to hear?

Application

In Matthew 21:22, Jesus said, Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. We must ask in faith believing he has the power to answer our prayers.

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. We must earnestly seek his presence and follow his instructions.

1 John 5:14-15 says, This is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. We must believe that if we are seeking his will, he will hear us, whether or not we see the results we are expecting.

Prayer

Jesus, I don’t want to miss out on miracles! Help me not to come to you with preconceived expectations, but to come to you earnestly seeking to know you and your will. Help me to be open and teachable, not to close my ears when I am confronted with truth. As I spend time with you, reveal yourself to me more and more.

- Debbie Dunn

Matthew 12 - 11.18.25

Scripture:

“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.” Matthew 12:29

Observation:

These words of Jesus were spoken to the Pharisees because they claimed He was casting out demons by the power of Satan. He is letting them know Satan can’t remove Satan only Christ Himself can. This beckons back to Isaiah 49:24-26:

“Can the prey be taken from a mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? Indeed, this is what the Lord says: “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons. I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

The Lord is our protector. He is the strong man. Through petitioning the Lord while in bondage, He storms through the gates of hell to rescue His children from all types of oppression and torment. He tears down strongholds on our behalf. There is no other way to do this without Him. It is at His name that every knee bows and confesses that He is Lord. When we find ourselves bound up, we call upon His name to be rescued.

In Colossians 2:13-15 the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Colossae because they needed to be warned about dangerous false teachings that were undermining the supremacy of Christ. He said “And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” To quote Paul once more “where oh death is now your sting?” Christ’s sacrifice on the cross bound up Satan, and rendered him powerless against those who are in Christ. It is through Christ that we find our victory, salvation and freedom.

Application:

When I find myself in various times of trouble, I call upon the Lord. I have walked through lots of tough seasons in my life from mental health issues, to physical health issues, to personal sin, and allowed my mind for a time to wander and the enemy took a seat at my table. Until I called on God and postured my heart toward Him, seeking safety and provision, He rescued me each time from those circumstances. We should call out to God not just with our mouths but with our hearts, fully seeking to be saved, prepared to repent and confess when necessary, or lean on community to be guided back to the cross, where the work is truly done at the feet of the Lord. Remember when Christ binds up Satan, we should submit ourselves to Him who is able and not return to captivity.

Prayer:

Lord, You are the God who saves. You are Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner. You fight for us day and night. You neither sleep nor slumber. You have showed yourself over the ages to be a God who loves and cares for His children. Your hand is not too short to save, and Your eyes to see the injustices we face. Incline Your ear to us as we follow in Your statutes. Answer us when we call and when we pray, according to Your will, lead us into your blessings. As Christ said in Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Keep Your hand upon us as You guide us through life’s trials. Thank You for interceding for us, thank You for loving us, and thank You for choosing us. Amen

- Shanese Hamilton