In Matthew 10:24-39, Jesus wraps up his sermon on mission with some instructions for trusting him rather than living in fear. In this passage, we learn that following Jesus involves taking up our cross and letting go of our lives so that we might truly live. By Noel Piepgrass
In Matthew 10:16-23, Jesus gives his disciples a warning about the troubles to come as they continue on mission with him. In this passage we see that in Jesus pain has a purpose and it comes with a promise. By Noel Piepgrass
In Matthew 9:35-10:4, Jesus begins a sermon on Mission. This first section focuses on the compassion with which Jesus saw the crowds, his prayer for workers to gather the immense harvest, the authority he gives his disciples, and the community of apostles he formed to carry out his work. By Noel Piepgrass
In Matthew 9:27-34 Jesus heals two blind men and a deaf-mute man under demon possession. In this story we see the importance of not just faith, but our response to Jesus. By Noel Piepgrass
In Matthew 9:18-26 Jesus raises to life the daughter of a synagogue leader and heals a desperate woman of her hemorrhaging disorder. In these healings we see that Jesus responds to faith by bringing freedom from sickness AND death. We also see in this story Jesus willingness to touch women, an often marginalized group, particularly in that ancient context.
In Matthew 9:9-13, Jesus calls the tax collector Matthew to follow him. Matthew follows immediately and invites his unloveable friends to have dinner with Jesus which upsets the Pharisees and begins a controversy. The good news is, Jesus came for the sick, not for the well. He came for sinners like you and me, not the righteous.
In Matthew 9:1-8 a paralyzed man is brought by his friends to Jesus. Jesus forgives the man’s sins thus angering the religious leaders nearby. Not only does Jesus engage them in this controversy, he heals the man’s paralysis and sends him on his way.
In Matthew 8:23-34, Jesus demonstrates his power over the storm and over the spiritual realm.
In Matthew 8:18-22 Jesus encounters two disciples challenged with what it means to follow him. The prescription is a right ordering of allegiance to Christ before all else.
In Matthew 8:1-17, Jesus has come down the mountain after preaching the Sermon on the Mount. As the crowds follow him, he encounters 3 outsiders and responds with healing.