Gospel of Matthew

In Matthew Chapter 27 verse 49 and 54 we are told:

But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
… 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

The crowd surrounding Jesus as He was being crucified, were shouting, murmuring and talking amongst themselves about what they were witnessing. Some asked, ‘maybe we will see Elijah – the great prophet – come and rescue Jesus’.

But, were the crowd really hoping that Jesus would be rescued by Elijah?

I don’t think that was their expectation at all. The reason? They didn’t see Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. If they did, they wouldn’t make such a statement at all.

Instead they looked upon Jesus as sport.

“Let’s see what happens”
“Wow, look at that”
“I wonder what He’s saying?”
“Wait, what will happen next?”

Just like you and I sit down and watch a TV drama, or catch a game of sport on a Saturday afternoon, the crowd was watching the life of Jesus being given up as entertainment. This was the a reality show, well before anything on the 21st Century variety existed. None in this conversation saw Jesus as their king.

Verse 54 tells a different story. It shows us someone who did see Jesus as He truly is – Lord and King.

“Truly this is the Son of God”

This person was looking at the same scene that the rest of the crowd did. They were looking at the same Jesus, the same crucifixion. But what they SAW was completely different.

Where one watched to entertained and amused, the other saw with their spiritual eyes open and surveyed the wonder of Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

How we SEE Jesus is critical. Both view points came from the crowd around the cross. Being around the cross is NOT ENOUGH!

What do you see when you look at Jesus? Someone that causes a mild interest or a side entertainment? Or the sovereign ruling, reigning King and Lord of your life?

PRAYER: Father, I humble myself before you. I bring my life under your Lordship today and re-establish your Son Jesus as King of my life. Let your Kingdom come to my life and give me fresh eyes to see the wonder and glory of Jesus today. Thank you Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.

In Matthew Chapter 28 verse 18 it says:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Our authority in Jesus is the basis and foundation for the fulfilment of the great commission He has given us. Jesus will never instruct you without also empowering you to carry it out. So it is with His authority that is delegated to us.

Jesus’ empowerment of His people is to be a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). That is, a priesthood that ministers life, deliverance, salvation, comfort and healing in the name of the Lord Jesus. And a priesthood of ministers that represents royalty. That is, He has given us authority over every principality and power that opposes the coming Kingdom of God.

Jesus makes it clear to us, He has given us ALL authority. Just all He has ALL authority, so He has given ALL authority to us. Not some authority. Not partial authority. Not junior authority. ALL authority!

So, if this is the Word of God to us (and it is), what are you doing with the authority He has given you?

Are you exercising it? Are you living in it, by faith? Because He has given it to you for a reason, that we fulfil His commission to us in Matthew 28:19-20:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Go in the authority of the Lord today!

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the Authority I receive by faith today from your son Jesus. I resolve to walk in, that people may meet you through me. I ask it in the name of Jesus, Amen

Matthew 27:3-5 says:

Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

The cost of sin is always greater than any of the momentary pleasures derived from it.

Read that again.

The cost of sin is always greater than any of the momentary pleasures derived from it.The cost of sin makes the benefits and shaky promises of enjoyment pale into insignificance.

Judas found that out the hard way. He realised too late.

Is your life worth 30 pieces of silver? That’s what Judas sold his for. Are you putting a price on our life through the sin we commit? Are you tempted to trade in on the “bargains” your flesh and the devil are screaming at you to buy? Are you selling yourself, your future, your destiny in God for something so trivial and shallow as the passing pleasures of sin?

Or are you worth more than that?

God tells us what we are worth. We are worth more than the 30 pieces of silver we get for our sin. We are worth more than the value we place on momentary indulgence. To God we are worth the cost of His own Son’s life. That is a heavy price in deed.

This is a truth we need to believe. The price of Jesus’ life is the price we need to uphold when sin comes knocking at our door.

PRAYER: Father, I confess I have sold my self short. I choose to repent of sin and turn to you that you might forgive and make me new. I choose to believe the truth of your Word that I am worth the life of your Son and I choose today to live up to that value, no longer selling myself short. In Jesus name, Amen

Matthew 26 verse 13 records:

Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

By typing these words I am, in part, fulfilling the promise of Jesus in this verse. Such was the significance of her act, that Jesus spoke of it and the gospel writers wrote of it in remarkable terms.

So the question is, what did she do?

The woman in question was likely a woman of questionable reputation, a sinner in the words of the gospel of Luke. She came to Jesus and began to bathe him in expensive anointing oil. Predictably, this created some sort of reaction from the disciples who were feeling uncomfortable at what was going on.

You can hear the disciples thinking ticking over:

• Why was Jesus letting this woman (and her reputation) so close to Him?
• Why is anointing him with so much oil?
• Where did she get the money to by the perfume in the first place?
• Hang on, we could use the money from that for something more worthy, and less controversial, than this!

But Jesus stopped them in their tracks. He tells them to stop bothering her because what she does is “good” (Matthew 26:10). Jesus understood what the disciples did not. This was an act of extravagant worship, a demonstration of love that moved the heart of God.

What does this tell us? It tells us something incredibly powerful. It tells us that Jesus is looking for extravagant worshippers, people who will count the cost and pour out their love for God without regard to what people think.

1) Extravagant Worship Costs. This woman’s worship was sacrificial in nature. Her worship cost her the price of an exceedingly expensive jar of anointing perfume. She counted the cost and paid it.

2) Extravagant Worship can be Misunderstood. This woman had to overcome the fear of what people thought of her. She was judged wrongly by the disciples who mistook her motives, when Jesus did not. Extravagant worship will attract judgement from people who don’t understand.

3) Extravagant Worship is for All. This woman was not a religious person. She had a damaged reputation. She was not perhaps from the right side of the tracks, with the right education and background. But she knew Jesus. And that is the qualification she needed to worship extravagantly.

4) Extravagant Worship has the Highest Value in the Kingdom of God. Giving to the poor is good (v11). But the best is giving extravagantly to Jesus in our worship, love and adoration of who He is. For that there is no comparison.

It is because she embodied this great kingdom value of extravagant worship that her story is told today. May be take her story on board with us and follow her example in our worship of the King today.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for giving me this reminder today that you truly deserve the highest praise and most extravagant worship. Thank you for the opportunity to love you deeply today Father, I love you! Amen.

Matthew 24:12-13 says:

Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

One of the signs at the end of days will be that the Spirit of the age (lawlessness) will seduce people away from their first love. Gradually their love of God will grow cold. It won’t grow into greater love but it will slow to a halt and fade away.

This is a contrast to Matthew 22 where we are told the greatest command, the highest value in the kingdom is to love the Lord our God. Love for God is what the kingdom of God operates on. The danger comes when we slowly, subtly allow that love for God to be diluted, redirected and ultimately replaced; it is a perilous place to be.

But the promise we have is that, he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

As lawlessness increases and as the love of people who claim the name of Jesus grows cold, be on guard. Don’t look to your peers to compare how you are doing. Don’t rationalise your life on the basis of those around you. Don’t justify and explain away behaviours because everyone else is living that way.

Why? Because lawlessness is increasing! The world around you is moving away from God. It is never a good gauge for measuring your life by. In fact, doing so will take you along with it and away from the love of God.

Instead, look to Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of your faith. In the midst of those who are slipping away from God and His love, press in to Jesus even more. Lawlessness may be abounding – and we are told it is. But we are told so we can be on guard, to cultivate and encourage our love for God as He pours out His into our hearts.

PRAYER: Father I come to you and confess I am in need of you and your love. I choose to separate myself from the lawlessness of this generation. Guard me against allow my love for you to grow cold. Fill me with your love today, In Jesus name, Amen.