New Testament / Matthew

  • Jesus Cleanses the Temple

    Matthew 21:12–13

    Our Redeemer’s cleansing of the temple at the very least illustrates how concerned He is with the purity of worship. Our corporate praise and prayer is something that is always in need of reformation, for it is easy for ...Read More

  • The Triumphal Entry

    Matthew 21:1–11

    Matthew Henry comments on the laying of palm branches and clothing upon Jesus’ path, saying, “Those who take Christ for their King must lay their all under his feet.” This crowd, in the end, did not want Jesus to rule ...Read More

  • Healing on the Way

    Matthew 20:29–34

    When we do the work of ministry it can be easy to get so caught up in the big plans and programs we have going that we miss the needs of certain individuals among us. As followers of Jesus, we ...Read More

  • The Greatness of Service

    Matthew 20:24–28

    Matthew Henry writes, “It is the duty of Christ’s disciples to serve one another, for mutual edification.” A true leader leads by example, never asking others to do something that the leader is unwilling to do himself. He does ...Read More

  • Jockeying for Position

    Matthew 20:20–23

    One commentator notes that we are asking to suffer when we ask to be useful in the kingdom of heaven. We must therefore also ask for the ability to suffer with Jesus if we want to advance in His kingdom ...Read More

  • Up to Jerusalem

    Matthew 20:17–19

    Following Christ in a world that hates Him is difficult and often earns for us derision and outright persecution from His enemies. This strain can be hard to bear and would be impossible to endure without the comforting promise of ...Read More

  • Divine Generosity

    Matthew 20:1–16

    All sins make us guilty before the Lord, but some sins are worse than others in their impact on people and in the way they violate God’s will. We might think it strange that our Father calls the most ...Read More

  • Rewards for Discipleship

    Matthew 19:27–30

    Any reward that God gives us is by His grace, for He is the one who prepares good works for us and enables us to do them (Eph. 2:8–10). Because it is all by His grace, we should ...Read More

  • God’s Omnipotent Grace

    Matthew 19:25–26

    James Boice writes: “The only way anyone will ever be saved is if God operates entirely apart from us and for his own good pleasure” (The Gospel According to Matthew, vol. 2, p. 410). We are tempted to look at ...Read More

  • The Trouble with Riches

    Matthew 19:23–24

    John Calvin writes that Jesus’ proverb “is highly useful to all; to the rich, that, being warned of their danger, they may be on their guard; to the poor, that, satisfied with their lot, they may not so eagerly desire ...Read More

  • A Man Who Loved Riches

    Matthew 19:16–22

    Even though not every Christian is called to sell all his possessions, one commentator has helpfully noted that those who find comfort that this call is not universal are precisely those to whom Jesus would issue it! As citizens of ...Read More

  • Jesus and the Children

    Matthew 19:13–15

    Dr. R.C. Sproul often notes the difference between childishness and childlikeness. Believers must be childlike in that they trust and believe God without hesitation, just like little kids trust their parents. However, Christians cannot be childish, never having anything ...Read More

  • Eunuchs for the Kingdom

    Matthew 19:10–12

    Single believers like Daniel and Paul as well as married believers such as Abraham and Peter have been used mightily of the Lord to advance His purposes. Knowing this to be true, our churches should be places where both singles ...Read More

  • Divorce and Remarriage

    Matthew 19:9

    Our emotions can get in the way of biblical decision-making. We therefore need an outside perspective to help us discern how to deal with troubled relationships. Pastors and elders, who are called to look out for our spiritual well-being, must ...Read More

  • Hard Hearts and Divorce

    Matthew 19:1–8

    John Calvin says that God “did not lay down a law about divorces, so as to give them the seal of his approbation, but as the wickedness of men could not be restrained in any other way, he applied what ...Read More