9: In all likelihood, Matthew and Jesus had seen each other before. Indeed, Matthew may have taken a toll from Christ on several occasions since Jesus lived in that area with Peter. Matthew was not acting as a tax collector in the regular sense of the word.He was at a toll booth, likely taking tolls from those…

7: It is likely that this man lived nearby and that he was fairly well known to the people assembled about Jesus. Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 14:1-15:39 Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:2 “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was…

6: There have been many who have made the claim that Jesus never claimed to be God, or even the Messiah. This is, of course, a great error. This verse is one of the most obvious cases of Jesus’ assertion of his identity not only as Messiah, but as Almighty God incarnate. He purposely forgave…

5: Jesus reveals the true nature of their evil thoughts by simple logic. If Jesus had the power to heal the man, would he not also have the power to forgive sins? Jesus is bringing attention to his authority as the Messiah. He was not simply a prophet. Jeremiah or Isaiah would not have presumed…

4: It is much easier for many to believe that the gospel writers got this little verse wrong. This is one of the chief reasons that we are given four gospels. No one man alone heard and saw these events. They were well-known facts shared by a whole group of witnesses. They knew that Jesus…

3: It is amazing the the scribes knew the law so well that they recognized blasphemy, and yet many of them never understood that Jesus was the Messiah. Yes, if Jesus was just a man, this presumption to forgive sins would indeed be blasphemy in one of its ugliest forms. However, Jesus is not just…

2: This is the story in which those who brought this man to Jesus broke up the roof to get the man before Jesus because of the throng of people in and outside of the house.  This man was either the victim of a form of palsy, or had been paralyzed due to some injury. In either…

1: His dwelling place was Capernaum, which is also on the shore of Kinneret. He moved their from Nazareth, where he had lived with his parents growing up. He evidently lived with Peter in his home. Daily Bible Reading: Zechariah 12:1-Malachi 3:18 Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which…

33: It must be remembered that, in that time, people were extremely superstitious. In fact, anywhere that you have a melting pot of different nationalities and peoples you will find more superstition and jumpiness related to it. The keepers of the pigs did not run into the city because they were attempting to get the…

31: The attitude of the demons is quite pathetic. They realized they had no choice but to be cast out, despite how they worded their request here. They knew Jesus could do with them whatever he wanted, and they were very desirous to remain in that region. They furthermore knew that Christ would never allow…