30: There were Gentiles living in this area as well. They were likely the ones raising the swine. Jews would, of course, lawfully have no use for pigs. Daily Bible Reading: Zephaniah 1:1-Haggai 2:23 Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:25 “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now…
29: As we see from verse 31, it was the demons themselves that cried out. It is important to keep track of exactly who is speaking and when in this passage, especially while reconciling it with Mark and Luke’s accounts. The demons knew exactly Who Jesus was, as did all demonic forces which Jesus came…
28: Two things in this verse are hard to reconcile with both Mark and Luke’s gospels. For one thing, Matthew calls these people the Gergesenes, whereas the other two mention the Gadarenes. The Gadarenes and Gergesenes lived in the same general region, and both groups of people were likely involved in this story. Secondly, Matthew…
27: The disciples were immediately brought to a place of greater faith. They left off wondering about the awful nature of the storm, and began to wonder at the One who stilled it. This is the attitude they should have had to begin with. They ask each other how great of a person this One…
26: Jesus questions their lack of faith. We, as they, often fall into the trap of forgetting that all lies under God’s watch-care. There is nothing too hard for him, nothing outside of his ability to control. Jesus points out their fear. This fear is the antithesis of faith. Faith will admit only one fear, the fear of…
25: It seems that the disciples, though coming to Christ for help, did not even have the faith to believe that he knew what was going on. They had evidently not come to him the very second the storm began. The waters of the lake had been coming into the boat to the point that…
24: This sea is the sea of Galilee, which is more of a large lake, today generally referred to as Kinneret. The storm which arose was not your average thunderstorm. It was quite a storm with what was evidently some very strong winds. This is not a surprise. Even today, Kinneret is known for quickly developing, and quite tempestuous, storms. It…
23: Everywhere Jesus went, his disciples followed. This is what a disciple does, nothing less. Many today who call themselves his disciples fail to ask themselves if they are truly following him. Daily Bible Reading: Hosea 8:1-13:16 Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:24 “Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to…
22: Though Jesus’ statement here may jolt many into a bad attitude towards him in this passage, his words were not that strange. The Jewish persons listening would at least understand that he is referring to those who are dead in their sins. Jesus is literally comparing physical and spiritual death. He says let those who are…
21: This disciple is asking something that we will not immediately understand. The disciple’s father was not, just then, dead. For one thing, if that were the case, he would likely have already left to bury him. Also, it can be seen by how the man made his request that the father was not yet…