What Jesus Did : Matthew 15:29-31 - These Two First
by Phil Ware
These Two First - Matthew 15:29-31
Then Jesus left that place and went to the shore of Lake Galilee. Jesus went up on a hill and sat down. Many, many people came to Jesus. These people brought many other sick people and put the sick people before Jesus. There were people that could not walk, blind people, crippled people, deaf people, and many others. Jesus healed all these people. People were amazed when they saw that people that could not speak were able to speak again. Crippled people were made strong again. People that could not walk were able to walk again. The blind were able to see again. All the people thanked the God of Israel (the Jews) for this. (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
Jesus has two purposes in his ministry. He will bring glory to God and bless God's children. He embodies God's compassion for the lost and broken as he ministers to their needs. He wants to bless them and have them in turn bless the Father in heaven. What would happen if we saw this as OUR purpose? In fact, isn't that exactly what Jesus said is our purpose? As he later summarizes the most important things in God's Law, isn't that what he says is our responsibility? When he teaches on worship, isn't that his point as well? We are to love God and our fellow human beings. We are to honor God by serving our fellow human beings. We cannot worship God and be at odds with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's so simple, yet so revolutionary. So, when are we all going to consistently remember this call from Jesus?
Today's Prayer
Holy and righteous Father, give me the courage to care for those that others ignore and shun. Give me compassion to care when so many don't want to be bothered. But Father, may my concern for others never be seen as something that brings glory to me. Please bring all the glory to yourself and help me serve in such a way that others are drawn to love and praise you, not me. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
Jesus left that place and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that area came to Jesus. The woman shouted, "Lord, Son of David, please help me! My daughter has a demon inside her, and she is suffering very much." But Jesus did not answer the woman. So the followers came to Jesus and begged him, "Tell the woman to go away. She is following us and shouting." Jesus said, "God sent me only to the lost people of Israel (the Jews)." Then the woman came to Jesus again. She bowed before Jesus and said, "Lord, help me!" Jesus answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs." The woman said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the pieces of food that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! I will do the thing you wanted me to do." And at that time the woman's daughter was healed. Then Jesus left that place and went to the shore of Lake Galilee. Jesus went up on a hill and sat down. Many, many people came to Jesus. These people brought many other sick people and put the sick people before Jesus. There were people that could not walk, blind people, crippled people, deaf people, and many others. Jesus healed all these people. People were amazed when they saw that people that could not speak were able to speak again. Crippled people were made strong again. People that could not walk were able to walk again. The blind were able to see again. All the people thanked the God of Israel (the Jews) for this. Jesus called his followers to him and said, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry. They might faint while going home." The followers asked Jesus, "Where can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town." Jesus asked, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" The followers answered, "We have seven loaves of bread and a few small fish." Jesus told the people tosit on the ground. Jesus took the seven loaves of bread and the fish. Then Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. Jesus divided the food and gave it to the followers. The followers gave the food to the people. All the people ate and were full. After this, the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. There were about 4,000 men there that ate. There were also women and children that ate. After they ate, Jesus told the people they could go home. Jesus got into the boat and went to the area of Magadan.-- Matthew 15:21-39 (ERV)
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