a 365 day trip through Matthew with a key thought, prayer, focus verse and contextual verses for each day
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Say to people who are frightened, “Be strong. Don’t be afraid. Look, your God will come, and he will punish your enemies. He will make them pay for the wrongs they did, but he will save you.” Then the blind people will see again, and the deaf will hear. Crippled people will jump like deer, and those who can’t talk now will shout with joy. Water will flow in the desert, and streams will flow in the dry land. (NCV)
Isa. 35:4-6
At that time the deaf will hear the words in a book. Instead of having darkness and gloom, the blind will see. The Lord will make the poor people happy; they will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (NCV)
Isa. 29:18-19
The Lord God has put his Spirit in me, because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free, and to tell the prisoners they are released. He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness and the time when our God will punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem. I will give them a crown to replace their ashes, and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow, and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness. Then they will be called Trees of Goodness, trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness. (NCV)
Isa. 61:1-3 |
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May 16
Proof Positive - Matthew 11:4-5
Jesus answered them, “Go tell John what you hear and see: The blind can see, the crippled can walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.
Full Text
Key Thought
John the Baptist had preached about a fiery judgment on the enemies of God's people and a mighty Messiah who would deliver. His confusion about Jesus' role as Messiah was natural. Like everyone in Matthew who chooses a one dimensional view of the Messiah, he will miss Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus reaches into the prophet Isaiah's promises about the Messiah and identifies himself. The background of this expectation is both judgment and mercy, defeat for the evil ones and deliverance for God's people.
The great reminder to us is that a simple, single-sided view of Jesus as Messiah will be lacking. Our hearts must be open to God's plan for the Messiah and not our own sense of what he should do. As we come to know Jesus as both Lord and Christ, we understand that he fulfills the expectations of the prophets for Messiah, but he is also Sovereign. We do not write the definition, we follow obediently the one who fulfills all God's promises.
Today's Prayer
Almighty God -- who spoke and the universe was hung in the great expanse, who promised through your prophets and it was so -- please give me a heart faith to follow and see in Jesus the fulfillment of all your promises. I don't want to fashion Jesus into my idea of a Messiah, but I want him to be my Lord and Christ. It is through his holy name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses with Jesus
(key verses in bold)
1 After Jesus finished telling these things to his twelve
followers, he left there and went to the towns in Galilee to
teach and preach.
2 John the Baptist was in prison, but he heard about what
Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers to Jesus. 3
They asked him, “Are you the One who is to come, or should
we wait for someone else?” Top
of Page
4 Jesus answered them, “Go tell
John what you hear and see: 5 The blind can see, the crippled can
walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear,
the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the
poor.
6 Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are
blessed.”
7 As John’s followers were leaving, Jesus began talking to
the people about John. Jesus said, “What did you go out
into the desert to see? A reed blown by the wind? 8 What did you
go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear
fine clothes live in kings’ palaces.
9 So why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, and I tell you,
John is more than a prophet.
10 This was written about him: ‘I will send my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare the way for you.’ 11 I tell
you the truth, John the Baptist is greater than any other person
ever born, but even the least important person in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than John.
12 Since the time John the Baptist came until now, the kingdom
of heaven has been going forward in strength, and people have
been trying to take it by force.
13 All the prophets and the law of Moses told about what would
happen until the time John came. 14 And if you will believe what
they said, you will believe that John is Elijah, whom they said
would come. 15 You people who can hear me, listen!
16 “What can I say about the people of this time? What are
they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace,
who call out to each other, 17 ‘We played music for you,
but you did not dance; we sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’
18 John came and did not eat or drink like other people. So
people say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came,
eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats
too much and drinks too much wine, and he is a friend of tax
collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved to be right
by what it does.”
(NCV) The New Century Version, (Dallas, Texas:
Word Publishing) 1987, 1988, 1991.
Used by permission.
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