Matthew 15:29-31

Matthew 15:29-31

And after Jesus moved on from that place, He came beside the Sea of Galilee.  And after going up into the mountain He sat down.  And great crowds drew near to Him while having the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others with them.  And they put them beside His feet and He healed them.  Therefore the crowd was amazed while seeing the mute being able to speak, the crippled while being made fit, the lame while being made to walk, and the blind while being made to see.  And they glorified the God of Israel.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once more Jesus goes away to find some alone time.  Once more the crowds find out about Him and come and seek Him out.  This is really an interesting pattern that we see happening with Jesus, isn’t it?  When the world senses something of value, they come!  When we have something to offer that is valuable, people come to get it.  Jesus could heal people, and the world is full of people who needed to be healed!  The world is still full of people who are in need.  Our job is to figure out how we can discern what God has empowered us to provide so like Jesus we can help draw people to the Father.

What do you have to offer?  How can you offer this in a way for people to experience it?

Second Thought:

The crowd is amazed.  They sit in awe as Jesus does the miraculous.  The power of God is not just valuable; it is also inspiring.  It is amazing to see what God can do in life.  We should not be quick to forget the awe-inspiring moments of God in our life.

When have you been awed by God?  When have you forgotten the times of awe in your life?

Third Thought:

Let’s not look past the last sentence of this passage.  “They glorified the God of Israel.”  Why would Matthew say this as opposed to saying that they glorified God?  The reason is simple.  Matthew wants us to remember that Jesus is still in Gentile land!  Even though He is near the Sea of Galilee, He is still in a region largely dominated by Gentiles and these are Gentiles coming to Him.  What is the point?  Nobody is outside of the ability to glorify God when they see Him at work in the world.  You don’t have to be a particular culture to know God and glorify Him.  All that needs to happen for a person to glorify God is to see God at work in the world.

How can you be a part of putting God’s power on display?  Where is God’s power on display in your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 15:32-34