Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Fasting 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Reflection: Jesus continues with another important discipline that puts us in a place for maximum participation for God's kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Today the discipline he refers to is fasting, or purposefully not eating for the sake of focusing on prayer or other spiritual matters. Notice Jesus says,"when you fast", which shows this was a common practice among his disciples. The Old Testament prescribed certain fasts according to the Law, but there is no such prescription here of how long or specifically when to fast. But clearly J...

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Reflection: After clarifying motives for praying,Jesus now gives a model for prayer saying, "this then is how you should pray." In this prayer there are six simple petitions that address our relationship with God. They include: His character, His plan, His provision, and also the protection we will need if we are serious about advancing His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Remember the Sermon on the Mount is all about how do we particip...

Prayer 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Reflection: As we mentioned yesterday, Jesus introduces three major disciplines in order to put oneself in a position to participate in God's kingdom coming here on earth as it is in heaven. Yesterday we talked about the discipline of giving to those in need and the benefit of secret giving to stave off the tendency in our flesh to give in order to get the approval of others. By giving in secret it is discipl...

Giving to the Needy 6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Reflection: Matthew Henry, New Testament commentator, says this about the above passage,"As we must do better than the scribes and Pharisees in avoiding heart-sins, heart-adultery, and heart-murder, so likewise in maintaining and keeping up heart-religion, doing what we do from an inward, vital principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be applauded of men; that is, we must watch aga...

Love for Enemies 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Reflection: Jesus closes up this section of his sermon with a high challenge. He preaches if you want to understand what it is like to live in God's kingdom, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. It is almost as if Jesus is assuming that if they are going to live according to these kingdom values, there is going to be resistance. Sometimes you can make enemies merely ...

Eye for Eye 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Reflection: When Jesus refers to an "eye for an eye", he is referring to the Old Testament way of judging matters within the community, where the general sense was to match the punishment with the crime. The judges were in charge of making just sentences when people were injured in the Jewish community. But now Jesus is describing what life in the kingdom is like. He is not ruling out what Romans 13, which will teach concerning submitting to the governmental and civil authorities, who keep peace in the community by staying wro...

Oaths 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Reflection: Over the years the phrase "I swear to God" has become popular, as a way to express that someone really means something. They add God to the equation as if that would boost the case for their authenticity. The second commandment gives stern instruction about using the Lord's name and also has a caveat, saying, "God will not hold guiltless those who do so." In Jesus day, people made oaths as a way of sealing promises and covenants much like o...

Divorce 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Reflection: Right on the heals of Jesus' teaching on adultery is his teaching on divorce. Why? Because the only reason given by Moses to issue a certificate of divorce was adultery. But as time went on, history tells us that the men began to divorce women for all kinds of reasons, so that they could commit adultery. Jesus sees again that the Law had become distorted to serve sinful human nature, rather than preserve the institution of marriage that God demonstrated in Creation with Adam and Eve. See Matthew 19 for more teaching on this and Jesus' reference to the above mentioned fact. This principle argument used there is that what God has joined together let man not separate. In fact, in Matthew 19...

Adultery 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Reflection: Jesus offers another re-frame for the sin of adultery, or having sex outside of one's marriage. He broadens it to include if anyone looks at a woman lustfully that he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. This goes against the modern day notion of you can look but you cannot touch. Of course lust is more than looking, it is more of a feast of one's eyes, which leads to desire etc. Though the command specifies a m...

Murder 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Reflection: ...

The Fulfillment of the Law 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Reflection: Since Matthew was written to a mainly Jewish audience, it would be important for Jesus to clarify the true intent of the Hebrew Scriptures, which were made up of the Law and the Prophets. The most important words are when he says, "...

Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Reflection: Today Jesus uses a powerful metaphor when he says, "You are the salt of the earth." We often don't realize how powerful of a commodity salt is. Without enough sodium, which comes from salt, we will die a very painful death. When I was younger, I played sports and often became dehydrated. A couple times I ended up in the hospital, it was a very scary thing. Dehydration is a lack of fluids but also a lack of salt. When I w...

The Beatitudes He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Reflection: Yesterday we said that the Beatitudes will describe what life in the kingdom could be like,...

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount 5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. Reflection: So starts Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. In chapter 4, we realized that the three main areas of Jesus' ministry were preaching, teaching and healing. This so called Sermon is the longest discourse of teaching we have from Jesus' ministry. Although he was going to be primarily teaching his disciples, due to the miracles many of the crowds came to listen as well. Jesus' opening line, which we learned a few chapters back was "repent for the kingdom of heaven was at hand", and now he was going to teach what it would look like the live according to those kingdom values. He will start with the Beatitides, which we will start tomorrow. Each one will start with "blessed are the..." Jesus will describe that living life in the kingdom is the most blessed or joyful wa...

Jesus Heals the Sick 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. Reflection: In this 4th chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus mainly focusing on 3 things as he seeks to initiate and inaugurate God's kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. First, Jesus announced or preached the Good News of the kingdom. The Good News was that as people repented of a life turned in on self, and trusted in Him, they would find salvation, forgiveness and begin a new life. Secondly, he taught how to live a life as a child of God and an ambassador of the King. Th...

Jesus Calls His First Disciples 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Reflection: As Jesus calls His first disciples we must note several things. First he does not do it in Jerusalem, the religious courts, or by King Herod, in the fine estate of the royal place; but by the Sea of Galilee, the greatest of the seven seas it has been said. In the last chapter Jesus preached to everyone about the availibilty of the kingdom, and this instance makes a specific call on ...

Jesus Begins to Preach 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Reflection: In Matthew's gospel the next event after Jesus' baptism, is the beginning of His preaching ministry. You can read in John 1-4 of some events that happened in between chronologically, but we see Matthew's purpose was to show that Jesus came first to the Jewish people. But we also see that Jesus also came for the nations. Matthew will sum up the ...

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness 4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will...

The Baptism of Jesus 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” As Jesus moves into the call of the Father on his life, today's episode confirms two things in our Lord's character. For one, we see his humility is submitting to the baptism of John, which we know was a baptism of repentance. Of course, Jesus didn't need to repent of anything, but this is more of an identification with the sins of man, just like on the cross he will die for all the sin of mankind. John t...

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Reflection: John sees the Pharisees and Sadducees, and he confronts their apathy and resting on their religious laurels. The Pharisees we...

John the Baptist Prepares the Way 3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Reflection: After briefly hearing about Jesus' birth, and then subsequent flight with Joseph and Mary, and finally his return to Nazareth, we now fast forward to the inauguration of His public ministry. The only other event we have between his early childhood and this scene are when Jesus is found teaching in the temple to the amazement of the religious lead...

The Return to Nazareth 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene. Reflection: Jesus' return to Nazareth is significant for several reasons. First, the ruthless King Herod is dead, but another ruler of Judea, Archelaus, has much of the same evil intention as his father. So again an angel communicates to Joseph, and he wisely moves to an area north of there, in the district of Galilee, called Nazaret...

The Escape to Egypt 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Reflection: Yesterday I commented on the...

The Magi Visit the Messiah 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”...

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him...

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah 1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Ma...