Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson 2026

Matthew 22 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Verse For the Day “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22;14 Comment This is the last verse in Jesus’ parable of the wedding banquet.  Per usual Jesus started by saying, “ T he kingdom is like ”, meaning this is how things work when God is ruling or reigning.  So he tells the story of a father who throws a wedding banquet for his son.  In Jesus’ day weddings were a huge deal.  One of the most important tasks was to select who was on the invite list.    " A  wedding was (and often is today) the most significant social event of a person’s life. The wedding of a prince would be a spectacular event, and an invitation would normally be prized." - Guzik The wedding list was put together, and the servants delivered the invitations personally to each guest. The important thing was the king wanted his banquet hall full. Initially he must have felt like he put out enough invites to fill the ban...

Matthew 21 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King 21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”  4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:  5 “Say to Daughter Zion,  ‘See, your king comes to you,  gentle and riding on a donkey,  and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ Yesterday I wrote about how Jesus predicted his crucifixion and resurrection, which were either true or untrue. Either Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, or not, but it could not be "marginally true".  One of the other greatest proofs of Jesus being the Messiah and Savior is his fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy....

Matthew 20 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day: Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Jesus didn't say many things three times. Jesus wouldn't have repeated something three times unless it was of ultimate importance. For the third time, Jesus reiterates to the disciples he was going up to Jerusalem to be handed over to the religious leaders, be condemned to death, handed over to the Gentiles. He would receive the very worst treatment given to the most heinous of criminals.  He would be mocked, flogged and crucified. If you have seen the move the " The Passion of Christ " by Mel Gibso...

Matthew 19 Enduring Word Commentary Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”  4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” You have all heard many interpretations for what the bible says about divorce. As I have said before, when I want to know the truth about anything I go back to Jesus and what he taught. As I have always said many times before, one of the most important principles in interpreting the bible is context.  In real estate they have a principle for which dictates the value of a home. It is, "Location, location, location!" The most important principle for interpreting the bible is " context...

Matthew 18 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses for Today: The Parable of the Wandering Sheep 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11]   12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Commentary Jesus mainly taught in parables, which reveals what the kingdom of heaven is like. The parables represent the qualities of Jesus and the Father. Usually there is one main spiritual principle that the parable is driving home. It is kind of like the "punchline" of a joke. When I was younger I used to not get the punchline ...

Matthew 17 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day: The Transfiguration 17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Commentary: As Jesus continues to journey to the cross, he predicts a second time not only his death but also that after three days he will be raised again. Jesus knew he would be crucified, and knew he would be raised again, in accordance with the prophets. So either he was lying, or he was stating the facts. When he was eventually crucified and rose from the dead, it proved that he was not a lunatic or liar, but he was and is the only Son of God.  When you are debating with anyone the truth of Christianity, and the claims it makes about Jesus, there is no logical argument that can de...

Matthew 16 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.” As Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem, he takes a moment to check in with the disciples. He wants to get an idea of who they think he is. Peter is the first one to answer and this time he gets it right. He says Jesus is the " You are the  Christ, the Son of Living God ".  Peter says, " Jesus is the Christ ", which means " He is the Messiah"...

Matthew 15 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day: "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:  8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,  but their hearts are far from me.  9 They worship me in vain;  their teachings are merely human rules.’” Commentary Jesus has his first major " run-in " with the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. They had followed him all the way up north from Jerusalem to disrupt and discredit his ministry. The Pharisees spent a lot of time trying to find a way in which Jesus' disciples might be disobeying the Mosaic law.  When they accuse the disciples of not washing their hands before they eat, they are not concerned about proper hygiene. They are calling them out for violating the tradition of the Jewish elders. Note, this is not a command from the bible. but something added to the Mosaic law by the rabbis.  There are many other instances where the elders added to the basic commandments given by God in...

Matthew 14 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day "Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt? ” - Matthew 14:28-31 Commentary I think a lot of the time Peter gets a "bad rap". He gets a bad rap for denying Jesus, and yet shortly after his denial, we see that all the other disciples denied Jesus as well. Today Peter is the only one who actually dares to step out of the boat. Sure, he takes his eyes off Jesus, but I don't see any of the other disciples getting out of the boat.  So, I can only assume that the Lord gave Peter to be an example for us. Peter helps us who take our eyes off a Jesus and look instead at the wind a...

Matthew 13 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day: 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “ Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them .  Matthew 13:10-12 Commentary: Jesus' favorite method for teaching was to use earthly parables to illustrate spiritual truth. Because the disciples lived in an agricultural society, many of his parables illustrate farming principles like sowing and reaping, wheat and weeds, and the harvest time. Jesus told these stories so that they could learn the secret of how God's kingdom comes and would come through them.   In almost all of the parables in Matthew 13 Jesus starts by saying, " The kingdom of heaven is like" . The kingdom of heaven is a major theme in the gospels. When J...

Matthew 12 - NIV Key Verses: 3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Commentary: Jesus had many conflicts with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, but there was none more contentious issue than breaking the Sabbath Day laws. Honoring the Sabbath Day is the third commandment. While the leaders were correct in wanting people to take a day of rest to honor God, they ended up adding all kinds of laws to the basic commandment.  Jesus' classic s...

Matthew 11 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Oftentimes the verses I will pick this year will be verses I have memorized over the years. This is certainly one of them. This verse has so much meaning in it, it will be hard to summarize it in a few paragraphs. But these verses show us the heart of who Jesus is. It shows us his caring nature, and His desire for us to turn to him when we are weary and burdened by life.  There are a couple of things I would like to highlight. First, Jesus says, " Come to me ". He doesn't say go to Moses. Or, go to your pastor, or best friend, although those are perfectly fine places to go for support. Jesus tells the us to come to Him. If Jesus were not the Son of God, it would be a str...

Matthew 10 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses for Today: 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. As I mentioned yesterday, Matthew 10 represents a turning point in the the mission and ministry of Jesus. Jesus changes from doing the ministry to turning the ministry over to the disciples. Jesus had chosen 12 of the disciples and designated them to be "apostles". The word apostle means, " The one who is sent, or messenger" . The apostles were now being sent out with very specific instructions from Jesus. First, they were to go first to the lost sheep of Israel.  As I mentioned yesterday, in chapter 9 Jesus had compassion when he looked upon...

Matthew 9 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day The Workers Are Few 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus only had three years to accomplish the purpose for which God the Father had called him. These verses summarize what Jesus focused on. Jesus taught in their synagogues. When Jesus was a young boy he got up and read the Jewish scriptures on the Sabbath and expounded upon them. The elders were amazed at how learned he was and wondered where he had gained his knowledge.  The teaching included a portion of the Torah, the Law, and also a reading from o...

Matthew 8 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day: 16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:  “He took up our infirmities  and bore our diseases.” (From Isaiah 53:4) Commentary: In the last three chapters, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught on what life in the kingdom of God looks like. In chapter 8, He shows us the power of the kingdom of God.When John the Baptist saw Jesus in chapter 3 he said, " Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. " Jesus shows us kingdom power in many ways in chapter 8.  First, he healed people with various diseases like leprosy, being paralyzed, fevers, and those who were demon possessed. Note being possessed by a demon is a form of sickness. It is spiritual sickness. Jesus also showed his power over nature, when he rebuked the wind and the waves, and the sea instantl...

Matthew 7 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him As Jesus finishes up his Sermon on the Mount, there are many valuable teachings in chapter 7. Each section could be a separate daily bread blog entry. I picked these verses because other than reading the bible daily, the other non-negotiable practice for Christians is daily prayer. I have a very simple definition of prayer,  "Prayer is talking to God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit." Oftentimes I find people in my church ...

Matthew 6 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Commentary Chapter 6 has lots of great teaching from Jesus, as he continues His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus teaches about how when we pray or fast, or exercise some other spiritual discipline, we should not do it to get noticed. If that is our motivation, when someone compliments us, we have received our reward in full. But when we do these with the motivation to draw closer to the Father, our reward is found in our fellowship with Him.  Jesus also gives the disciples and us a model for prayer. Notice its simplicity. It covers all of the basics. Sometimes we think the longer we pray. the more holy it is. Or, that God will hear us more if we are really eloquent with our words. But the Lord teaches us to pr...

Matthew 5 - NIV For those who want to go deeper and read what other commentators say about Matthew 5.  Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day - Matthew 5:1-3 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. Jesus goes from withstanding the temptations the devil threw at him unsuccessfully (because he relied on God's Word), to preaching his first sermon. The mountainside was located on the Sea of Galilee and created a natural amphitheater, which provided natural acoustics for his message.  This message is widely regarded as the best sermon ever given by anyone. Even in the world it is seen as the best teaching on ethics. Simply put, if people put the principles of this message, the world would be a much better place.  The Law, also called the " Torah" , was the central guide for the Jews, as they lived a life of obedience to "Yahweh " ( the Hebrew name for God !). It included ...

Matthew 4 - NIV   ( Remember there is an audio version on this link if you want to listen to the chapter! ) Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] 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. Commentary Right after Jesus receives the commendation from His Father, " You are my Son, with whom I am well pleased" , he is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The word for ' tempted " can also mean " tested ".  The devil's strategy will be to get Jesus to use his powers before it is time.  He uses the words, " If you are the Son of God" , as he tries to play on Jesus' identity and to try and prove He really is ...