Burunche’s Blog

 Matthew 9:27 “As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out,“Have mercy on us, Son of David!”²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied. ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; ³⁰ and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.”

Jesus is in still Capernaum. It’s been an incredible day! Jesus has just finished raising the synagogue leader’s daughter from the dead and is walking down the street, probably on his way back to Peter’s house, when two blind men begin following him and begging for help. First, Jesus gets indoors, and then He interviews the two blind men, asking a simple question, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Remember, this day began with Jesus healing a paralyzed man, calling Levi/Matthew to be a disciple, raising a young girl from the dead, and incidentally healing a woman who had been suffering with vaginal bleeding for twelve years. So far, that’s at least three miracles – four, if you count Levi/Matthew’s change of heart. And these blind guys are Capernaum natives; these are their friends and relatives who have gotten healed. At this point, they have no doubts that Jesus can do anything he wants to! They have all the faith in the world!

It’s interesting that Jesus did not heal the two blind men out on the open street where everybody could see the miracle. Jesus waited until they were all indoors before proceeding with a healing. Jesus even warns them STERNLY not to tell anybody! Why? Well, perhaps Jesus did not want to be noted for miracles but for His teachings about the Kingdom. If everybody thought that Jesus was just a miracle worker, they would be hanging on, waiting for the next sensational healing and ignoring the messages He was bringing. But, think about these two men. Suppose you have been blind all your life. You are perfectly healthy, but all you have to look forward to is begging on the steps of the synagogue or in the market place. In some places, blind men might even have been refused admission to the temple due to their physical disability. That morning you woke up and the whole world was black, just as it had been all your life. Then you heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming. Your blind friend and you were right there on the street as Jesus was passing. AND you also had heard that the legends about healing being present in the tassels of the Messiah’s talith (prayer shawl) were true! Just an hour ago, poor Miriam, who had been a social outcast for twelve years because of the continuing issue of blood, suddenly was healed when she touched one tassel of Jesus’ talith.

Notice the fashion in which the blind men asked for help. They did not say, “Jesus of Nazareth;” instead, they said, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” The blind men were signaling to Jesus that they too believed that He was the Messiah. They were appealing to Jesus as Messiah, as the one with “healing in His wings” to heal them. And Jesus honored their faith and healed them.

 The Amplified version says, “But they went off and blazed and spread His fame abroad throughout that whole district.” Do you think Jesus was surprised that they didn’t hide their healing? Jesus has just healed two well – known blind beggars in a close – knit community of 1500 people. The word must have been all over town in twenty minutes, even without the blind men running out and telling everybody. Really, how were these two men to hide their healing? These men were fixtures in the community; everybody knew them. All anybody had to do was to look into their bright wide – opened eyes and they would know that they had been healed. These fellows were probably running all over town, looking at things! “Wow! Look at the lake! Look at the hills! Those flowers are incredible! I never knew what colors looked like before .” And what do you think happened when these men returned to their family homes? Can you imagine seeing your mother’s face or your wife’s face or your children’s face for the very first time?

There are all kinds of blindness apart from physical blindness. Many times we are spiritually blind. Perhaps we have been struggling with problems for so long that we feel overwhelmed. We see no way out of our predicament. Perhaps we think everything is fine and that we are on top of things when we really aren’t. We might pride ourselves on being tough bosses with high standards while our workers feel crushed.

PRAYER: Father God, today we ask you to show us our blindness and to help us confess it as sin. We thank you that there are no problems too big for you and no relationships that cannot be mended if we will only turn them over to you. Please heal our blindness and help us to see you clearly so that we can also see others as You see them, as people worthy of love. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

1 I bind unto myself today
the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three.

2 I bind this day to me forever,
by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation,
his baptism in the Jordan river,
his death on cross for my salvation,
his bursting from the spiced tomb,
his riding up the heavenly way,
his coming at the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.

3 I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea
around the old eternal rocks.

4 I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay,
God’s ear to hearken to my need,
the wisdom of my God to teach,
God’s hand to guide, God’s shield to ward,
the word of God to give me speech,
God’s heavenly host to be my guard.

5 Christ be with me, Christ within me, 
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

6 I bind unto myself the name,
the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of whom all nature has creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
salvation is of Christ the Lord!

PRAYER: Our Father and our God, who gave Patrick the wisdom and courage and perseverance to confront the powers of darkness in Ireland, give us that same wisdom and courage and perseverance! Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives! Help us to minister as You want us to, refusing to give in to fear or panic, but doing acts of love in this time of crisis. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 9: ¹⁸ While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. ²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” ²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. ²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, ²⁴ he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. ²⁶ News of this spread through all that region.

WOW! What a day! Jesus has just barely finished answering the question about fasting when a synagogue leader comes begging for help! Remember, Jesus is still at Matthew’s house with all the local tax collectors. This leader kneels before Jesus, right in front of the tax collectors. This man is desperate! His daughter is dying and he has no hope apart from Jesus. Then as Jesus is walking down the street with people pushing and shoving on him, he can feel that power has transferred from him to someone and realizes that this lady has touched the edge of his cloak. According to many sources, this lady actually touched the tassels attached to the four corners of his garment.

The prophet Malachi spoke of the Messiah of Israel and said of Him, “But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings” (Mal. 4:2). The Hebrew word for “wings” used in this passage is kanaf, which is a word that specifically means the fringe-like feathers or edges of a bird’s wing, not the whole wing. All of us have seen an eagle or hawk circling in the summer sky and have seen these fringe-like feathers. This word, therefore, had two meanings and could be translated wings, or fringes. This lady believed that Jesus was the Messiah and remembered this promise from Malachi. After all, she was desperate! What else was she going to do? And that morning the promise came true! This lady touched one of the tassels and immediately power went through her body and healed her. Jesus recognized what had happened and encouraged the lady. Then Jesus continued to the synagogue leader’s house.

The little girl was already dead! That was obvious. The hired mourners had already begun their wailing and their piping on death pipes. The synagogue leader was heart broken. But Jesus came and took the girl by the hand and by the authority vested in the Messiah the girl was healed. The girl’s parents must have been weeping tears of joy.

Perhaps today your hopes are dead! You have struggled for years to overcome some problem and nothing is helping! You desperately need a touch from God. Do not despair! God is still on the throne and His power is still available.

PRAYER: Father God, help us! Save us! We are caught in problems that are overwhelming us. Please, Lord, let us touch just one of the tassels of your garment and send your power throughout our bodies, minds, and souls. Transform us into your image. In Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen.

Matthew 9:¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. ¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Jesus was still reclining at Matthew’s table, chatting with his guests when one of John’s disciples came up and began questioning him. It’s tough to know whether this fellow was an honest seeker or whether he was hoping to embarrass Jesus. After all, here was Jesus, feasting with the local tax collectors! What a scandal!

As we listen to the question, we can practically hear the sly insinuations in these questions. “Oh, we and the PHARISEES (the spiritual super – stars) have been fasting often, but YOUR disciples do not fast.” What is this? Spiritual one-upmanship masquerading as a truth – seeking question? Is this guy complaining? bragging? or does he really want an honest answer? No matter what this man’s motivation, Jesus is more than equal to the occasion. We can see Jesus as he sits up and turns to the man and smiles with delight at these questions. This is going to be good!

First, Jesus reminds this man that nobody fasts during a wedding feast. Weddings were times for delicious food and plenty of wine. People would defer their fasts until after the wedding was over and the bridegroom was no longer around. As long as the wedding was going on, people were going to enjoy themselves. Here Jesus was actually prophesying his death and resurrection; however, the disciples would not realize that until much later. But Jesus doesn’t leave the matter there but goes on to answer using two examples from every day life.

When I was learning to sew in the 1950’s, the first thing we had to do with our material was to wash it in hot water so that it would shrink as much as it was going to. Any seamstress foolish enough to sew a garment without first pre-shrinking the material would find that the garment would not fit and that the pieces might be distorted the first time the garment was washed. Jesus reminds his questioner that using new unshrunk material to patch a garment would be foolish because the patch would pull away, making the tear worse. Then Jesus goes on to remind this man that new wine must be put into new wine skins so that as the wine ferments and expands, the wine skins can stretch. Old wine skins have no elasticity and therefore cannot stretch to accomodate the gases generated by the fermentation of the new wine.

 The questions that this man hoped might embarrass Jesus only gave Jesus the opportunity to give new insights into the Kingdom of God. Jesus was comparing himself to a bridegroom, to someone whose coming brought joy and laughter and excitement and fulfillment. God was doing new things and attempting to squeeze the Holy Spirit into old patterns would be just as useless as filling old wine skins with new wine. As Jesus was answering this man, he may have already been looking forward to Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would descend on the disciples and nothing would ever be the same again.

Today, do you feel that your life has become like one of those old wine skins? You are doing the same things over and over but nothing is changing spiritually? Perhaps you are looking to a pastor or to a church or to a particular leader for answers. Why not ask Jesus instead?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please open our eyes to the new things you want to do in our lives. Help us to open our hearts and to give your Holy Spirit the chance to fill us and to change and empower us. In your mighty and precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 9:9 – 13 “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

IT WAS A SCANDAL LIKE NO OTHER!!! Capernaum was abuzz with excitement! That morning Jesus had already healed Eli the paralytic and forgiven his sins, shocking the teachers of the law in the process. Then, as Jesus was walking on down the main street of Capernaum, he saw Levi the tax collector. Levi was collecting duties on imported goods brought by farmers, merchants, and caravans. Under the Roman Empire’s system, Levi would have paid all the taxes in advance, then collected from the citizens and travelers to reimburse himself. Tax collectors were notoriously corrupt because they extorted far and above what was owed, to ensure their personal profit. Because their decisions were enforced by Roman soldiers, no one dared object.

Now Jesus was walking boldly right up to this tool of Roman oppression and saying ….what? “Jesus, are you really inviting this criminal to be your disciple? Don’t you know who he is and what he does?” Yes, Jesus knew Levi, knew him down to the soles of his fancy sandals. But Jesus also knew something else about Levi: Levi had an intense hunger for God that he had been trying to satisfy with money. Jesus didn’t make any elaborate speeches or arguments; all he said to Levi was “Follow me.” And Levi got up and followed. That day, Levi’s life changed so radically that he even changed his own name. The name Levi meant “joined” or “attached” and was a traditional Jewish name. But that day Levi changed so much that he re-named himself “Matthew.” “Matthew” is a contraction of “Mattathias” and means “God’s gift.” Levi/Matthew wanted to signal to everybody that he was no longer attached to money but that he was now following God.

On the same day Jesus invited Matthew to follow him, Matthew threw a great farewell feast in his home in Capernaum, inviting his friends so they could meet Jesus too. From that time on, instead of collecting tax money, Matthew collected souls for Christ.

Despite his sinful past, Matthew was uniquely qualified to be a disciple. He was an accurate record keeper and keen observer of people. He captured the smallest details. Those traits served him well when he wrote the Gospel of Matthew some 20 years later.

By surface appearances, it was scandalous and offensive for Jesus to pick a tax collector as one of his closest followers since they were widely hated by the Jews. Yet of the four Gospel writers, Matthew presented Jesus to the Jews as their hoped-for Messiah, tailoring his account to answer their questions. Matthew displayed one of the most radically changed lives in the Bible in response to an invitation from Jesus. He did not hesitate; he did not look back. He left behind a life of wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty. He abandoned the pleasures of this world for the promise of eternal life.

Today, are you like Levi? To what are you attached? Wealth? Fame? Power? Position? A comfortable life style? A profession? Security? As I am writing this devotional, the Covid-19 virus is upsetting economies and societies all over the world. People who thought they had everything figured out now are panicking, wondering what is going to happen next.

Levi made the wisest choice possible; he detached himself from the money he thought he needed and attached himself to Jesus as Matthew the Disciple. Today, each of us has a choice: to turn and follow Jesus or to continue to try to fill a God – sized hole in our hearts with things that can never satisfy. What will you choose?

PRAYER: Father God, today we are afraid! We hear so much terrible news about the Covid – 19 pandemic and we wonder what will happen next. But Father, you are the only One who can really give us security. Help us to leave these other things that we have been trusting and put our trust totally in you. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Source of information regarding Matthew: https://www.learnreligions.com/matthew-tax-collector-and-apostle-701067

Matthew 9:1 – 8 “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ² Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” ³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in yourhearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up andwalk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgivesins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.”

Eli was stuck, trapped a prisoner in his own body! Year after year, his own bitter angry words rang in his ears – the last words he had hurled at his wife before he collapsed with a stroke. What had she done to make him so angry? Now he could no longer remember. All Eli knew was that he was completely paralyzed on the right side of his body, his arm and leg stiff and unusable. Eli had had to learn to eat with his left hand – an almost unforgivable social sin, but a necessary one if he was to live. Oh, if only Eli could return to that day and take back those bitter words! All this time the wife he thought he had hated had cared for him affectionately and tenderly. Eli groaned within himself; he didn’t deserve such love! Then one day, a friend told Eli that Jesus was returning to Capernaum. Jesus! That carpenter’s son from Nazareth who had been healing people. Why, Jesus had even driven out demons from two demon – possessed men in Gadara. Too bad the townspeople didn’t appreciate a miracle worker when they saw one! So Eli messaged his friends and begged them to pick up the mat on which he was lying and to send him to Jesus.

When Eli got to Jesus, he was so excited that he could scarcely speak. And then Jesus looked at him with eyes full of compassion and love and …..forgiveness? The local teachers of the law were there scrutinizing everything Jesus did! THEY KNEW what Eli had done! Those teachers had already smugly informed him that he would pay for his sin of anger for the rest of his life and that punishment was no more than he deserved! They felt far superior to Eli!

And then Jesus came and spoke those miraculous words “Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven!” And suddenly Eli knew it was true! Forgiveness flooded his ravaged body. And Eli lifted his unparalyzed left hand to praise God. Now it did not matter if he was trapped in this body for the rest of his life; his sins of anger and bitterness had been forgiven. But wait, what was Jesus saying now?

Simon, the leader of the local teachers of the law, was squeezing his face, horrified by what he thought was blasphemy. And Jesus looked at Simon and smiled and asked, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”  Then Jesus turned to Eli and said,”Get up, take your mat and go home.” Suddenly Eli’s right side became strong again! There were no more pains, no more stiffness, in fact, Eli felt wonderful. With the light of heaven on his face, Eli quickly rolled up his mat and walked out of the house, leaving Simon and his fellow teachers dumbfounded.

Today, what bitterness or unforgiveness is paralyzing you? Perhaps you are stuck in a toxic work environment, striving to do your best for an ungrateful supervisor. Perhaps you feel your marriage has become a loveless one and you are hanging on fot the sake of the vows you made so many years ago. Perhaps you have been forced to live with a relative whose every sentence grates on your nerves. Bitterness is so easily acquired and so difficult to get rid of!

Ask Jesus to come into your life and to help you and heal you! “But,” you say,”I’m not really sure I even believe in Jesus.” Fine. Ask anyway! What do you have to lose? If Jesus comes and heals, isn’t that better than the situation you are in now? Emotionally, you are like that paralyzed man lying on that mat. You can’t help yourself; if Jesus can help you, why not ask Him?

PRAYER: Jesus, please help me! My bitterness is more than I can bear. I feel emotionally paralyzed and stuck. Lord, please heal me. In your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 8:⁸ When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,^[c] two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” ³⁰ Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” ³² He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. ³³ Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

It happened in Manhattan many years ago. We were walking down the street when suddenly a homeless woman took one look at us and began screaming at us. Not long after that, another homeless person took one look at us and ran away. We were perplexed; we hadn’t done anything unusual to make these people freak out. When we described our experiences to the elders of the church we were attending, they said, “Oh, those people had demons. The demons in them sensed the Jesus in you, and they couldn’t stay around you.”

There are several very interesting parts to this story. First, notice that Jesus arrived specifically at the location frequented by the two demon – possessed men. Was this an accident? Scarcely! Jesus probably had whoever was handling the boat he was in steer right for that spot. Can you imagine the conversations in the boat as they were heading straight for these two scary guys?
“Jesus, you want us to go WHERE? You know those guys are going to tear us limb from limb! Nobody has been able to pass that way in years. They even stopped burying people in those tombs because of those two men. Are you crazy?”

Next, notice that all Jesus did was to get out of the boat and walk toward the two demon – possessed men. Jesus didn’t say anything; it was the demons who began accusing Jesus. The demons knew that Jesus was going to order them to leave the two men, so they suggested that Jesus allow them to enter the swine. Jesus doesn’t have a conversation with the demons; he simply tells them “Go!” and they leave the men.

Why was there a herd of pigs there in the first place? Pigs were considered unclean animals and no Jew would touch pork. Evidently, these pigs were being raised to be sold to Gentiles who wouldn’t be so picky. The reaction of the townspeople is also fascinating. These two guys had been terrorizing the area. You might think that the local people would be thrilled to find that the demons were gone, but no. The whole town went out to meet Jesus and begged him to leave. Were they also demonically influenced or simply afraid of anybody who had that kind of power?

Demons and their influence are very real and very dangerous. Recently there were cartoons released that purported to teach kids how to summon demons. This is crazy! You don’t have to go looking for demons; they can easily find you. But the fallacy many people wish to believe is that you will somehow be able to control the demons. Nothing could be further from the truth! Inevitably, the demons will end up controlling you and your life will be ruined. Today, search your heart! Examine yourself! Are there any areas of your life into which demons can enter? There are really only two paths in the universe: you will either follow God or Satan. Which will it be?

PRAYER: Father God, today we are afraid! We don’t want to invite demons into our lives, but we are unsure about some of the things we have seen on television or on the internet. It was your power that Jesus used to cast out demons. Please Lord, clean our hearts and minds so that we can follow you and only you. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

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MARCH 11, 2020 WITH JESUS IN THE BOAT, WE CAN SMILE AT THE STORM

Matthew 8: 23 – 27 ²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” ²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. ²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

It was a glorious moonlit night on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Our Israel tour group had gone to eat at a famous local fish restaurant. When we entered the restaurant, the sea was as smooth as glass and there was scarcely a hint of a breeze. Twenty minutes later, we looked out to see that huge waves were breaking over the dock outside the restaurant, even though the moon was still shining and there was no sign of a storm. Our Israeli guide told us that the mountain passes to the east and west of the Sea of Galilee act as wind tunnels, funneling the wind and concentrating it so that when it hits the Sea of Galilee, it churns the water without warning. And all of us in the tour group were remembering this story from Matthew 8.

Jesus’ disciples were mostly fishermen. The Sea of Galilee was their natural habitat; these guys knew about boats and sailing. If these experienced fishermen were panicking, there was good reason! If our group had been in a small boat that night rather than sitting safely in a restaurant with big heavy plate glass windows, we could have all drowned. Personally, I don’t blame those fishermen one little bit! Had I been in the boat with Jesus that night, I would have been busy waking him up! The disciples’ question would have definitely been mine: Lord, save us! And other versions of this story add the question “don’t you care?”

The disciples were not bad people; they had already left everything to follow Jesus. But nobody in that group fully appreciated the power of the Messiah. When Jesus rebuked the wind and waves and they became calm, the disciples’ jaws must have been dropping!

Many times in life we are suddenly overtaken by storms, sometimes literally. There are heart – breaking stories coming out of Tennessee in the wake of the tornado a few days ago. One little four year old girl saw Jesus while her mother was reading her a bedtime story that night; by later in the night, the girl was with Jesus. An older couple who had followed Jesus all of their lives died together in their bed after 58 years of marriage. They entered heaven together. This morning my Facebook page has a number of prayer requests for people who are critically ill, who have lost jobs or homes or marriages.

What storms are you facing today? What problems are attacking the foundations of your life? Do you feel like those disciples, caught in a small boat on a big body of water with no escape? Storms happen. Storms are unavoidable. But Jesus is still the Master of the wind and the waves. This morning, don’t worry about how little faith you have. Call on Jesus; He is the One who can save you and help you to walk through the storm. We have friends who are fervent Liverpool Football (Soccer) fans. The anthem for the Liverpool club is “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Here are the words:

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky
And the sweet, silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your hearts
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your hearts
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWfmR_XgZxw

PRAYER: Father God, today we are caught in storms and we don’t see any way out. But You are the God of the impossible. Through Your mighty power, Jesus stilled storms on the Sea of Galilee. Father, send that power into our lives and help us to know that You are always with us. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 8:8 ”When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ²¹ Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus was beginning to attract crowds and followers. All those miraculous healings in Capernaum had gotten everybody’s attention! But Jesus hadn’t healed people just to collect a crowd; nevertheless, when he reached the other side of the Sea of Galilee, there were already people waiting for him.

1. A teacher of the law wanted to become his disciple. Perhaps this man really was enthralled by the messages Jesus had been giving. He might have been a sincere seeker after God and truth. But, on the other hand, he might also have been looking at all those people and assuming that where there was a crowd, there must be money. Jesus quickly informed this would – be disciple that he, Jesus, had no place he could call his own and that even birds and animals were better off than he was. Anybody who wasn’t willing to give up the comforts of home and the honor he was already receiving as a teacher had no business attempting to be a disciple.

2. A second would – be disciple sounded sincere – who could fault someone who wanted to honor their father? But, there was more to the situation than at first met the eye. Perhaps his father was in excellent health and not at the point of death. What this man wanted was to hang around until his father died so that he could be certain of his father’s blessing and also of an inheritance. This man wanted recognition as a disciple while deferring obedience for an unknown period of time. “Lord, I’m so ready, but……not today, please!”

Jesus knew that his time of ministry was short and that he had to be about his Father’s business. It was vitally important that Jesus know who the true disciples were, who were the men and women upon whom he could count. Judges 7 tells the story of Gideon, whom God used to free the Israelites from the Midianites. Gideon began with 32,000 men; but when he allowed those who were afraid to go home, 22,000 left immediately! And then God showed Gideon how to test the remaining 10,000 so that in the end Gideon was left with 300 men. God used Gideon and those 300 men to deliver the Israelites.

Twelve disciples! That’s all Jesus wound up with. Only twelve men, and one of them turned out to be a traitor. But even Judas the traitor left home and family to follow Jesus. Later in Matthew 16:24 Jesus advised his disciples, “”Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Bill Borden was the heir to an enormous fortune; yet, he left everything to become a missionary to Muslims. Before Borden died with meningitis in Egypt, he described his discipleship: No reserve. No retreats. No regrets.

Today we are advised that we need to provide for ourselves and to be prudent. But the burning question that each of us must answer is this: will you follow Jesus? Will you follow Jesus, no matter the cost? Will you follow Jesus and risk becoming a laughing stock, an societal outcast? Will you follow Jesus if you must pay for your faith with your life? Thousands of Christians in Somalia, Burknia Faso and Nigeria have laid down their lives. The question you must answer today is this: WHAT IS KEEPING YOU FROM FOLLOWING JESUS? Eternity is waiting for the answer.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives! Help us to love you more than life itself, for you are the Source of all life. Keep us ever faithful. In the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 8: 14 – 17 “When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother – in – law lying in bed with a fever. 15. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 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.”

Simon Peter lived in Capernaum. Even today, if you visit Capernaum, you can see Peter’s house with the Catholic church that has been developed over the ruins. Capernaum was on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee and had a population of about 1500 during the time of Jesus.

Jesus had just come from teaching at what is now referred to as the Mount of the Beatitudes, just a short distance from Capernaum. Undoubtedly, Peter was thrilled to be the one hosting Jesus. But there was a problem. Peter’s mother – in – law, who lived with them, was sick. Perhaps she had typhoid or malaria or some other illness. At any rate, Jesus merely touched her hand and she made an instant recovery. Like any good housewife faced with an honored guest, she immediately hopped up and began taking care of Jesus.

By that evening, the word had gone out throughout the village. It’s likely that some of the people who had been listening to Jesus had also followed him over to Capernaum; after all, he had already healed a leper and just that morning he had healed the centurion’s servant merely by speaking a word. And they were not disappointed!

Peter’s house and the courtyard outside was packed with people! It appeared that everyone from several surrounding villages had heard about Jesus and had come to see what might happen. They saw a lot! Jesus drove out demons with a single word and healed every single sick person who showed up. There were other times and other places where Jesus could do very little because of people’s lack of faith but in Capernaum that night faith was evident and deliverance and healing came to everyone who needed it.

Sometimes we aren’t very comfortable with the idea of demon possession. We have all kinds of explanations. The truth is that there are demons and that people can become demon – possessed. That’s the problem. But Jesus and the power in His Name is the answer. We can call upon the Name of Jesus and ask Him to help us, to deliver us, and to save us. But we must ask sincerely. Jesus will deliver you, but if you insist on returning to the same sins that led you into trouble in the first place, the demons can also return.

PRAYER: Father God, deliver us from ourselves! Deliver us from our pride, from our presumption, and from the sins that so easily ensnare us! Help us to choose you and to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.