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            The disciples came to Jesus asking who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus says to them that unless they are converted and become like little children, they will not see the kingdom of heaven. We need to humble ourselves like a child, have childlike faith, and no doubt. We need to not have pride or care about a social hierarchy. Little children believe their parents, they don’t have doubt and they believe the impossible can be possible. The older they get the more tempted they get with doubt, disbelief and pride. We need to convert ourselves back to the little children mentality. We need to have no doubt in God, full trust in Him no matter how supernaturally unbelievable something may seem. We need to not swallow our pride (you still digest it when you swallow it) but spit it out and humble ourselves so we can have this faith in Jesus. Our pride gets in the way of our faith.

            Jesus says that whoever receives like this in His name receives Jesus. Whoever causes one of them to fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a millstone hung around his neck. Whoever causes Jesus little children to turn away will be punished.

            Jesus then warns of temptation, if your foot or hand causes you to sin then cut it off, for it is better to enter into life lame than be cast into everlasting fire. If we know something is a temptation for us, simply get rid of it. If you are tempted to engage in inappropriate conversations with your cell phone, get rid of your cell phone. If you are tempted to get drunk when you have drink, then don’t have a drink. We don’t need to dance with temptation, we need to cut it out and stop giving it a foothold.

            Pay attention that we don’t despise one of these little ones. We don’t loathe, we don’t look down onto others. We are to always see people in love, we can dislike the sin but never dislike the sinner. We are supposed to be christians, this term gets thrown around too loosely now days. To be a christian means to be like Christ. Christ wouldn’t walk around thinking, “ew I don’t like that person or the way they act, its gross. I will pray for them because they are weird to me and gross but I will still love them.” No, He sees them in love, He may not like their actions but He still loves them and He sees them as someone God created. God created us all for a specific purpose, we need to see people for what they were created for and picture them as that, see them as someone struggling but someone we love and want to help despite what they are struggling with. We aren’t supposed to loathe anyone because we don’t like the way they act or talk or what they wear or if they smell funny. It is Gods will for His sheep to not go astray and He rejoices more when one lost sheep finds His way home rather than the other 99 sheep who never went astray. He wants the lost to be found. We need to feel compassion and love for the lost instead of judgment and loathing.

            If your brother sings against you, go tell him is fault privately. Don’t gossip about it and tell your mom, sister, friend, cousin and neighbor meanwhile he is sitting there having no idea what he did wrong. When we gossip and spread the story to others views and opinions, we alter the way others see that person. That isn’t our job to do that. If you have an issue with someone go talk to them, immediately, and put the fire out. If after you talk to him and he hears you, then you have your brother back. If he won’t hear you then take two or three witnesses with you for, ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ If he still refuses to hear it then tell it to the church, and if he still refuses to hear it let him be like a tax collector or a heathen ( a person who doesn’t belong to a widely known religion). If someone doesn’t believe the way you do its hard for them to see where they might have done something wrong in your eyes if their eyes tell them that behavior is ok. Jesus shows us here how to try to mend a situation with a brother, a fellow believer who sins.

            Whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. If two of us believers agree on earth concerting anything they they ask, it will be done for them by His Father in heaven. For where two or more are gathered together in His name, He is there and the midst of them. This is why we need to pray together and not feel like we can only pray in private. Praying and fasting in private is good too and needed, but we need to be comfortable to pray with other believers as well.

            Then Peter came to Jesus and asked how many times must he forgive someone who betrays him, seven times? Jesus tells Peter not seven times, but seventy times seven. We get in our own ways with our minds sometimes, telling ourselves we forgave them once and they did it again so now we don’t have to forgive them again. Jesus forgives us every time we ask for it, we need to let go of the grudges and forgive others too, regardless if its the first offense or the fiftieth.

            Jesus shares the parable of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One owed him ten thousand talents which is equivalent to 4.5 billion dollars, which is far more than he could make in his lifetime or the generation after his lifetime. If your generation couldn’t pay your account it would continue to the next, having generations of slaves to pay off a single mans debt. The king told his servant to sell this man and his family into slavery to pay back his debt knowing it would take generations to pay it off. The man fell to his knees and begged the king for patience promising that he would pay that incredible debt if the king would just be patient with him. The king was moved by the mans compassion, so moved that he forgave the man of the debt and told him to be on his way. The servant then went and found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 denarii (fifty dollars) . The man who was just forgiven of his generational debt went to this man who owed him barely anything and laid hands on him in anger demanding the man pay him back. The servant fell to his feet begging for the same patience that his master had just begged the king for, only he wouldn’t give the patience he had just begged for. Instead he threw him in jail till he should pay the debt back. When the king heard news of this he called the man who he had freed from his ten thousand talents and called him wicked. Because the king forgave him of his incredibly large debt he should have showed the same compassion and forgiven his servant as well, especially when it was such a small debt that he owed. The man was delivered to torturers where they were to torture him till the debt of ten thousand talents was restored. Jesus says this is what His heavenly Father will also do to teach you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother of his trespasses. We must forgive all who have wronged us or made us feel any type of negative way towards them. We must forgive them and see them with compassion as He sees us.

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            The chapter begins with Jesus taking Peter, James and John up onto a mountain top and He was transfigured before them. His face was like the sun, His clothes became as white as the light and then Moses and Elijah appeared to them. Peter’s instinct was to ask permission to build three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Tabernacles were shelters built for transportable dwelling sites for preaching. Peters heart was in the right place by wanting to act and do something to serve but the timing was off, this was the time for worship and relationships and adoration with what God was allowing them to see. Often times we act out doing what we think is right, our hearts our in the right place but our minds are thinking and acting out in the flesh.

            Suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, in white I am well pleased. Hear Him!” When the disciples heard this they fell to the ground on their faces greatly afraid. Jesus told them not to fear and told them to arise and when they did they saw Jesus only. They then left the mountaintop and Jesus told them not to tell anyone until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. Jesus knew that they didn’t fully understand all that just happened and it wouldn’t make sense just yet, the message would make more sense after the resurrection. To share the message before fully understanding it could create confusion for everyone and when the revelation has fully sunk in it could affect people wanting to hear it because of the original confusion it came with. Sometimes we might receive a message that doesn’t fully make sense, wait, be patient for the revelation to sink in before sharing it with others. Wait till it makes more sense. A few weeks ago I received a message that I didn’t fully understand, so I meditated on it and let it marinate for a bit. Three weeks later it all made sense and the events that unfolded made the message really come to life. Patience is important, waiting can make the difference.

            The disciples asked if Elijah were to come first, and Jesus confirmed that He will and has already came. This confirmed to the disciples that He was regarding John the Baptist.

            The chapter then goes to a man who approaches Jesus for healing for his son, who suffers from epilepsy. He tells Jesus that he already took his son to the disciples for healing and they were unable to heal him and begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus said, “ O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him and the child was cured that very hour.

            The disciples didn’t understand why the boy wasn’t healed when they prayed over him but was healed when Jesus cast out the demon. Jesus aid that it was because of their unbelief, all they needed was faith the size of a mustard seed and if they wanted they could tell a mountain to move and it would and nothing would be impossible. This kind of faith Jesus says comes by prayer and fasting. When we pray for someone and don’t see healing its not because they person needing healing doesn’t have faith, it goes but your faith. You can pray for an unborn again, agnostic stranger and they can be healed in Jesus name if you have faith in what you are praying for. When we pray for people, we need to have full belief in what we are saying, and realized it isn’t us doing it, its Jesus in us.

            Jesus then predicts His death the second time, as well as His resurrection. The disciples were sorrowful, they weren’t even able to receive the good news of the resurrection, they were focused on the death part. Often time we focus on the immediate and don’t take a step back to see the overall bigger picture. We need to step back more and see God’s bigger picture to help us through the immediate.

            All Jewish males had to pay taxes to support temple upkeep. Jesus tried to point out His kingly role to His disciples, He told Peter that just as kings pay no taxes and collect none Fromm their family, Jesus owed not taxes as well. But, to resist offending them because He knew they wouldn’t understand He told Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook out and take the first fish that comes up. In its mouth will be money for not just Jesus’ taxes but Peters as well. Jesus supplied the money but had Peter go get it. God can truly make money come from nowhere when we are in need, but we have to fully surrender and rely on Him to supply our needs. Jobs are good, but jobs are better when it is the God appointed job for you specifically. Always remember that what you have isn’t because of your doing, its because of God’s supply and your cooperation in Him.

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            Before we dive in I want to first apologize for being so late with this chapter. I was on a God appointed road trip and I thought I would have more spare time than I had. I want to share something really important that I was reminded of on this trip, just how truly important it is to know Gods word. If we don’t know Gods word, we don’t know the works that are from God or from the devil. For example, if healing is being done in Jesus name by Jesus, it will not involve mediums. We know this because there is over 100 bible verses that warns us to stay away from mediums, and God doesn’t contradict Himself. When Jesus healed the sick He simply laid His hands on them and commanded them to be healed. If a group is claiming to heal in Jesus name but at the same time the way they are healing doesn’t match this (they are chanting or performing rituals or it looks gory) then its really not in Jesus name. Mathew 7:22 brushes up on this. Not all who claim to heal in Jesus name are operating in the Holy Spirit, especially if they call themselves mediums in the same sentence. But if you don’t read your bible to know these important things, then you can be deceived and led down a dangerous path even if your heart was in the right place. I have seen it happen too many times, so do as Joshua says and read your bible day and night!

            The chapter begins with the Pharisees once again testing Jesus and this time asking for a sign. Even though Jesus could have performed a sign He didnt, because He knew that it wouldn’t change their hearts. Instead He mentioned the sign of Jonah which was predicting His own death and resurrection in a parable. Jesus didn’t argue with these men, we need to learn from this and not argue with them, especially ones whose heart will not soften. God knows who will turn to Him before they do, when sharing the gospel we need to seek His Godly wisdom on how to approach each person.

            When Jesus came into Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples who they say that He was. Simon Peter said that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus said that for that He was blessed, flesh and blood (man) didn’t reveal that to Him but God the Father in Heaven did. He told Peter that whatever he bound in earth would be bound in heaven and whatever he loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. Peter was given authority, so he could stand on that authority and not be a victim to spiritual warfare.

            Jesus than showed His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes. He told them that He would be killed and be raised the third day. Peter told Him no, that none of that needed to happen to Him and Jesus rebuked satan. He didn’t rebuke Peter, He rebuked the thoughts and emotions that satan was putting on Peter to try to convince Jesus to go against Gods will. It is important to know that the devil or his little demons (sense the devil can’t be everywhere at once like God can) can put words or thoughts on peoples minds in hopes that they feed on it. It doesn’t meant that person is evil, or unsaved, or demon possessed. It simply means the devil or a demon placed a word of thought on your mind to try to trick you into falling into it, trying to get you to sin with it. Jesus knew this, so He simply rebuked satan and told him to get behind Him. If you ever have a thought pop into your head that you know isn’t from God, ask yourself if its a spiritual attack or just a thought that you simply don’t need? We should filter every thought in our minds, scripture says to hold our thoughts captive. We need to be aware of what we thing because our thoughts can easily lead to actions. We don’t ever want to act out a thought created by the devil to distract us.

            Jesus said that if anyone desires to come after Him they have to deny themselves and pick up their cross. Whoever desires to save His life will lose it and whoever loses his life for His sake will find it. We have to put God before our own life, we have to surrender our life to God so that we can live selfless to follow Him. Anything in our life that comes before God needs to be looked into. Is this something God wants in your life but needs to come after your relationship with Him? Is this a distraction that pulls you away form God that you are keeping selfishly? Is this something that you love and care about more than God? We have to surrender everything to deny ourselves to pick up our cross. If this is something you struggle with, ask God to help you. Whatever is in your life that is getting in the way of you fully surrendering, ask God to help you with it so there will be nothing in the way of your relationship with HIm.