Matthew places this storm immediately after two men approach Jesus on the shoreline with promises about following him. One promised too much and the other promised too little, and Matthew never tells us what became of either one. Instead he tells us about the men who...
Step back and see the whole scene. A great crowd on the shore. A King who gives orders to cross over. One man who promises too much and another who offers too little; one too fast, the other too slow. Matthew never tells us what became of either of them. He leaves the...
These are strong words, and they need to be handled carefully, especially by anyone who has recently buried a parent. Jesus is not saying funerals do not matter or that grief is unspiritual. Later in Matthew he rebukes the Pharisees for finding religious loopholes to...
The second man is in a different place from the scribe. Matthew calls him “another of the disciples,” and he uses the right title: “Lord.” But listen to the very next words: “let me first.” You cannot really say “Lord” and “me first” in the same breath. Those words do...
The scribe said “wherever,” so Jesus tells him plainly where that is. Tonight, it is a boat with no pillow. A fox has a hole in the ground. A bird has a nest. Neither is much, but each belongs to its owner. Jesus says, “I have less than that.” He was not homeless in...
