Daily reading

Today’s reading is: Mt. 14:34-15:20; Mk. 6:53-7:23; Jn. 6:22-71

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Matthew Chapter Fourteen

(Outline continues from yesterday)

  1. Returning to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Lord’s fame resulted in more crowds assembling for cures to their sicknesses (Matt. 14:34-36).

Matthew Chapter Fifteen

  1. A delegation of Pharisees & scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and called upon Him to defend His disciples (Matt. 15:1-20).
    1. The disciples were violating the Rabbinic tradition of ceremonial washing (Matt. 15:1-2).  According to Rabbi Joses, “that to eat with unwashed hands is as great a sin as adultery.”
    2. The Lord delayed His answer to their specific purification issue (Matt. 15:10-20) by turning the question back against the accusers (Matt. 15:3-9).
      1. He rightly exposed their violation of Mosaic Law (Ex. 20:12; 21:17) through their legalistic gimmicking traditions (vv.3-6).
      2. He rightly designated them hypocrites and the subjects of prophetic Truth (vv.7-9; Isa. 29:13).
    3. When the Lord does return to the purification issue, He rightly declares the defilement to come from internal sin rather than external physical things (Matt. 15:10-11).
    4. Jesus’ attitude towards offended religious legalists is quite instructive: He didn’t care (Matt. 15:12-14).
    5. Jesus’ attitude towards slow on the uptake disciples is also quite instructive: He retaught the lesson with even more blunt language (Matt. 15:15-20).

(Chapter Fifteen continues tomorrow)

Mark Chapter Six

(Outline continues from yesterday)

  1. The Gennesaret regional residents (villages, cities, countryside) demonstrated an urgent-care urgency (Mk. 6:53-56).

Mark Chapter Seven

  1. A delegation of scribes and Pharisees challenged Jesus for allowing His disciples to defy the tradition of the elders (Mk. 7:1-13).
    1. Mark’s record contains additional explanations for the Pharisees activity not found in Matthew (Mt. 15:1-9).
    2. Mark’s record also gives a fuller explanation of Corban.
  2. Christ taught that external food does not defile a man, but the internal attitudes of the fallen heart (Mk. 7:14-23).  The declaration of all foods to be clean (v.19b) is not found in Matthew’s account and reflects Peter’s understanding of the issue as he taught it to Mark.

(Chapter Seven continues tomorrow)

John Chapter Six

(Outline continues from yesterday)

  1. The crowds tracked down Jesus and begged for more miracles of feeding (Jn. 6:22-26).
  2. In His great “I AM the Bread of Life” message, the Lord fed them the Truth of His eternal Word, and attempted to teach them the reality of the true bread out of heaven (Jn. 6:27-58).  This was the revelation of the Father’s Provision (vv.32,37,39).
  3. The Lord’s tough teaching became the gut-check for His disciples, and the motivation for many to look elsewhere for their ear-tickling (Jn. 6:59-71).