Matthew 12:7 “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” This is the second time that Jesus has quoted Hosea 6:6 to the Pharisees. The first was in Matthew 9:13 when asked why He was eating with tax collectors and sinners. And now this second time when his disciples were picking wheat on the Sabbath because they were hungry. What’s so important about Hosea 6:6 that the Pharisees needed to understand? Hosea 6:6 “For I desire mercy, not…
Category: Bible Reflections
A Word or Two from the Word - Matthew 11:29
Matthew 11:29 “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.” Here Jesus gives us an invitation. He is inviting us to take His yoke. He does not force us to bear His yoke. He invites us and encourages us. Each day we are given the opportunity to take up many different yokes that the world would gladly place on our shoulders. The yoke of self-reliance. The yoke of a workaholic. The yoke of…
A Word or Two from the Word - Matthew 11:28
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This verse invites us to take a breath. In the midst of this busy world that is running in every direction, Jesus invites us to pause and come to Him. I need that! Too often I measure my worth by what I do. In the face of that, Jesus says, “Stop what you are doing and come to me and just be.” So, for a moment, just stop whatever you are doing…
A Word or Two from the Word - Matthew 11:2-5
Matthew 11:2-5 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the truths that we…
A Word or Two from the Word - Matthew 10:39
Matthew 10:39 “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Whoever finds, through their own knowledge and effort, what they think the meaning of life is will miss what life is really all about. They think they have it all figured out. Wherever we try to find our identity and importance outside of God is destined to leave us empty and lost. God’s ways are so much higher than man’s ways. Man has tried to ascend to God by his…