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TODAY'S TEACHING
If you’ve been told that following Jesus brings physical, emotional, relational, & financial peace, freeing you from tough times…then somebody LIED to you! In this study we see Jesus and His disciples experience tough times, and we find hope in our Compassionate King who is willing & able to help us when tough times come our way.
Jesus comes to his hometown of Nazareth (several scholars estimate a maximum population of 2000 and more likely somewhere around 500 people). Jesus began teaching the people in their synagogue, the place he probably attended as a boy. Now this mature young man causes the audience to be amazed at His teaching. And His miracles? Where did he get that ability since he never used these powers while growing up in Nazareth.
These people knew Jesus and his family. They thought Jesus was Joseph’s - the carpenter’s son. Of course, Mary was his mother. And then there are the His 4 brothers and multiple sisters. Contrary to Catholic tradition (NOT based on Scripture), Matthew certainly does not teach that Mary was a ‘perpetual virgin’ (meaning a virgin forever).
1. Mary got married to Joseph. Consummating the union required sexual intimacy. They waited for this until Jesus was born.
Matthew 1:24–25 (NIV) When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph and Mary didn’t experience marital intimacy until after she gave birth to Jesus.
2. Jesus had brothers and sisters (Mt 12:46; 13:55). The brothers of Jesus are even named here - James (Jacob), Joseph, Simon, and Judas. Two of these brothers later wrote what we call “James” and “Jude”.
Even though the hometown folks were amazed by Jesus’ teachings, they were cynical as they asked, “Where then did this man get all these things?”. You’d think they’d be happy that one of their own is now famous, but they weren’t.
WHY were they so offended at Jesus?
These hometown people, who had seen little Yeshua (Jesus) grow up in their community, could not swallow the claims others were making about Him. They couldn’t believe this small-town boy was the One the Jewish nation had been awaiting for hundreds of years!”
- Craig Keener “How could anyone believe that God had stepped into history in the person of a young man who had spent most of his life in their own community?”
According to Dr. Luke, Jesus had been teaching in Nazareth before and the hometown folks got so mad at Him that they tried to throw him off a cliff (go read about it - Luke 4:16-30). And now, once again, rather than applaud Jesus, most people are appalled at Him. And what Jesus said to His disciples about persecution is now magnified in His own home town.
John the Baptist…risen from the dead? Now that would be miraculous, and Herod is just a little bit concerned…here’s why.
John the Baptist was calling out this politician for his immorality - taking his brother’s wife for his own.
- Herod the Great (tried to have Jesus killed as an infant) had 3 sons.
- In this text, Herod is referring to Antipas, who took Philip’s wife - Herodias.
- Herod Antipas and Herodias both divorced their spouses and got ‘married’ to each other.
The Herod Family
Up until this point the persecution was just threats & imprisonment. Now John the Baptist, the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah - had been murdered. This was painful for the disciples of John, the disciples of Jesus (some used to follow John), and for Jesus Himself. Jesus loved John and had even said that John was the greatest prophet and human ever (Mt 11:11). But now John’s voice was silenced and his decapitated body was buried.
Talk about tough times. Jesus had been rejected by many of the folks in His own hometown, and now his greatest cheerleader had just been brutally killed because of selfish, prideful people living in blatant sexual sin. Jesus needed some time away, so he took his disciples, so they withdrew crossing the Lake Galilee to a solitary place.
- All of us will have tough times. Thankfully, we have a Compassionate King who is willing & able to help us when tough times come our way.
Jesus experienced human weaknesses (exhaustion, hunger, thirst, disappointment, grief, betrayal, laughter, and tears).
He felt what we feel, so He can sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus experienced real temptation as a real human being. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil (Mt 4:1-11). And after facing every temptation the enemy could throw at Him, Jesus remained without sin.
- When we are experiencing weakness and facing temptation, we know where to turn - JESUS!
The God of the universe, the sovereign Creator of all kings, INVITES us to approach His throne, not to be judged for our GUILT, but to be welcomed into His GRACE. Knowing this, we can approach with boldness - having received the invitation from the King, Himself!
Through it all, the first followers of Jesus remembered this most important truth - that God’s love was forever demonstrated at the CROSS. Their circumstances would change, just like ours. But they didn’t play “He loves me; He loves me not” based on their circumstances. Instead, especially when the tough times came, they looked to the cross, because…The CROSS always outweighs our Circumstances.
When you face tough times, you have a decision to make…
- Will you question God’s love for you?
- Will you remember that the cross always outweighs our circumstances and embrace the reality that tough times drive us to seek God’s Presence & God’s People, & share the message of the Cross with others?
Have questions and need some help? …real soon…how about now? Please call or text us soon!
Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.
- What former classmate has surprised you since you graduated from high school? Why? Why are we more often impressed by people we don’t know than by people we do know?
- How would you react if a guy from your neighborhood started doing miracles and claiming to be God?
- Read Matthew 13:53-58. Why might people from Jesus’ hometown have trouble believing he was the long awaited Jewish Messiah? Why wouldn’t Jesus do many miracles in His hometown?
- What are 3 things you need to trust Jesus for in the coming week?
- Read Matthew 14:1-11. Why was Herod “distressed” with the decision he had to make (v 9? Share about a time when you made a promise you wish you wouldn’t have made. Did you honor your word, explain why you couldn’t, or simply not fulfill your promise? How does peer pressure often keep us from humbling ourselves and changing our original claims or commitments?
- Read Matthew 14:12-13a. What does the withdrawal of Jesus to a quiet place tell you about how the news of John’s murder impacted Him? Have you ever stopped to consider the frustration & pain that Jesus faced as a human being? Explain.
- Read Hebrews 4:15-16. How does it encourage you to know that Jesus, who experienced human weakness & temptation, did not fall to sin and wants us to seek Him in our time of need?
- Share some tough times you have experienced. Were you tempted to think God didn’t love you or didn’t care about you during those times? Explain your answer.
- Read Romans 5:8. How might remembering God’s love demonstrated at the CROSS, help you to trust God loves you - even during the toughest times?
- Explain how tough times drive us to seek God’s Presence & God’s People, & share the message of the Cross with others.
- What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching and what does God want YOU to do with what we studied today?
- Share prayer needs and pray for one another.
