Jesus gave His disciples the authority to drive out demons and heal the sick and diseased.

The twelve apostles of Jesus were: Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus, Simon the zealot and Judas Iscariot.

Jesus instructed them not to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. Only to go to the lost sheep of Israel. The message they were to proclaim was that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. They were to heal the sick, drive out demons and raise from the dead because freely they were given so freely they will give.

They were to take no provisions as they went out, because they were worth their keep. As they entered a home they were to greet it. If it deserved their peace they were to leave it there, but if it was undeserving they were to take it back. They were to shake the dust off their feet if they were not welcome.

Jesus was sending them out like sheep among wolves. They were to be on guard, because they would be handed over for floggings and trials. But they didn’t need to worry about what to say, because it would be given to them.

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. They would be hated by everyone because of Him. But they will be rewarded if they stand firm to the end. Flee to another town if they are persecuted.

The student is not above his master. So do not be afraid of them, but rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul.

Whoever acknowledges Him before others, He will acknowledge before the Father. But whoever disowns Him before others, He will disown before the Father.

Jesus said I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. He then quotes this scripture:

“a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Micah 7:6)

Jesus says whoever does not take up their cross daily is not worthy of Him. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for His sake will find it.

And lastly, anyone who welcomes His apostles will receive a righteous reward.

JUST LET THIS SENDING OUT OF JESUS SINK IN TODAY…

Jesus went from town to town, village to village, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, and healing those who were sick. As He looked at the crowds of people, He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He told His disciples that the harvest was plentiful but the workers were few. He also told them to ask the God of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.

This is one of the more upsetting passages of scripture for me. To picture Jesus, hurting for all of those people who didn’t know His love for them…seeing how the ones who did understand weren’t putting in the work to help others understand. I hope that when Jesus looks at me, He sees a worker who is steadfastly working in the fields. What about you? Have you been a diligent worker for Jesus? Do you have compassion for the sheep without a shepherd? It’s time to get to work.

As Jesus was still speaking about fasting, a synagogue ruler can and knelt before Him. He said that his daughter was dead, but knew that if Jesus would come lay hands on her she would live. So Jesus and His disciples went with him.

While they were walking, a woman who had been subject to bleeding touched His cloak thinking she could be healed by just doing that.

When this happened, Jesus turned to the woman and told her that it was her faith that healed her. Jesus wanted to make sure not only her, but everyone else knew that it was her faith in Jesus that had healed her…how’s your faith today?

When they arrived at the man’s home, there was a lot of commotion of wailing and pipes. Jesus told them all to leave because the girl was just asleep, which caused everyone to laugh at Him. He took the girl by the hand and she got up. The news of this even spread quickly throughout the region.

Two stories of faith…the man believed Jesus could do the impossible. The woman believed it was the man who could heal so she only had to touch His cloak. Two stories of faith…same outcome. What are you dealing with in life? How’s your faith throughout these circumstances? God has proven He will always be there. Are you willing to let Him take over? Are you willing to let go? Sometimes our “faith” needs an adjustment. Adjust it accordingly today.

Some of John’s disciples asked Jesus why His disciples did not fast. What’s interesting is the fact that they wanted to point out that they fast. They were basically saying why have your disciples not suffered like we have?

Jesus’ initial response is that it’s difficult to mourn for the bridegroom when he is still with you. The time will come, however, for the bridegroom to be taken away and when that happens they will fast. Jesus is revealing the plan for the first time, unfortunately no one truly understood what He meant.

Then Jesus uses this as a teaching moment. He says you wouldn’t be a new patch on an old piece of cloth because it will pull away and tear worse. You also don’t put new wine into old wine skins because it will bust the skins and ruin the wine. You put new wine into new wine skins. Jesus is teaching those standing there listening that He has come and changed the status quo. It’s not just about being obedient to a law anymore, but now it’s about being obedient through love of God and love of others. New way of thinking, new method of serving. Jesus made all things new.

Is it time for you to put behind you the old way of living, so you can take on a new way. A way that reflects Jesus? Loving others is not just a suggestion, but a command. Stop tryin to use your same old wineskins…the past is in the past. Start living for the now and the anticipation of what is to come.

As Jesus continues on He sees Matthew sitting at a tax collector’s booth. He approaches him and says, “Follow Me.” So Matthew does just that. Two words…life changing words…these words have been spoken to you and I as well.

While Jesus is having dinner with Matthew, other tax collectors and sinners gather around as well. While this is going on, the Pharisees begin questioning Jesus’ disciples on why He would eat with sinners. The outcasts…the one’s nobody else would associate with, were starving for attention. Jesus shows up and they just gravitate to Him because He sees them.

Jesus, hearing what the Pharisees were asking, responded by saying that it’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. He then quotes this passage:

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Hosea 6:6

He finishes by saying that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Jesus brings hope to the lowliest of people here. He sees them as redeemable when no one else would. He acknowledges their life when no one else would. Today, who are the lowliest? Who are the ones that need seen…heard…accepted? As Christians, these are who we should be pursuing. Sometimes Christians have treated church as a social club, only speaking with each other. HOW WRONG WE HAVE BEEN. Go be the church…go let someone know today that they are seen…they are heard. Why? Because that’s exactly what Jesus has done for you as well.

Jesus and His disciples traveled to His own town. While there, some men brought Jesus a paralyzed man laying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He forgave the man of his sins. Note: Jesus is showing that our spiritual well-being is more important than our physical well-being.

When the teachers of the law heard this, they began saying to themselves that Jesus was blaspheming.

Jesus, being Jesus, heard their thoughts and told them that He wanted them to know that He has authority on earth to forgive sins. Then, He heals the man by simply telling him to get up, take your mat, and go home. The crowd was amazed and praised God for giving such authority to man.

Jesus was laying the foundation for what would be an epic battle between Himself and the teachers of the law and Pharisees. They were indicting Him on committing blasphemy, for which they would ultimately use to have Him crucified. But what this scene does, it shows that when you live out your faith, your sins will be forgiven. Taking care of our spiritual state is far more important than our physical state. We spend so much time working on our physical state. Maybe we should start doing a better job of taking care of our spiritual state as well.

Jesus and His disciples travel to the region of the Gardarenes. There He is confronted by two demon-possessed men who are labeled as violent. They approach Him and ask what the Son of Man wants with them, and if He is there to torture them before the appointed time. Note: the demons knew what the end would bring. They knew who would be victorious.

There was a herd of pigs nearby and the demons asked Jesus to send them into the pigs when He drove them out of the men.

Jesus said to them, “Go.” So the they went into the pigs and ran the entire herd off the cliff and into the water where the pigs drowned. When the people in this region heard of what happened, the pleaded with Jesus to leave.

Why did they ask Him to leave? Were they angry because they believed Jesus had killed their pigs? Were they afraid that with a two letter word He could drive out demons? Were they just comfortable with the status quo? Whatever it was they missed the point, and often we do too. Jesus has saved us, just as He saved the two men. Yet, so often we focus on every other aspect of life that we fail to remember that truth. We get upset when life doesn’t go our way. We blame God for the negative aspects of life such as illnesses, broken relationships, world tragedies. In doing so we are just like these people…blind to the Savior who saved us from our sins. See Him today…don’t let any distractions keep you from truly seeing Jesus.

Jesus and his disciples got into the the boat to set out for the other side of the lake. While they were traveling, a violent storm came that was crashing the waves into the boat. The disciples were scared, but Jesus was asleep. They woke Him up asking Him to save them.

Jesus’ response is to say, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” He then got up and rebuked the winds and the waves and they stopped.

The disciples were amazed as they tried to figure out what kind of man had authority to command the wind and the waves and they listened.

Jesus claims they have little faith because they were afraid of the storm. But they had faith that Jesus could save them right? So what was the problem? Jesus was teaching yet another lesson. He was showing His disciples that they did not need to fear a storm…that because He was who He said He was the prophecies needed to be fulfilled. They were still doubting who He was…and because of that they had little trust.

How often in our lives do we still doubt God? We still worry, fear, doubt because of the circumstances we are in. God says not to worry…but yet we still do. Today, let’s work on our faith. Let’s walk into the day with courage…knowing we have a God who is by our side. We can trust He is always there.

When Jesus sees the crowd, He wants to cross the lake to the other side. A teacher of the law approaches him and proclaims that he will follow Jesus wherever He goes.

Jesus’ response is a popular one. Basically He says that foxes and birds have homes, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. This was Jesus…showing the cost of following Him.

Another disciple wanted to go with Jesus as well but asked if he could hurry his father first. Jesus’ response was to let the dead bury their own dead, follow Him instead. This was Jesus..:showing the cost of following Him.

Jesus is teaching an important lesson here. Following Him comes at a cost. Following Him requires sacrifice. Following Him should become your only motivation and goal in life. So today, as you call yourself a “Christian,” how much have you had to sacrifice for Him? Is He your top goal each day? Does it cost you something daily to follow Him?

If the answer is no…maybe it’s time to re-evaluate whether you have truly counted the cost of following Him.

When Jesus enters Peter’s home, He finds Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with a fever. So Jesus touches her hand and heals her. She immediately gets up and begins waiting on them. Thought: What’s your first reaction when Jesus shows up for you?

In fact, that entire evening Jesus healed the sick and drove out demons. He did this to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.”

Isaiah 53:4

The thought today is what I asked above. When Jesus shows up for you, how do you react? Peter’s mother-in-law immediately began to serve Him. How about you? Do we just expect Him to show up? Do we even acknowledge when He does? Pursue God today with gratitude and a cheerful heart. It’s the least we can do.