While John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod (see Matthew 11:2), it was apparent that he began to doubt that Jesus actually was the Messiah, even though he had seen the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His baptism. Just as we often do, John began to battle doubts when he faced adversity. This shows us that John was an ordinary person like the rest of us.

Jesus replied to John’s questions by speaking of His authenticating miracles. The blind, lame, deaf and leprous were being healed. Even the dead were being raised. Only the Messiah sent from God could do such things.

John’s doubts may have also stemmed from his misunderstanding of God’s Word, just as our misunderstanding of God’s Word sometimes fuels our doubts. Perhaps John was expecting the Messiah to set up the long-awaited kingdom, as the Old Testament promised He would. John’s problem is that he didn’t sufficiently understand all that the Old Testament promised concerning the Messiah. With His reply, Jesus may have been pointing him back to Scripture, specifically to a messianic prophecy in the book of Isaiah. Jesus knew John realized that Isaiah 40:3 was a reference to his own ministry. John had once quoted it, explaining his identity to some Jewish priests: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, Ô Prepare a straight pathway for the Lord’s coming.'” In His reply to John, Jesus may very well have been quoting from Isaiah 61:1, a passage that refers to the Messiah’s healing and preaching ministry.

Although John experienced temporary doubts about Jesus, Jesus still called him the greatest man who ever lived. This indicated that John wasn’t great because of anything he did, but because of what God did through him. He was chosen before conception in his mother’s womb to be a prophet, a prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah. His ministry had been foretold in the Old Testament. God made him into a bold, anointed preacher, and multitudes of people repented as a result.

The amazing thing that Jesus said is that “even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of God” will be greater than John the Baptist. John was the greatest person who ever lived because of what God did through him, but every one of us will one day be able to rightly consider ourselves greater, because of what God will do through us in His kingdom! Wow! Perhaps it will be then that Jesus’ amazing promise of John 14:12 will come to pass: “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works…” John the Baptist never performed any miracles, but, speaking of His miracles (see John 14:12), Jesus said all believers would do the same works and even greater works! Can you imagine being used by God to heal the blind, lame and deaf, or raise someone from the dead? The Bible says that we will one day rule with Jesus for a thousand years over the whole earth, and perhaps it is then that we can look forward to being used by God so greatly!

Q. When we are tempted to doubt that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God, what would be the best way we could eradicate our doubts?

A. By re-examining the evidence for these facts in the Bible. God’s Word builds faith within us.

Application: In the final part of today’s reading, Jesus compared those who rejected Him to children arguing with one another, who, no matter what, can’t be pleased. Jesus’ enemies found fault with John the Baptist for his fasting and abstinence, and criticized Jesus for His feasting and drinking. It wasn’t that they couldn’t believe; it was that they didn’t want to believe, and so they used any and every excuse they could think of to remain unbelieving and disobedient. As sad as it may seem, there are some people who will never be convinced to believe the gospel.

O, how I would love to have been present to see this miracle in person! How about you? If we use our imaginations, however, picturing in our minds what happened that day outside the gate of Nain, we can still share in some of the thrill of the eyewitnesses.

A weeping woman, who had already suffered the tragedy of her husband’s death, is now following the funeral procession of her only son, trudging to the place where a fresh grave has been dug in the ground, right beside the place where her husband’s body lay. Carried on a pallet in front of her is her son’s lifeless body, cold, still and white, a child who once walked, laughed and held her hand. She has no other children of her own to comfort her, but her relatives and neighbors are walking with her, weeping out loud, sympathetic to her adversity, but helpless to do anything to reverse her misfortune. Many are wondering why God would allow their friend to face such anguish, and at the same time, secretly thankful that they are not wearing her shoes. Her future looks bleak with no husband or son to support her. How could things be worse?

That day the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the village of Nain, with a plan to turn mourning into joy and to glorify the Son of God. When Jesus saw the funeral procession, His “heart overflowed with compassion” (Luke 7:13), and He walked over to the coffin bearers and stopped them. Then, with the same spoken power He used to create the universe, Jesus commanded the dead boy to get up, which he instantly did! Shock waves of astonishment rippled through the crowd as the boy began speaking. He was dead, but now is truly alive! As the stunned crowd tried to make sense of what their eyes had just witnessed, Jesus helped the boy from his funeral pallet and gave him to his mother. No doubt they embraced with tears of joy and praise to God.

Although Jesus doesn’t intervene every time people face similar tragedies, this story should remind us that He does care deeply when we suffer. Additionally, it proves that Jesus has power over death, and strengthens our faith that He is certainly the Son of God. There are no other religions in the world that claim that their founder raised people from the dead!

Q. Can you think of a reason why someone being raised from the dead is a greater miracle than someone being healed?

A. When a person is raised from the dead, he also has to be healed of whatever killed him, otherwise he’d immediately die again. Additionally, every cell in his body is healed, because all of them die once he’s dead.

Q. What do you think would have been your reaction if you had seen Jesus perform this miracle?

Application: Our Savior is master over death, and we’ve been delivered from our fear of it (see Hebrews 2:15). One day Jesus will resurrect every person who has died, and one day we will be united with our loved ones who have died in Christ. The joy this widow experienced when her son came back to life is nothing compared to the joy we’ll have in heaven!

Because Jesus ministered in Israel, a nation predominantly inhabited by Jewish people, most of the people He helped were Jewish. However, during Jesus’ time, Israel was controlled by the Roman Empire, so there were also Roman governmental leaders and soldiers living there. This Roman soldier of whom we just read was called a centurion, which meant he was an army officer in charge of one hundred other soldiers.

According to Luke’s account, the centurion was a good man who loved the Jewish people, and he even helped them build a synagogue. These facts, along with what we’ve read about his words and actions as he related to Jesus, indicate to us that he was a godly man. He even considered himself unworthy to personally meet Jesus, sending some respected Jewish leaders to take his request for his servant to be healed.

Upon learning of the centurion’s desire, Jesus, without hesitation, began heading toward his house. However, when the centurion heard the news that Jesus was coming, he realized that the Jewish leaders he’d sent had partially misunderstood his request. He wasn’t expecting Jesus to actually come to his house, but if He would just speak a word where He was, that would bring healing to his servant. He considered himself unworthy to have Jesus in his home, again revealing his high regard for Jesus. Perhaps he even realized that Jesus was God in the form of a human being. So he quickly sent another messenger, hoping to convey to Jesus before He arrived that it was not necessary for Him to come. Just as he had authority over other soldiers who obeyed his commands, he believed Jesus had authority over all sickness, and that He didn’t have to be physically present to heal his servant.

Jesus was amazed by the Roman centurion’s faith, a faith that was stronger than what He had yet encountered among Jewish people. He then seized the opportunity to tell everyone present that the kingdom of heaven is wide open to non-Jewish people who have faith. In fact, He said that many people who aren’t Jewish will feast in heaven with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, while many Jewish people who don’t believe in Him will be cast into hell, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12). That was shocking news for the Jews, who prided themselves as being God’s special people. They despised anyone who was not Jewish, calling them “dogs.” Praise God that anyone who believes in Jesus can be saved! If you believe in Jesus, you’ll get to eat one day with this centurion in heaven, along with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

For the centurion, his faith in Jesus not only paid off for eternity, but also during his earthly life, as his dying servant was healed “that same hour” (Matthew 7:13).

Q. You probably noticed that Matthew and Luke’s versions of the same story were slightly different. Matthew said that the centurion personally made his request of Jesus, whereas Luke said that the centurion sent some Jewish leaders on his behalf. Some people claim that this contradiction proves that this story is just a myth, making the Bible unreliable. Does it?

A. No. There are numerous details in this story that are identical, and only one apparent contradiction. Matthew must have either not known the detail of the Jewish leaders’ involvement, or he simply chose not to include it, purposely condensing the story a little bit. When two people report the same incident, it’s not unusual for one to omit details the other might include.

Q. Jesus talked about people eating in heaven, so there must be people who will have mouths and stomachs there. He also talked about people weeping and gnashing their teeth in hell, indicating that there will be people there with eyes and mouths. How can this be true if, when people die, they leave their bodies behind, and only their spirits go to heaven or hell?

A. The answer is that everyone, saved and unsaved, will one day receive new bodies. Those bodies will be somewhat different from what we have now, because they will never die, but will also be similar to our present bodies in some ways. Christians will receive their new bodies when Jesus comes back. The unsaved people now in hell will not receive resurrected bodies until after Jesus reigns for one thousand years on the earth. Then they will stand before the final judgment and be cast bodily into the lake of fire (see Revelation 20:5-6, 11-15).

Application: Although some Christians don’t want to face up to this fact, it is entirely scriptural: Those who trust Jesus receive blessings in this life that aren’t received by those who don’t believe. Jesus said the centurion had greater faith than any Jewish person He’d met. How do you think He would evaluate your faith?

Yesterday we read about Jesus healing a young man whom He did not see or touch. Jesus was perhaps several hundred yards away from the centurion’s young servant when He spoke His healing word. But today’s story even tops yesterday’s, because Jesus was about ten miles away from the governmental official’s son when He healed him! Distance does not limit God’s healing power. He can heal people from as far away as heaven!

This governmental official received the blessing he desired because he “believed Jesus’ word” (John 4:50). Notice that he believed his son was healed before he had any evidence of it, other than Jesus’ promise. It wasn’t until the next day that he learned from his servants that his son had recovered. The Bible says that “faith…is the evidence of things we cannot yet see ” (Hebrews 11:1, emphasis added). When we have a promise from God, that’s all the evidence we need, because it’s impossible for God to lie. We don’t need to see something to believe it.

For example, although we can’t see, feel, or hear them, we can be certain that there are TV waves in the air all around us, otherwise our TV sets wouldn’t work. We can also be sure that there are angels all around us even though we’ve never seen them, because God’s Word says, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalm 34:7, NASB).

When we read this story closely, the faith of this governmental official becomes even more evident. His son was dying in Capernaum, but hearing that Jesus was back in Judea, he had to travel about ten miles to track Him down in Cana. Jesus pronounced his son healed around one o’clock in the afternoon (see John 4:52-53), so the man could have journeyed the ten miles back to Capernaum that same day. But it wasn’t until the next day, before he arrived home, that he met some of his own servants who told him the good news about his son. So obviously, the governmental official trusted Jesus enough that he didn’t rush home to see if His promise had actually come to pass! Resting in Jesus’ promise, he apparently stayed overnight in Cana, and departed the next day for his home in Capernaum.

This is a good lesson for us to learn as well. People who trust God don’t worry. They know the outcome of their present problems in advance, so they can rest in God’s promises. God doesn’t want us to be worrywarts!

Q. Is there anything you are worried about? If so, is there a promise in the Bible that you can believe so you can stop your worrying?

Q. Yesterday we read about Jesus healing a servant who belonged to a man who had several servants (see Matthew 8:9; Luke 7:8), which tells us that the man was wealthy enough to have servants. Today we read about Jesus healing the son of a man who was also wealthy enough to have several servants (see John 4:51). Why do you think Jesus helped people who had so much money?

A. Because God loves everyone, rich and poor. Additionally, we shouldn’t assume that God is holding something against a person just because he’s rich. There are many rich people in the Bible of whom God approved. They obeyed God with their money by blessing others. The centurion we read about yesterday apparently used some of his money to help the Jews build a synagogue.

Application: The final outcome of this healing miracle was that the official “and his entire household believed in Jesus” (John 4:53). Naturally, all of them were convinced that Jesus was the Son of God after witnessing the official’s son being suddenly healed at the exact time when Jesus, ten miles away, said he would live. That ought to be enough to convince anyone!

Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived, and what we’ve read today adds proof. He illustrated the truths He taught with examples His hearers could relate to easily. Today we’ve read about narrow gates and broad highways, wolves pretending to be sheep, trees producing good and bad fruit, houses built upon rock and sand, and winds and floods. All these things make it easy for us to remember what Jesus wants us to do.

The easiest way to remember how God expects us to treat other people is to recall what is called The Golden Rule : “Do for others what you would like them to do for you” (Matthew 7:12). Jesus said that one rule summarizes the teaching of the Old Testament. How would you like other people to treat you? That’s how you should treat them. Let’s apply this to you and your brothers and sisters. Do you want your sister to share a favorite music CD? Share what you have with her. Do you want your brother to remember you before he eats the last piece of pizza, saving some for you? When you have the opportunity, save some pizza for him. One of the nicest things about following the Golden Rule is that when you treat others nicely, they will probably treat you nicely in return. It’s hard being mean to someone who’s nice to you!

Jesus told His followers early in this sermon that they had to obey God better than the religious teachers and the Pharisees did, otherwise they wouldn’t get into heaven. Just like today, there were many religious people in Jesus’ day who weren’t really saved. The majority of people are on “the highway to hell,” and it’s the minority who are on the true narrow path to heaven. Jesus wanted those who were following Him to make sure they were His true disciples, and that they were following leaders who were also on the right path. The way they could tell if they or a religious leader were on the narrow path was by looking at how they lived their lives.

Jesus first talked about phony religious teachers by calling them false prophets and wolves in sheep’s clothing. Outwardly they look harmless, but their inward motivation is selfish. They want to take advantage of those they lead. The way to identify them is to look at their “fruit,” or their actions. Good people act good. Bad people act bad.

Also, we should be careful not to follow someone just because he does miraculous things. Jesus said many people would stand before His judgment seat, listing the miracles they did and hoping to convince Him to let them into Heaven. If they lived sinful lifestyles, however, they would be refused entrance. Jesus said that those who don’t produce good fruit will be “chopped down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:20). That means they will be cast into hell.

Jesus was not saying that we can earn our way into heaven by doing good things. Our salvation is a gift from God’s grace, offered to anyone who will believe in Jesus. However, those who truly do believe in Jesus will produce good fruit, just as a good, healthy apple tree naturally produces good apples.

Q. When Jesus finished His sermon on the mountainside, the people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had real authority. That means Jesus spoke knowing exactly what He was saying, and no one had a right to disagree with Him. What does this tell us about Jesus?

A. It either indicates that He was a very proud, opinionated, bold and self-centered human being, or else He was God, pure and holy, telling the truth.

Application: Have you ever built a sand castle close to the water along the seashore? If you have, you know what can happen to a house built upon sand when a big wave comes in. Anyone who is not doing what Jesus said is just like a person building his house on sand—he’s heading for a big disaster. That’s why we should take very seriously all that Jesus had to say, including everything He said in this sermon on the mountainside. Are you building your house on a rock, doing what Jesus said?

This portion of Jesus’ sermon on the mountainside is commonly considered teaching about prayer. However, I think Jesus had more in mind than prayer in what we’ve just read. I think He was also talking about laziness and persistence.

Jesus first talked about asking for things, which could certainly apply to prayer. However, He then mentioned looking and knocking . Do those terms also refer to prayer? Perhaps, yet as we continue to read, we have to wonder. Jesus went on to say that everyone who asks, receives, everyone who seeks, finds, and to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. We know that is not always true concerning prayer. Although there are scores of examples of answered prayer in the Bible, there are also examples of unanswered requests, and certainly it is not true that everyone , non-Christians included, receives what he asks for in prayer.

For this reason, I wonder if Jesus was simply encouraging His followers to be askers, seekers and knockers in every area of their lives. It is true that the only people who receive their requests are those who make requests, the only people who find are those who seek, and the only people who have doors opened to them are those who knock. Those who wait around for things to happen or improve without any effort on their part are usually disappointed. As one Chinese proverb says, “Man stand for long time with mouth open before roast duck fly in.”

Many people are lazy. Even Christians sometimes try to make excuses for their laziness by saying things such as, “Well, if God wants me to have a certain thing, He’ll just get it to me.” But that isn’t true according to what Jesus said. People who get jobs are those who seek for employment, asking employers. People who go to college are those who knock on doors and fill out applications. People who get married are those who seek for a potential mate. If you want things to improve, you have to work at it and be persistent, never giving up. Everyone who puts forth that kind of effort is rewarded. But lazy people who refuse to ask, seek and knock never make any progress in life.

This concept also applies to prayer. Christians who assume that God will automatically give them whatever He wants them to have are wrong. According to Jesus, our heavenly Father wants to give us good gifts, but we must ask (see Matthew 7:11). Furthermore, we shouldn’t be satisfied, as many Christians often are, with receiving something other than what we’ve requested. Jesus said that if a child asks his parents for bread, they won’t give him a stone. And if he asks for a fish, they won’t give him a snake! Our heavenly Father loves us even more than any parents love their children. We should expect that He is not going to give us something other than what we request, and when it appears as if He has, we should not be discouraged, but continue to persevere in faith until we possess what we desire. Strong faith never quits!

Q. Have you ever become discouraged and given up on reaching a goal? What do you think Jesus would say about that?

A. If your goal is a good one, He would encourage you to keep asking, looking and knocking. With God on our side to help us, there is always good reason to persevere.

Q. Proverbs 22:13 says, “The lazy person is full of excuses, saying, ‘If I go outside, I might meet a lion in the street and be killed!'” Can you think of any other funny excuses that lazy people use to avoid work? Are there any excuses that you use to avoid work?

Application: Proverbs 26:14 says, ” As a door turns back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.”

Yesterday we learned one reason why God’s Son became a human being: to teach us about God. But there was a second reason that is even more important. Jesus became a human being so our sins could be forgiven, as we just read: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Why did Jesus have to come into the world in order for sinners to be saved? If God wanted to forgive sinners, why didn’t He just do it from heaven? Why did God have to become a human being?

To answer those questions, we first have to understand something about God. He is perfect. He always does the right thing, and it wouldn’t be right for God to simply forgive people who continually do bad and evil things. What would you think of your parents if they never punished a brother or sister who beat you up every day? You would think that they didn’t love you and weren’t fair.

If God didn’t punish people when they did bad things, He would be unloving toward people who were hurt by other people’s sins. And He would be acting unfairly. So God couldn’t just decide not to punish people for their sins, or He would become a sinner Himself!

However, God loves the people He’s created, and He needed a way to forgive them without becoming a bad person Himself. So God decided to become a human being who would face every temptation that anyone ever faced. He, however, would never sin. Then, as a substitute, He would take the punishment for everyone’s sins! As an example: Perhaps you were about to be spanked for disobeying your mother or father, and your sister or brother volunteered to be spanked in your place! (Pretty slim chance of that happening, right?)

That is why God had to become a human being. God, of course, can’t die, but humans can. So God became a human being in order to die. And His painful death was the payment for our sins. Jesus Himself said, “I…came here…to give my life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A ransom is a payment to set free someone who is a prisoner. Jesus gave His life as a payment to God’s justice so He could set us free from our sins.

Q. Why couldn’t some other human being have died for our sins instead of Jesus?

A. Because all of us have sinned, we all deserve to be punished. So none of us could serve as a substitute to die for the sins of others. It would be like two convicted murderers who become friends in prison. If both were sentenced to die in the electric chair, it would be silly for one to say to the prison warden, “I will sacrificially volunteer to die in place of my friend.” The warden would reply, “You can’t die for him because you are going to die for your own crime.”

We needed someone who was sinless, who didn’t deserve any punishment for his own sins, to be punished in our place. Jesus was the only person who has ever lived without sin.

Q. How could the painful death of only one person be enough payment for the many sins of everyone who has ever lived?

A. It was not the amount of suffering that made Jesus’ death sufficient payment for everyone’s sins; it was the fact of who did the suffering. Let’s say, for example, that your dog attacked and killed your neighbor’s dog. Your neighbor might demand that your dog be killed so that your dog suffers just as much as his did. That could be considered fair. But what if he demanded that you die for what your dog did? That would be unfair, because you are worth a lot more than a dog. You have more value than an animal!

In the same way, God has much more value than all the human beings put together. If Jesus had been just a man, His sufferings would have been sufficient payment for only one other person who deserved to die. But because God’s value is infinitely higher than all human beings combined, His painful suffering was more than sufficient to be able to pay fairly for everyone’s sins.

Application: Since God loved us enough to die as our substitute, we should show Him love in return by doing what He says. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15).

For many people, money is their god. Just like a god, money controls their lives, consuming all their energy, thoughts and time. Money is the main source of their joy, and they’re never satisfied with how much they have but are always wanting more. This is often true for rich and poor people, and Jesus addressed both groups among His followers during His sermon on the mountainside. He explained how God expects His children to view money and material things, making it very clear that we can’t serve both God and money. It’s one or the other, but not both.

Wealthy people often reveal that money is their god by hoarding their riches, continually accumulating more and more for themselves, amassing much more than they really need. Jesus said, however, that we shouldn’t store up treasures on earth. It’s foolish to do so, because everything on this earth is destined to perish ultimately. In fact, most of it is slowly perishing right before our eyes. This was even more obvious to the people in Jesus’ day, who didn’t have the benefits of moth balls, rust-proofing paint or padlocks! But what Jesus said then is still true today.

For those of us who are saved, hoarding riches on earth is even more foolish, because there’s a way we can convert our temporary riches into eternal riches. Jesus said that we should lay up our treasures in heaven. How can we do that? Jesus once told a very wealthy young man that if he sold his possessions and gave the money to the poor, he would then have treasure in heaven (see Matthew 19:21). We can do the same thing. When we give money on earth, it’s like making a deposit into our bank accounts in heaven.

Rich people aren’t the only people who often make money their god. Poor people frequently become just as consumed with material things. Their concern, however, is not with hoarding more and more riches, but with the simple necessities of life. They become worried about whether or not they are going to have enough food and clothing. Just like many wealthy people, their focus is on material things.

But God expects His children, even those who are poor, to be focused on Him and His kingdom. Jesus promised that if we will live for Him and make the kingdom of God our primary concern, then God will supply all our daily needs. He cares about us, so there’s no need for us to worry. Look how well God takes care of all the birds, providing them with food. If you ever see the birds gathered in your yard having a prayer meeting for food, then you might begin to worry about God supplying your needs!

Q. Today we read something that is difficult to understand, when Jesus said, “Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep that darkness will be!” (Matthew 6:22-23). What do you think He was talking about? Hint: Look at the context of those statements.

A. Jesus was talking about two kinds of people, the saved and unsaved. People whose god is money are not saved, because Jesus said it is impossible to serve both God and money. His comments about the eye allowing light into the soul or shutting it out also describe the saved and unsaved. A person with a “pure eye” is a person who is looking for the truth (often symbolized by light), and when he finds it, he lets it into his soul. He then has God’s truth within him. A person with an “evil eye” is a person who does not want God’s truth, and when the light of God’s truth shines in his face, he shuts his eyes because he doesn’t want it to get inside him. Many people shut their eyes to God’s truth because they think they already have the truth, but really they’ve believed only lies. Consequently, they are full of darkness even when they think they have light inside them. That kind of darkness is the worst kind.

Q. Can we rightly conclude from what we read today that it is wrong for us to work hard to make money, or save some of the money we earn?

A. Certainly not. We can’t give any money away unless we first have some ourselves. Jesus was warning us that money cannot be our main priority in life if we are going to be His followers. Our primary concern should be with His kingdom and living for Him. We should guard ourselves against greed, and shouldn’t worry about having enough, but rather, should trust in our heavenly Father’s care.

Application: Many kids don’t have a lot of money, but nevertheless, like poor people, money can become their god. Is there evidence in your life that God is your god and not money? Do you give away a portion of what you do receive?

As Jesus continued teaching about God’s standards of holiness, He told His followers to stop judging other people. What did He mean? A judge is someone who looks for faults in people who are brought to court. That’s his job, and there is nothing wrong about what he does, as long as he judges according to proven facts. Judges are supposed to judge people, measuring them by the standard of the law of the land. If there were no judges, criminals would never go to jail.

However, many people seem to think that they have been appointed as judges, and thus they are always looking for faults in others. That is wrong. Furthermore, they often judge people without considering all the facts, jumping to wrong conclusions. For example, they see a mother spank her child in the grocery store and conclude she must be a child abuser. They don’t stop and think that perhaps the child deserved a spanking!

To make matters worse, these self-appointed judges usually measure other people by standards that they themselves fall short of, making themselves hypocrites. Jesus’ funny illustration about trying to remove a speck from someone else’s eye while you have a log in your own eye is a perfect example of this. Imagine trying to help someone get a little speck out of his eye with a big log sticking out of yours!

What would you think if you saw two little children sitting in a mud puddle, covered with mud, and one pointing his finger at the other and saying, “You are filthy!” That is how we look to God when we criticize others.

What right do imperfect people have to find faults in others? Absolutely none. As followers of Jesus, we should be more concerned with correcting our own faults.

Q. When brothers and sisters are constantly “telling” on each other, that makes them “tattletales.” Do Jesus’ words about judging others have any application to tattletales?

A. Occasionally telling your parents about a sin of a brother or sister can be OK, if it is done out of love and concern for that brother or sister. For example, telling your parents that your brother is not wearing his seat belt in the car is a good thing. But when you tell on your brother just because you want to see him get in trouble, that is wrong, especially if you are guilty of the same sin. Then you are a hypocrite. When brothers and sisters are always telling on one another, constantly getting revenge for being told on, they demonstrate exactly what Jesus said about others treating you as you treat them. Like Jesus said, others will judge you by the same standard you use to judge them. People who are always finding fault aren’t liked by the people with whom they find fault. Consequently, those people look for faults in the people who find fault with them!

Q. What if you see a fault in another person of which you are not personally guilty? You see the speck in his eye but don’t have a log in your own eye. Should you speak to him about his fault?

A. Only if you know that the person is open to receive your constructive criticism. Otherwise, you would be giving your “pearls to a pig” (see Matthew 7:6). That is, he won’t appreciate or receive what you have to tell him. A proverb says, “Don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more” (Proverbs 9:8).

Constructive criticism offered by one who has a right to offer it is a holy thing. Jesus said we shouldn’t give what is holy to unholy people.

Application: Are people always finding fault with me? Could it be because I’m always finding faults with others, and thus I’m being measured by the same standard by which I measure others? If so, I determine to be less critical and more merciful. As a result, people will be less critical and more merciful with me.

During the first part of His mountainside sermon, Jesus told His disciples that they had to obey God better than the Pharisees and religious teachers, or else they wouldn’t enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 5:20). After that, He began explaining the difference between what God expects and what the Pharisees and religious teachers practiced. One of the many faults that Jesus found with them is that they did their good deeds to be admired by other people. When they gave money to the poor, they announced what they were doing with trumpets! When they prayed, they did so on the street corners and in the synagogues where everyone could see them. When they fasted, they adjusted their appearance so everyone would know they were fasting and admire them. Their good deeds were really evil deeds because their motives were selfish . Jesus said that the only reward they would ever receive would be the praise of people.

God expects more from His children than that. When we give, we should be motivated by love for the person we’re helping. As much as possible, we should give and serve in secret. If we will, Jesus promises that God will reward us. The same is true for our secret praying and fasting. Although our salvation is received purely through God’s grace (undeserved mercy), many of God’s blessings are bestowed because we earn them through our obedience.

In this part of His sermon, Jesus gave further instruction about prayer. He said that people of other religions pray the same thing over and over again, continually repeating the same requests. They think their god will hear them if they just pray long enough. But we are praying to a God who knows everything! He knows what we need before we ask Him, so it would be foolish for us to think we need to keep saying the same things over and over again! Continually repeating the identical prayer is insulting to God. We should converse with Him as we would with our most respected and trusted friend. He’s listening to us, not ignoring us, and we don’t need to pray long prayers to be heard.

Jesus gave us an example of a model prayer we could pray. Notice that it isn’t a long prayer. Don’t think that short prayers are a waste of time or that you don’t have enough time to pray. You can pray short prayers all the time and any time!

We should begin by realizing that we are praying to our heavenly Father, which means we have a special relationship with the One we’re addressing. We’re not talking to a stranger! We’re talking to someone who loves us dearly!

Beginning our prayers with worship is appropriate. “May your name be honored” (Matthew 6:9) is an example of a worshipful statement we could make, but there are many others.

After worship, we can begin with our requests, and the first ones should be for things that concern God. We should want, more than anything else, for God’s kingdom to expand and for His will to be done on the earth. Many people want their desires to become God’s desires, and they try to change His will by their prayers. But God wants His desires to become everyone’s desires, because His desires are best. More than anything, He wants people to hear the gospel and be saved. So we should pray first for things that relate to the spread of the good news of Jesus. We should pray for missionaries, the people of our church, and for opportunities to spread the gospel ourselves.

Next, we can pray for our own needs. Later in this same sermon, Jesus assured us that God will take care of our need for food, clothing and other material things, but only if we are living for Him and making the Kingdom of God our primary concern (see Matthew 6:33). If our prayers are only for our own needs, that’s a good indication that God’s kingdom is not our primary concern.

One of our foremost needs is for forgiveness when we’ve sinned. Jesus said we can be assured that our requests for forgiveness will be answered as long as we forgive people who have sinned against us. Of course, God doesn’t expect more of us than He does of Himself, and we know that He doesn’t forgive people unless they admit their sin and ask for forgiveness. When people request our forgiveness, admitting their wrongs against us, then we must forgive them, or else God will not forgive our sins when we ask. This does not give us the right, however, to hate people who sin against us but who never ask our forgiveness. Jesus still expects us to be merciful and kind to such people, loving them and praying for them, as we have already learned from this sermon (see Matthew 5:43-47), and to even confront them if they are Christians. But forgiveness is impossible to give unless it’s first requested.

Finally, we should pray that God will help us during times we are tempted to do the wrong thing, delivering us from giving in to the devil. This prayer request also indicates that our primary concern should be with pleasing God. We need His help to be obedient, and He will help us when we’re tempted if we’ll ask Him to help us.

Q. We read today what is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Many people have memorized this exact prayer and pray it, word for word, all the time, without even thinking about what they are saying. Do you think that is what Jesus had in mind when He first taught this prayer?

A. No, because Jesus said in the verses preceding the prayer that our prayers shouldn’t be meaninglessly repetitious. Of course, we can pray the Lord’s prayer with meaning if we concentrate, and we are not limited to just praying this one prayer! It is a wonderful model for all prayers, however.

Q. If you had to summarize with one word what we’ve read so far of Jesus’ sermon on the mountainside, what one word would you choose? Does this tell us anything about what is most important to Jesus?

A. I would choose the word “holiness.” What is most important to Jesus is how we live our lives. Obedience to God is what should be most important to all Christians.

Application: Do I act differently when I’m in public than when I’m alone? If I do, what does that reveal about me? What should I do about it?