“Answers for a study in the Gospel of Matthew” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

2023 Fall – A Case for the Gospels: A study in Matthew

Matthew and Chapters 14 through 16

BASIC ANSWERS

John the Baptist killed; Jesus continues His teaching

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

1.  Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing or reviewing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

Read Matthew chapters 14 through 16, then answer the following questions:

2.  (Matthew 14:1-36) In this chapter we read about the death of John the Baptist, Jesus reaction, and His continued miracles…

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, ² and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³ For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴ For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.

⁶ But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, ⁷ so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. ¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² His disciples came and took away the body and buried ^[f]it; and they went and reported to Jesus.

Five Thousand Fed

¹³ Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” ¹⁷ They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” ¹⁹ Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, ²⁰ and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. ²¹ There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

²² Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. ²³ After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. ²⁴ But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. ²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

³⁴ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; ³⁶ and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.

Matthew 14:1-36 (NASB)

• Why did Herod have John the Baptist killed (14:1-12)? Going Deeper: Who is this Herod, and what was the family situation that led up to this?
  • John the Baptist had confronted Herod about having his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias and Herod had him thrown in prison. On a day that Herodias’ daughter had danced and pleased Herod, he told her she could have anything she wanted. Her Mom told her to ask for John’s head on a platter, and because he did not want to look bad in front of his guests, Herod had John beheaded.
  • Going Deeper: From gotquestions.org
    • “Herod Antipater (nicknamed Antipas) became tetrarch of Galilee and Pereaupon the death of his father Herod the Great (Herod I). A tetrarch is a “ruler of one quarter,” as he receives one fourth of his father’s kingdom. Herod Antipas ruled as a Roman client and was responsible for building projects including the capital city of Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. Herod Antipas is the Herod mentioned most often in the New Testament, and, with the exception of Herod the Great mentioned in Matthew 1 and Luke 1 and 2, every mention of Herod in the gospels refers to Herod Antipas.
      Herod Antipas divorced his first wife to marry Herodias, who had been the wife of his half-brother Philip the tetrarch. According to Josephus the two fell in love and made plans to get married while Antipas was visiting with his brother Philip. John the Baptist began his ministry during the reigns of Philip and Antipas (Luke 3:1). In the course of his fiery preaching and denunciation of sin, he “rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, [and] Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison” (Luke 3:19–20).”
    • According to Charles Swindoll’s commentary: “This Herod (Antipas) had fallen in love with his niece and sister-in-law, Herodias, grand-daughter of Herod the Great. Herod the Great had these three sons: Aristobulus, Antipas and Philip. Aristobulus’ daughter was Herodias and she ended up marrying both her uncles Philip, then her uncle Antipas. Her daughter, named Salome, was from Philip.”
• How did Jesus react to John the Baptist’s death, what miracle did He perform following this, and why (14:13-21)?
  • We are told, in verses 13-14, that “Jesus withdrew in a boat to a secluded place by Himself” when He heard about John the Baptist’s death. We see Jesus’ humanity in this act of mourning.
  • Jesus didn’t get much time to grieve because a large crowd of people followed Him from the cities, and Jesus felt compassion for them and He healed their sick.
  • In addition, Jesus also performed one of two miracles where He multiplied food for the masses; in this instance He feed over 5,000 men, not counting the women and children who would have been there as well, making it well over 20,000 fed with only 5 loaves and 2 fish (and 12 full baskets left over) – a miracle beyond comprehension.
  • Note: This shows us the love that the LORD has for humanity seen through His compassion, healing and provision for such a multitude.
• What other miracles did Jesus perform next? Discuss: How does Jesus use these miracles to demonstrate for His believers the importance of having faith (14:22-36)?
  • This next miracle is one of the most well-known of Jesus’ miracles. Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him on the boat while He stayed behind and prayed. Then, in the middle of the night, and with a windy sea, Jesus came to them walking on the water. We also see Jesus telling Peter to come out to Him, but after a few steps Peter’s faith fails and Jesus has to catch Him.
  • This particular miracle gives evidence to Jesus’ Deity, as only God can have control over His creation and the physics that governs these laws of nature. It also shows His love and compassion towards His disciples, especially Peter.
  • Discussions may vary, but may include…
    • • Jesus’ demonstration of power and authority over creation can give us confidence in all the other promises that Jesus, as God, has made in His Word.
      • Jesus’ Words “do not fear” and “take courage” helped them to not fear, and should do the same for us. We can trust Him to take care of us, and never forsake us, and most importantly, we can trust Him to help us grow our faith in this life and have confidence in the promise of our home with Him in His eternal Kingdom.

3.  (Matthew 15:1-31) In this chapter Jesus shuts down the religious leaders with His amazing wisdom, and He continues His miracles…

15 Then some Pharisees and scribes  came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” ³ And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” ⁶ he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

⁸ ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
⁹ ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

¹⁰ After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. ¹¹ It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

¹² Then the disciples *came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” ¹³ But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. ¹⁴ Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

The Heart of Man

¹⁵ Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? ¹⁷ Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? ¹⁸ But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. ²⁰ These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

The Syrophoenician Woman

²¹ Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” ²³ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” ²⁴ But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” ²⁶ And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.

Healing Crowds

²⁹ Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. ³⁰ And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. ³¹ So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:1-31 (NASB)

• What accusation did the religious leaders make against Jesus’ disciples, and how did Jesus answer them (15:1-9)? Discuss: What is the bigger point Jesus was making in this confrontation?
  • The religious leaders were concerned with tradition and rules as they accused Jesus’ disciples of not washing their hands before eating – Jesus answered them with their own “breaking of the Law” they were committing by not honoring their father or mother, following their own twisting of the Law and claiming that whatever would have helped their parents has been given to God instead. This is what they called Korban/Corban, and if a person merely pronounced the word over any possession or property, it was irrevocably dedicated to the Temple (Most likely they put the money into their own treasury for their own selfish use).
  • Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 by saying:‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”
  • Discussion answers may vary, but could include…
    • Jesus was making a bigger point in this confrontation by showing that we can know a lot about God and His Word, like the religious leaders, but that does not mean we have understood God’s heart. Knowing the Word is important, but modeling Jesus and living out His teachings that show us who God is and what God wants from us will reveal who His real disciples are.
• Jesus told the people to “hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” How did Jesus explain this parable to His disciples (15:10-20)? Give an example based on Jesus’ explanation.
  • Jesus told the crowd, “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man” and this reference was obviously directed at the hypocritical religious leaders because His disciples said that He had offended them. Jesus didn’t care and He told them to “let them alone,” in other words, ignore them – this is good advice for us today as well.
  • Jesus goes on to explain to His disciples the source of such blindness (as in the religious leaders) – it isn’t a matter of the mind, but a matter of the heart. Just as food passes through the stomach and out, the things that defile a person really comes from what is in the heart. In addition, you can’t wash away deep-seated corruption of the fallen human heart by scrubbing dirt from the outside of your body.
  • Jeremiah 17:9 gives us insight to this teaching: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” The answer: Only God.
  • Jesus also gives several examples of the nastiness that flows from the hearts of the wicked, including: “evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” These are such generalized categories that every sin imaginable will fit one or more of them. The only way the human heart can be cleansed of such things is by the blood of Christ – trusting Him only.
• Jesus continued His ministry by withdrawing into the district of Tyre and Sidon. What was His interaction there with a Canaanite woman, and how did He respond to her faith (15:21-31)? Going Deeper: Historically, who were the Canaanites?
  • “A Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.”” At first Jesus ignored her but He then told her:“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That was the first task in Jesus’ ministry, although it was to eventually include all “the nations.”
  • Jesus was so impressed with her answer that showed a deeper faith in the promise of the Covenant, that He commended her and healed her daughter. This Gentile woman showed so much faith that she broke cultural context to speak to Him (a Gentile woman should not address a Jewish man in this way); and she acknowledged Him as Lord and Son of David – a startling confession of faith in Jesus’ messianic identity.
  • Note: Jesus lack of response at first was not lack of compassion, but the desire to allow her faith to be drawn out, and to show those around the deep faith and understanding she had.
  • Going Deeper: The Canaanites were an ethnic group that could be traced back to Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. Noah had cursed Canaan after Ham had exposed his father’s drunken nakedness (see Genesis 9:18-27). History shows that the people of Canaan, throughout the Old Testament, were enemies of Israel. They promoted extreme paganism, cruelty and evil evidenced throughout their history; and they are ultimately judged by God.

4.  Matthew (15:32-16:12) In this section Jesus feeds another multitude and has increasing run-ins with the religious leaders…

Four Thousand Fed

³² And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” ³³ The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” ³⁴ And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” ³⁵ And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; ³⁶ and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ³⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. ³⁸ And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

³⁹ And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

Pharisees Test Jesus

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

⁵ And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” ⁸ But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? ⁹ Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? ¹¹ How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 15:32-16:12 (NASB)

• Jesus again feeds a multitude, what was different about this time, and what did the miracle point to (15:32-39)? Going Deeper: Does the number seven have any special significance in the Bible, if so, what?
  • In both cases: the disciples articulated the impossibility of meeting the need with such a small amount of available food; Jesus instructed them in the same way; Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread (pointing to His soon to be broken body); the food was distributed to all through His disciples; all the people were able to eat until they were satisfied; and there was a large amount of food left over. Note: The disciples still did not “get it” and were showing doubt in this event as in the other one, instead of completely trusting in Jesus.
  • The difference we find: These are two separate occasions in different locations with different numbers: The feeding of the 5,000 took place near Bethsaida, close to the Sea of Galilee. In contrast, the feeding of the 4,000 took place in the region of the Gerasenes, near the Decapolis. The quantities of original loaves and fish were different; the amounts of leftovers were different; the Greek words for the “baskets” were distinct, with the term in the second event indicating larger containers.
  • Going Deeper: From the ESV study Bible: “The number seven (as seen in how many loaves they had) is usually symbolic of perfection or completion. Here in this teaching the number seven may symbolize the fullness of God’s provisions for all people, including Gentiles.”
• How did Jesus answer the religious leaders when they demanded a sign from Him, and what do you think He meant by “the sign of Jonah” (16:1-4)?
  • Jesus again used Scriptures the religious leaders should have been familiar with when He answered their request for a sign: “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.”
  • Jesus had already fulfilled so many Old Testament prophecies in His ministry that the religious leaders had more than enough evidence to understand who He was, and they should have recognized that, but instead looked for every excuse to reject Him.
  • In saying He would only give them the sign of Jonah He was giving them prophecy of His crucifixion and resurrection. Just as Jonah was considered dead for three days in the belly of a fish and then spit out (resurrected so to speak), so Jesus would be three days considered dead, only to resurrect in defeat of death and Satan.
• What did Jesus mean when He said, “watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (16:5-12)? Discuss: What is leaven, what does it do, and why did Jesus use it?
  • The disciples thought Jesus was talking about them not having any literal bread, but Jesus was speaking of the (false) teachings of the religious leaders that can permeate throughout their interpretation of Scripture with the many added rules and regulations God did not intend, nor were included in the Law.
  • From the Life Application Bible: “Leaven (yeast) is put into bread to make it rise, and it takes only a little to affect a whole batch of dough. Jesus used yeast as an example of how a small amount of evil can affect a large group of people.” The wrong teachings of the religious leaders were leading many people astray, and Jesus was warning His disciples to be aware of it and correct it, otherwise it would rapidly affect many people.

5.  Matthew (16:13-28) In the last part of this chapter Jesus teaches about who He is and what was to come…

Peter’s Confession of Christ

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are ^[j]the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. ²² Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Discipleship Is Costly

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.

²⁸ “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Matthew 16:13:28 (NASB)

• What most important question does Jesus ask His disciples, what answers do they give, and how did Peter answer correctly (16:13-20)? Discuss: (In your own words) how do you answer Jesus’ question?
  • Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” Just as today, we find various answers about who Jesus is can include: A prophet, a Rabbi or good teacher, a moral leader or even a man of God. Some in Jesus day believed He was one of the prophets reincarnated or even somehow possessed by John the Baptist who had recently been executed by Herod.
  • Peter gave the correct response by saying “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus took note that God the Father had been the one responsible for revealing that truth to him.
  • Discussion answers will vary, but should include some form of a similar response as Peter’s:
    • Jesus is our savior, He is God incarnate and He is the promised Messiah who came and died in our place, and then resurrected in defeat of death and Satan, so that we can have trust and faith in our eternal home with Him in His Kingdom.
• Even though Peter answered correctly what did he do in the very next passage and how did Jesus rebuke him (16:21-23)? Discuss: How can we relate to Peter in this whole situation?
  • Peter’s flesh was still active, even though God the Father had just revealed Jesus’ true identity to him. In what seems to be the very next moment, Peter rebuked Jesus for talking about His immanent suffering and death “saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”” Peter was not thinking as a disciple of Jesus, but as a person set on the desires of the flesh – to keep Jesus with them and away from His ultimate purpose and destiny that would save the world, not just a small group of people.
  • Discussion will vary but could include…
    • • We, like Peter, do not always understand God’s plan for our own lives, and especially His plans for human history. There is a much bigger picture playing out that we must have faith in, knowing that ultimately God’s will is for the good of all who trust and believe in Him. We must not be like Peter, only seeing the moment in front of us, but we must have faith that God’s sovereign will is always at work – God does not make mistakes.
• Discuss: What is the importance of Jesus teaching His disciples about “taking up their cross and following Him,” and what does (and should) that look like for Christians today (16:24-28)? If comfortable, share what that might look like, personally, for you.
  • Discussion answers may vary, but should include…
    • • Jesus taught His disciples that following Him would not be easy because, like Him, they would suffer persecution, and most of them would face a martyr’s death.
      • Taking up our cross means denying our own selfish desires and pursuits, and instead trust in God’s will for our lives, knowing that the ultimate reward is for eternity, and worth the temporary light affliction (2 Corinthians 4:17) in this life as disciples for Jesus.
      • Personally, it might mean giving up a job, a relationship, a location or anything else that would hamper our ability to serve the LORD in any capacity He has gifted us with.

Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Gospels!”

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15