Matthew 13 & 14 | The Wolfe Notes

Welcome to our 2025 growth journey. This year, we're getting to know Jesus better by walking with Him through the gospels and putting into practice what He tells us to do. Journey with us, fellow disciples, by downloading your February calendar. On it, we pace the reading and suggest daily activities, but this year it also comes with a blank calendar so you can plan your own pace. Find all our notes, from this year and past years, at the Faith Food tab. Welcome, friends, we're so glad you're journeying with us. Let's grow together!

These Wolfe Notes Cover:

1. Matthew 13: Parables about the Kingdom of Heaven
1. Overview: General Topic, Key Themes, and Summary
2. Thoughts, Questions, and Connections
3. Research On using new and old.
4. Reflections On teaching with stories.
2. Matthew 14: John the Baptist's Death. Feeding of the 5,000. Jesus Walks on Water.
1. Overview: General Topic, Key Themes, and Summary
2. Thoughts, Questions, and Connections
3. Research On Herod's explanation of Jesus.
4. Reflections On grief and faith.
3. Respond to an emotional God who is truth.

Matthew 13

Image Credit: Milky Way by Pexels at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

Jesus uses parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven.

Key Themes

The Kingdom of Heaven. Understanding. Teaching.

Summary

Jesus speaks in parables so the ones who are ready to hear, will, and the ones who aren't, won't. Through the parables, He explains how the Kingdom works. He explains that the good news is delivered and received in various ways. Some recipients fall away quickly because they don't get it, others because they don't commit to it, and still others because they let the evil of this world cloud out their JOY. But, for the one who truly understands what the Kingdom of heaven is, he knows that the Kingdom is what he has always been looking for and gives up everything else for it. Be patient. Understanding takes time and persistence. It starts small, but when it blooms, it changes the believer from the inside out. In the end, Jesus explains, evil will be removed and only righteousness will remain. The chapter ends with Jesus returning to His hometown to teach. But they didn't accept Him, so He left them.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. *R communicates that in-depth research follows.

On the Planting of Seeds (Matthew 13:1-9; 13:18-23)

1. *From a boat, Jesus addresses the crowds in parables. (Matthew 13:1-3)
1. ? Why from a boat? Practical tie-in to the symbolism of boats: who we let steer determines where we go. Are we letting the world steer, or Jesus? (See our notes on Proverbs 31:14 and James 3:4)
2. ? What is the benefit of stories? (See Jesus' explanation in Matthew 13:10-17 and some of my thoughts in the reflection that follows the research.)
2. *First, Jesus tells of a farmer who scatters seeds. Some are devoured by birds, some wither quickly, some are choked by thornbushes, and the remaining seeds grow and produce in abundance.
1. ! Birds sometimes are used to represent demonic activity. (See our research on Isaiah 34:11-15 or read this article at Bible Tools).
2. ! This parable is explained in Matthew 13:18-23, notes immediately follow.
3. ! Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:13 KJV (See cross references of this verse.) *God is at work in us to bring GOOD. Never doubt it!
   
4. ? What do these things - the birds, the rocky soil, and the thornbushes - represent in your life? In what circumstances do you notice your faith being devoured, withering, choked out, and growing? What steps can you take to plant yourself increasingly more in the "good soil" of growth and remove yourself from the circumstances that cause decay?
3. *The meaning is this: without understanding, truth will quickly be snatched away; you can accept the truth initially, but if you don't commit to it being truth you will let go of it the first time you wrestle with it; choosing the worries and deceitful pleasures of this world will overtake the truth; if you hear and understand the word, you will bear fruit.
1. * The birds come by and snatch hope. (Matthew 13:19)
2. * The shallow rooted plants are uprooted when they come to a part of the word that they struggle to accept or understand. (Matthew 13:21)
4. ! 🎵We're all just seeds in / God's hands / We start the same but / where we land / Is sometimes fertile soil / and sometimes sand / We're all just seeds in / God's hands🎶 ("Seeds" performed by Kathy Mattea)
5. ! The thing about seeds is that you plant them and don't do much else. We need to remember that seeing results in the Kingdom requires patience. - Brant Hansen

On Teaching in Parables (Matthew 13:10-17; 13:34-35; 13:51-53)

1. *Jesus explains that He uses stories so that those who are meant to understand, will; and those who don't, wont. (Matthew 13:10-17)
2. *Those who understand, will continue to increase in their understanding of the Kingdom, but those who only understand a little, will lose even that (Matthew 13:12)
1. ? How do you get understanding if you have none? 
1. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head and ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Proverbs 4:5-9 KJV
2. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth [insults, reviles, reproaches] not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5 KJV [Greek meaning]
3. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 KJV
4. But to those Jews and Greeks who are called, he is Christ, God's power and God's wisdom. I Corinthians 1:24 NOG !And the Word (John 1:1-2) which comes from God's mouth.
5. See our notes about Wisdom that kicked off our Proverbs 31 study.
2. *You get Wisdom by asking God for Christ to come in your life. With Wisdom comes knowledge and understanding. You must seek Him first.
3. *The people who don't understand fulfill Isaiah's prophecy. (Matthew 13:13-14)
1. ! The prophecy in Isaiah 6:9-10 (NOG) reads: And [God] said [to Isaiah], "Go and tell these people, 'No matter how closely you listen, you'll never understand. No matter how closely you look, you'll never see.' Make these people close minded. Plug their ears. Shut their eyes. Otherwise, they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, and return and be healed." [Isaiah 6:8] (See our research on this verse.)
2. ! At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. Matthew 11:25-26 KJV (See our chapter 11 notes for more thoughts on this.)
3. ? Does God choose who understands and who doesn't, or do we?
4. * Know that you are blessed because you get it. There are many who wish they could, but don't. (Matthew 13:16-17)
1. ? Does it matter whether God chooses or not? 
2. *My job is to focus on blessing others because I am blessed, and to let God worry about the rest.
5. *All the mysteries since before the foundation of the world are made known through these parables (Matthew 13:34-35)
1. ! For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hast prepared for him that waiteth for him. Isaiah 64:4 KJV
2. ! Certainly, you have heard how God gave me [Paul] the responsibility of bringing his kindness to you. You have heard that he let me know this mystery through a revelation. I've already written to you about this briefly. When you read this, you'll see that I understand the mystery about Christ. Ephesians 3:2-4 NOG
3. ? What prophecy is being referenced here? Psalm 78:2 KJV: I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old. 
6. *Jesus explains that teaching regarding the kingdom of heaven should include both old and new.
1. ? Does that mean you need the old to understand the new? *R
2. * I'd imagine if I were a disciple and didn't understand, I would still say I did understand. After all of Jesus' teaching, imagine what it would reveal about them if they honestly said they didn't: that the truth was hidden from them. Which would lead me to believe that I'm unfit to be a disciple. Do I feel that way in some regards now?

On Sorting Weeds and Fish (Matthew 13:24-30; 13:36-43; 13:47-50)

1. *In another story, Jesus compares the Kingdom to a wheat field. At night, the enemy comes and sows weeds. The workers ask about the weeds and Jesus identifies the planter as the enemy. When the workers offer to pull the weeds, Jesus declines, for if the weeds are pulled the wheat might be lost, too. (Matthew 13:24-30)
1. ! This is why evil exists! If the workers [angels - Matthew 13:39] pull the weeds too soon, they might accidentally remove wheat. 
1. ! The Lord isn't slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn't want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act. 2 Peter 3:9 NOG
2. ! "Why does God allow evil?" at Got Questions is an article that helped answer this question for my nephew when we studied Psalm 10. As I summarized each point, he responded with comments like "Oh, yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense." I hope it does for you, too.
2. *Instead, let both grow together. At harvest, the workers will sort the weeds to be burned and the wheat to be stored.
1. ! A picture of final judgment that correlates to the Revelation 14:14-19 description. (Also see our research on workers for the harvest.)
2. *The parable illustrates the separation of good from evil. The good is of Jesus and the evil of Satan. In the end, those who belong to Jesus will shine brightly, but those who belong to Satan will suffer. (Matthew 13:36-43)
3. *The sorting of the fish is a second illustration of the separation of good and evil at the end of the world. (Matthew 13:47-49)

On Mustard Seeds and Yeast (Matthew 13:31-33)

1. *Like a mustard seed, the Kingdom of Heaven starts small and grows larger than the rest of the plants in the garden. (Matthew 13:31-32)
1. * Humble beginnings to magnificent endings.
2. ! ...I can guarantee this truth: If your faith is the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you...."  Matthew 17:19-21
3. ? If demons represent birds (See our research on Isaiah 34:11-15 or read this article at Bible Tools), what does it mean that they could nest in the Kingdom's branches? 
1. It's interesting to note that the context behind the faith the size of a mustard seed verse (see directly above) pertains to demons.
2. *Could it be that the Kingdom grows and keeps the demons away from snatching up new seeds by providing a place for them to nest away from new shoots?
2. *Like yeast, the Kingdom of Heaven completely transforms wherever (and in whomever) it is activated - in radically disproportionate ways.
1. ! This reminds me of the Chosen testimony of God doing impossible math. (See article on Charisma.)
2. * Whether yeast was considered good or bad was a question that my baking-loving nephew asked. Biblically, it's used to illustrate both good and bad. Illustrates spreading of sin (I Corinthians 5:6-8) or, as here, the spreading of righteousness. Prohibited in some cases (Exodus 13:7), yet demanded in others (Leviticus 7:13)
3. ? Why place these parables between the sorting parables. Especially between the story and explanation of the weeds parable? 
1. To explain that understanding is a process? That if you don't get it initially, keep working and it will grow? 
2. To encourage you though you're surrounded by evil to stay strong and committed?
3. ! I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 KJV

On Seeking Treasure (Matthew 13:44-46)

1. *When you realize what the kingdom is, you are happy to give up everything to follow it.
1. ! But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 KJV
2. ! Yeshua said to him, "If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!" Matthew 19:21 NOG
3. ? Why would you bury the treasure when you go back to get the money? (Matthew 13:44)
1. * So you don't lose it?
2. ! Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them. Luke 2:19 NOG
3. ! Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11 KJV

On Being Rejected in His Hometown (Matthew 13:54-58)

1. *The people in Jesus' hometown refused to believe because they knew how He began. They were too familiar with Him so did not notice how extraordinary He was. So, He refused to perform miracles knowing they'd fall flat. 
1. *They think they know Him, so they refuse to see Him. 
2. ? Can you relate? Does it sometimes seem like the ones you grew up with overlook you the most?
3. * He won't perform miracles unless we're ready to accept them.

Exploration

On using the new with the old. (Matthew 13:52)

The Authority of Jesus

• The way the scripture is worded, shows His reputation was one of a Rabbi, Master, Teacher.
• His instruction varied importantly from the other Rabbis. Instead of commenting on minute subtleties in the scriptures or interpreting legends, Jesus focused on the eternal laws of His Father's kingdom. He taught through parables so the laws could be understood in the visible universe.
• Jesus was educating the disciples to be scribes of the Kingdom of heaven.
• Here, He references the Song of Solomon 7:13 NOG: ...I have saved new and old things for you alone, my beloved.

What is Old?

• NOT the "Old" testament, but the eternal laws of righteousness. 
• Laws that had always been and will always be.

What is New?

• NOT the "New" testament, but the newly revealed truth: Jesus is, and has always been, the head of the divine kingdom, will be the future judge, and the Holy Spirit works within to regenerate and sanctify.
• Eventually, the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension would add to the disciples NEW understanding.
• Lived experience on the part of all disciples add ever NEW illustrations, parables, and stories.

Why combine Old and New?

• When used together, you see how to apply the "OLD" eternal laws to "NEW"ly revealed truths: the evidence of His goodness we daily experience along with new acquisition of knowledge.
• {*The "NEW" Commandment:} He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him [Christ] and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. I John 2:7-8 KJV [NOG]
• *It's not really a NEW commandment, because walking as Christ walked fulfilled all the "OLD", or eternal, laws. 
• *But it is "NEW" because they finally understand what it means.
• Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. I Timothy 3:6 KJV
• *Without "NEW" experience, you only have the "OLD" to rely on. 
• *Not experiencing the Kingdom daily and understanding how the OLD has been made NEW invites pride because of the points-based system. (See our reflection on points- vs. value-based systems.)
• *Pride is a tool of Satan. (James 4:6; I John 2:16; Proverbs 16:5)

 

*Thoughts: This instruction of combining old and new empowers us to teach and to teach well. We take what we already know to be true of God from studying scripture and we combine it with our experiences from living in His kingdom. Together, this aids listeners, and ourselves, to understand the whole, beautiful picture that always has existed since before the beginning of the world.

Source: Matthew 13:52 commentaries at Bible Hub.

Reflections

Jesus speaks in stories. He weaves a tapestry of old and new so we can relate what we already know to new understanding. The way He teaches is worth paying attention to: He understands how we learn best. You would think that if the only reason He told stories was to hide the truth, or so only those who were willing to do the work to understand would get it, then He would not explain the meaning of the story. Yet, stories have a way of staying with us more than relaying facts. Stories provide a framework, emotion, and allow us to see ourselves as part of the story. They make us ponder, but allow us to connect.

Jesus' main message in these stories was explaining the kingdom. Not all who hear about the kingdom will stay with it. The idea of the kingdom starts small, but soon changes you completely and becomes more important to you than anything. It becomes so important that you're willing to give up everything else for it. And, there will be judgment at the end of the world based on who accepts the truth of the kingdom and who doesn't. The righteous will shine; the wicked will burn.

These are hard ideas to accept or even wrap my mind around. In the idea of eternal damnation or rejoicing alone I could get lost in my ideas of fairness. But, instead, I choose to realize that I have a job to do: I must learn to tell my story. I must practice sharing my new experiences of Jesus by relating them to what I've always known about Him.

The Kingdom of heaven is like The Ugly Duckling story. An ugly bird hatches. It looks and acts different than every other duckling. Though raised the same, the ugly bird never belongs. The pretty birds have similar interests, generally get along, and are appreciated by the other birds. But, though the ugly bird tries, he never finds satisfaction like the pretty birds do. He feels lonely, misunderstood, confused, incomplete, and defective. Until he finds out he isn't actually ugly, he's just different. Hope springs up. He finds other ugly birds who speak truth into him. While the ugly birds aren't his original family, he feels more accepted than he ever did by the pretty birds. Overtime, he learns his true purpose: to find other ugly birds and invite them into the flock by speaking truth into their lives, too. The truth is that though you are ugly now, you belong to a King who sees the you He made you to be. He loves you, gave His life for you, and works within you so you will be perfectly transformed. As you waddle along with your new family, you know JOY.  You know your story ends in eternally perfect beauty, which is so much better than pretty.

Matthew 14

Image: Peak by Danfador at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

John the Baptist dies. Jesus teaches His disciples more about faith and service.

Key Themes

Grief. Healing. Faith.

Summary

Herod begrudgingly beheads John the Baptist at the request of his niece. When Jesus hears, He seeks solitude to mourn. Yet, He allows His quest for solitude to be interrupted when He sees a crowd following Him and pities them. After miraculously healing and feeding them, He sends the crowd and His disciples away so He can commune alone with God regarding John. To return to His disciples, who are on a boat in the middle of the sea, Jesus walks on water. The disciples respond in fear until Jesus identifies Himself. Then, Peter asks to join Him. Peter does, until the wind picks up. Then, he sinks. After calling out for help, Jesus saves Peter and reprimands Him for His lack of faith. The disciples once again proclaim that truly Jesus is the Son of God. The chapter ends with multitudes being healed by simply touching the hem of Jesus' garment.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics.

On John the Baptist's Death (Matthew 14:1-12)

1. *Herod grows increasingly concerned with the uprising Jesus is causing because Herod killed John and now believes John has returned from the dead as Jesus. 
1. ? Why did Herod believe John was the resurrected Jesus? *R
2. ! The story of Herod killing John the Baptist alludes to the story in Esther. (Esther 5:1-5; 7:2; 9:12 and "The Beheading of John the Baptist")

On Feeding the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21)

1. *Jesus looked for seclusion to grieve John, but was followed by a large crowd. In compassion, He ministered to their ailments and hunger. 
1. * What a lesson I have to learn in this! To be so moved by compassion that I put aside my own emotions to help another.
2. ! But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 9:36 KJV (See our notes on this chapter.)
2. *He turned five loaves and two fish into enough to feed over five thousand with leftovers for the disciples.
1. ! The twelve baskets leftover indicate the overflow of the grace and the blessing of God when you live in service to Him. You have more than enough. Trust Him to provide what you need. - Priscilla Shirer
2. ! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20 KJV

On Walking on Water (Matthew 14:22-33)

1. *Then, He asked His disciples for solitude. 
1. * He does not skip this opportunity to be alone with God. He knows He needs it and makes sure it happens.
2. *After He finishes communing with God, He walked on the water to meet His disciples. The disciples feared it was a ghost, until Jesus identified Himself. 
3. *Peter tested Jesus, asking that Jesus command Peter to also walk on the water. So Jesus said, "Come."
1. *"Go!" was the only word He used to cast out demons (Matthew 8:28-34) and "Come!" the only word He needs to beckon us near. Authority does not need to be wordy. Let my words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2
1. See our Matthew 8 notes.
2. Listen to "Let My Words Be Few" by Matt Redman.
4. *But Peter feared the wind and began sinking. Jesus reprimanded his small amount of faith.
1. ! Just as He did in the boat in the storm story, so Jesus reprimands their little faith here. (Matthew 8:26 and Matthew 14:31)
2. Sea = chaos - Bible Hub
5. *Returning to the boat, the remaining disciples worshiped Jesus as the true Son of God.
1. * A miracle like this is what it takes for them to declare His true identity.

On Being Healed by the Hem (Matthew 14:34-36)

1. *At Gennesaret, where they landed, the people touched the hem of His garment so they could be healed.
1. Listen to "Tear off the Roof" by Brandon Lake. Includes the lyric: "He has more in the hem of His garment than the camp of the enemy."
2. The hem of your garment had significant symbolism in this culture. Being covered by it indicated you were welcoming someone into the family.
1. So [Boaz] said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your slave. Now spread your garment over your slave, for you are a redeemer." Ruth 3:10 NASB (*The story of Ruth is, symbolically, the story of Christ and the church.)
2. "Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My garment [literally hem] over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore an oath to you and entered into covenant with you so that you became Mine," declares the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 16:8 NASB
3. Gennesaret is the home of Peter and Andrew. (Luke 5:1-5)

Research

Why did Herod refer to Jesus as the resurrected John? (Matthew 14:2)

A Note on Sequence

*When I first read this, I misunderstood the order of events. This is how I now understand them.

1. Matthew 14:1-2 Introduces the problem Herod has with Jesus. Herod fears that Jesus is John in resurrected form. Because "John" (actually Jesus) is in his resurrected form, Herod reasons that "John" now has more power than he previously did.
2. Matthew 14:3-11 Explains why this worries Herod. *Mainly, because Herod executed John and feels guilty about it. Now, Herod thinks John is coming back from the dead to torment him.

Explanations about Jesus

*People who did not accept Jesus as the Son of God came up with alternate explanations for who He really was (much like we still do today). Some of the explanations were that He was:

• John the Baptist resurrected
• Elijah resurrected
• A resurrected prophet

A Note on Herod

• Herod Antipas was the youngest son of Herod the Great.
• Herod the Great was the Herod that set out to kill the Messiah in Bethlehem after speaking to the Wisemen. (Matthew 2:16)

*Thoughts: Herod, like many of us, acted out of fear and guilt. Herod knew he should not have killed John and feared the rising fame of Jesus. Upon hearing explanations of who Jesus could be, he assumed the worst possible scenario for himself: John is seeking vengeance. Oh, how much better it would be for all of us if we seek to know Jesus for who He truly is for ourselves instead of believing what others have to say about Him.

Sources: 

• Commentaries at Bible Hub
• The New Testament Handbook. Holman Reference, 1 Feb. 2024.

Reflections

I think the most powerful part of this chapter is realizing that Jesus needed time alone to grieve. If Jesus needed time alone, I need time alone from time to time, too. Yes, the main goal is spreading the gospel which is best accomplished by loving others well and pointing them to Jesus. BUT, in order to love others well, I must be rooted in God. I must return to Him for healing and empowering. If I don't I will do nothing else well.

Oh, how I wonder what alone time between God and Jesus looked like. Did Jesus scream at God in anger for the loss of His friend, like I sometimes do? Did Jesus break down, falling to the ground, sobbing because of how unfair and hard life is, like I sometimes do? Did He end the alone time with a sense of peace and acceptance, even though pieces of hurt remained, like I sometimes do?

I imagine all of these emotions were felt. Jesus was fully human and experienced everything we do - even emotions. He was deeply compassionate and dearly loved John. How could Jesus not have grieved?

And, if Jesus grieved for John, know that He grieves still. This love He feels for John, He has for you, too. Know in your grief, that He is grieving with you.

Yet, there is another lesson here, and a hard-hitting one - even though Jesus deeply felt a need to spend time alone with God, He still STOPPED to help people in need who searched for Him. He took time to heal and feed us. Talk about self-sacrifice. Let me break this down. Here are some truths I want to take away from this:

1. He will always be available to help me when I need Him. He is NEVER too busy for me.
2. I can STOP to help people in need, too, no matter what my current personal feelings are BECAUSE...
3. God will provide me with time to meet with Him as long as I keep desiring to do so.
4. I MUST make it a priority to seek alone time with God so that He can heal and empower me for service.

None of this is easy. All of it requires faith. Which is the lesson Jesus keeps trying to teach anyone who listens over and over and applauds every sign of it He encounters. We must have faith in Him. We must believe He cares for us. He grieves with us. He is ready to rescue us. All we must do is cry out in faith so that He can.

 

Respond

Matthew 13

Connect

God is truth.

Reflect

• Which Kingdom of heaven parable resonates loudest with you right now and why?
• If you were to write your own "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." story based on your lived out experiences, what would it include?

Act

Arise; accept the evidence of new understanding. 

Arise; tell others of the story that He’s telling through you. 

Matthew 14

Connect

God is emotional, although not emotional in a bad way. He's emotional in the best kind of ways. Because He is love, He feels compassion, grief, and frustration on our behalf.

Reflect

• How often do my emotions move me to empathy? How often to selfishness?
• How can I strengthen my empathy for others while still honoring my raw, honest emotions?
• How often is Jesus frustrated by my lack of faith?

Act

Arise; choose to serve others when moved by compassion.

Arise; go to God with my raw, honest emotions.

Arise; believe. Walk on the water.

In Closing

God, I'll admit, sometimes I feel like You don't understand the struggle that we go through. Sometimes, I get frustrated because it doesn't come easily and believe that You think it should for us. But the truth is, You get us. You understand that life is not easy. It comes with many troubles and pains. But sometimes, the troubles come because we stand in our own way. We overcomplicate things and You so want us to break our obstacles to faith and just believe. You want us to get outside of ourselves and see the beauty in others around us. You want us to join You on the water and not falter. I lift out my hand and repeat Peter's plea, "Master, save me!" Save me from my doubt. Save me from my selfishness. Save me from the chaos. Teach me to rise above it as I walk on the water with You.

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