S – The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant ¹⁶ and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” 

Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read: 

You have prepared praise 

from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?” 

Matthew 21:14–16 CSB

O – Couple of items noticed in this scripture:
1. Previous, Jesus arrived triumphantly then drove out the money changers.  Lots of action and emotion.

2. The temple would be animated by Jesus’ presence and actions.

3. The blind and lame were allowed into the temple – this wasn’t allowed.  Jesus healed them – all visible healings for all to see.

4.  Children emulated what they saw adults doing – shouting “Hosanna.”

5.  Jesus shares God’s word to the question of their actions and in the Messiah implications.

A – Jesus demonstrates who He is in various forms. He is Lord, just, healer, Lord, and the Word all in a short time.  We need to know that he is able to be all things we need in our own lives.  In knowing Him better, we see the power and blessings that come in a relationship with Him.

R – Heavenly Father, we worship and surrender to you. Thank you for your love for us.  There are so many benefits that we enjoy in our relationship with you.

S – It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:26–28 CSB

O – Commentary:

There was no greater example of this principle than the Lord Himself. He did not come into the world to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Here was the first clue as to what the death of Christ would accomplish. He had told them on a number of occasions He would die. But He had not indicated the reason for His death. Now it was clear that His death would be to provide a “ransom” (lytron, “payment”) “for” (anti, “in place of”) “many” (see the chart, “New Testament Words for Redemption” at Mark 10:45). His death would take the place of many deaths, for only His death could truly atone for sin (John 1:29; Rom. 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). He was the perfect Sacrifice, whose substitutionary death paid the price for sin.

“Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – Jesus is our example.  He who created all things, left heaven to come as a man and die for our sins.  He is the greatest among us and he came and served us with his life, death and resurrection.  As great as we think we are, there is no comparison.  

R – Heavenly Father, you are above all things.  Thank you for the example of Jesus for us to serve others.  As we lay down our gifts and abilities, we ask that you use them to bring glory to your name and that others would be drawn into a deeper relationship with you.

S – Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”^{, 15} After placing his hands on them, he went on from there

Matthew 19:14–15 CSB

O – Commentary:

But the disciples felt this was a waste of Jesus’ time. They began rebuking those bringing their children. Apparently the disciples had already forgotten what Jesus said earlier about the worth of children and the seriousness of causing them to fall (cf. 18:1–14). Jesus rebuked the disciples, telling them to let the little children come and not hinder them. The kingdom of heaven is not limited to adults who might be considered to be worth more than children. Anyone who comes to the Lord in faith is a worthy subject for the kingdom. This implies (19:15) that Jesus had time for all the children, for He did not depart from the region till He had blessed them all.

 “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – We naturally want to establish an “order of importance.”  We look at others and compare.  Jesus is breaking the cultural norm that children were less important than the adults.  Everyone is important to him.  We should emulate that same posture.  Whatever we can devise to give ourselves a greater sense of worth than someone else is wrong.  God loves us all the same.

R – Heavenly Father, you are all knowing and all present.  Thank you that you loved me so much that Jesus would go to the cross.  Please help me have that same love for each person I interact with today.  You love us equally so I should do the same.  

S – Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 

²² “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven. 

Matthew 18:21–22 CSB

O – Peter was being generous by saying 7; the religious leaders were teaching to forgive three times.  Jesus exceeds that number dramatically to basically say it should be limitless. 

A – Jesus was introducing a new “heart” towards other people.  It was one that valued the person and the relationship.  Jesus knew relationships would suffer from sin and self desires.  He was giving a different mindset that would allow someone to wrong another and still be in relationship.  Even with healthy boundaries, forgiveness allows us to value each other and be in unity.

A – Heavenly Father, you are God.  You have no rival or peer – you stand alone.  Please give us the heart and courage to forgive others.  We are not perfect and have no right to hold someone in their sin.  We must forgive to provide the opportunity for relationship and unity to continue.

S – While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”

Matthew 17:5 CSB

O – Commentary:

While Peter was still speaking, a more important voice spoke from a bright cloud that had enveloped them. This voice said, This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well-pleased. Listen to Him! (cf. 3:17) This authentication of the Son of God by the voice of God carried great significance for the disciples. Years later when Peter wrote his second epistle he referred to this event (2 Peter 1:16–18). This authentication of Jesus by the Father caused the terrified disciples to fall on their faces.

“Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – As believers, we want to hear the voice of God.  I have never heard it audibly.  I hear God’s voice when the Holy Spirit reveals things through his word and in my thoughts.  It is like a muscle – you have to use it and work it for it to begin to grow. Over time, it get’s easier.  Like faith, there is another of level of growth to move toward.

R – Heavenly Father, you are creator of all things and you hold all things.  As believers, we want to hear your voice.  It is tremendously important to our relationship that we communicate.  Please speak to us through your Holy Spirit so we can know your heart, character and direction.

S – “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” 

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:15–16 CSB

O – Commentary:

But what about you? Who do you say I am?

Speaking for the disciples, Peter spoke his now-famous words, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. As “the Christ,” He is the Messiah. Ho christos is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament māšîaḥ, which means “the anointed One.” In Him are fulfilled all the promises of God to the nation. And as the Old Testament made clear, the Messiah is more than a human being; He is God (Isa. 9:6; Jer. 23:5–6; Micah 5:2). Peter thus acknowledged Jesus’ deity as the Son of the living God. 

  “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – This question is posed to all of us in our lives.  “Who do you say that Jesus is?”  That is a question we must answer and will be accountable for when we stand before God. It will be the bridge to our relationship with God or the reason we are separate from Him.  My hope is that all would accept that Jesus is God’s son and our savior.

R – Heavenly Father, you are holy, holy, holy.  Thank you for the gift of Jesus as our savior.  It is through accepting Him and the shedding of his blood to forgive us of our sins that we have a relationship with you.  We invite the Holy Spirit to work in us today to continue to draw us closer to you.

S –  “But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.”

 Mathew 15:18 CSB

O – Commentary:

A person’s speech reveals the true state of his or her heart. In the Hebrew conception of personhood, the heart represents intelligence and will.

 Faithlife Study Bible

“Defile” – kŏinŏō:  to make (or consider) profane (ceremon.):— call common, defile, pollute, unclean.

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words 

“Profane” – relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious.
Oxford Languages

A – Our words will indicate the nature of our heart.  They will reveal what we are committed to as well.  We must spend time with God in his Word, prayer and worship to lay the foundation in the heart of growth and understanding.  The more we spend time with him, our words illuminate our relationship with him.

R – Heavenly Father, you are God over all.  You hold all things and you are present at all times.  Our hearts need to transform from “me centered” to “God centered.”  We invite your Holy Spirit to work in our hearts today so we can speak words that reflect that change.  

S – When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 

Matthew 14:13–14 CSB

O – The whole chapter hinges on this verse.  Prior it talked about John the Baptist being beheaded.  After it, Jesus did some of his most amazing miracles –  Healing, feed 5,000, walk on water, Peter walks on water, wind and rain cease and healing by touching his robe.  Something in that alone time moved Jesus.

A – In our darkest times, God speaks to us.  Sometimes it is comfort, understanding or silence.  All three are distinct and all three lead us to action in our faith in God.  We need to spend time with him when we are challenged so we can know our next steps.

R – Heavenly Father, we worship and surrender to you God.  We face some challenging moments and we want to do that in your presence.  We ask that your Holy Spirit would lead and empower us during this journey.

S – Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” 

¹¹ He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.

Matthew 13:10–11 CSB

O – Commentary:

From this point on, Jesus rarely taught the general public. Instead, he focused on teaching those who had committed themselves to him (13:1–20:34), though he would once again confront Israel (21:1–23:39). • The people were the unbelieving opponents mentioned again in 13:11 (“others”) and 13:12 (“those who are not listening”).

13:11 You are permitted to understand: God had enabled the disciples to comprehend Jesus’ significance and to respond to his message of the Kingdom in faith and obedience (see 13:19, 23). • the secrets (literally the mysteries) of the Kingdom of Heaven: Namely, that salvation is available to them in Jesus as the fulfillment of OT promises

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

A – In a healthy relationship, we want to know as much about the other person as possible.  We want the same with God.  We want to know his heart, character and plans.  As believers, he wants to reveal more of his love and glory to us.  As we mature in our relationship with Him, he will.

R – Heavenly Father, you are holy and God.  We want to know you more.  Please help us to grow and mature so we may know more of your heart, character and plans.  There are mysteries we want to unlock that will give us a deeper love and faith in you.

S – Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come. 

Matthew 12:32–33 CSB

O – Commentaries:

The *Old Testament penalty for blaspheming God’s name—reproaching rather than honoring it—was death (Lev 24:10–23). According to later rabbinic law, blasphemy technically involved pronouncing the divine name or perhaps inviting people to follow other gods. According to the more common, less technical usage, it applied to any grievous insult to God’s honor (cf. Num 15:30)

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament

One may stumble over Jesus’ mysterious revelation of himself as Son of Man and be forgiven, but one cannot be forgiven for attributing the work of the Spirit to Satan. The present-day analogy is the outright rejection of the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ—that is, the ultimate rejection of the Good News by an unbeliever

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today in the same manner as in Jesus’ day. The Pharisees were in a unique moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing right in front of them, and they saw with their own eyes the miracles He did. Never before in the history of the world (and never since) had so much divine light been granted to men; if anyone should have recognized Jesus for who He was, it was the Pharisees. Yet they chose defiance. They purposely attributed the work of the Spirit to the devil, even though they knew the truth and had the proof. Jesus declared their willful blindness to be unpardonable. Their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was their final rejection of God’s grace.

https://www.gotquestions.org/blasphemy-Holy-Spirit.html

A – Many different facets to look at this.  While some say it is “unrepeatable,” the rejection of God’s love for us is constant.  Rejection of God’s presence and relationship, leads to eternity in separation for the Father.

R – Heavenly Father, we recognize that you are the one, true God.  We stand in awe of your power, mercy and grace.  We desire relationship with you.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit that helps us in our journey with you.