Matthew 11:20-30

The first is the announcement of impending doom on the people who did not repent;
the second is the disclosure that all revelation comes through Jesus Christ; and
the third is the invitation to come to Jesus to find spiritual and eternal rest. There is the word of condemnation, the word of revelation, and the word of invitation.
This is a good pattern to follow in any presentation of the Gospel: all have sinned and will face judgment, God has sent His Son so that we might escape the judgment, but we have to come to Christ and by faith follow Him.

Resting in Christ
(Matthew 12)

Friend, are you convicted that mercy is behind God’s rules for life?
Will you decide, today, to show God’s mercy to others? To rest in God’s mercy to you?

Would people who promote sinful lifestyles, and are hostile to religion, also qualify as bruised reeds and smoldering wicks?

Was that showing mercy to us?
(Yes! Preferring the rules about the temple bread over David’s needs would ignore the entire point of the temple ceremony – that God was coming to show us mercy!)

Jesus, Lord of Sabbath Rest Matthew 12:1–14
Binding Satan during His life was Jesus’ first step in the defeat of Satan;
Satan remains bound. The second step was the Atonement, when Jesus won the victory over sin and death. Eph.2:1–10.
The third step will be his destruction in the Lake of Fire. Rev.20:10

“As Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth.” To fulfill the prophecy, the Crucifixion must have been on Thursday, in spite of tradition.

The unforgivable sin is a cloud that hangs over sensitive consciences. It need not be. Those who would attribute the work of Christ to Satan instead of the Holy Spirit are unknown to me (and presumably rare).
Other sins thought unforgivable are usually old sins which a soul cannot forget even if God has forgotten. Psalms 103:12

In this chapter, Jesus is greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon, greater than the temple and Lord of the Sabbath.

The Parables of Matthew 13

1. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
2. “And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
3. ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
4. And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
5. For the heart of this people has become dull,
6. And with their ears they scarcely hear,
7. And they have closed their eyes
   7’ Lest they should see with their eyes,
   6’ And hear with their ears,
   5’ And understand with their heart and return, And I should them.
   4’ “But blessed are your eyes, because they see;
   3’ and your ears, because they hear.
   2’ “For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men.

If we live according to the ethic of God – loving God and neighbor
(something that can only be done if we have God’s resources as citizens of the kingdom) –
building others up (edification) then we will be salt and light. Others will be attracted to what we have. If we relate it back to the first parable, some may receive it with joy, trying to manufacture it on their own, but others will “understand” (receive the word) and ultimately bear fruit.

✍️🍄Mrs. Kalaiselvi Balakrishnan in Jesus Christ 🍄✍️