one step: Matthew 16.2

How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard God say something and totally missed His meaning! I have had to learn to slow down and wait for God to explain what He means. Far too many times have I assigned meaning to what God says based upon my earthly perspective. Often that perspective includes forgetting or losing sight of who He is.

This is the position that the disciples found themselves in as documented in Matthew 16. They had witnessed Jesus miraculously feed thousands of people, and the Pharisees and Sadducees had just displayed their cynical doubt. With this context in mind, Jesus told the disciples to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Similar to me, the disciples heard what Jesus said (at least they were listening, right?), looked at their earthly context (they had forgotten to bring lunch), and thought Jesus was saying that He was upset with them for such an oversight.

Jesus is quick to shift their perspective back to a Kingdom perspective. With this perspective, they can see the heart of the matter just as Jesus does.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember who He is. Perhaps God wants you to listen to His reminders of Kingdom perspective. Maybe today God wants you to let go of the meaning that you have assigned to His words to make space for Him to assign meaning to it.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 415–417, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 16:5–12) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 16.1

So he left them and departed.

Jesus seemed to have a bit of a habit of saying something profound, dropping the mic, and walking away. This is no exception. The Pharisees and Sadducees joined forces in a rare occasion to ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus denied this request, like others of its nature, as it sought to catch Jesus in a situation that He could not perform. The heart behind the request for a sign was to prove Jesus to not be the Messiah.*

After Jesus rejects their request, He explains to them that the greatest sign of all is standing before them and that the only sign He will provide them with is the sign of Jonah (meaning, He will die, enter the tomb like the belly of a fish, and raise again, emerging 3 days later).

After this, knowing their hearts, He drops the mic and walks away (yes, I know that Jesus didn’t have a microphone… it’s just a saying).

There are people that will come across our path, rejecting the message of Jesus. They will ask questions to prove wrong, not to learn and grow and understand. When these people come along, we must walk away.

Knowing when to walk away is hard. We don’t want to walk away prematurely, and we don’t want to stick around too long. We have no desire to be abused and disrespected, nor do we wish to spend time on fruitless banter. How did Jesus know when to walk away?

Jesus was lead by His Father in all that He did. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit so that we can do the same thing.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to share the Good News of His Kingdom of Heaven and the gift of Jesus. Perhaps Jesus is asking you to walk away from a conversation. Maybe God is asking you to stop trying to convince someone of the truth who just doesn’t want to receive it. Perhaps God wants you to draw closer so that you can hear when to stay and when to leave.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 412–415, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 16:1–4) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 15.4

And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?”

The disciples’ question of Jesus sounds like a repeat. Having already miraculously fed 5,000 men plus women and children, the disciples’ response to the desire of Jesus to feed the crowd before Him is puzzling.

Surprisingly, Jesus does not counter the disciples’ question with, “where is your faith?!” He proceeds to do a miracle on their behalf and the behalf of the crowd.

After reading the story of the Gentile woman who received healing and freedom for her daughter, and after learning that her faith opened the door to that miracle, it’s easy to think that we lack in some way. When we look at our lives and see a place that needs healing or freedom but hasn’t yet received it, we can stumble into thinking that we lack faith.

Thank You Jesus for those disciples! Where was their faith? They had seen Jesus feed 5,000 men plus women and children. Here before them stood 4,000 men plus women and children. So lacking was their faith that they did not even think to ask for a miracle, much less suggest it!

Even so, Jesus did the miracle! Faith opens the door to miracles, but Jesus can do them even if we lack it!

The disciples were still learning, and often times so are we. Maybe they didn’t have the faith to step out or speak up about a miracle, but they had enough faith to do what He told them to do.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to put your faith in Him. Perhaps today God wants you to forgive yourself for seemingly not having enough faith (He only needs a mustard-seed-amount anyway). Maybe God wants to believe that He a miracle in your life just because He’s good and He has compassion for you (that’s something to put your faith in). Perhaps He is just waiting for you to do do what He is asking you to do.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 406-411, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 15:29–34) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 15.3

“O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

I’ve heard people discuss and look for formulas for miracles. I’ve heard people say that you don’t need to ask for miracles because God knows what you need already. I’ve heard people say that you need to ask multiple times for miracles for them to happen. I have heard other people say that you should ask once and only once for God to do something miraculous.

The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 who came to Jesus for a miracle asked a lot of times, she cried out loudly, she knelt at the feet of Jesus, she reasoned with Him, and she recognized Him for His true identity as Lord and Messiah. Are these the steps what we are to take for miracles?

Jesus doesn’t say, “congratulations! You got the secret formula right! I’m surprised since you are a Gentile and not a Jew.” No, He does not highlight any of her efforts or displays. What she did was not important. What was important?

Jesus tells us that it was her faith! The driving force behind her actions was faith! That’s what got the attention of Jesus; that’s what moved the hands of the creator to heal and free.

So what do we do to get miracles? Do we follow the Five Steps of the Canaanite Woman Program?

Whether we ask God once, many times, quietly, loudly, or even if we do not ask at all… each of these must be done out of faith. Faith opens the door for miracles.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to do something out of faith. Perhaps you have been doing a lot of things, and God wants you to do nothing out of faith (like sabbath, for example). Maybe God is asking you to stop trying to do all of the right things all of the right number of times to convince Jesus to do something for you.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 400-406, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 15:21-28) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 15.2

And he called the people to him and said to them, “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.”

In this part of Matthew 15, when Jesus calls the people to Himself, it tells us that the people were standing off some distance. They had given Jesus and the Pharisees room to talk about the intricacies of tradition and law. Perhaps they stood back out of respect, or perhaps they simply wanted to watch from a distance as the conversation volleyed back and forth between Jesus and the Pharisees.* Whichever the case, Jesus calls the people to Himself to share the real rules of defilement.

Why does this matter? Navigating around those things that defile according to Jewish tradition took a lot of care and intention. Everything from what was eaten or not eaten to what was touched or not touched and what to do if you came in contact with something defiling was informed by traditions and rituals. To hear the words of Jesus on this subject could change everything, and it did.

Jesus explained that while their focus was outward on their actions and their rules, real defilement comes as the heart is exposed through the river of words flowing from our mouth. In typical Jesus fashion, He takes the conversation to a deeper place of the heart.

I spent a lot of my life attempting to adhere to every rule that I could find. I still value the rules, and I still attempt to live by them as Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commends.” What I don’t do, however, is attempt to find my acceptance from God by performing well. Meaning, I no longer attempt to avoid defilement through crossing “t’s” and dotting “i’s.” I try to pay more attention to what is coming out of me and what that says about my heart. Am I perfect at it? Not at all. Sometimes I forget to pay attention, and other times I don’t want to pay attention because pretending I’m good is easier than seeing that I’m not. Boy am I grateful for the good work of Christ in my life!

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to pay attention. What’s coming out of your mouth? What does it say about your heart? Perhaps God wants you to release the burden of doing every single thing right. Actions matter, but heart is everything. Maybe God wants to call you close and speak something to you that will change everything.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 394–395, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 15:3–11) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).