Luke 13:⁶He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  ⁷Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  ⁸And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:  ⁹And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

John 15:  ¹I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  ²Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  ³Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Isaiah 27  ²In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.  ³I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.

Here we see our Father is the Husbandman, the Keeper of the vine, the Overseer of our salvation, inspecting His vineyard.  See His desire for you to bear fruit, see His expectancy of this end result.

At this you may despair, saying “I have no fruit, and His eye is on me!”

But look! There is hope.  You are in Christ and He stands before the father saying, “Let me dig around them and fertilize them.  I will water them every moment. Unless anyone hurts them, I will watch over them day and night.  I will give them everything they need to bear fruit. I am the vine and as they abide in me, they will bear fruit for Your Glory, Father.”

Can you see the tenderness of the Husbandman? How His every effort and plan in your life is for your growth and your benefit?  Can you see how He guards you jealously, how He treasures you? See how He nurtures you and gives you time to mature and to grow!

You are not alone in your effort to abide in Christ.  The Lord and our Father are both endeavoring to keep you in Christ, to aid you in your walk.  Trust Him and let Him keep you in the Vine, knowing how great a price He paid to enable your grafting into the Vine.

Do you see Christ endeavoring on your behalf in your life? Have you experienced the joy of abiding? Do you have questions about the process? Feel free to ask a question or leave a comment.

There you are, knee deep in the waters of life.  Maybe you made a mess of things.  Maybe someone else made a mess of things for you.  Maybe the devil has it out for you and he made a mess of things.   Maybe you let the faucet of the world flow into your life, and now you are flooded by fear and doubt.

Maybe you’ve responded to the Lord’s call on your life and you are sinking.

Matthew 14:²⁹And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  ³⁰But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink…”

Let’s pause there .

For a moment we won’t think about how you got knee deep in water.  You are wet and worried.  What now?

Isaiah 43:¹But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.  ²When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

First, realize that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is with you.  Whatever you are going through, you must grasp that the Lord is present as well, and He isn’t just a bystander, shaking His head at our pitiful performance.  What can He do?

He  “stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.” (Psalm 65:7)

He  “rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.” (Psalm 89:9)

You might say “ The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.” (Psalm 93:3)

But look! “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” (Psalm 93:4)

Then, realizing He is there and can do something, Look at Him! Getting back to the sinking Peter…

“‘….and  beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  ³¹And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?  ³²And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

File your claim with the Lord, knowing He cares for you and is present (even mighty) to save you.  Quit looking at the problems, and get your eyes on Christ.  Isn’t He who promised faithful? Isn’t He able to perform His word in your life?  Absolutely.

Jesus desires you and His grace makes His greatness available to you and whatever mess you are in.

I went through every verse in Matthew and categorized the works of Jesus under each “gift” in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, to see which “gifts” Jesus was given and how often He used each “gift”.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11:
But to each one there is constantly being given the clearly seen operations of the Spirit with a view to the profit of all. For to one is given through the intermediate agency of the Spirit a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the working of miracles,  and to another the giving forth of divine revelations(prophecy), and to another the correct evaluation of those individuals who give forth divine revelations(discerning spirits), and to another various kinds of languages(tongues), and to another the interpretation of languages(tongues). But all these the one and same Spirit is by divine energy putting into operation, dividing to each one separately even as He desires.:

• Word of Wisdom
• Word of Knowledge
• Faith
• Healing
• Working of Miracles
• Prophecy
• Discerning of spirits
• Different tongues
• Interpretation of tongues

NOTE: There is 1 Spirit with 9 different manifestations that He divides to every man severally as He will. We cannot receive only a portion of the Holy Spirit or a portion of His manifestations. We cannot be baptized in only some of the Holy Spirit or His manifestations. The Holy Spirit is a spirit entity, a spirit person and we cannot have just half of a spirit or half of what that Spirit has. If we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, then we have ALL of that Spirit and everything that comes with that Spirit. 1 John 2:20,27 says the Holy Spirit permanently abides in us.

The Holy Spirit in us owns the above 9 manifestations or operations. They are His and He can choose how and when He wants to manifest any of them through us. We know that the Holy Spirit wants to use them all through us because James 4:5 says “The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love” and Philippians 2:13 says “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. We also now that 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says “Quench not the Spirit”. So, despite the Holy Spirit yearning to do what He desires through us, we can quench His manifestations.

NOTE: It can emphatically be argued that every word that proceeded out of the mouth of Jesus was prophetic, true wisdom, and complete knowledge. So, when it came to listing the verses under those categories, I listed parables and specific sayings given to people or groups of people by Jesus that were considered profound and or commonly known sayings that Christians are familiar with. There are things He said that I did not include in the list below that were prophetic, wisdom, and knowledge.

It should also be emphatically noted that there are Zero(0) instances of Jesus asking God the Father for any of these manifestations, or any instance where Jesus might have experienced being given any of these manifestations. Jesus did receive the Whole Holy Spirit and that Spirit remained upon Him according to John 1:32.

• 48.5% of the time(51 times out of 103), Jesus Prophesied
• 38% of the time(41 times out of 103), Jesus gave a Word of Wisdom
• 18.4% of the time(19 times out of 103), Jesus performed a Working of Miracles
  
• 16.5% of the time(17 times out of 103), Jesus Healed
• 6.8% of the time(7 times out of 103), Jesus gave a Word of Knowledge

There are no specific instances In Matthew describing that Jesus operated in the following manifestations. In addition, it could be argued that Jesus operated in the following manifestations in some of the verses provided below, but there were no verses specifically stating so or indicating these manifestations were in use:

• Faith
• Discerning of spirits
• Different tongues
• Interpretation of tongues

Below are 103 instances where an operation of the Spirit occurred through Jesus in the book of Matthew. I have categorized each instance into one or more of the 9 manifestations/operations laid out by Paul above.

1. Matthew 4:23
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

2. Matthew 5:21-22
“Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

NOTE: If Jesus did something to fulfill a prophesy that said about him as the messiah, does that mean he operated in the “gift” of prophecy……meaning he interpreted the divine will and purpose of God via the OT scriptures about Him?

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

3. Matthew 5:27-28
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

4. Matthew 5:33-37
“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

5. Matthew 5:38-39
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

6. Matthew 5:43-44
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

7. Matthew 7:21-27
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

8. Matthew 8:2-3
“And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

9. Matthew 8:5-13
“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

10. Matthew 8:14-15
“And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

11. Matthew 8:16-17
“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. “

Which Manifestation: Healing / Prophecy

12. Matthew 8:24-26
“And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

13. Matthew 8:28-32
“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

14. Matthew 9:2-7
“And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Knowledge / Healing

15. Matthew 9:20-22
“And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

16. Matthew 9:24-25
“He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

17. Matthew 9:27-30
“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

18. Matthew 9:32-33
“As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

19. Matthew 9:35
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

20. Matthew 10:17-20
“But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

21. Matthew 10:20
“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

22. Matthew 11:7-10
“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

23. Matthew 11:11-19
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

24. Matthew 11:21
“Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

NOTE: Greek word for might works = dynamis
1) strength power, ability
b) power for performing miracles

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

25. Matthew 11:24-25
“But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. 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.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

26. Matthew 11:28-30
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

27. Matthew 12:6-8
“But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

28. Matthew 12:10-13
“And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

29. Matthew 12:14-15
“Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;”

Which Manifestation: Word of Knowledge / Healing

30. Matthew 12:16-21
“And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

31. Matthew 12:22
“Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles / Healing

32. Matthew 12:25-26
“And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?”

Which Manifestation: Word of Knowledge

33. Matthew 12:31-37
“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

34. Matthew 12:38-42
“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

35. Matthew 13:10-14
“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

36. Matthew 13:37-43
“He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

37. Matthew 14:54
“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?”

NOTE: Greek word for might works = dynamis
1) strength power, ability
b) power for performing miracles

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

38. Matthew 14:2
“And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.”

NOTE: Greek word for might works = dynamis
1) strength power, ability
b) power for performing miracles

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

39. Matthew 14:14
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

40. Matthew 14:15-20
“And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

41. Matthew 14:25
“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

42. Matthew 14:31-32
“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

43. Matthew 14:35-36
“And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

44. Matthew 15:1-9
“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

45. Matthew 15:10-11
“And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. “

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

46. Matthew 15:22,28
“And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

47. Matthew 15:30-31
“And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.”

Which Manifestation: Healing / Working of Miracles

48. Matthew 15:34-38
“And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

49. Matthew 16:1-4
“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

50. Matthew 16:5-12
“And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Knowledge / Word of Wisdom

51. Matthew 16:19
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

52. Matthew 16:21
“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

53. Matthew 16:24-28
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

54. Matthew 17:10-13
“And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

55. Matthew 17:15-18
“Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

56. Matthew 17:22-23
“And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

57. Matthew 17:27
“Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

58. Matthew 18:1-3
“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

59. Matthew 18:18
“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

60. Matthew 18:23-35
“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

61. Matthew 19:2
“And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.”

Which Manifestation: Healing

62. Matthew 19:3-6
“The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

63. Matthew 19:7-9
“They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

64. Matthew 19:21-24
“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

65. Matthew 19:26
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

66. Matthew 19:27-29
“27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

67. Matthew 19:30
“But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

68. Matthew 20:1-15
“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

69. Matthew 20:17-19
“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

70. Matthew 20:25-28
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom / Prophecy

71. Matthew 20:29-34
“And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

72. Matthew 21:1-7
“And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Knowledge

73. Matthew 21:12-13
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

74. Matthew 21:14
“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

75. Matthew 21:16
“And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

76. Matthew 21:18-20
“Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!”

Which Manifestation: Working of Miracles

77. Matthew 21:21-22
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

78. Matthew 21:28-32
“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

79. Matthew 21:33-44
“Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

80. Matthew 22:1-14
“And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

81. Matthew 22:17-21
“Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Knowledge / Word of Wisdom

82. Matthew 22:23-33
“The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

83. Matthew 22:34-40
“But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

84. Matthew 22:41-46
“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

85. Matthew 23:2-12
“Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

86. Matthew 23:26
“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Wisdom

87. Matthew 23:29-31
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

88. Matthew 23:34-39
“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

89. Matthew 24:1-2
“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

90. Matthew 24:6-31
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

91. Matthew 24:32-37
“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

92. Matthew 24:45-51
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

93. Matthew 25:1-13 | Parable of 10 virgins
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom….Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

94. Matthew 25:14-45 | Parable of a man traveling into a far country
“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods…..Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Wisdom

95. Matthew 26:2
“Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

96. Matthew 26:11-12
“For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

97. Matthew 26:18-19
“And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.”

Which Manifestation: Word of Knowledge

98. Matthew 26:21
“And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Word of Knowledge

99. Matthew 26:26-28
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

100. Matthew 26:31-32
“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

101. Matthew 26:45
“Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

102. Matthew 26:51-56
“And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”

NOTE: in Luke 22:51 it is noted that Jesus healed the ear.

Which Manifestation: Prophecy / Working of Miracles

103. Matthew 26:64
“Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

Which Manifestation: Prophecy

I went through the book of Matthew and located 34 instances where “Suffering” was mentioned. Each instance fit into 1 of 3 categories under the general umbrella of the devil stealing, killing, and destroying. Each category had specific adjectives that described the type of suffering and I have listed those as well.

1. Persecution: A direct result of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and God.
Reviling(to assail with abusive language), false accusations, Rejection, Slander, Hatred, Premeditated murder, Judgement, Unbelief, Trying of patience, Plotted against, Death, Crucifixion, Scourging, Affliction(oppression/distress), and Deathly sorrow.

NOTE: Some of the items listed under Lamb Slain below, can be added here, since they have occurred to others in the OT and NT.

Betrayal, Conviction of death, Mocking, Scourging, Crucifixion, Spitting in the face, Buffeted(fist strikes), Smote(slaps), and Being bound.

2. Trials and Tribulations:
Poor in spirit, Homelessness, Life threatening storm, Destitution, Disappointment, Hunger, Famine, Pestilences, Earthquakes, Sorrows, and Struggle with fleshly desires. Anything else under stealing, killing, and destroying that does not fit into the Persecution category above is considered to fall into this category.

3. The Lamb Slain:
As the Lamb Slain, Jesus is the only one who could undergo the whipping post scourging and crucifixion for the purpose of remission of sins. Other OT prophets and NT disciples underwent some of these things under the Persecution category as mentioned above.

Betrayal, Conviction of death, Mocking, Scourging, Crucifixion, Spitting in the face, Buffeted(fist strikes), Smote(slaps), Premeditated murder, Being bound, False accusations.

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I wanted to look at the life and words of Jesus and His disciples to see if “Suffering” was advocated, what kind, who was supposed to suffer, and if we are supposed to subject ourselves to it.

Types of “Suffering”:

• 52.94% of the time(18 out of 34), Persecutions were mentioned
• 29.41% of the time(10 out of 34), Trials and Tribulations were mentioned by Jesus or the disciples.
• 17.64% of the time(6 out of 34), Jesus suffered things associated with being the Lamb Slain.

Who “Suffered” Persecution:

• 61.11% of the time(11 out of 18), Jesus suffered Persecutions
• 16.7% of the time(3 out of 18), Disciples suffered Persecutions
• 16.7% of the time(3 out of 18), common man suffered Persecutions

Who “Suffered” Trials and Tribulations:

• 60% of the time(6 out of 10), Jesus suffered Trials and Tribulations
• 30% of the time(3 out of 10), common man suffered Trials and Tribulations
• 20% of the time(2 out of 10), Disciples suffered Trials and Tribulations

Response to Persecution:

• 66.66% of the time(12 out of 18), Jesus directly responds to the Persecution with words or actions.
• 44.44% of the time(8 out of 18), Jesus directly Refutes the Persecution to the point that men cannot argue with Him anymore in the situation, and at one point never ask Him any further questions.
• 27.77% of the time(5 out of 18), Jesus explicitly states to His disciples and the attending crowd, that they would undergo Persecution.
  NOTE: Jesus indicates that this Persecution is a direct result for His name sake, meaning that those who undergo the Persecution would be doing so because they were uplifting the name of Jesus publicly as more important than anything they were facing. The Persecution was NOT experienced randomly or in surprise.
• 27.77% of the time(5 out of 18), Jesus does not respond to the persecution because He was not present, he gave a description that did not warrant a refutation(parable or general statement to a crowd, usually regarding end times), or it was associated with the destiny of being the Lamb Slain.
• 22.22% of the time(4 out of 18), Jesus leaves the situation where persecution is experienced and directly advocates for others to do the same.

Response to Trials and Tribulations:

• 90% of the time(9 out of 10), Jesus or God directly responds to the Trials and Tribulations with words or actions.
• 60% of the time(6 out of 10), Jesus directly Refutes the Trials and Tribulations with words or arguments.
• 50% of the time(5 out of 10), Jesus directly Resolves the Trials and Tribulations with action and demonstration of Holy Spirit power.
• 10% of the time(1 out of 10), Jesus explicitly states that mankind in general would undergo Trials and Tribulations.
  NOTE: Jesus gave a description that did not warrant a direct refutation or resolution(parable or general statement to a crowd). However, Jesus did indicate that His second coming would fully resolve the trial and tribulation, and the other facts in this section seem to indicate that there is enough resources NOW in this Life in Christ, to refute and resolve any Trial or Tribulation that might come our way.
• 10% of the time(1 out of 10), Jesus does not respond to the Trials and Tribulations mentioned because he gave a description that did not warrant a refutation(parable or general statement to a crowd, or was speaking about forthcoming events).

Below is a listing of 34 times where a situation of suffering was spoken about or actually occured in the book of Matthew.

PERSECUTION:
Matthew 5:10-12 | Mount of Olives:
10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Who Suffered: those who are persecuted for being in right standing with the Lord
What was the suffering: Revile / False accusations
Who performed the suffering actions: men(presumably men with a religious spirit)
Advocation of Persecution: YES
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: WUEST says “Spiritually prosperous are those who have been persecuted on account of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Jesus is revealing to everyone that soon the kingdom of heaven would be theirs, thereby counteracting the state of persecution they might undergo. Not everyone is persecuted for righteousness sake, but Jesus was saying to those who are, don’t worry, the kingdom of heaven is yours and therefore, you can experience the absence of persecution within that realm of heaven. There is no persecution in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus could offer the hope of no persecution because the fullness of that kingdom is present with the Holy Spirit. The time of the Kingdom of heaven being available to counteract Persecution was NOT YET when He said this. However, it IS NOW in our day.

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Matthew 8:28-24 | Possessed man and herd of pigs:
28And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Rejection – besought him to depart out of their coasts.
Who performed the suffering actions: people from the countryside of the Gergesenes
Advocation of suffering: NO
Leaves the Persecution: YES-L

NOTE: Interesting that only a couple chapters later Jesus says how to deal with persecution:
Matthew 10:23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

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Matthew 8:34-35 | Jesus cast out devils through prince of devils:
34But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Slander
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: NO
Leaves the Persecution: YES-L

NOTE: It is interesting that Jesus did not get into a debate with the Pharisees this time, but just continued His mission successfully disproving the Slander with demonstrations of power with respect to healing sickness and disease.

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Matthew 10:22-23 | when they persecute you in this city:
22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall
not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Who Suffered: Jesus’ Disciples
What was the suffering: Hatred
Who performed the suffering actions: ALL men
Advocation of suffering: YES
Leaves the Persecution: YES-L

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Matthew 10:25-28 | how much more shall they call them:

25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
26So have no fear of them; for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, or kept secret that will not become known.
27What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops.
28And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).

Who Suffered: Jesus’ Disciples
What was the suffering: Slander
Who performed the suffering actions: Councils, governors, kings
Advocation of suffering: YES
Refutes the Persecution: NO-R

NOTE: Just a few verses later in 26-28, Jesus tells His disciples have NO fear of them, in fact, go broadcast what “I” tell you. Basically, Jesus told them to ignore the persecutors and what they said and continue doing what I have commanded you to do. Fear God who has all encompassing power over these people. It is almost an indicator to be mindful of that Spirit that will soon reside in them. However, it is not as direct of a refutation as the other refutations.

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Matthew 11:19 | gluttonous winebibber:

19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her deeds) and by her children.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Slander
Who performed the suffering actions: The current generation Jesus was speaking to
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: It is interesting that Jesus points His disciples back to their actions for countering the Persecution. Wisdom is justified in actions and by those who walk in those actions.

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Mathew 12:14-15 | Pharisees plot to destroy Jesus:

14Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
15But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Premeditated murder
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: NO
Leaves the Persecution: YES-L

NOTE: Again, if Jesus advocated that the believer should endure persecution, why would he withdraw Himself from the situation where He was undergoing persecution? In addition, this is the second time that it is mentioned that Jesus healed people directly following, and presumably in response to being persecuted.

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Matthew 12:24-25 | cast out devils by Beelzebub:

24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Slander / Judgement
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: It is interesting that Jesus spends the next 11 verses refuting the Pharisees accusations. He didn’t meekly take it, or turn the other cheek. He refuted their accusations with pure truth to the point that they could not speak to Him further on the subject. IF Jesus advocated enduring Persecution, why would He refute them until they had no argument? Wouldn’t He just let them slander and insult Him if suffering Persecution was something He advocated?

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Matthew 13:20-21 | parable of the seed into stony places:

20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Who Suffered: Hearer of the word
What was the suffering: Distrust / Unbelief
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees / devil
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: Jesus goes on in verses 40-43 indicating that weeds grow up with the seed and they are from the devil and that they who persecute WILL be plucked out and burned up.

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Matthew 19:3 | is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife:

3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Trying patience
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: Jesus spends the next 5 verses refuting the trap the Pharisees laid for them and they did not provide a rebuttal.

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Matthew 22:15, 22 | Pharisees counsel how to entangle Jesus:

15Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
-22When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Plotted against
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

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Matthew 22:15 | Pharisees counsel how to entangle Jesus:

15Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
-Give tribute to Caesar
-Verse 23 – marriage in the resurrection

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Plotted against
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: It is interesting that Jesus gave them such a righteous and legal response to the tax question, verse 22 says “His reply amazed them, and they went away”. Jesus also provided a doctrinal rebuttal to their questions regarding the resurrection with such force and effect that NO man was able to answer Him and NO man from that day forth asked him any more questions. IF Jesus advocated suffering persecution, surely He would not have answered so well so that they would continue to ask Him questions.

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Matthew 23:34 | they shall kill, crucify, scourge, and persecute you:

34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Who Suffered: prophets, wise men, scribes
What was the suffering: Death, Crucifixion, Scourging
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees
Advocation of suffering: YES
Refutes the Persecution: YES-R

NOTE: It is very interesting that the blood shed spoken about here will be, so that, upon the heads of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes may come all the blood of the righteous. Jesus was indicating that God is vindicator of the righteous and any Persecution that is not avoided will be vindicated justly. Could this have also been a warning to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes not to continue on this path?

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Matthew 24:9 | they shall deliver you up:

9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

Who Suffered: Jesus’ disciples
What was the suffering: Affliction(oppression/distress), Death, and Hatred
Who performed the suffering actions: nations
Advocation of suffering: YES
Refutes the Persecution: NO-R

NOTE: Jesus goes on to describe what will happen prior to His second coming and although the return of Jesus prevents persecution that may be ongoing, it was not a direct refutation to that mentioned as in the other cases.

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Matthew 26:2-4,15-15 | consulted how they might kill Jesus:

2Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
3Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him.
15And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Betrayal, Premeditated murder
Who performed the suffering actions: chief priests, scribes, elders of the people
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes or leaves the Persecution: NO

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Matthew 26:34 | Peter denies Jesus:

34Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Betrayal by close friends
Who performed the suffering actions: ALL disciples
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes or leaves the Persecution: NO

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Matthew 26:38 | Jesus in the garden:

38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Deathly sorrow
Who performed the suffering actions: Peter and the two sons of Zebedee
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes or flees the Persecution: NO

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TRIALS and TRIBULATIONS:
Matthew 4:2 | Temptation of Jesus:

2And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Hunger
Who performed the suffering actions: N/A, it was a result of self induced fasting
Advocation of Trials and Tribulations: NO
Resolves the Trials and Tribulations: YES-RS

NOTE: God acted on Jesus’ behalf and sent ministering angels to resolve the hunger.

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Matthew 4:24 | Jesus heals all who were suffering:

24The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Who Suffered: Syrians
What was the suffering: various diseases and pains
Who performed the suffering actions: the devil
Advocation of Trials and Tribulations: NO
Resolves the Trials and Tribulations: YES-RS

NOTE: It is interesting that the very first occurrence of people experiencing suffering in the NT is immediately responded to by Jesus. Jesus says nothing of the matter and directly provides a resolution through healing the disease and pains.

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Matthew 5:3-4 | Mount of Olives:

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Who Suffered: poor in spirit
What was the suffering: being Poor in spirit
Who performed the suffering actions: The devil
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Trial or Tribulation: YES-R

NOTE: Jesus is NOT advocating that believers be poor in spirit. He was speaking to unsaved people here, because He had not yet died on the cross and rose again for the salvation from sins. Those who were unsaved at the time listening to this message, were poor in spirit as are anyone unsaved today. Jesus was advocating that the kingdom of heaven is the answer to their poverty of spirit. The Kingdom of heaven is the experience associated with the all encompassing and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. When salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit comes to a person, the poverty of their spiritual condition is eradicated. They become a new creation and the fullness of the Godhead lives inside of them in the form of the Holy Spirit. As believers, we are not poor in spirit any longer, that is the good news of the gospel!

Jesus is NOT advocating that people mourn. Again, He is speaking to unsaved people who were enslaved and waiting for salvation and therefore in mourning. He was offering a solution to their mourning. He is saying that they shall be comforted due to what was coming….His death, resurrection, and Holy Spirit infilling. The Holy Spirit is the great comforter, when He indwells, the mourning is replaced with comfort.

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Matthew 8:20 | no where to lay his head:

20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
-22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Homelessness?
Who performed the suffering actions: N/A
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Trial or Tribulation: YES-R

NOTE: The Greek words indicate that Jesus is referring to resting, not necessarily sleep. It seems that He is busy about His father’s business, submitting to His Fathers will. Which coincides with verse 22 and no time to bury the dead.

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Matthew 8:24-26 | Jesus sleeps in the storm:

24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Who Suffered: Jesus/disciples
What was the suffering: Life threatening storm
Who performed the suffering actions: The devil
Advocation of suffering: NO
Resolves the Trial or Tribulation: YES-RS

NOTE: Jesus seems to expect His disciples to attempt to resolve the Trial and Tribulation and when they failed to do so, He resolved it as a demonstration to them.

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Matthew 10:9-10 | don’t take anything with you when you go out:

9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
-Verse 31 – food, drink, clothes,
-Verse 28,30 – clothes
-Verse 26 – food
-Verse 25 – food, drink, clothes

Who Suffered: Jesus’ Disciples
What was the suffering: Destitution
Who performed the suffering actions: N/A
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes and Resolves the Trial or Tribulation: YES-R+RS

NOTE: Was Jesus really advocating destitution, or was He merely expecting that “ALL these things shall be added unto…” the disciples and that is why they did not need to bring anything with them? In various other situations, Jesus resolved these Trials and Tribulations….
Matthew 14:13 – feeds 4k and 5k
John 4:32 – has meat disciples don’t know about
John 2:6 – turns water into wine
John 4:10; 7:28 – has living water
Matthew 17:27 – sent a disciple to catch a fish which miraculously had the tax in its mouth

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Matthew 13:54-57 | A prophet is not without honor:

54And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
55Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Disappointment
Who performed the suffering actions: people of Jesus’ own country
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes and Resolves the Trial or Tribulation: YES-R+RS

NOTE: Jesus not only refuted the disappointment but acted out against it. Mark relays the same prophet story but adds in verse 5, “save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.” Jesus healed people in direct response to Trial and Tribulation.

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Matthew 21:18 | Jesus and the fig tree:

18Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
-Fig tree

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Hunger
Who performed the suffering actions: Nature
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Trial or Tribulation: YES-R

NOTE: When nature did not bow to the need of the carrier of the presence of the Holy Spirit of God, nature was corrected. IF Jesus was advocating hunger as a discipline, He would not have taken the opportunity to teach the disciples that nature should be corrected for not providing food.

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Matthew 24:7 | nation shall rise against nation:

7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Who Suffered: nations
What was the suffering: Famine, pestilences, earthquakes, and sorrows
Who performed the suffering actions: nations
Advocation of suffering: YES
Refutes the Trial or Tribulation: NO-R

NOTE: Jesus goes on to indicate that people will be saved from the Trials and Tribulations, but it is not as direct as the other situations.

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Matthew 26:39 | let this cup pass from me:

39And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Struggle with the fleshly desires
Who performed the suffering actions: The devil
Advocation of suffering: NO
Refutes the Trial or Tribulation: YES-R

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LAMB SLAIN:
Matthew 20:18-19 | Jesus betrayed and delivered:

18Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Betrayal, conviction of death, mocking, scourging, crucifixion.
Who performed the suffering actions: Pharisees / Sadducees / Gentiles
Advocation of suffering: NO

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Matthew 26:59-66 | False witnesses brought against Jesus:

59Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
61And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
63But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: False accusations
Who performed the suffering actions: Chief priests, elders, council
Advocation of suffering: NO

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Matthew 26:67 | They spit, buffeted, and smote Jesus:

67Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Spit in the face, buffeted(fist strikes), smote(slaps).
Who performed the suffering actions: Chief priests, elders, council, witnesses
Advocation of suffering: NO

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Matthew 27:1-2 | Jesus delivered to Pontius Pilate:

1When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Premeditated murder and being bound
Who performed the suffering actions: Chief priests, elders of the people
Advocation of suffering: NO

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Matthew 27:12 | Jesus accused by chief priests and elders:

12And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: False accusations
Who performed the suffering actions: Chief priests and elders
Advocation of suffering: NO

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Matthew 27:29-31 | Jesus led away to the cross:

29And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Mocking, spitting, smote(slapping), crucifixion
Who performed the suffering actions: Chief priests and elders
Advocation of suffering: NO

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Matthew 27:41-42 | come down from the cross and we will believe:

41Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Who Suffered: Jesus
What was the suffering: Mocking
Who performed the suffering actions: Chief priests, scribes, and elders
Advocation of suffering: NO

Every Christian has pulled the God’s sovereign will card in their life at some point. When our life does not make sense and we read the word like above, we inevitably arrive at Job and pull God’s sovereign will card as a justification for why something, usually bad, happens to US whom God is supposed to love and never forsake. We don’t feel loved and we do feel forsaken, so there has to be an explanation, otherwise, our minds begin to formulate the idea that God is not who He says He is towards us and that gets over into blasphemy and unbelief and surely we can’t go there because what would be the point of our existence and belief in God…SO, God’s sovereign will is at play.

Job’s life experience and God’s sovereign will displayed in Job’s life is what we as Christians inevitably come to when suffering, pain, sickness, dis-ease, or tragedy strike our life. But, what if Job was one of us? What if Job was a NT saved individual? Would God’s conversation and ultimately God’s response to Job have been different?

We know the story, God and satan have this conversation about Job(Job 1:6-12). God says “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shuns evil? “. Satan reply’s, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”. And God reply’s, “Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”

Now notice that God is not doing anything to Job here. Satan says to God, YOU(God) put forth YOUR(God) hand and take away things from Job and Job will surely curse YOUR(God) face. But God then says Ok, satan, YOU(satan) can test Job, everything Job has is in YOUR(satan) power.

Satan was the one who was doing the stealing, killing, and destroying from Job not God. The first mistake we make in using Job to justify our suffering when the evil one comes to steal, kill, and destroy in our lives is that God is doing it under His sovereign will or ability. The second mistake we make is to then say well, God is allowing it. Then we get into the proverbially IF God allows satan to be the prince of this world and lets satan do whatever satan wants to us and does not intervene then God is allowing it and therefore, its God’s soverign will.

That maybe true for Job, but not for us as NT saved individuals.

Notice that God is not giving satan a new realm of power over Job. Job 1:7 says satan was going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that satan is the god of this world. Luke 10:19 says that satan has ability. John 10:10 says satan’s ability is stealing, killing, and destroying; as demonstrated in Job’s life as well as ours. This has been true of satan throughout all of time thus far even today. God was not giving a new realm of power to satan, satan already had power over Job. God was merely saying, duh, you already have the power over Job. And we are also right, God did not intervene on Job’s behalf and in the end tells Job, where were you when I made everything and set it into motion. Who are you to question my motives. It was God’s decision to let Job be attacked by the devil and not intervene and Job had no real right to question that.

However, we cannot claim this same treatment by God and say that our experience is due to His Sovereign will, WHY? Because God has already intervened on our behalf! God intervened with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But not in the sense that we have been taught, which is mere salvation. It is not intervention in this world to live 90 years being stolen from, killed, and destroyed by the devil, just so that when we leave this world we can experience freedom from those things. Dying is already proof that we leave the things of this world, what good does dying do us now amidst the stealing, killing, and destroying? That is not the intervention God provided, in fact that is not intervention at all.

Job did not have the complete Holy Spirit living inside of Him(Colossians 2:9-10); but WE do!
Job was not given authority over ALL the ability of the devil(Luke 10:19); but WE are!
Job did not receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon him(Acts 1:8); but WE do!

If Job was one of us, the scene would have been very similar. The God head would have been there in heaven and satan would have as well, doing what he does best, accusing the brethren day and night(Revelation 12:10). However, Jesus would have played a more verbal role in the God head as our advocate on our behalf, a testimony of the intervention of God for His people. The Holy Spirit would have been indwelling Job with the fullness of the God head. God would have said, “Hast thou considered my SON”…instead of servant. God would have said, “there are many sons like him in the earth, perfected(Hebrews 10:14), called, glorified, justified(Romans 8:30), full of the same power we as the God head posses(Colossians 2:9-10), and We have given him authority over ALL of your ability(Luke 10:19; Acts 1:8). Go ahead, all that he hath is in your realm.”; and Satan would have went forth from the presence of the LORD and attempted the same things.

However, the difference now is that Job is the one responsible to handle the situations where the devil would try to steal, kill, and destroy from him and NOT God. As a NT saved individual, Job can not claim that he is waiting for God to intervene on his behalf nor that it is God’s sovereign will for him to suffer the attack of the devil. IF Job does that, he quenches and blasphemes the Holy Spirit living inside of him. IF Job does not know how to use authority given to him over the ability of the satan, guess what? Job gets attacked. Is God proverbially allowing that? Yes. Is God causing it or responsible for it? NO, because He HAS empowered Job to overcome it and has given Job the bible to figure out how to use it. It is NOT the soverign will of God for Job as a NT saved individual to experience the stealing, killing, and destruction the devil wants to bring upon him.

See, Christ’s sacrifice provisioned to us the sovereign will and desire of the Father. Christ came to reveal the Father’s heart(Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 8:19; John 10:15), so that we might know the Father and what He is doing(John 15:15). The Father’s will is for us to accept what He has given us and learn how to use it. The Father’s will is for us to rise up as sons of God and manifest the love and power of Jesus to destroy the works of the devil, just like Jesus did(1 John 3:8).

We can no longer use God’s sovereign will as an excuse for the devil stealing, killing, and destroying in our lives. Job had the right to but even He did not use that excuse….how much more shouldn’t we. If we are under attack, God expects us to learn how to Abide in Christ and use the authority, power, and love that is in that place to counter the attack, for ourselves and others.

The Abide Project is designed to help you learn how to Abide in Christ and walk in the experience of the power, love, and demonstration of the Holy Spirit for yourself, the sake of others, and the glorification of God’s name in this world, so that His will and heart might be known by those whom He loves and has NOT forsaken.

John 16: 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Has Jesus departed? Yes, of course, and He is glorified at the right hand of the Father. Now, don’t you think he did what he said? He has sent the Holy Spirit to YOU, child of God.

Do you realize that Jesus sent us a ‘Him’? We hear the term Spirit and automatically think of something misty or cloudy or unformed. But the Holy Spirit is a person. HE has come and we are supposed to be communing with him every moment. What does it mean to commune? To be in relationship with, as a person.

The person of the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and he abides with you forever. Praise God! You are not powerless. You are not alone. You are not abandoned of God.

Today I urge you to recognize the Holy Spirit as a person sent specifically to you, Christian. Realize his constant presence and his continual ministry in your life.

I would like to focus on the end of this verse. Many are familiar with the beginning, and rightly so because of the power it holds. Yet I love here how Paul displays how intensely personal the gospel is to him.  The Son of God loved ME. The Son of God gave himself for ME.

We know the gospel is for everyone. We know that God doesn’t want anyone to perish. Yet sometimes we lose our position in the sheer scope of the sacrifice. Sometimes we miss how personal this is to us. Jesus saw you. He gave himself for you. Specifically you. Intentionally you. He purposefully loved you. He, full of the knowledge of who you were, are and will be, gave Himself for you. Meditate on this. Chew on it. Think on it.

Now my goal, and I pray it’s yours as well, is that through faith in the Son of God, I can love Him and give myself for Him.  Isn’t it only reasonable to be as purposeful for Him as He was for me and you?

Such a beautiful verse that sums up so much of the Christian life. Here we have God, who is a God of peace, bringing Jesus back from the dead, accepting His sacrifice for us, forever. And in verse 21, it is God who is performing the action of making us perfect, working in us what is wellpleasing in His sight. Like so many other verses in the Bible we find ourselves coming back to this point of how it works- Through Jesus Christ.

Do you see how the whole Christian life revolves around your being in Christ? Not just accepting Him as Lord and Savior, though that is surely the first step. We continue abiding in Him that the working of God might be made perfect in us.

We read how it pleased God to have his fullness in Christ.  God is working His fullness in us through Christ. Why? To do His will.  What a tremendous empowering this is! God is working in me so that I may do His will!

No wonder His yoke is easy and His burden light. He is the one providing you and me the strength to bear it!

Abiding in His Word

His Word abiding in Me

Bearing much Fruit

Isn’t this what we long for as a church today? If we heard about this group of people, who spoke with boldness, who walked in unity, who operated in power, wouldn’t we desire to go there and be a part of what was going on?

Yet, if we examine, we’ll find that this church was absent of almost everything we think a good church should have.  There was no soundboard. There wasn’t any advertising. They didn’t have a website. Nothing they did was tax-free. There was no record of giving.  They didn’t have a puppet team. Or a dance team. They didn’t have seminary taught preachers.  They didn’t even have evangelism, as we know it.

Oh, but what they did have was Jesus, displayed and made manifest through the Holy Spirit.  And they clung to Jesus like a babe clinging to her mother’s neck. They knew nothing except Christ and Him crucified. They were absent of everything, but Jesus.

All of those things we have now aren’t wrong, unless they replace Jesus. To a Christian, Christ is entirely and utterly, irreplaceable, and to be absent of everything except Him is to be blessed beyond compare.

Luke 1: 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

My first prayer is that we truly realize that without Christ we can do nothing.  Oh, we can have activity and good works and motion all in the name of Christianity.  We can have prayer meetings and services and fasting. We can do all the things we feel a Christian is obligated to do. But to do them without Christ is to be doing nothing at all. All the striving, all the motion, all the effort is as nothing in Christ’s eyes.

But, bless God, with God through Christ, nothing shall be impossible for us. With God, the littlest activity possesses unimaginable power, the shortest sentence speaks life, and the smallest seed can bear the greatest fruit.

My second prayer is that we never forget that as Christians we are not without Christ.  He has made us His dwelling and abides in us.

Be ever-mindful of the abiding presence of Christ in you and you in Him as you go into this world to do as He commanded. Because the difference between with and without is the difference between “nothing impossible” and “nothing at all”.