Gary Gleans

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_Call_of_Matthew_Levi_and_His_Reception_in_Honor_of_Jesus.htm Controversy is something that most of us try to avoid.  We generally prefer the “status quo” over conflict with others.  Many times our highest priority seems to be peace and harmony and we do all that we can to please people.  Jesus was not like that.  He did not shy away from the controversial as long as it was in line with the mission that the Father had sent Him on.  God had called the nation of Israel to be His chosen people in order to bless all the nations of the world through them.  Instead the religious leaders became proud and self-absorbed.  They did all they could to isolate themselves from the outside world and exclude anyone who they considered to be inferior to themselves.  Jesus stood in stark contrast to this way of life and was greatly criticized because of it.  We all have a tendency to judge people by what we see on th...

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/Healing_the_Paralytic_Let_Down_Through_the_Roof_in_Capernaum.htm How we respond to circumstances and instructions will determine many things in and about our lives.  As Jesus went from place to place teaching and healing there were a wide variety of responses to Him.  Some were skeptical, others were jealous, some were just curious, some were filled with hatred and some responded by believing and worshiping Him.  Today’s texts demonstrate several of these responses.  Jesus had returned from His tour of the region of Galilee to Capernaum but the crowds continued to follow Him and were gathered to hear Him speak.  The crowds were large and everyone wanted to get as close as the could in order to be able to hear and see what was going on.  There were a wide variety of people in the audience that ranged from the sceptics to the believers.  The different responses that we observe are both interesting and instructive....

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_Excitement_Caused_by_the_Healing_of_a_Leper_during_This_Tour.htm Fame is something that most people dream about achieving but is a burden to those who have it.  The fame of Jesus was spreading throughout the nation as he traveled from city to city teaching and healing the people.  The crowds that were coming out to seek healing and hear Him teach were growing but this does not seem to be the goal that Jesus had.  He was glad to serve and teach the people but it seems that growing crowds began to be more of a hindrance than a help to His ministry.  Most of us would have had a tendency to define the success of our ministry by the size of the crowds.  Jesus is clearly not motivated by the numbers of people surrounding Him.  Jesus knows the hearts of the people in the crowds and He recognizes that the size of the crowd is not what is important.  They were flocking to Him in order to experience or witness miracle...

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_First_Tour_of_Galilee_with_the_Four_Fishermen.htm There were characteristics that marked the ministry of Jesus.  These are patterns that we see repeatedly as we study the ministry of Jesus while He was on the earth.  While there are certain aspects of Christ’s ministry on earth that we have not ability or need to emulate; these characteristics are consistent with what we should be practicing in our own lives.  Today’s texts describe three distinct activities as well as places that marked the ministry of Jesus.  These practices and places have direct correlations in our lives too.  The effectiveness of our ministries will be determined by our dedication to these three areas. PRAYING TO THE FATHER IN SECLUSION: There are no commands in Scripture that require that our times of prayer and Bible study should be in the morning.  We are commanded to pray and study God’s Word but there are no specific requirements as...

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/At_the_Home_of_Simon_in_Capernaum_on_the_Sabbath.htm Publicity can be a blessing as well as a curse.  It is very interesting to see how Jesus handled publicity.  There were times where He seems to completely try to avoid and publicity at all and then there were other times where He performs miracles in public that He knows will become highly publicized.  It seems that He desired to teach the people but He also had great compassion on the people.  The miracles that He performed attracted great crowds that were desirous of healings but did not seem to be very interested in hearing His teachings.  The publicity of His miracles could often hinder the productivity of His teaching.  His ability to balance these two aspects of His ministry is very impressive and should serve as a model for us.  There are those ministries that get so wrapped up in serving the physical needs of people that they abandon any attempts to te...

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/In_the_Synagogue_in_Capernaum_on_the_Sabbath.htm Authority is a hard thing for many people to handle because most of us like to think that we are in charge of our own lives.  Most people don’t like to be told what to do.  Many times those who have been given positions of authority are so concerned with keeping their titles that they end up just looking to please others instead of doing what they know to be right.  Other leaders use their power to intimidate the people under their authority.  They use fear to control people instead of leading by example.  The teaching and actions of Jesus were marked by His authority.  This was different from the religious leaders of His day.  His message was backed up by a life that demonstrated the truths that He taught. THE REVELATION OF AUTHORITY WAS SEEN BY THE PEOPLE: When Jesus went into the Synagogue He opened the Scriptures and taught the people.  The people wer...

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/Finding_Four_Fishers_of_Men.htm Change is a difficult thing for most of us.  We are more comfortable with that which is familiar.  Things that are different tend to scare us.  When Jesus called His disciples it meant radical changes in their lives.  It is important to note that the Peter, Andrew, James and John already knew who Jesus was.  They had spent time with Jesus and were convinced that He was Messiah.  They had spent time with Him after His baptism and before He went to Judea.  Now He was back in their region and He came to teach in the place where they were fishing.  They heard Him teach, they participated in an amazing catch of fish and then they were called to follow Jesus.  Many times we imagine that this encounter with Jesus was their first meeting but that is not true.  They knew who He was which makes their immediate response make much more sense.  The ...