"Who Is This Man?" January 11 Readings: Genesis 23-24, Matthew 8:18–34, Psalm 7:11–17, Proverbs 2:1-5

  

Reading the Bible in 2025

Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. 

NOTE: If you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!

Bible Readings: Genesis 23-24, Matthew 8:18–34, Psalm 7:11–17, Proverbs 2:1-5

    Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version 

Daily Devotional: Who Is This Man?

There are always cult leaders calling people to follow them, and it usually doesn't end well. There are so many sad stories of people who fell under the sway of a charlatan, a charismatic leader who deceived people into believing he spoke God's words and ended up leading them to destruction. There were many who believed that Jesus was just another deranged megalomaniac.

He did demand that people follow him. In Matthew 8:18-22, Jesus described the costs of following him. He expected the kind of loyalty and sacrifice that some would find suspicious. They were to leave everything behind, even their own homes, to follow Jesus. Even the death of a family member was to come second to the glory of Jesus. "Follow me," he said.

But was he really some kind of charlatan, or was he really who he claimed to be? Was he the Son of God who had every right to ask people to follow him or a cheap trickster leading people down the garden path? The next three stories settle that question (two from today's reading and one from tomorrow's).

In Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus was crossing the Galilee with his disciples when a fierce storm whipped up that struck fear even into the professional fishermen who had spent their lives fishing from that sea. While they panicked, Jesus was sleeping in the bottom of the boat, his faith in God giving him rest. When they woke him, he rebuked them for their lack of faith. Why would they be afraid when Jesus was with them? He stood up, rebuked the storm, and suddenly, the sea was calm. What could the men do but wonder at his power?

And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:27

Jesus was no ordinary man. He could command nature and it would obey. Jesus was Lord of creation. 

The next story, Matthew 8:28-34, shows Jesus' authority over the forces of darkness. In the region of the Gadarenes, he encountered two demon-possessed men who terrified everyone else. But Jesus was not terrified. He simply sent the demons into a herd of pigs and they ran down the steep bank into the sea and drowned. The demons in these men ran roughshod over everyone but they could not stand against Jesus. He has dominion even over Satan and demons. Jesus is Lord of the Spiritual realm. 

In tomorrow's reading, in chapter 9, he heals a paralytic, two blind men, a deaf man, and a woman with an issue of blood. Jesus is Lord over disease and sickness. But even greater than that, he does the impossible. He raises a young girl from the dead, proving that he is Lord even over death. 

So here is the evidence Matthew puts forward for our consideration. Jesus demands that we follow him. But does he have that right? Let's see. He is able to calm the storm, cast out the demons, and cure illnesses. He is even able to raise the dead. It would seem that one who could do all of that is worthy of our trust. 

Follow him. If he is Lord of nature, Lord of demons, Lord of sickness, and even Lord of death, he might as well be Lord of my life and yours, don't you think? 

Father, your Son is great and glorious. He is Lord of all. I want for him to be Lord of everything in my life as well - my body, my mind, my passions, my time, everything. May Jesus be all in all today and every day. 

Consider God's Word:

Which of these four passages spoke most clearly to you today? 

Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages? 

Is there something in your life that needs to change?

Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to? 

Consider Jesus today - who he actually is.
Do you tend to forget the full glory of the holy character and awesome power of Jesus Christ?