Jesus says something startling in this section: “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.” Not because signs are always wrong—but because of what demanding them reveals about the heart.

This passage presses us to ask whether we’re responding to what God has already revealed… or continually asking for more while refusing the greater truth right in front of us.

As Jesus continues His ministry, great crowds begin bringing their broken—those who are lame, blind, mute, and wounded in every way—and they lay them at His feet. And He heals them all.

What makes this moment especially significant is where it’s happening. These crowds are primarily Gentiles—people long considered outside the reach of God’s promises. Yet Jesus shows no hesitation, no limitation, no distinction. His compassion, power, and grace extend fully to them as well.

In this passage, we see a Savior whose mercy knows no boundaries, and a kingdom that reaches farther than anyone expected. As we walk through this scene, we’ll see what it means to truly come to Jesus—and what happens when people do.

In this moment of the account, the conversation between Jesus and this woman reaches its turning point. Instead of pushing back, taking offense, or trying to elevate herself, she does something remarkable—she agrees with Him. She accepts her place in the story, not with shame or resentment, but with humility and faith.

“Yes, Lord,” she says. “I understand the order. I know who I am. And I also know that even the crumbs from Your table are enough.”

In today’s study we meet a Canaanite woman. A Gentile from the region of Tyre and Sidon who becomes one of the clearest pictures of what genuine faith looks like. In this episode, we’ll explore how Jesus engages this woman, why her persistence matters, and how her story reveals the way Jesus still invites anyone—regardless of background, tradition, or status—to come directly to Him in faith.

In this section, Jesus turns His attention to the Pharisees and scribes and calls them what they truly are: hypocrites—people more concerned with appearances than obedience. They talked about God. They honored God with their lips…but their hearts were miles away. Jesus cuts through all of it and brings the issue back to what matters most: Not how we look, not what others approve of, but the honest condition of our hearts before God and His Word. In today’s passage, we explore what happens when faith becomes performance—and how Jesus calls us back to something real.

Who are you—really? Not your name, not your job, not the place you’re from, and not the list of things that have happened to you. Scripture keeps pulling us back to this deeper reality: you are not the sum of your circumstances. Jesus teaches that beneath all the external noise—your experiences, failures, achievements, wounds, and successes—there’s something far more essential. The Bible calls it the heart. The “you inside of you.” In today’s episode, we’re going to look at why the heart matters so much. 

In one of the most memorable moments in the Gospels, Peter steps out of a boat and onto the water—not because he was fearless, but because he was willing. As Pastor Mike will point out, our fellowship with Jesus is always as close as we want it to be. The limitations aren’t on His end; they’re on ours

In this episode, we’ll look at the kind of desire and surrender that led Peter to say, “Lord, let me come to You,” and the simple, stunning response of Jesus: “Then come.”

After the feeding of the five thousand, something dangerous begins to happen—dangerous not because of persecution or lack, but because the crowd misreads Jesus. John’s Gospel tells us they were ready to take Him by force and make Him king. Not the King He truly is—but the king they wanted. And right in that moment, Jesus does something surprising. He immediately sends His disciples away in a boat—removing them from the pressure, the misunderstanding, and the momentum of a crowd that was heading in the wrong direction.

We ended Part 1 with the deeply painful and unjust death of John the Baptist. His disciples carried his body away, and the news of John’s death reached Jesus. And it’s at this moment—out of grief, loss, and the heaviness of injustice—that the next scene unfolds. Instead of turning inward or withdrawing completely, Jesus responds in a way that reveals His compassion, His heart, and His mission more clearly than ever.

In today’s passage, we step into one of the most unfair, unjust moments in the entire Bible. It’s the kind of  moment that exposes corruption, abuse of power, and the deep darkness of the human heart. And yet… in the middle of this tragedy, Matthew is setting the stage for something important: how Jesus responds to the world at its very worst.