Greatness: Matthew 14-20ਨਮੂਨਾ

I was talking recently with a neighbour who commented that most of what we see on social media is all a mirage, even her content. Checking her account, it was obvious that the number of followers she had meant she was more than qualified to make this assessment. Yet, even if we know intellectually that what we see online is often a highly crafted representation or mirage, it still has the potential to change our perception of reality, our expectations of life, or our desires.

Similarly, Jesus is continually warning His disciples about being influenced by two leading influences of their day: the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus often spoke about their outward behaviour as being a false representation of the state of their hearts.

For example, the Pharisees and Sadducees have been following Jesus’ movements closely for a long time—seeing Him perform many miracles and teach profound truth. Yet in this encounter, they test Jesus and demand a sign of His divinity. Jesus calls them out for this lack of faith and their thinly veiled attempts to corner Him.

Later, in a boat, sailing back across the Sea of Galilee, there is some hand-wringing about forgetting to bring a packed lunch for the journey. But the disciples learn an important object lesson about the dangers of being influenced by those who reject Jesus’ teaching. The reason why Jesus is so adamant about this is that, like yeast, false or misleading teaching can grow, compounding their destructive potential.

Comparatively, Jesus says about Himself, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35, ESV). Jesus is the bread that gives eternal life. Now that’s the kind of influence I want to be consuming in my life.

Today, ponder this: Who are you being influenced by? Do these influencers lead you toward, or away from Jesus?