MATTHEW 1

 

OPENS WITH THE GENEALOGY AND BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

 

 

Verse 1 tells us Matthew presents his theme in the first verse: Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy and of Israel's expectation.

 

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”

 

 

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ…

 

So Matthew begins his account of the life of Jesus Christ. The first two words of Matthew, biblos genseos, may be translated 'record of the genealogy,' 'record of the origins,' or 'record of the history.

 

There is a sense in which EACH meaning is valid.

 

1. In Matthew 1:1-17 we have the "record of the genealogy."

 

2. In Matthew 1:18-2:23 we have the "record of the origins."

 

3. In the entire Gospel of Matthew we have the "record of the history."

 

As a FORMER tax collector (also called "Levi"), Matthew was qualified to write an account of Jesus life and teachings.

 

WHY?

 

A tax collector of that day MUST know Greek, and be a literate, well-organized man. Some think that Matthew was the "recorder" among the disciples, and took notes of Jesus' teaching. We might say that when Matthew followed Jesus, he left everything behind - EXCEPT his pen and paper.

 

BARCLAY adds, “Matthew nobly used his literary skill to become the FIRST man ever to compile an account of the teaching of Jesus."

 

 

We know that he was a tax gatherer and that he must therefore have been a bitterly HATED man, for the Jews hated the members of their own race who had entered the civil service of their conquerors.

 

 

The Son of David, the Son of Abraham…

 

In this overview of explaining the lineage of Jesus, Matthew clearly and strongly connects him to some of the greatest men in the history of the Old Testament. Matthew begins his account of the life of Jesus Christ with the record of the lineage of Jesus from the patriarch Abraham.

 

 

There are many reasons why Matthew belongs first among the gospel accounts.

 

 

1. In the early days of Christianity, many people thought that the Gospel of Matthew was the first written.

 

 

2. The early Christians rightly saw the Gospel of Matthew as important, because it has some significant portions of Jesus' teaching that are not included in other gospels, such as a fuller version of the Sermon on the Mount.

 

 

3. It was the only one of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to have an apostolic author - Matthew (who was also known as Levi), who was a former tax collector before he followed Jesus as a disciple.

 

4. The Jewish flavor of the Gospel of Matthew makes for a logical transition between the Old and New Testaments. For these reasons, the early church placed it first in order among the four gospel accounts.

 

 

5. The Jewish character of this Gospel is evident in many ways. There are many indications that Matthew expected that his readers would be familiar with Jewish culture.

 

 

6. Matthew doesn't translate Aramaic terms such as raca (Matthew 5:22) and corban (Matthew 7:11).

 

 

7. Matthew refers to Jewish customs without explanation (Matthew 15:2 to Mark 7:3-4; see also Matthew 23:5).

 

 

8. Matthew starts his genealogy with Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

 

 

9. Matthew presents the name of Jesus and its meaning in a way that assumes the reader knows its Hebrew roots (Matthew 1:21).

 

 

10. Matthew frequently refers to Jesus as the "Son of David."

 

 

11. Matthew uses the more Jewish phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" instead of "Kingdom of God."

 

Yet significantly, the Gospel of Matthew also triumphantly ends with Jesus commanding His followers to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). So the Gospel of Matthew is deeply rooted in Judaism, but at the same time is able to look beyond; it sees the gospel itself as more than a message for the Jewish people; rather it is a message for the whole world.

 

We also see that Matthew is deeply critical of the Jewish leadership and their rejection of Jesus. To say that Matthew is "pro-Jewish" is incorrect; it is better to say that he is "pro-Jesus," and presents Jesus as the authentic Jewish Messiah, whom sadly many of the Jewish people (especially the religious establishment) rejected.

 

Some early church commentators and modern scholars say that Matthew originally wrote his gospel in Hebrew, and it was then translated into Greek. Yet there is no concrete evidence for this theory, such as the discovery of an early Hebrew manuscript of Matthew.

 

 

Son of David…

 

Throughout his Gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as the kingly Messiah promised from David's royal line (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

 

 

The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be the Son of David; in the very first sentence, Matthew points to Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

 

 

Son of Abraham…

 

Matthew not only connected Jesus to David, but back yet further to Abraham. Jesus is the Seed of Abraham in Whom all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

 

 

Verses 2-16 tells us Jesus' genealogy through Joseph.

 

“Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”

 

 

Abraham … Joseph…

 

This genealogy establishes Jesus' claim to the throne of David through his adoptive father Joseph. This is NOT blood lineage of Jesus through Mary, but the LEGAL lineage of Jesus through Joseph. The Gospel of Luke provides Jesus' BLOOD lineage through Mary.

 

 

We should remember Paul's warnings about striving over genealogies, and not get into arguments about them (1 Timothy 1:4 and 6:4; Titus 3:9).

 

 

If the Jewish opponents of Jesus could have demonstrated that He was NOT descended from David, they would have disqualified His claim to be Messiah; yet they did NOT and could NOT.

The Jewish interest in genealogies could sometimes be a dangerous distraction. Therefore Paul warned Timothy to guard against those who were fascinated by endless genealogies (1 Timothy 1:4), and he gave a similar warning to Titus (Titus 3:9).

 

 

Tamar … Rahab … Ruth … her who had been the wife of Uriah…

 

This genealogy is noted for the unusual presence of four women. Women were rarely mentioned in ancient genealogies, and the four mentioned here are worthy of special note as examples of God's grace. They show how God can take unlikely people and use them in great ways.

 

1. Tamar: She sold herself as a prostitute to her father in-law Judah to bring forth Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38).

 

 

2. Rahab: She was a Gentile prostitute, for whom God took extraordinary measures to save from both judgment and her lifestyle of prostitution (Joshua 2; 6:22-23).

 

 

3. Ruth: She was from Moab, a Gentile and until her conversion, out of the covenant of Israel (Ruth 1).

 

 

4. Her who had been the wife of Uriah: Bathsheba (who is mentioned by implication in Matthew 1:6) was an adulteress, infamous for her sin with David (2 Samuel 11). "Matthew's peculiar way of referring to her, 'Uriah's wife,' may be an attempt to focus on the fact that Uriah was not an Israelite but a Hittite.

 

 

These FOUR women have an important place in the genealogy of Jesus to demonstrate that Jesus Christ was NOT royalty according to human perception, in the sense that He did NOT come from a pure aristocratic background.

 

 

SPURGEON says it well, “These four women have an important place in the genealogy of Jesus to demonstrate that Jesus identifies with sinners in His genealogy, even as He will in His birth, baptism, life, and His death on the cross. "Jesus is heir of a line in which flows the blood of the harlot Rahab, and of the rustic Ruth; he is akin to the fallen and to the lowly, and he will show his love even to the poorest and most obscure."

 

 

These four women have an important place in the genealogy of Jesus to show that there is a NEW place for women under the New Covenant. In both the pagan and the Jewish culture of that day, men often had LITTLE regard for women. In that era, some Jewish men prayed every morning, thanking God that they were NOT Gentiles, slaves, or women. Despite that, women were regarded more highly among the Jews than they were among the pagans.

 

 

MEYER says, "Men and women, notorious for their evil character, lie in the direct line of his descent. This was permitted, that He might fully represent our fallen race."

 

Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ…

 

Matthew wanted to make it clear that Joseph was NOT the father of Jesus; rather he was the husband of Mary.

 

 

Verse 17 tells us Matthew's organization of the genealogy.

 

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.”

Fourteen generations … fourteen generations … fourteen generations…

 

With this Matthew made it clear that this genealogy is NOT complete. There were NOT actually 14 generations between the landmarks he indicates, but Matthew edited the list down to make it easy to remember and memorize.

 

 

For example, Matthew 1:8 says Joram begot Uzziah. This was Uzziah, King of Judah, who was struck with leprosy for daring to enter the temple as a priest to offer incense (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).

 

Uzziah was not the immediate son of Joram; there were three kings between them (Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah). Yet, it is observed that omissions of this kind are not uncommon in the Jewish genealogies."

 

 

So all the generations…

 

The practice of skipping generations at times was common in the listing of ancient genealogies. Matthew did nothing unusual by leaving some generations out.

 

Another of the royal line that Matthew passed over was in between Josiah and Jechoniah (Matthew 1:11), and his name was Jehoakim (2 Chronicles 36:5-8).

 

Jehoakim was so wicked that through the Prophet Jeremiah, God promised that no blood descendant of his would sit on the throne of Israel (Jeremiah 36:30-31). This presented a significant problem: If someone was a blood descendant of David through Jehoakim, he could not sit on the throne of Israel and be the king and the Messiah because of this curse recorded in Jeremiah 36:30-31. But, if the conqueror was not descended through David, he could not be the legal heir of the throne, because of the promise made to David and the nature of the royal line.

 

This is where we come to the differences in the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. Matthew recorded the genealogy of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ (Matthew 1:16). He began at Abraham and followed the line down to Jesus, through Joseph.

 

Luke recorded the genealogy of Mary: being, (as was supposed) the son of Joseph (Luke 3:23). He began with Jesus and followed the line back up, all the way to Adam, starting from the unmentioned Mary.

 

 

Each genealogy is the same as it records the line from Adam (or Abraham) all the way down to David. But at David, the two genealogies separated. If we remember the list of David's sons in 2 Samuel 5 we see that Satan focused his attention on the descendants of the royal line through Solomon - and this was a reasonable strategy.

 

According to Matthew 1:6, Joseph's line went through Solomon (and therefore Jehoakim, the cursed one). Jesus was the legal son of Joseph, but not the blood son of Joseph - so the curse on Jehoakim did not affect him. Joseph did not contribute any of the "blood" of Jesus, but he did contribute his legal standing as a descendant of the royal line to Jesus. Mary's line - the blood line of Jesus - did not go through Solomon, but through a different son of David, named Nathan (Luke 3:31). Mary was therefore not part of that blood curse on the line of Jehoiakim.

 

 

Verse 18 tells us Mary, while engaged to Joseph, is found to be with child as a result of a miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit.

 

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

 

 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…

 

Matthew doesn't really tell us about the birth of Jesus; Luke does that. Matthew instead tells us where Jesus came from, and it tells the story through the eyes of Joseph.

 

After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph…

 

There were essentially THREE steps to marriage in the Jewish world of Jesus' time.

 

1. Engagement: This could happen when the bride and groom to be were quite young, and was often arranged by the parents.

 

2. Betrothal: This made the previous engagement official and binding. During the time of betrothal the couple were known as husband and wife, and a betrothal could only be broken by divorce. Betrothal typically lasted a year.

 

3. Marriage: This took place after the wedding, after the year of betrothal.

 

 

She was found with child of the Holy Spirit…

 

Matthew plainly (without the greater detail found in the Gospel of Luke) presents the virginal conception and subsequent birth of Jesus. However, the virgin birth was difficult for people to believe back then, even as it is also doubted now by some.

 

We should consider what a great trial this was for a godly young woman like Mary, and for Joseph her betrothed. "Her situation was the most distressing and humiliating that can be conceived. Nothing but the fullest consciousness of her own integrity, and the strongest confidence in God, could have supported her in such trying circumstances, where her reputation, her honour, and her life were at stake.

 

The truth of the supernatural conception of Jesus was disbelieved by many in that day, and was later twisted into lies about the parentage of Jesus. References are made to these suspicions in passages like John 8:19 and 8:41. Lies spread that Mary had become pregnant from a Roman soldier. Here, Matthew set the story straight - both then and now.

 

 

SPURGEON adds, "There was no other way of his being born; for had he been of a sinful father, how should he have possessed a sinless nature? He is born of a woman, that he might be human; but not by man, that he might not be sinful."

 

 

Verse 19 tells us Joseph seeks a quiet divorce.

 

“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”

 

Joseph her husband…

 

The previous verse told us that Mary was betrothed to Joseph. This comment shows that even though they were not formally married, Joseph was still considered Mary's husband by betrothal.

 

Being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example…

 

Being a just man, Joseph knew that if Mary had been unfaithful to him it would be impossible to go through with the marriage. Yet his nature as a just man also did not want to make this an unnecessary hardship or stigma upon Mary. Joseph made the understandable decision to seek a quiet divorce.

 

To put her away secretly…

 

This refers to breaking an engagement by divorce. In Jewish culture of that time a betrothal was binding and one needed a divorce to break the arrangement.

 

 

Verses 20-21 tells us An angel speaks to Joseph in a dream, convincing him to not divorce Mary.

 

“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

 

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…

 

This was not THE angel of the Lord, but simply AN angel of the Lord. Perhaps it was Gabriel, who is prominent in the announcements made to Mary and Zacharias (Luke 1:19 and 1:26). Yet those were actual angelic visitations; this was presented to Joseph in a dream.

 

The dream came while he thought about these things. Joseph was understandably troubled by Mary's mysterious pregnancy, her future, and what he should do towards her. Though he had decided to put her away secretly, he was NOT comfortable with that decision.

 

 

Joseph, son of David…

 

The address son of David should have alerted Joseph that something was particularly significant about this message. Son of David is a reference to Joseph's LEGAL lineage to the throne of David.

 

That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…

 

It seems that Mary had NOT told Joseph that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This should NOT surprise us; how could she (or how could anyone except God) explain such a thing? This angelic word to Joseph was persuasive.

 

There is NO DETAILED explanation as to HOW this happened, other than what we have in Luke 1:35.

 

 

You shall call his name JESUS…

 

The name JESUS ("The Salvation of Yahweh") was fairly common in that day (Josephus mentions 12 different men named "Jesus" in his writings), but it is supremely blessed in our day. As was later said by the Apostle Peter, there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12).

 

 

For He will save His people from their sins…

 

The angelic messenger briefly and eloquently stated the work of the coming Messiah, Jesus. He will come as a savior, and come to save His people from their sins.

 

This description of the work of Jesus reminds us that Jesus meets us in our sin, but His purpose is to save us from our sins. He saves us FIRST from the penalty of sin, then from the POWER of sin, and finally from the PRESENCE of sin.

 

DID YOU KNOW…

 

Salvation from sins is an element in the Old Testament HOPE (Isaiah 53; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-31) and in later Messianic expectation … but not the dominant one. Its isolation here warns the reader not to expect this Messiah to conform to the more popular hope of a national liberator.

 

Wonderfully, it says "His people." If it had said, "God's people," we might have thought it was reserved for the Jewish people alone. But it isn't belonging to Abraham that brings salvation from sin; it is belonging to Jesus, being one of His people.

 

Verses 22-23 tells us The virgin birth as the FULFILLMENT of prophecy.

 

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

 

 

That it might be fulfilled…

 

This is the FIRST use of this important phrase which will become a familiar theme throughout Matthew.

 

 

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel"…

 

Matthew rightly understood that the supernatural conception of Jesus was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.

 

We know the Isaiah passage speaks of Jesus because it says the virgin shall be with child, and that conception would be a sign to David's entire house. Those who deny the virgin birth of Jesus like to point out that the Hebrew word in Isaiah 7:14 translated virgin (almah) can also be translated as "young woman."

 

WHY?

 

The idea is that Isaiah was simply saying that a "young woman" would give birth, not a virgin. While the near fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy may have reference to a young woman giving birth, the far or ultimate fulfillment clearly points to a woman miraculously conceiving and giving birth. This is especially clear because the Old Testament never uses the word in a context other than virgin and because the Septuagint translates almah in Isaiah 7:14 categorically virgin (parthenos).

 

Immanuel…

 

This title of Jesus refers to BOTH His deity (God with us) and His identification and nearness to man (God with us).

 

 

In what sense then, is Christ GOD WITH US? Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in his incarnation; God with us, by the influences of his Holy Spirit, in the preaching of his word, in private prayer. And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name. He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us, in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us and in us, and we with and in him, to all eternity.

 

 

We can deeply meditate on the meaning of this name - Immanuel.

 

1. It shows how low God bent down to save man; He added the nature of one of His own creatures to His own divine nature, accepting the weaknesses, frailties, and dependency that the creature experiences.

 

2. It shows what a great miracle it was that God could add a human nature to His own and still remain God.

 

 

3. It shows the compatibility between the unfallen human nature and the divine nature; that the two could be joined shows that we are truly made in the image of God.

 

 

4. It shows that we can come to Him; if He has come to us, then we can come to Him. "Then, if Jesus Christ be 'God with us,' let us come to God without any question or hesitancy. Whoever you may be you need no priest or intercessor to introduce you to God, for God has introduced himself to you."

 

 

Verses 24-25 tells us Joseph marries Mary after the angelic announcement.

 

“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”

 

 

Did as the angel of the Lord commanded…

 

Joseph's obedience is notable. He did not doubt nor waver; he instantly understood the validity and the importance of the angelic messenger that came to him in the dream.

 

 

Did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son…

 

The words did not know her till imply that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations ONLY AFTER Jesus' birth.

 

 

This emphasizes that Jesus was conceived miraculously. "Matthew wants to make Jesus' virginal conception quite unambiguous, for he adds that Joseph had not sexual union with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus.

 

 

This also DENIES the Roman Catholic dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary. "The marriage was thus formally completed, but not consummated before the birth of Jesus. The Greek expression for not until would normally suggest that intercourse did take place after the end of this period. . . . There is no biblical warrant for the tradition of the 'perpetual virginity' of Mary.

 

 

This is an unbiblical, doctrine, which did NOT appear earlier than the fifth century after Jesus. It should be placed with the dogmas of Mary's Immaculate Conception, assumption into heaven, and present role as a mediator for believers. Each one of these is man's INVENTION, meant to exalt Mary in an unbiblical manner.

 

 

And he called His name JESUS…

 

They did what God told them to do. Though it was a fairly common name it had a genuinely great meaning, and would come to be the greatest name, the name above all names.

 

MATTHEW 2

 

OPENS WITH...WISE MEN FROM THE EAST, ESCAPE TO EGYPT AND BACK AGAIN

 

 

Verses 1-2 tells us The wise men from the east arrive in Jerusalem.

 

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

 

 

AFTER Jesus was born in Bethlehem…

 

Matthew actually tells us little about the birth of Jesus; Luke 2 records these familiar details. What Matthew tells us regards something that happened AFTER Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

 

Instead of giving us the details of the nativity, Matthew had another purpose. The main purpose is to show the reception given by the world to the new-born Messianic King - Homage from afar, hostility & indifference at home.

 

DID YOU KNOW…

 

Bethlehem was ancestral home of David, the great king of Israel and founder of their royal dynasty. However, it was NOT a large or significant town. Bethlehem was quite a little town six miles to the south of Jerusalem. In the olden days it had been called Ephrath or Ephratah.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "A stir begins is soon as Christ is born. He has not spoken a word; he has not wrought a miracle; he has not proclaimed a single doctrine; but 'when Jesus was born,' at the very first, while as yet you hear nothing but infant cries, and can see nothing but infant weakness, still his influence upon the world is manifest. 'When Jesus was born, there came wise men from the east,' and so on. There is infinite power even in an infant Savior."

 

In the days of Herod the king…

 

This was the one known as Herod the Great. Herod was indeed great; in some ways great as a ruler, builder, and administrator; in other ways great in EVIL politics and cruelty.

 

The reign of Herod also gives us a chronological marking point. "Jesus was born BEFORE the death of Herod the Great, which is probably to be dated in 4 B.C.; the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown."

 

 

Wise men from the East came…

 

These travelers are called wise men, which in the ancient Greek is “magoi”. Misconceptions and legends abound about these wise men. They were NOT kings but wise men, which means they were astronomers. There were NOT only three, but probably a great company. It was NOT safe to travel alone or in small groups. The trip was a long one. They did NOT LEAVE NOR ARRIVE on the birth night, but BEGAN THE 800 MILE TRIP probably several months AFTER FIRST seeing the star at Jesus birth.

 

 

BARCLAY gives us a bit of history, “There was a general expectation of a messiah or great man from Judea. Not very long after Jesus was born, the Roman historian Seutonius wrote: "There had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief, that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judea to rule the world." Tacitus, another Roman historian of the general period, wrote: "There was a firm persuasion … that at this very time the East was to grow powerful, and rulers coming from Judea were to acquire universal empire."

 

 

Came to Jerusalem…

 

Guided by the astronomical phenomenon mentioned following, they came to the area and expected to find answers in Jerusalem. They expected that the leaders and people of this capital city of the Jews would be even more interested than they were. Matthew does NOT tell us specifically that the star guided them to Jerusalem.

 

Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

 

DID YOU KNOW…

 

Significantly, they say this one has been born King of the Jews. It WAS NOT HUMAN RULING HIERARCHY THEN OR NOW, for a baby to be born a king usually they are princes for a long time before they are kings. Matthew wants us to know another unique thing about Jesus Christ. His kingly status was NOT conferred on him later on; it was Jesus’ from birth."

 

 

For we have seen His star in the East…

There are many different suggestions for the natural origin of this remarkable star. Some say it was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, some other planetary conjunctions; others suggest a supernova, and some think of comets or a specifically created unique star or sign. Whatever it was, it is significant that God met them in their own medium: He guided the astronomers by a star.

 

This was also in fulfillment of Numbers 24:17: “A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” This was widely regarded by ancient Jewish scholars as a Messianic prediction.

 

 

SPURGEON adds, “Notice, it was His star: "The star was Christ's star itself, but it also led others to Christ. It did this very much because it moved in that direction. It is a sad thing when a preacher is like a sign-post pointing the way but never following it, on his own account. Such were those chief priests at Jerusalem: they could tell where Christ was born, but they never went to worship him; they were indifferent altogether to him and to his birth. The star that leads to Christ must always be going to Christ."

 

 

And have come to worship Him…

 

The wise men came first to Jerusalem, assuming that the leaders of the Jews would be aware and excited about the birth of their Messiah. The wise men are about to find that this was NOT the case at all.

 

 

Verse 3 tells us Herod is troubled at the news brought by the wise men.

 

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

 

When Herod the king heard this he was troubled…

 

Herod was constantly on guard against threats to his rule, especially from his own family. He assassinated many family members whom he suspected of disloyalty. His being troubled is completely in character.

 

Herod wanted to be accepted by the Jews whom he ruled, was NOT a Jew at all but an Edomite, the Jews did NOT choose him, Rome did. Rome recognized him as a vassal king over Judea. The Jews tempered their great hatred of him with admiration for his building projects, such as the magnificent improvements made to the second temple.

 

 

Barclay reminds us of what a bloody, violent ruler Herod was: "He had no sooner come to the throne than he began by annihilating the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews. Later he slaughtered three hundred court officers out of hand. Later he murdered his wife Mariamne, and her mother Alexandra, his eldest son Antipater, and two other sons, Alexander and Arisobulus."

 

He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him…

 

The fact that ALL Jerusalem was troubled WITH Herod is significant. This was due either to the fact that the people of Jerusalem DID NOT WANT THE MESSIAH, rightly feared what sort of paranoid outburst might come upon them from Herod upon hearing of a rival king being born, or because of the size and dignity of this caravan from the East.

 

Verses 4-6 tells us Herod is instructed regarding the Messiah's coming by the chief priests and scribes.

 

“And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

 

 

All the chief priests and the scribes…

 

This was the first contact the religious leaders had with Jesus. They understood the Biblical information correctly, but failed in application to their lives.

 

Chief priests would especially include those who once held the office of High Priest; Herod changed the High Priest often because it was largely a political appointment.

 

Scribes: "The 'teachers of the law,' or 'scribes' as other English versions call them, were experts in the Old Testament and in its copious oral tradition. Their work was not so much copying out Old Testament manuscripts (as the word 'scribes' suggests) as teaching the Old Testament."

 

 

So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea": Quoting Micah 5:2, the chief priests and scribes understood that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea, distinguishing it from another town of the same name further north.

 

 

From this passage in Micah, they understood not only that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but also that He would be a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.

 

Sadly, these “Old Testament” EXPERTS had the right information but seem personally uninterested in meeting the Messiah for themselves.

 

The scribes and Sanhedrin had the Old Testament and its prophecies, but the lowly shepherds had the HEART and HOPE. No wonder the angels appeared to them and NOT to the religious, political, nor social elites in that day.

 

 

Verses 7-8 tells us True to character, Herod attempts to use wise men to find the child that he may kill Him.

 

“Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

 

 

Determined from them what time the star appeared…

 

Because Herod later commanded that all boys two and younger be killed in the area, we can assume that the wise men first saw the star a year or so previously (on the night Jesus was born). Their journey from the East to Judea was not quick, and they may have left as soon as logistics allowed.

 

Bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also…

 

The irony is strong. Herod claimed a desire to worship Jesus, when he really wanted to kill Him.

 

 

Verses 9-12 tells us The wise men present gifts to Jesus and leave without informing Herod.

 

“When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”

 

 

Behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them…

 

The star continued to guide them, apparently re-appearing. We can surmise that the star appeared the night of Jesus birth, some months later, traveling 800 plus miles, guiding them to the general area, and then they visited Jerusalem to gain more information. Then the star appeared again to specifically guide them. This was an obviously supernatural phenomenon from God himself.

 

They saw the young Child with Mary His mother…

 

We notice that Jesus here is called a young Child, likely being between 12 and 18 months old. We also notice that (against false religion custom) the Child is mentioned FIRST & BEFORE the mother.

 

When they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh…

 

It was common - especially in the East - that one would never appear before royalty or a person of importance without bringing gifts. Considering who these wise men believed the young Child to be, it is not surprising that they gave such lavish gifts.

 

The idea that there were three wise men comes from the fact that there were three gifts. We may say that gold speaks of royalty, incense speaks of divinity, and myrrh speaks of death. GOD KNEW THE SIGNIFICANCE, Yet it is not certain that the Magi KNEW; they simply wanted to honor the King of the Jews with their most valuable treasures to be had.

 

 

They presented gifts to Him…

 

The precious gifts were NOT presented to Mary or Joseph, but to Jesus Himself. Yet undeniably, the infant Jesus did not use or spend any of these precious gifts, but His parents used them, hopefully wisely, on His behalf and benefit.

 

In the same way when we give to Jesus today we do not give to Him directly, but to His people, who use those gifts on His behalf and benefit - and, hopefully wisely.

MEYER reminds, "How useful this gold was to Joseph in the following months! It helped him to defray the cost of the journey into Egypt and back, and to maintain his precious charges there. The Heavenly Father knew what those needs would be, and met them by anticipation."

 

 

Fell down and worshipped Him…

 

More important than their gifts is the fact that they worshipped Jesus. It must have been a curious sight to see these impressive dignitaries bowing before a young child.

 

We see here THREE different responses to Jesus; one may say that all people respond in one of these three ways.

 

1. Herod displayed an open hatred and hostility toward Jesus.

 

2. The chief priests and the scribes were indifferent toward Jesus, all the while retaining their religious respectability.

 

3. The wise men sought out Jesus, and worshipped Him - even at great cost.

 

In comparing the visit of the wise men to the earlier visit of the shepherds (Luke 2:15-20), we see:

 

1. Jesus came to the Jew first, then to the Gentile.

 

2. Jesus came to the humble and ignorant first, then the honorable and learned.

 

3. Jesus came to the poor first, then the rich.

 

We should learn from the wisdom of these wise men.

 

1. They were not satisfied with looking at the star and admiring it; they did something about the star, and set out and followed it.

2. They persevered in their search and in following after the star.

 

3. They were not discouraged in the search by clergy and doubtful religious leaders.

 

4. They rejoiced at the star.

 

5. When they arrived at the destination the star led them to, they entered in.

 

6. When they entered in, they worshipped.

 

7. They sensed an urgency to worship Him now and not wait until later.

 

8. When they worshipped, it was to give something - not empty-handed adoration.

 

 

SPURGEON says it well, “We see a wonderful pattern: "Those who look for Jesus will see him: those who truly see him will worship him: those who worship him will consecrate their substance to him."

 

 

Being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way…

 

Their worship is also manifested in obedience. They are obedient to the heavenly dream and leave without serving as Herod's informants.

 

 

The flight to Egypt and the return to Nazareth.

 

Verses 13-15 tells us Joseph, Mary, and Jesus find refuge in Egypt.

 

“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

 

 

Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt…

 

The command was urgent, and came right when the wise men had departed. It would not have sounded completely strange to Joseph that they should find refuge in Egypt. There was a large Jewish community in Egypt. It was NOT strange that the Holy Spirit would guide Joseph to take the family there.

 

CARSON tells us, "Egypt was a natural place to which to flee. It was nearby, a well-ordered Roman province outside Herod's jurisdiction; and, according to Philo (writing circa A.D. 40), its population included about a million Jews."

 

Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him…

 

This response is consistent with both the character of Herod and humanity in general. It doesn't speak well of humanity to notice that when God added humanity to His deity and came to earth - in the most non-threatening manner possible - the almost immediate reaction of one section of humanity was to try as hard as they could to murder Him.

 

 

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night…

 

Joseph's rapid (leaving the very night of the dream) and complete obedience is impressive. It is unlikely that Joseph ever imagined such events when he first was betrothed to Mary of Nazareth.

 

 

Out of Egypt I called My Son…

 

In the process, another prophecy was fulfilled. At first glance, we might wonder how this prophecy from Hosea 11:1 is fulfilled in Jesus. But Matthew makes it clear that even as Israel as a nation came out from Egypt, so would the Son of God.

 

Verses 16-18 tells us The Massacre of the Innocents.

 

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more."

 

 

He sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts…

 

"Incredible? Anything is credible of the man who murdered his own wife and sons. This deed shocks Christians; but it was a small affair in Herod's career, and in contemporary history."

 

 

Especially in his last years Herod was cruel and suspicious. When he knew that his death was approaching, Herod had many Jewish leaders of Jerusalem arrested on false charges. He ordered that as soon as he died, they should all be killed - he knew well no one would mourn his own death, so he was determined that some tears be shed when he died.

 

 

A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning…

 

This quotation from Jeremiah 31:15 originally referred to the mourning of Israel's mothers during the conquest and captivity of the nation. Here Rachel is a representation of Bethlehem's mothers.

Verses 19-21 tells us The return to Israel.

 

“But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead." Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

 

Arise, take the young Child and His mother…

 

God spoke to Joseph again in a dream, through an angel of the Lord. We also notice Joseph's quick obedience.

 

The young Child … the young Child … the young Child…

 

Repeatedly, the young Child is given first place in the account.

 

 

And came into the land of Israel…

 

The Messiah might spend a few years in Egypt, a refugee from the murderous Herod, but He would certainly come back into the land of Israel.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

 

There have been some who falsely teach that Egyptian magicians or sorcerers influenced Jesus and His later miracles were really just Egyptian tricks. It is important to note that there is no evidence for such claims, and significant evidence against such claims. Particularly, the teaching and style of ministry of Jesus is completely influenced by Old Testament Judaism, not by Egyptian mysticism.

 

Verses 22-23 tells us Fearing the evil son of Herod (Archelaus), the family settles north in Nazareth.

 

“But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

 

When he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea…

 

Joseph had good reason to be cautious regarding Archelaus. This son of Herod proved to be such an incompetent and violent ruler that, at the plea of the Jews of Judea, the Romans deposed him for misrule and replaced him with a governor appointed by Rome in A.D. 6.

 

This Archalaus was as cruel as his father Herod the Great, but without any of his greatness. "A man of kindred nature, suspicious, truculent (Jospehus, Antiquities, 17,11, 2), to be feared and avoided by such as had cause to fear his father."

 

Being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee…

 

Again receiving guidance by a divine dream, Joseph settled outside of the much more religious region of Jerusalem and Judea, and into the populous region of Galilee, which had a much more significant Gentile population than Judea or Jerusalem.

 

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth…

 

It was remarkable that Joseph came back to Nazareth, the hometown of Mary and presumably Joseph (Luke 1:26-27). It was remarkable because Nazareth was an unremarkable town, and because it was where everyone knew Mary and Joseph and the strange circumstances surrounding their birth of their son.

 

 

Nazareth was an unwalled, unprotected town with a somewhat bad reputation; Nathaniel wondered if anything good could come from Nazareth (John 1:46). In God's plan, Jesus came from small, insignificant place that, if it had any reputation, it was a bad one. This is where Jesus grew up and matured into adulthood.

 

 

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene": Of all of Matthew's references to the Old Testament and the prophets, this is one of the most interesting. There is no specific passage found in the Old Testament that says in the given words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

 

BRUCE says, “If there was any specific passage in Matthew's mind, it was likely Isaiah 11:1: There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Hebrew word translated Branch sounds like "Nazir" (neser). "Jerome, following the Jewish scholars of his time, believed the reference to be mainly to Isaiah 11, where mention is made of a branch that shall spring out of Jesse's root. . . The epithet Nazarene will thus mean: 'the man of Nazareth, the town of the little shoot'."

 

 

He shall be called a Nazarene…

 

In the plan of God the Father, inspired by the God the Spirit, and embraced by God the Son, the Messiah grew up in the somewhat despised town. Indeed, Jesus would become known as "Jesus of Nazareth".

 

 

When Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus - obviously after His resurrection and ascension and seating at the right hand of God the Father in glory - He introduced Himself to Paul saying, I am Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 22:8).

 

 

In Acts 24:5, the prosecutors of Paul said this to his judge…

 

We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Growing up in Nazareth, Jesus would mature in boyhood and then in His young adulthood. He would fulfill the responsibilities expected of an eldest son; and then at some time Joseph died and disappeared from the scene and Jesus became the "man of the family." He worked His trade, supported His family, loved His God, and proved Himself utterly faithful in a thousand small things before He formally entered His appointed ministry. Yet no one would be intimidated to meet a man from Nazareth; the tendency would be to immediately think one's self better than a person from Nazareth.”

 

MATTHEW 3

 

 

OPENS WITH...THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

 

 

Verses 1-2 tells us The message of John the Baptist.

 

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

 

 

In those days John the Baptist came...

 

Matthew introduces us to one of the fascinating characters of the New Testament. This was the John born to Zacharias and Elisabeth, whose miraculous birth to this too-old couple was announced, along with his call to be the forerunner of the Messiah, in Luke 1.

 

 

 

Preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent"...

 

John's message was a call to repentance. Some people think that repentance is mostly about feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin. It is wonderful to feel sorry about your sin, but repent is NOT a "feelings" word. It is an ACTION word. John told his listeners to make a change of the mind, NOT merely to feel sorry for what they had done. Repentance speaks of a change of direction, NOT a sorrow in the heart.

 

 

Is repentance something we must do before we can come to God?

 

Yes and no; repentance does NOT describe something we must do BEFORE we come to JESUS, it describes what coming to God is like.

 

If you are in New York, and I tell you to come to Los Angeles, I do NOT really need to say "Leave New York and come to Los Angeles." To come to Los Angeles is to leave New York, and if I have NOT left New York, I certainly have NOT come to Los Angeles. We can NOT come to the kingdom of heaven unless we leave our sin and the self-life.

 

 

The call to REPENTANCE is important and must not be neglected. It is entirely accurate to say that it is the FIRST word of the gospel.

 

 

1. Repent was the first word of John the Baptist's gospel (Matthew 3:1-2).

 

2. Repent was the first word of Jesus' gospel (Matthew 4:14 and Mark 1:14-15).

 

3. Repent was the first word in the preaching ministry of the twelve disciples (Mark 6:12).

 

4. Repent was the first word in the preaching instructions Jesus gave to His disciples after His resurrection (Luke 24:46-47).

 

5. Repent was the first word of exhortation in the first Christian sermon (Acts 2:38).

 

6. Repent was the first word in the mouth of the Apostle Paul through his ministry (Acts 26:19-20).

 

 

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand...

 

John wanted people to know that the kingdom of heaven was near - as close as your hand. It was NOT as distant or as dreamy as they had imagined. This is why John was SO urgent in his call to repentance. If the kingdom of heaven is at hand, then we must get READY now.

 

 

John's main message was NOT "You're a sinner, you need to repent." John's main message was "Messiah the King is coming." The call to repentance was the response to the news that the King and His kingdom were coming - indeed, already here in one sense.

 

 

Some dispensationalists see a difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, the dominant terms used in Mark and Luke.

 

The idea is that the kingdom of God is a now-present spiritual kingdom, but the kingdom of heaven refers to the coming millennial earth in its splendor.

 

A much better explanation is that Matthew simply used the term kingdom of heaven instead of kingdom of God so as to avoid offence to Jewish readers, who often REJECTED direct references to God and would refer to His dwelling place instead of Him directly.

 

 

 

Verses 3-4 tells us The IDENTITY of John the Baptist.

 

"For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'" And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey."

 

Prepare the way of the LORD...

 

Matthew used this passage from Isaiah 40:3 to identify John the Baptist as the PROPHESIED forerunner of the Messiah. In this role, John's purpose was to PREPARE hearts for the Messiah, and to bring an awareness of sin among Israel so they could RECEIVE the salvation from sin offered by the Messiah (Matthew 1:12).

 

 

Make His paths straight...

 

The passage Matthew quotes from (Isaiah 40:3) has in mind building up a great road for the arrival of a majestic king. The idea is to fill in the holes, and knock down the hills that are in the way.

 

 

The idea of preparing the way of the LORD is a word picture, because the real preparation must take place in our hearts. Building a road is very much like the preparation God must do in our hearts. They are BOTH expensive, they BOTH must deal with many different problems and environments, and they BOTH take an expert engineer.

 

 

Jesus was the coming Messiah and King, and John the Baptist was the one crying in the wilderness, and through his message of repentance, he worked to prepare the way of the LORD. We often fail to appreciate how important the preparing work of the LORD is. Any great work of God begins with great preparation.

 

 

In Isaiah 40:3 the way Yahweh is prepared and made straight; in Matthew 3:3 it is the way of Jesus.

 

This identification of Jesus with Yahweh is common in the New Testament (as in Exodus 13:21 and 1 Corinthians 10:4; Isaiah 6:1 and John 12:41).

 

 

Clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt...

 

In his personality and ministry, John the Baptist was patterned after the bold Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), who fearlessly called Israel to repentance.

 

 

In the spirit of today's age, John's ministry would have been very different. He would NOT start in the wilderness. He would NOT dress funny. He would NOT preach such a straightforward message. He would use marketing surveys and focus groups to hone his message and presentation. John was NOT motivated by the spirit of today's age, but by the Spirit of God.

 

 

It was NOT that John the Baptist was trying to be this Elijah-like forerunner predicted in Malachi 4:5, as if he decided on his own to make this his destiny and public image.

 

John KNEW the words spoken to his father Zacharias before John was born in:

 

LUKE 1:17 says, "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children," and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

 

This is simply who John the Baptist was, and one might say he was this before he was even created in the womb.

 

 

 

Verses 5-6 tells us The SUCCESS of John's ministry.

 

 

"Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins."

 

 

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him...

 

John's ministry met with wonderful response. There were MANY people who recognized their sinfulness, their need to get ready for the Messiah, and were willing to do something about it.

 

 

BARCLAY explains, "Under the blessing of God, John's message of repentance and call to prepare for the Messiah bore great fruit. "Baptism was for sinners, and no Jew ever conceived of himself as a sinner shut out from God. Now for the first time in their national history the Jews realized their own sin and their own clamant need of God. Never before had their been such a unique national movement of penitence and of search for God."

 

 

 

Josephus actually wrote more about John the Baptist than he did about Jesus. The influence of John the Baptist is evident decades after his ministry began, as seen in Acts 18:25 and 19:3.

 

 

And were baptized by him...

 

With baptism, John offered a ceremonial washing that confessed sin and did something to demonstrate repentance. Before we can gain the kingdom of heaven, we must recognize our poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:3).

 

This type of awareness of sin is the foundation for most revivals and awakenings.

 

 

Baptism simply means to "immerse or overwhelm." John did NOT sprinkle when he baptized. As was the custom in some other Jewish ceremonial washings, John completely immersed those he baptized.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

Baptism was practiced in the Jewish community already in the form of ceremonial immersions; but typically, it was only among Gentiles who wished to become Jews. For a Jew in John's day to submit to baptism was essentially to say, "I confess that I am as far away from God as a Gentile and I need to get right with Him." This was a real work of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

John's baptism might have been related to the Jewish practice of baptizing Gentile converts, or to some of the ceremonial washings practiced by the Jews of that day. Though it may have some links, at the same time is was unique - so unique that John simply became known as "the Baptizer." If there were a lot of people doing that, it wouldn't be a unique title.

 

 

FRANCE explains, "John's baptism was an innovation. The nearest contemporary parallels are the self-baptism of a Gentile on becoming a proselyte, and the repeated ritual washings (also self-administered) at Qumran."

 

 

Christian baptism is like John's in the sense that it demonstrates repentance, but it is also more. It is being baptized into Christ, that is, into His death and resurrection told to us in Romans 6:3.

 

 

Confessing their sins...

 

This was another important aspect, and is a partner to the call to repentance. These Jewish people were very serious about getting right with God.

 

 

BRUCE reminds us, "The participle means, while confessing; not, provided they confessed. This confession of sins by individuals was a new thing in Israel. There was a collective confession on the great day of atonement, and individual confession in certain specified cases (Numbers 5:7), but no great spontaneous self-unburdenment of penitent souls - every man apart. It must have been a stirring sight."

 

 

 

Verses 7-12 tells us John's CONFRONTATION with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

 

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming...

 

This is our introduction to these TWO important groups in first-century Judaism. These two groups were VERY different and often in conflict. Together they represented the leadership of Judaism.

 

 

THE PHARISEES WERE:

 

1. They believed that one was made righteous by keeping the law, and they believed themselves to be righteous in this way.

 

2. They often misinterpreted the law.

 

3. They held many traditions to be of equal authority to Scripture.

 

4. They were often hypocrites in their practice, neglecting the core and spirit of the law for aspects of outward observance.

 

5. Legal precisians, virtuosi in religion.

 

 

THE SADDUCEES WERE:

 

1. Men of affairs and of the world.

 

2. Largely of the sacerdotal class.

 

 

Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

 

John accused these leaders of wanting to appear anxious for the Messiah, but NOT truly repenting and preparing their hearts. Therefore John demanded fruits worthy of repentance.

 

 

WHY?

 

Many Pharisees and Sadducees CAME for baptism with the ostentation that characterized their other religious activities … they were showing the world ready they were for Messiah, though they had not truly repented.

 

John reminded them that real repentance will show itself in life. It has to be a matter of living repentance, not just talking repentance.

 

 

BRUCE explains, " Of course most of the Jewish people believed in the wrath to come; the difference was the targets of that judgment. "They conceived of the judgment as concerning the heathen peoples; he thought of it as concerning the godless in Israel."

 

 

We can learn much from John the Baptist's preaching, "Flee from the wrath to come."

 

 

1. This wrath is the wrath of God.

 

2. This wrath is fair and well deserved.

 

3. This wrath is often ignored or disregarded because it is not immediate; it is to come.

 

4. This wrath is not any less certain just because it is delayed and is to come.

 

5. This wrath is terrible when it comes because it is God's wrath.

 

6. This wrath cannot be stood against; the only way to survive is to successfully flee from it.

 

7. What John told them to do is also instructive: flee.

 

 

WHAT DOES FLEE BIBLICALLY MEAN?

 

1. To flee implies immediate action.

 

2. To flee implies swift action.

 

3. To flee implies straight movement, with no diversions.

 

 

Do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." John warns them to stop trusting in their Jewish heritage because they must truly repent, not simply trust in Abraham's merits.

 

 

It was widely taught in that day that Abraham's merits were plenty for any Jew's salvation and that a Jewish person could NOT go to hell, ONLY GENTILES/PAGANS WENT TO HELL!

 

John points out that these Pharisees and Scribes are of a different family; they are a brood of vipers - meaning a family associated with serpents!

 

 

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance...

 

John's baptism was one of repentance. In this regard, it was not identical to Christian baptism or baptism into Christ (Romans 6:3), which includes a demonstration of repentance and cleansing, but also recognizes the believer's identification with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4).

 

 

Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry...

 

John recognizes his own place before Jesus. He is one NOT worthy to carry the sandals of Jesus, and he did NOT consider himself far above those whom he is called to repentance, and he knew where he stood in relation to Jesus (instead of becoming proud of the crowds he drew and the response he saw).

 

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

In saying this John put himself lower beneath Jesus than a normal disciple of a normal rabbi. A Rabbi's disciple was expected to act virtually as his master's slave, but to remove his shoes was TOO low a task for even a disciple.

 

 

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor...

 

John warns them to prepare for the Messiah's coming, because He is coming with judgment.

 

 

Baptize you with the Holy Spirit...

 

This is the promised out-pouring of the Holy Spirit promised with the New Covenant (Ezekiel 37:14).

 

 

And fire: To baptize with fire means to bring the fires of judgment, which will purify the pure, but destroy the wicked like chaff.

 

Chaff is the WORTHLESS residue of a wheat stalk after the kernel of grain has been removed. These proud and unrepentant leaders were just as useless to God.

 

DID YOU KNOW:

 

Purification by fire was also a prophetic hope (Isaiah 4:4; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2; cf. Isaiah 1:25). John therefore predicts a real cleansing, in contrast with his own merely outward token.

 

 

The Jewish leaders thought that the Messiah would come with judgment, but ONLY against Israel's enemies. They were blind in their self-righteous confidence that ONLY others needed to get right with God.

 

Many today have the same idea. John the Baptist is sadly needed to-day. Much of what we call Christianity is but christianized heathenism … we need that John the Baptist should come with his stern words about the axe, the winnowing-fan, and the fire. Nothing less will avail to prepare the way for a new coming of Christ.

 

 

 

Verses 13-14 tells us Jesus comes to John for baptism.

 

 

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"

 

 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized...

 

This is a SIGNIFICANT emergence of Jesus from His many years of obscurity. These FIRST works in His public ministry carry great meaning in understanding the rest of His ministry.

 

 

Jesus came...

 

No one compelled Jesus to be baptized. He came to John of His own choice. There are some OLD & FALSE traditions that says Jesus was baptized because of PRESSURE from His mother and brothers. Since everyone else was doing it, they thought He should also.

 

 

I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?

 

John recognized the inherent irony in this situation. Jesus had nothing to repent of, and it would be more appropriate for Jesus to baptize John.

 

Verse 15 tells us Jesus ALLOWS Himself to be baptized by John.

 

 

"But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him."

 

 

It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness...

 

Jesus understood why this seemed strange to John, but it was nevertheless necessary to FULFILL all righteousness. It was NOT that this one act in itself fulfilled all righteousness, but it was JUST ANOTHER important step in the overall mission of Jesus to IDENTIFY with fallen and sinful man, a mission that would ONLY finally be fulfilled at the cross.

 

 

Yet it would be easy for any onlooker to think that Jesus was just another sinner being baptized; so He identified with sinful man. Christ's baptism might create misunderstanding, just as His associating with publicans and sinners did. He was content to be misunderstood.

 

 

Then he allowed Him...

 

The purpose was for Jesus to completely identify Himself with sinful man. This is exactly what He did in His birth, His upbringing, and His death. So here, as John allowed Him to be, Jesus stood in the place of sinful man.

 

 

SO WE UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY TWO THINGS...

 

1. In baptism JESUS confessed, as His own, sins which He had NOT committed, and repented of them before God. He was numbered with the transgressors and bore the sins of many.

 

 

2. There is also a sense in which this was an important NEW beginning for Jesus; not in the sense of turning from sin, but in making a break with His previous life.

 

In accordance with the symbolic significance of the rite as denoting death to an old life and rising to a new, Jesus came to be baptized in the sense of dying to the old natural relations to parents, neighbors, and earthly calling, and devoting Himself henceforth to His public Messianic vocation.

 

 

Verses 16-17 tells us The DIVINE WITNESSES to Jesus' status as the Son of God.

 

 

"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

 

The heavens WERE opened...

 

It was important for God the Father to publicly demonstrate that Jesus' baptism was not just like anyone else's, in the sense of being a display of repentance. It was not a display of repentance, but instead it was a righteous identification with sinners, motivated by love, was well pleasing to the Father.

 

 

The Spirit of God descending like a dove...

 

This was a dramatic experience with the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of God coming upon Jesus in a way that could actually be seen (somewhat similar to the coming of the Spirit of God upon the gathered disciples in Acts 2:1-4).

 

 

Luke 3:22 says it like this: And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him. In some way the Spirit was present, and "flew down" upon Jesus like a dove. Whatever exactly it was, it was real.

 

John 1:32-34 indicates that John the Baptist saw this phenomenon and understood what it meant.

 

HERE THE TRINITY IS TOGETHER IN ATTENDANCE FOR MAN TO SEE.

 

This was NOT a temporary gift of the Spirit of God as some wrongly teach and proclaim.

 

John the Baptist's testimony in John 1:32-33, when he said that he saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. Jesus was about to begin His public ministry, and He would do it in the power of the Spirit of God.

 

 

How a dove represents the work of the Holy Spirit

 

1. Like a dove, the work of the Holy Spirit can be swift.

 

2. Like a dove, the work of the Holy Spirit can be soft and gentle.

 

3. Like a dove, the work of the Holy Spirit brings peace.

 

4. Like a dove, the work of the Holy Spirit is harmless.

 

5. Like a dove, the work of the Holy Spirit speaks of love.

 

 

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased...

 

When this voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, everyone KNEW that Jesus was NOT just another man being baptized. They KNEW Jesus was the perfect (in whom I am well pleased) Son of God, identifying with sinful man. By this, everyone knew that Jesus WAS different. Jesus was baptized so to be identified with sinful man, but He was also baptized to be identified to sinful man.

 

 

In this God the Father also expressed His approval of Jesus' life up to this point. "By the divine proclamation at the baptism God announced the presence of the King, and set the seal of His approval on the years already lived.

 

 

The Spirit of God descending … My beloved Son...

 

We should not miss the obvious point...

 

God the Father loves God the Son, and communicated that love by God the Holy Spirit. Here we see the love relationship and cooperation between the Persons of the Trinity, in one occasion when the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were ALL manifested at the SAME time.

 

 

THIS CHAPTER OF MATTHEW FOREVER CLEARS UP THE FALSE TEACHINGS AND FALSE BELIEFS THAT JESUS WAS JUST A NORMAL MAN AND THAT JESUS DID NOT KNOW HE WAS THE SON OF GOD UNTIL THIS EXPERIENCE. AND FOREVER CLEARS UP THE TRIUNENESS AND THE TRINITY OF GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. THEY ARE ALL THREE UNIQUELY DIFFERENT, BUT YET ALL STILL OF ONE HEART AND ONE MIND.

 

MATTHEW 4

 

OPENS WITH...THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS AND HIS FIRST GALILEAN MINISTRY

 

Verses 1-2 tells us Jesus is led to the place of temptation.

 

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry."

 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted...

 

After identifying with sinners in His baptism, Jesus then identified with them again in severe temptation. This was a necessary part of His ministry, so He truly was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness.

 

SATAN DID NOT COME TO JESUS STRAIGHT FROM HIS BAPTISM, NOR WHEN HE WAS IN HIS HUMAN BODY THE HEALTHIEST AND STRONGEST. SATAN WAITED, UNTIL JESUS' HUMAN BODY WAS AT ITS WEAKEST. AND THAT IS A LESSON FOR US. SATAN WILL NOT COME AGAINST US WHEN WE ARE STEADY, HEALTH, STRONG, RESTED. SATAN AND HIS DEMONS WILL COME AT US WHEN WE ARE TIRED, SICK, WORRIED, UNDER TRIAL, UNDER ATTACK.

 

JESUS HAD TO BE A PERFECT SACRIFICE. SO IT WAS NECESSARY FOR JESUS TO FACE AND DEAL WITH EVERYTHING WE WILL EVER FACE IN THIS LIFE.

 

It was a remarkable contrast between the glory following Jesus’ baptism and the challenge to be tempted by the devil.

 

· Then the cool waters of the Jordan; now the barren wilderness.
· Then the huge crowds; now solitude and silence.
· Then the Spirit rests like a dove; now the Spirit drives Him into the wilderness.
· Then the voice of the Father calling Him “Beloved Son”; now the hiss of Satan the tempter.
· Then anointed; now attacked.
· Then the water of baptism; now the fire of temptation.
· First the heavens opened; now hell.

 

Jesus did not need to be tempted to help Him grow. Instead, He endured temptation both so that He could IDENTIFY WITH US (Hebrews 2:18 and 4:15), and to demonstrate His own holy, sinless character.

 

The Holy Spirit can NOT tempt us (James 1:13), but the Holy Spirit may lead us to a place where we will be tempted. This is not to prove something to God (who knows all things), but to prove something to us and to the spiritual beings watching us.

 

Tempted by the devil...

 

Temptation is a certainty for everyone. Yet Jesus’ temptation was more severe. It was more severe because He was tempted directly by the devil himself, while we contend mainly with lesser demons. It was also more severe because there is a sense in which temptation is “relieved” by giving in, and Jesus NEVER did yield. Therefore He bore levels of temptation we will NEVER know by experience.

 

BARCLAY adds, "Many commentators believe it is improper to refer to this section as the temptation of Jesus, because the word "peirazo" is more often and more accurately translated TESTING instead of temptation. “Peirazein has a quite different element in its meaning. It means to test far more than it means to tempt in our sense of the word.”

 

SPURGEON adds, “Luther’s remark stands true, that prayer, meditation, and temptation, are the three best instructors of the gospel minister.”

 

He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry...

 

Matthew points out both the barren desert (the Judean wilderness was and is exactly that), and Jesus’ severe physical condition after such a long fast. It is said that when hunger pains return after such a fast (He was hungry), it indicates the subject is beginning to starve to death.

 

POOLE adds, “Here was the Divine power miraculously seen, in upholding the human nature of Christ without any thing to eat: this was a miracle.”

 

Yet it was a miracle also evident in the lives of Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8). It was supernatural, but not beyond human capacity when enabled by the Spirit of God.

 

Forty days and forty nights...

 

This is a familiar period of testing in the Bible, both in the days of Noah and for Israel in the wilderness. Jesus will succeed where Israel as a nation failed.

 

This wasn’t self-denial just for the sake of self-denial, or worse yet for the sake of building spiritual pride. This was a period of FORCED dependence upon God the Father.

 

We remember...

HEBREWS 5:8, "He learned obedience through the things which He suffered."

 

Verses 3-4 tells us The FIRST temptation: an appeal to the LUST of the flesh.

 

"Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

 

When the tempter came...

 

Notice that Matthew writes WHEN the tempter came. In our lives, it is NOT a question of IF the tempter will come, but WHEN he will come. We WILL face temptation until we go to glory.

 

SPURGEON adds, “But let us do what we will, we shall be tempted. God had one Son without sin, but he never had a son without temptation.”

 

We should consider the circumstances that PRECEDED the temptation of Jesus:

 

· He was in an especially devout frame of mind before His temptation.
· He was engaged in an act of public obedience to His Father’s will before His temptation.
· He was in an exceedingly humble frame of mind before His temptation.
· He was blessed by a heavenly assurance of His Sonship before His temptation.
· He was filled with the Holy Spirit before His temptation.
· He was completely separated from the world before His temptation.

 

If You are the Son of God...

 

The question asked by Satan is more literally “since You are the Son of God,” instead of “if You are the Son of God.” Satan did not question Jesus’ deity; he challenged Him to prove it or demonstrate it through miraculous works.

 

Command that these stones become bread...

 

This was a temptation to use God’s gifts for SELFISH purposes. Satan suggested that Jesus use His miraculous powers to provide food for Himself.

 

This wasn’t a temptation to miraculously create great riches or luxuries, only bread. The Bible has many accounts of miraculous provision, some at the hands of Jesus. Yet Jesus would NOT command that these stones become bread, especially at the instigation of Satan.

 

We might say that Jesus was being tested through His strengths, through His gifts. Would He allow His strengths to become traps?

 

SPURGEON adds, “He bids the Lord prove his Sonship by catering for himself; and yet that would have been the surest way to prove that he was not the Son of God.”

 

We could say that the same temptation came to Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:40).

 

But He answered...

 

Jesus did NOT silently disagree with Satan, He answered him – and He answered him from the Word of God. When Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus shows that EVERY word that proceeds from the mouth of God should be more PRECIOUS to us than food itself.

 

What Satan suggested made sense – “Why starve yourself to death?” But what is written makes even more sense.

 

BRUCE adds, “Hunger represents human wants, and the question was: whether Sonship was to mean exemption from these, or loyal acceptance of them as part of the Messiah’s experience.”

 

It is NOT that Jesus REFUSED supernatural help in feeding Himself; He was more than happy to eat what the angels brought Him when the time of testing was over (Matthew 4:11). It was NOT a matter of refusing supernatural help; it was a matter of SUBMITTING to His Father’s timing and will in ALL things.

 

It is written...

 

By relying on the power and truth of God’s Word, Jesus was willing to fight this battle as a man; He could have easily rebuked Satan into another galaxy, but resisted him in a way that we CAN DO, we CAN imitate and identify with.

 

Jesus used Scripture to battle Satan’s temptation, NOT some elaborate spiritual power inaccessible to us. Jesus fought this battle as fully man, and He drew on no “special resources” unavailable to us.

 

SPURGEON adds, “Out flashed the sword of the Spirit: our Lord will fight with no other weapon. He could have spoken new revelations, but chose to say, ‘It is written.'”

 

He could have stood against Satan with a display of His own glory; He could have stood against Satan with logic and reason. Instead, Jesus used the word of God as a weapon against Satan and temptation.

 

· He used a weapon that one can use when they are all alone.
· He used a weapon to defend His Sonship.
· He used a weapon to defeat temptation.
· He used a weapon that was effective because He understood it.

 

We effectively resist temptation in the same way Jesus did: by countering Satan’s seductive lies by shining the light of God’s truth upon them. If we are ignorant of God’s truth, we are poorly armed in the fight against temptation.

 

Verses 5-7 tells us The SECOND temptation: an appeal to the PRIDE of life.

 

"Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'”

 

If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down...

 

Satan tempted Jesus to “force” the Father into a supernatural event. Satan appealed to the desire within every man to sense approval from God and to have that approval publicly demonstrated.

 

Set Him on the pinnacle of the temple...

 

The pinnacle of the temple arose some 200 feet from the floor of the Kidron Valley. A leap from there, and the appearance of the promised angelic protection, would be a remarkable spectacle.

 

BARCLAY adds, “This was the very method that the false Messiahs who were continually arising promised…These pretenders had offered sensations which they could not perform. Jesus could perform anything he promised. Why should he not do it?”

 

Jesus just had this kind of spectacular demonstration at His baptism (Matthew 3:17), but that must have seemed far away after forty days and nights of fasting in the wilderness.

 

For it is written...

 

The devil can use this phrase also. We can trust that the devil has memorized the Bible himself, and is an expert at quoting it out of its context to confuse and defeat those he tempts. Here the devil quoted PSALM 91:11-12, and took it out of its context to say, “Go ahead, Jesus; if You do this the Bible promises angels will rescue You, and it will be spectacular self-promotion.”

 

SPURGEON adds, “Satan borrowed our Lord’s weapon, and said, “It is written‘; but he did not use the sword lawfully. It was not in the nature of the false fiend to quote correctly. He left out the necessary words, ‘in all thy ways’: thus he made the promise say what in truth it never suggested.”

 

POOLE adds, "This text is falsely quoted, because the devil left out the words, “To keep you in all your ways.” To test God in this way was not of Jesus’ way; it was not of the way of the Savior or Messiah. “God had never promised, nor ever given, any protection of angels in sinful and forbidden ways. Satan used this text is WRONGLY applied, because it was not used to teach or encourage, but instead to deceive. “Making this word a promise to be fulfilled upon Christ’s neglect of his duy; extending the promise of special providence as to dangers into which men voluntarily throw themselves.”

 

Jesus UNDERSTOOD from His knowledge of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) that Satan was TWISTING this passage from Psalm 91.

 

Jesus KNEW how to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

 

Sadly, many are willing to believe anyone who quotes from the Bible today. A preacher can pretty much say whatever he wants if he quotes a few proof-texts, and people will assume that he really speaks from the Bible.

 

It is important for each Christian to KNOW the Bible for themselves, and NOT to be deceived by someone who quotes the Bible but NOT accurately or with correct application.

 

It is written again, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”...

 

Jesus replied with Scripture, but applied correctly. He knew that attempting to force or manipulate God the Father into such a demonstration would tempt God, which the Scriptures STRICTLY FORBIDS.

 

This WARNS US AGAINST demanding something spectacular from God to prove His love or concern for us. He has already given the ultimate demonstration of His love for us at the cross (Romans 5:8), and He can do nothing more “spectacular” than that.

 

Verses 8-10 tells us The THIRD temptation: an appeal to the LUST of the eyes.

 

"Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

 

All these things I will give You...

 

Essentially, this vision invited Jesus to take a SHORTCUT around the cross. Jesus came to win ALL the kingdoms of the world and their glory back from Satan’s domain, and Satan offers them to Jesus, if He will only fall down and worship him.

 

BRUCE adds, "It again may seem a small thing; Jesus could lay claim to all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and do so without enduring the cross. “The danger is greatest when the end is good.”

 

All He would have to do is give Satan what he has been longing for ever since he fell from glorious to profane: worship and recognition from God Himself.

 

This is a revealing insight into Satan’s heart; worship and recognition are far more precious to him than the possession of the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

 

Satan is still the one who said I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

 

I will give You...

 

Evidently, Satan BELIEVED HE HAS TOTAL authority over this world and its governments. The temptation could not have been real unless there is some real sense that Satan does “possess” all the LOST SIN-FILLED RULERS AND THEIR KINGDOMS of the world and their glory.

 

Adam and his descendants gave the devil this authority. God gave Adam the earth as a stewardship (Genesis 1:28-30), and Adam willingly turned it over to Satan. After that, all Adam’s descendants cast their vote of approval by their personal sin.

 

Of course, ultimately, all things belong to God; but God allows Satan to function as the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4) for a purpose. This is why the fallen world is in the mess it is.

 

Away with you, Satan! For it is written...

 

Jesus replied with Scripture again, and commanded the devil to leave. In the same way we can resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). It worked for Jesus (Then the devil left Him) and it will work for us.

 

TRAPP adds, “The word of God hath a power in it to quail and to quash Satan’s temptations, far better than that wooden dagger, that leaden sword of the Papists, their holy water, crossings, grains, dirty relics…It is not the sign of the cross, but the word of the cross, that overthrows Satan.”

 

The temptations of Jesus also remind us that it is NO SIN to be tempted, as long as the temptation is RESISTED. Even horrible temptations – Jesus was tempted to worship Satan – are not in themselves sin if they are resisted.

 

Verse 11 tells us The devil leaves and angels come to Jesus.

 

"Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him."

 

Then the devil left Him means that Jesus WON.

Jesus WON because He recognized Satan’s mode of attack: lies and deception.

 

Primarily, Satan is a deceiver, and for those who live in light of the cross, DECEPTION is his ONLY tool, because demonic powers were disarmed at the cross of their “real” weapons and power (Colossians 2:15). But deception is extremely effective at leading us into sin, and at causing us to live lives of fear and unbelief.

 

Jesus showed the ONLY effective counter to deception: God’s truth, not man’s wisdom.

 

FIRST, we must see temptation for what it is – a lie.

 

SECOND, we must combat temptation with the Word of God.

 

THIRD, we must always build ourselves up in the truth, and have it in our heart.

 

Each passage Jesus quoted back to Satan in this section comes from Deuteronomy chapters 6 and 8. It is not unreasonable to suppose that Jesus was meditating on those very passages, and He fought Satan with the fresh bread He fed on. We should make sure we always have some fresh bread to answer Satan with.

 

Jesus thought this was IMPORTANT for us to know; only He could have told the Gospel writers what happened when He was tempted in the Judean wilderness. We need to learn from this; to learn how we can overcome temptation, but even more importantly how Jesus overcame temptation on our behalf and succeeded as the sinless Son of God where Adam and Moses and all others had failed.

 

Behold, angels came and ministered to Him...

 

God never forsakes those who endure through temptation. Even as angels came and ministered to Jesus, God will find a way to minister to us and meet our needs as we endure temptation.

 

Verse 12-16 tells us Fulfilling prophecy, The FIRST Galilean ministry of Jesus who brings LIGHT to the region of Galilee.

 

"Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

 

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee...

 

John 3:22 and 4:1-2 indicate that the first ministry Jesus did with His disciples was a baptizing ministry at the Jordan. Sometime after that and after the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus went to Galilee to begin His itinerant ministry in that region.

J

ohn’s Gospel (John 1:19-2:12) records an early ministry in Galilee and in Judea before Jesus went to Galilee as mentioned here. This early Judean ministry included the earliest call of the disciples and the wedding at Cana (in Galilee), and the first cleansing of the temple followed by His interview with Nicodemus (in Judea). Then John tells us what happened when Jesus traveled north to Galilee through Samaria, and met a Samaritan woman at a well.

 

He departed to Galilee...

 

The region of Galilee was a fertile, progressive, highly populated region. According to figures from the Jewish historian Josephus, there were an area of about 60 by 30 miles, Josephus says that there were some 204 villages with none having less than 15,000 people. Some 3 million people populating Galilee, an area smaller than the state of Connecticut.

 

Galilee was predominately Gentile in its population, but with a large number of Jewish cities and citizens. Also, Galilee was known as an incredibly fertile region. Many successful farms took advantage of the good soil.

 

Leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum...

 

This was because the people rejected Jesus in His own hometown (Luke 4:16-30). It was significant that Jesus made His home in Capernaum and not in Nazareth.

 

Matthew may have been particularly interested in Capernaum because it was where he himself lived (Matthew 9:1-9). Peter also had a house in Capernaum (Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:29 and 2:1).

 

BRUCE adds, "Yet leaving Nazareth, Jesus did not go to live and make His home in Jerusalem or Judea. Going to Jerusalem would seem to be smarter career planning for the Messiah, but Jesus dwelt in Capernaum. “This migration to Capernaum is not formally noted in the other Gospels, but Capernaum appears in all the synoptists as the main centre of Christ’s Galilean ministry.”

 

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet...

 

As is his custom, Matthew sees Jesus’ ministry in Galilee as a fulfillment of prophecy. Light has come to this region, largely populated by Gentiles, and Isaiah 9:1-2 predicted this of the ministry of the Messiah.

 

Verse 17 tells us A general description of the message of Jesus.

 

"From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

Jesus began to preach...

 

One might say that this was the main occupation of Jesus. He did heal and minister to many miraculously; but on the whole, it seems fair to say that Jesus was a preacher and teacher who healed, more than He was a healer who also preached and taught. This is the priority of Jesus’ ministry as stated in Matthew 4:23.

 

Repent...

 

The gospel Jesus preached began the same place that the gospel John preached began – with a call to repentance (Matthew 3:2). In fact, since Jesus waited until John had been put in prison (Matthew 4:12), He probably saw Himself as picking up where John left off. But Jesus would go further than John ever did, because John announced the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus is the Messiah.

 

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand...

 

Some people make elaborate distinctions between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. There actually seems to be no difference at all, especially in light of the Jewish custom of often not even naming God directly, but referring to Him by the place where He lives heaven – a custom that Matthew, a Jew writing to Jews, often employs.

 

Verses 18-22 tells us FOUR MEN are called as disciples.

 

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."

 

Saw two brothers…casting a net into the sea...

 

This was NOT the first time Jesus met these men, and other gospels describe previous encounters (John 1:35-42 and Luke 5:3), but this is when Jesus called them to leave their professions and follow Him with a full-time commitment.

 

FRANCE adds, “Its fishing industry was prosperous, and its fishermen not necessarily poor (Zebedee’s family employed workers, Mark 1:20).”

 

SPURGEON adds, "God usually calls people as they are busy doing something. Jesus called the apostles as they were casting a net into the sea or mending their nets. “They were busy in a lawful occupation when he called them to be ministers: our Lord does not call idlers but fishers.”

 

· Saul was looking for his father’s donkeys.
· David was keeping his father’s sheep.
· The shepherds were guarding their flocks.
· Amos was farming in Tekoa.
· Matthew was working at the tax collector’s table.
· Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock.
· Gideon was threshing wheat.

 

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men...

 

In that day, it was customary for a rabbi to have disciples; there was nothing cult-like about Jesus asking these men to be with Him constantly and to learn from Him. In some aspects, Jesus offered them a traditional education at the feet of a rabbi; in other aspects, this was very different from a normal rabbinical education.

 

They immediately left their nets…And immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him...

 

The immediate response of these disciples is a great example to us. Then the first disciples did what all disciples of Jesus should do: they followed Him.

 

Following Jesus means leaving some things behind.
The Samaritan woman left her pitcher.
Matthew left his tax table.
Blind Bartimaeus left his cloak to follow Jesus.

 

Verses 23-25 tells us A description of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee.

 

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him; from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan."

 

Teaching in their synagogues...

 

The customs of the synagogue in that day gave Jesus many opportunities to teach, because they would often give a visitor – especially a distinguished one – a chance to speak.

 

BARCLAY adds, “After the address there came a time for talk, and questions, and discussion. The synagogue was the ideal place in which to get a new teaching across to the people.”

 

Teaching…preaching the gospel of the kingdom...

 

The difference between teaching and preaching is one of emphasis and manner, not of content.

 

PREACHING is the uncompromising proclamation of certainties.
TEACHING is the explanation of the meaning and significance of them.

 

All kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease...

 

Jesus’ ability to heal those with all different kinds of diseases demonstrates that He has authentic power over the damage done by the fall of man. His authority over demons (and those who were demon-possessed) shows He has authentic power over all creation.

 

This is the FIRST mention of the demon-possessed in the New Testament, and the concept is rarely recorded in the Old Testament (Saul was one example, who was troubled by a spirit, as in 1 Samuel 18:10, 19:9). There is obviously much more record of demon possession on the pages of the New Testament than either in the Old Testament or in the contemporary western world. Many suggestions have been offered for this fact.

 

1. Some believe that God gave the devil greater allowance to afflict man in this way, to give greater evidence of Jesus’ credentials as Messiah.

 

2. Some believe that God allowed the devil a greater allowance to afflict man in this way to rebuke the Sadducees, who did not believe in supernatural beings such as angels and demons.

 

3. Some believe that there was no greater allowance in those days at all, and that there is the same amount of demon possession today, although it is not recognized as such.

 

4. Some believe that there is simply far less demon possession in cultures that have been under the influence of the gospel for hundreds of years, and far more in pagan and/or animistic cultures.

 

5. Some believe that Satan himself is not interested in a strategy of widespread demon possession of humans in the contemporary western world, because he finds anonymity and spiritual skepticism more effective tools.

 

Great multitudes followed Him...

 

Jesus had a purpose for allowing such dramatic miracles to attract great multitudes. He wanted to teach the multitudes, not simply to impress them with miracles.

 

MATTHEW 5

 

OPENS WITH...THE INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

 

Verse 1 tells us Jesus prepares to teach His disciples.

 

"And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him."

 

And seeing the multitudes...

 

The previous section mentioned that great multitudes followed Him, coming from many different regions (Matthew 4:25). In response to this, Jesus went up on a mountain.

 

It is WRONG to think that Jesus went up on a mountain to REMOVE Himself from the multitudes. It is true that Jesus gave this teaching to His disciples, but this use of the term is probably broad, including many among the great multitudes that followed Him mentioned in Matthew 4:25. By the end of the Sermon on the Mount, people in general heard His message and were amazed (Matthew 7:28).

 

Luke says that this same basic material was, on a different occasion, spoken to a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases (Luke 6:17). Yet, in the beginning the teaching, Luke writes: Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said (Luke 6:20). The sense of this is much the same as in Matthew; that this sermon was spoken to the disciples of Jesus, but disciples in a broad sense of those who had followed Him and heard Him; NOT in the narrow sense of only the Twelve.

 

BRUCE corrects it well, "Jesus was not monastic in spirit, and He had not two doctrines, one for the many, another for the few, like Buddha. His highest teaching … was meant for the million."

 

When He was seated...

 

DID YOU KNOW...This was the common posture for teaching in that culture. It was customary for the teacher to sit and the hearers to stand. Confirmed to us in Luke 4:20; cf. Matthew 13:2; 23:2; 24:3).

 

Now in Matthew's record Jesus will speak and teach; it is God speaking but no longer through an inspired human personality like Jeremiah or Isaiah or Samuel; now the truth of God spoke through the EXACT personality of God.

 

His disciples came to Him...

 

This again probably has in mind a group much larger than the Twelve, who to this point have NOT been introduced as a group in this Gospel.

 

Verse 2 tells us Jesus BEGINS to teach.

 

"Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:"

 

Then He opened His mouth...

 

This means that Jesus used his voice in a strong way to teach this crowd. He spoke with energy, projecting His thoughts with earnestness.

 

And taught them, saying...

 

What they heard was a message that has long been recognized as the sum of Jesus' - or anyone's - ethical teaching. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us HOW to live.

 

It has been said if you took all the good advice for how to live ever uttered by any philosopher or psychiatrist or counselor, took out the foolishness and boiled it all down to the real essentials, you would be left with a poor imitation of this great message by Jesus.

 

It presents a radically different agenda than what the nation of Israel expected from the Messiah. It does NOT present the political or material blessings of the Messiah's reign. Instead, it expresses the spiritual implications of the rule of Jesus in our lives. This great message tells us how will we live when Jesus is our Lord. "In the first century there was little agreement among Jews as to what the messianic kingdom would be like. One very popular assumption was that the Roman yoke would be shattered and there would be political peace and mounting prosperity for Israel.

 

 

 

The Sermon on the Mount was Jesus' "standard" sermon. It was the core of His message: a simple proclamation of how God expects us to live, contrasting with common Jewish misunderstandings of that life. It may be that when Jesus preached to a new audience, He often preached this sermon or used the themes from it.

 

Yet we can also regard this as Jesus training the disciples in the message He wanted them to carry to others. It was His message, meant to be passed onto and through them. "In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew shows us Jesus instructing his disciples in the message which was his and which they were to take to men. In the Gospel of Luke, the material similar to the Sermon on the Mount comes immediately after Jesus chose the twelve.

 

It is clear that the Sermon on the Mount had a significant impact on the early church. The early Christians make constant reference to it and their lives display the glory of radical disciples.

 

The Beatitudes: the character of kingdom citizens.

 

The FIRST portion of the Sermon on the Mount is known as the Beatitudes, which means "The Blessings" but can also be understood as giving the believer his "be - attitudes" - the attitudes he should "be." In the Beatitudes, Jesus sets forth both the nature and the aspirations of citizens of His kingdom. They have and are learning these character traits.

 

GUZIK adds, "All of these character traits are marks and goals of ALL Christians. There is no escape from our responsibility to desire every one of these spiritual attributes. If you meet someone who claims to be a Christian but displays and desires none of these traits, you may rightly wonder about their salvation, because they do not have the character of kingdom citizens. But if they claim to have mastered these attributes, you may question their honesty."

 

Verse :3 tells us The FOUNDATION: poverty of spirit.

 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 

Blessed...

 

Jesus promised blessing to His disciples, promising that the poor in spirit are blessed. The idea behind the ancient Greek word for blessed is "happy," but in the truest, godly sense of the word, not in our modern sense of merely being comfortable or entertained at the moment.

 

In Matthew 25:34, Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment He would say to His people, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. On that day, He will judge between the blessed and the cursed - He both knows and explains what are the requirements for the blessed one. We can also say that no one was ever blessed more than Jesus; He knows what goes into a blessed life.

 

SPURGEON points out, "Note, also, with delight, that the blessing is in every case in the present tense, a happiness to be now enjoyed and delighted in. It is not 'Blessed shall be,' but 'Blessed are."

 

The poor in spirit...

This is NOT a man's confession that he is by nature insignificant, or personally without value, for that would be untrue. Instead, it is a confession that he is sinful and rebellious and utterly without moral virtues adequate to commend him to God.

 

The poor in spirit recognize that they have no spiritual "assets." They know they are spiritually bankrupt. We might say that the ancient Greek had a word for the "working poor" and a word for the "truly poor." Jesus used the word for the truly poor here. It indicates someone who must beg for whatever they have or get.

 

Poverty of spirit can NOT be artificially induced by self-hatred; the Holy Spirit and our response to His working in our hearts bring it about.

 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven...

 

Those who are poor in spirit, so poor they must beg, are rewarded. They receive the kingdom of heaven because poverty of spirit is an absolute prerequisite for receiving the kingdom of heaven and as long as we harbor illusions about our own spiritual resources we will never receive from God what we absolutely need to be saved.

 

CARSON reminds, "The kingdom of heaven is not given on the basis of race, earned merits, the military zeal and prowess of Zealots, or the wealth of a Zacchaeus. It is given to the poor, the despised publicans, the prostitutes, those who are so 'poor' they know they can offer nothing and do not try. They cry for mercy and they alone are heard."

 

The call to be poor in spirit is placed first for a reason, because it puts the following commands into perspective. They cannot be fulfilled by one's own strength, but only by a beggar's reliance on God's power. No one mourns until they are poor in spirit; no one is meek towards others until he has a humble view of himself. If you don't sense your own need and poverty you will never hunger and thirst after righteousness, and if you have too high a view of yourself you will find it difficult to be merciful to others.

 

Verse 4 tells us The godly reaction to poverty of spirit: mourning.

 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

 

Blessed are those who mourn...

 

The ancient Greek grammar indicates an intense degree of mourning. Jesus does not speak of casual sorrow for the consequences of our sin, but a deep grief before God over our fallen state.

 

This mourning is the godly sorrow that produces repentance to salvation that Paul described in 2 Corinthians 7:10.

 

For they shall be comforted...

 

Those who mourn over their sin and their sinful condition are promised comfort. God allows this grief into our lives as a path, not as a destination.

Those who mourn can know something special of God; the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10), a closeness to the Man of Sorrows who was acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).

 

Verse 5 tells us The next step: meekness.

 

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

 

Blessed are the meek...

 

In the vocabulary of the ancient Greek language, the meek person was NOT passive or easily pushed around. The main idea behind the word "meek" was strength under control, like a strong stallion that was trained to do the job instead of running wild.

 

To be meek towards others implies freedom from malice and a vengeful spirit. The meek, who can be angry, but restrain their wrath in obedience to the will of God, and will not be angry unless they can be angry and not sin, nor will be easily provoked by others.

 

The first two beatitudes are mostly inward; the third deals with how one relates to one's fellow man. The first two were mainly negative; the third is clearly positive.

 

1. We are meek before God, in that we submit to His will and conform to His Word.

2. We are meek before men, in that we are strong - yet also humble, gentle, patient, and longsuffering.

 

For they shall inherit the earth...

 

We can only be meek, willing to control our desire for our rights and privileges because we are confident God watches out for us, that He will protect our cause. The promise "they shall inherit the earth" proves that God will not allow His meek ones to end up on the short end of the deal.

 

Through the first three beatitudes we notice that the natural man finds NO happiness or blessedness in spiritual poverty, mourning or meekness. These are only a blessing for the spiritual man, those who are NEW creatures in Jesus.

 

Verse 6 tells us The desire of the one who has poverty of spirit, mourning for sin, and meekness: righteousness.

 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

 

Blessed are those who hunger...

 

This describes a profound hunger that can NOT be satisfied by a snack. This is a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity.

 

1. This passion is real, just like hunger and thirst are real.

2. This passion is natural, just like hunger and thirst are natural in a healthy person.

3. This passion is intense, just like hunger and thirst can be.

4. This passion can be painful, just like real hunger and thirst can cause pain.

5. This passion is a driving force, just like hunger and thirst can drive a man.

6. This passion is a sign of health, just like hunger and thirst show health.

 

Hunger and thirst for righteousness…

 

We see Christians hungering for many things: power, authority, success, comfort, happiness - but how many hunger and thirst for righteousness?

 

It is good to remember that Jesus said this in a day and to a culture that really knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty. Modern man - at least in the western world - is often so distant from the basic needs of hunger and thirst that they also find it difficult to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

 

How does this hunger and thirst for righteousness express itself?

1. A man longs to have a righteous nature.

2. A man wants to be sanctified, to be made more holy.

3. A man longs to continue in God's righteousness.

4. A man longs to see righteousness promoted in the world.

 

For they shall be filled...

 

Jesus promised to fill this hungry one; to fill them with as much as they could eat. This is a strange filling that both satisfies us and keeps us longing for more.

 

Verse 7 tells us Blessing to the merciful.

 

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

 

Blessed are the merciful...

 

When this beatitude addresses those who will show mercy, it speaks to those who have already received mercy.

 

1. It is mercy to be emptied of your pride and brought to poverty of spirit.

2. It is mercy to be brought to mourning over your spiritual condition.

3. It is mercy to receive the grace of meekness and to become gentle.

4. It is mercy to be made hungry and thirsty after righteousness.

 

Therefore, this one who is expected to show mercy is one who has already received it.

 

1. The merciful one will show it to those who are weaker and poorer.

2. The merciful one will always look for those who weep and mourn.

3. The merciful one will be forgiving to others, and always looking to restore broken relationships.

4. The merciful one will be merciful to the character of other people, and choose to think the best of them whenever possible.

5. The merciful one will not expect too much from others.

6. The merciful one will be compassionate to those who are outwardly sinful.

7. The merciful one will have a care for the souls of all men.

 

For they shall obtain mercy...

 

If you want mercy from others - especially God - then you should take care to be merciful to others. Some people wonder why God showed such remarkable mercy to King David, especially in the terrible ways in which he sinned. One reason God gave him such mercy was because David was notably merciful to King Saul, and on several occasions was kind to a very unworthy Saul. In David, the merciful obtained mercy.

 

Verse 8 tells us Blessing to the pure in heart.

 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

 

Blessed are the pure in heart...

 

In the ancient Greek, the phrase "pure of heart" has the idea of straightness, honesty, and clarity. There can be two ideas connected to this.

1. Inner moral purity as opposed to the image of purity or ceremonial purity.

2. Single, undivided heart - those who are utterly sincere and not divided in their devotion and commitment to God.

 

For they shall see God...

 

In this, the pure of heart receive the most wonderful reward. They shall enjoy greater intimacy with God than they could have imagined. The polluting sins of covetousness, oppression, lust, and chosen deception have a definite blinding effect upon a person, and the one pure of heart is freer from these pollutions.

 

1. The heart-pure person can see God in nature.

2. The heart-pure person can see God in Scripture.

3. The heart-pure person can see God in his church family.

4. The heart-pure person can see something of God's true character.

 

SPURGEON adds, "One day, at an hotel dinner table, I was talking with a brother-minister about certain spiritual things when a gentleman, who sat opposite to us, and who had a serviette tucked under his chin, and a face that indicated his fondness for wine, made, this remark, 'I have been in this world for sixty years, and I have never yet been conscious of anything spiritual.' We did not say what we thought, but we thought it was very likely that what he said was perfectly true; and there are a great many more people in the world who might say the same as he did. But that, only proved that he was not conscious of anything spiritual; not that others were not conscious of it."

 

Ultimately, this intimate relationship with God must become our greatest motivation for purity, greater than a fear of getting caught or a fear of consequences.

 

Verse 9 tells us Blessing to the peacemakers.

 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

 

Blessed are the peacemakers...

 

This does not describe those who live in peace, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good. One way we accomplish this is through spreading the gospel, because God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). In evangelism we make peace between man and the God whom they have rejected and offended.

 

We commonly think of this peacemaking work as being the job of one person who stands between two fighting parties. This may be one way this is fulfilled; but one can also end a conflict and be a peacemaker when they are party to a conflict; when they are the injured or the offending party.

 

For they shall be called sons of God...

 

The reward of peacemakers is that they are recognized as true children of God. They share His passion for peace and reconciliation, the breaking down of walls between people.

He is blessed by God; though the peacemaker may be ill-treated by man, he is blessed by God. He is blessed to be among the children of God, adopted into is family, surrounded by brothers and sisters through the ages.

 

Verses 10-12 tells us The world's reception of these kind of people: persecution.

 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

 

Blessed are those who are persecuted...

 

These blessed ones are persecuted for righteousness' sake and for Jesus' sake (for My sake), not for their own stupidity or fanaticism. Peter recognized that suffering might come to some Christians for reasons other than their faithfulness to Jesus (1 Peter 4:15-16), and this is NOT what Jesus addressed here.

 

The character traits described in the Beatitudes are not valued by our modern culture. We don't recognize or give awards to the "Most Pure in Heart" or "Most Poor in Spirit." Though our culture doesn't think much of these character traits, they do described the character of the citizens of God's kingdom.

 

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake...

 

Jesus brings insults and spoken malice into the sphere of persecution. We cannot limit our idea of persecution to only physical opposition or torture.

 

It did not take long for these words of Jesus to ring true to His followers. Early Christians heard many enemies say all kinds of evil against them falsely for Jesus' sake. Christians were WRONGLY accused of:

1. Cannibalism, because of gross and deliberate misrepresentation of the practice of the Lord's Supper by other religions..

 

2. Immorality, because of gross deliberate misrepresentation of weekly "Love Feast" and their private meetings.

 

3. Revolutionary fanaticism, because they believed that Jesus would return and there would be an apocalyptic end to history.

 

4. Splitting families, because when one marriage partner or parent became a Christian there was often change and division in the family.

 

5. Treason, because they would not honor the Roman gods and participate in emperor worship.

 

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad...

 

Literally, we could translate this phrase to say that the persecuted should "leap for joy." Why? Because the persecuted will have great reward in heaven, and because the persecuted are in good company: the prophets before them were also persecuted.

 

Yet the world persecutes these good people because the values and character expressed in these Beatitudes are so opposite to the world's manner of thinking. Our persecution may not be much compared to others, but if no one speaks evil of you, are these Beatitudes traits of your life?

 

Verse 13 tells us The followers of Jesus should be like salt.

 

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

 

You are the salt of the earth...

 

Disciples are like salt because they are precious. In Jesus' day, salt was a VERY valued commodity. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt, giving rise to the phrase "worth his salt."

 

You are the salt of the earth...

 

Disciples are like salt because they have a preserving influence. Salt was used to preserve meats and to slow decay. Christians should have a preserving influence on their culture.

 

You are the salt of the earth...

 

Disciples are like salt because they add flavor. Christians should be a "flavorful" people.

 

If the salt loses its flavor … it is then good for nothing...

 

Salt must keep its "saltiness" to be of any value. When it is no good as salt, it is trampled under foot. In the same way, too many Christians loose their "flavor" and become good for nothing.

 

Verses 14-16 tells us The followers of Jesus should be like light.

 

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

You are the light of the world...

 

Jesus gives the Christian both a great compliment and a great responsibility when He says that we are the light of the world, because He claimed that title for Himself as He walked this earth (John 8:12 and John 9:5).

 

Light of the world means that we are not only light-receivers, but also light-givers. We must have a greater concern than only ourselves, and we cannot live only to ourselves; we must have someone to shine to, and do so lovingly.

SPURGEON says,"This title had been given by the Jews to certain of their eminent Rabbis. With great pomposity they spoke of Rabbi Judah, or Rabbi Jochanan, as the lamps of the universe, the lights of the world. It must have sounded strangely in the ears of the Scribes and Pharisees to hear that same title, in all soberness, applied to a few bronzed-faced and callous-handed peasants and fishermen, who had become disciples of Jesus."

 

Jesus never challenged us to BECOME salt or light. He simply said that we are - and we are either fulfilling or failing that given responsibility.

 

A key thought in both the pictures of salt and light is distinction. Salt is needed because the world is rotting and decaying and if our Christianity is also rotting and decaying, it won't be any good. Light is needed because the world is in darkness, and if our Christianity imitates the darkness, we have nothing to show the world. To be effective we must seek and display the Christian distinctive. We can never affect the world for Jesus by becoming like the world.

 

Let your light so shine before men...

 

The purpose of light is to illuminate and expose what is there. Therefore light must be exposed before it is of any use - if it is hidden under a basket, it is no longer useful.

 

The figures of salt and light also remind us that the life marked by the beatitudes is not to be lived in isolation. We often assume that those inner qualities can only be developed or displayed in isolation from the world, but Jesus wants us to live them out before the world.

 

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden...

 

Such a city is prominent and can't be hidden. If you see such a city from a distance, it is hard to take your eyes off of it. In the same way, Jesus wanted the people of His kingdom to live VISIBLE lives that attracted attention to the beauty of God's work in the life.

 

Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand...

 

The idea of a lampstand gives the sense that we are to be intentional about letting this light shine. Even as lamps are placed higher so their light can be more effective, we should look for ways to let our light shine in greater and broader ways.

 

That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven...

 

The purpose in letting our light so shine by doing good works is so that others will glorify God, not ourselves.

 

Jesus pointed to a breadth in the impact of disciples that must have seemed almost ridiculous at the time. How could these humble Galileans salt the earth, or light the world? But they did.

 

The three pictures together are powerful, speaking of the effect of Jesus' disciples in the world:

 

1. Salt is the opposite of corruption, and it prevents corruption from getting worse.

2. Light gives the gift of guidance, so that those who have lost their way can find the path home.

3. A city is the product of social order and government; it is against chaos and disorder.

 

Verses 17-18 tells us Jesus' truth & righteousness in relation to the law.

 

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

 

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets...

 

Jesus here began a long discussion of the law, and wanted to make it clear that He did NOT oppose what God gave Israel in what we call the Old Testament. He did NOT come to destroy the word of God, but to free it from the way the Pharisees and Scribes had wrongly interpreted it.

 

I did not come to destroy but to fulfill...

 

Jesus wanted to make it clear that He had authority apart from the Law of Moses, but NOT in contradiction to it. Jesus added nothing to the law except ONE thing that no man had ever added to the law: perfect obedience. This is certainly one way Jesus came to fulfill the law.

 

Even though He often challenged man's interpretations of the law (especially Sabbath regulations), Jesus NEVER broke the law of God.

 

1. Jesus fulfilled the doctrinal teachings of the Law and the Prophets in that He brought full revelation.

 

2. Jesus fulfilled the predictive prophecy of the Law and the Prophets in that He is the Promised One, showing the reality behind the shadows.

 

3. Jesus fulfilled the moral and legal demands of the Law and the Prophets in that He fully obeyed them and He reinterpreted them in their truth.

 

4. Jesus fulfilled the penalty of the Law and the Prophets for us by His death on the cross, taking the penalty we deserved.

 

The Apostle Paul wrote on this theme: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4).

 

One jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled...

 

The jot and the tittle were small punctuation marks in Hebrew writing. It is as if Jesus says, "Not one dot of an "i" or not one cross of a "t" will pass away till all is fulfilled. And indeed, Jesus did perfectly fulfill the law.

 

Verses 19-20 tells us The disciple's relationship to the law.

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments…

 

The commandments are to be obeyed as explained and fulfilled by Jesus' life and teaching, not as in the legalistic thinking of the religious authorities of Jesus' day. For example, sacrifice is commanded by the law, but it was fulfilled in Jesus, so we do not run the danger of being called least in the kingdom of heaven by NOT observing animal sacrifice as detailed in the Law of Moses.

 

Whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven...

 

The Christian is done with the law as a means of gaining a righteous standing before God. One passage that explains this is Galatians 2:21: For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. However, the law stands as the perfect expression of God's ethical character and requirements.

 

The law sends us to Jesus to be justified, because it shows us our inability to please God in ourselves. But after we come to Jesus, He sends us back to the law to learn the heart of God for our conduct and sanctification.

 

Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven...

 

Considering the incredible devotion to the law shown by the scribes and Pharisees, how can we ever hope to exceed their righteousness?

 

The Pharisees were so scrupulous in their keeping of the law that they would even tithe from the small spices obtained from their herb gardens (Matthew 23:23).

 

The heart of this devotion to God is shown by modern day Orthodox Jews. In early 1992, tenants let three apartments in an Orthodox neighborhood in Israel burn to the ground while they asked a rabbi whether a telephone call to the fire department on the Sabbath violated Jewish law. Observant Jews are forbidden to use the phone on the Sabbath, because doing so would break an electrical current, which is considered a form of work. In the half-hour it took the rabbi to decide "yes," the fire spread to two neighboring apartments.

 

The life of Paul shows what the righteousness of the Pharisees was like: Acts 23:6, 26:5; Philippians 3:5.

 

We can exceed their righteousness because our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees in kind, not degree. Paul describes the two kinds of righteousness in Philippians 3:6-9: Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, [I was] blameless. But what things were gain to me, I have counted loss for Christ. But indeed, I count all things loss … that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

 

Though the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was impressive to human observation, it could not prevail before God (Isaiah 64:6).

 

So then, we are not made righteous by keeping the law. When we see what keeping the law really means, we are thankful that Jesus offers us a different kind of righteousness.

 

In this section, Jesus shows the TRUE meaning of the law. But this isn't Jesus against Moses; it is Jesus against false and superficial interpretations of Moses. In regard to the law, the TWO ERRORS of the scribes and Pharisees were that they both restricted God's commands (as in the law of murder) and extended the commands of God past His intention (as in the law of divorce).

 

Verses 21-22 tells us Jesus INTERPRETS the law against

MATTHEW 6

 

OPENS WITH...THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (CONTINUED)

 

Verse 1 tells us Jesus' doing good to please God & warning against doing good to be seen by others.

 

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."

 

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men...

 

Charitable deeds is actually the word righteousness. Jesus tells us to not do righteous things for the sake of display or image (to be seen by them).

 

Jesus has just clearly shown God's righteous standard; perhaps He anticipated the thought "Wouldn't everybody be impressed if I was like that?" So here Jesus addressed the DANGER of cultivating an OUTWARD IMAGE of righteousness. It is almost impossible to do spiritual things in front of others without thinking what their opinion is of us as we do those things, and how they are thinking better or worse of us as we do what we do.

 

This does NOT contradict His previous command to let your light so shine before men (Matthew 5:16). Although the followers of Jesus are to be seen doing good works, they must not do good works simply to be seen.

 

Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven...

 

The idea is when we do righteous deeds for the attention and applause of men, their attention and applause IS our ONLY reward. It is much better to receive a reward from your Father in heaven.

 

There are some who say, "All that is important is the doing of the deed. How I do it is much less important than the doing of it." It is true that in some cases it would be better to do the right thing in the wrong way or out of the wrong motive than to do the wrong thing, but Jesus' point is clear: God cares about HOW we do our good works, and with what MOTIVE we do them.

 

Jesus thus begins to deal with THREE SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES: giving, prayer, and fasting.

 

DID YOU KNOW...THE REASON JESUS SPEAKS TO THESE THREE THINGS WITH ACUTE CLARITY?

 

These three were (and are) the most prominent practical requirements for personal piety in mainstream Judaism … These same three activities, together with the specifically Islamic requirements of the Hajj and recitation of the creed, constitute also the Five Pillars of Islam.

 

SO JESUS DOES NOT WANT US TO BE DECEIVED IN BELIEVING OTHER RELIGIONS/FALSE GOSPELS/FALSE IDOL PAGANISM PRACTICES THAT TRY TO MIMIC JESUS TEACHING TO GIVE THEM VALIDITY!

 

Verses 2-4 tells us Examples of the WRONG kind of giving and the RIGHT kind of giving.

 

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

 

When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet...

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

It was a custom for some in Jesus' day to draw attention to their giving so they would be known as generous. Today, people do not sound a trumpet to project the image of generosity, but they still know how to call attention to their giving.

 

There aren't good examples in ancient literature of people actually announcing their giving with the sound of a trumpet. It may be what Jesus had in mind was the gifts given during feast times, which were signaled by the blast of a trumpet. These occasions afforded golden opportunities for ostentation.

 

Yet the idea of doing a charitable deed - giving alms and charity - was deeply established in the Jewish mind and other Pagan religiosities. To give alms and to be righteous were one and the same thing. To give alms was gain merit in the sight of God, and was even to win atonement and forgiveness for past sins.

 

As the hypocrites do...

 

Such performers are rightly called hypocrites, because they are actors, acting the part of pious, holy people when they are not in the eyes of Jesus. It is not having a standard that makes someone a hypocrite; it is falsely claiming to live by that standard when you in fact do not, or when you have a double standard that makes one a hypocrite.

 

INTERESTING ENOUGH...DID YOU KNOW...

 

In older Greek a hypocrites ('hypocrite') was an actor, but by the first century the term came to be used for those who play roles and see the world as their stage.

 

BRUCE says it well, "Sadly there are MANY religious actors still, and they draw good crowds who are deceived and fawn over their supposed holy largesse."

 

Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward...

 

Jesus tells the one who gives so they can hear the applause of others that he should enjoy the applause, the fame, the acclaim from the lost world, false religions, worldly icons, because that will be ALL the reward that they receive. There will be NO reward from Almighty God, nor Jesus Christ, nor in heaven for the one who did it for the motive of an earthly reward.

 

It would be better to translate it: 'They have received payment in full.' The word that is used in the Greek is the verb "apechein", which was the technical business and commercial word for receiving payment in full.

 

Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing...

 

Instead, our giving is to be - if it were possible - even hidden from ourselves. Though we can NOT really be ignorant about our own giving, we can deny ourselves any indulgent self-congratulation.

 

That your charitable deed may be in secret...

 

If someone finds out that we have given something, do we automatically lose our reward? The issue is really a matter of motive. If we give for our own glory, it does NOT matter if no one finds out and we will still have NO reward from God. But if we give for God's glory, it does NOT matter who finds out because your reward will remain because you gave for the RIGHT motive.

 

Our Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly...

 

Jesus pointed out the great value of doing good deeds for the glory of God. It is much better to receive our return from God, who rewards much more generously and much more openly than men do.

 

We should not miss the strength of the promise - these things done the right way will certainly be rewarded. We can be sure of that, even when it does NOT feel like it.

 

Verses 5-6 tells us Examples of the WRONG kind of prayer and the RIGHT kind of prayer.

 

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites...

 

Jesus assumed that His disciples would give, so He told them the right way to give (Matthew 6:1-4). He also assumed that His disciples would pray, and it was important that they NOT pray in the same manner as the hypocrites.

 

For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets...

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

There were TWO main places where a Jew in Jesus' day might pray in a hypocritical manner. They might pray at the synagogue at the time of public prayer, or on the street at the appointed times of prayer (9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m.).

 

AND DID YOU KNOW...

In synagogue worship someone from the congregation might be asked to pray publicly, standing in front of the ark.

 

Prayer was NOT normally practiced at the street corners, but… one who strictly observed the afternoon hour of prayer could deliberately time his movements to bring him to the most public place at the appropriate time.

 

That they may be seen by men...

 

These hypocrites prayed NOT to be heard by God, but to be SEEN by men. This is a common fault in public prayer today, when people pray to impress or teach others instead of genuinely pouring out their hearts before God.

 

WE ALL NEED TO KNOW AND REMEMBER...Such prayers are an INSULT to God. When we mouth words towards God, while really trying to IMPRESS others we then use God merely as a tool to impress others.

 

They have their reward...

 

Again, those praying to be seen of men have their reward, and they should enjoy it in full - because that is ALL they will receive. There is NO reward in heaven for such prayers.

 

SO WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WHOM WE ASK TO PRAY FOR US. IF THEY ARE OFFERING TO PRAY TO APPEAR HOLY, DEVOUT, AND GAIN ATTENTION...THEIR PRAYERS ARE NOT HEARD IN HEAVEN NOR ARE THEY ANSWERED.

 

But you, when you pray, go into your room...

 

Rather, we should meet with God in our room (or, "closet"). The idea is of a private place where we can impress no one except God. That private room, can be while we are driving, taking a walk, sitting outside, any place we talk to Jesus and share our hearts with Jesus alone can be our PRAYER CLOSET.

 

The specific ancient Greek word "room" was used for a storeroom where treasures were kept. This reminds us that there are treasures waiting for us in our prayer closet.

 

Jesus certainly did NOT prohibit public prayer, but our prayers should always be directed to God and NOT towards man.

 

Verses 7-8 tells us The right way to pray.

 

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

 

When you pray, do not use vain repetitions...

 

The right kind of prayer does NOT use vain repetitions, which is any and all prayer which is mostly words and NO meaning; ALL lips and NO mind or heart.

 

DID YOU KNOW...

One can pray long - but to the wrong god.

1. In 1 Kings 18:26 the prophets of Baal cried out "O Baal answer us" for half the day.

2. In Acts 19:34 a mob in Ephesus shouted, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians" for two hours.

The true God is NOT impressed by the length or eloquence of our prayers, but the heart.

 

When we try to impress God (or worse, other people) with our many words, we deny that God is a loving, yet holy Father. Instead, we should follow the counsel of Ecclesiastes 5:2: "God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few."

 

The vain repetitions as "keep on babbling." That may be an accurate sense of the ancient Greek word "battalogeo", which may be a word that sounds like "babbling" and has the sense of "blah-blah-blah."

 

Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him...

 

Prayer is NOT designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven, and to put him in mind that THERE is his Father, his country, and inheritance.

 

In this manner, therefore pray...

 

Jesus here gave His disciples a model for prayer, prayer marked by close relationship, reverence, submission, and trust and dependence. Since Luke 11:2-4 has much the same material, it is reasonable to believe that this was NOT the only time Jesus taught His disciples on this subject.

 

Verses 9-13 tells us The model prayer.

 

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

 

Our Father in heaven...

 

The right kind of prayer comes to God as a Father in heaven. It rightly recognizes whom we pray to, coming with a privileged title that demonstrates a privileged relationship. It was very unusual for the Jews of that day to call God "Father" because it was considered too intimate.

 

It is true that God is the mighty sovereign of the universe, who created, governs, and will judge all things - but He is also to us a Father.

 

He is our Father, but He is our Father in heaven. When we say "in heaven" we remember God's holiness and glory. He is our Father, but our Father in heaven.

 

This is a prayer focused on community; Jesus said "Our Father" and not "My Father." "The whole prayer is social. The singular pronoun is absent. Man enters the presence of the Father, and then prays as one of the great family.

 

Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...

 

The right kind of prayer has a passion for God's glory and agenda. His name, kingdom and will have the top priority.

 

Everyone wants to guard their own name and reputation. But we must resist the tendency to protect and promote ourselves first and instead put God's name, kingdom and will first.

 

Jesus wanted us to pray with the desire that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven there is no disobedience and no obstacles to God's will; on earth there is disobedience and at least apparent obstacles to His will. The citizens of Jesus' kingdom will want to see His will done as freely on earth as it is in heaven.

 

A man can say, "Your will be done" in different ways and moods.

He may say it with fatalism and resentment. "You will do your will and there is nothing I can do about it anyway. Your will wins, but I don't like it."

 

Or, he may say it with a heart of perfect love and trust: "Do Your will, because I know it is the best. Change me where I don't understand or accept Your will."

 

One might rightly wonder why God wants us to pray that His will would be done, as if He were not able to accomplish it Himself. God is more than able to do His will without our prayer or cooperation; yet He invites the participation of our prayers, our heart, and our actions in seeing His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

 

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one: The right kind of prayer will freely bring its own needs to God. This will include needs for daily provision, forgiveness, and strength in the face of temptation.

 

When Jesus spoke of bread, here He meant REAL bread, as in the sense of daily provisions. Early theologians allegorized this, because they could NOT imagine Jesus speaking about an everyday thing like bread in such a majestic prayer like this. So they thought bread referred to communion, the Lord's Supper. Some have thought it referred to Jesus Himself as the bread of life. Others have thought it speaks of the word of God as our daily bread.

 

Calvin rightly said of such interpretations, which fail to see God's interest in everyday things: "This is exceedingly absurd." God does care about everyday things, and we should pray about them.

 

"The prayer is for our needs, NOT our greeds. It is for one day at a time, reflecting the precarious lifestyle of many first-century workers who were paid one day at a time and for whom a few day's illness could spell tragedy."

 

The one who is truly forgiven will show forgiveness to others.

 

Jesus will elaborate more on this idea in the following verses. Yet we notice that "Sin is represented here under the notion of a debt, and as our sins are many, they are called here debts. God made man that he might live to His glory, and gave him a law to walk by; and if, when he does any thing that tends NOT to glorify God, he contracts a debt with Divine Justice."

 

Temptation literally means a test, not always a solicitation to do evil. God has promised to keep us from any testing that is greater than what we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).

 

"God, while he does not 'tempt' men to do evil (James 1:13), does allow his children to pass through periods of testing. But disciples, aware of their weakness, should not desire such testing, and should pray to be spared exposure to such situations in which they are vulnerable."

 

If we truly pray, lead us not into temptation, it will be lived out in several ways. It will mean:

 

- Never boast in your own strength.

- Never desire trials.

- Never go into temptation.

- Never lead others into temptation.

 

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever...

 

The right kind of prayer praises God and credits to Him the kingdom and the power and the glory.

 

Verses 14-15 tells us More on the importance of forgiveness.

 

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 

If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...

 

Forgiveness is required for those who have been forgiven. We are not given the luxury of holding on to our bitterness towards other people.

 

Neither will your Father forgive your trespasses...

 

Jesus has much more to say about forgiveness (Matthew 9:2-6, 18:21-35, and Luke 17:3-4). Here, the emphasis is on the imperative of forgiveness; on the fact that it is NOT an option.

 

Verses 16-18 tells us The RIGHT way to fast.

 

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

When you fast...

 

Jesus spoke to these fundamental practices of spiritual life in His kingdom: giving, praying, and now fasting. Clearly, Jesus assumed that His followers would fast.

 

The Old Testament commanded fasting on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31 and 23:27-32; Numbers 29:7).

During the Exile, the Jewish people expanded the practice of fasting (Zechariah 7:3-5 and 8:19).

 

When you fast, do not be like hypocrites..

 

DID YOU KNOW...

The hypocritical scribes and Pharisees wanted to make sure that everybody knew they were fasting, so they would have a sad countenance and disfigure their faces so their agony of fasting would be evident to all and draw attention to THEM instead of to God..

 

BRUCE tells us, "The Pharisees typically fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12). "Twice a week in ordinary Pharasic practice: Thursday and Monday (ascent and descent of Moses on Sinai)."

 

Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward...

 

When hypocrites receive the admiration of men for these "spiritual" efforts, they receive all the reward they will ever get.

 

When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting...

 

In contrast, Jesus' instructed us to take care of ourselves as usual and to make the fast something of a secret before God.

 

Verses 19-21 tells us The PLACE of material things: a warning against covetousness.The choice between two treasures.

 

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

 

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...

 

The ancient Greek more literally says do NOT treasure for yourself treasures on earth. The idea is that earthly treasure is temporary and fading away (where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal), but heavenly treasure is secure.

 

The issue isn't that earthly treasures are intrinsically bad; but they are of NO ultimate value either. If this is the case, then it is wrong for the disciple of Jesus to dedicate their lives to continually expanding their earthly treasures.

 

To lay up for yourselves treasure on earth is also to doom yourself to a life of frustration and emptiness. Regarding material things, the secret to happiness is not more, it is contentment. In a 1992 survey, people were asked how much money they would have to make to have "the American dream." Those who earn $25,000 or less a year thought they would need around $54,000. Those in the $100,000 annual income bracket said that they could buy the dream for an average of $192,000 a year. These figures indicate that we typically think we would have to have double our income in order to find the good life. But the Apostle Paul had the right idea in 1 Timothy 6:6: Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

 

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...

 

In contrast, heavenly treasures are everlasting and incorruptible. Treasures in heaven give enjoyment now, in the contentment and sense of well-being that comes from being a giver. But their ultimate enjoyment comes on the other side of eternity.

 

It has been wisely observed that a moving truck full of possessions never follows a hearse. Every thing one might take with them to the world beyond is left behind. The pharaohs of Egypt were buried with gold and treasures to take into the afterlife, but they left it all behind. Even further, though gold is a precious thing on earth God uses it to pave the streets of heaven.

 

Jesus once told a parable that has troubled some. In Luke 16:1-14, He spoke of a dishonest manager, who was about to be called to account. Knowing he would be fired, he began to settle accounts with his master's debtors at terms favorable to the debtors, so they would treat him kindly when the master fired him. The master ended up complimenting the manager for his shrewd tactics (presumably before he fired him). This dishonest manager was praiseworthy for two reasons.

 

WHY?

 

FIRST, he knew he would be called to account for his life and he took it seriously.

SECOND, he took advantage of his present position to use our material resources right now for eternal good - even though we can NOT bring them with us.

 

Our material treasures will not pass from this life to the next; but the good that has been done for the kingdom of God through the use of our treasures lasts for eternity, and the work God does in us through faithful giving WILL last for eternity.

 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...

 

Jesus drew the conclusion that you can ONLY have your treasure (and your heart) in ONE place; we can NOT store up treasure on earth and on heaven at the SAME time.

 

Verses 22-23 tells us The choice between two visions.

 

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

 

The lamp of the body is the eye...

 

Simply, the idea is that "light" comes into the body through eye. If our eyes were blind, we would live in a "dark" world.

 

If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light...

 

The idea behind having a good eye is either being generous or being single minded. Both principles apply to the disciple's attitude towards material things.

 

Being generous brings light to our lives. We are happier and more content when we have God's heart of generosity. But if we are NOT generous, it is as if your whole body will be full of darkness. Our selfish, miserly ways cast darkness over everything that we think or do.

 

Being single minded brings light to our lives, and we are also happier and more content when we focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that all the material things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).

 

But when we are double-minded, it is as if your whole body is full of darkness. We try to live for two masters at the same time, and it puts a dark shadow over everything in our life.

 

Full of light … full of darkness...

 

In any case, Jesus tells us that either our eye is directed at heavenly things (and therefore full of light) or it is directed at earthly things (and therefore full of darkness).

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

"An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbour's prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for God's sake.

 

How great is that darkness...

 

Building on the analogy of the eye, Jesus reminds us that if we are blind in our eyes, the whole body is blind. The darkness is then great in our whole body. In the same way, our attitude towards material treasure will either bring great light or great darkness to our lives.

 

Often a materialistic, miserly, selfish Christian justifies their sin by saying "It's just one area of my life." But even as the darkness of the eye affects everything in the body, so a wrong attitude towards material things brings darkness to our whole being.

 

Verse 24 tells us The CHOICE between TWO masters.

 

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

 

No one can serve two masters...

 

Having two masters is not like working two jobs. Jesus had the master and slave relationship in mind, and no slave could serve two masters.

 

Jesus states that serving two masters is a simple IMPOSSIBILITY. If you think that you are successfully serving two masters, you are deceived. It can NOT be done. As ancient Israel struggled with idolatry, they thought they could worship the Lord God and Baal. God constantly reminded them that to worship Baal was to forsake the Lord God. To be loyal to the one is to despise the other.

 

It can be simply said of money...Don't serve your money. Let your money serve the Lord and it will serve you.

 

You cannot serve God and mammon...

 

There are different opinions regarding the origin of the term "mammon". Some think it was the name of a pagan god. Others think the name comes "From the Hebrew aman, to trust, confide; because men are apt to trust in riches.

 

The word was used in some ancient Jewish texts what showed this, translating Proverbs 3:9 as Honor God with your mammon and Deuteronomy 6:5 as You shall love the Lord your God with … all your mammon. Therefore mammon itself represents material things we possess or want, and those things can be used for God's kingdom and glory or as idols.

 

Certainly, Jesus is talking about the heart here. Many people would say they love God, but their service of money shows that in fact they do not.

 

How can we tell who or what we are serving?

 

One way is by remembering this principle: you will sacrifice for your God. If you will sacrifice for the sake of money, but will not sacrifice for the sake of Jesus, don't deceive yourself: money is your God.

 

We must remember that we do NOT have to be rich to serve mammon (money and material things); the poor can be just as greedy and covetous as the rich can be.

 

Verse 25 tells us Therefore: because the Kingdom of God is so greatly superior to earthly pursuits, it deserves our attention.

 

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"

 

Do not worry about your life...

 

We should not get tangled up worrying about the things of this world, because our life is more than those things.

 

Do not worry...

 

There is a difference between a godly sense of responsibility and an ungodly, untrusting worry. However, an ungodly, untrusting sense of worry usually masquerades as responsibility.

 

We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life - and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father.

 

Is not life more than food...

 

The worry Jesus spoke of debases man to the level of an animal who is merely concerned with physical needs. Your life is more, and you have eternal matters to pursue.

 

Verses 26-30 tells us Example and arguments against worry.

 

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

 

Look at the birds of the air … your heavenly Father feeds them...

 

The birds are provided for by God, and if He takes care of them. Therefore, we should expect that God will take care of us.

 

Yet take careful note...

 

the birds do NOT worry, but they DO work. Birds do NOT just sit with open mouths, expecting God to fill them.

 

This argument presupposed a biblical cosmology without which faith makes no sense. God is so sovereign over the universe that event the feeding of a wren falls within his concern.

 

Are you not of more value than they?...

 

The worry many people have over the material things of life is rooted in a low understanding of their value before God. They do NOT comprehend how much He loves and cares for them.

 

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?...

 

Worry accomplishes nothing; we can add nothing to our lives by worrying. There may be greater sins than worry, but there are none more self-defeating and useless.

 

Can add...

 

The ancient Greek may mean adding to life instead of adding to height, but the thought is the same. Indeed, instead of adding to our life, we can actually harm ourselves through worry.

 

DID YOU KNOW…

 

Worry and Stress are two of the great contributors to disease and poor health. In 2015, National Health Research stated in the US alone, 53 million people were prescribed anti-depressants, and the cost was almost a billion dollars. And that the prescribed anti-depressants caused MORE cases of death, suicide, and worse depression.

 

If God so clothes the grass of the field...

 

God even takes care of the grass of the field, so He will certainly take care of you. We are confident of the power and care of a loving heavenly Father.

 

You of little faith...

 

SPURGEON says it well, "Little faith' is not a little fault; for it greatly wrongs the Lord, and sadly grieves the fretful mind. To think the Lord who clothes the lilies will leave his own children naked is shameful. O little faith, learn better manners!"

 

Verses 31-32 tells us You have a heavenly Father that knows your needs.

 

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that y

MATTHEW 7

 

OPENS WITH...(SERMON ON THE MOUNT CONTINUED)

 

Verses 1-2 tells us A summary statement on passing judgment upon others.

 

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

Judge not, that you be not judged...

 

Here Jesus moved to another idea in the Sermon on the Mount. He had primarily dealt with themes connected with the interior spiritual life (attitudes in giving, prayer, fasting, materialism, and anxiety over material things).

 

Now He touches on an important theme related to the way we think of and treat others.

 

We remember that Jesus called for a righteousness that was greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). In the way some people think, the way to make one's self more righteous is to be MORE judgmental of others. Jesus here rebuked that kind of thinking.

 

Judge not, that you be not judged...

 

With this command Jesus warned against passing judgment upon others, because when we do so we will be judged in a similar manner.

 

Among those who seem to know nothing of the Bible, this is the verse that seems to be most popular.

 

Yet most the people, priests, preachers, and others who quote this verse do NOT understand what Jesus said. They seem to think (or hope) that Jesus commanded a UNIVERSAL acceptance of ANY AND ALL lifestyles, actions, or teaching.

 

Just a little later in this same sermon (Matthew 7:15-16), Jesus commanded us to KNOW ourselves and others by the FRUIT of their life, and some sort of assessment is necessary for that.

 

The Christian is called to show unconditional love. But the Christian is NOT called to unconditional approval NOR UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. We really can love people who do things that should NOT be approved of.

 

So while this does NOT prohibit examining the lives of others, it certainly prohibits doing in the spirit it is often done.

 

An example of UNJUST judgment was the disciples' condemnation of the woman who came to anoint the feet of Jesus with oil (Matthew 26:6-13). They thought she was wasting something; Jesus said she had done a good work that would always be remembered. They had a rash, harsh, unjust judgment.

 

1. We break this command when we only speak to others of their faults.

2. We break this command when we judge an entire life only by its worst moments.

3. We break this command when we judge the hidden motives of others.

4. We break this command when we judge others without considering ourselves in their same circumstances.

5. We break this command when we judge others without being mindful that we ourselves will be judged.

 

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged...

Jesus did NOT prohibit the judgment of others FOR SEEN AND KNOWN offenses/wrongs. He only requires that our judgment be completely fair, and that we only judge others by a standard we would also like to be judged by.

 

When our judgment in regard to others is wrong, it is often not because we judge according to a standard but because we are hypocritical in the application of that standard - we ignore the standard in our own life. It is common to judge others by one standard and ourselves by another standard - being far more generous to ourselves than others.

 

With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you...

 

This is the principle upon which Jesus built the command, "Judge not, that you be not judged." God will measure unto us according to the same measure we use for others. This is a powerful motivation for us to be generous with love, forgiveness, and goodness to others. If we want more of those things from God, we should give more of them to others.

 

DID YOU KNOW...JESUS WAS CHASTISING THE POLITICAL/SOCIAL/RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THAT DAY.

 

WHY?

According to the teaching of some rabbis in Jesus' time, God had two measures that He used to judge people. One was a measure of justice and mercy for Jews and the other was a measure of justice for all other people.

 

Jesus CORRECTED THEIR WRONG TEACHING/PREACHING/IDEOLOGIES. Which ever measure you want God to use with you, you should use that same measure with ALL other PEOPLES.

 

Verses 3-5 tells us An illustration of Jesus' principle regarding judging.

 

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

 

Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

 

The figures of a speck and a plank are REAL figures, yet used humorously. Jesus shows how we are generally far more tolerant to our own sin than we are to the sin of others.

 

Though there might be a literal speck in one's eye, there obviously would not be a literal plank or board in an eye. Jesus used these exaggerated, humorous pictures to make His message easier to understand and more memorable.

 

It is a humorous picture...

 

A man with a board in his eye trying to help a friend remove a speck from the friend's eye. You can't think of the picture without smiling and being amused by it.

 

An example of looking for a speck in the eye of another while ignoring the plank in one's own is when the religious leaders brought the woman taken in adultery to Jesus. She had certainly sinned; but their sin was much worse and Jesus exposed it as such with the statement, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first (John 8:7).

 

THEY SAID THEY WERE ALL WITNESSES WHO CAUGHT THE WOMAN IN ADULTERY...YET THE MAN WHOALSO COMMITTED ADULTERY WAS NOT NAMED AND NOT BROUGHT BEFORE JESUS.

 

Look, a plank is in your own eye...

 

Jesus indicates that the one with the plank in his own eye would not immediately be aware of it. He is blind to his obvious fault. It is the attempt to correct the fault of someone else when we ourselves have the same (or greater fault) that earns the accusation, "Hypocrite!"

 

Our hypocrisy in these matters is almost always more evident to others than to ourselves. We may find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately.

 

ANOTHER GOOD OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE OF HYPOCRISY WAS...King David's reaction to Nathan's story about a man who unjustly stole and killed another man's lamb. David quickly condemned the man, but was blind to his own sin, which was much greater (2 Samuel 12).

 

First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye...

 

Jesus did NOT say that it was wrong for us to help our brother with the speck in his eye. It is a good thing to help your brother with his speck, but not before dealing with the plank in your own eye.

 

Verse 6 tells us Balancing love with discernment.

 

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."

 

Do not give what is holy to the dogs...

 

After He warned us against judgmental attitudes and self-blind criticism, Jesus here reminded us that He did NOT mean to imply that the people of His Kingdom, THOSE WHO LOVE JESUS CHRIST AND CALL HIM LORD, SAVIOR, MASTER, & FRIEND, suspend all discernment. They must discern that there are some good, precious things that should NOT be given to those who will receive them with contempt.

 

The dogs and swine here are often understood as those who are hostile to the Kingdom of God and the message that announces it. Our love for others must NOT blind us to their hardened rejection of the good news of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus also spoke in the context of correcting another brother or sister. Godly correction is a pearl (though it may sting for a moment) that must not be cast before swine (those who are determined not to receive it).

 

Nor cast your pearls before swine...

Our pearls of the precious gospel may only confuse those who do not believe, who are blinded to the truth by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4) and may only expose the gospel to their ridicule.

 

The gospel is to be preached to every creature, Mark 16:15. But when the Jews were hardened, and spoke evil of that way before the multitude, Acts 19:9, the apostles left preaching them.

 

Of course, Jesus did not say this to discourage us from sharing the gospel. Previously in this very sermon Jesus told us to let our lights shine before the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus said this to call us to discernment, and to encourage us to look for prepared hearts that are ready to receive. When we find such open hearts, we can trust that God has already been working upon them.

 

Verses 7-8 tells us Jesus invites us & teaches us more about prayer: to keep on asking, seeking and knocking.

 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

 

Ask … seek … knock...

 

We see a progressive intensity, going from ask to seek to knock. Jesus told us to have intensity, passion, and persistence in prayer. The fact that Jesus came back to the subject of prayer - already dealt with in some depth in Matthew 6:5-15 - shows the IMPORTANCE of prayer.

 

In this three-fold description of prayer as asking, seeking, and knocking we see different aspects of prayer and different aspects of its reward.

 

1. Prayer is like asking in that we simply make our requests known to God, and everyone who asks receives. Receiving is the reward of asking.

 

2. Prayer is like seeking in that we search after God, His word, and His will, and he who seeks finds. Finding is the reward of seeking.

 

3. Prayer is like knocking until the door is opened, and we seek entrance into the great heavenly palace of our Great King. Entering through the opened door into His palace is the reward of knocking, and the best reward of all.

 

The idea of knocking also implies that we sense resistance. After all, if the door were already open there would be no need to knock. Yet Jesus encouraged us, "Even when you sense that the door is closed and you must knock, then do so and continue to do so, and you will be answered.

 

Yet the image of knocking also implies that there is a door that can be opened.

 

SPURGEON says it well, :Any uneducated man can knock if that is all, which is required of him. . . . A man can knock though he may be no philosopher A dumb man can knock. A blind man can knock. With a palsied hand a man may knock. . . . The way to open heavens gate is wonderfully simplified to those who are lowly enough to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance, and ask, seek, and knock believingly. God has not provided a salvation which can only be understood by learned men … it is intended for the ignorant, the short-witted, and the dying, as well as for others, and hence it must be as plain as knocking at a door."

 

Ask and it will be given to you...

 

God promises an answer to the one who diligently seeks Him. Many of our passionless prayers are not answered for good reason, because it is almost as if we ask God to care about something we care little or nothing about.

 

God values persistence and passion in prayer because they show that we share His heart. It shows that we care about the things He cares about. Persistent prayer does not overcome God's stubborn reluctance; it gives glory to Him, expresses dependence upon Him, and aligns our heart more with His.

 

No soul can pray in vain that prays as directed above. The truth and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus are pledged for its success. - Ye SHALL receive - ye SHALL find - it SHALL be opened. These words are as strongly binding on the side of God, as thou shalt do no murder is on the side of man.

 

Verses 9-11 tells us Jesus illustrates the giving nature of God.

 

"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

 

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

 

Jesus makes it clear that God does NOT have to be persuaded or appeased in prayer. He WANTS to give us not just bread, but even more than what we ask for.

 

Thankfully, the times we ask for something as bad as a serpent without knowing, like a loving parent God often mercifully spares us the just penalty of our ignorance.

 

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven...

 

It is blasphemous to deny God's answer to the seeking heart. We then imply that God is worse than even an evil man is.

 

Conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount: A partial summary and a repeated call to decision.

 

Verse 12 tells us A summation of Jesus' ethical teaching regarding our treatment of others: the golden rule.

 

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them...

 

The negative way of stating this command was known long before Jesus. It had long been said, "You should not do to your neighbor what you would not want him to do to you." But it is a significant advance for Jesus to put it in the positive, to say that we should do unto others what we want them to do unto us.

 

In so doing, Jesus makes the command much broader. It is the difference between not breaking traffic laws and in doing something positive like helping a stranded motorist.

 

This especially applies to Christian fellowship. If we would experience love and have people reach out to us, we must love and reach out to others.

 

For this is the Law and the Prophets...

 

Jesus shows that this simple principle - the golden rule - summarizes all the Law and the Prophets say about how we should treat others. If we would simply treat others the way we would want to be treated, we would naturally obey all the law says about our relationships with others.

 

This makes the law easier to understand, but it doesn't make it any easier to obey. No one has ever consistently done unto others as they would like others to do unto themselves.

 

Verses 13-14 tells us The decision between two ways and one of two destinations.

 

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

 

Enter by the narrow gate...

 

Jesus did not speak of this gate as our destiny, but as the entrance to a path. There is a right way and a wrong way, and Jesus appealed to His listeners to decide to go the more difficult way, which leads to life.

 

He understood and taught that not all ways and not all destinations are equally good. One leads to destruction, the other to life.

 

Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life...

 

The true gate is both narrow and difficult. If your road has a gate that is easy and well traveled, you do well to watch out.

 

Verses 15-20 tells us The danger of false prophets and the decision between two trees with their fruit.

 

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

 

Beware of false prophets...

 

Jesus just warned us of a path that leads to destruction. Now He reminds us that there are many who would try to guide us along the broad path that leads to destruction. The first step to combating these false prophets is to simply beware of them.

 

Warnings against false prophets are necessarily based on the conviction that not all prophets are true, that truth can be violated, and that the gospel's enemies usually conceal their hostility and try to pass themselves off as fellow believers.

 

Who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves...

 

It is in the nature of these false prophets to deceive and deny their true character. Often they deceive even themselves, believing themselves to be sheep when in fact they are ravenous wolves.

 

The basic fault of the false prophet is self interest.

It can be expressed by a desire for gain or an easy life; a desire for prestige; or the desire to advance one's own ideas and not God's.

 

Teachers who preach for hire, having no motive to enter into the ministry but to get a living, as it is ominously called by some, however they may bear the garb and appearance of the innocent useful sheep, the true pastors commissioned by the Lord Jesus, or to whatever name, class or party they may belong, are, in the sight of the heart-searching God, no other than ravenous wolves, whose design is to feed themselves with the fat, and clothe themselves with the fleece, and thus ruin, instead of save, the flock.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE ICONIC/POPULAR MEGA CHURCHES AND MEGA MINISTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. YOU SEE THE LEADERS & THEIR FAMILIES ARE OBSCENELY WEALTHY, WITH COMPOUNDS, SEVERAL HOMES, PLANES, YOU NAME IT, WITH ALL THIS WORLD OFFERS, BUT ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THEIR OUTREACHES/MINISTRIES THEMSELVES ARE IN THE RED. HOW CAN ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THEMSELVES TO BE REPRESENTATIVES OF JESUS AND HIS WORD, WHEN THEY DEMAND THE GROCERY MONEY OF A SINGLE MOM, OR TO PUT DONATIONS ON A CREDIT CARD, OR ANY NUMBER OF THINGS TO INSURE THEIR PRAYERS ARE HEARD, THEIR SALVATION MET, THEIR NEEDS MET...WHEN THEY ARE IN DIRE STRAITS?

 

You will know them by their fruits...

 

We guard ourselves against false prophets by taking heed to their fruits. This means paying attention to ALL aspects of their life and ministry.

 

We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows. Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?

 

We should pay attention to the content of their teaching. Is it true fruit from God's Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?

 

We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching. Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?

 

Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit...

 

This fruit is the inevitable result of who we are. Eventually - though it may take a time for the harvest to come - the good or bad fruit is evident, revealing what sort of "tree" we are.

 

Every tree that does not bear good fruit...

Not to have good fruit is to have evil: there can be no innocent sterility in the invisible tree of the heart. He that brings forth no fruit, and he that brings forth bad fruit, are both only fit for the fire.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "It is not merely the wicked, the bearer of poison berries, that will be cut down; but the neutral, the man who bears no fruit of positive virtue must also be cast into the fire."

 

Earlier in the chapter Jesus warned us to judge ourselves first, to look for the speck in our own eye before turning our attention to the beam in our neighbor's eye. Therefore before asking it of anyone else, we should first ask: "Do I bear fruit unto God's glory?"

 

Verses 21-23 tells us The decision between two claims of Jesus' Lordship, one false and one true.

 

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"

 

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven...

 

Jesus spoke here of a proper verbal confession, where these ones called Jesus Lord. This is vital, but never enough by itself.

 

This warning of Jesus applies to people who speak or say things to Jesus or about Jesus, but do NOT really mean it. It is NOT that they believe Jesus is a devil; they simply say the words very superficially. Their mind is elsewhere, but they believe there is value in the bare words and fulfilling some kind of religious duty with no heart, no soul, not spirit - only bare words and passing thoughts.

 

JESUS TELLS US THERE ARE MANY WHO KNOW THE BIBLE AND CAN QUOTE IT...THEY HAVE HEAD KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORDS, BUT NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD. WE MUST HAVE HEAD AND HEART LOVE AND KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. BOTH ARE ESSENTIAL.

 

This warning of Jesus applies to people who say "Lord, Lord" and yet their spiritual life has nothing to do with their daily life. They go to church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might.

 

Who says to Me … will say to Me in that day...

 

It is staggering that Jesus freely claims He is the one people must stand before on that final day of judgment, and He is the one who is rightly called Lord. This obscure teacher in a backwater part of the world claimed to be the judge of all men in that day.

 

By saying "in that day" Jesus drew our attention to a coming day of judgment for all men. "What is the chief object of your life? Will you think as much of it "in that day" as you do now? Will you then count yourself wise to have so earnestly pursued it? You fancy that you can defend it now, but will you be able to defend it then, when all things of earth and time will have melted into nothingness and you stand before The Lord Himself?

 

Lord, Lord, have we not...

 

The people Jesus speaks of here had impressive spiritual accomplishments. They prophesied, cast out demons, and had done many wonders. These are wonderful things, but they meant nothing without true fellowship; true connection with Jesus. They ARE deceived. Satan has limited powers and Satan whispers, speaks to, and misleads many and grants many short term, in the moment signs and wonders...but they do NOT last.

 

Jesus did not seem to doubt their claims of doing the miraculous. He didn't say, "You didn't really prophesy or cast out demons or do miracles." This leads us to understand that sometimes miracles are granted through pretended believers, given to them by Satan himself, reminding us that in the final analysis, miracles prove nothing.

 

Significantly, they even did these things in the name of Jesus. Yet, they never really had a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus.

 

If preaching could save a man, Judas would not have been damned. If prophesying could save a man, Balaam would not have been a castaway.

 

I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!...

 

In the end, there is ONE basis of salvation. It isn't mere verbal confession, not "spiritual works," but PERSONAL, ONE ON ONE knowing Jesus and being known by Him. It our connection to Him - by the gift of faith that He gives to us - that secures our salvation. Connected to Jesus we are secure; without connection to Him all the miracles and great works prove nothing.

 

AND WE NOTICE SOMETHING ELSE IMPORTANT HERE...In addition, these are not people who lost their salvation. Instead, they never truly had it (I never knew you).

 

Verses 24-27 tells us The decision between two builders and their destiny.

 

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

 

I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock...

 

In Jesus' illustration of the two builders, each house looked the same from the outside. The real foundation of our life is usually hidden and is only proven in the storm, and we could say that the storms come from both heaven (rain) and earth (floods).

 

The wise and the foolish man were both engaged in precisely the same avocations, and to a considerable extent achieved the same design; both of them undertook to build houses, both of them persevered in building, both of them finished their houses. The likeness between them is very considerable.

 

And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house...

 

A storm (rain, floods, wind) was the ultimate in power to generations that didn't have nuclear weapons. Jesus warns us that the foundations of our lives will be shaken at some time or another, both now (in trials) and in the ultimate judgment before God.

 

Time and the storms of life will prove the strength of one's foundation, even when it is hidden. We may be surprised when we see who has truly built upon the good foundation.

 

It is better that we test the foundation of our life now rather than later, at our judgment before God when it is too late to change our destiny.

 

Jesus may have had in mind an Old Testament passage...

 

PROVERBS 10:25, "When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation."

 

Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them...

 

HERE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT TRUTH.

 

MANY RELIGIOSITIES TEACH, PREACH AND PROCLAIM THAT MERELY HEARING GOD' WORD SAVES.

 

JESUS TELLS US THE TRUTH...MERELY hearing God's word is NOT enough to provide a secure foundation. It is necessary that we are also doers of His word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out, the sin of doing nothing (Numbers 32:23) - and great will be our fall.

 

Wherein lay the second builder's folly? Not in deliberately seeking a bad foundation, but in taking no thought of foundation … His fault was not an error in judgment, but inconsiderateness. It is not, as is commonly supposed, a question of two foundations, but of looking to, and neglecting to look to, the foundation.

 

Yet no one can read this without seeing that they have not, do not, and will not ever completely do them. Even if we do them in a general sense (in which we should), the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount drives us back again and again as needy sinners upon our Savior.

 

WE NEED JESUS CHRIST. HE IS THE ONLY FOUNDATION, THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY TRUTH, AND THE ONLY LIFE...THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN SAVE. NOT EVEN ALMIGHTY GOD CAN SAVE...ONLY JESUS CHRIST CAN SAVE.

 

Verses 28-29 tells us The effect of Jesus' sermon on those who heard Him.

 

"And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

 

For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes...

 

His audience could not but notice that Jesus taught with an authority lacking in the other teachers in His day, who often only quoted other Rabbis. Jesus spoke with inherent authority, and the authority of God's revealed word.

 

JESUS QUOTED FROM THE BIBLE. HE NEVER HAD A WAGON LOAD OF SCROLLS TO READ FROM, TEACH OTHER, HE SIMPLY READ THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS, WHAT THEY KNEW AND WHAT THEY DID NOT. WHAT LIES HAD BEEN PREACHED TO THEM, AS WELL, THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM TO HECKLE, SNEER, SLANDER HIM. JESUS READ ALL HEARTS AND MINDS IN AN INSTANT. JESUS KNEW IN AN INSTANT WHO WAS ACCEPT HIM, WHO WOULD DENY HIM, WHO WOULD REJECT HIM, WHO FOLLOWED HIM FOR FOOD, PROTECTION, AND SADLY ENTERTAINMENT IN AN INSTANT. JESUS KNEW WHO REALLY WANTED HIM. JESUS KNEW THE HEARTS THAT WOULD ACCEPT HIM IN AN INSTANT.

 

THAT IS WHY HIS SERMONS/TEACHINGS WERE DIVERSE AND FOCUSED ON THE LIVES, KNOWLEDGE OR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE AROUND HIM.

 

Two things surprised them: the substance of his teaching, and the manner of it. They had never heard such doctrine before; the precepts which he had given were quite new to their thoughts. But their main astonishment was at his manner: there was a certainty, a power, a weight about it, such as they had never seen.

 

The people were astonished at His teachings...

 

Whenever God's word is presented as it truly is, with its inherent power, it will astonish people, and set itself apart from the mere opinions of man.

 

THAT IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT NOT TO CHANGE ONE SINGLE WORD OF THE GOSPEL. IT WAS RECORDED AS IT IS BECAUSE JESUS KNEW WHAT TOUCHED HEARTS, CHANGED MINDS, HUMBLED, CONVICTED THE SINNER, AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE CROSS.

 

I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT...WE HAVE ALL BEEN TO RESTAURANTS AND ORDERED FOOD, DRINK, DESSERTS. AND WE CAN INSTANTLY TELL WHEN THEY USED REAL NATURAL INGREDIENTS AND WHEN THEY USED FAKE/DILUTED MEAT, CHICKEN, MILK, EGGS, SUGAR IN THEM. THE REAL NATURAL INGREDIENTS TASTE & SMELL WONDERFUL. THE FAKE ONES TASTE LIKE CHEMICALS AND WORST MAINLY TASTELESS.

 

When we really understand Jesus in this Sermon on the Mount, we should be astonished also. If we are not astonished, then we probably have NOT really heard or understood what Jesus has said.

 

I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT EVERY TIME I STUDY THE BIBLE, VERSE BY VERSE, I LEARN SOMETHING NEW. MY UNDERSTANDING GROWS, IT CLICKS.

I AM ALWAYS ASTONISHED. BECAUSE I HAVE READ THE SCRIPTURES BEFORE BUT IT NEVER CLICKED... BUT THAT IS A GIFT FROM JESUS CHRIST. HE SAYS IF YOU SEEK ME YOU WILL FIND ME. IF YOU SEEK WISDOM, I WILL SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS.

 

SO AS CHRISTIANS, ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS WE CAN RECEIVE, ONE OF THE BEST COMPLIMENTS ANY OF US WHO LOVE OUR LORD JESUS AND HIS WORD AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS, IS TO SEE AND HEAR THE WONDER, THE AMAZEMENT, WHEN THE LIGHT BULB GOES ON, AND FOR THEM TO SAY I NEVER KNEW THIS.

 

BUT REMEMBER THIS AS WELL...To have the hearers astonished was a good thing; but it was not good if that was the extent of the effect. A good preacher always wants to do far more than astonish his listeners. HE WANTS TO POINT THEM TO JESUS IN ALL THINGS.

 

MATTHEW 8

 

OPENS WITH...HEALING, TEACHING, AND MIRACLES

 

Verses 1-2 tells us THE LEPER makes his request of Jesus.

 

"When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

 

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him...

 

The miracles of Jesus attracted MUCH attention; but so did His teaching ministry. Matthew demonstrated this by his mention of the great multitudes that followed Him after coming down from the Mount of Beatitudes.

 

We remember an important foundational VERSES for Matthew's Gospel...

 

MATTHEW 4:23...Now Jesus went about all Galilee.

 

MATTHEW 5-7...Matthew went on to tell us about the TEACHING ministry of Jesus..

 

MATTHEW 8...Matthew now tells us more about THE HEALING ministry of Jesus, and how His works confirmed His words.

 

Behold, a leper came and worshipped Him...

 

In the ancient world, leprosy was a terrible, destructive disease - and still is in some parts of the world. The ancient leper had NO hope of improvement, so this leper came to Jesus with a great sense of need and desperation.

 

BARCLAY shares, "Leprosy might begin with the loss of all sensation in some part of the body; the nerve trunks are affected; the muscles waste away; the tendons contract until the hands are like claws. There follows ulceration of the hands and feet. Then comes the progressive loss of fingers and toes, until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot may drop off. The duration of that kind of leprosy is anything from twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death in which a man dies by inches."

 

DID YOU KNOW...

According to Jewish law and customs, one had to keep 6 feet (2 meters) from a leper. If the wind was blowing toward a person from a leper, they had to keep 150 feet (45 meters) away. The only thing more defiling than contact with a leper was contact with a dead body.

 

In the middle ages, if a man became a leper, the priest donned his stole and took his crucifix, and brought the man into the church, and read the burial service over him. For all human purposes the man was dead.

 

For all these reasons, the condition of leprosy is a model of sin and its effects. It is a contagious, debilitating disease that corrupts its victim and makes him essentially dead while alive. And it followed that almost universally, society and religious people scorned lepers. Rabbis especially despised lepers, and saw them as people under the special judgment of God, deserving NO pity or NO mercy.

 

In Jesus' time rabbis sometimes boasted about how badly they treated lepers. One bragged that he refused to buy even an egg on a street where he saw a leper; another boasted that he threw rocks at lepers upon seeing them.

 

Nevertheless, the leper came to Jesus by himself and despite many discouragements.

 

1. He knew how terrible his problem was.

2. He knew that other people gave up on him as having a hopeless condition.

3. He had no one who would or could take him to Jesus.

4. He had no previous example of Jesus healing a leper to give him hope.

5. He had no promise that Jesus would heal him.

6. He had no invitation from Jesus or the disciples.

7. He must have felt ashamed and alone in the crowd.

 

A leper came and worshipped Him...

 

Despite his desperate condition, this man not only begged Jesus - he also worshipped Him.

 

How did the leper worship Jesus?

 

1. He worshipped Jesus by coming to Him, honoring Him as the one who could meet His otherwise impossible need.

 

2. He worshipped Jesus with his posture, probably bowing or kneeling before Jesus.

 

3. He worshipped Jesus with the word "Lord," honoring Him as master and God.

 

4. He worshipped Jesus with his humility, by not demanding but leaving the request up to the will of Jesus.

 

5. He worshipped Jesus with his respect of the power of Jesus, saying that all that was necessary was the will of Jesus, and he would be healed.

 

6. He worshipped Jesus with his confidence that Jesus could make him more than healthy; Jesus could make him clean.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "Those who call Jesus 'Lord,' and do not worship him, are more diseased than the leper was."

 

Lord, if You are willing...

 

The leper had NO doubt whatsoever about the ability of Jesus to heal. His only question was if Jesus was willing to heal.

 

He believed in the power of Jesus.

 

REMEMBER 2 KINGS 5:7...When a Syrian commander named Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, he came to Jehoram, the king of Israel because he heard there was a prophet in Israel whom God used to do miraculous things. When Naaman came to Jehoram, Jehoram knew that he had no power to help him, and he said: "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to heal me of his leprosy?"

 

Leprosy was so hopeless in the ancient world that healing a leper was compared to raising the dead; yet this leper knew that all Jesus needed was to be willing.

 

Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean...

 

This leper sought more than healing. He wanted cleansing; not only from the leprosy, but also from all its terrible effects on his life and his soul.

 

DID YOU KNOW...

In addition, this is the FIRST place in the gospel where Jesus is called Lord. This title that was particularly meaningful in light of the fact that the word Lord was used to translate the Hebrew word Yahweh, and Matthew wrote his gospel to those who would be familiar with the Jewish context of that word.

 

Verse 3 tells us Jesus touches the leper and he is cleansed.

 

"Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed."

 

He put out His hand and touched him...

 

This was a bold and compassionate touch from Jesus. The idea is that the leper kept his distance from Jesus, but He put out His hand and touched him.

 

DID YOU KNOW...

It was against the ceremonial law to touch a leper, which made the touch all the more meaningful to the afflicted man. Of course, as soon as Jesus touched him, he was no longer a leper!

 

Touched him...

 

Jesus did NOT have to touch the leper in order to heal him. He could have healed him with a word or even a thought. Yet He healed the leper with a touch because that is what the leper needed. THE LEPER HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED IN MANY YEARS...JESUS REACHING OUT AND TOUCHING HIM WAS A PRECIOUS GIFT TO THIS MAN.

 

Jesus often varied the manner of healing, and usually He chose a particular manner that would BE MEANINGFUL to the afflicted individual.

 

REMEMBER MARK 1:41, Mark says that when Jesus LOOKED upon this leper, He was moved with compassion. .It had been a long, long time since this leper had EVEN SEEN a face of compassion.

 

I am willing...

 

Jesus' assurance that I am willing simply answered the man's question, and gives us a starting point for the times we wonder if Jesus is willing to heal. We should assume Jesus is willing to heal unless He shows us differently.

 

How can we know if Jesus is willing to heal us?

 

By assuming that He is willing, but listening to Him if He should tell us that He does not. This is how it happened with the Apostle Paul.

 

REMEMBER 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; it seems that Paul assumed that Jesus would heal his thorn in the flesh until word came to him that He would not.

 

Immediately his leprosy was cleansed...

 

The former leper's life was changed forever. He was not only healed, but as he requested he was cleansed. Jesus had recently said, ask and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7). This was certainly true for the now cleansed former leper.

 

This is the first individual healing described by Matthew. Previously we were told of Jesus' healing ministry in a general sense (Matthew 4:23-24), but here in a SPECIFIC case.

 

Verse 4 tells us Jesus commands the healed man to give testimony of his healing to the priests only.

 

"And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

See that you tell no one...

 

Jesus often commanded people to be quiet about their healing or some miraculous work that Jesus had done for them.

 

WHY?

 

Jesus did this because He wanted to keep down the excitement of the crowds until the proper time for His formal revelation to Israel, which was an EXACT date as prophesied in Daniel 9.

 

In addition, Jesus' miracles were NOT primarily calculated to make Him famous or a celebrity (though they certainly did give testimony to His ministry). More so, Jesus healed to meet the needs of specific individuals and to demonstrate the evident power of the Messiah in the setting of love and care for the personal needs of humble people.

 

Therefore, Jesus was cautious about how the multitudes saw Him and why they followed Him. This is better understood as reflecting a real danger that Jesus could achieve unwanted popularity merely as a wonder-worker, or worse still as a nationalistic liberator, and so foster a serious misunderstanding of the true nature of his mission.

 

Mark 1:44-45 tells that the leper did NOT obey Jesus and instead he went out and began to proclaim it freely.

 

Show yourself to the priest...

 

Jesus commanded the man to give a testimony to the priests, and what a testimony it was! The Mosaic Law prescribed specific sacrifices to be conducted upon the healing of a leper, and when the man reported it to the priests, they no doubt had to perform ceremonies that were rarely (if ever) done according to the rules in Leviticus 14.

 

Going to the priest would also bring the former leper back INTO society. Jesus wanted the healing of the man's disease to have as much benefit as possible.

 

Verses 5-6 tells us Jesus is approached by a Roman centurion.

 

"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."

 

When Jesus had entered Capernaum...

 

Matthew 4:13 tells us this is where Jesus lived; He came and dwelt in Capernaum.

 

A centurion came to Him...

 

The centurion was obviously a Gentile, because a centurion was an officer in the Roman Army. Most every Jew under Roman occupation felt a reason to hate this centurion, yet he came to a Jewish teacher for help. Significantly he came NOT for a selfish reason, but on behalf of his servant.

 

Whenever the New Testament mentions a centurion (there are at least seven), it presents them as honorable, good men.

 

This centurion had an unusual attitude towards his slave. Under Roman law a master had the right to kill his slave and it was expected that he would do so if the slave became ill or injured to the point where he could no longer work.

 

Pleading with Him...

 

This shows that the centurion did not make a casual request. Matthew describes him as pleading with Jesus on behalf of his servant.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "He seeks a cure, but does not prescribe to the Lord how or where he shall work it; in fact, he does not put his request into words, but pleads the case, and lets the sorrow speak."

 

Verses 7-9 tells us The centurion's understanding of Jesus' spiritual authority.

 

"And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

 

I will come and heal him...

 

Jesus did NOT hesitate to go to the centurion's house, and we half wish the centurion would have allowed Him.

 

WHY WAS THIS AMAZING TO JEWS & GENTILES ALIKE?

 

It was completely against Jewish custom, for a Jew to enter a Gentiles' house; yet it was not against God's law.

 

The centurion sensed this when he said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof."

 

Most Jews believed that a Gentile home was not worthy of them, and the centurion supposed that a great Rabbi and teacher like Jesus would consider his home unworthy.

 

The centurion also showed great sensitivity to Jesus, in that he wanted to spare Jesus the awkward challenge of whether or not to enter a Gentile's house - as well as the time and trouble of travel.

 

He did NOT know Jesus well enough to know that He would NOT feel awkward in the least; but his consideration of Jesus in this situation was impressive. In his concern for both his servant and for Jesus, this centurion was an others-centered person.

 

But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed...

 

The centurion fully understood that Jesus' healing power was NOT some sort of magic trick that required the magician's presence. Instead he knew Jesus had TRUE authority, and COULD command things to be done and completed outside His immediate presence.

 

The centurion showed great faith in Jesus' word. He understood that Jesus can heal with His word just as easily as with a touch.

 

For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me...

 

The centurion also knew about the military chain of command, and how the orders of one in authority were unquestioningly obeyed. He saw that Jesus had MUCH MORE authority.

 

Verses 10-13 tells us Jesus praises the centurion's faith and heals his servant

 

"When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour."

 

When Jesus heard it, He marveled...

 

The man's understanding of Jesus' spiritual authority made Jesus marvel. His simple confidence in the ability of Jesus' mere word to heal showed a faith that was free of ANY superstitious reliance on merely external things. This was truly great faith, worthy of praise.

 

Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!...

 

Jesus considered the faith of this Gentile centurion - a living symbol of Jewish oppression - and thought it greater than any faith He had seen among the people of Israel.

 

As a political entity, there was NO Israel; there was only a covenant people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet Jesus STILL called them Israel.

 

Many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham...

 

The fact that such faith was present in a Gentile caused Jesus to announce that there would be Gentiles in the kingdom of heaven. They will even sit down to dinner with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

 

This was a radical idea to many of the Jewish people in Jesus' day.

 

WHY?

 

Jews WRONGLY BELIEVED AND TAUGHT that this great Messianic Banquet would have NO Gentiles, and that ALL Jews would be there. Jesus corrected BOTH mistaken ideas.

 

These few words of Jesus tell us a little something of what heaven is like.

 

1. It is a place of rest; we sit down in heaven.

 

2. It is a place of good company to sit with; we enjoy the friendship of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in heaven.

 

3. It is a place with many people; Jesus said that many will come into heaven.

 

4. It is a place with people from all over the earth; from east and west they will come to heaven.

 

5. It is a certain place; Jesus said many will come, and when Jesus says it will happen, it will happen.

 

But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness...

 

As well, Jesus reminded his Jewish listeners that just as the Gentile's racial identity was NO automatic barrier to the kingdom, their racial identity was NO guarantee of the kingdom. Though Jews THOUGHT THEY WERE THE SOLE sons of the kingdom, Jesus CORRECTED THEM and told them that they might end up in hell.

 

The definite articles with 'weeping' and 'gnashing' (cf. Greek) emphasize the horror of the scene: the weeping and the gnashing. . . . Weeping suggests suffering and gnashing of teeth despair.

 

SPURGEON reminds, "We see that Jesus unafraid to speak of hell, and in fact did so more than any other in the Bible. "There are some ministers who never mention anything about hell. I heard of a minister who once said to his congregation - 'If you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ you will be sent to that place which it is not polite to mention.' He ought not to have been allowed to preach again, I am sure, if he could not use plain words."

 

Verses 14-15 tells us Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law.

 

"Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them."

 

He saw his wife's mother lying sick...

 

This clearly establishes the fact that Peter was married. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all priests must be celibate and unmarried, but the man they would FALSELY CLAIM & CALL THEIR first and greatest pope Peter WAS certainly married. Marriage is one of the first institutions, and is a positive command of God.

 

He touched her hand, and the fever left her...

 

Jesus healed this woman with a gentle touch of His hand. Her sickness was much less severe than the leper, yet Jesus still cared for her. Jesus cares for smaller problems also.

 

And she arose and served them...

 

Peter's mother-in-law showed a fitting response for those who have been touched by Jesus' power - she immediately began to serve. Serving Jesus is a wonderful evidence of being restored to spiritual AND physical health.

 

Verses 16-17 tells us Jesus, in fulfillment of prophecy, delivers MANY from sickness and demonic possession.

 

"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

 

They brought to Him many...

 

Jesus' care for the individual is shown by the implication that Jesus dealt with each person individually, not in some cold, "assembly line" procedure.

 

Many who were demon possessed...

 

Josephus, their own historian, gives TWO sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord's time, abounded with demoniacs.

 

FIRST, There was not (said he) a nation under heaven more wicked than they were.

SECONDLY, because they were then strongly addicted to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them.

 

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah...

 

Matthew rightly understood this as a partial fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 53, which primarily refers to spiritual healing, but also definitely includes physical healing. In this, Matthew showed Jesus as the true Messiah in delivering people from the bondage of sin and the effects of a fallen world.

 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses...

 

The provision for our healing (both physically and spiritually) was made by the sufferings (the stripes) of Jesus. The physical dimension of our healing is partially realized now, but finally COMPLETELY FULFILLED when we who love Jesus Christ walk through the gates of Heaven.

 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses...

 

This section of Matthew's Gospel shows FOUR different people being healed, each one different from the other.

 

DIFFERENT people were healed.

 

1. A Jew with no social or religious privileges.

2. A Gentile officer of the army occupying and oppressing Israel.

3. A woman related to one of Jesus' devoted followers.

4. Unnamed multitudes.

 

Their requests were made in DIFFERENT ways.

 

1. A direct request from the sufferer, made in his own faith.

2. A request from one man for another, made in faith on behalf of a suffering man.

3. No request was made because Jesus came to the sufferer, so there was no evidence of faith from the healed.

4. Sufferers that were brought to Jesus, with different kinds of faith.

 

Jesus used DIFFERENT methods to heal.

 

1. Jesus used a touch that was forbidden.

2. Jesus used a word spoken from afar.

3. Jesus used a tender touch.

4. Jesus used a variety of unnamed methods.

 

From all this we understand that physical healing is an area where God especially shows His sovereignty, and He does things as He pleases, NOT necessarily as men might expect.

 

 

Verses 18-20 tells us Jesus speaks to an over-enthusiastic follower about the need to appreciate the cost in following Jesus.

 

"And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

 

When Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side...

 

Jesus increased in popularity, yet He did NOT follow the crowds or even seek to make them bigger. In some ways Jesus seemed to avoid seeking out the great multitudes about Him.

 

Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go...

 

With the miracles associated with the ministry of Jesus, following Him might have seemed more glamorous than it really was. Jesus perhaps received many spontaneous offers like this.

 

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head...

 

Jesus didn't tell the man "No, you can't follow Me." But He told him the truth, without painting a glamorized version of what it was like to follow Him. This is the opposite of techniques used by many evangelists today, WHO FALSELY TEACH AND PROCLAIM, IF YOU FOLLOW JESUS YOU WILL BECOME HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE AND A JOYFUL CAREFREE, WORRY FREE, TRIAL/TRIBULATION FREE LIFE but Jesus wanted the man to know what it would really be like.

 

Many homes, like Peter's, were open to him, but he had none of his own.

 

The reason this man turned away from Jesus was because Jesus lived a very simple life by faith, trusting His Father for every need and without reserves of material resources. This is just the kind of thing that would make Jesus more attractive to a truly spiritual man. "Here is a man who lives completely by faith and is satisfied with few material things; I should follow Him and learn from Him.

 

The Son of Man...

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

The phrase "Son of Man" is used 81 times in the gospels; every time it is either something Jesus said of Himself, or the words of someone quoting Jesus. It is an important phrase He used to describe Himself. He used it as a title that reflected both the glory (Daniel 7:13-14) and the humility (Psalm 8:4) of the Messiah.

 

Especially, its connection to the Daniel passage means that it was an image of power and glory, yet without the unwanted associations of other titles. By using it often, Jesus told His listeners: "I'm the Messiah of power and glory, but not the one you were expecting. You were expecting a personal liberator from the yoke of bondage to Romans, but I have come NOW for FAR more important things. I have come to liberate you in the forever, the eternal, through Me you will spend eternity in Heaven."

 

Verses 21-22 tells us Jesus speaks to a hesitant follower about the surpassing importance of following Jesus.

 

"Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

 

Lord, let me first go and bury my father...

 

Actually, this man did NOT ask for permission to dig a grave for his deceased father. He wanted to remain in his father's house and care for him until the father died. This was obviously an indefinite period, which could drag on and on.

 

This man was another of His disciples; yet he did not follow Jesus as he should have, nor as the 12 disciples did. This shows us that the term DISCIPLES has a somewhat broad meaning in the Gospel of Matthew, and must be understood in its context.

 

Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead...

 

Jesus pressed the man to follow Him now, and clearly stated the principle that family obligations - or any other obligation - must NOT be put ahead of following Jesus. Jesus MUST come first.

 

DO YOU NOTICE...

Jesus was NOT afraid to discourage POTENTIAL disciples. Unlike many modern evangelists, who recruit anyone and everyone, accept anyone and everyone, regardless the TRUE condition of their heart, life, and word. Jesus was FAR MORE interested in quality than in quantity.

 

Nothing has done more harm to Christianity than the practice of UNIVERSALISM, GLOBALISM, & ECUMENICALISM that fill the ranks/pews of the church with every volunteer who is willing to join, regardless the TRUE condition of their heart, salvation, and life walk.

 

In addition, Jesus was merely being honest. This is what it meant to follow Him, and He wanted people to know it at the VERY beginning.

 

 

Verses 23-25 tells us Jesus shows His power/control over a storm that arises on the Sea of Galilee.

 

"Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

 

Now when He got into a boat...

 

The village of Capernaum was right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, like many Galileans, was familiar with boats and life near this fairly large lake.

 

Suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea...

 

The Sea of Galilee is well known for its sudden, violent storms. The severity of this storm was evident in the fact that the disciples (many of which were experienced fishermen on this lake) were terrified, crying out "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

 

But He was asleep...

 

Though the disciples were desperate, Jesus was asleep. It must have seemed strange to them that He could sleep in the midst of such a great tempest.

 

The grammar of the phrase "But He was asleep" conveys a "dramatic contrast"; the storm raged, the disciples panicked, but Jeus was asleep and untroubled by the storm..

 

We are impressed by the fact that He needed to sleep, showing His true humanity. He became tired and would sometimes need to catch sleep wherever He was able to, even in unlikely places.

 

We are impressed by the fact that He could sleep. His mind and heart were peaceful enough, trusting in the love and care of His Father in heaven, that He could sleep in the midst of EVEN A violent storm.

 

Verses 26-27 tells us Jesus displays authority over His creation.

 

"But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?...

 

Jesus rebuked their fear and unbelief, NOT their request or waking Him. We should NOT think that Jesus was in a bad mood from being awakened. He was upset at their fear, because fear and unbelief go together. When we trust God as we should trust Him there is little room left for fear.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "Jesus spoke to the men first, for they were the most difficult to deal with: wind and sea could be rebuked afterwards."

 

AND CONSIDER THIS:

 

They actually had many reasons to have faith, even great faith.

 

1. They had just seen Jesus do significant miracles, showing great power and authority.

2. They had seen an example of great faith with the centurion who trusted Jesus to heal his servant.

3. They had Jesus with them in the boat. And, they saw Jesus sleep; His peace should have given them peace.

 

Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea...

 

Jesus did NOT merely quiet the wind and the sea; He REBUKED the winds and the sea. This, together with the disciple's great fear and what Jesus would encounter at His destination leads some to believe that there was some type of spiritual attack BY SATAN in the storm. But the unshakeable truth is this: whether it WAS Satan DERIVED or a natural weather phenomenon, NEITHER could STAND NOR DISOBEY Jesus Christ.

 

SURGEON says, "Probably excited by Satan, the prince of the power of the air, who, having got the author and all the preachers of the Gospel together in a small vessel, thought by drowning it, to defeat the purposes of God, and thus to prevent the salvation of a ruined world. What a noble opportunity must this have appeared to the enemy of the human race!"

 

So the men marveled...

 

MATTHEW 9

 

OPENS WITH...JESUS MINISTERS AND HEALS

 

 

Verses 1-2 tells us A paralytic man is brought to Jesus.

 

"So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."

 

His own city...This must mean Capernaum, as previously noted (Matthew 4:13).

 

They brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed...

 

Other Gospels (in Mark 2 and Luke 5) explain how the man was brought to Jesus. Because of the crowds, his friends lowered him down to Jesus through the roof.

 

This will be another example of Jesus healing the sick and diseased, and the Messiah's role as healer was clearly prophesied in passages like:

 

Isaiah 35:5-6: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert."

 

Thus, Jesus' miracles were a testimony not only to the fact that He was sent by God, but that also He was the anticipated Messiah.

 

However, as noted earlier, Jesus' miracles were not primarily calculated for crowd effect. Instead they were primarily done to minister to the humble needs of humble people. For the most part, most Jewish people of that time would have preferred much more spectacular signs - like calling down fire from heaven upon a Roman Legion.

 

We also note that the presence of so much sickness among Israel was evidence of their unfaithfulness to the covenant and their low spiritual condition. God gave them the OPPOSITE of what He promised under:

 

Exodus 15:26: "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."

 

When Jesus SAW their faith...

 

Jesus saw the faith of his friends, not of the paralyzed man himself. He could tell that they had the faith to bring the man to Jesus, and Mark and Luke that their faith was active enough to take apart a roof and lower the man down before Jesus.

 

We also can assume that the paralyzed man himself had little faith; Jesus noted the faith of his friends, NOT his. Therefore Jesus wanted to encourage this man's faith by His next words.

 

Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you...

 

The faith of the paralyzed man's friends did something - they brought this man to Jesus. Yet they only thought of bringing him to Jesus for the healing of his body. They certainly didn't think that Jesus would forgive His sins.

 

But Jesus addressed the man's GREATER problem. As bad as it was to be paralyzed, it is infinitely worse to be bound and lost in your sin.

 

We need not infer that the man was paralyzed as the direct result of some sin that needed forgiving. This did NOT seem to be Jesus' point in saying, "your sins are forgiven you."

 

Matthew Poole saw SIX reasons why Jesus dealt with the man's sin first.

 

1. Because sin is the root from which all our evils come.

2. To show that forgiveness is more important than bodily healing.

3. To show that the most important thing Jesus came to do was to deal with sin.

4. To show that when a man's sins are forgiven, he becomes a son of God.

5. To show that the response to faith is the forgiveness of sin.

6. To begin an important conversation with the scribes and Pharisees.

 

Verse 3 tells us The REACTION of the religious leaders.

 

"And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"

 

And at once some of the scribes said within themselves...

 

We notice that they objected immediately yet privately, saying it within themselves. Jesus will address what they said within themselves, showing that our thoughts and opinions ARE open to God and of interest to Him.

 

This Man blasphemes!...

 

The scribes correctly understood that Jesus claimed to do something that only God can do. But they were incorrect in assuming that Jesus was not God Himself, and that Jesus blasphemed by considering Himself God.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "They did not call him 'man'; the word is italics in our version. They did not know what to call him even in their hearts; they meant 'this' - this upstart, this nobody, this strange being."

 

AND DID YOU KNOW...

This is the FIRST mention of opposition to Jesus, which will be a recurrent theme.

 

Verses 4-5 tells us Jesus reads the evil hearts of the scribes and presents a question.

 

"But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?"

 

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts...

 

This alone should have been enough for Jesus to prove His deity, demonstrating that He could know their evil hearts. Yet He would also offer a greater proof of His deity.

 

For which is easier, to say...

 

Both healing and forgiveness ARE impossible with man. Yet only the promise of healing could be immediately proven, because though you can't see someone's sin being forgiven, but you can see that they are healed.

 

AND WE REMEMBER Psalm 103:3. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy diseases." Here pardon precedes health.

 

Verses 6-8 tells us Jesus asserts His authority over both sin and disease.

 

"But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"; then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men."

 

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins...

 

Jesus answered His own question before the religious leaders did. Since He could make good on His claim to heal the man, it gave proof of His claim to also have the authority to forgive sins.

 

And he arose and departed to his house...

 

The man was instantly healed, proving that Jesus did have the power of God both to heal and forgive.

 

SADLY, we notice there is NO MENTION of the healed man thanking Jesus at all. The man obeyed, but he did NOT take the time to say THANK YOU LORD.

 

When the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God...

 

At the man's healing, the crowd properly gave God the glory for this miracle. Jesus obviously did not draw attention to Himself by the manner in which the healing was done.

 

Verse 9 tells us Matthew, the tax collector obeys Jesus' call to come follow Him.

 

"As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him."

 

A man named Matthew...

 

Mark 2:14 says that this man was also named Levi the son of Alphaeus.

Matthew 10:3 mentions that there was another disciple who was a son of Alphaeus (James, often called James the Less to distinguish him from James the brother of John). So it seems that both this Matthew and his brother James were among the 12.

 

A man named Matthew sitting at the tax office...

 

Tax collectors were not only notorious sinners; they were also properly regarded as collaborators with the Romans against their fellow Jews. Nobody liked the man who sat at the tax office.

 

The Jewish people rightly thought of them traitors because they worked for the Roman government, and they had the force of Roman soldiers behind them to make people pay taxes. They were the most visible Jewish collaborators with Rome.

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

The Jewish people rightly considered them extortioners because they were allowed to keep whatever they over-collected. A tax collector bid among others for the tax-collecting contract. For example, many tax collectors might want to have the tax contract for a city like Capernaum. The Romans awarded the contract to the highest bidder. The man collected taxes, paid the Romans what he promised, and kept the remainder. Therefore, there was a lot of incentive for tax collectors to over-charge and cheat any way they could. It was pure profit for them.

 

AND...When a Jew entered the customs service he was regarded as an outcast from society: he was disqualified as a judge or a witness in a court session, was excommunicated from the synagogue, and in the eyes of the community his disgrace extended to his family.

 

AND... The old King James Version uses the word "publican" for a tax-collector. "The publicani were tax-gatherers, and were so called because they dealt with public money and with public funds.

 

And He said to him, "Follow Me"...

 

Understanding how almost everyone hated tax collectors, it is remarkable to see how Jesus loved and called Matthew. It proved to be a well-placed love; Matthew responded to Jesus' invitation by leaving his tax collecting business and following Jesus - and eventually writing this same gospel account.

 

In one way this was more than a sacrifice than some of the other disciples made. Peter, James, and John could more easily go back to their fishing business, but it would be hard for Levi to go back to tax collecting.

 

Verses 10-13 tells us Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners.

 

"Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

 

Many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him...

 

The context suggests that this was a gathering of Matthew's friends and former business associates. We might say that Jesus took advantage of Matthew's decision to also reach those whom he knew.

 

Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?...

 

The answer to this question was simple. Because Jesus is the friend of sinners.

 

Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick...

 

This was the principle that the criticizing Pharisees did NOT understand. The Pharisees were like doctors who wanted to avoid all contact with sick people. Of course they wished that sick people would GIVE them their money and may have hoped they become healthy; but they would NOT risk social/religious association or proximity in the GREATER fear of getting infected themselves.

 

We are fortunate that God calls sinners and not just saintly people. Jesus came to benefit those who understood their inherit need for Him (those who are sick and the poor in spirit of Matthew 5:3). Yet the proud who see no need for Jesus (those who are well) benefit nothing from Jesus.

 

Go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice"...

 

DID YOU KNOW...

Here Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6. In Hosea's day, God's people were still good at bringing sacrifice (Hosea 5:6). But they had forsaken mercy, and they abandoned mercy because they gave up the knowledge of God and truth (Hosea 4:1). God would rather have right hearts, full of truth and mercy than sacrifice.

 

THEN AND NOW, LOST MAN AND MAN-CREATED FALSE RELIGIOSITIES WOULD RATHER HAVE THE OPPOSITE..THEY WOULD RATHER HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND YOUR SACRIFICE...YOUR MONEY...THAN THEY WOULD RIGHT HEARTS FULL OF GOD'S WORD, TRUTH, AND MERCY.

 

MORGAN points out, "These words are the more arresting when we remember that they were addressed to the teachers of men. . . . The rebuke of Christ sowed that they did not know God, and He bade them go and learn the meaning of their own Scriptures."

 

The new and old covenants and their difference.

 

Verse 14 tells us The disciples of John ask a question: why don't Jesus' disciples fast as they and the Pharisees do?

 

"Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

 

Why do we and the Pharisees fast often...

 

The ministry of John the Baptist was strict in its character and had an emphasis on humble repentance (Matthew 3:1-4). John's disciples imitated this, and showed their own proper humility in light of their own sin and that of their people.

 

The Pharisees fast often...

 

Pharisees were also known for their practice of fasting (often twice a week, according to Luke 18:12). But they did not do it out of a spirit of humble repentance. They often fasted wanting to impress themselves and others with their spirituality (Matthew 6:16-18).

 

But Your disciples do not fast...

 

Apparently the disciples of Jesus did NOT fast as either of these two groups did. Jesus will next explain why.

 

Verses 15-17 tells us The principle: things are different now that the Messiah is here.

 

"And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

 

Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?

 

It wasn't right for Jesus' disciples to imitate the Pharisees in their hypocritical shows. Nor was it right for them to imitate John's disciples in their ministry of humble preparation, because the disciples lived in AND experienced what John tried to prepare people for.

 

But the days will come...

 

There would come a day when fasting is appropriate for Jesus' followers. But at the present time, when Jesus was among them, it was not that day.

 

There is a slight dark note in the words, "the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them." It was as if Jesus said, "They are going to take Me away; I threaten their system."

 

THIS IS THE FIRST SLIGHT HINT of His coming rejection.

 

Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break...

 

With this illustration of the wineskins, Jesus explained that He did NOT come to repair or reform the OLD institutions of Judaism, but to institute a NEW covenant altogether. The new covenant doesn't just improve the old; it replaces it and goes beyond it.

 

But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved...

 

Jesus' reference to the wineskins was His announcement that the present institutions of Judaism could NOT and would NOT contain His new wine. He would form a NEW institution - the church - that would bring Jew and Gentile together into a completely new body, confirmed to us in Ephesians 2:16.

 

Jesus reminds us that what is old and stagnant often can NOT be renewed or reformed. God will often look for new vessels to contain His new work, until those vessels eventually make themselves unusable.

 

This reminds us that the MAN-CREATED religious establishment of any age is not necessarily pleasing to Jesus. Sometimes it is in direct opposition to, or at least resisting His work.

 

Jesus came to introduce something new, not to patch up something old. This is what salvation is all about. In doing this, Jesus does NOT destroy the old (the law), but He fulfills it, just as an acorn is fulfilled when it grows into an oak tree. There is a sense in which the acorn is gone, but its purpose is fulfilled in greatness.

 

Two people are healed: A little girl and a woman with an issue of blood.

 

Verses 18-19 tells us A ruler among the Jews asks Jesus to heal his daughter.

 

"While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples."

 

A ruler came and worshipped Him...

 

Note that this man worshipped Him, and Jesus received this worship - which would have been blasphemous if Jesus had not Himself been God.

 

In other instances in the New Testament where such worship is offered to a HUMAN (Acts 10:25-26) or to an ANGEL (Revelation 22:8-9), it is always immediately refused.

 

My daughter has just died, but come any lay Your hand on her and she will live...

 

This ruler, MEANING HE WAS A ROMAN, BECAUSE ONLY ROMANS RULED IN THAT DAY, did the right thing in coming to Jesus, but his faith is small in comparison to the centurion of Matthew 8. The ruler thought it is essential that Jesus personally come touch the little girl, while the centurion understood Jesus had the authority to heal with a word, even at a great distance.

 

Verses 20-22 tells us A woman is healed by her faith and her touch of Jesus.

 

"And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour."

 

And suddenly, a woman...

 

Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:43-48 give a much fuller account of this miracle; but Matthew's account is enough to show the compassion of Jesus and the fact that His power was not magical. Here we simply see the power of God responding to the faith of those who seek Him.

 

If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well...

 

DID YOU KNOW...IN THAT DAY...Because this woman's condition was embarrassing, and because she was ceremonially unclean and would be condemned for touching Jesus or even being in a pressing crowd, she wanted to do this secretly. She would not openly ask Jesus to be healed, but she thought "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."

 

AND..."FOR JEWISH LEADERS/MEN, The fringes OF THEIR OUTER GARMENTS were four tassels of hyacinth blue worn on the corners of his outer garment.... It was meant to identify a Jew as a Jew, and as member of the chosen people, no matter where he was; and it was meant to remind a Jew every time he put on and took off his clothes that he belonged to God."

 

BUT INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH...

WE NOTICE HERE...This also shows us that Jesus dressed like other people of His time. He felt no need to distinguish Himself by the clothes He wore, by religious/ethic identifiers. In dress Jesus was not noncomformist.

 

AND WE LEARN SOMETHING IMPORTANT HERE...

 

To the best of our Biblical gospels knowledge, there was NO promise or NO pattern that touching the garment of Jesus would bring healing, as some taught and still DO SUPERSTITIOUSLY teach/believe today. It seems that the woman believed this in a somewhat superstitious way. Yet even though her faith had elements of err and superstition, she believed in the healing power of Jesus and His garment served as a point of contact for that faith. There are many things that we could find wrong with this woman's faith. Yet Matthew wants us to SEE and to KNOW it WAS her faith in Jesus; and His power to heal that motivated her.

 

And the woman was made well...

Her faith, though imperfect, was enough to receive what Jesus wanted to give her. Her 12-year disease was immediately cured.

 

When He saw her, He said...

 

This woman hoped to receive something from Jesus without drawing any attention to herself or her embarrassing problem. Jesus insisted on making public notice of her, and He did this for good reasons.

 

1. He did it so she would know that she was healed, having heard an official declaration of it from Jesus.

 

2. He did it so others would know she was healed, because her ailment was private in nature.

 

3. He did it so she would know why she was healed, that it was by her faith and not because of a superstitious touch of His garment or anything else He wore or touched in itself.

 

4. He did it so that she would not think she stole a blessing from Jesus, and so she would never feel that she needed to hide from Him.

 

5. He did it so that the ruler would see the power of Jesus at work and therefore have more faith himself for his daughter.

 

6. He did it so that He could bless her in a special way, giving her an honored title that we never see Jesus give to any other: daughter.

 

((((Verses 23-26 tells us Jesus, despite scorn, raises the little girl from the dead.))))

 

"When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land."

 

The flute players and the noisy crowd...

 

These were probably paid mourners, who in the custom of the day offered an ostentatious display of mourning for a price, and not out of ANY sincere sorrow. When we notice how quickly they moved from wailing to ridiculing Jesus, it showed US their lack of sincerity.

 

DID YOU KNOW...

 

"Professional mourners were hired even by the poorest families 'not less than two flutes and one wailing woman."

 

AND...Mourning, like everything else, had been reduced to a system, two flutes and one mourning woman at the burial of a wife incumbent on the poorest man. There WAS pomp and circumstance, rites, rituals and rules but NO HEART. NO SINCERITY in it.

 

When the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose...

 

Jesus endured the scorn from the crowd and raised the girl to life. He certainly would not let the criticism or mocking of the crowd keep Him from doing God's will.

 

Jesus did so here in a simple act of mercy and compassion to the grieving father. In addition, Jesus must have hated death and its cause, and enjoyed the opportunity to hand death a small defeat before He would defeat it altogether at the cross and the empty tomb.

 

Verses 27-31 tells us Jesus heals TWO blind men.

 

"When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it." But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country."

 

Two blind men followed Him...

 

It was not easy for these blind men to follow Jesus, but they did. They had to ask others where Jesus was going and they had to listen to every sound that might guide them. Yet they were determined to follow Him to the best of their ability.

 

BARCLAY tells us, "Blindness was a distressingly common disease in Palestine. It came partly from the glare of the eastern sun on unprotected eyes, and partly because people knew nothing of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. In particular the clouds of unclean flies carried infections which led to loss of sight."

 

Son of David, have mercy on us!

 

The two blind men followed Jesus and shouted this open recognition of Jesus as Messiah, because Son of David was a rich Messianic title. They asked Jesus for the best thing they could ask for: mercy.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "Their sole appeal was to mercy. There was no talk about merit, no pleading of their past sufferings, or their persevering endeavors, or their resolves for the future; but, 'Have mercy on us.' He will never win a blessing from God who demands it as if he had a right to it."

 

AND DID YOU KNOW...

This is the FIRST time Jesus is called 'Son of David' and there can be no doubt that the blind men were confessing Jesus as Messiah.

 

AND REMEMBER OUR STUDY OF John 9:22 tells us that the Pharisees judged that anyone who proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, would be removed from the synagogue. Though the occasion in John seems have been after this healing of the blind men, we can still believe that there was a price to pay for calling Jesus "Son of David."

 

Do you believe that I am able to do this?...

 

Again, Jesus healed the blind men in response to their FAITH. Faith does not guarantee healing for every individual, yet there are undoubtedly multitudes that are not healed because they lack faith. These men simply proclaimed their faith by saying, "Yes, Lord."

 

According to your faith let it be so to you...

 

Here again Matthew emphasized the proper faith that men should have in Jesus, and the blessings that come to men through that faith.

 

1. The leper of Matthew 8:1-4 showed faith because he absolutely knew that Jesus was able to heal his leprosy.

2. The centurion of Matthew 8:5-13 had such great faith that Jesus openly praised it as great faith, that He had not found among the people of Israel.

3. The disciples failed in faith when in the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27)

4. The woman with the issue of blood was healed by her faith (Matthew 9:18-26).

 

In many ways, Jesus says the same to men and women today:

According to your faith let it be so to you." There is much to have by faith, and much that is never received because it is never grasped with faith. According to your faith' does not mean 'in proportion to your faith' (so much faith, so much sight) but rather 'since you believe, your request is granted'.

 

The faith of these two blind men is worthy of notice.

 

1. They had the faith to follow Jesus; this meant forsaking other paths, other directions and deciding to follow Him.

2. They had the faith to cry out, willing to put words to their desire.

3. They had the faith to make some noise, and to be unafraid of embarrassment.

4. They had the faith to identify Jesus as the Son of David, recognizing Him as the Messiah.

5. They had the faith to ask Jesus for mercy, knowing they didn't deserve healing.

6. They had faith to believe that Jesus was able heal them.

7. They had the faith to say, "Yes, Lord."

 

See that no one knows it...

 

Despite Jesus' warning, they could NOT resist telling others. Though we do not admire their well-intentioned disobedience, we admire their excitement over the work of God. This was their only area of unbelief - they didn't have the faith to obey Jesus as they should have.

 

Verses 32-34 tells us A MUTE man healed.

 

"As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!" But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

 

A man, mute and demon-possessed...

 

DID YOU KNOW...In the Jewish understanding of demon possession, this man could not be helped. This was because most rabbis of that day thought that the essential first step in exorcism was to compel or trick the demon into telling you its name. The name was then thought of as a handle by which the demon could then be removed.

 

Therefore, a demon that made a man mute had cleverly prevented the revelation of the name of the demon inhabiting the victim, and therefore prevented the exorcism.

 

Yet Jesus had no problem, the demon was cast out and the mute spoke.

 

It was never seen like this in Israel!...

 

For these reasons this miracle was particularly amazing to the multitudes. It showed not only the complete authority of Jesus over the demonic realm, but also the weakness of the rabbis' traditions.

 

But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

 

In attributing this work of Jesus to the power of Satan, we see in this gospel the Pharisees and other religious leaders continuing their rejection of Jesus and His work.

 

Verses 35-38 tells us Jesus' compassion on the multitudes.

 

"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

 

Jesus went about all the cities and villages...

 

As Jesus encountered the depth of human need He was moved with compassion for them. Jesus was not unfeeling or stoic in the face of people and their problems.

 

DO YOU NOTICE...In the previous verses Jesus was terribly and unfairly criticized, yet it did not make Him stop His work. He didn't say, "Oh, they are saying terrible things about Me! What can I do? How can I make them stop?" Jesus simply ignored terrible and unfair criticism and got about His Father's business.

 

BARCLAY tells us, "The word which is used for moved with compassion (splagchnistheis) is the strongest word for pity in the Greek language. . . . it describes the compassion which moves a man to the deepest depths of his being."

 

They were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd...

Jesus here described what man is apart from God; that we are like sheep having no shepherd. This means that we are in a lot of trouble until we come under the care of our Shepherd.

 

Sadly, one could say that the Jewish people of that day did indeed have some kind of spiritual guides and shepherds, namely the scribes, priests, Levites, and Pharisees. Yet for the most part they were worthless. Christ accounts those people to have no ministers who have no good ones.

THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY "SPIRITUAL GUIDES", SPIRITUALISM ARE SO DANGEROUS FOR LOST/SEEKING/NEW BABIES IN CHRIST... IT IS FULL OF RITES, RITUALS, INCENSE, GONG RINGING, HUMMING MANTRAS, BUT HAS NO SUBSTANCE. IT IS WORSE THAN WORTHLESS IN THE EYES OF JESUS.

 

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few: Jesus saw the greatness of human need as an opportunity, as a harvest that was plentiful. A harvest is a good thing, and this was a plentiful harvest.

 

But it was also a harvest that needed laborers. The good of a harvest can go to waste if there are no laborers to take advantage of the bounty. Jesus warned us that opportunities to meet human need and bring people into His kingdom may be wasted because of a shortage of laborers.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "Pretenders were many, but real 'laborers' in the harvest were few. . . . Man-made ministers are useless."

 

WHAT DO WE NOTICE IN THIS CHAPTER OF MATTHEW?

 

MATTHEW 10

 

OPENS WITH...THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE WHO ARE CHOSEN AND COMMISSIONED.

 

Verses 1-4 tells us The TWELVE disciples are listed.

 

"And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."

 

When He had called His twelve disciples to Him...

 

The main feature of this list is its diversity. Jesus chose His disciples from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. About all they had in common was it seems that none of them were privileged or from backgrounds of high status.

 

This is in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 1:26-29...

"For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."

 

He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease...

 

Jesus did not only call the twelve. He also gave them power to do what He had called them to do. The same principle holds true today: whom God calls, God equips. The equipping may not be completely evident before the ministry begins, but it will be evident along the way.

 

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these...

 

These twelve (excepting Judas, of course), have an important place in God's plan of redemption, including some particular role in the future judgment (Matthew 19:28), and in the founding of the church (Ephesians 2:20). The Bible promises that their position and work will be remembered through eternity (Revelation 21:14).

 

DID YOU KNOW...

This is the FIRST and ONLY time in Matthew that the twelve are called APOSTLES. The word apostle literally means one who is sent out; it is the word for an envoy or an ambassador. Called here for the first and last time apostoloi, with reference at once to the immediate minor mission and to the later great one.

 

1. The word apostle can mean a mere messenger, as in John 13:16, referring to he who is sent.

2. Jesus is called an apostle in Hebrews 3:1: consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

3. Paul sometimes used the word in the sense of messengers or representatives, as in 2 Corinthians 8:23: they are messengers [apostles] of the churches; possibly also in Romans 16:7.

4. Yet Paul also used the term in a more narrow sense, referring to the Twelve and himself by special dispensation (1 Corinthians 9:1-5 and 15:7-10; Galatians 1:17 and 1:19 following).

 

AND WE KNOW...There are four DIFFERENT lists of the twelve in the New Testament. Here in Matthew 10:2-4, and also in Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13. In these lists, Peter is always listed first and Judas is always listed last. The two pairs of brothers (Peter and Andrew; James and John) are always listed first. In the lists they are arranged in a way that suggests that they were arranged in three groups of four, each with a leader.

 

1. In each list Peter is first mentioned, followed by Andrew, James, and John.

2. In each list Philip is fifth mentioned, followed by Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew.

3. In each list James the son of Alphaeus is ninth mentioned, followed by Thaddaeus/Judas brother of James, Simon the Zealot, and Judas.

 

DID YOU KNOW...Iscariot is usually thought to mean 'man of Kerioth' (a city in southern Judaea), but has also been explained as meaning 'traitor', 'assassin', 'carrier of the leather bag', or 'redhead'!

 

Verses 5-6 tells us Where they are to go: unto Israel (the Jewish people) only.

 

"These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

 

These twelve Jesus sent out...

 

Jesus was touring around the region of Galilee teaching, preaching, and helping needy people with miraculous power (Matthew 4:23). The sending of these twelve was a conscious expanding of that work. Now the work of Jesus was being done by many more than simply Jesus Himself.

 

And commanded them...

 

The word which is used in the Greek for Jesus commanding his men, or giving them orders is interesting and illuminating. It is the word "paragellein". This word in Greek has four special usages.

 

1. It is the regular word of military command. . . .

2. It is the word used of calling one's friends to one's help. . . .

3. It is the word which is used of a teaching giving rules and precepts to his students. . . .

4. It is the word which is regularly used for an imperial command."

 

Do not go into the way of the Gentiles...

This is the pattern of the gospel - it is for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Romans 1:16). Later, the gospel would go to BOTH the Samaritans and the Gentiles, but it had to BEGIN with the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

 

That Jesus felt it necessary to mention the Samaritans at all presupposes John 4. The disciples, happy in the exercise of their ability to perform miracles, might have been tempted to evangelize the Samaritans because they remembered Jesus' success there.

 

The effect of this order was in actual fact to limit the first journeys of the twelve to Galilee.

 

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel...

 

God's intention was to reach the whole world, but beginning with Israel. There was certainly enough work to do among the lost sheep of the house of Israel to keep the twelve busy until God directly commanded them to expand their ministry.

 

THIS IS IMPORTANT...WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS, WHEN THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE FALSE NARRATIVE OF REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY, WHICH SAYS/TEACHES/BELIEVES GOD DISINHERITED ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH, JESUS LOVING CHRISTIANS, REPLACED/ BECAME THE CHOSEN OF GOD.

 

Significantly, Jesus still called the Jewish people "the house of Israel" even though they had lost their Jewish state many decades before this time. God STILL CALLED THEM AND SAW them as "Israel," even when there was not a political entity known as "Israel."

 

Who were the lost sheep of Israel? In a sense, all of them were. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6).

 

Yet in another sense, there were also lost sheep that were abused and neglected by their spiritual shepherds, the scribes, priests, and Pharisees. This is the sense of Jeremiah 50:6: "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray." It is also the sense of Jesus when He ate with sinners at the home of Matthew (Matthew 9:10-13).

 

Because so many were so spiritually neglected, Jesus sent these apostles out. "The beginnings of the mission to the neglected 'lost' sheep of Israel may be found in the Capernaum feast (Matthew 9:10).

 

Verses 7-8a tells us What they are to do: go out preaching and healing.

 

"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons."

 

As you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Earlier (Matthew 4:17) we were told that Jesus' message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The disciples brought the same message Jesus preached, simply bringing it over a much broader area than Jesus did by Himself.

 

We may also surmise that they were to repeat many of the themes found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), because that message tells what life in the kingdom of heaven should be like.

 

There is no mention of them preaching in the synagogues, only being scourged in them (Matthew 10:17). This was a house-to-house, open field, street preaching ministry.

 

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons...

 

The disciples both had a message to preach and a power to display. In this, they were truly followers of their Master.

 

The authority for these disciples to raise the dead is remarkable; yet the later fulfillment of it was recorded in both Acts 9 and 20, and there were no doubt other unrecorded instances.

 

AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER...We have no evidence that either such a thing was common, IT WAS AND AS ALWAYS...AS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS AND AS THE HOLY SPIRIT WILLS IT.

 

SO WE ARE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS LIVING WITHIN US THAT, HIS AUTHORITY, HIS POWER, AS HE WILLS IT TO DO MIRACLES TODAY. THE PROBLEM WITH THE CHURCH, AS WELL, THE FALSE RELIGIOSITIES THEN AND NOW, THEY TEACH/PROCLAIM/BELIEVE THEY ARE THE POWER, THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE AN ANOINTED MANTLE OR THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND BEEN TO CLASSES TO LEARN AND HAVE THE ABILITY, THAT THEY COMMAND HEAVEN/THEY COMMAND HEALING/MIRACLES/THEY SUMMON WEALTH, THEY SUMMON ANGELS.

 

NO WHERE IN THE BIBLE DO ANY OF GOD'S PROPHETS, THE DISCIPLES/APOSTLES CLAIM STATE OR PROPHESY IN THEIR OWN POWER. IT WAS, IS AND EVER SHALL BE AS THE HOLY SPIRIT WILLS IT.

 

SATAN AND HIS DEMONS HAVE LIMITED ABILITIES, THEY CAN SPEAK IN TONGUES, THEY CAN DO SHORT TERM MIRACLES, THEY CAN SPEAK TO MANKIND, THEY CAN ILLUSION THEMSELVES INTO BEING ANGELS OF LIGHT, WHEN THEY ARE NOT FROM JESUS CHRIST AT ALL.

 

PRAYER IS OUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON FOR THE LOST, HURT, NEEDY. WHEN WE GATHER TOGETHER IN JESUS NAME AND PRAY FOR AND LIFT THE HURTS, NEEDS OF PEOPLE AND PRAY FOR JESUS DIRECTION, PROTECTION, AND HELP INTO OUR JESUS HANDS...WE RECOGNIZE THE POWER IS IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE. IT IS HIS DECISION.

 

Verses 8b-15 tells us How they were to provide for themselves.

 

"Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 

Freely you have received, freely give...

 

Jesus charged His disciples nothing. He did not charge them for the food, water, shelter, protection and He expected them to give ministry unto others without charge. This is the foundational principle for the commands that follow.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "What a scandal is it for a man to traffic with gifts which he pretends, at least, to have received from the Holy Ghost, of which he is not the master, but the dispenser. He who preaches to get a living, or to make a fortune, is guilty of the most infamous sacrilege."

 

Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts...

 

JESUS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY DEPENDED ON HIS FATHER TO PROVIDE FOR ALL HIS NEEDS. HIS MINISTRY IS PROOF OF THIS. JESUS WALKED IT, TALKED IT, AND LIVED IT.

JESUS WANTED THEM TO ALWAYS PRAY, ASK, AND BELIEVE AND EXPECT God to meet their needs, without taking undue concern for their own needs. Furthermore, they should expect that God would normally meet their needs through the inspired hospitality of others.

 

BARCLAY tells us, "He was once again speaking words which were very familiar to a Jew. The Talmud tells us that: 'No one is to go to the Temple Mount with staff, shoes, girdle of money, or dusty feet.' The idea was that when a man entered the temple, he must make it quite clear that he had left everything which had to do with trade and business and worldly affairs behind."

 

SPURGEON says, "Take [Provide] is literally 'obtain' … The saying in its Matthaean form thus does not so much specify the appropriate equipment for traveling, but rather assures the disciples that no previous fund-raising is necessary, nor need special equipment be acquired. They can go just as they are, and the mission is urgent."

 

AND FOR THOSE WHO POINT TO See Luke 22:36: 'He that hath a purse, let him take it …' Different modes of procedure are to be adopted at different times.

 

For a worker is worthy of his food...

 

When they came among others, they were to be workers among them. They would work among them in both spiritual work and practical work. We can imagine them preaching the Word of God, praying for and with people, and helping with the farm work.

 

Even though the twelve could expect their needs to be met through the people they served, they should never require their needs to be met as payment. The foundational principle was freely you have received, freely give.

 

If the household is worthy … if it is not worthy...

 

Those who did receive these disciples can expect to be blessed (let your peace come upon it); but those places that refused them could expect to be treated as Gentiles cities (shake off the dust from your feet), and as such, were in serious danger of judgment.

 

Two sure signs of reprobate goats:

 

1. Not to receive Christ's ministers to house and harbour, accounting themselves happy in such entertainment.

2. Not to hear their words.

 

Verses 16-18 tells us Jesus PREPARES them for persecution.

 

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."

 

I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves...

 

Jesus freely and honestly warned His disciples that they would face persecution. Because they went out without police or military protection, He sent them as sheep in the midst of wolves.

 

SPURGEON says, "After all, the mission of sheep to wolves is a hopeful one, since we see in the natural world that the sheep, though so feeble, by far outnumber the wolves who are so fierce. The day will come when persecutors will be as scarce as wolves, and saints as numerous as sheep."

 

AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER ALWAYS...GOD FIRST SENT US HIS GENTLE LAMB AMONG THE LOST, EVIL, OF THIS WORLD TO SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST...BUT WE NEED TO ALWAYS REMEMBER...THE LION OF JUDAH IS COMING...AND HE IS NOT MEEK OR GENTLE BUT A POWERFUL WARRIOR LION THAT NONE CAN STAND AGAINST...AND EVERY KNEE, ALL THE WOLVES, ALL THE DEMONS, SATAN HIMSELF, SHALL HIT THEIR KNEES BEFORE HIM.

 

SO WHILE WE APPEAR AS GENTLE, FEEBLE, SHEEP/LAMBS TO THE WOLVES AND REJECTING IN THIS WORLD RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE THE HEART OF THE LION OF JUDAH LIVING WITHIN US...AND ONE SWEET DAY, WE SHALL RETURN WITH OUR LION OF JUDAH AS BRIGHT, WHITE SAINTS AND POWERFUL WARRIORS OF OUR COMMANDER JESUS CHRIST, THE LION OF JUDAH.

 

Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves...

 

Despite their vulnerable position in the eyes of the world, Jesus' followers were not to defend themselves with worldly forms of power, but in Jesus' power. They were to remain harmless as doves, though wise as serpents.

 

Wisdom would keep them from attracting trouble unnecessarily or show them how to avoid it without compromise. But to stand in the power and protection of Jesus first and last. Serpents are attacked by everyone, and must use creativity and wisdom to survive.

 

Remaining harmless would keep them from giving in to the temptation of retaliation.

 

But beware of men, for they will deliver you up...

 

Jesus also warned them that men would persecute them in civic arena (councils) and religious arena (synagogues). They could expect opposition from both city hall and the halls of religion.

 

AND WE WHO HAVE STUDIED JESUS LIFE AND HIS MINISTRY ON THIS EARTH, KNOW THAT JESUS WAS THE FIRST TO FACE ALL THESE THINGS THAT HE TAUGHT AND PREPARED HIS DISCIPLES FOR IN THEIR FUTURE ONCE HE WAS GONE BACK TO HEAVEN.

 

WHEREEVER JESUS WENT, WHETHER ON THE ROAD, IN THE MARKETS, OR IN THE SYNAGOGUES..HE WAS CHALLENGED. HE WAS ATTACKED. HE WAS LIED ON. HE WAS RIDICULED AND AS WITH HIS OWN HOME TOWN, HE WAS ASKED TO LEAVE AND NOT RETURN.

 

You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake...

 

This was a remarkable statement, recognizing the great influence the gospel and its preachers would have. Governors and kings would notice them - and arrest them, bringing them to trial BECAUSE THEY LOVED AND FOLLOWED JESUS..

 

WARFIELD says it well, "This affords a striking proof of the prescience of Christ. Who could have thought, at that time, that these despised and illiterate men could excite so much attention, and be called upon to apologize for the profession of their faith before the tribunals of the most illustrious personages of the earth?"

 

For My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles...

 

Because they were persecuted for Jesus sake, they could be a testimony to both religious and civic persecutors.

 

Verses 19-20 tells us When Jesus' disciples are brought before rulers, God will defend and speak for them.

 

 

"But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

 

Do not worry about how or what you should speak...

 

Jesus' disciples could have perfect trust in God in that moment, knowing that He would speak through them even if they were unprepared.

 

BARCLAY MAKES A GOOD POINT FOR US TO THINK ABOUT AND REMEMBER, "It was not the humiliation which early Christians dreaded, not even the cruel pain and the agony. But many of them feared that their own unskilfulness in words and defence might injure rather than commend the truth. It is the promise of God that when a man is on trial for his faith, the words will come to him."

 

For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak...

 

This gave them confidence that the Spirit of the Father would speak to and through them at the necessary moment, even if they were not prepared with a statement.

 

This isn't a justification of poor preparation in teaching and preaching God's Word, but it is a promise of strength and guidance for the persecuted that have an opportunity to testify of Jesus.

 

Verses 21-23 tells us The extent of persecution: even among families, and from city to city.

 

"Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

Now brother will deliver up brother to death...

 

Jesus knew that in some cases the gospel would divide family members, and that some of the most bitter persecution would take place among families.

 

AND REMEMBER JESUS' OWN HALF BROTHERS AND SISTERS REJECTED HIM, BUT FOR MARY HIS MOTHER TOLD TO US IN JOHN 7:1-5 & MARK 3:20-21.

 

AND WE REMEMBER JESUS WENT BACK TO HIS OWN HOMETOWN OF NAZARETH WHERE HE HAD GROWN UP AND THEY TRIED TO THROW HIM OFF THE CLIFF TOLD TO US IS LUKE 4:16-30

 

And cause them to be put to death...

 

Jesus plainly said that persecution would sometime result in death. Though most Christians have endured persecution in economic or social arenas, though the centuries, literally millions have given their lives in faithfulness to Jesus.

 

You will be hated by all for My name's sake...

 

At times this has been true; when entire cultures have hated the followers of Jesus. It seems strange that people who live by the kingdom expectations of Matthew 5-7 should be so greatly hated, but it is the same paradox that inspired the world to condemn and crucify JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, the only sinless man ever to live.

 

It must be painfully admitted that there are times when Christians, because of great unfaithfulness or false profession of faith, have been hated for good reason. Yet no one who is filled with the presence of Jesus and lives like He did can be hated for good reason.

 

But he who endures to the end will be saved...

 

A commitment to endure to the end is required for those who will weather the storms of persecution. We who have face little real persecution have little understanding of just how difficult it is to endure under it.

 

When they persecute you in this city, flee to another...

 

In this, Jesus taught His disciples that it was WRONG for them to court martyrdom. They were NOT to run towards persecution, or even remain if they had the chance for an honorable escape. If they could flee to another place they were to do it.

 

You will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes...

 

This is one of the hardest to understand statements of Jesus in Matthew. Could Jesus really mean that He would return to this earth before the disciples would make it through all the cities of Israel? If so, this would make Jesus' plainly wrong in this prediction. Instead, it is better to see His "coming" in this passage as His coming in judgment upon Judea in A.D. 70 which did happen before the gospel came to every city in Israel.

 

This is the fulfillment of the day of judgment warned of in Matthew 10:15. In many ways, the judgment poured out by God upon Judea through the Roman armies in A.D. 70.

 

Verses 24-25 tells us Why Jesus' disciples must expect persecution.

 

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!"

 

A disciple is not above his teacher...

 

Simply put, the disciples should not expect to be treated any better than Jesus was treated. If they called Jesus Himself Satan (Beelzebub), how much worse should the disciples of Jesus expect!

 

This already is the second reference in Matthew we have to Jesus being associated with Satan by His enemies. Matthew 9:34 suggests that it was a frequent slur.

 

It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master...

 

This is the goal of both the disciple and servant of Jesus. We simply want to be like our teacher and master, as we are conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

 

Verses 26-31tells us Even in the midst of persecution, Jesus' disciples should NOT fear, but be BOLD in their proclamation of the gospel.

 

"Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

 

Therefore do not fear them...

 

Jesus' disciples could have confidence that the truth would prevail, so they should go out and preach it with boldness, despite the danger of persecution.

 

AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS...If persecution or the threat of persecution makes us draw back from speaking and preaching God's word, then in some measure Satan has won a victory. His threat of persecution may not have succeeded in harming us, but in holding back the work of the Word of God.

 

For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known...

 

Jesus promised His persecuted followers that the truth of their honorable sacrifice would be known, even if the persecutors did their best to hide it among the pages of history. God would reveal all and justify His servants and reveal the crime of those who thought they had hidden it.

 

The judgment of eternity gives us great confidence in God's ultimate justice. Those who seem to cheat justice on earth will NEVER cheat it in eternity.

 

THEN AND NOW, WE SEE MORE AND MORE EXAMPLES OF EVIL ESCAPING, IF NOT BEING CHAMPIONED AND EXCUSED AWAY THEIR EVIL AND REMOVING EARTHLY JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT...BUT WE NEED TO REMEMBER, JESUS IS NOT BLIND. JESUS IS NOT DECEIVED. JESUS DOES NOT FORGET. EVIL MAY AND WILL, THEN AND NOW, ESCAPE EARTHLY JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT, BUT THEY WILL NEVER ESCAPE JESUS JUSTICE AND PUNISHMENT.

 

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops...

 

The message of Jesus was gloriously public. It was not for a secret few and was not to be hidden in any way. There isn't one message for the inner circle and another for those on the outside. Those on the outside may not understand the message, but they can hear it and it is not to be hidden from them.

 

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell...

 

God is the one to fear, not the men who persecute the followers of Jesus. The worst they can do is to destroy the body, but being a coward before God can have eternal consequences.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "There is no cure for the fear of man like the fear of God."

 

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows...

Jesus' disciples didn't need to be afraid, because God really did care for them, even down to the most minute detail. If God cares for the sparrows, and numbers the very hairs of our head, then He will also pay careful attention to our needs. The persecuted easily feel that God forgets them, but He has not.

 

God knows us better than our friends know us; better than our husband or wife knows us; He knows us better than we know ourselves. We don't know how many hairs are numbered on our head. The God who knows us so well will take care of us.

 

The clear emphasis in this short section is clearly "do not fear." "This is the third time, in six verses, that they and we are bid to banish this cowardly base passion, this causeless, fruitless, harmful, sinful fear of men. He that fears God need fear none else."

 

Verses 32-39 tells us The attitude Jesus' disciples MUST be equipped with.

 

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

 

Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven...

 

The disciple must confess Jesus publicly - before men. If we will not be public about our allegiance to Him, we cannot expect Him to be public about His allegiance to us.

 

Everyone Jesus called He called publicly. There is really no such thing as a "secret" Christian, at least not in a permanent sense. This is a contradiction in terms - an oxymoron.

 

Each individual Christian life should supply enough evidence - evidence that can be seen by the world - that they are indeed Christians. It is to be feared than many modern Christians, if arrested for the crime of following Jesus and tried in a court, would have the charges dismissed for a lack of evidence.

 

SPURGEON says it well, "What Christ is to you on earth, that you will be to Christ in heaven. I shall repeat that truth. Whatever Jesus Christ is to you on earth, you will be to him in the day of judgment. If he be dear and precious to you, you will be precious and dear to him. If you thought everything of him, he will think everything of you."

 

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword...

 

The message of Jesus - as reflected in the Sermon on the Mount - is indeed a message of peace. Yet we need to remember too, it calls the individual to a radical commitment to Jesus Himself, it is a message of peace that divides between those who choose it and those who reject it. The division between these two choices explains how Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword.

 

For I have come to "set a man against his father" … and "a man's enemies will be those of his own household"...

 

The dividing line between those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him would even run through families. The sword Jesus spoke of would sometimes cut through families.

 

THIS IS THE MESSAGE AND TRUTH WE AS JESUS FAMILY/FOLLOWERS/CHURCH...HAVE FAILED TO TELL THE BABIES IN CHRIST. WE HAVE FAILED TO GIVE THEM MATTHEW 10. WE HAVE FAILED TO TELL THEM, YES, CHOOSING JESUS IS AN ETERNAL DECISION. AN ETERNAL JOY, GRACE, MERCY, FORGIVENESS, AND SALVATION IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE...BUT BABY CHRISTIANS, YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS...JESUS WAS REJECTED BY HIS HALF-BROTHERS/SISTERS. HE WAS REJECTED BY HIS OWN FAMILY. JESUS WAS REJECTED AND CAST OUT OF HIS CHURCH, HIS TOWN, HIS CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIPS. JESUS WAS REJECTED, RIDICULED, SNEERED AT, PERSECUTED AND SO WILL YOU. SO GIRD YOURSELF UP. PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF JESUS CHRIST SALVATION, SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THEM ALL.

 

AND WE SEE IT TODAY, THOSE JEWS WHO COME TO THE SAVING REDEEMING GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST AS MESSIAH WERE AND ARE TODAY CAST OUT OF THEIR FAMILIES. THEY ARE OSTRACIZED FROM THEIR SYNAGOGUES. THEY ARE EXCOMMUNICATED AND BECOME DEAD TO THEIR JEWISH FAMILY.

 

AND WORSE, FAR WORSE, WE SEE THOSE MUSLIMS WHO COME TO THE SAVING REDEEMING KNOWLEDGE AND CHOOSING JESUS CHRIST AS THE ONE TRUE GOD. THEIR SAVIOR ARE KILLED BY BEHEADING, BURNING, STONING, ACID BURNS, BY THEIR OWN FATHERS, FAMILIES, RELATIVES, AND MOSQUES.

 

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me...

 

In strong terms, Jesus explained that the disciple must love and follow Jesus supremely. Our devotion to Jesus must come above even our own household.

 

We should expect that normally, following Jesus makes us better husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sons, daughters and so forth. Yet there are times when the presence of Jesus divides rather than unifies.

 

The greatest danger of idolatry comes not from what is bad, but from what is good - like love in family relationships. The greatest danger to the best comes from second best.

 

Take his cross and follow after Me...

 

The disciple must follow Jesus even to the place of taking his cross. When a person took a cross in Jesus' day, it was for one reason: to die. The ancient Roman cross did NOT negotiate, did NOT compromise, and did NOT make deals. There was no looking back when you took up your cross, and your only hope was in resurrection life.

 

His cross...

 

Your cross is NOT really your particular trial or trouble. The cross means one thing: death - death to self, but resurrection life unto God.

 

IN THIS MODERN DAY OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS SELF. SELF. SELF. DO IT MY WAY. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. IF IT FEELS GOOD JUST DO IT. SUBJECTIVE MORALITY. IF I ENJOY IT, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF IT IS AGAINST YOU, YOUR LAWS, YOUR MORALS, OR YOUR BELIEFS. I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO AND BE AND HAVE WHATEVER I WANT...REGARDLESS WHAT IT COSTS OTHERS...EVEN THEIR DEATH.

 

This is the FIRST mention of the cross in Matthew's Gospel, and it is not directly associated with Jesus' own crucifixion. Such an extreme statement - likening discipleship with the horror of crucifixion, something too terrible to be mentioned in polite company - must have jarred the disciples.

 

Yet they knew what the cross was all about. "Crucifixion itself was not an uncommon sight in Roman Palestine; 'cross-bearing' language would have a clear enough meaning, even before they realized how literally he himself was to exemplify it.

 

WE NEED TO REMEMBER, IN JESUS DAY, EVERYWHERE JESUS WENT, THE ENTRANCES AND EXITS TO ALL THE TOWNS/CITIES/COUNTRIES UNDER ROMAN RULE WERE LITTERED WITH CRUCIFIXION CROSSES. MOST BODIES WERE NOT BURIED, BUT LEFT UP ON THE CROSSES UNTIL THE BUGS AND BUZZARDS HAD EATEN THEIR FILL. WE TODAY, CAN LOOK IN THE SKY, AND IF WE SEE BUZZARDS CIRCLING OVERHEAD, WE KNOW SOMETHING IS DEAD OR DYING. SO BESIDES THE HORRIFIC SMELLS OF DECAYING AND ROTTING BODIES, BUT ALSO THE GRUESOMENESS OF THE FEASTING BUZZARDS, FLIES, AND BUGS COATING AND COVERING THE DEAD WAS A SIGHT NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN BY THOSE UNDER ROMAN RULE.

 

IT WAS ROME'S PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR STRATEGY. CRUCIFY UNTIL THEY COMPLY. CRUCIFY MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CHALLENGES ROME. AND MAKE SURE ALL THOSE COMING AND GOING FROM EVERY TOWN SEES, SMELLS, AND REMEMBERS AND YES, FEARS WHAT HAPPENS TO ANYONE WHO CHALLENGES ROME.

 

AND SECULAR HISTORY TELLS US, When the Roman general, Varus, had broken the revolt of Judas in Galilee [4 B.C.], he crucified two thousand Jews, and placed the crosses by the wayside along the roads to Galilee.

 

He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it...

 

The disciple lives in a paradox. He can only find life by losing it, and he can only live after we take up our cross to follow Jesus.

 

Verses 40-42 tells us The reward due to those who, in contrast to the persecutors, receive the disciples of Jesus.