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• 10/20/24Paying Taxes - Gospel of Matthew - Part 49
Paying Taxes
Matthew 17:24-27
Immanuel – 10/20/24
Purpose
This is not a miracle story. This is a revelation about the freedom found in Jesus.
As you remember, Matthew has arranged his gospel as a travel narrative. The entirety of the first half of the book Jesus is operating in and around Galilee. Since Peter’s confession everything shifts. Jesus has now set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem.
Last week we saw Jesus leave the area around Caesarea Philippi and return to Galilee. This week we see Him in a house in Capernaum. Likely, this is the same house that He used as His home base for so long. He is back, but only to pass through. Perhaps He was gathering a few items and saying some goodbyes, before that final march toward Judea and Calvary.
Read vs 24
This verse is the last time Capernaum will be mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus has spent so much time here, years of His ministry, healings and teachings and the stuff of normal life; all of it in Capernaum. But Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee has officially closed.
In chapter 18 we will see Jesus give an extended and private teaching to the disciples. It’s one of the five great discourses in Matthew. Perhaps Jesus offers this private teaching before they set out from the Capernaum house.
One more note about the Capernaum house: Church tradition holds that this is none other than Peter’s house – a meaningful detail as we progress.
But while they are in this familiar Capernaum house, it means that Jesus can now be found. He’s home; though it has been a long time since He was here last.
The Two-Drachma Tax
The local tax collectors have been waiting for an opportunity like this. Notice how verse 24 says they are a particular type of tax collectors: two-drachma tax collectors. This is a temple tax, and these tax collectors represent the temple system.
Wherever Jews lived across the Roman Empire, the two-drachma tax was collected from Jewish males, 20 years and older, for the upkeep of Jerusalem’s temple and its system. But even more fundamentally, the tax paid for the priesthood and religious leaders to perform their duties – which included the upkeep of the temple and its systems.
The concept was grounded in the Mosaic Law.
The Lord said to Moses, “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord…Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this:…half a shekel as an offering to the Lord….You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting.” -Exodus 30:11-12,13,16
The two-drachma tax was loosely based upon this ancient law, though it has evolved over some 1,500 years. The law only required for a male to pay this tax once in their lifetime. But by Jesus’ day the Pharisees, wanting to encourage (or coerce) a better righteousness, started asking for this tax annually. Thus, the two-drachma temple tax was technically optional. It was optional, but culturally it wasn’t optional. If you were a good Jew, payment was expected.
Notice, the tax collectors in this passage are not Jewish puppets of Rome; not like Matthew was. These are Jewish patriots in service of the Jewish temple. And every Jew revered the temple.
But do you remember what Jesus said back in chapter 12?
“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” -Matthew 12:6-8
Make no mistake, this was scandalous for the Jews when Jesus said something greater than the temple had come. What could be greater than the temple? It was the dwelling place of God upon earth.
But something greater than the temple had indeed come, the only thing that could possibly be greater: God Himself, God become man. And if the people chose the temple over their God, then both the people and the temple necessarily would fall under judgment. Jesus’ rhetoric was increasingly moving in that direction, more and more in conflict with the temple and its systems.
In fact, once Jesus reaches Jerusalem, the temple system will only resist and resent Jesus. Jesus will prophesy the temple’s destruction. And Jesus’ rejection of the temple was one of the primary reasons the religious leaders – who derived their comfortable livelihood from the temple – wanted to kill Him. There is a mighty tempest gathering on the horizon.
But all the way back in Capernaum, these tax collectors were not religious leaders. These are devoted Jews just trying to do their job. Certainly, they would have gotten wind of Jesus’ mood towards the temple. Perhaps this is why they approach Peter instead of Jesus. Additionally, it likely being Peter’s house, the homeowner is responsible for everyone under his roof. Maybe the tax collectors waited until Jesus was inside, so they didn’t have to approach Him directly.
You just get the sense that these local tax collectors are a little nervous. Even their question to Peter seems a bit timid: “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”
Since Jesus couldn’t go anywhere in Galilee without a crowd, I wonder if some local religious leaders were looking on, listening for how this question would be answered, using it as another test.
Read vs 25
I love how Peter just answers the tax collectors, “yes”; and then goes inside to see how Jesus will answer. Have you ever done something like that, assumed you knew how someone else would answer? Has someone assumed how you would answer?
I get this a lot; people assume they know what I am thinking or what my opinion is on a matter. It’s because they are operating out of expectation rather than actual relational knowledge. You know what this is like: when people really get to know you, they are often surprised to learn that you do not meet their expectations. Sometimes, when you’re not the way people expect you to be, they suddenly vanish. Turns out they wanted what they expected rather than who you are. Let’s not be like that. Let’s not be so dogmatic about our expectations and choose to really get to know people instead. Isn’t that what love would do?
Of course, I am not talking about Biblical expectations regarding clear matters of sin. That’s an entirely different category.
The annual temple tax was not a matter of sin. As I said, it was optional. But paying it was a matter of culture, of patriotism, of perceived devotion to God. For God and country. (I’ve heard that somewhere before.) Peter’s answer assumes Jesus will meet Jewish expectations for God and country.
Maybe Jesus is demonstrating His supernatural knowledge, or maybe He just overheard them talking outside of the door; either way He knows why Peter approaches. Jesus cut’s Peter off at the pass with a preemptive question.
And when He does this, Jesus elevates the discussion from temple taxes to all forms of taxation: Jewish taxes, Roman taxes, tolls, sales tax, income tax, capital gains tax, any tax of any kind from any governing body.
“What do you think Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?
Read vs 26
Let’s recognize that in a democratic republic like ours, there is no autocratic king giving tax-exempt privileges to his sons (so it should be). But for the vast majority of earth’s history, kings required taxes from the people while exempting his sons own from such a tax.
Peter answers, “From others.” The king taxes people that are not his children.
Jesus, affirming Peter’s answer, say something simultaneously simple and power: “Then the sons are free.” Free from what? Free from paying taxes.
Of course, Jesus is not actually talking about governments and taxation. This is a metaphor. To understand what is behind the symbols of Jesus’ metaphor, let’s go back to that passage in Exodus from which the temple tax came.
The Lord said to Moses, “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord…Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this:…half a shekel as an offering to the Lord….You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting.” -Exodus 30:11-12,13,16
Notice some key phrases. A person paid the tax as a ransom for their life. In the last sentence, the tax is also called atonement money. If you are a thoughtful reader, this should compel you to ask the question: In what way was a tax paid to the temple, a ransom?
Does not a ransom mean that something is required for your life? Or a ransom means that a value is applied to your life?
What value has God applied to your life? What does He require for your life? What is the value? God has imprinted His image upon you and given you dignity and worth. What does He require?
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? -Micah 6:8
Justice, loving kindness, humility, continual walking with God. That is what God requires. And if you were to sum those different attributes up in a single word, what would that word be? Righteousness. Most fundamentally, God requires righteousness from us. If we are to bear His image, then we are to be righteous as God is righteous.
The temple tax, the atonement money, was a payment to the priesthood. They would perform extensive ceremonies and cleansings in order to consecrate themselves, that they might worship God in righteousness on behalf of the people. In other words, the tax was to pay someone else to be righteous in your place. When that tax was paid, it helped to atone (or cover) your unrighteousness.
It is still true that God requires men and women to live in righteousness before Him. But all of us fall short. Quoting the Old Testament, Paul writes,
“None is righteous, no, not one; No one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
-Romans 3:10-12
No one is righteous, though it is what God requires of each and every person. And our inability to be righteous, and our love for sinning, is our disgrace. We render ourselves worthless in God’s eyes, having defiled His image. And in your house, what happens with worthless things? They are thrown away. In God’s house – which is all creation – worthless things are likewise thrown away, cast from His presence, consigned to the eternal darkness of hell.
What a plight we have before our Creator! Where is the temple to which we should turn? Where are the priests who will intercede on our behalf? Where is the tax that we may pay our ransom? Oh, what can a man give in return for His own soul (Matthew 16:26)?
Remember, something greater than the temple has come. The God once concealed by temple walls has come forth in righteousness. If we have made our lives worthless with unrighteousness; Jesus’ perfect righteousness, pure sinlessness, makes Him infinitely worthy. But even more, above Jesus’ righteousness, He is the Son of God. Did we not hear the voice atop Mount Hermon? “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:6).
And this perfectly righteous one, this Beloved Son, He has said,
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:45
Jesus gave His infinitely worthy life, on that criminal’s cross, as a ransom for our unworthy lives. His righteousness in place of our sinfulness. This is the essence of the gospel.
For our sake [the Father] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus makes payment for us. He bore the punishment for our sin, so that His righteousness could be applied to us. Jesus paid the ransom tax in His blood, that our lives might be atoned for, forgiven, made righteous.
And if we receive this by faith, if we believe it, then God adopts us as His own sons and daughters.
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” -Romans 8:15-17
If you trust in Jesus, if you have given your life to follow Him, then Jesus has paid the ransom for your sins, you are forgiven, and you have been adopted by God the Father. You are an heir with Christ. The Father exacts no tax from you. God does not expect you to be righteous, He gives you righteousness and He has recreated you into the image of His Son!
You are free from condemnation. You are free from the fear of death. You are free from trying to make yourself good enough. You are free to give your life away in service of Jesus. You are free to live in righteousness. You are free!
Then, in demonstration of this truth, Jesus performs an odd miracle.
Read vs 27
Though Jesus is free not to pay the tax, He is also free to pay the tax. Jesus freely choses to pay the tax because He is more concerned about preventing the tax collectors from becoming offended. These are just simple people trying to do their job, why make their lives difficult? Why put them in an awkward position with their bosses? Why put a bad taste in their mouth? Out of His freedom, Jesus is choosing to serve the tax collectors more than He is choosing to pay the tax.
And Jesus pays the tax with the provision of God. Some Galilean Jew dropped a shekel in the water. A fish – always attracted to shiny things – attempted to eat it. Evidently it was unable to, for the shekel got lodged in its mouth. Then it swam to the exact right spot at the exact right time for Peter to throw in the first line and hook the exact right fish. A series of events too strange to be coincidental; it could only be the provision of God.
And that’s what Jesus wanted Peter, and all of us, to see. God provides for His sons and daughters. God paid the price. The children are free.
We are not told that this miracle happened. But Jesus’ command is as good as done. The price was paid, the debt was satisfied.
Brothers and sisters, fellow children of God, how amazing it is when we live in our blood bought freedom! We are free from condemnation. We are free from the fear of death. We are free from trying to make ourselves good enough. We are free to give our life away in service of the King. We are free to live in righteousness. We are free!
And the more we learn to live in that freedom, rather than law and obligation and coercion, the more we shall see the power of God at work within us and around us in absolutely stunning ways.
(Parenthesis)
Now I want to shift gears a moment. I mentioned that Jesus elevated the nature of freedom to a level above the temple, to all the kingdoms of earth. Let’s talk about our freedom as it relates to the kingdom of the earth in which we live. This is especially pertinent as we are 16 days away from a national election.
You are free. You are free to submit yourselves to the governance of the land, as Jesus did. You are free to vote however you want. You are free to choose according to your conscience. You are free to ask, what most accords with the righteousness of God?
As children of God, we know that abortion is evil. Abandonment of the God-given gender binary is abhorrent. Continually increasing unsustainable debt is destructive. Placing the US Constitution between the covers of a Bible is repulsive. Arrogance is wicked.
Brothers and sisters, we are free. Let us not become bound to a political party that is marked by those evils. Let us not lash our identity to conservative or liberal. Listen to this amazing quote,
“The church is not to be found at the ‘center’ of a left/right political world. The Church is to be a species of its own kind, confounding both left and right, and finding its identity from the ‘center’ of God’s life. As Christians, we are called to offer something all-together different for the world to see. We must seek to see the humanity [of] others, drawing near to them with compassion. This is what God has done to us and with us through Jesus Christ.” -Rich Villodas
Let us not conform to the ways of this world, not even in shades of red or blue. Prayerfully and freely cast your vote on November 5th, but do not let your identity get all tangled up with it. Division, resentment, and an us-and-them mentality, only follow those who put their hope in politics.
But we are a species of a different kind, sons and daughters of the living God, redeemed to freely give our lives in service of His kingdom. If the kingdom of the United States would benefit as a result, praise God. But your citizenship belongs elsewhere, and your King is not heralded from the propaganda pulpits of Fox News or CNN.
(Close Parenthesis)
There are two main lessons for us in this passage today.
First, by the blood of Christ, we have been freed unto love. We know freedom of the love of the Father towards us. We know the freedom found in loving one another. Let’s live in that freedom, and worship God as we see the power of His grace working in us and through us.
Second, we should not think that God will always work a miracle to get you out of something difficult, like coins showing up in fishes’ mouths. But God will work powerfully to help you pursue the path of freedom and sacrificial love. That may seem impossible to you. What may seem impossible for you, is possible with God.
Read Galatians 4:1-7
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• 10/6/24The Transfiguration - Gospel of Matthew - Part 47
The Transfiguration
Matthew 17:1-13
Immanuel – 10/6/24
Two weeks ago we came to the thematic center of the Gospel of Matthew. After Peter makes his confession – that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God – everything changes. This shift is profoundly demonstrated when, for the first time in Matthew, Jesus begins to teach that he will suffer and die at the hands of the religious leaders and then in three days raise from the grave.
The disciples were shocked by this claim. How could the Messiah, the glory of Israel, suffer; let along be killed by the very people that were supposed to champion Him?
Then, after rebuking Peter and the disciples for their deeply flawed perspective, Jesus teaches them that His disciples through all time must likewise go to the cross. Let’s read that passage again.
Read Matthew 16:24-28
Don’t miss that last part, Jesus was promising that within the lifetime of some of His disciples, they would see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Today we come to a fulfillment of that promise. If it is not the full fulfillment, then it is most certainly a foretaste.
Read vs 1
“After six days” …Outside of Jesus’ final week, this is the only time Matthew tells us how many days passed between events. This means Matthew is linking events together, wanting us – the readers – to take them in a single contextual package. And as we dive into our passage, we will find numerous overlapping themes between the Transfiguration and Peter’s confession.
Peter is again at the center of the story, as well as the brothers, James and John. I want you to notice that this entire account of the Transfiguration centers on the perspective of the disciples. Though things are happening to Jesus, we are hearing about the experiences of Peter, James, and John; it is what they see, hear, and feel.
The perspective fits Jesus’ design. Clearly, He takes these three disciples up the mountain to isolate from everyone else, even the other nine disciples. He has chosen these three, wanting more intimate time with them, entrusting to them a revelation He knows is coming.
But before we get to the supernatural revelation, let’s consider the mountain they ascended. Church tradition holds that Mount Tabor in southern Galilee was the site of the Transfiguration. But for a few reasons that will become apparent, I disagree. I think it is far more reasonable to locate the transfiguration atop Mount Hermon, a good distance north of Galilee.
Verse 1 says they ascended a high mountain. Mount Tabor is a modest 1,900 feet tall. It’s a large hill. At 9,200 feet, Mount Hermon is by far the tallest mountain in all of Palestine.
Consider the last known location of Jesus and the disciples: Caesarea Philippi. Six days after it says they are in the city, they are ascending a tall mountain. It’s unlikely that Jesus – a man who was never in a hurry – rushed the disciples some 50-60 miles to get solitude on Mount Tabor. Additionally, more recent archaeological discoveries suggest that there was a settlement on Mount Tabor in Jesus’ day – not a place to be alone.
You might think my debating between mountains is all a bit much. But there is a good reason I am doing this. There is one more powerful reason to think that Jesus was transfigured on Mount Hermon, and it is incredibly significant.
Remember, from two weeks ago, when Jesus led the disciples to Caesarea Philippi, He was leading them into the ancient territory called Bashan. In the Jewish consciousness, this realm was a primal demonic stronghold. Let me read again a quote by Dr. Michael Heiser.
For the disciples, Bashan was an evil, otherworldly domain. [They had] reasons to feel queasy about where they were standing. According to Jewish tradition, Mount Hermon was the location where the divine sons of God had descended from heaven—ultimately corrupting humankind via their offspring with human women (see Gen 6:1–4). These offspring were known as Nephilim, ancestors of the Anakim and the Rephaim (Num 13:30–33). In Jewish theology, the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 15:1–12).1
Add to this that the Canaanites believed their supreme god, Baal, was enthroned upon Mount Hermon. The Jews understood Baal to just be another fallen son of God. Listen to this little tidbit from 1 Chronicles.
The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They were very numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon. 1 Chronicles 5:23
Mount Hermon was once named Baal-hermon. The mountain was named after both a fallen son of God, and it was his stronghold. Additionally, the Jews believed that demons/fallen angels/fallen sons of God were thrown down from heaven and landed on Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon was the beachhead from which they launched a demonic rebellion against God.
Can you see why it makes so much sense that Jesus was transfigured atop Mount Hermon? The unfallen Son of God, fully God and fully man, uncorrupted and incorruptible, launched a redemptive mission from the summit of Mount Hermon. And glance at the next passage, Jesus descends from Mount Hermon and immediately exercises authority over the demonic. Then His path goes straight to Jerusalem and the demon-defeating, serpent-crushing cross that waited there.
But before the soon coming trials, Jesus receives a gift from His Father.
Read vs 2
Other
Matthew makes it seem like while Peter, James, and John are looking at Jesus, something otherworldly happens. Jesus’ face begins to shimmer, to radiate light. Luke simply says that Jesus’ face “became other.” Jesus’ clothes also become luminous.
How I wish this was better described! I want more details, but we are simply not given them. But what we have is enough; and suffice it to say that Jesus’ other nature, His divinity, began to burst forth from His human form. Fully God. Fully man.
But the astounding sights didn’t end there.
Read vs 3
I doubt Jesus had everyone introduce themselves, but somehow the disciples just knew that standing in front of them were Moses and Elijah. Moses, the great lawgiver; Elijah, the greatest prophet of old. They undoubtedly appeared physically, but their appearance was also symbolic. God was communicating that the full revelation of the Law and the Prophets, all of Scripture, finds its fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth.
And these great Jewish figures have come to speak with Jesus. Matthew doesn’t tell us about what, but Luke says they spoke to Jesus about the mission He was to accomplish in Jerusalem. In other words, they spoke to Jesus about His death.
But while they were encouraging Jesus, Peter blurts out foolishness.
Read vs 4
Peter isn’t totally insane to suggest that he build some tents for the three radiant figures. Ever since the days of Moses the Jews would hold a festival called Sukkot where they would build tents/booths/mini tabernacles, to remember the time when God visibly dwelt with His people. Peter has just seen the godness of Jesus, and in a cultural knee-jerk reaction he wants to build tabernacles worthy of these three magnificent figures.
Luke adds that Peter didn’t know what he was saying. It was just an impulse, a speaking before thinking kind of moment. Peter is ignored, because in that very moment his words are overshadowed.
Read vs 5
When we read that a cloud overshadowed everyone on the summit, we might get the impression that this is a dark cloud, casting shadows. But the opposite is true; it’s a bright cloud. Clouds cannot emanate light, but this cloud has light spilling out of it, like Jesus’ shimmering face.
Overshadowed did not mean that no one could see one another, as if they were in a dense fog. It means that they were surrounded by this glory cloud. And though it was physical, tangible, somehow made of matter; it was also a symbol that Peter, James, John, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were suddenly in the immediate and extraordinary and glorious presence of Yahweh.
Suddenly the otherworldly and engulfing presence speaks: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”
Those fallen angels may have been created by God, but they in no way imaged their Father. But Jesus, He is the true Son, the one and only Beloved. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3). God is pleased with Him alone!
Of course, these words must remind us of Jesus’ baptism. More than three years prior, just as John the Baptist was about to plunge Jesus beneath the water, the heavens opened and a voice cracked the air,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” -Matthew 3:17
How precious these words must have been for Jesus to hear again. Don’t we all desire to have love reassured? To hear your father say I love you, I am proud of you; or your mother? To hear your spouse express their love again, and truly mean it? Perhaps you should find a moment to express your love again. Do it today, for the days pass so quickly.
How Jesus’ heart must have swollen as His Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
It was all the more meaningful because six days earlier Jesus first spoke of how He must suffer, be killed, and rise again. Jesus has now directed His path directly into that crucible of pain and shame more terrible than we can imagine. How heavy that burden must have weighed upon Him! And yet the words of His Father lift His spirit, galvanize His gentle and lowly heart, fortify His body to be broken.
Also, six days earlier, Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Son of the living God. Now the living God surrounds Peter, and the revelation is both confirmed and forever engraved upon the disciples’ hearts. In addition to the Father expressing pleasure in His Son, God also says to the disciples, “listen to Him.”
This is a direct and intentional reference to something Moses once prophesied: that God would one day send a Prophet greater than Moses. Moses prophesied,
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to Him you shall listen…And the Lord said to me… “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And whoever will not listen to my words that He shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.” -Deuteronomy 18:15,17,18-19
Jesus is the prophet who would come from among the people of Israel. Not only are the words of God in His mouth, He is the embodied and living Word of God. If anyone does not listen to Jesus, or obey Jesus, then the Almighty God of the universe will require it of Him. In other words, if you don’t listen to the ultimate prophet, you shall stand condemned.
And Jesus is that ultimate prophet! He is God become man! Listen to Him!
So said the voice from the midst of the glory cloud. Was the voice carried in mighty gusts of wind? Did it come in a rumble? Did they hear the voice with a clap of thunder? Was it a whispering breeze? However the voice was heard, it so terrified the full-grown men that they fell down paralyzed.
Read vs 6-8
Shining white light, a shimmering puffy cloud, it all sounds so serene; as if it were found behind the lens of a Halmark Channel movie camera. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Peter, James, and John have seen just about everything now: raging demoniacs, people raised from the dead, furious storms silenced with a word, a legion of demons possess a suicidal herd of pigs. Strange things. Otherworldly things. And as astonishing as it has all been, not once have they fallen to the ground in terror.
But the voice of Yahweh melts the strength of men. I am reminded of a Psalm.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; He utters his voice, the earth melts.
-Psalm 46:6
In the most literal sense of the word, the disciples experienced something awesome; so awesome that at the sound of the divine voice they melt. And when it must have felt like they were about to be consumed by the supernatural dissimilitude of another realm, the Savior was there. Jesus brings them back to the familiar, He strengthens them, with the warmth of His touch.
With His touch he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cleansed lepers, raised a little girl to life, and He calms the fears of His trembling disciples. Christ was with them. “Rise, and have no fear.” They were not dead. It was time to get on with the business of living. Christ was with them.
Indeed, when they finally picked their faces out of the dust, they saw no one but Jesus only. Jesus is alone now. He is alone to face His mission. He alone is the mediator between God and man. He alone is the salvation of His people. He alone is the King of kings. He alone is the fulfillment of Scripture. He alone is the true Son of God. Christ alone!
And from this awesome mountaintop experience, Jesus takes His disciples to descend into the valley of the shadow of death.
Read vs 9-10
The Inaugurated Eschaton
What I would give to hear the conversation between Jesus and the disciples! Clearly this is only a small sampling. The disciples must have been euphoric and full of questions, reckoning with the gravity of what they had just experienced; and Jesus was there to talk them through it all.
Yet once again we see Jesus charge the disciples to tell no one. If the crowds found out about God’s glorification of the Messiah, misunderstanding would threaten Jesus’ whole mission. And you bet, after hearing the voice from the cloud, the disciples will listen to Jesus and tell no one!
Since we are on the other side of the resurrection, we understand why Jesus’ glorification was only for a moment. We understand that Jesus’ glory cannot be rightly understood without the empty tomb, and the cross that must first be bloodied. Our sinful hearts want glory now; an easy road to health, wealth, and prosperity. The abominable prosperity gospel seizes upon these satanic and selfish desires. But the cross of Jesus Christ teaches humility before honor, self-sacrifice before security, suffering before glory.
And then the disciples ask about the prophetic return of Elijah. They just saw Elijah on the summit, and they knew he had eschatological significance. (Eschatology is the study of the Eschaton, or the study of the last things.)
For centuries, the scribes had been teaching the Jews that Elijah had eschatological significance. It had entered the collective consciousness of the Jews that before the Messiah would appear, Elijah had to come first – to restore all things. Not that Elijah himself would restore all things; but Elijah would initiate the process through which the Messiah would come, and all things would be restored.
And this teaching wasn’t just a scribal creation. Let’s read the last words of the Old Testament.
Read Malachi 4
The Jews widely understood this last passage of the Old Testament foretold of the coming of the Messiah, the Son of Righteousness. The Messiah would defeat evildoers and bring joy and freedom for those who fear the Lord. The law of God would flourish in His coming messianic kingdom. And when these things broke upon the earth, it was called the great and awesome Day of the Lord. But before the Day of the Lord dawned, Elijah would reappear; to prepare the hearts of the people.
The disciples now unequivocally understood that the Day of the Lord had come, that Jesus was the prophesied Son of Righteousness, the Messiah. They had just received the most definitive assurance conceivable that the Day of the Lord was upon them. So, what about Elijah? How did he factor into all of this?
Read vs 11-13
Jesus says nothing about John the Baptist. But the description Jesus gives makes it easy for the disciples to infer he speaks of John. Also, Jesus has already told them who Elijah was.
“For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
-Matthew 11:13-15
To be clear, John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated. John came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Before John was conceived, an angel appeared to his father, Zechariah. The angel said,
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John… And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will 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 for the Lord a people prepared.
-Luke 1:13,16-17
The Old Testament closed by prophesying that Elijah would come. The New Testament opens, and after briefly introducing Jesus, it speaks of John the Baptist. John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, preceding the messianic Day of the Lord.
I belabor this point because there are people who think Elijah is still to come. They think he will make a reappearance before a great tribulation at the end of history. But Scripture testifies by Jesus’ own words that Elijah has already come, 2,000 years ago, preceding the great and awesome Day of the Lord – burning like an oven.
The Eschaton had been inaugurated in Jesus, and the disciples knew it. Elijah had come. The Messiah was with them. Salvation and judgment were being rendered. Glory was on the horizon, but suffering first. The Son of God’s victory over the demonic, but through a cross. A world of brokenness made new, but first Jesus must be broken.
The Transfiguration is a powerful and decisive revelation of Jesus’ identity, His mission to restore a fallen world, His victory over the demonic, His relationship with His Father, and His eschatological place in history. The Transfiguration is jam packed with meaning. And how must we respond? Listen to Him!
So, if we are not a people in His word, how are we to listen to Him. From front to back – the Law, the Prophet, the Gospels – all testify to the awesome person that is Jesus the Christ, Son of the living God. Get in His word and listen to Him!
And finally, remembering that Jesus shows us humility before honor, self-sacrifice before security, suffering before glory; He has called us onto the same path, to deny ourselves, to take up His cross and follow Him. And though the Beloved Son of God has gone before you, He is not gone.
He alone is our mediator between God and man. He alone is the King of kings. He alone is the salvation of His people. He alone faced the mission of the cross so that in our mission, we are not alone. He alone is the courage in our fear.
We will not die, so let’s get on with the business of living. Christ is with us. Hear the very last words of the Gospel of Matthew:
“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:20
1Heiser, M. (2018, April 10) What Did Jesus Mean by “Gates of Hell”? Logos. https://www.logos.com/grow/jesus-mean-gates-hell/?msockid=13832abc28ea67ea1ad338d9299466c5
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• 9/22/24The New Heavens & The New Church - Gospel of Matthew - Part 45
The New Heavens and the New Church
Matthew 16:13-20
Immanuel – 9/22/24
As I said in the beginning of this sermon series, there are five major thematic shifts in Matthew. Though there are these five shifts, Peter’s confession marks the most dramatic change. It is the thematic center of the Gospel of Matthew, and afterward everything changes.
Jesus’s ministry in Galilee is over. He still performs miracles, but they are far more infrequent. Jesus begins speaking about His death and resurrection; teaching His disciples what it really means to be the Messiah. There are far more confrontations between Jesus and the religious establishment; and Jesus’ anger burns against their self-righteous ways. With Peter’s confession, Jesus now sets His face like a flint towards Jerusalem, knowing full well what awaits Him there.
What you see on the chalkboards is a quote from Isaiah 50.
The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? -Isaiah 50:7-8
A rock of flint is exceptionally hard and can be used to start fires. Jesus has set His face like a flint towards Jerusalem. His resolve is hardened, like flint, to face the horrors of the cross. His life will set a fire, like with flint, that will ignite both fires of judgment and fires of refinement – the world will be set aflame.
All these transitions follow our passage today, where Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah and Son of God.
Purpose
1. Show you the powerful context behind today’s passage.
2. When we truly understand the identity of Jesus, He shows us our true identity.
3. How will the church overcome the gates of hell?
Read vs 13
Jesus has led the disciples into Gentile territory, away from the Jewish crowds that so frequently followed Him. But Jesus didn’t randomly pick Caesarea Philippi for seclusion. This particular Gentile area was steeped in pagan history and bursting with cosmic significance.
Caesarea Philippi was built at the foothills of Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in all of Palestine. But this city was built upon the ruins of other cities, and those cities upon others. In fact, civilizations had been building cities in this area for millennia. Because breaking the cliffs that rose above the city, was a huge yawning cavern. The ancients believed that somewhere within the depths of the cave was the entrance to the underworld, the place of the undead. These pagan people referred to the cave as the “Gate of Hades”.
Not only did they believe they could access the underworld from Caesarea Philippi, but the Romans dedicated the city to Zeus. Before them, the Greeks worshipped Pan. But long before both Greeks and Romans, this was the most significant site for the Canaanite worship of Baal. Jeroboam, one of Israel’s evil kings, worshipped Baal here; and he built a nearby city so Israel could come and worship Baal too. Canaanite and reprobate Israelites would come to the gates of hell and worship Baal, their king of gods.
Back then this region was known as Bashan. If you know your Old Testament, then you know that the Jews associated Bashan with demonic territory. Of this, Dr. Michael Heiser writes:
For the disciples, Bashan was an evil, otherworldly domain. [They had] reasons to feel queasy about where they were standing. According to Jewish tradition, Mount Hermon was the location where the divine sons of God had descended from heaven—ultimately corrupting humankind via their offspring with human women (see Gen 6:1–4). These offspring were known as Nephilim, ancestors of the Anakim and the Rephaim (Num 13:30–33). In Jewish theology, the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 15:1–12).1
When Jesus led His disciples to Caesarea Philippi, once called Bashan, it was filled with cosmic significance. For according to their Jewish tradition, Jesus was leading them into the demonic heart of darkness, to stand before the gates of hell. The demonic significance of where Jesus had taken them would not have been lost on the disciples.
Do you remember the scene in Lord of the Rings when Frodo and Sam look upon the black gate of Mordor and it fills them with despair: imposing, impenetrable, crawling with enemies, spewing evil into the world. It was as if Jesus had taken these 12 Galilean Jews to the black gate of Mordor, to the gates of hell.
And standing before this ancient stronghold of darkness, Jesus asks, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is? He was, of course, asking who people say He is.
Read vs 14
Of the prophets that are listed, perhaps the most unexpected is Jeremiah. But the Jews regarded Jeremiah as “the Weeping Prophet”. His people constantly opposed him, the religious leaders persecuted him, and Jeremiah accurately prophesied about the total destruction of the temple. More than the people realized, it was incredibly appropriate to compare Jeremiah and Jesus.
Nonetheless Jeremiah was still just a prophet. Even if the Jews thought Jesus was one of the great prophets – which was a profound honor – it still fell short of His true identity. Yes, Jesus was a prophet; and He was so much more. If anyone would know this, it should be the disciples.
Remember what Jesus told the disciples back in chapter 11.
“To you it has been granted the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” -Matthew 13:11
Yes, if anyone should know who Jesus truly is, it is the disciples.
Read vs 15-16
The Confession
We have already seen Peter speak for the rest of the disciples. He has become their leader: first among equals. Here he speaks again for his friends. And yet, based on how Jesus responds specifically to Peter, it would seem that Peter came to his conclusion before the rest, or somehow had a more robust understanding than the other eleven.
Either way, what Peter proclaims is the most comprehensive understanding of Jesus’ identity in the entire Gospel of Matthew.
The Christ. It is the Greek name for the Hebrew Messiah. Certainly, this is not the first time Peter has thought of Jesus as the Messiah – it is why he is following Jesus. But Peter’s understanding of what Messiah means is far more comprehensive than what it once was. (Though, as we will in next week’s passage, Peter’s understanding is still deficient.) None-the-less, Peter understood that Jesus was the prophesied man that would deliver Israel, the hope of the nations, and the one to bring the kingdom of God unto the earth.
Son of God. Son of God was also a title associated with the Messiah; but in the context of Matthew, “Son of God” carries divine connotations. Additionally, in the shadow of Mount Hermon, where Jewish tradition dictated that the fallen sons of God (demons) descended to corrupt the earth, Jesus’ divine sonship was juxtaposed against the fallen ones. He was the unfallen, uncorrupted, perfect Son of God. And His victory over the demonic was decisively greater, as He cast out demons everywhere He went. He was there to bind Satan. He was the greater Son of God: The Son that was with God and was God!
And Peter doesn’t just say that Jesus was the Son of God, but the Son of the living God. The word “living” is added in, and is intentional. Obviously, God is living; it was the fundamental belief among all Jews. But to add “living” in as Peter did, was to emphasize that God is present and involved. He is the personal and dynamic God who actively weaves all things together for His good purposes.
This was Peter’s confession about Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then bursts into a moving affirmation, and it must have been very emotional.
Read vs 17
Again, I am reminded again of what Jesus said in Matthew 13.
“Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” -Matthew 13:16-17
This is why Peter, son of Jonah (Bar-Jonah), is so blessed. He sees, truly sees, who Jesus is! But it is not because Peter was able to figure it out. It’s not because he was able to collect all the pieces and solve the puzzle. It is because the active and living God the Father has revealed it to Him. For only those that the Father has chosen will see the true identity of the Son of God! Heaven has broken into Peter’s heart, and what comes out of his mouth proves that he is cleansed from the sins which would drag him down into the cavernous depths of hell.
Read vs 18
See what is implied? Jesus has accepted Peter’s confession as true, implicitly communicating that He is indeed Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God. Then, as Peter rightly identified Jesus, so does Jesus rightly identify Peter. More precisely, because Peter has acknowledged Jesus’ true identity, Jesus gives Peter his true identity.
Take note of this, this is true for all time: only when we acknowledge Jesus’ identity, do we discover our true identity.
We live in an age that is all about discovering your authentic self. And society would tell us that the best way to discover your authentic self is to look within, follow your heart, love yourself. But this is thinly veiled demonic deception. The Bible tells us that our hearts are desperately sick, who can understand them?!
The way to discover your authentic self is not to spend time getting to know yourself, it is to spend time getting to know Jesus. You want to know who you are, then what does your Creator say about you? He loves you; He formed you, He knows you, and He has a purpose for you. He has a name just for you.
Jesus said, “To the one who conquers…I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
-Revelation 2:17
Jesus has a name for you, and a purpose. He has created you for something awesome, and God will use your life to bring His name glory! You want to be significant? The God of the universe knows you by a unique name, has a plan for your life, and had imprinted upon your heart a magnificent identity.
But these things are only true when a person comes to understand the true identity of Jesus. Again, that’s not something that anyone can figure out on their own. It is a revelation that must be given by God the Father. He chooses, He pursues, He reveals, He calls you by name, and through Jesus we find our true identity. And if today you do not know if these things are true for you, then Jesus said; seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt. 6:33)
It's what happened to Peter. At birth, his parents gave him the name Simon. Back when Jesus first called Simon to follow Him, Jesus gave him the name Cephas (John 1:42). In Greek, the name Cephas is Peter. The name means rock. But only after Peter has confessed Jesus’ true identity does Jesus tell Peter what his name really means: “On this rock I will build my church.”
Jesus has just affirmed that Simon is named “rock”, and then says that He will build His church upon this rock. There are volumes to say about this statement, and much controversy that follows it.
I believe that both the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church get this verse very wrong. They think Jesus is giving Peter the chief place among the apostles. (If that were true, why do James and John think the chief place is vacant when they ask to sit at Jesus’ right hand in chapter 18).
The Pope is supposed to be the spiritual descendant of Peter, and he wields tremendous power. The Orthodox church has a bishop that they also believe has spiritually descended from Peter. What they do is make the church become dependent upon a mere, corruptible man…as long as the church exists. That is not what Christ is doing. For it is the man who testifies Jesus’ true identity that Jesus will build His church upon, but just in its initial stages.
Think of how this works in the book of Acts.
Acts 2: At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit falls and 3,000 Jews come to faith in Jesus, who was preaching? Peter.
Acts 8: When God gave the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans, who was there proclaiming the gospel and praying for them? Peter.
Acts 10: When God again expanded His kingdom and the Holy Spirit fell upon Gentiles, who was the one proclaiming the name of Jesus to them? Peter.
Then, not too long after this, Peter virtually drops out of the narrative of Acts. Through the giving of the Holy Spirit, God had used the preaching of Peter to expand His kingdom to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles. Jesus was just beginning to build His kingdom from every tribe, tongue, and nation; and it was upon Peter’s preaching – upon Peter’s continued confession of the identity of Jesus – that this church would be built.
And “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Broken Gates
The purpose of gates are two-fold: to keep people in or to keep people out. The lost are imprisoned by their sins, bound to eternal separation from God, careening towards the doom of hell. But the gates of hell will not prevail against the church! The church wields the power of the gospel, proclaiming truth and freedom and life in Christ! And God uses the proclamation of the church to rip the lost from hells clutches and deliver them into the kingdom of light!
As Paul writes: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
-Romans 1:16
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and as we, church, faithfully proclaim the gospel, the lost are rescued from the clutches of hell! The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church!
In the context of our passage, the gates of hell also represent the stronghold of Satan, the fortress of the demonic. But such strongholds cannot withstand the courageous church, armed with the gospel of Jesus Christ, unashamedly proclaiming that “Jesus Christ is Lord!” And every soul that hears and believes is another stronghold demolished. Addicts experience freedom, the unlovable are loved, the shamed find favor, the unclean are cleansed, those lost to the darkness are brought into His marvelous light!
Just as Jesus said to Paul, “I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
-Acts 26:17-18
What was true for Paul is true for the church: As the church faithfully proclaims the gospel, the strongholds of Satan are torn down.
Fear not little flock, if God is for us, who can be against us! We saw a little taste of this yesterday as 14 of us walked the streets of Corn Hill, a place that many would consider a stronghold of darkness. People received prayer, some heard the gospel; all of them had seeds planted, and the kingdom of God came near.
Read vs 19
Sadly, the modern charismatic world has widely misunderstood this verse, and it has to do with blessings. They incorrectly believe that God’s blessings are hindered by the Devil, and so they must “bind” Satan in order to “loose” God’s blessings. But if this were real, then God would be weak – so weak that Satan can stop His blessings and God needs people to help Him out. That is not how God’s blessings work and that is not what Jesus is talking about.
As Job rightly said to God: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. -Job 42:2
If God has purposed to bless someone, Satan cannot delay it, diminish it, nor block it! When God makes a promise, it will inextricably come to pass! The Charismatic “word of faith” movement is a false teaching!
But to know what Jesus is talking about, we need to understand a 1st century Jewish idiom. In Jesus’ day, binding and loosing had a very specific meaning; and it had to do with conduct. To “bind” meant to forbid or to impose an obligation. Conversely, to “loose” meant to permit or to remove an obligation.
Again, the book of Acts illustrates how this principle functioned.
Acts 5: Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira for their deceit and greed, they fall down dead as they are effectively cast from the church.
Acts 8: Simon the Magician tries to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter condemns this behavior and calls Simon to repent or lose everything. Simon does repent and is added to the church.
Acts 10 and 11: through Peter, the church declares that eating foods that were formerly unclean, were clean; and the Gentiles are added to the church.
Acts15: Peter oversees the Jerusalem Council that rule on what is permitted or prohibited (bound & loosed) in the church.
But Jesus didn’t just give the power of binding and loosing to Peter. It was given to the rest of the disciples and all of the church in Matthew 18. There Jesus teaches about church discipline, and what the church allows and doesn’t allow. Jesus then says,
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” -Matthew 18:18
In other words, Christ has given His church the authority to make judgments on things that are Christlike and not Christlike. And observing these behaviors, the Church has the authority to bring people in for their Christlikeness or cast them out for their godlessness.
You might say, “Wait, isn’t that so arbitrary? Can’t people just make that up?” For two reasons they cannot. First, the true Bride-of-Christ-church would never abuse her God-given authority. Second, because what the church declares as right and wrong, as those who are in or out, has already been declared in the heavenly places.
Let me highlight how the Legacy Standard Bible translates Matthew 16:19. I think it is very enlightening.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” -Matthew 16:19 (Legacy Standard Bible)
Every single commentary I read said this is the correct way to translate the verse. It totally changes the dynamic. What the church binds are the very things that heaven binds. What the church looses are the very things that are loosed in heaven. Catch this, it is so important: We are not the ones making things happen in heaven. We – the church – are the ones who see the things of heaven and bring them to bear on earth. Through our binding and loosing, the spiritual realities of heaven are invading our physical reality on earth. Let me put it another way. Jesus has ordained that through the activity of the church, the kingdom of heaven will advance upon earth.
Then, after declaring this to the disciples, Jesus tells His disciples to hide His identity.
Read vs 20
Even after Peter accurately identifies Jesus, he still doesn’t quite understand what Jesus’ identity means. We will see that demonstrated in the very next passage. Peter still conceives of the Messiah as a militaristic figure. And if Peter doesn’t fully get it, this leader of the disciples, how much less will the public understand Jesus’ identity? Better to keep it secret until He can accomplish His mission of humility and self-sacrifice. For only after His death and resurrection will the true nature of the Messiah be understood.
But through the pages of this book we have seen Jesus’ death and resurrection. We have seen Him purchase our freedom in His own blood, crush the head of the enemy, and kill death. We have seen the Risen Son of God ascend to the right hand of the Father where He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.
If you confess these things with your mouth, and believe them in your heart, you will be saved (Romans 10:9)! And when you know the true identity of Jesus the King, He will reveal your true identity to you: son or daughter of the living God, chosen and precious, a new creation, sent out as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, proclaiming how all people everywhere can be reconciled unto God.
And the gates of hell shall not prevail against us, church!
Be wise to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. -Romans 16:19-20
Church – you overcomers, let us go from here in courageous, Satan crushing, Gospel proclamation. And, as we do, Jesus will see that the kingdom of heaven advances upon earth!
1Heiser, M. (2018, April 10) What Did Jesus Mean by “Gates of Hell”? Logos. https://www.logos.com/grow/jesus-mean-gates-hell/?msockid=13832abc28ea67ea1ad338d9299466c5
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• 9/1/24Hypocrisy - Gospel of Matthew - Part 42
Hypocrisy
Matthew 15:1-20
Immanuel – 9/1/24
We spent most of August in a flashback. Since Matthew 14:3, Matthew has taken us back in time, back to when John the Baptist was martyred by Herod Antipas. We then saw Jesus’ response to the news of His cousin’s death, His miraculous feeding of an enormous crowd, and He and Peter walk on water. It was a remarkable 48 hours in the life of Jesus.
When we come to chapter 15, things snap forward into the overarching timeline as Matthew is presenting it. By way of reminder, and for the most part, Matthew has not arranged his Gospel in chronological order. He has arranged the book as a travel narrative: Jesus begins in Galilee, journeys through Judea, and ends in Jerusalem.
Already we have seen the beginning of the end for Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. So many of the towns of Galilee have refused to repent, the people of His hometown have violently rejected Him, the religious establishment opposes Him, and Herod – the ruler of Galilee – looks on Jesus with dangerous suspicion.
Capernaum had been Jesus’ homebase of operations. But now He abandons the city, becoming a homeless wanderer. He will pass through again, but only on His way to other places, often non-Jewish places. It is as if He is not welcome among the majority of Galilean Jews – that is, unless they want to get some miracles out of Him.
As we see today, opposition to Jesus is only mounting. And before Jesus can travel to Jerusalem, Jerusalem comes to Jesus. It is not a happy meeting.
Read vs 1
The Jerusalem Delegation
The most authoritative Jewish religious leaders were in Jerusalem – the holy city. The delegation they sent to rustic Galilee was an extension of their authority, a representation of their elite status and power. And they do not extend this authoritative arm with an open mind; it seems they have already drawn some conclusions about Jesus.
Jesus’ fame had indeed grown. Herod looks suspiciously on Him, and now Jerusalem has come to Jesus looking to pick a fight. There are no pleasantries, no warmth at all. Jerusalem’s delegates ask a question filled with oppositional force.
Read vs 2
The religious leaders question Jesus’ disciples, but in reality, they are confronting Jesus. Disciples, by definition, follow their teacher. If the disciples are not washing their hands, it is because Jesus has taught them to do so. In other words, the Pharisees are assessing whether or not Jesus is a false teacher, though it seems like they’ve already made up their minds.
They see Jesus’ teaching run contrary to the tradition of the elders – on a number of levels – but here they cite the washing of hands. To us it may seem like hand washing is a minor issue, but we can hardly overstate how important it was to religious Jews in those days.
Let me provide a bit of context surrounding handwashing. In the books of law, God said to Israel,
“I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” -Leviticus 11:44
As God is set apart, altogether different in His pure holiness; so He was setting His people apart, to be holy and pure. Thus, the people of God were to avoid becoming unclean. This had a spiritual side and a physical side, a moral aspect and a bodily aspect. On the physical/bodily side, the ceremonial law dictated what was clean and unclean.
For instance, the ceremonial law of God says that the following things are unclean: dead bodies (human or animal), blood, people with infectious diseases (like leprosy), pigs, and many more. Then, anything that came in contact with these unclean things also became unclean. Thus, if you touched an unclean thing, you became unclean.
Likely, you can see the merit in all of this. God was teaching His people to be hygienic. But, unless you were a temple priest, God did not require His people to wash regularly; only when obvious contact was made with something unclean. Then there were the Gentiles, who didn’t follow Jewish ceremonial laws. Without adherence to the law, they were also unclean.
And yet, a funny thing happened. What if you touched something unclean, but you did not realize it. What if a person with a discharge of blood had sat on a bench, and then later you sat on that same bench. Had you become accidentally unclean? What if an unclean Gentile brushed up against you as you passed through a crowded street?
An oral tradition arose starting with the assumption that everything was unclean. The religious leaders created endless regulations going wildly above and beyond the ceremonial laws of God. Important requirements developed surrounding handwashing – especially handwashing before you eat.
Through the centuries, these traditions grew, eventually got put into books, and embedded themselves in the Jewish identity. What began in good intentions, desiring to be holy as God is holy, mutated and corrupted. By Jesus’ day the “traditions of the elders” were so numerous that only the scribes could keep track of them, the common people were terribly burdened by them, and the poor and uneducated could never hope to keep them.
In the minds of Jerusalem’s religious elite, if Jesus was teaching His disciples, they didn’t need to wash their hands before they ate, it was an assault on the very identity of the Jewish people. It was an assault on them who so rigorously upheld the traditions. And Jesus called Himself a religious leader? Outrageous!
But they could not see that they could not see. Like the Proverbs teach, a fool does not know he is a fool, but thinks himself wise. Speaking words charged with divine authority, Jesus rebukes centuries of corrupt, unjust, overbearing, traditions of man.
Read vs 3-6
Jesus addresses three groups of people: first the religious leaders, then the crowd in general, and then His disciples privately. Notice how Jesus does not directly address the Pharisee’s question at all. He does not defend Himself nor the practice of the disciples. These scribes and Pharisees, who loved the art of debate, were probably hoping that Jesus would try to defend Himself. Instead, Jesus attacks another tradition of the elders.
Jesus does this by first posing a counter question: “Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” He has just taken the Pharisee’s question and eviscerated it. The traditions of man must never supersede what God has spoken. And do not miss what Jesus is getting at. He is not saying that despite their traditions they break the law of God. Rather, Jesus is saying that it is precisely because of their traditions that they break God’s law.
Jesus then gives a condemning example: a tradition of the elders commonly called “Korban.”
Jesus quotes two commandments of God (Exodus 20:12 and Exodus 21:17). Many of you will know that in the 10 Commandments, “honor your father and mother” is the 5th commandment. But for the sake of Korban, the tradition of the elders made provision for the people to dishonor their father and mother.
Korban was the practice of vowing, or promising, to give food, money, or property over to the temple treasury. The tradition presented korban as a way to please God; but the temple leaders lived off of the temple treasury. Turns out, they were pleased too.
It was not uncommon for a young man to get caught up in a religious fervor and make a rash vow, pledging large amounts of money or significant portions of land to the temple; and the sly religious leaders did not question the appropriateness of such an oath. Money that should have been used to support aging parents was swallowed up by the temple leaders. This is one reason why, in Luke 21:47, Jesus said the scribes “devour widows’ houses.”
As Jesus says in verse 6, Jerusalem’s religious establishment, and their copious traditions, were making void the word of God. Pharisees were welcoming people to dishonor their father and mother, calling it a good thing, and then profiting from it.
Read vs 7-9
Hypocrites! Jesus perfectly describes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees later on in the Gospel of Matthew.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” -Matthew 23:27-28
That’s the sort of hypocrisy Jesus sees in these religious leaders, these leaders of the Jews. Back in our passage, Jesus says the religious leaders are as wicked as the religious leaders in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Their worship is superficial, empty, meaningless, self-righteous. It’s just a show. They talk the talk, but they do not walk the walk.
This is “exhibit A” in how religion is not the same as relationship with God! The scribes and Pharisees were deeply religious, rigorously committed to their beliefs. But their hearts were far from God, they had no relationship with Him.
Paul wrote to the Romans about this:
They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. -Romans 10:2-3
In other words, the scribes and Pharisees, and all of earth’s practitioners of religion, can be overflowing with passion for their god/s. But they do not know the True and Living God. They have no relationship with Him. And consequently, they are far from God’s righteousness and lost in their own self-righteous works of wickedness.
And then, for the scribes and Pharisees that confront Jesus, what is even more damning is that they teach other people to do the very same thing: teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. They teach people to nullify God’s word so they can uphold their superficial, empty, self-righteous traditions. Jesus is effectively saying that by placing their traditions above God’s word, they place themselves above God, and then teach others to do the same.
Make no mistake, Jesus is angry. In Matthew 23 He will pronounce seven woes over the scribes and Pharisees and call them children of hell. But here His anger is more muted. None-the-less, the lines have been drawn. One commentator writes, “After this dialogue the breach between Jesus and the scribal establishment is irreparable.”1
Then Jesus turns His attention to the crowds, to the very people the scribes and Pharisees had been foisting their unbearable and wicked traditions upon. Jesus directs no anger toward them, but instead offers a path to freedom.
Read vs 10-11
Internal, Not External
If the scribes and Pharisees were upset with what Jesus was teaching His disciples, verse 12 informs us that they were fuming as He instructs the crowds; a fact that Jesus would not have been oblivious to.
He says, “Hear and understand.” From the highest to the lowest, elite religious leader to poor beggars, Jesus is calling the people to think – to think deeply.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, following Jesus is not a mindless endeavor. Jesus calls us to be thinkers, to follow Him with our minds as well as our hearts. Just as we can be lazy in our deeds, so can we be lazy in our thinking. If a fool does not know he is a fool, how can he come to know his condition? One way to answer: think deeply upon the words of Christ.
“Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
Jesus gives no explanation to the crowd. His words carried all the truth the people needed, if only they applied their minds to hear and then understand. But to the disciples, Jesus does provide explanation. This is an example of “to those who have, more will be given” (Matthew 13:12).
Read vs 12
Last week we saw Peter walk on water. Now he is speaking as a representative of the 12 disciples. We know this because Jesus’ answers are not just for Peter, but for the group. Peter has now emerged as the leader of the disciples.
And, on behalf of the disciples, he wants to make sure that Jesus knows about the insulted religious leaders. Did the disciples think that Jesus had pushed a little too hard? Did they think He needed to go smooth things over?
Jesus does not think so.
Read vs 13-14
The scribes and Pharisees peacock around in their robes of authority, but their authority is neither given by God nor founded in God’s word. Like a parasitic weed in a garden, God will rip them from His good soil. Take note, this is a word of judgment; and it is not spoken about future religious leaders. It is spoken about the religious establishment of that generation, leading the people like blind guides.
Blind guides indeed. They could not see the way to God, they could not see the righteousness of God. They thought their freshly washed hands were enough, but they could not see – would not see – that they were filthy with unrighteousness.
“Leave them alone.” With these three words, Jesus sidelines the scribes and Pharisees in the kingdom of God. They make themselves prominent, but they are nothing in the kingdom of heaven. Let them flaunt. Just leave them alone. Let them be. Their day is coming. For without repentance, the pit these blind guides will fall into burns with eternal flame. Anyone that would follow them falls endlessly in with them.
Read vs 15
In the sense that we understand it, Jesus has not just told a parable. But in the Greek sense of the word, a proverb – or wise saying – can also be called a parable. This is what Peter refers to when he asks for clarity on behalf of the disciples.
Read vs 16
Jesus is angry with the religious leaders, but He is frustrated with the disciples. They should know by now. They should know that it’s not about all these exterior things, it’s not about religious performance, but God seeks relationship with His people.
They heard Jesus teach all these principles in the Sermon on the Mount and the Parable Discourse. They watched as Jesus touched lepers, demon possessed people, a woman with a discharge of blood, and dead bodies. He did not become unclean, but they became clean. Nearness to Jesus is what was making people clean. But those closest to Jesus, the disciples, are still not getting it.
Have you ever had to tell your kids, or a student, or an employee, the same thing over and over and over again and still they don’t seem to understand. So it was with Jesus and the disciples. So the next time you get frustrated because they still don’t get it, know that you have a share in Jesus’ sufferings, and He in yours.
But despite His frustration, Jesus patiently explains:
Read vs 17-20
What you eat and drink is simply that, they do not render a person unclean. The things that come out of the mouth, these betray the condition of the heart. This is very much like what James writes:
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. -James 1:26
With your mouth you can speak gossip, or cut someone down with sharp words, or be condescending, or lie. All of these betray evil in the heart. Though sarcasm has its place, I know my sarcastic tongue has hurt too many people. There is sin in my heart, and I have to work to bridle my tongue. And part of that work is to repeatedly ask for forgiveness – from God and from those I’ve offended – and then pray that God give me grace for self-control.
Jesus mentions evil thoughts in verse 19. Evil thoughts come from an evil heart. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, hatred betrays a murderous heart. Lust betrays an adulterous and sexually immoral heart. Additionally, covetousness betrays a thieving heart; envy, a slanderous heart; arrogance, a deceitful heart.
“These are what defile a person.” Eating with unwashed hands has no moral bearing on a person. Contact with external things, like food and drink, does not render a person morally defiled.
With words like these, Jesus has flipped the religious world upside down, stripping it of its superficial and self-righteous traditions. Indeed, the reality of Jesus would forever change the identity of the people of God; no longer marked by their strict adherence to rules and traditions but marked by their relationship with Him: where His disciples think deeply on what He has said and allow their lives to be transformed by them, where disciples are washed clean through nearness to Him.
Brothers and sisters, following Jesus is not about living by a strict set of regulations: do this, don’t do that. Don’t be a hypocrite, no one can live under such burdens, not even you! Following Jesus is about loving Jesus because He has loved you, because He emptied Himself as He gave Himself for you.
God’s word tells us that we are all born with hearts that are diseased with sinful desires, hearts that are spiritually dead. Diseased and dead hearts: unclean! Right down at the deepest part of who we are, in our inmost being, we are unclean.
But by faith, all of your uncleanness was placed upon Jesus at the cross. The moral filth of God’s people was placed upon Him and He became sin who knew no sin. He was crushed for our iniquity, pierced for our transgressions. But on the third day, when Jesus defeated death, He was raised in blinding light, whiter than white, perfectly spotless and infinitely clean: holy, holy, holy!
And to all who trust in this truth, He pours His Holy Spirit upon you, and you are cleansed! Listen carefully to God’s word.
Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. -1 Corinthians 6:9-11
What freedom we have in Christ! Indeed, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (1 Corinthians 3:17)! You are free to eat what you like and drink what you like, you are free to touch what you like, you are free. But because you live in relationship to Jesus, whatever you do, do unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24)! Or, as St. Augustine put in different words: “Love God, and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love of God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.”
I leave you with a psalm of David.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. -Psalm 24:3-4
1France, R.T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. Pg 575. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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• 8/18/24Feeding 5,000 - Gospel of Matthew - Part 40
Feeding 5,000
Matthew 14:13-21
Immanuel – 8/18/24
If there is any place on earth where you might expect to feel welcome/ accepted/loved, it is home. But when Jesus went home to Nazareth, and taught in the synagogue there, He was violently expelled. Even His own family members did not receive Him.
Shortly afterwards, Jesus caught wind that His ministry had drawn unwanted attention from the treacherous ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas. Herod was even wondering if Jesus was really John the Baptist, resurrected.
And then Matthew gives us a flashback. We go back, probably only a few weeks, perhaps a month or two, to a lavish banquet at Herod’s palace. It’s a terrible story of deceit, debauchery, incest, manipulation, injustice, and murder. It ends with the head of John the Baptist on a platter; served, ultimately, to Herodias.
Jesus hears of His martyred cousin, and it fills Him with tremendous grief. And so, as anyone would want to do, in sorrow He withdraws to seek solitude.
This is where our passage picks up. Keep in mind that we are still in Matthew’s flashback. In fact, this flashback is not only about John’s death and Jesus’ response to it, but also an account of an extraordinarily remarkable 48 hours in Jesus’ life. The flashback will only end as chapter 14 concludes.
In this flashback we move from the hedonistic banquet in Herod’s palace to one less decadent and far more wholesome. The event we study today, the feeding of the 5,000, is extraordinary enough that every Gospel writer records it. In fact, it is the only miracle of Christ’s (apart from the resurrection) that is in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Read vs 13
The Gathering
In this flashback, Jesus is still primarily operating out of Capernaum. Everyone knew that Capernaum was His home base, and crowds of people were constantly drawn to the lakeside city, hoping to benefit from the powerful miracle worker who was living there, wondering if He truly was Israel’s Messiah. Mark writes that the crowds were so intense that Jesus and the disciples couldn’t even take a break to eat (Mark 6:31).
So when Jesus hears that His beloved cousin is dead, and He desires to get some space, the only escape is to leave town and find some desolate place. Matthew doesn’t make it explicit, but the disciples are also with Him on the boat. The Gospel of Mark corroborates this.
The solitude Jesus seeks is not complete isolation, but one with His disciples. Though Jesus did sometimes seek solitude to pray, all of His life was lived in community. He loved people, He invested, He gave of Himself. Even in times of great grief, still He gave.
And since Jesus is the supreme example of a godly life, we too are called to give of ourselves, and give of ourselves, and give of ourselves – even in the midst of deep sorrows, even when you know there will be no return. God created us to flourish in community, and to generously invest in one another despite our own personal situations. Such is the day-to-day meaning of Jesus’ words:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
-John 15:12-13
Just as Jesus selflessly gave of Himself, so are we to give of ourselves. I know how easy it is to elevate “me time;” but that is the construct of a selfish world. Jesus knew of no such thing. He gave, and He gave, and He gave. He gave of Himself even to the point of death.
Read vs 14
Jesus could not escape the crowds, even on a boat. The people most certainly would have seen them launch from Capernaum’s docks. Jesus and the disciples would have been easy to spot on the lake. Watching from the shoreline, the crowd followed, passing through other lakeside communities. Word was spreading to these villages and beyond. More and more continued to join in pursuit of Jesus.
Though we don’t know exactly where Jesus and the disciples landed, it is reasonable to assume that they went somewhere to the east of Bethsaida. Here’s three reasons why:
1. The geography fits: It was desolate and mountainous.
2. It was outside of Herod’s territory, and therefore a little safer.
3. It was anywhere from 5-8 miles away, a reasonable distance from Capernaum for the crowds to follow.
Indeed, the crowds have come. Verse 21 says 5,000 besides women and children. On the conservative side, if there was one woman or child for every man – and I imagine women and children showed up without any men – the hillside was easily filled with 10,000 people. Here’s an image to help visualize the numbers Jesus may have seen as He approached the supposed desolate place.
They have come because they still need healing. Matthew, Luke, and John each emphasize the healings Jesus performed for them; which means that the crowds have brought with them their sick and disabled – likely not an easy task. This mass of humanity: sweaty, dirty, tired, and desperate to for Jesus. Thousands and thousands of them: far more than He left behind in Capernaum.
There was no disappointment in Jesus’ heart, no annoyance, no begrudged, “here we go again.” From verse 14: He had compassion on them. His own agenda, His own desires, His own emotions, were contentedly laid aside. As His boat neared the shore, and He beheld the sea of needy people, His heart broke for the people. In that moment, Jesus wanted nothing more than to serve them: to give and to give and to give again.
And as I behold that moment, I simultaneously see how much I love Jesus, how I want to be like Him, and how dramatically far I fall short. For such sincere, compassionate, generous love is the very essence of Christ’s own heart; gentle and lowly as it is.
Read vs 15-16
Bread That Satisfies
Matthew only tells that Jesus healed the sick. Mark tells us that Jesus also taught the crowds many things. Luke adds that He taught them about the kingdom of God.
It must have been morning when John’s disciples told Jesus the sad news. Because the boat ride, the healing, the teaching, it all must have taken hours and hours. It is now well past dinner time. Jesus doesn’t seem to be wearying, perhaps He might go all night. And He doesn’t seem to be losing the crowd, no one is dispersing.
The crowd is riveted. I imagine that very few of them had ever seen anything like Jesus before. As astounding as it all was, the disciples were more familiar with these things, and they were likely quite hungry by now. Apparently, they thought it was time for some pragmatic decision making, because they interrupt Jesus from healing and/or teaching, with some practical concerns.
The disciples basically say, “Everyone is hungry. Being a desolate place, there’s no possible way to feed them. It might be wise to bring things to a close. Send them off and let them fend for themselves.” Do you see that, in verse 15? The disciples command Jesus: “Send the crowds away.”
But despite all appearances, and all earthly common sense, Jesus says that the people do not need to go away. In other words, the crowd has everything they need right here. Then Jesus returns a command to the disciples: “You give them something to eat.”
Instead of just dismissing everyone – instead of being dismissive – Jesus invites the disciples into considering how they might help the situation. He invites them to look upon the mass of people with more than just their dismissive eyes.
But they are still unable to do that. They know Jesus can meet any need – He’s just been healing all these people – yet they fail to see with eyes of faith. Soon enough, Jesus will speak the words, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Such doubt is present before these hungry crowds.
Read vs 17
According to the Gospel of Mark, after Jesus told the disciples to feed the people, they went searching through the crowd for food. I imagine word quickly spread; Jesus was asking if anyone had food. In all those thousands and thousands of people, all the disciples could find was five loaves and two fish.
These loaves would have been roughly cupcake sized. John tells us that a young boy was offering the food. Likely, this came from a mother supplying her son with provisions for the afternoon.
Surely, there was more food in that crowd. In fear of going hungry, were people hiding food for themselves? Fear does lead people to hold back, but this boy, with slightly more than enough for himself seems to eagerly offer it up. So little for so many, but it was what he had; and the Lord was asking.
Jesus’ plans had been laid aside for the desires of the crowd. Now He begins to take control of the situation; and His control is exercised in a perfect display of compassion and generosity.
Read vs 18-20
Like the head of the household, Jesus gives thanks for the food on behalf of the thousands of people. He then broke up the loaves and fish and gave the pieces to the disciples. What was already a tiny meal has just gotten a lot smaller. He tells the disciples to distribute the bits of food.
Apparently, the miracle takes place in the hands of the disciples; for as they give, there is somehow more to give. What little they had becomes more, becomes abundant, becomes bountiful beyond all imagining. The disciples are giving, but it is more truly Jesus who is giving. The miracle is His alone, though He uses the hands of the 12.
And 5,000 are fed, and 10,000. 12 baskets left over: one for each of the disciples, one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. You may remember from sermons past; the Jews consider 12 to be the number of the people of God. 12 baskets of abundance, an overflow to represent the full satisfaction of the people of God. It is a satisfaction found in the power of Christ as the people of Christ serve one another.
But there are more than miracles happening here, so much more. The past and the future are being echoed.
At the beginning of this sermon series, I pointed out that there are numerous times when Jesus relives Israel’s history. This is one of them. Consider when God used the great prophet, Elisha, to miraculously feed 100 men.
A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.” But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’ ” So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. -2 Kings 4:42-44
Elisha miraculously fed 100. Jesus fed overwhelmingly more. But there was another, even greater, miraculous feeding in the Old Testament. In a desolate place, on the side of a mountain, God rained bread from heaven for the hungry people of Israel – recently freed from Egypt. Under the leadership of Moses, God used manna to sustain His people in the wilderness for 40 years.
But it didn’t take long for Israel to complain. They were tired of bread and wanted some meat. They complained to Moses and Moses complained to God.
“Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to carry all this people alone, the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once…Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” -Numbers 11:13-15,21-23
When Jesus saw the need of the people He felt compassion, and He perfectly trusted His Father, thanking Him, and He served the people with bread and meat. When Moses saw the need of the people he felt exasperation, inadequacy, despair; he had little faith and complained to God. Despite this, God sustained His people with bread and meat.
But just as the feeding of the 5,000 reveals, Jesus is the greater Moses and Elisha. He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He is the greater sustenance. He is the Bread of Heaven. Just after John’s account of the miraculous feast, Jesus said to the people,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to Him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” -John 6:32-35
Jesus is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven. He is the sustenance we need. Like the crowds, we don’t need to worry about what we will eat. We just need to be near to Jesus. We need to be in His word and meditate upon Him. He is a feast for our souls! We come to Him and know His compassion, we feel His love, we experience His rest, we are flooded with joy. Jesus is heaven’s greatest food given to us!
But bread isn’t eaten for sitting around only thinking about things. It gives the energy of life. We need to get up, put away our pragmatic fears, and follow Jesus.
There are four very significant verbs in our passage today: take, bless, break, give, eat. Can you think of another time when these four verbs are used in the same sequence. It is no coincidence.
Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” -Matthew 26:26
When Jesus fed the 5,000, He was foreshadowing things to come. Of course, these words are from when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, communion. Jesus instituted this during Passover. Not coincidentally, in John’s account we learn that Jesus fed the 5,000 as Passover was at hand (John 6:4). Approximately one year before the Last Supper and the breaking of the bread, and the breaking of the body on a cross, Jesus gave up His grief to compassionately feed the mass of humanity.
There were echoes of the past and the future when Jesus fed the 5,000. But what we see, no matter where we look, is that Jesus gave of Himself, and He gave of Himself, and He gave of Himself.
He took the bread and He blessed it. He broke it and then He gave it to the disciples. They were to eat; but they were also to give the bread to others to eat. Just like their Lord, they were to give, and to give, and to give. And just like their Lord, each of the 12 would give their lives for the sake of distributing this bread from heaven.
But these 12 disciples started with so little. They were poor, or despised, ordinary, obscure, with nothing significant to offer. They were the ones of little faith, who constantly didn’t understand the man they followed. But they followed. They were eager. And whatever they had, like the boy with loaves and fish, they offered it to their Lord.
And Christ took what little they had, and multiplied it. Between the 12 of them (minus Judas plus Paul) they would take the gospel to the ends of the known world. Their testimony would impact billions – we read it even today. Even today, as we read Matthew, one of the 12 disciples passes to us this miraculous bread given by Christ.
Listen to what a commentator of Mark, James Edwards writes, “The miracle brings the Divine will to perfect expression, for God wills to fill His creatures with Himself, to meet their needs with His surplus, to expand their smallness by His greatness, and to transform mundane life into abundant life.”1
Jesus desires to expand your smallness with His greatness. Your life, short as it is, insignificant as it may feel, Jesus would transform into abundant life!
And though we need to address practical concerns, do not let your practical concerns stand in the way of Jesus’ divine will. Your ducks do not need to be in a row to serve Christ and His people. Your family, your bank account, your daily bread, none of it should stop you from following Jesus to give and to give and give.
There are hungry people in the Mohawk Valley who need bread. There are countless more starving for Jesus. There are people all over this planet perishing without Christ. Who will give them this bread? Who will tell them of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven? And even as I ask these questions, I imagine there are all kinds of practical concerns that cause you to dismiss me and say, “Not me.”
But look at how Jesus cares for His people. Look how He satisfies. See how generously, compassionately, selflessly, He gives, and He gives and He gives. And look at what Jesus can do with so little. What might He do with you, if you were to truly offer the very little that you have?
Remember, the power of Christ is displayed as the people of Christ love and serve one another; laying aside personal agendas, desires and emotions.
1Edwards, J. (2002). The Gospel According to Mark. Pg 196. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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• 8/11/24Prophets Without Honor - Gospel of Matthew - Part 39
Prophets Without Honor
Matthew 13:53-14:13a
Immanuel – 8/11/24
Since October of last year, we have been slowly working through the Gospel of Matthew. And as we methodically dig through Matthew, we seek to uncover the priceless treasures that are to be found: whether they are easy to grasp or deep beneath the surface. Treasures are to be found!
Let us recall a few details from the past 13 chapters. Matthew opens declaring that Jesus Christ is the son of David, the son of Abraham, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem. In other words, Jesus is the prophesied Messiah.
Then John the Baptist, a prophet of God, proclaims this about Jesus:
I baptize you with water for 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 fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.
-Matthew 3:11-12
John was speaking about the Messiah, prophesied millennia before, but had finally arrived in Jesus of Nazareth. Soon after, John baptized Jesus; and when he did so a voice from heaven spoke,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” -Matthew 3:17
Jesus of Nazareth: Messiah and the Son of God! He would be the one to finally unite heaven and earth. Only a short time later Jesus began His public ministry with the announcement:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matthew 4:17
Jesus then delivered the exceedingly famous Sermon on the Mount. We spent 12 weeks sifting through it. The heart of the sermon is in Christ’s following words:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” -Matthew 6:33
After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus performs a series of powerful miracles: cleansing a leper, healing a boy on his deathbed, calming a storm, healing a paralytic, raising a dead girl to life, restoring sight to two blind men, and healing a man unable to speak.
Jesus then sends out His disciples, as sheep among the wolves, to proclaim the very same message He has been proclaiming:
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matthew 10:7
Immediately following the disciples’ mission, we hear from John the Baptist again. He has been imprisoned by Herod, and he has been having doubts. If Jesus is the Messiah, and if John is the prophetic voice to announce Jesus as Messiah, then why is John rotting in Herod’s jail cell? Jesus simply assured John that He is the Messiah, and John’s doubts are assuaged.
John the Baptist is a mixture of doubt and belief, something that so many of us can relate to. Meanwhile, most people refuse to believe in Jesus and repent. Others outright reject Jesus. People were too comfortable, too selfish, too proud to let someone like Jesus into their lives.
And their sins are a reflection of our sins; for we are afflicted by the same indifferent, selfish, arrogance. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We don’t want someone telling us we are wrong. We are comfortable living without any thought of God and His ways. Jesus spoke woes over those who refused to repent, and woe to us if we refuse to repent. If separation from God is what we want, then eternally separated we shall be.
Some – like the disciples – did embrace Jesus, and they received all the benefits of the kingdom of heaven. But regardless of how people responded to Jesus, in the midst of them all, He cried out:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus offers a wholesale invitation to any and all that are exhausted from the work of life and weighed down by its burdens: just come to Him to find rest. His is a rest that no circumstances can shake, a rest that is experienced even while you work, a rest in the very depths of your being. Through a relationship with Jesus you will know you are loved by God, your heart will be filled with hope and joy, and you will know a peace that surpasses understanding. In other words, Jesus offers you a soul that is at rest. All you must do is come to Him in faith.
Over the past three weeks we unpacked the Parable Discourse of chapter 13. Jesus and the disciples were proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven was at hand – near – in their very midst; the Parable Discourse is a series of seven parables that unfold the nature of that kingdom. Through the parables, Jesus answers the following questions: How do people enter the kingdom, how does the kingdom grow, and what does it look like?
Jesus concludes with three parables revealing that the kingdom of heaven is worth everything, even if at the loss of all earthly possessions. The kingdom is a treasure worth living for, the kingdom is a treasure worth dying for! Jesus, as the King of that kingdom, is where one begins in search of such treasure. In fact, what we come to understand is that He is the treasure. Everything else follows after a person begins to trust in Him.
I highlight these specific moments in Matthew because when we come to our passage today, it is absolutely jarring. We follow Jesus into two sad collisions, and these turn into a pivot point within Matthew’s Gospel. The echoes of sorrow will only increase from here.
Read 13:53-56
A Prophet Rejected
Jesus’ base of operations has been in Capernaum. The Parable Discourse largely took place on a boat in the waters of the Sea of Galilee, right on the shores of Capernaum. But Jesus leaves the lakeside and travels inland, to the town He was raised in: Nazareth.
This is the first time Jesus has returned to Nazareth since His ministry has begun. Mark and Luke also record this event. Presumably, Jesus spent some time visiting His family. When the Sabbath day came around, Jesus taught in Nazareth’s synagogue. Of course, this is His childhood synagogue. He knew the religious leaders there, and they knew Him.
From the very beginning, it had been Jesus’ custom to teach in the local synagogues.
And [Jesus] went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So His fame spread throughout all [the region].
-Matthew 4:23-24
It was Jesus’ custom to teach in synagogues. And after the Nazareth’s religious leaders heard about what their hometown hero had been up to, they were probably eager to hear from Him on the Sabbath…at least, initially.
Matthew leaves out the content of Jesus’ teaching, but Luke tells us that Jesus, quoting from the prophet Isaiah, was teaching that He was Israel’s long awaited Messiah: that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to proclaim good news to the poor and liberty to the captives, to give sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:16-30)
In verse 54 you will notice two things that impressed the Jews of Nazareth: His wisdom and His mighty works. They heard His wisdom firsthand, as He taught in the synagogue. They’ve heard of His mighty works as His fame spread all around Galilee.
His wisdom was expressed in revealing that He was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. And from Luke’s account we know that the people were demanding Jesus perform mighty works just like He had done in Capernaum and elsewhere, but Jesus refused to give them a spectacle. This is the unbelief that verse 58 talks about.
Read 13:58
Jesus’ miracles were not meant to be a performance. He was not an on-demand magician. He is not a vending machine for wonders. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; His miracles were an expression of His compassion and a testimony of His identity, and both were meant for building faith.
But it was this dual dynamic – that Jesus taught His Messiahship and that He refused their demands of miracles – that the people took offense.
Look again at the series of rhetorical questions they ask: “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him.
The people are saying, “Jesus is from here. He used to work construction around the corner. We know His family. We can name them. We saw Him grow up. Where did He get these amazing gifts – we know nothing good comes out of Nazareth (John 1:46)!” But ultimately, all those rhetorical questions aim at one simple, closeminded, claim: Jesus is no better than us, He’s one of us.
How easy it is to tear people down when they have success beyond our own. And this is Jesus, literally God in the flesh. How quickly the people tear down their God and King, who was raised in their midst.
Read 13:57
Crowds from all over the region flock to Jesus. His fame is growing. Even in spite of people’s varied responses to Jesus, there are always those who have honored Him. But not in His hometown. Not among His family. He’s still their hometown boy, and little more.
And can’t you relate to this on some level? No matter what experiences you gain in life, no matter the achievements, you’re still just a kid when you go home. It can keep you grounded, and such humility is good. But when people are insecure and proud and sinful, they can begin to feel threatened by you. They lash out. They say foolish things. They remind you of who you were back then. Maybe it was you, resenting the person you grew up that is now successful.
If you have experienced such hometown animosity, then amplify that a hundred-fold for Jesus. Because Luke tells us that after these things happened in Nazareth’s synagogue, a riot effectively broke out. They dragged Jesus to the edge of a cliff to throw Him off. They were so offended by Him, so threatened, that they wanted to kill Him.
Again, Luke informs us that it’s right at this moment that Jesus performed a miracle. He somehow slipped through the crowd, like water in a clenched fist, and escaped the mob violence. It was not the miracle they were looking for, but it was the miracle they received.
I said we have come to a pivot point in Matthew’s gospel. From this point forward, Jesus will no longer teach in synagogues. He leaves behind the corrupt and unbelieving religious establishment and chooses to no longer operate within their parameters. He was another prophet, in a long line of prophets, that was rejected by the very people He came for.
In addition to being the Son of God and the Messiah – by Jesus’ own words in verse 57 – He was also a prophet. You might say, the Prophet of all prophets. He was without honor, they rejected Him, they tried to kill Him, yet He escaped. Now we turn to another prophet without honor, and for whom there would be no escape.
Read 14:1-2
A Prophet Martyred
Just as the people of Nazareth had heard of Jesus’ miraculous works, so also has Herod the tetrarch heard of Jesus’ fame.
Herod is a family name, much like Matlack is my family name. When the Gospel of Matthew opened, Herod the Great was in power. But in chapter 2, he died. The kingdom of Herod the great was broken up into three dominions and given to three of his sons.
Philip the tetrarch would get the northern portion of Trachonitis and Iturea – largely Gentile lands.
Herod Archelaus would get the Jewish lands of Judea and Samaria. (Archelaus would do such a poor job governing his dominion that Rome would seize it from him and install their own governor. Eventually, this territory would be given to a Roman hard-man, named Pontius Pilate.)
Herod the tetrarch in Matthew 14:1 is also known as Herod Antipas. Antipas governed the split territory of Galilee and Perea; split geographically and split between Jews and Gentiles. Antipas is the Herod that ruled Galilee for nearly all of Jesus’ life, from 4 BC to 39 AD. When the New Testament talks about Herod, it is almost always referring to Herod Antipas.
This Herod, Herod Antipas, had heard of Jesus’ fame; and how could he not? Everyone was hearing about Jesus and His miraculous works. But when Antipas hears about Jesus, he is struck with some mixture of superstitious fear and guilt. For in this superstitious delusion, Antipas believes that John the Baptist has come back; John the Baptist whom he had killed.
Then, in Matthew’s narrative, we get a flashback.
Read 14:3-11
All throughout the Bible, prophets are a confrontational bunch. They confronted people with their sins, called for repentance, and stood up for the truth. John the Baptist was no different. And we see in verse 4 that John was speaking out against Antipas, for his unlawful marriage to Herodias.
The law John claimed Herod was breaking came from Leviticus 18:16.
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. - Leviticus 18:16
In other words, it was not lawful for a man to have sexual relations with his brother’s wife. That is exactly what Herod Antipas was doing.
Let’s take a moment to plunge into the spiderweb that was the Herod family. Here is a very simplified diagram of that family.
You can see that Herodias, the woman of our passage, was first married to Herod Phillip. Phillip and Herodias had a daughter together, Salome, the dancer in our passage.
Meanwhile, Herod Antipas was married to the daughter of a Nabatean king. Despite their respective marriages, Antipas and Herodias began an affair. Antipas’ wife, the princess, found out and ran off to her father. In response, the Nabateans made war with Antipas and would have wiped him out if it weren’t for Roman intervention. Afterwards, Herodias abandoned Phillip and came to live with Antipas, bringing Salome with her.
You can also see in this diagram that both Antipas and Phillip were the uncles of Herodias. And you thought your family was messed up! The Herod family was a tangled and complex web of incest, deceit, backstabbing, and broken relationships.
And living under Antipas’ rule, John the Baptist – prophet of God – could not quietly stand by! But since someone like John would hardly have access to confront Antipas personally, he spoke against Herod publicly. Eventually, Antipas had enough, and he arrested the Baptizer.
Herod maintained two palaces: one in Tiberias of Galilee and one in Machaerus of Perea. Since John’s ministry took place in the Jordan River, just north of the Dead Sea, Antipas arrested John and imprisoned John at Machaerus, the same palace where the party of Matthew 14 takes place.
Back to the party. Salome, Herodias’ daughter and Antipas’ niece, dances for a room full of drunken men. The whole scene is debauched, and I will not elaborate upon it. But whatever happened in that dance, combined with abundant wine, Antipas is so pleased that he made a foolish vow: to give Salome anything she asked for.
Apparently, Herodias has taken John’s rebukes very personally, and she hated him. She prompted her daughter to ask for the head of the prophet. Even though Antipas was afraid of the public outcry, and perhaps had a secret respect for John (as the Gospel of Mark may imply), he had backed himself into a corner. In his mind, he had no choice but to do what was demanded.
Violating every Jewish law, no trial was held. The prophet would die so Herod’s reputation would not be stained. John’s severed head was served to Salome, and ultimately Herodias, as a reward for that hedonic dance.
Read 14:12-13a
By bringing news of John’s death, the implication is that John’s disciples looked to Jesus for leadership. They saw Jesus’ ministry as a continuation of John’s. It was only natural that Jesus would become their leader. We know that Andrew and John, and perhaps Phillip, 3 of Jesus’ 12 disciples, had first been disciples of John the Baptist. The tradition already stood: the Baptizer had prepared his disciples to ultimately follow Jesus.
When Jesus heard of John’s death, He withdrew to desolate places. John was His cousin. They were just a few months apart in age and likely shared many childhood memories. As adults, they ministered together for a time. They were close. John’s death compels Jesus to withdraw, to escape the crowds and be alone, to pray, to mourn, to feel the grief.
Here again, we see the humanity of Jesus, how relatable He is, how He shares in so many of our experiences. Truly, Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).
Perhaps there was a secondary motivation for Jesus to withdraw: Herod. Had Herod Antipas, and his Machiavellian maneuvering, become a threat to Jesus’ ministry? Not sure.
But John’s death signals another change in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus’ home base will no longer be in Capernaum. He will become a wanderer, traveling in and out of the region of Galilee. Yes, Jesus will visit Capernaum again, but only to quickly pass through.
Jesus has been rejected in His hometown. His synagogue engagement has ended. His dear cousin has been martyred. And the man who martyred John has now cast a dangerous eye upon Him. Indeed, Jesus was a prophet without honor. It is at this point that Jesus truly becomes homeless, while the dogs of grief and persecution nip at His heels.
But even in the midst of all these experiences, and the emotions that came with them, never did Jesus give in to self-pity. He experienced the full force of those raw emotions, and He did it without sin. All the while, surely, He must have understood that John’s death was a foreshadowing of His own.
1. John spoke out against the political establishment’s adultery. Jesus spoke out against the religious establishment’s spiritual adultery.
2. As John was hated, so would Jesus be hated.
3. John was imprisoned. Jesus would be imprisoned.
4. Herod was reluctant to execute John but was manipulated into it. Pilate was reluctant to execute Jesus and was also manipulated into it.
5. John was executed without trial. Jesus was executed with a sham of a trial.
6. John’s disciples buried John’s body. Jesus’ disciples buried Jesus’ body.
The greatest similarity is that both John and Jesus were executed in shame, martyred for the God they served. But there is one big difference between these two men. In a fit of superstitious delusion, Herod only thought that John had resurrected. Jesus actually did rise from the grave! For when a few female disciples returned to the tomb of Jesus, where they had buried Him, they found only an angel:
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen.” -Matthew 28:5-6
Death was defeated the day Jesus rose from the grave. The people in His hometown couldn’t have been more wrong: Though He was one of us, He is so much more than any of us. He is God become flesh, slain for our sins, risen that we may share in His everlasting life. He is the only Lord over life and death, and this is what He says about Himself:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” -John 14:6
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
-John 11:25-26
Brothers and sisters, the kingdom of God is at hand. All you must do is come to Jesus, come to Jesus in faith! He lived and died for you, so that you can live and die for Him. He lives again so that you can live with Him forevermore. Trust in Him, and you shall not be put to shame!
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• 8/4/24A Treasure, A Pearl, A Net - Gospel of Matthew - Part 38
A Treasure, A Pearl, A Net
Matthew 13:44-52
Immanuel – 8/4/24
This is our third, and final, week in Matthew 13’s Parable Discourse. After a whole series of different responses to Jesus - acceptance, doubt, unbelief, and resistance – the crowds follow Jesus to the shore of the lake. He pushes out in a fishing boat with the 12 disciples and begins to teach the crowds in parables.
In our first week, with the Parable of the Sower, we learned how it is that people come into the kingdom of heaven. It is through earnest listening, obedient hearing: the type of hearing where a person genuinely wants to learn how to follow Jesus, and then goes out and does it.
The Parable of the Weeds, the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of the Leaven all taught us how the kingdom of heaven grows upon the earth. From the smallest of beginnings – a single man from Nazareth – the kingdom grows to fill the whole earth, influencing and transforming everywhere it spreads. Of course it will not always feel heavenly, because while the kingdom grows the weeds grow with it. Believers and unbelievers, the righteous and the wicked, wheat and weeds, until Judgment Day.
Today we come to the final three parables in the Parable Discourse, each one very brief. Among these three, two themes dominate.
Purpose
1. Jesus is the treasure of heaven and earth.
2. It is worth it to count everything as loss in order to gain Christ.
Read vs 44
Kingdom Values
This is a very short parable, but it has a ton of context behind it that Jesus’ original audience would have understood.
Let’s say there was a wealthy landowner who was about to go off on a long journey. With roads plagued by thieves, he could not travel with his wealth. With no banks to hold his money, he simply couldn’t leave it sitting in his house. So what could he do with his money? Bury it in a secret place: a common practice in the ancient world.
Additionally, if you were fleeing an invading army and had to travel fast and light, you might bury your valuables so at some point in the future you could return and retrieve them.
Now, suppose that wealthy landowner didn’t survive his journey, or those fleeing an army were overtaken and killed. What do you think would happen to the buried valuables? Nothing. They would sit there, forgotten, hidden, waiting.
This practice was so prolific in the ancient world that today people are still finding hidden treasures. Take for example this horde of Roman coins found in 2016, as construction workers were laying pipes beneath a Spanish park. 1,300 pounds of coins, that was an incredible amount of money when they were first buried. The treasure’s worth is incalculable today.
The man in Jesus’ parable has just found a treasure like this, something of incalculable worth. But two factors decided who got to keep that treasure. First, who owned the land on which the treasure was found? Second, who pulled – or lifted – the treasure from the ground?
Commentator Leon Morris explains this in a helpful way.
“If the finder was an employee, his employer could argue that he was acting as an agent, especially if the employer happened to own the land where the find was made. And if he was his employer’s agent in ‘lifting’ the treasure, then the treasure belonged to the employer. This will be the reason the man hid the treasure instead of ‘lifting’ it straightaway; if he ‘lifted’ it before the field was his, it might be argued that when he did the ‘lifting’ he was acting as the owner’s agent. By buying the land before ‘lifting’ the treasure he removed all possibility of dispute.”1
The man bought the field so that when he lifted the treasure from the ground, no one else could possibly make a claim on it. It was legally his.
Now we know that finding a buried treasure was a real thing and understand the reasons behind the man’s quest to own the property in which it was found. With context in hand, we can better discern the meaning of Jesus’ parable.
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. This means at least three things:
The kingdom is present.
The kingdom is hidden.
The kingdom is valuable.
We come to understand the value of the kingdom by the man’s response. Upon finding the treasure, the man has a four-fold response.
1. He immediately covers it up. He doesn’t want to lose it. The treasure is so valuable he cannot bear missing out on it.
2. He is filled with joy. Everything has changed. If he can possess this treasure, he knows his life will be forever transformed.
3. He sells everything that he has. And notice that he sells everything happily. Everything in his life cannot compare to the treasure. The treasure is more precious than the combined worth of all his other possessions.
4. He buys the field. Whatever the price to acquire the treasure, he is happy to pay it. And even though all he owns doesn’t come close to the value of the treasure, the man is still able to acquire the treasure.
Just so there is no confusion, Jesus is not implying that a person can buy their way into the kingdom of God. That would go against so many of His other teachings. Rather, Jesus is teaching that everything should be counted as loss next to the surpassing worth of the kingdom of heaven.
We see this highlighted again as Jesus tells another, and very similar, parable. The themes stay the same, but there is one significant difference; and this difference reveals another valuable aspect of the kingdom of God.
Read vs 45-46
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. To trade in pearls indicates that the merchant is a person of means. As some reckon it, he already has wealth. But all of that changes in a moment.
The man in the field accidentally stumbled across his treasure, but not this merchant. He is on the hunt, scouring the earth for the best in pearls. And though he knows what he is looking for, he finds something that he did not expect: a pearl that changes his life.
It is so valuable that he eagerly sells everything and effectively leaves the pearl trade behind. All the other pearls were like nothing as compared to this single, priceless pearl. His joy comes not from the profit he can make from the pearl, but from the fact that he possesses it. Now he is no longer a pearl merchant, but the owner of the earth’s greatest pearl; and it was worth giving up everything to gain!
This parable reveals the kingdom of heaven in a slightly different way than the Parable of the Hidden Treasure.
The kingdom is present.
The kingdom is to be sought and found.
The kingdom is valuable.
Jesus is teaching a paradox: the kingdom of God is present, but it is hidden. And though it is hidden, anyone who seeks will find it. Does this remind you of something else Jesus said?
“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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” -Matthew 7:7-8
Certainly, some will stumble upon the kingdom of heaven, but far better to earnestly seek it.
A person may be going about their life, totally unaware of the kingdom of heaven, and then a friend, a neighbor, a family member, tells them about the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and suddenly they realize its overwhelming worth. They have just stumbled across earth’s greatest treasure.
Perhaps God might use you to show someone the great worth of the kingdom: That they might see they were lost in their sins, separated from God and destined to be thrown into eternity’s fiery furnace. But God, being rich in mercy, and because of the great love with which He loved us, sent His only Son to give His life in place of our own. Jesus lived a sinless life – which we did not, He faced our punishment – which we dare not, and He rose from the grave – which we desperately desire. Our greatest desire, found in the wounds of a first century man from Nazareth!
And whether this kingdom is found by accident, or with intention, it is so valuable, so precious, that it is worth the loss of everything else. Listen to how the Apostle Paul talks about this very concept. Paul begins by listing all the things that gave him earthly value, like he is showing the types of pearls he used to own. But then there is a shift, and he gladly renounces all other pearls for the supremely great treasure that is Christ!
Read Philippians 3:4b-16
Paul lists his former pearls: his heritage, his accomplishments, his reputation, his earnestness, his religion, his upright morality. All of these were reasons he was a person to be admired, the reasons he was significant. In other words, this is how Paul sought to be treasured by the world.
We do the same thing, collecting pearls in things the world celebrates: beauty, strength, achievement (which is what the Olympics is all about), or children with achievements, status, position, money, whatever else. And what we are really seeking is that the world would see us as valuable, that we would be the treasure. And if we feel like we have no achievements to offer, we feel worthless, without value, unlovable.
But Paul underwent a radical transformation when he encountered the Living Christ on that Damascus Road. Suddenly Paul realized that he was not the significant one, but Jesus is. Immediately, everything else became loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. It all became as rubbish that he might gain Christ and be found in Him.
Jesus is the treasure. And to know Him is to know peace that surpasses understanding, hope that transcends the darkness, love that is worth your life, and life that will never die. Nothing in all creation is more valuable than Christ, who loved you and gave Himself for you.
And if Christ is the treasure, then the pearls you formerly owned are worthless. So whether they were valuable in the world’s eyes or not, Christ is still the treasure. And your value as a person is derived from that which you value. This is exactly where the next parable takes us.
Read vs 47-50
This parable is so similar to the Parable of the Weeds, which we looked at last week, so I will not spend lots of time here. The kingdom spreads across the earth and gathers up all kinds of people: good and evil, those who repent and those who do not, those who follow Christ and those who reject Him.
Good and evil will grow together until the final Judgment, when Christ sends out the angels to separate the worthy and the worthless. The worthy will be with Him forevermore. The worthless will be thrown to the everlasting flame.
Let me present a question that opens a powerful understanding of the Parable of the Net. Since they are so similar, why is the Parable of the Net not grouped together with the Parable of the Weeds; just as the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price are grouped together?
And I think it is because placing the Parable of the Net after two parables about the kingdom’s worth highlights this powerful truth: your value as a person is derived from that which you value.
God is the most valuable being in all existence! He has created all things. He sustains all things in this very moment, even your own life. And despite the fact that we are sinners, every one of us falling short even this morning, despite knowing all of this, still God has given us the Son, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. His power and joy and grace and patience and gentleness and lowliness knows no measure. And all of it is directed in an overwhelming and unrelenting deluge of love towards any who believe.
Without question, God is the most valuable being in all existence!
As God in the flesh, there is no number that can be attached to Jesus’ worth.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. -Colossians 1:15-20
That in everything, Jesus might be preeminent. In other words, He is worthy!
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and blessing! (Revelation 5:12)
And at His name every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
Jesus is worthy! He the treasure of heaven and earth, the Preeminent One, worthy of living for and worthy of dying for. To see this, with the eyes of faith, is to joyfully count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8)
Therefore, if we do not value Jesus as our greatest treasure, and choose instead to pursue lesser things, things that are worthless compared to Jesus, then that means we too become worthless. To reject the most valuable being for things that will bring you no lasting joy, and cannot give life beyond death, is to be a fish in the net which has no value. They are thrown into the eternal garbage: the fiery furnace, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Read vs 51-52
I love how the disciples answer Jesus, “Yes.” Certainly, they understand far more than the crowds around them. And Jesus did say that the secrets of the kingdom were being revealed to them (Matthew 11:25). But for them to agree that they understand everything Jesus is talking about is a bit glib. They still have no understanding of the cross and resurrection.
None-the-less, they understand enough. And Jesus does not question, or give a sideways glance, He just lovingly and generously keeps giving them more of the kingdom. And He compares them to scribes, trained for the kingdom of heaven.
In the kingdom of heaven, the scribes are the ones who bring out new things and old things. Notice again the language of treasure. The new treasures are the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, which Jesus presently speaks about. The old treasures are the gems hidden all throughout the ancient Scriptures – from Genesis to Malachi.
There is all kinds of wisdom in the world, all kinds of valuable knowledge, but there are no greater treasures than what we find in the pages of Scripture, for these lead us to Him whom is the greatest of all treasures: King Jesus. Therefore, a scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven can bring out treasures from the Old Covenant and treasures from the New, and all of them point to Christ.
Contrast this with the Jewish scribes that were in constant conflict with Jesus. They neither understood these treasures nor knew where to look for them.
But I praise God for the scribes of the kingdom who are a part of this local body. They teach our children. They bring out treasures for the women. They unfold the Scriptures in Adult Sunday School. They join me in this pulpit. Praise God that He has placed scribes of the kingdom in our midst, for the edification of us all! Let us regard them as the treasures that they are, treasures given by the King!
I love this part of Matthew 13. The parables of the kingdom that Jesus tells in this section should lead the church to worship. Because those secrets of the kingdom are hidden, but God has chosen to reveal them to little children like us.
If Jesus truly is the treasure of heaven and earth, then may he also be the treasure of our hearts. Let go of your former pearls. It is worth it to count everything as loss in order to gain Christ and be found in Him!
“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.” -Matthew 6:19-21
As Jesus asked His disciples, I as you: Have you understood all these things?
1Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel According to Matthew. Pg 359. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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• 7/28/24How the Kingdom Grows - Gospel of Matthew - Part 37
How the Kingdom Grows
Matthew 13:24-43
Immanuel – 7/28/24
Once again, we are in the middle of another of Matthew’s great discourses: these five prolonged teachings of Christ. Matthew 13 is called the Parable Discourse, because in it we find seven parables.
As I said last week, parables do not carry their meaning on the surface, but they beckon the listener to engage with the teaching, to wrestle with it, to think deeply about it. And because Jesus teaches in parables so prolifically, it tells us something about the type of person He is looking for: He wants people ready to engage, ready to think, and ready to be about the difficult work of following Him. He does not want people who are resistant or shallow or uncommitted.
But as Jesus teaches in the Parable of the Sower, there will be many who listen carelessly, or have a shallow understanding rooted only in emotions, or who allow what they hear from Jesus to get choked out by worldly anxieties and/or materialism. All such listeners have no place in the kingdom of God; and for their irresponsible listening, all that they have will be taken from them. But for those who listen to be changed, who truly treasure Christ’s words, to these Jesus will multiply blessings.
These were some of the lessons found in the Parable of the Sower, the first of seven parables in this Parable Discourse. Today we consider another three parables. The Parable of the Sower teaches how a person enters the kingdom of heaven: through obedient listening. In each of today’s parables, Jesus teaches how the kingdom of heaven grows upon earth. That means that each of today’s three parables are prophetic and eschatological.
Purpose
I want you to see how Jesus says His kingdom is to grow throughout history.
Read vs 24-30
Let me point out a few details from this parable. Jesus put a parable before “them.” We know from verse 34, that “them” means crowds. Jesus is teaching the crowds in parables.
In the last parable, Jesus talked about what happened to seed that fell into different types of bad soil. This parable talks only about what happens in the good soil. The Sower sows only good seed into only good soil.
Of course, the enemy comes along and sows bad seed into the good soil. In the last parable some soil was bad because it was filled with weeds. In this parable we have good soil filled with weeds. Here is a lesson in parables. Sometimes the imagery in parables overlaps and sometimes it does not. And so we are clear, there is no overlap with the weedy soil from the Parable of the Sower and the weedy soil in the Parable of the Weeds. The two images of weeds mean very different things.
You’ll notice in today’s parable, in verse 26, that the weeds are only identifiable as weeds by the time they have fully matured and born fruit. In all other stages of life they looked exactly like the wheat. In the part of the world where Jesus is speaking, there is a common weed that looks almost exactly like wheat until the full grain appears: darnel, often called “false wheat.” From the very earliest days of the church, the weeds in Jesus’ parable were recognized as darnel.
I stumbled across a fascinating article about darnel:
For many centuries, perhaps for as long as humans have cultivated cereal grains, wheat’s evil twin has insinuated itself into our crops. In a big enough dose, this grass, darnel, can kill a person, and farmers would have to take care to separate it out from their true harvest—unless they were planning to add darnel to beer or bread on purpose, in order to get high.
Darnel occupies a grey area in human agricultural history. It’s definitely not good for us. When people eat its seeds, they get dizzy, off-balance and nauseous, and its official name, Lolium temulentum, comes from a Latin word for “drunk.”
Darnel is a “mimic weed,” neither entirely tame or quite wild, that looks and behaves so much like wheat that it can’t live without human assistance. Darnel seeds are stowaways: the plant’s survival strategy requires its seeds to be harvested along with those of domesticated grasses, stored and replanted next season.
In his book Bread of Dreams, the Italian scholar Piero Camporesi argued that European peasantry lived in a state of semi-permanent hallucination from bread adulterated with more malign grains, which they may have sought as an escape from daily life. Certainly, people seemed to know what darnel did and how to use it.1
Interesting that darnel carries a nefarious history, associated with poisoning and drunkenness and hallucination. In fact, in the Middle Ages, darnel intoxication was often confused with demonic possession.
In Jesus’ parable, very much like in real life, the life-giving wheat and the dangerous weeds grow up together, indistinguishable. The workers want to tear it out right away. But the Farmer, exercising greater wisdom, knows it is best to wait. To pull the weeds is to certainly tear out some of the wheat. He will not tolerate a single destroyed wheat plant.
He knows the weeds can be more easily separated out after the harvest. And once they are, the wheat will be gathered together into the barn, but the weeds will be thrown immediately into the fire where they will have no poisoning effect.
This is a parable of the kingdom of heaven. Then, with no explanation and barely a transition, Jesus launches into another parable about the kingdom of heaven.
Read vs 31-32
Small Beginnings
Jesus says that the mustard seed is “the smallest of all seeds;” but He is not making a literal claim, like the mustard seed is earth’s smallest. Rather, it is a hyperbolic way of saying that the mustard seed is remarkably small. But even from such small beginnings, it grows into quite a large tree. Really, mustard trees are large bushes; small compared to our eastern hardwoods, but large for an arid Galilean garden.
Listen to the parallel account in the Gospel of Mark:
“[The kingdom of God] is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” -Mark 4:30-32
The mustard tree grows and fills the whole garden. It absolutely takes over.
Now, for this parable and the next, Jesus provides no explanation; so, let me explain these two. For just as the Parable of the Weeds is not merely a teaching, these parables also carry prophetic and eschatological weight.
The kingdom of heaven has the smallest of all beginnings: a single man, Jesus of Nazareth. But His disciples will make disciples, and those disciples will make more. And they will go to the ends of the earth so that the kingdom fills the whole garden – or the whole earth. (Or maybe the whole earth becomes a garden as the tree grows).
And what is this bit about birds landing in the tree’s branches? Jesus is pulling on an ancient symbol there. Numerous times in the Old Testament, a tree is used to symbolize a kingdom, especially great kingdoms, are compared to especially large trees. As these trees stretch out their vast canopies, birds come to nest in its branches. Certain places spell out what those birds symbolize. Take for example Assyria being compared to a great tree:
All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations.
-Ezekiel 31:6
The birds are nations. Birds that nest in the branches of the tree are nations being folded into the great kingdom. According to Jesus’ parable, the kingdom of heaven will grow so large upon earth that nations will fold into it.
It is critical to notice the progression. The kingdom of heaven does not come all at once. It starts small, grows slowly, and expands through time. As the kingdom gets progressively larger, more and more nations integrate themselves into the spreading influence of the kingdom.
The next parable is very similar to the Parable of the Mustard Seed, with one key difference.
Read vs 33
Just like the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the Parable of the Leaven has small and insignificant beginnings, but progressively, over time, through a process, has an effect on the whole lump – the whole earth.
But the key difference is that in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the beginning is localized in a single individual and spreads out from that one point. In the Parable of the Leaven, the leaven mixes in with the whole lump; not starting in one place and expanding, but integrating into the whole, having its effect everywhere all at once. Everywhere that there is leaven, there is also transformation.
Now, 2,000 years later, does it seem like Jesus’ prophetic parables have been accurate? I believe it has. I believe that Jesus picked two parables that perfectly revealed how His kingdom would grow.
As it has been realized in the church and through the church’s influence, the kingdom of heaven has spread across planet earth. In terms of spread, it started with one man and a small band of disciples: Today there are an estimated 2.6 billion Christians. The influence of Christianity has founded nations and toppled others. Countless others have adopted Christian principles, intentionally or unintentionally.
In terms of transformation, Christianity has produced a worldview that has birthed hospitals, educational systems, scientific pursuit, the upholding of human rights, and the admiration of compassion – just to name a few. Never has there been a higher standard of living; with bountiful food, time for leisure, comfort from the elements, and human freedoms than there is in this moment of history, in large part because of the blessings wrought by the expanding kingdom of God.
Yes, what began in the obscurity of Galilee has spread across the globe, transforming it everywhere it has gone, like only the Son of God could have predicted. We, brothers and sisters, are its beneficiaries.
And not only are we its beneficiaries, we are also kingdom ambassadors. For truly, there is much work to be done. If there are 2.6 billion people who call themselves Christian, there are 5.5 billion who do not know Jesus. They need to hear the gospel. There are still thousands of people groups that remain unreached and unengaged by the gospel. Someone, some brave ambassadors, need to go to them! There is much work to be done!
What has started so small continues to grow, but it grows because God’s people are commanded to be faithfully obedient, bearing fruit 30, 60, 100-fold! How much fruit will your life produce?!
Let us now return to the Parable Discourse.
Read vs 34-35
The crowds expected a political, militaristic Messiah. But by using parables, soaked in images of farming, and kitchen work, and fishing; He distanced He and His kingdom from the expectations of the day. Jesus was teaching that His kingdom was altogether different.
Additionally, as we saw last week, Jesus taught in parables because parables have a powerful paradoxical effect. They simultaneously veil their meaning to some, and to others they enlighten and simplify spiritual truths. Parables paradoxically are a judgment to some and a blessing to others. Thus, with the dual purpose of subverting expectations and exerting the power of paradox, Jesus preferred the parabolic teaching method. Of course He taught in other ways, but He preferred parables when teaching crowds.
Finally, not only was this according to Jesus’ preferences, but it always was in accordance with ancient prophecies. Pointing this out, Matthew quotes Psalm 78:2. Let me read from the verses immediately surrounding that quotation.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. -Psalm 78:1-4
You can hear the paradoxical nature of parables in this prophesy. Parables reveal ancient things, hidden things; they speak of the glorious deeds of the Lord, the wonders He has done. And while for some these parabolic sayings are veiled, for others it brings knowledge and understanding.
It is interesting that the Psalmist, Asaph, starts his prophetic writing with, Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
Isn’t that so similar to Jesus saying, “He who has ears, let him hear”?
Again, we are reminded that hearing is key, hearing to understand, understanding to obey. Jesus is looking for the same type of people that God has always been looking for: people who are ready to engage, ready to think, and ready to be about the difficult work of following Him. He does not want people who are resistant or shallow or uncommitted.
And with that in mind, Jesus leaves the crowds and focuses on His disciples. He explains the Parable of the Weeds to them, and tells them four more parables (which we will see next week). But in the Gospel of Matthew, from this point forward, the vast majority of Jesus’ teachings will be geared for His disciples; those that are ready to be about the difficult work of following Him.
Read vs 36-43
The wheat sown into the world are the sons of the kingdom. And who sowed them into the world? The Son of Man. Jesus Christ. If you are a son or daughter of the kingdom of heaven, it is because Jesus Himself has made you so. You are His handiwork, His creation, His good seed.
But the devil has come along and prolifically sown His seed too, and weeds grow up all around us: the cowards, the faithless, the detestable, murderers, the sexually immoral, idolaters, and all liars. But they can flourish only for a limited time, for the harvest is coming.
The harvest, of course, is the end of history as we know it. It is the end of this age. It is the consummation, when judgment and salvation will finally and ultimately be dispensed upon all people who have ever lived. In this age they were allowed to live together, in the next age they will be eternally separated.
This, indeed, is an eschatological parable!
Jesus will send the angels to separate the good from the bad, the wheat from the weeds. Not only will they remove the sons of the evil one, but verse 41 says that they will also remove all causes of sin. All the things that so ensnare our flesh, the countless traps of temptation, and all deviant desires, all of these will be separated from the sons and daughters of the kingdom.
Listen again to what Jesus said will become of all evil things, and all evil doers: They will be thrown into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus is describing hell: a real place of eternal and conscious torment. Weeping is about grief and regret. Gnashing teeth connotes unrestrained hatred (towards God) or overwhelming remorse (in endless hopelessness) – or both.
This is an estate so horrible that we can hardly fathom it. This is the agonizing end for those who had little, even what they had was taken from them (Matthew 13:12). We cannot imagine, nor do we want to. How desperate the plight of those who do not know Jesus. We must sense the terrible urgency for the lost. The time is so short! Do not hesitate to speak the gospel!
But the righteous, they will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. They shine like the sun not because of the amazing things they have done in their life, not because they have earned such brilliant, meritorious, radiance. They shine because they have been given the radiant robes of Christ’s own righteousness.
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:21
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. -Galatians 3:26-27
Because Christ became sin for us, dying in our place; by faith we are clothed in Christ, blazing with the very brilliance of God’s own righteousness. It’s a stunning promise. We shall shine like the Son. Not because we are brilliant in ourselves, but because we reflect the radiance of the Son of God; we are new creations in Christ!
And all this eschatological language of parabolic interpretation gets a powerful echo in Revelation.
And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and He will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” -Revelation 21:5-8
Judgment and salvation. Insiders and outsiders. Wheat and weeds. It’s no coincidence that Jesus’ parables paradoxically are a judgment to those who do not understand and salvation to those who do. These are truths woven into reality, woven even into Jesus’ preferred method of teaching.
Let’s now sum up how the kingdom of heaven grows upon earth elucidated from the three parables we consider today.
The kingdom of God has the smallest of beginnings, insignificant, obscure, unbelievably humble. But from there it will grow, and has grown, to spread across planet earth; both in terms of numbers and influence. The nations will embrace it. The world will benefit from it.
But the kingdom will not experience uncontested growth. There will be resistance. The evil one has sown in weeds. Evil will be done, and unbelievers will both sow discord and proliferate wickedness. It will go on until the end of the age and the final Judgment Day. But make no mistake, the kingdom will grow – weeds among the wheat – expanding, filling the planet, God’s unstoppable force of gospel transformation on earth. Behold, He is making all things new!
On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. -Matthew 16:18
For [Christ] must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
-1 Corinthians 15:25
1Laskow, S. (2016, March 22) Wheat’s Evil Twin Has Been Intoxicating Humans For Centuries. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wheats-evil-twin-has-been-intoxicating-humans-for-centuries
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• 7/21/24The Secrets of the Kingdom - Gospel of Matthew - Part 36
The Secrets of the Kingdom
Matthew 13:1-23
Immanuel – 7/21/24
Week after week I have reviewed the different responses to Jesus: the Pharisees reject Him, the crowds are amazed but unrepentant, John the Baptist has doubts, and the disciples fully accept Him. The parable we read today gets into the weeds of those responses.
The Parable of the Sower begins the third great discourse in the Gospel of Matthew: the Parable Discourse. In chapter 13, Jesus will tell a series of seven parables, all of them having to do with the nature of the kingdom of heaven: how it will be received, how it will grow, and what it will look like.
Parables are a unique method of teaching. In the New Testament, Jesus is the only one to use parables. Parables are so powerful because they draw upon commonly understood elements of life – such as agriculture – to teach hidden spiritual realities. Parables are also paradoxical, because they simultaneously veil their meaning to some, and to others they enlighten and simplify spiritual truths.
Since a parable does not carry its meaning on the surface, it beckons the listener to engage with the teaching, to wrestle with it, to think deeply about it. This should tell you something about who Jesus is looking for as followers: He does not want people who are resistant or shallow. He wants people ready to engage, ready to think, and ready to be about the difficult work of following Him.
Also remember, that He calls to Himself the weary and heavy laden; but He gives to those who are weary a yoke that is easy, and to the heavy laden He gives a light burden. There is work in His rest, and that work begins with hearing.
Purpose
A fruitful life lived for Christ begins with seeking to truly understand His word.
Read vs 1-2
That same day: the same day as Jesus has performed miracles, prophesied, and proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. He healed a demon-oppressed man, spoke about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the binding of Satan, condemned that generation for their unrepentance, and said that those who do the will of the Father are His truest family.
All these things appear to have happened in the Capernaum house He was staying in. In verse 1, Jesus leaves that house. It seems that He leaves because, as the events of chapter 12 have unfolded, more and more people were gathering around the house. Crowds had formed. He leaves the house to seek a more suitable location from which to address the crowds. As He walks to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, even more people gather.
Jesus and the disciples – likely just the 12 – get onto a boat and push off just a short way. And since sound travels remarkably well across water, this is the perfect location for Jesus to teach the multitudes.
Jesus’ parable describes a Sower casting seed; that seed is then received by four different types of soil.
Read vs 3-9
The soil of the path. We may tend to think of paths that run along the border of a field, but that is not how paths worked in Galilee and that is not how paths work in many parts of the world today – I’ve walked paths like these in Zambia and Iraq. People have a habit of taking the shortest route from point a to point b, thus paths would cut through the middle of a field.
Paths have compacted soil. The soil is so hard that it cannot receive the seed, and the seed just sits on the surface. Hungry birds swoop in and devour the seeds.
The shallow soil. In many places in Galilee there would only be a shallow covering of soil over the bedrock. The sun hits that soil and rapidly heats it. Such shallow soil does receive seeds, and warm soil promotes rapid growth from seedlings. But hot, shallow soil is unable to retain moisture and the seedlings are unable to establish mature roots. When the hot sun rises, the seedlings quickly scorch and die.
The thorny soil. The thorny soil receives the seed and it sprouts, perhaps healthy at first. But it sprouts in the midst of overpowering competition. The weeds are already established, soaking up all the water and nutrients, choking out the new seedling. The seedling does grow, but its growth is pathetic. It is lean and feeble and unable to produce any fruit.
The good soil. Then there is seed that is received by good soil, deep and rich, free from competition. The seedling grows at a healthy pace, receiving all the nutrients it needs, and it produces fruit to varying degrees: 30, 60, 100-fold. 30-fold represents a strong return. 100-fold represents an abundant return.
After talking about a Sower, seeds, and soil, Jesus says to the crowds, “He who has ears, let him hear.” And that concludes the parable. The crowd gets no explanation. The disciples saw that Jesus had concluded, and they can’t help but recognize that the whole scene is rather bewildering.
As a speaker and expositor of God’s word, it is my endeavor to make things as understandable and accessible as possible. Jesus on the other hand, was perfectly comfortable leaving the listeners confused, with no explanation and no application.
The disciples are also confused. Why would Jesus teach so cryptically? Why not be clear?
Read vs 10-12
The secrets of the kingdom have been given to some and not to others. And who reveals these secrets? God Himself.
This perfectly comports with what Jesus said back in chapter 11.
“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” -Matthew 11:25-27
Again, the secrets of the kingdom have been given to some and not to others. This also means that people cannot discover the secrets of the kingdom unless God reveals them to a person. There are insiders and there are outsiders.
It’s even more pronounced when we consider the setting and who is where. The crowds are on the shore, separated from Jesus. The disciples are in the boat, by His side, receiving special teachings that no one else is privy to (except for every reader of Matthew 13). The disciples are the insiders, being given the secrets of the kingdom. The crowds are outsiders, unable to perceive the kingdom of God. Does not the Bible teach, from cover to cover and garden to garden, that there are those inside God’s kingdom and those outside?
For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but for the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This reminds me of our capitalistic saying, “It takes money to make money.” Jesus is certainly not promoting capitalistic ideals, but there is a similar compounding principle at work. If a person uses the spiritual truth they have been given that truth will grow. More will be added. If you do not use that spiritual truth, it will wither away, bit by bit.
Muscles work similarly. If you use them they grow, your body strengthens, you’re able to engage in more physical activities. If you do not use your muscles they become soft, then atrophy, and your physical capabilities dramatically decrease. If you do absolutely nothing, you will atrophy to the point of death.
Read vs 13
Jesus directly answers the disciple’s question about why He teaches in parables, and again, He sends us on a collision course with God’s sovereign will. Everything that exists, and everything that happens, has its place in the purposes of God. He is Creator and Sustainer. Even people’s response to the gospel accords with the plan of God.
As Leon Morris writes, “The disciples were not disciples because, left to themselves, they had decided that this would be a good thing. They were disciples on the Gospel view because God had chosen them. And it was in the outworking of this divine choice that they came to see Jesus for who He was for what He was doing in bringing the kingdom of God. They could understand the parables because of the insight that God gave them, but God did not give this insight to those who rejected Jesus. The word of God is always effective: it brings enlightenment or judgment – enlightenment to the disciples and judgment to those who rejected Jesus. It was in this sense that it was the divine purpose that [those who reject Jesus] should not understand.”1
To sum that up, Jesus teaches in parables as a judgment to those who do not want to truly understand Him. But this is a paradox, and as we will see in a moment, the parables are also a blessing to those who are pursuing Jesus, who are seeking after the kingdom of God.
(Parenthesis)
In the boat, along the shore of Galilee, Jesus’ teaching is not exhaustive. For nothing is said in all of chapter 13 about outsiders becoming insiders. But as long as people live, there will always be the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven. Think of Saul, who initially rejected Jesus – even persecuting the church – only to encounter Christ and be transformed into the Apostle Paul. The opportunity for those outside of the kingdom to enter is always there.
(Close Parenthesis)
Then Jesus cites an Old Testament precedent for teaching in a veiled way. He quotes Isaiah 6:9-10.
Read vs 14-15
Verse 15 says people have closed their eyes. Closing your eyes is something you do on purpose. It is a deliberate refusal to see. Because people have closed their eyes and do not want to see, because they have shut their ears and refuse to hear, God will not force them.
They will hear, even if they do not understand; and their lack of understanding is their judgment. But the good news is proclaimed so that those who do want to hear, who have their eyes open in eager anticipation, so they will understand!
Every heart is diseased by sin, and it is our death. Those who shut their eyes to the word of God will not receive healing, and will die in their sins. Even what they have will be taken away.
But those who see with their eyes, those who hear with their ears, those who understand with their heart (understanding with the heart is what this is really about), they will be healed. Their sins will be forgiven, they will be given a new heart, and they shall be freed from the power of sin and death. They shall live forever in the presence of Christ. To those who have, more will be given!
That is the healing Isaiah speaks of and Christ quotes! What a blessing it is to understand these truths in your heart!
Read vs 16-17
Understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, and the nature of His kingdom, this is the goal, this is the purpose, this is the understanding that brings blessing.
Many times I’ve heard people say they wish they lived in Old Testament times, when God moved in pillars of fire and smoke, when He parted oceans and made the sun stand still. Of course, it would be amazing to see such things, but they are mere shadows compared to the brilliance we are privileged to behold.
The faithful ones of old, the prophets and the truly righteous, they longed to see what we can see, but they were born in an age too early. (Here too is something of God’s sovereign choosing.) The disciples, and every reader who has come since, we get to see the glory of the ages: the kingdom of God arrived in the person of Jesus Christ!
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
-1 Peter 1:10-12
Then, after saying how blessed the disciples are (every disciple) for what their ears are hearing, Jesus says, “Hear then the parable of the Sower.” To the understanding that the disciples have, Jesus is about to add more.
And He says this to you, “Hear then the parable of the Sower.” You are meant to be active in this. The way you listen to the words I am about to read reveals what kind of soil you are.
Read vs 19-23
It is important to notice that Jesus starts by identifying what the seed is in verse 19. The seed is the word of the kingdom. You could also say, the gospel of the kingdom. Very simply put, the gospel is the message that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The soil of the path: this is the careless hearer. They hear the words that are said, but they are not willing to wrestle with its meaning. Sure, they have a surface level interest, there isn’t any real desire for change. They like things as they are. They’re happy to keep their eyes shut.
Knowing that the gospel – even carelessly heard – always poses a threat to him, the devil then swoops in and snatches away anything that could possibly become productive. Perhaps he uses doubt, or lies, or temptations, or any other number of things that careless hearers use to justify why they will not repent. What they have heard has been lost. Even what they had is taken away.
The shallow soil: this is the shallow hearer. Unlike the careless hearer, this person joyfully receives the gospel. They respond to the gospel immediately and everything looks exciting and transformed.
But soon enough, life happens. Difficulties come, or persecutions. What is revealed is that their reception to the gospel was pure emotionalism. Excitement about Jesus, a feeling of spiritual ecstasy, these things are not enough. Because when trials come, happy feelings do not come with them. And for a person whose relationship to Jesus is only based on how good they feel, the sorrows of struggle scorch their delusion of faith.
Sadly, so many churches today are basing their services off of good-feeling emotionalism. They are pumping out people who think they are Christians, but really they are shallow hearers who will fall away when things get hard. Though there are churches committed to emotionalism, shallow hearers are everywhere. And it grieves me to see, from this beloved body, numerous people fall away when things have gotten hard. But it is just as Jesus said would happen. The gospel received by emotions only looks good at first, but leads to disaster later.
The thorny soil: this is a hearer filled with worldly anxieties and/or materialism. In this instance the gospel is received, and it takes root. It begins to grow, even if slowly. But in time, the commands of Christ are outcompeted by the cares of the world (worldly anxieties), or deceitfulness of riches (materialism).
Here’s how these competing anxieties and materialistic desires choke out the gospel of the kingdom. You want people to like you; so to not offend someone, or look like a fool, you tell no one about Jesus. You stay silent. You want to be secure and comfortable; so you never get out of your comfort zone and serve the church, or go on a mission trip, or visit someone in a desperate situation, or take up your cross and follow Jesus. You love your stuff, or maybe your bank account; so you never give your money to the house of God, or your resources to those in need.
There are a million other examples of how worldly anxiety and materialism destroy the word of the kingdom. Ultimately it comes down to this: instead of a selfless life pursing Jesus and loving His people, thorny soil people live a quiet self-serving life.
We have now seen, multiple times, that Jesus has called His disciples to leave everything behind to follow Him; even to regard Him as more important than their own families. A thorny soil person is not willing to part with much. In the end, they are choked to death by their own selfishness. They produce nothing of value for the kingdom and are worthless.
The good soil: this is a person who hears the word and seeks to truly understand it. They do not listen carelessly, but they engage with the word of Christ and wrestle with it. They will not rest until they know how the word of Christ is meant to change them.
Good soil people are happy to experience emotions, and they do receive the word of Christ with joy, but they understand that there is a deeper commitment needed, something completely life changing. And though they receive the gospel with joy, there is a soberness to it, because they understand there is a heavy cost to following Jesus.
And when that cost is counted, good soil people are prepared. They pull the weeds of their lives. They want nothing in their life that will compete with the word of the kingdom. They want nothing that might prevent them from whole-heartedly following Jesus. Good soil people live in a posture of repentance.
Such people will produce an abundance of kingdom fruit: 30, 60, 100-fold. This fruit is not one dimensional, but multifaceted: gospel proclamation, making disciples, spiritual maturity, serving the church, carrying one another’s burdens. Or simply put, the fruit is obedience to the Father. As Jesus said,
“Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” -Matthew 12:50
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” -Matthew 7:24
How will you receive this word? Hearing the word is not as simple as listening. Don’t let Christ’s word get plucked from your heart. Don’t be a shallow listener. Don’t be content with a worthless faith as you give your heart to worldly anxieties and materialism.
Meditate upon God’s word. Wrestle with it. Know that you need to be changed by it, and then engage in that change. Obey Christ and give everything to follow Him!
One final point. This is not called the parable of the four soils, but the Parable of the Sower. Is that because those who will become the beneficiaries of this parable are the very ones who will be sowing seed? Perhaps Jesus gives this parable, yes so that we can assess what kind of soil we are, but also so that we – His disciples – will not become discouraged as we proclaim the gospel and see people responding in all kinds of disappointing ways.
Such is the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and the rest of the parables in chapter 13 will only build on these truths.
He who has ears, let him hear.
1Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel According to Matthew. Pg 341. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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• 7/14/24Faith, Not Miracles - Gospel of Matthew - Part 35
Faith, Not Miracles
Matthew 12:38-50
Immanuel – 7/14/24
Perhaps the world’s most famous living atheist is the biologist Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion. In an interview, Dawkins was asked, “What would it take for you to believe in God?” Dawkins answered, “Well, I used to say it would be very simple: the second coming of Jesus or a great, big, deep, booming voice saying, ‘I am God and I created.’ But I was persuaded…that even if there was this booming voice and the second coming in clouds of glory, the more probable explanation is that it is a hallucination or a conjuring trick by David Copperfield. A supernatural explanation for anything is incoherent, it just doesn’t add up to an explanation for anything.”
Recognizing that Richard Dawkins didn’t actually answer the question, the interviewer pressed again, “So what would persuade you?” Dawkins said, “Well, I’m starting to think nothing would; which in a way goes against the grain because I’ve always paid lip service to the view that a scientist should change his mind when evidence is forthcoming. Trouble is, I can’t think of what that evidence would look like.”1
In other words, nothing could possibly make Richard Dawkins believe in God. Stupendous miracles, voices from heaven, nothing could persuade this atheist of the divine. If that’s not dogmatic belief, then I don’t know what is!
Somewhere not far from the northwest shores of Galilee, we find that same sort of close-minded, dogmatic belief. This time it is not atheists who are gripped by dogmatic belief, but religious leaders.
Let me list again the miracles that Jesus has performed in this region of Galilee: cleansing of a leper, healing a boy on his deathbed, healing a fever, calming a storm, freeing people from demons, healing a paralytic, raising a dead girl to life, restoring sight to the blind, healing a mute man, healing a man with a withered hand, and many, many more. Then, on top of all that, there is Jesus’ teaching, so powerful that the people were astonished at it.
Even with all this miraculous evidence, it still isn’t enough. The religious leaders want more.
Read vs 38
The chronology that began in chapter 11 continues into our passage today. That’s important to note, because just moments before Jesus prophesied judgment on cities, called Himself the Son of Man and the Lord of the Sabbath, and He is the one who can bind Satan and bring God’s kingdom. Not only are these all messianic claims, some of them are divine claims.
The religious leaders may not be picking up everything Jesus is putting down, but they certainly recognize that Jesus is making monumental claims; so they demand a sign.
But since they swam in the Old Testament Scriptures, this request is not wholly unreasonable. God told Moses to go to the people of Israel and be like the voice of God to them; but Moses wasn’t sure if the people would grant him such authority.
Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’ ” The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” -Exodus 4:1-9
Miraculous signs were also given to Gideon (Judges 6:36-40) and Elijah (1 Kings 18:36-39). Ahaz and Hezekiah were given signs to authenticate Isaiah’s prophesies (Isaiah 7:10-14, 38:7-8). There was robust precedent for God to empower His prophets to perform signs to authenticate their ministries.
With such a history, were the scribes and Pharisees really so unreasonable to ask for a sign?
Read vs 39
An evil and adulterous generation: this is a biting rebuke! Wicked because they refuse to repent. Adulterous because they chase after gods of their own making, gods they have crafted from their twisted religion, the gods of pride and greed and power. And it isn’t just the religious leaders that are wicked and adulterous, but that whole generation.
This is now the second time Jesus has singled out and condemned that generation. Jesus repeats this language again in verses 41, 42, and 45. Something has metastasized within that generation of Jews, something especially wicked. Powerful and numerous miraculous works of the Messiah have been done in their midst. The evidence is there. The authentication has happened.
And even if their request was genuine – if they really would believe if Jesus performed another sign – how presumptuous to think that miracles will happen simply because they demand them! God is not a circus act, and He does not dole out miracles at the demands of people, especially unbelieving people!
Like Richard Dawkins, are there any amount of miracles that would cause that generation to believe? God become flesh, the Living Word stands before them, and they cannot see Him. Not only are they blind, but they refuse to see; and their inability to do so proves their opposition to the God they claim to worship. Theirs will be the more severe judgment.
Read vs 40-41
God sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh, the capitol city of the Assyrian Empire. They were a pagan people infamous for their brutality and violence. They were so infamous that Jonah did not want to go there. And in his attempt to escape God’s calling, Jonah get’s himself into trouble. Ultimately, he ends up being tossed into the ocean and swallowed by some great fish. Three days later, still miraculously alive in the belly of the fish, Jonah is vomited onto the shore nearest Nineveh.
Until the day Jonah is vomited ashore, for all intents and purposes, he was dead. When he hits solid ground again, it’s a virtual resurrection. And having been delivered from death, Jonah preaches to that wicked city, and the whole of Nineveh repents.
Jonah began to go into the city…And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. -Jonah 3:4-5
Only one sign was given to Nineveh: a washed-up prophet bleached white from three days in the belly of a fish. Jonah’s preaching, accompanied by that single astounding miracle, was enough for the entire city of Nineveh to repent and believe. The Ninevites condemn the Israelites.
In verse 41, Jesus is not speaking literally, as if the people of Nineveh will actually become prosecutors of that generation during the final judgment. Rather, the Ninevite’s conduct set a standard which the current generation of Jews woefully failed to meet.
Additionally, the greater one that Jonah foreshadowed now walked the streets of Galilee. The long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God, was in their midst. And He came producing far more signs than Jonah ever did: miracles over the natural and the supernatural, miracles of healing and cleansing, miracles of compassion and power. Still the Jews refused to repent. Still they did not believe.
The only thing left for them to see was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus is prophesying; and this is one of the clearest pictures He gives of what is yet to happen to Him. He will go into the heart of the earth – a metaphor for the place of the dead. Jesus is prophesying that He will die, and after three days of death He will rise again.
This is the sign Jesus will give to that generation. And after Christ’s resurrection many Jews will repent and believe. In fact, by the time you get to Acts 4, there are at least 5,000 Jews who turn to Jesus in faith. But the vast majority of Jews will not believe; and they incurred a great judgment for rejecting their Messiah.
For not only is Jesus greater than Jonah, He is greater even than Solomon.
Read vs 42
Solomon was the son of King David, and the Bible says this about him:
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men… And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. -1 Kings 4:29-31,34
The Queen of Sheba was one who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. She came all the way from modern-day Yemen. Just as the Ninevites set a standard of repentance, so did the Queen of the South as she earnestly sought Solomon’s wisdom. But Solomon’s wisdom was a mere shadow compared to the wisdom of Christ.
Jesus is greater. Jonah was a powerful prophet, Jesus is greater. Solomon was a wise king, Jesus is greater. Prophet and king: two of the three most significant spiritual offices in Israel. Do you know what the third is? The temple priest. Jesus already talked about this:
“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” -Matthew 12:6
Jesus is priest, prophet, and king; but He is greater. He is God the Son, the Word become flesh. All of Israel’s great offices have come together in a single man. Jesus is the ultimate and final priest, prophet, and king. Woe to those who see Him and refuse to repent!
The Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba believed, yet they were all Gentiles! But the Jews, especially the religious leaders, refuse to believe. Woe to them! And to drive that point home, Jesus tells a story: as one commentator puts it, “a somewhat puzzling ghost story.”
Read vs 43-45
We need a little context to make sense of Jesus’ story. In the Old Testament the wilderness, a waterless and arid landscape, was the haunt of demons. And according to Jewish tradition, demons did not like the desert. They wanted to break into human habitations. Better yet, they wanted to possess human bodies. It is unclear how possessing a human brings rest to a demon, but that’s irrelevant to Jesus’ point.
Let’s look at the story to understand Jesus’ point. First, we must remember that Jesus speaks it as an indictment against that generation; see that in verse 45. Jesus is not delivering a teaching on how demons operate, though it may have those implications. The story is not about individuals; it is about that generation.
As we saw last week, one of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to defeat the works of Satan. As soon as His ministry began, He was casting demons out of people. If Israel was a house, Jesus was cleaning it of all its unclean spirits, leaving them to wander in desolate places.
But Jesus was going away, as He has just alluded to in His prophecy. After the Jews reject Him and the Romans crucify Him, after three days and an empty tomb, after He ascends to the right hand of the Father in heaven; what will happen to the house of Israel when He is gone? Will there be faith? Will they repent and believe?
Already, I have answered this. Many will believe, but the vast majority will not. Even after all the signs that Jesus performed, it wasn’t enough for them. They chose never to believe; like so many atheists of our day.
For the Jews, as for you, the house needs to be filled with some kind of spirit. If not the Spirit of Christ, if not the Holy Spirit, then the house is empty and vulnerable. And if the house is empty, the demonic pours in. The condition of Israel will be far worse than when Jesus began.
History testifies that this is exactly what happened to that generation of Jews. In 70 AD the Romans lay siege to Jerusalem and Josephus, who witnessed the siege, wrote about the madness that gripped the Jews.
A number self-proclaimed prophets arose spinning patently transparent falsehoods; yet thousands of the Jews followed them to their own demise. There was an outbreak of transgenderism and appalling sexual immorality. People executed one another over baseless accusations. Crazed mobs relentlessly attacked one another. Thousands were slaughtered as Jewish factions warred for control of the city. The Jews burned their own food supply, driving themselves into a deep famine. They ate what no humans should eat. Some ate their own children. Fathers slaughtered their families, attempting to spare them from a more brutal death.
It was as if an army of demons had possessed the people of Jerusalem, and their state was far worse than the days before Jesus cleaned house. I believe we see this prophetically described during the 5th Trumpet Judgment in Revelation 9. I preached on Revelation 9 back in April of 2022.
Jesus has prophesied His own death and resurrection, and now He has also prophesied a great judgment coming upon that generation. That is the point of Jesus’ story: it’s a prophetic warning. Without repentance, without accepting Jesus as Lord, that generation will be overrun by demonic madness.
It seems that just as Jesus is concluding his prophetic story, there is an interruption; and this interruption will really drive home the point of today’s sermon.
Read vs 46
Mark also tells this same story in his gospel (Mark 3:31-35). There we learn that Jesus’ mother and brothers were attempting to control Jesus. Perhaps they wanted to spare Him from embarrassment. In John 7:5 we read it explicitly, they did not believe in Jesus.
If you watch the Chosen, here is an area where I think the show isn’t accurate. The Chosen depicts Mary with unwavering faith in Jesus. And it is true when she is present at the cross. There at least she has a fledgling understanding of Christ. But here in Galilee, it seems that her faith isn’t so strong, or is confused, or isn’t all there. The brothers don’t believe at all.
Jesus’ mother and half-brothers standing on the outside, looking to control Jesus.
Read vs 47-50
Jesus is not saying that His biological family is not His true family. But, Jesus is elevating His family, His truest family, to everyone who trusts in Him as Lord and Savior. And it is worth saying that His mother Mary will come to truly believe. Two of His brothers, James and Jude, will believe and two of their letters are in the Bible for us.
But it is not blood that unites you to Jesus, it is faith. For everyone who does the will of His Father are adopted into the family of God. It is startling to recognize that Jesus said this with the scribes and Pharisees surrounding Him.
It is startling because the scribes and Pharisees were some of the best rule keepers that have ever lived. They followed the law of Moses down to the smallest detail, and yet Jesus still called them a wicked and adulterous generation. This is because being in the family of God is not about legalistic law keeping; it is not about prohibitions and allowances. Doing the will of the Father is not about strict rule following.
Remember the Sermon on the Mount.
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” -Matthew 5:20
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” -Matthew 5:3,7-8
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” -Matthew 6:33
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” -Matthew 7:7
Jesus has been proclaiming an obedience that comes through relationship; one that requires trust and dependency. He wants us to see that no amount of rule following will ever make us righteous enough. But we become righteous by trusting in Him, by seeking to know Him, by earnestly following Him. This is how we do the will of the Father. This is how we live in obedience. This is how we enter into the family of Christ.
Repent and believe, and become a child of God, brothers and sisters of King Jesus.
To all who did receive Him, who believed in [Jesus’] name, He gave the right to become children of God. -John 1:12
Skeptics and fools see Christianity as a blind faith. But all the evidence is there. In Jesus the supernatural breaks into the natural. His love transcends hatred and evil. His mercy overcomes judgment. He truly does bring rest to the weary and heavy laden. And God has preserved His word so that we can be assured that what we read in the Bible is historically true (though that is a discussion for another time).
Those who have blind faith are those who are confronted with the reality of Jesus, and all the evidence that surrounds Him, and refuse to see. That is willful blindness, demonic darkness.
Jesus is the ultimate and final priest, prophet, and king. Any who receive Him as such, who believe in His name, they shall be brought into God’s everlasting family reunion.
For just as Jesus prayed:
“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes Father, for such was your gracious will.” -Matthew 11:25-26
1Barnett, T. (2019, January 16) What would persuade Dawkins to believe in God? YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vG_8wkwhr0
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• 7/7/24The Binding of Satan - Gospel of Matthew - Part 34
The Binding of Satan
Matthew 12:22-37
Immanuel – 7/7/24
You may recognize that one month ago, Eric Moore preached on this very same passage. It is no accident that I preach again from Matthew 12:22-37. This passage is so rich that he and I planned to both preach from this same passage, but focusing on different elements.
Eric focused on Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. He did such a good job that I will not revisit those themes. Today I will focus on the parable tucked inside the larger passage.
Purpose
1. Unpack the parable of the strong man.
2. The power of the gospel limits the power of Satan.
Let’s review a few elements. Jesus has performed a series of miracles, and those miracles elicit a series of responses from people. John the Baptist has doubts, the crowds have unbelief, the region has unrepentance, the religious leaders have hatred. But in chapter 12, it seems like something might change.
Another miracle: Jesus casts a demon out of a man. Among other things, the demon made the man blind and mute, but now freed from the demonic, he can see and speak. Interestingly, with this exorcism the crowds also begin to see and speak. They begin to see Jesus for who He truly is, and they speak, “Can this be the Son of David?” In other words, “Is Jesus the Messiah?”
And we as the readers begin to wonder, are the people beginning to believe? Are they finally seeing and hearing?
But another voice rises in an attempt to steal away any seeds of faith. The venomous and hateful Pharisees immediately contend, “He’s not the Messiah. Jesus is Himself possessed by a demon!”
You can see that a clearer understanding is coming over the Jewish people, but the religious leaders instantly pounce, try to deceive, and desire to destroy the truth of Jesus Christ. There is something larger going on behind the scenes, something far more sinister. And what we come to realize is that it is not Jesus who is under the power of Beelzebub (Satan), the Pharisees are under the power of Satan. The Pharisees speak as if they are the sons of Satan.
In fact, that’s exactly what Jesus calls the Pharisees in the Gospel of John.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
-John 8:44-45
The Pharisees speak lies about Jesus, they try to steal away the truth, and they are murderers like their father the devil. Did we not see last week the Pharisees begin seeking a way to destroy Jesus (11:14)? Truly, there is a demonic spirit at work in these religious leaders. These have become agents of the kingdom of darkness.
In stark contrast, Jesus is from God the Father, filled with the Holy Spirit, come to offer life and rest to all those who are weary and heavy laden. It is He – the Light of the World – who brings near the kingdom of heaven!
It is in the shadow of these events that Jesus tells a short, but exceedingly potent, parable.
Read vs 28-29
I know this parable can sound a little perplexing within the larger context of the chapter, so let me open it to you.
Jesus has been accused of working for Satan. But Jesus points out how ridiculous that notion is. Why would Satan work against himself? If you try to build something, and you continually sabotage your own work, then that building will fail. If Jesus were possessed by Satan, why would Satan work to sabotage himself?
With that as the immediate backdrop, Jesus tells the parable to explain exactly how His work relates to Satan – and it is related to Satan.
The parable in verse 29 has four primary elements. There is a house, a strong man, the strong man’s possessions, and an even stronger man capable of subduing the strong man.
The strong man owns a house, and that house is filled with highly desirable possessions. If someone else is going to take those possessions, he has to do three things: first, he has to be even stronger than then strong man. Second, he must break into that house. Third, he needs to bind the strong man. Only after these things are accomplished may the stronger man evict the subdued strong man, keep the house, and take the possessions as his own.
Now, let’s remove the veil of metaphor and think about what Jesus is really saying. What are the four elements of the parable? The house is the earth, the strong man is Satan, the possessions are people, and the stronger man is Jesus.
Let me back this up with some Scripture, because we always want to interpret Scripture with Scripture. Most immediately to our passage, in verse 26, notice how Jesus does acknowledge that Satan has a kingdom. What is the kingdom of Satan?
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. -1 John 5:19
The whole earth lies in the power of Satan. The whole earth is the kingdom of Satan. This is why Satan was able to offer the nations to Jesus when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8-9). Again and again, Scripture testifies that this world – the house in which we live – is under the grip of Satan and his demonic horde.
And it’s not hard to understand. Everywhere you look there is brokenness and evil. The world is filled with hatred and violence and sexual exploitation and greed and selfishness and on and on. But this is not how God had created the world, and this is not how He created us. He created us to image Him in this world. We had perfect relationship with our God and perfect relationship with one another.
As God’s image bearers on earth, God gave our first parents the earth as their kingdom. God said to them:
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over [it].” -Genesis 2:28
But Satan, wanting to destroy what God had created, slithered into that paradise and spoke a deception. Man and woman believed it, chose to disobey God, and fell; the whole earth fell with them. The curse of sin and death entered the world, and Adam and Eve abdicated their kingdom; unknowingly placing it in the wicked hands of Satan.
Satan became the ruler of this world, ruling humanity through deception, the temptations of sin, and the fear of death. He lies to us to make sin look delicious, and we bite into his temptations. He relentlessly accuses us of our failures and our sinfulness, “Who could love such a broken being?” and it makes us remember the condemnation of death, and we are struck by terror.
Everyone born since then has been born a slave to sin; in the same way a heroin addict is a slave to heroin. We keep going back to it, we crave it at the cost of everything else, we love it and we hate it. And there is the Devil, controlling the streets, constantly pushing the narcotic and the needle, gloating in his ruination of God’s world and God’s image bearers.
Again, in Jesus’ parable, the house is the fallen earth and Satan is the strong man. We are the valuable possessions, fallen, and slaves of the strong man.
But in that very dark hour, when the world had first fallen into sin and death, God sent a lightning bolt of hope. He said to Satan:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” -Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
Many refer to this promise as the protoevangelium, the first echo of the gospel. A son would descend from the woman, and though he would receive a wound, He would utterly destroy Satan forever.
Jesus is that promised seed.
Were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons… So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
-Galatians 4:3-5,7
According to the promise God made in the garden, when the fullness of time had come, Jesus was born – the prophesied offspring of the woman. When He was born of a woman, He invaded the house. He invaded the earth and the kingdom of darkness. And He did this, as we have just read, to redeem us and adopt us. In other words, Jesus came to the earth to free us from our slavery and take us as His own beloved possessions.
But before Jesus could break our bonds and adopt us as His own, He had to do something else first.
Read vs 29
Jesus had to first bind the strong man. How does Jesus bind the strong man? How did He subdue Satan? He had to allow the enemy to strike His heel. For Christ’s death was Satan’s destruction.
“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die. -John 12:31-33
When Jesus is “lifted up,” that’s the cross. The cross draws all people to Him; also meaning that it binds Satan. Jesus crushes the head of Satan, and casts him out, by dying on the cross. Casting Satan out of the world, that language of exorcism; like when Jesus exorcises demons from individuals. Jesus is also exorcising Satan from this earth.
It’s important to understand the mechanics of how this works, of how the cross defeats Satan?
Our selfishness and pride stand in such opposition to God and are so offensively contrary to the way He created us, that we deserve to die – eternal death. But Christ took our sins upon His shoulders and died in our place. Then, on the third day He rose to life everlasting.
Anyone who comes to Jesus in faith has all their sins forgiven. Now that you have been forgiven, what accusation can Satan now levy?
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn”…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? -Romans 8:31-34,35
You are forgiven and freed from any of Satan’s accusations! Praise God, the cords of guilt have been broken!
And now that you are forgiven, you are no longer under the power of sin. You are a new creation, with a new heat, new desires. No longer are you enslaved to the power of Satan’s temptations.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. -1 Corinthians 10:13
Temptations still come, but God now provides an escape. Satan is now powerless to enslave you with temptations! By the grace of God at work within your new heart, you can overcome the Devil!
And not just the Devil, but death is overcome as well.
“If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.” -John 8:52
Though you die, yet shall you live (John 11:25-26)! You are not condemned; you shall not be cast out! God’s perfect love towards you – displayed on that bloody cross – casts out all fears and the Devil with them.
Sins are forgiven, Satan’s accusations are silenced. Temptations are escapable, Satan’s deceptions are overcome. Death has been defeated, and Satan holds no power of fear over us. Indeed, Jesus has bound the strong man.
Writing to the Colossians, Paul puts all these ideas together. And when you hear Paul writing about rulers, authorities, and powers; it almost always refers to Satan and demons.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with [Christ], having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him. -Colossians 2:13-15
You see, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that binds Satan. For anyone who hears and receives the gospel, coming to Jesus as King, then Satan no longer controls them. They are free. And every person that receives the gospel is a further binding of Satan. One more soul where his power has been restricted.
Someone just asked me the other day; didn’t Satan see it coming? Why did he go through with the crucifixion if he knew what would happen? It’s a great question. I don’t know the answer for sure, except to say that if we are blinded by pride, how much more is Satan blinded by pride. He thought he could win by killing Jesus.
But by striking His heel, he had his head crushed. And is that not the epitome of being put to open shame! [God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in the crucified and risen Christ, the offspring of the woman, the Son of God, the Lord of lords!
Satan is disarmed and shamed. His head is crushed and he is a defeated foe. Or as we read in Jesus’ parable, the strong man had been bound. If we believe in that gospel truth, then we are the plundered possessions, redeemed and adopted as God’s sons and daughters.
But there is something more that has happened when Jesus bound the strong man. After the bloody cross and empty tomb, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. And just before He ascends, He says,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” -Matthew 28:18
Jesus has bound the strong man and taken control of the house. As we read earlier, Jesus has cast Satan out of the world. No longer is Satan the ruler of this world, but all authority has been given to Jesus of Nazareth, the King of kings. His name is above every name and every knee – even Satan’s – will bow before Him, to the glory of God the Father.
Let us recognize this is an already-not-yet reality; meaning, it is already true, but it not completely finished. This fits into the doctrine of inaugurated eschatology. Inaugurated eschatology means that Jesus has brought the kingdom of heaven to earth, but the kingdom has not yet come into its fullness.
The devil is already defeated, but he is not completely defeated. He has been cast out, but he has not totally left. Jesus has bound the strong man; but binding is not the same as destroying. For still this strong man thrashes around in his bindings and causes all kinds of trouble.
The writer of Hebrews addresses this already-not-yet situation.
Now in putting everything in subjection to [Jesus], [God] left nothing outside His control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him. But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. -Hebrews 2:8-9
Even though Jesus is in control of everything, it doesn’t always look like it. It is an already-not-yet reality. Satan still thrashes around, people are still swallowed by their sins, deception still grips the nations. But Jesus, who has already achieved the victory and bound the strong man, He has a plan for finishing the work.
Let’s go back to when Jesus talks about the authority He has.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20
This is the Great Commission.
Jesus sends out His church – He sends us out – to proclaim the gospel to the nations. We are commissioned as Christ’s ambassadors, proclaiming forgiveness of sins and life everlasting in the name of Jesus. As we go and proclaim, the gospel simultaneously breaks the cords of slavery and binds the strong man. More and more people are plundered, redeemed and adopted, by Jesus Christ in and through our message.
Jesus advances His kingdom through the church’s obedience to the Great Commission.
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
-Matthew 16:18
Jesus began the invasion of the kingdom of darkness. Over these past millennia He has been sending His church to dismantle and destroy the works of the enemy. Even their strongest gates will not prevail against the gospel proclaiming, love saturated, church of Jesus Christ.
The strong man is subdued, and we are wrestling this world, and the souls within it, from Satan’s restricted grip.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. -Ephesians 6:12
Brothers and sisters, do not let this world tell you what your life is about. Its shameful ruler is defeated, and he sells only lies and fear. Christ is the true King, and His is a higher calling!
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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• 6/30/24Lord of the Sabbath - Gospel of Matthew - Part 33
Lord of the Sabbath
Matthew 12:1-21
Immanuel – 6/30/24
Our passage begins with the words, “At that time.” At what time? Sometime shortly after the events of chapter 11. Though it is true that Matthew does not arrange this book chronologically, there are chronological arrangements. Chapter 11 through our passage today is one such chronological arrangement.
So, to be sure we understand what Matthew is driving at, let’s take a moment to refresh our memories.
First there were the disciples of John the Baptist. John was in prison, hearing about all the miraculous things that Jesus was doing. Still, John remained in prison. If Jesus truly was the Messiah, why hasn’t He begun taking steps to overthrow Israel’s oppressors and perhaps spring him from his cell? Doubts had visited John in his prison cell.
But Jesus assured John that He is the Messiah. Then, Jesus said words that touched off the series of events we find ourselves in today, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me (11:6). “
After John’s doubt, Jesus rebuked that generation of Jews for their unbelief. Doubt and unbelief are very different things. Jesus denounces the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These cities had seen the works of the Messiah and refused to repent.
At that time, Jesus called the weary and the heavy laden to Himself, offering rest for their souls.
Read 11:28-30
We camped out for two weeks on those precious words.
But there you see a whole series of responses to Jesus’ Messiahship: doubt, unbelief and unrepentance, and today we see offense – offense regarding rest. Remember, Jesus said, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” The ones that are the most offended by Jesus are the ones that are the most religious.
Read vs 1-2
Jesus had concluded speaking to the crowds the day before or earlier on this same day. Either way, it is now Sabbath; and like a faithful Jew, Jesus plans to go to synagogue. Taking His disciples with Him, they evidently have a relatively short walk. We know the walk was short because tradition prohibited walking more than half a mile on Sabbath – something that religious leaders would never do. And it appears that along this short walk, they bump into a group of Pharisees. It seems they are also walking to synagogue.
It's after this point that Jesus’ disciples meander from the road and begin to pluck heads of grain to eat. I imagine that since they began following Jesus, they have grown accustomed to eating in such a way. According to the Law of God, farmers were required to allow the poor and hungry to eat from the corners of their fields (Leviticus 23:22).
The Pharisees see this, and they pounce!
Rabbinic Law – which means religious traditions based off of God’s law but not God’s law – had agreed upon 39 prohibited activities during Sabbath. Here they all are: carrying, burning, extinguishing, finishing, writing, erasing, cooking, washing, sewing, tearing, knotting, untying, shaping, plowing, planting, reaping, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, selecting, sifting, grinding, kneading, combing, spinning, dyeing, chain-stitching, warping, weaving, unraveling, building, demolishing, trapping, shearing, slaughtering, skinning, tanning, smoothing, and marking.
By plucking heads of grain the disciples were reaping. They would roll the grain in their hands to get out the seeds: threshing. Then they would blow the fibers out of their hand while keeping the seeds: winnowing. This whole act, for the purpose of eating, was both harvesting and preparing a meal (which fell under cooking). The disciples were participating in at least five forbidden activities during Sabbath. The Pharisees couldn’t overlook such obvious and brazen guilt.
And since Jesus is their Rabbi/Teacher, they raise the accusation, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
Read vs 3-4
It was June 18th, last year that we studied the exact story Jesus is talking about here. David, and a small band of loyal soldiers, were on the run from Saul. They were hungry. David went to the tabernacle for other reasons, but while he was there he also sought food for him and his men.
Every Sabbath, the priests placed freshly baked “show bread” in the tabernacle as an offering to the Lord. Then, later in the day, only the priests were allowed to eat the bread. But, because David and his men were starving, the high priest, Ahimelech, allowed David to eat this bread. It is critical to remember why Ahimelech allowed David and his men to do this: Ahimelech knew David was anointed by God to be king. Though it was not lawful for others to eat the show bread, it was because of who David was, and the mercy to feed his hungry men, that it was lawful for him to eat the bread.
And yes, of course the Pharisees had read this story. They knew it well.
Jesus brings up this example because He has an even greater identity than that of Israel’s greatest king. David was God’s anointed to rule Israel. Jesus is God’s anointed to rule over all the earth. Indeed, Messiah means ‘Anointed One.’ If the Pharisees understood who it was that they were talking to, and that Jesus was allowing His disciples to eat, they would never levy accusations.
Then Jesus brings up another point about how what is unlawful for everyone else is lawful for some.
Read vs 5-6
We saw in the list of 39 activities that slaughtering, carrying, and burning were all forbidden activities. But to carry out the Sabbath sacrifices, which the law required (Numbers 28:9-10), the priests had to engage in at least these three activities; and it was lawful. They were leading the people in worship and they were guiltless.
So it was for anyone who performed temple duties on the Sabbath. But something greater than Jerusalem’s temple had come: a new and living temple.
As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house… “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
-1 Peter 2:4-5,7
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ…Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. -1 Corinthians 3:11,16-17
Jesus is the chief cornerstone of the new and living temple. Everyone who repents and believes in Him is a living stone, built upon Christ. No longer would God dwell in a house made by human hands, but He would dwell in human hearts: the Spirit of Christ dwelling in our hearts.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. -Romans 8:8-11
I point to this passage because here we can clearly see that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit have taken up residence in human hearts when people come to Jesus Christ in faith.
Oh yes, something greater than the temple is here! This is the hope of the Old Testament. This is the promised new covenant. This is the arrival of the kingdom of God.
And in the kingdom of God, there is a priesthood of all believers; meaning everyone whose heart is filled with the Spirit of Christ becomes a priest unto God. Thus, these priests of the kingdom of God may pluck and eat from the field and remain blameless, just as the priests of the temple may make sacrifices and remain blameless: because it’s not about the sacrifices, it’s about the mercy.
Read vs 7-8
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He both determines what rest is and knows who is resting. And how does He do this? By offering rest for the soul and by knowing who comes to Him to find it.
Read Matthew 11:28-30
Only the Lord of the Sabbath can offer true soul rest! When Jesus calls Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, it is another divine claim. The one who created the Sabbath is also the one who created the world – and on the seventh day He rested. Once more, we see Jesus equating Himself with God.
As God, Jesus perfectly knows the will of God: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. This is the second time Jesus has quoted Hosea 6:6 to the Pharisees. The last time was back in 9:13, when the Pharisees were scoffing at Jesus for hanging out with tax collectors and sinners.
Jesus is not after sacrifices for the sake of sacrifices. God is not pleased by the sacrifices you make on Sabbath, whether animal sacrifices or the activities you sacrifice. You will not gain His favor by offering Him money, or giving up drinking, or reading the Bible for hours on end, or coming to every church activity. Your works and your sacrifices will not impress God.
What He desires is mercy, a heart that is tender like His gentle and lowly heart. And as we read in the Beatitudes,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” -Matthew 5:7
The merciful are merciful precisely because they understand that they have received mercy from God. Before God we are broken and sinful, festering with selfishness and pride, unable to help ourselves. It is only by mercy that God would overlook our depravity. The merciful know they have received such mercy. The merciful have heeded Christ’s call and found rest for their souls in His mercy. And because they have received mercy, the merciful understand how important it is to give mercy.
If you are sacrificing as a person who has received mercy, rather than someone who is earning God’s favor, then your sacrifices are acceptable to God. So sacrifice your activities, give of your finances, read your Bible, come to church; for such things are being done in humble obedience and not favor-seeking achievement.
Again, the arguments Jesus has presented to the Pharisees work in the following ways. Jesus has a greater identity than David, and thus it is lawful for Him to show mercy to his hungry men even on the Sabbath. Jesus has initiated something greater than the temple, thus anyone who believes in Jesus is a priest unto God. So long as they are living worshipfully, they may do as they please.
The disciples have eaten. Jesus has masterfully used Scripture to defend them. He has called them blameless. He has equated Himself with Yahweh. The Pharisees are furious. They have more than taken offense. The words of Christ should echo in your mind: “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Read vs 9-10
Notice how verse 9 says that Jesus entered their synagogue. All of the events from chapter 11 until now have been happening somewhere along the northwest shore of Galilee – in the area of His home base. That means the synagogue He has entered in chapter 12 is a local synagogue, just as much His synagogue as anyone else’s. But by calling it their synagogue, Matthew is highlighting a rift that is about to grow into a chasm.
Up until this point, the Pharisees opposition to Jesus has been incidental (observing the disciples violating the Sabbath). Now they intentionally and overtly oppose Christ. Now they are looking for ways to condemn Him. Now they are setting traps.
All of them are inside the synagogue now, and so also a man with a cripple hand. The Pharisees are well aware that Jesus can heal, and that He heals prolifically. Here is a man with a withered hand, why would Jesus not heal?
Even though healing was not one of the 39 prohibited Sabbath acts, the religious leaders had a tradition that healing (like a doctor might engage in) was prohibited except in the case of a life-threatening situation. A withered hand, inconvenient as it was, was not a life-threatening situation. According to the Pharisaic, legalistic mind, these religious leaders had Jesus in a corner.
Read vs 11-12
In the grain field, Jesus rebutted the Pharisees accusations on the basis of Israel’s history, hope, and law. Now He rebuts the Pharisees on the basis of common sense. The Law did tell the Jews to help protect their neighbor’s assets – like if a donkey fell into a well; but it didn’t say anything about doing such a thing on the Sabbath. But common sense would dictate that helping livestock in crisis was a noble and acceptable thing to do, no matter what day it was.
Everyone in the synagogue who heard Jesus’s rhetorical question would have been nodding along – of course they would help their fallen sheep!
And if they would help a sheep – in a life-threatening situation – how much more does a person deserve help? The man with a withered hand might not be in a life-threatening situation, but he is so much more valuable than an animal. Jesus saw no reason why this man should suffer for one moment more. Mercy before sacrifice.
Read vs 13-14
Jesus commanded the man to do what he could not do: stretch out his hand. But because Jesus issued the command, what was once withered and crippled is stretched out in perfect shape and strength. There could be a whole sermon on that one truth: When Jesus commands people to do what they cannot do, it is joyfully accomplished. But that will have to wait for another time.
The man is healed, and His healing is all the more pronounced because of the attention that the Pharisees drew to the situation. And being that this is a local synagogue with local people, the whole congregation likely knew this man and celebrated his miraculous healing.
And being that this was a local synagogue with local people and Jesus was one of the locals, I wonder if Jesus encountered this man before in the synagogue. And if so, that means Jesus chose not to heal him before, though the man would have been anxious to be healed much earlier. But Jesus was waiting for the right moment, a moment that would echo through the ages, a moment that was the first step towards the cross. For immediately afterwards, the Pharisees begin to plot how they might destroy Jesus.
Of course, I speculate about Jesus knowing the man. But perhaps there is an application for someone in that observation. Jesus may wait because He has a bigger plan that is far better than our short-sighted desires, and that bigger plan might first traverse some difficult terrain.
Read vs 15-16
Crowds of people followed Jesus, and He healed them all. The people were with Jesus. But notice verse 14 again, the Pharisees left the synagogue. In verse 9 Matthew had called it their synagogue. But it is almost like Matthew is subtly suggesting that after the man’s withered hand was healed, the synagogue got flipped: from the Pharisees to Jesus. Now many, presumably from that same synagogue, are all following Him.
Jesus only withdrew from the synagogue because there is now a murderous intent against Him. Jesus does not want open conflict. Now is not the time for confrontation. He orders His followers not to make Him known.
When the time comes for a show down in Jerusalem, Jesus will not hold back. But even there, Jesus does not seek attention and He is not looking to grab power from those who hold it. He is fighting for truth and mercy and rest for His people.
Always, Jesus prefers to operate on the edges. He wants no celebrity. It is just as was prophesied.
Read vs 17-21
Matthew is quoting from Isaiah 42:1-4. Words of this prophesy have already been spoken over Jesus; when the Father spoke over His Son, still wet from baptism:
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” -Matthew 3:17
This beloved Son will bring justice to the Gentiles. Already we see the Jewish establishment beginning to reject Jesus. But it is by their rejection, and the cross they will bloody, that the Gentiles will receive the greatest news ever to break upon the earth.
God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Romans 5:8,10).
We Gentiles, of Immanuel Baptist Church, have heard this good news and we have come to Christ! In His name we Gentiles have found our hope! The prophecy is fulfilled, and it is being fulfilled!
In verse 20 the prophecy talks about a bruised reed and a smoldering wick. Reeds were used as measuring rods, or flutes, or writing instruments, or a whole host of over things; and reeds grew by the millions along the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan and other waterways. If a single reed became bruised and lost its straightness, the reed was worthless. Naturally, you would throw away the bruised reed and get a better one to work with.
A wick was made from flax. Flax was cheap and abundant. If a flax wick wasn’t functioning properly, and smoldered instead of burned, it was a nuisance. It didn’t give proper light and it filled the air with unpleasant smoke. It could be fixed, but that was tedious work requiring much patience. It was far easier to snuff out the smoldering wick and replace it with a better one.
But Jesus does not take the easier road. He does not do what everyone else would naturally do. If you are in Christ, Jesus will never throw you away. He will never leave you nor forsake you! He is filled with endless reservoirs of patience and care. He loves to give light where there is darkness. He loves to heal the bruised and battered. He loves to lift our heavy burdens and give rest to our weary, smoldering hearts. For He is gentle and lowly of heart.
The Pharisees created 39 prohibitions during Sabbath. Each forbidden activity was a larger category for hundreds and hundreds of lesser forbidden activities. They were exacting. The amount of work it took to make sure you were resting was exhausting. Their demanding lists of rules and traditions created very heavy burdens for the people. Who could lift such punishing weights?
That’s what legalism does. That’s what sacrifice, for sacrifice’s sake, creates. Exhaustion. Heavy Burdens. When we make ourselves the morality police; when we insist that people meet the demands of our expectations, we are like the Pharisees: foisting legalistic and heavy burdens on people’s backs.
When we would rather be right than merciful, that’s legalism. If we think we’re never doing enough for God, that’s legalism. If we more quickly judge rather than seek to understand what a person is going through, that is legalism. If we give a lot of advice and rarely take it ourselves, that’s the effect of legalism. If we quietly enjoy when people get what they deserve, that’s legalism.
Listen again, priesthood of believers, to the words of Jesus:
“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
“Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
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• 6/23/24Rest for Your Soul - Gospel of Matthew - Part 32
Rest For Your Soul
Matthew 11:28-30
Immanuel – 6/23/24
Last week we spent the entirety of our time together considering Jesus’ words, “I am gentle and lowly of heart.” How precious these words! For this is the only time Jesus ever directly speaks about the inner state of His own heart. And I pray that the posture of His heart would be imprinted upon our own hearts.
Today we move from considering the inner state of Jesus’ heart, to consider what it is that He is calling us into. What is this rest that He offers? How does He help those who labor by giving them a yoke, and the heavy laden by giving them a burden – which we see in verses 29 and 30?
I finished last Sunday’s sermon by saying these words: A yoke is for working. His yoke is easy. A burden is toilsome. He bestows a burden that is light. Jesus does not promise a rest of laziness. His promise of rest comes also with a promise of work. His way to lift your burden is by giving you a different sort of burden. And when you take up this yoke, and lift this burden, in a way that seems strange to the world, you will find rest for your soul.
Purpose
This is our aim today: to explore the strange sort of rest that Jesus offers, a rest that comes through work.
As you know, while we were in Marrakech we spoke with many Moroccans. I was surprised by how highly they spoke of Americans. Multiple times they singled out one attribute of Americans that they admired. Can you guess what it is? Our work ethic. Generally speaking, people of other countries often regard Americans as hard working.
And for the most part, I don’t think they’re wrong. We do work hard. We are an industrious people. Just take for example one of the most common responses to the question, “How have you been?” “Busy.” “Life is so busy right now.” And everyone accepts that answer as a good answer. They are busy too. It’s good to be busy.
Though some cultures admire the American work ethic, there are others that don’t understand. When Meg and I were in Zambia some years ago, we very quickly learned their name for white people: mzungu. It means “a person who walks in circles,” a restless person. To them, our work ethic just looks like senseless restlessness.
And for the most part, I don’t think they’re wrong. Most of us work at least 8 hours a day, then there are meetings on top of that, there are projects at home, chores that need to get done, hobbies to pursue. We pour ourselves into our children and/or grandchildren. Even our vacations become so full that when we get home, we could use a little vacation.
This is often how my life feels and I’m sure you can relate. Lots of things to do, and almost all of those things are good. But it’s the good things that will kill us. Genesis 3 says that fruit hanging from that forbidden tree was a delight to the eyes – it looked really good. But there was death in that fruit. Perhaps there is death in all the many things we are doing, even if they seem good. There is death in busyness.
Mandarin Character for Busy
So many of us fill our lives with busyness, with good things that will kill our hearts. So ask yourself: Do you really need to start that new project? Do you really need to take on those extra hours at work? Do you really need another hobby? Do your kids really need to be doing another activity?
These can all be good things – and sometimes the answer to those questions is “yes” – but if we allow busyness to go unchecked in our lives, then our lives will be so choked by good things that we will starve to death. We become unable to find nourishment in Christ, our Bread of Life, who satisfies the rest our hearts crave.
I admit, Matthew 11:28-30 is not ultimately addressing busyness. But busyness has so infected the American psyche that it must be addressed. You see, we’ve bought a lie that if we work hard enough, we’ll earn approval, we’ll earn the right to rest, and we’ll teach our kids to do the same. But the dreadful reality is that busyness is separating us from Jesus and killing our hearts.
Let us not buy the lie! Let us not be choked by the cares of the world! We are called to be in the world, but not of the world. Christ has something altogether different for our lives. It is neither working ourselves to death nor is it sitting around on our hands and waiting for Him to make everything all better.
Again, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me…For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus has a yoke and a burden for us. A yoke is for work, but His work will be an easy delight. A burden is crushing, but His will lift our souls in unshakable peace.
4 Ways Our Christian Rest is Work
1. Wrestle to abide in Christ’s love.
If you have been a Christian for any amount of time, then you know that it is work to abide in Christ. But from Jesus’ own mouth, abiding is imperative.
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing… If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. -John 15:5,7
Abiding is all about positioning yourself to experience the Father’s love for you. See how Jesus links His words and asking with abiding?
Of course, we find Jesus’ words in the Bible. We must be in His word! How else will you know God’s love for you if you do not know His word? And Jesus isn’t just asking us to intellectually know His word, but to abide in it. Meaning, His word is meant to house your heart.
A few minutes reading a passage, or merely reading a quick devotional, this is not how you abide. That’s more like checking off another box in a busy life. Abiding in Jesus’ words is to read it and meditate upon it. Spend time thinking about what you’re reading.
Ask some simple questions of the text. What does this teach me about God? What does it teach me about humanity? What commands can I obey and what sins should I avoid? Are there any promises to cling to?
As you read God’s word and seek to answer questions like these, you will find that your reading time will become more fruitful. You will feel yourself growing closer to Jesus. You’ll be in His word and His word will be in you. It is work, but you’ll be abiding.
Then there’s the asking. Asking God for things is the essence of prayer. As sinful humans, surrounded by painful work and heavy burdens, we have all the need. But our God – who is gentle and lowly in heart – He is generous beyond measure. He is so willing to give! How much more will we be at rest when we are trusting in His provision rather than trying to scrape it from the earth?
Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Your heavenly Father knows all the things that you need.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” -Matthew 6:33
That is a statement of rest. Abide in God’s provision, abide in His word, and a rest will come to your soul that cannot be found in any other place.
2. Fight against the temptation to rest in anything other than Jesus.
As I have already mentioned with busyness, there are so many good things we can pursue. But if we pursue them as the world pursues them, we will not find rest, only turmoil and death.
And indeed, chasing rest in anything other than Jesus is to live in disobedience.
Those who formerly received the good news failed to enter [God’s rest] because of disobedience… Let us therefore strive to enter rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. -Hebrews 4:6,11
See again the inextricable link between rest and God’s word?
I love that statement: strive to enter [God’s] rest. It is work. It is striving. Fight against the temptation towards disobedience. First and foremost, disobedience is not believing that rest is found in God. Busyness, achievements, finances, vacations, activities, fame: Do not be tempted to find rest in these things!
Similarly, if lies begin to creep into your heart, fight against these temptations. The enemy want you to believe that God doesn’t love you, or that He grows inpatient with you because you haven’t done enough, or haven’t been obedient enough, or haven’t abided enough. These are lies that all of us fall into at some point or another. How dangerous it is if we abide in those lies – or give up, lie down, and rest in those lies!
Use God’s words to fight against such deceitful temptations! And what better place to go than to the end of Matthew 11? Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. He does not look down on you. He does not grow frustrated. He is not severe or indifferent or uncaring. He loves you; and still he calls, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”
Fight against the temptation to rest in anything other than Jesus. Though we can be disobedient, He is patient. His forgiveness and grace cannot be measured. Come back to the good news of Jesus Christ – slain for sinners, risen as our life, King over heaven and earth – come and rest in this gospel news!
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1
3. Lift each other’s burdens.
All of us struggle a great deal with abiding and fighting temptation. Where Christ has given us rest, we so quickly mutate it into labor. On top of this, we all feel the weight of the burdens of life. And if nothing changes, we will be crushed.
But just as Christ lifts our burdens, so has He given us to each other – brothers and sisters in Christ – to help ease the weight and soften the work.
Listen to these verses.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
-Galatians 6:2
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” -Romans 15:1-3
When we were in Marrakech, we all felt the burden of our work: the oppression of Islam, the struggle for the women to find English speakers, and not seeing anyone respond positively to the gospel. And then we met three brothers – two missions workers and one Moroccan. They prayed over us and for us, praised our efforts, quoted Scripture, and spoke to our hearts.
I can truly say that though we were already exhausted from a full day, and it was late, and we talked for hours, we walked away recharged, ready for more, with a renewed eagerness to work for the gospel. We were filled with spiritual energy, as if we had just rested.
By divine appointment, those men helped to bear our burden. It was beautiful.
So, when you are speaking to someone, and you learn of a burden that weighs on them, don’t wait. Pray for them in that moment, even if it is only a sentence or two. It is so powerful when we care for each other through prayer.
Jesus gives us the words of life. If we abide in Him, then His words abide in us. Let us also let those words out. Speak Scripture to one another. We get more advice than we want to hear, and opinions are cheap. But how rare and precious it is when a loving person speaks just the right Scripture into a situation. What if we were a people that intentionally and lovingly pulled treasures from pages of the Bible, and spoke them into each other’s lives? It was so good when those men did this for us.
Praying for each other and encouraging each other is so important, so also are practical ways to serve. Sometimes we lift people’s burdens by bringing them a meal, or helping them move, or paint, or mow the grass. We can care for children, or visit the sick, or spend time with the lonely. There’s a thousand ways we can serve one another and work to lift the burdens of others.
Let me now quote to you our (Matlack’s) family verse.
I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you…I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. -2 Corinthians 12:14-15
There is something joyful in helping to lift a person’s burdens. Paul says he did it gladly. Certainly, it is hard work! But whether it is through prayer, scriptural encouragement, or service; it is a joy to help people with their burdens. I have experienced it again and again: when the Spirit of Christ has used me in such a way, my heart feels peace, a satisfaction. I might be exhausted afterwards, but my soul is at rest.
4. Work to advance the gospel advance.
It is impossible to read the Bible and not see that there is incredible joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Immediately, upon Jesus’ birth, the angel proclaimed to the shepherds:
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. -Luke 2:10
Great joy! When your heart is filled with great joy, anything you put your hand to, will be a delight. With joy in your heart your work will ease, and your burdens lighten. The news of Jesus is for all the people, to fill their hearts with great joy!
And what a joy it is to watch the joy of the Lord come rushing in to someone’s heart. In all my days following Jesus, there is nothing more energizing and joyful than seeing Christ transform a life, and a soul go from death to life.
All around us people are suffocating under the weight of their burdens. They are struggling to scratch rest from the ruins of their lives, but apart from Christ they will find no rest. The word of Christ is in our hearts, we must proclaim it! We must tell them that there is another way! Do not let your silence condemn them to an eternal restlessness.
“The wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
-Isaiah 57:20-21
Jesus took our restless wickedness, our greatest burden, upon His shoulders at the cross. And when He died, He killed that burden. He killed our shame. He annihilated our guilt. He destroyed our brokenness. He cleansed us of all our wickedness.
This beloved Son of God, Jesus Christ, did not stay dead, but rose from the grave. And when He did, He secured eternal life for any who would believe Him enough to obey Him. Though there is joyful, peaceful, hope-filled rest for today; He secured a rest that will never end.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” -Revelation 14:13
Your neighbors need to hear about Jesus, and your coworkers, and the people at the grocery store, and the lost in Morocco and Malaysia and Thailand and Russia. There is good news of great joy they must hear, and the Son of God shed His blood that they might know how much God has loved them!
Brothers and sisters, Christ has made us new creations and sent us out as His ambassadors! He has commissioned us to make disciples of the nations! It is your purpose. It is the command over your life. And when you take up Christ’s command – no matter how difficult it may be, no matter the sufferings you may face – your soul will be at rest. For you will know that you have given your mouth, and your life, in obedience to the King of all kings.
Your soul will know no greater rest than that.
So let us wrestle to abide, fight temptation, lift each other’s burdens, and strive to advance the gospel. Though this is a tremendous work, it is an easy yoke and a light burden.
There is one more detail to point out from our passage today. Look at verse 29. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” I want you to see that this is a learning process.
As with anything we are learning, we start by making lots of mistakes. Jesus knows this, and in His gentle and lowly heart, He is patient with us. Rest in the truth that He treats us tenderly.
But to truly learn, we have to be intentional, we have to exert effort, we have to work at it. It’s not something to put off until later – when the kids are less needy, when work slows down, when you get past this latest hurdle. These things are for now! The work begins now! And the more you put towards it, the more your soul will know rest. Throw away your excuses, they’re killing you; and people are dying all around you. Jesus offers you rest through this glorious yoke!
And while we are learning, and making mistakes, and having successes, proclaiming the gospel, always laboring for Christ; we must constantly heed His call.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Let misfortune, sin, death, and whatever the devil and the world loads upon you assail and assault you, if only you remain confident and undismayed, waiting upon the Lord in faith, you have already won, you have already escaped death and far surpassed the devil and the world. -From Martin Luther’s Final Sermon1
1(2022, February 18) The Last Sermon of Martin Luther, Preached In Eisleben, Matthew 11:25-30, February 15, 1546. Immanuel Lutheran Church. https://immanuellutheran.net/2022/02/18/the-last-sermon-of-martin-luther-preached-in-eisleben-matthew-1125-30-february-15-1546/
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• 6/16/24The Gentle and Lowly Heart of Jesus - Gospel of Matthew - Part 31
The Gentle and Lowly Heart of Jesus
Matthew 11:25-30
Immanuel – 6/16/24
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is the image of the invisible God, the radiance of His glory, the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. And God has bestowed upon Him the name that is above every name. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
(From John 1:1, Hebrews 1:3, and Colossians 1:15-18, Philippians 2:9-11)
And this supremely glorious Son of God, resplendent in majesty, high and lifted up; He says of Himself that He is gentle, and lowly of heart. Jesus, gentle and lowly of heart.
Read vs 25-30
This passage at the end of Matthew 11 is precious beyond measure. It is so rich that as I spent time meditating upon it, I became convinced that we needed two weeks to dwell upon these verses. This week we focus on the heart of Christ. Next week we will focus on what Christ promises: a yoke that is easy, work that is rest.
In full transparency, there is a book from which I am drawing much. If you have not read Gentle and Lowly – by Dane Ortlund – I couldn’t recommend it strongly enough.
The book begins by pointing out a startling truth about the heart of Christ. The New Testament provides so many insights into the heart of Christ. We can see His actions, hear His words, contemplate His being; and know Him truly and incredibly thoroughly; perhaps even better than we can know a spouse. But do you know that there is only one place – one single moment – where Jesus opens His own heart to us?
Right here, in this most precious passage, Matthew 11:29, Jesus opens His heart: I am gentle and lowly in heart. It is the only place in the entire Bible where Jesus tells us about the inner state of His heart: gentle and lowly.
Remember the words Jesus uttered just before.
“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” -Matthew 11:27
But the Father has chosen to reveal such hidden things to little children. Jesus’ very next words are to call the little children to Himself: “Come to me.” And then He reveals Himself, “For I am gentle and lowly of heart.” What Jesus says no one knows – Himself – He then reveals: “I am gentle and lowly of heart.”
And what makes this self-revelation even more precious, is that Jesus opens this window into His heart not so that we would all stand back in awe – though that happens. He does this to encourage the weary and the burdened little children to come to Him. It’s a gentle summons. If you take out all the qualifying statements in verses 28-30, and boil Jesus’ words down to their most fundamental elements, Jesus says: Come to me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart.
Jesus reveals His heart so that we would come to Him. In other words, His heart is that we would come to Him, because His heart is gentle and lowly.
Before we consider Jesus’ invitation, let us first behold His heart – gentle and lowly.
Gentle: compassionate, tender, sympathetic, desiring to please. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench (Matthew 12:20).
Lowly: humble, meek, simple, unassuming, modest, accessible. He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant…He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).
How prone we are to consider Jesus’ perfect holiness and righteousness, and to perceive Him as austere, rigid, severe; that He merely tolerates us with all of our fears and failures. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. He sees us with our heavy burdens and broken efforts, and His heart swells with lowly gentleness, and He says, “Come to me. Come to me and I will give you rest.”
Already we have seen Jesus’ gentle and lowly heart beautifully demonstrated in the Gospel of Matthew. He promised His kingdom to the poor in spirit, the mourning and meek, the hungry and thirsty, the persecuted.
We saw a leper approach Jesus and say, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Jesus said, “I will.” Then doing what no one would dare do, He touched the man and cleansed him from all his leprosy. Jesus sailed through a storm to free two men from demon oppression. He loved a tax collector. He healed the blind and the mute and the lame.
The people that everyone else rejected and despised; Jesus never held at arm’s length. He drew near to them in their lowliness. He was gentle with them. He helped them. He genuinely loved them. Indeed, this is what makes Christ’s heart light up, beat a little faster: to come near to sinners and sufferers – for He is gentle and lowly of heart.
Think about it. If Jesus’ heart truly is lowly, then He loves nothing more than to come down into your lowest moment and meet you there. If His heart truly is gentle, then there is no amount of brokenness that He will not tenderly care for. It is who He is. It is His nature. He who holds the universe together by the word of His power is also the one who emptied Himself to serve the beaten-down and burdened.
Jesus, the Son of God, stepped down from glory to plunge into our world of brokenness, so He could say to us so broken, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden…for I am gentle and lowly of heart.”
We all have cast ourselves into a life of sin, where we are battered by continual waves of suffering. All around us we look and see nothing but turbulence, a vast expense of swirling cataclysm. We know that we have no hope of surviving such a stormy life; not on our own. We may be able to swim, but only for a moment, and certainly not long enough to save ourselves.
There is but one rock, one refuge from the waves. In the midst of the chaos, surrounded by waves that would carry us away, Christ’s voice rises above the tempest: “Come to me! Come to me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart! Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden!”
He is the rest in restlessness, the peace in the consuming frenzy. And if you come to Him, just as He invites, none of life’s tsunamis could ever sweep you away. He has promised it:
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” -John 6:37
No matter how broken, however destitute, however filthy; if you come to Jesus, He will never cast you out. He is gentle and lowly of heart. Your past sins, your present sins, your future sins; if you come to Him, He will never cast you out. It is almost too hard to believe.
Regarding our struggle to believe such a breathtaking promise, Dane Ortland gives powerful expression:
“No, wait” – we say cautiously approaching Jesus – “you don’t understand. I’ve really messed up, in all kinds of ways.”
I know, [Jesus] responds.
“You know most of it, sure. Certainly more than what others see. But there’s perversity down inside me that is hidden from everyone.”
I know it all.
“Well – the thing is, it isn’t just my past. It’s my present too.”
I understand.
“But I don’t know if I can break free of this any time soon.”
That’s the only kind of person I’m here to help.
“The burden is heavy – and heavier all the time.”
Then let me carry it.
“It’s too much to bear.”
Not for me.
“You don’t get it. My offenses aren’t directed towards others. They’re against you.”
Then I am the one most suited to forgive them.
“But the more of the ugliness in me you discover, the sooner you’ll get fed up with me.”
Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (Gentle and Lowly, pages 63-64)
We all know this struggle: the struggle to believe that Jesus will not be severe or impatient with us, that He will actually treat us gently, that He will actually love us. Because we know our filth. But Jesus knows it even better. And His posture is so lowly that He reaches down into our filth to pull us right out.
Take note, that though Jesus is tender toward us little children, He will not allow us to fester in our sins. He loves us more than that. So with great care and gentle sanctifying power, He pulls us from the mire, washes us in His word, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It will take a lifetime, but He is not above the painstaking work.
All we must do is come to Him, just as He summons. He does not need your works. He does not need you to figure it out. He does not need your assistance. He does not need your promises. He does not need your disciplines. All He needs is for you to come to Him, come to Him with your sinful, broken-down life. Bring to Him all your heavy burdens of suffering. Come to Him and He will transform your life.
Again, from Dane Ortlund,
“But for the penitent, His heart of gentle embrace is never outmatched by our sins and foibles and insecurities and doubts and anxieties and failures. For lowly gentleness is not one way Jesus occasionally acts towards others. Gentleness is who He is. It is His heart. He can’t un-gentle Himself towards His own any more than you or I can change our eye color.”
(Gentle and Lowly, page 21)
He is gentle and lowly. It is His very heart. This means that He takes unspeakable joy from ministering to you, from lifting you up out of the mire. He loves to heal. He loves to bring rest. He loves for you to know you are loved. In fact, I am convinced that He loves to give these things even more than we love to receive them.
Let me illustrate this.
As an infant, my daughter Autumn came down with some sort of respiratory infection: coughing, gurgling, sleeplessness, and misery. Meg and I exhausted ourselves trying to help her, but it didn’t take long before there was nothing more we could do. Naturally, we took her to the ER. A battery of tests were quickly run, but to our dismay everything came back negative. No one had any idea what was going on in Autumn’s body.
Her symptoms, mixed with the uncertainty, compelled the hospital to place her in quarantine. Only Meg was allowed to be with her, isolated in quarantine, unable to leave. Every healthcare worker that entered the room was suited up like a spaceman.
You can imagine how distressing all of this was for us, having no idea how serious things were. I can’t quite remember how, but after a few days of isolation the doctors finally determined that she had bronchiolitis.
Autumn started getting better, the quarantine was deemed unnecessary, and eventually her and Meg were allowed to come home.
I ask you, in that situation, who do you think experienced more joy: Autumn for her healing or Meg and I for having a daughter restored? Even if Autumn were older, and could better appreciate the situation, the greater joy belongs to her parents! Our love for her is more than she knows, and our understanding of her plight was far more profound.
So it is with Christ and us. He loves us beyond our comprehension and His understanding of our plight is infinitely more profound. And remember when, back in verse 25, Jesus compares us with little children?
“I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” -Matthew 11:25-26
So, when we come to Jesus, like needy and helpless little children, He does not receive us with indifference or severity. He is not too good to get down on the child’s level. No! He lowers Himself and receives us with all gentleness. And in His heart Christ rejoices, because He is doing the very thing that makes his gentle and lowly heart beat.
Make no mistake, Jesus proclaimed woes over the cities that rejected Him, that would not repent. We saw this in verses 20-24. If rest can only be found in Jesus, then to reject Him is to have no rest. It is to forever labor and be heavy laden. Such is the woe of those who refuse to come to Jesus in repentance.
But if you feel the weight of your burden, if you see the stain of your sin, then come to the foot of the cross. See there your Lord, gentle and lowly. With great strength He hangs under the weight of your burden, and mine, and every weary sinner that has come to Him.
It is His joy to bear such sorrows. For you would have been forever quarantined from God. But Christ came into our quarantine chamber, and totally cleansed us from our disease of sin. Forgiven, He has said. Righteous, He has declared. You are free. You are redeemed. You are reconciled unto God.
All of this because you have seen that Jesus is gentle and lowly of heart, and you have come to Him. Coming to Jesus is not getting yourself all better so you can leave the quarantine and go find Him. No! It is as simple as lying in your sick bed, turning your eye to Jesus, and believing that He loves you and He can save you. It is in that moment that He rushes in!
Read vs 28-30
And if you have come to Jesus, then He has promised to give rest to your souls. The way He will do this is by transforming your labor and your burden. See that in verses 29 and 30: take my yoke upon you…For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
A yoke is for working. His yoke is easy. A burden is toilsome. He bestows a burden that is light. Jesus does not promise a rest of laziness. His promise of rest comes also with a promise of work. His way to lift your burden is by giving you a different sort of burden. And when you take up this yoke, and lift this burden, in a way that seems strange to the world, you will find rest for your soul.
But these things are for next week. I pray you’ll return to hear how this gentle and lowly King of kings offers a rest that cannot be matched. Come to Him, for He is gentle and lowly of heart.
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• 6/2/24The Son of Revelation - Gospel of Matthew - Part 29
The Son of Revelation
Matthew 11:20-27
Immanuel – 6/2/24
Last week I defined two terms for you.
The Eschaton = The culmination of the divine plan and the initiation of the final age.
Eschatology = The study of the last things, or the study of the eschaton.
In the time since then, I think the feedback I heard most frequently was, “I had no idea there was so much eschatological significance in that passage.” And indeed, echoes of the eschaton were absolutely bursting from those verses.
Though you’ll be able to hear some of those echoes today, it will be much less significant. Instead, we will hear a thunderclap of the nature of Jesus Christ, the Son of Revelation. What He reveals about Himself, and His relationship to the Father, is incomprehensibly deep. We’ll only be able to scratch the surface, for Jesus cracks open the door to a reality that confounds the reach of human minds.
So again, as I said last week, let us focus our minds that we might see beyond what eyes can see. And what is amazing is that these unimaginably deep truths have been revealed not to the wise and understanding, but to those with a child-like trust; trusting that Jesus will make it known.
Read vs 20
According to how Matthew has arranged this book, Jesus has confined His travel to Galilee. All the deeds of the Christ – “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:5) – these have all broken upon Galilee. The point at which the eschatological kingdom of heaven first touched earth was upon the shores of Galilee.
In the history of planet earth, there has been nothing as significant as Yahweh stepping down from glory, becoming a man, and bringing with Him all the hidden promise and humble majesty of the kingdom of heaven. Truly, if Galilee was the beachhead where heaven invaded earth – in the person of Jesus of Nazareth – then there can hardly be a more privileged people than the Jews of Galilee.
And yet this spectacular blessing has become a curse to them; a mournful, horrible, curse. For the Son of God stands in their midst and denounces them. Look carefully: Jesus denounces these cities because He performed works that could only be from God, and the people did not repent.
Remember the heart of Jesus’ message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matthew 4:17
To receive the kingdom of heaven, there must be repentance. What is repentance? It’s a call of total life change; to turn away from the former ways of self-reliant living and turn towards complete dependence upon God. It is a new orientation for life, and being sorry for your sins is not enough. Sorrow must be followed by pursuit of a new life. Emotions of sorrow must be followed by a lifestyle of repentance!
But as we see in verse 20, the people of Galilee did not repent. They remained comfortable in their proud, selfish, sinful, self-reliant way of living. They were amazed by Jesus, they admired Him, but they made no changes to how they lived.
Read vs 21-22
Chorazin and Bethsaida were two large towns on the north shore of Galilee; predominantly populated by Jews. Peter, Andrew, James, and John – some of Jesus’ own disciples – were from Bethsaida. Chorazin was less than an hour’s walk from Capernaum; certainly a town Jesus frequented.
We have now had plenty of time to observe how the Jews of these cities responded to Jesus. The majority were excited about Jesus; but they were excited because of the spectacle, not because heaven had come to touch earth. The religious leaders were a mixture of suspicion and resentment. Certainly, there were the faithful followers, but this was an insignificant minority.
By and large, Chorazin and Bethsaida remained unmoved, hardhearted, comfortable. They are Jews. They are the chosen people of God. If the kingdom of heaven belongs to anyone, isn’t it them? Why would they need to repent? But bloodlines mean nothing in the kingdom of heaven, only repentance.
Conversely, if Jesus had gone to Tyre and Sidon – two ancient Gentile cities – they would have turned out in repentance. Sackcloth clothing and ashes on the head were two customary displays of mourning and repentance. Dawning such vestments was a visual announcement that you have been undone; you have been humbled, broken.
Jesus knows Tyre and Sidon would have repented thus. And Jesus isn’t picking Tyre and Sidon randomly. Does He do anything randomly? There are numerous prophetic denouncements of both Tyre and Sidon in the Old Testament. Again and again, they are condemned for their staggering arrogance. Here’s a brief denouncement of Tyre:
Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god…therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you, the most ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. -Ezekiel 28:2,7-8
Tyre and Sidon, a signal of arrogance in the Jewish mind, even they would have humbled themselves in repentance if Jesus had walked through their streets. Jesus is effectively saying that Jewish Chorazin and Bethsaida are more arrogant than Gentile Tyre and Sidon.
Woe to them! Their judgment shall be severe. For the Son of God had brought to them the kingdom of heaven, and they did not want it. Woe to them when that final, eschatological judgment comes upon men. Their rejection of God is far more intense than Tyre and Sidon’s ever were, and thus their condemnation is more severe.
But Capernaum; Capernaum’s woe is even greater.
Read vs 23-24
Capernaum was Jesus’ home base for ministry. Though He didn’t have a home, He effectively lived there. No one had seen more of the Son of God than did those in Capernaum. Still, they did not repent.
There is no city in the entire Bible that symbolizes wickedness like Sodom. It wasn’t that long ago that we studied the fall of Sodom – in all of their perversity and pride. But even wicked Sodom would have repented if the Christ entered its gates. Woe to Capernaum for failing to receive the King of heaven and earth! How great will their judgment be!
And why are these cities so doomed? Did not Jesus just look like any ordinary man, a carpenter with a Nazareth accent? How can God blame the people of these cities for missing it? Well, apart from miracles (the like of which no one had seen) if they were to look beyond looks, they would have seen the very face of the Living God.
[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. -Hebrews 1:3
[Christ] is the image of the invisible God…For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. -Colossians 1:15,19
To see Jesus is to see God. To be in His presence is to bump up against the kingdom of God. The people of Capernaum have no excuse. Woe to Capernaum. Woe to Chorazin and Bethsaida, for you did not recognize the time of your visitation.
And then Jesus begins to pray aloud.
Read vs 25-26
We have heard Jesus talk about His Father, we’ve heard Him teach on how we should pray to the Father, but this is the first time we hear Jesus pray to His Heavenly Father. How precious that Jesus gives us a peek into His prayer life with His Father.
And this is a prayer of thanksgiving. How strange this is, because Matthew intentionally links this prayer to what Jesus has just been saying. He was just pronouncing woes over unrepentant cities, and now Christ’s heart overflows with thanksgiving.
See the complexity of Christ’s emotions: pronouncing woe followed by a flood of thanksgiving. And His thanksgiving has nothing to do with the woes, it has everything to do with God’s revelation.
I wonder if you can relate to such complex emotions. You’re filled with one emotion, and then another emotion swells up and eclipses the other. These emotions can flow seamlessly, even if they appear to contradict one another. It is such a human experience, and here Jesus is having it. And yet, His divinity is clear within it.
Pay close attention as to what causes Jesus’ heart to swell with thanksgiving. I wonder if you saw it. He is struck by the nature in which God makes Himself known, and Jesus suddenly bursts with gratitude. He is so overcome that He just starts declaring His prayer so all can hear. Picture it.
And why is Jesus so overcome with thanksgiving? I’ve already mentioned it in brief. Because of how the Father has chosen to make Himself known.
First, let’s consider what Jesus means when He says, “These things”: as in, you have hidden these things. “These things” are the hidden things. And what is hidden? The kingdom of heaven; the very thing that Jesus has been telling everyone is so near. Listen to what Jesus says elsewhere.
“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
-Luke 17:20-21
The treasures of the kingdom of God are the hidden things that God has revealed. And God the Father has revealed these precious treasures to little children. Of course, Jesus isn’t talking exclusively and literally about children.
This may remind you of another of Jesus’ sayings:
“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” -Luke 18:17
Little children depend upon others. They cannot do things for themselves. They need someone stronger, more capable, wiser than them. They are helpless without their parents. And so they implicitly trust in their parents, love them and listen to them.
People who understand that they are sinners, completely incapable of earning a spot in the kingdom of heaven, these are like little children, dependent upon God to change their desperate estate. They understand their unworthiness and trust that their Heavenly Father has made a way. In short, the little children Jesus speaks of are those who are desperate for the Father’s salvation.
Jesus’ heart is a flood with thanksgiving because it is to these dependent little children that God graciously lavishes His salvation.
But the wise and understanding, they miss it. Here again, Jesus is not being literal; because you can be wise and understanding, you can be intelligent and well learned, and still have faith like a little child. But those that think they know it all, who can find a way for themselves, who are happy with their self-reliance, who don’t need any help (thank you very much): the Father has hidden the kingdom of heaven from them.
Perhaps you can think of someone who is absolutely brilliant, with a formidable intellect, but they look down their nose at Christians for being weak and foolish.
Paul writes about this exact dynamic.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
How good it is that the doors of the kingdom of God are open wide to the unworthy, the desperate, the needy, and the weak! Such people have no payment to give, no mighty works to offer that would gain them access into the kingdom of heaven. All they have is their trust in the goodness and mercy of their Heavenly Father. So, if there is any reason to boast, we boast in the Lord. For all things are from Him and through Him and for Him.
And if these truths are causing some gratitude to stir in your heart, know that you are in good company. For Christ’s heart was so stirred that He was moved to loud thanksgiving.
Read vs 27
Once more, Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” What things? Again, it’s the treasures of the hidden kingdom. But being that these treasures have been handed to Jesus, He has authority over them. It’s much like Jesus’ last declaration in Matthew’s Gospel: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Jesus then tells us how He exercises His authority. You’ll want to pay careful attention to this.
First, Jesus says that the only one in existence that truly knows Him is the Father. But similarly, no one knows the Father except the Son. This is not a knowing of intellect; like having facts about each other. This is a relational knowledge: a deep knowing of what each other loves and dislikes, of what brings pleasure and pain, of what makes the heart soar and the heart sink.
Truly, Jesus is revealing mysteries beyond our wisdom. The relationship held between God the Father and God the Son is more intimate, and more loving, than our minds can comprehend. They are so unified that they are one. So much so that what one does, it is completely within the will of the other. And what the other does, it is completely within the will of the first. They are one.
Our most intimate relationships – like within the very best of our marriages – is only a faint echo of the oneness that the Father and the Son experience. Their love for each other is incomparably perfect.
Jesus isn’t mentioning the Holy Spirit in this prayer, but this is a profound revelation of the Triune Godhead. Three persons that are one God. One God that is three persons. It is such a powerful relationship that the universe pivots upon it; and all things are from Him and through Him and to Him!
Hear Jesus’ words again: “no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son choses to reveal Him.”
The knowledge of the Father – which the Son so intimately knows, which is beyond the wisest wisdom of men – this knowledge, the Son reveals to whom He pleases. There is no greater revelation of God than what Jesus Christ has made know.
[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. -Hebrews 1:3
[Christ] is the image of the invisible God…For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. -Colossians 1:15,19
This is exactly why Jesus can rightly claim that He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). And if – as you hear Jesus’ words and behold His miracles – you see in His face the very face of God, then that means that Jesus has chosen to reveal the Almighty Father, awesome in all His sovereign plans, wildly generous with His love; then Jesus has chosen to reveal Him to you.
And knowing that there is nothing within you that deserves such revelation, cry out with Christ, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” like me. Thank you for showing me the truth of Jesus, that you have made Him my hope in life, and that He is my only way into the kingdom of heaven.
Cling to Christ little children. Repent of your self-reliance and cling to Christ. He is gentle and lowly of heart, and He will bring rest to your soul.
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• 5/19/24The Worthy and the Worthless - Gospel of Matthew - Part 27
The Worthy and The Worthless
Matthew 10:34-42
Immanuel – 5/19/24
What a blessing it was to hear from one of our Elders, Josiah Stevens, last week! While you were all here listening, I was simultaneously watching the livestream. How deeply I appreciate his words. In his opening remarks he said, “I desire to be God’s instrument to increase the church’s value and understanding of [God’s] word.” I am confident that while Josiah was preaching, God met his desire.
I praise God that He has blessed Immanuel with Josiah and His leadership, as well as our other Elders: Dave Fuller, Dave Nauss, Geoff Christian, and Eric Moore. Yes, truly, God’s blessing is upon this church!
Josiah’s desire is also my desire for this morning. May our hearts burn within us as we come before the very words of the King of kings and Prince of Peace.
Speaking of Jesus’ words, let us remember that chapter 10 is the second of five great discourses in the Gospel of Matthew. Each discourse is an extended – and dare I say extremely powerful – teaching of Christ’s.
In this discourse, Jesus is teaching His 12 Apostles how they are to gather in the harvest, how they are to be faithful ambassadors of Christ. How clear it is that when Jesus sends them out, their mission is filled with danger; and yet its risks are far outweighed by the everlasting glories abounding in the mission. Yes, Christ is making His disciples an extension of His own purpose.
That’s exactly what Jesus means when, in verse 24, He said, “A disciple is not above His teacher, nor a servant above His master.” Jesus is our great teacher, the Lord of our lives, thus He summons us to follow Him and to take up His purpose.
As we have seen over the past couple of weeks, these summons are filled with dangers. In verse 16 Jesus says He sends His disciples out as sheep among wolves. He then tells them they will be persecuted, betrayed and hated – even within the context of family. In verse 23 we see Jesus say that there will even be times the disciples will have to flee.
Yet in verses 24-33 Jesus encourages His disciples that come what may, our sovereign God holds them fast in His perfect plan. Everything they will experience; Jesus has already experienced. And no matter what they experience – no matter what you experience – the Father holds His beloved children secure, tenderly caring for us, providing, eager to lavish with glory and honor.
The Apostle Paul perfectly captures the spirit of what Jesus is saying:
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:17-18
In light of this eternal weight of glory…
Read vs 34
Look at those words, “I have not come to bring peace to the earth.” These words abound with revelation; for this is not something a normal human can say. Does this not imply that Jesus chose to come into the world for a purpose, that He pre-existed His natural birth? Here again, is another glimpse into Jesus’ divinity and His eternal existence. He is truly man and He is truly God.
The God-man did not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. People who say they interpret the Bible literally might stumble here; because if Jesus is talking literally, then this means that Jesus entered the earth to bring a sharp, metal blade commonly used in ancient warfare. Of course, Jesus is speaking in symbols, metaphors. He uses the symbol of a sword to say that He has come to bring division, strife, and struggle.
But wait! Did He not say in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). On top of that, isn’t Jesus called the Prince of Peace?
An ancient prophesy foretold that Jesus would bring peace.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6
If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, if He says that it is blessed to be a peacemaker, then how can He simultaneously claim that He has not come to bring peace, but a sword?
Here I think it would be helpful for us to hear His words as recorded by the Apostle John.
Turn to John 3:16-21
We saw it implied earlier in Matthew, and John states it explicitly elsewhere, Jesus is the Light of the World. Sinners loving the darkness hate it when the Light exposes their works as evil. They rage against the light.
Using a different metaphor, Paul states the same truth.
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? -2 Corinthians 2:15-16
If you have trusted in Jesus, if you have received forgiveness and redemption from Christ, you are in the light. You have become a fragrance of life to life and death to death.
Meaning, that if you are around anyone else who is also in Christ, then you smell like life to them. Conversely, if you are around anyone who hides in the dark, still clinging to their sins, then you smell like death.
Your presence is a constant reminder of their separation from God and their impending judgment. You remind them that hell is coming – and they will hate you for it. They want nothing to do with your fragrance of death. You are a stench to them, an offense.
How clearly Scripture testifies – here and elsewhere – that the truth of Jesus has a powerful dividing effect. His words sift humanity into two camps: believers and unbelievers, for and against, forgiven and condemned.
So the sword that Jesus has come to bring is one, not of warfare, but of truth. Truth is divisive because it means that there is an objective wrong and an objective right. If something is objectively true, then it is true regardless of your experiences, regardless of your feelings, regardless of your desires. And if you are going to be in the truth – or in the light – then there is a division between you and those who reject the truth.
So it is with the truth of Christ. The reality of Jesus divides people, causes disunity, tears apart, as people come to different conclusions about the identity, purpose, and calling of Jesus Christ, the God-man.
The disciples of Jesus are given this sword, and we are commissioned to proclaim it, not recklessly or arrogantly, but in love and with humility. Even still, such a truth will cut so deeply, that even families may be torn to pieces.
Read vs 35-36
The reality of Jesus will divide families, so much so that “a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” How true and terrible are these words of Christ!
On March 9th, 2022, news broke that a Kurdish female was found, brutally stabbed to death, in northern Iraq. Her murder took place near the Erbil international airport, in a predominantly Christian district of Erbil. Just a few weeks earlier, Eman Sami Maghdid – choosing the Christian name “Maria” for herself – announced on social media that she had recently converted from Islam to Christianity and was eagerly preparing to be baptized.
Quoting the news outlet Asia News, “It appears that she was punished by her family for leaving Islam, specifically for being emancipated and embracing the Christian religion; in short, she was ‘guilty’ of apostasy.” For the crime of embracing Christianity, Maria’s uncle and brother murdered her, calling it an honor killing. Maria was 20 years old.1
Families – places meant to be filled with love and security, with peace – brooding with division and danger; all because some members of that family have been gripped by the word of Christ.
Maria’s story is just one in a sea of countless others like it. A little over two weeks after Maria was martyred, I flew into that same Erbil airport. I met with Iranians who had been disowned by their families and others that had to flee their hometown for fear of persecution.
Of course, these examples come from Islamic lands, and here in America we do not face such dangers. But I know of countless families, many of your families, that have divided over Christ. You love your family members, you want them to know Jesus, you want them to be with you in eternity; but they reject the gospel, they reject the conversation, and now your relationship is marked with an ever-present tension. Some of you have been written off by your own children: I have seen the anguish it brings you.
Jesus’ words are as true now as they were when He first uttered them.
Read vs 37
Jesus is saying, your commitment to me must be even greater than your commitment to your family. The truth of Christ, the person of Christ, we must hold as more valuable than your father, your mother, your spouse, even your own children. For which one of your family members can save your soul?
As the theologian Leon Morris writes:
“No mere man has the right to claim a love higher than that for parents or children; it is only because He is who He is that Jesus can look for such love. The words imply that His is more than a merely human teacher and leader. Of the one who lacks this love for Him He says that he is not worthy of me. We must not forget that Jesus knew what it was to experience misunderstanding in the family, for His own thought Him mad (Mark 3:21). Jesus is not asking from His followers something He did not know for Himself.”2
Absolutely, the Bible testifies that we are to love our families; that we are to hold them with the utmost care and respect. In fact, one of the 10 Commandments instructs us to honor our father and mother. Love your children. But that love cannot supersede your love for Christ.
Let’s consider the inverse of this. If you fear that by following Jesus, you will lose family members – and therefore decide not to follow Jesus – then, as Jesus puts it, you are not worthy of Him. If you love your son or daughter more than you love Jesus, you are not worthy of Jesus. If your life is so oriented around your children to the neglect of Christ, you are not worthy of Christ.
The truth of Jesus is more valuable than your children, more valuable even than your own life.
Read vs 38-39
When the disciples first heard these words, they didn’t yet know that Jesus would be crucified. They couldn’t yet feel the full weight of His words. But they would have understood that Jesus was talking about a one-way journey.
Everyone condemned to be crucified had to carry their cross to the place of crucifixion: a terrible walk with an excruciating ending. And once that awful burden was thrust upon your back, there was no turning back.
The image would have been clear enough: Jesus was talking about the utmost denial of self. For if you would be willing to take up your cross to follow Jesus, you were marching towards the death of self.
But Jesus is not calling His disciples into a life of self-harm or asceticism. No. He says that if you lose your life, for His sake, you will find life.
At the beginning of our passage, we hear Jesus tell us why He had come into the world. Let’s look at another time He said He had come into the world. Speaking of His disciples, Jesus says,
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” -John 10:10
Life, and life abundantly! Yes, every follower of Jesus will be given life eternal! Death will not be the end of you, but merely the transition into everlasting life.
Life that does not end, that is abundant indeed. But that is not where it stops, for what is an everlasting life devoid of purpose? So this abundant life that Jesus has come to give is a life filled with meaning and purpose. What is that purpose? In the context of Matthew 10, that purpose is to go out and work the harvest!
The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. We pray that God would send laborers into the harvest, and then, lo and behold, Jesus sends His disciples to work the harvest: like sheep among wolves, proclaiming the kingdom of heaven, fearing no man, but revering our Heavenly Father.
So, all those things you thought you wanted to devote your life to – success, travel, notoriety, academia, sports, even family – if you look for your life in those places you will lose it. But if you lose your life of selfish desires, to follow Christ and obey His calling, you will find a purpose that will so deeply satisfy your soul. Yours will be an abundant life!
Again: concentrate your energies on yourself and you will get lost in self-destruction. Lose yourself in service of the King, and you will find your truest self!
Read vs 40-42
As you go out on mission for Christ, anyone who receive you also receives Christ. To receive Christ is to receive the Father. What deeply profound unity woven between Father and Son and disciples. There is a sermon just in this verse!
Does this not show us how invested Jesus is in our mission? He is there with us, even when our family rejects us, even when we are reviled and persecuted for His name’s sake, Jesus is there with us. He identifies Himself with us, just as we identify ourselves with Him. Therefore, what happens to us, it is as if it happens to Him.
Who is the God that would bind Himself to man, in all our imperfections, and fears, and sufferings?
So, whoever receives you in peace, they receive peace. Whoever receives you in righteousness, receives righteousness. For to receive you is to receive your message, and to receive your message is to receive Christ. Very similarly, this is what it means to receive a prophet and get a prophet’s reward.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy. -Revelation 19:10
To receive a prophet is to receive the testimony of Jesus Christ. And what a reward it is to receive the King who gives life, and life abundantly!
Verse 42 shifts a little bit, moving from rewards given to those who receive you (as you are out there working the harvest), to rewards you receive as you work the harvest. The term “little ones” is really about those who are neglected, overlooked, dejected, lost, helpless. And giving a cup of cold water would be considered the least of all gifts you could give. A cup of cold water was something inexpensive and easy to do; just draw it up from the well.
God is so invested, so united to His disciples, that even a simple little gift, given to the most dejected disciple, will be rewarded. It is as if you are giving that gift to Jesus Christ Himself.
But that cup of cold water is the smallest gift you can give. This whole discourse is ultimately about going out into the world, even in the face of great danger, even at the loss of your loved ones, to give the gift of the gospel. And if you were to deny yourself and give the gift of the gospel, to quench the thirst of desperate souls, how great will your reward be!
As I said at the beginning of this message, when Jesus sends His disciples out, our mission is filled with danger; and yet its risks are far outweighed by the everlasting glories abounding in the mission. Christ is making His disciples an extension of His own purpose, an extension of His own life. No matter what you experience, the Father holds His beloved children secure, tenderly caring for us, providing, eager to lavish with glory and honor.
Yes, whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will find it. You shall be the fragrance of life to the living and the fragrance of death to the dying, and when it comes time for you to die, Christ will say “worthy!” And He shall raise you to abundant life without end.
I conclude with the words of Martin Luther from that old hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.
1(2022, March 9) Maria, 20, killed in Erbil by relatives for converting to Christianity. Asia News. https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Maria,-20,-killed-in-Erbil-by-relatives-for-converting-to-Christianity-55319.html
2Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel According to Matthew. Pg 268. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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• 5/5/24Proclaim as You Go - Gospel of Matthew - Part 25
Proclaim As You Go
Matthew 10:1-15
Immanuel - 5/5/24
At the very end of chapter 9, we heard Jesus say, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” -Matthew 9:37-38
Like I said last week: In this illustration, Jesus imagines the earth like a vast field, ripe for people to be gathered into His kingdom – people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And if this harvest is going to be brought in, the first place to start is on the knees.
Christ tells His disciples to pray earnestly. Pray with great effort. Pray with sincere longing – that God would move, that He would stir people’s hearts, that He would raise up workers to go into the field and proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God!
But praying is where things start. It’s only the beginning. For the very next thing that Jesus does is appoint disciples to go into the harvest. Again and again, we have seen enormous crowds following Jesus around. From these crowds comes a smaller, committed bunch: Jesus’ disciples.
But out of this larger group of disciples, Jesus calls 12.
Read vs 1
Jesus appoints 12 of His disciples for a special mission, specifically for working the harvest. And look in verse 2, there they are called apostles. The word apostle comes from the Greek “Apostolos.” It literally means a “sent one.” It is a delegate or ambassador, given special authority to carry a specific message.
That’s just what we see Jesus doing. The message these Apostles will carry is found in verse 7: Proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus gives the Apostles authority in verse 1: authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. These 12 will go with Jesus’ message and Jesus’ power.
And then Matthew lists those that Jesus names as His Apostles. Peter is first, because he was their leader. In chapter 4 we saw Jesus calling Andrew, James, and John. In chapter 9 was the initial calling of Matthew. The rest are not mentioned in Matthew’s gospel; that is, except for Judas – Judas who betrays Jesus.
After he betrayed Jesus, Judas kills himself. James, John’s brother, is beheaded by Herod (Acts 12:2) in Jerusalem. The rest of the Apostles spread across the Roman Empire proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. But some went further: Church tradition tells us that Thomas traveled all the way to India and Matthew likely made it to Ethiopia.
But nearly every Apostle listed here will be martyred for the gospel, most of them dying very cruel deaths. Only John lived to old age and died peacefully, though he suffered terrible persecutions throughout his life.
Truly, these 12 were committed. Truly, they had seen something in Jesus that absolutely transformed them and changed the course of their lives. And right here, in Matthew 10, Jesus prepares them for their very first mission.
For the rest of chapter 10, Jesus will deliver instructions on how His disciples are to go on mission, how they are to become laborers in the harvest. This powerful teaching is Jesus’ second of five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew.
Read vs 5-6
A Message And A Mission
Back in 9:36, Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd. They were harassed and helpless. Jesus expands this image beyond the crowds that surrounded Him, to all the people of Israel. All of Israel was in need of a Shepherd. The Apostles were going to find them, wherever they were scattered, and tell them that the Shepherd has come.
See how Jesus forbids them to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans? Jesus and the disciples were in Galilee, a predominantly Jewish territory. But they were surrounded by non-Jewish, Gentile lands to the west, north, and east. In the south were Samaritan lands. Jesus was effectively limiting the Apostles’ first missionary journey to Galilee, and only to the Jews in Galilee.
But there was a greater purpose. The Jews were the chosen people of God, thus they were to hear the good news of the kingdom of God first.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
-Romans 1:16
The gospel first went to the Jews, and then the rest of the world. For after the cross and resurrection, Jesus says to these same Apostles:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” -Matthew 28:18-19
But for now, in this very early stage of Jesus’ ministry, and at the very beginning of the disciples’ career as Apostles, the mission is limited to Galilee. To the Jews first.
Read vs 7
Again, this is the message the Apostles are to carry with them. It is verbatim, Jesus’ own message.
Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -Matthew 4:17
John the Baptist also proclaimed the same message:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. -Matthew 3:2
The Apostles are not sent to preach topical sermons, they are not sent to give their interpretation of what Jesus has been doing, they are sent to proclaim His exact words: the kingdom of heaven is at hand! Any deviation from what Jesus Christ says, and their mission fails.
The kingdom of heaven is at hand: Meaning, it is near, it is imminent, it is almost upon them. Those who hear such a message must, therefore, respond with urgency. There is no time to wait. Come today and receive the kingdom.
And this message they are to proclaim as they go, everywhere they go, all along the way. While they journey to their destination, they are to proclaim. While at their destination, they are to proclaim. Returning from their destination, they are to proclaim.
Again, with their message, we see Christ giving them authority.
Read vs 8a
The only miraculous act we see the disciples performing in the gospels is the casting out of demons (Luke 10:17-20). The rest of the miracles we see occur in the book of Acts, though there is no record of a leper being cleansed by them that I could recall.
But what is more important is that in Matthew 8 and 9, these were the same works that Jesus performed to demonstrate His incomparable power, and His authority as the Son of God. Thus, Jesus sends these 12 Apostles with His same message and His same authoritative acts. This is less about the miracles and more about the powerful and unique authorization from Jesus.
To be clear, the authority to perform these miraculous works was given only to the 12. The rest of the disciples, out of which the 12 were called, were not given this same authority. We can therefore deduce that the authority Jesus gave to the 12 Apostles was unique; not for all disciples through all time.
So, Jesus gives a peculiar authority to the Apostles for laboring in the harvest. And then Jesus goes into the strategy that is to guide them while they are out there working the harvest.
Read vs 8b-15
Look at what Jesus says the disciples should not do:
1. Vs 9 - Acquire no money for your belts. In other words, do not charge for your services. It was customary at that time, among both Jews and Gentiles, that traveling teachers and philosophers would expect payment from the people who were listening. Jesus says, don’t do that. This is not a money making venture.
2. Vs 10 – Take no bag, extra tunic, or footwear. Don’t pack extra clothes.
3. Vs 10 – No staff. Take no protection.
The theme of these don’ts is that the disciples are supposed to travel light, taking very little with them, and not worry about their provisions. Their strategy will be to faithfully proclaim in the authority of Christ, and to depend upon God for all their needs.
Here we should be reminded of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” -Matthew 6:32,33
Just as the Apostles were going out to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom, so was Jesus setting them up to simultaneously seek the kingdom. How awesome! The very message they proclaim, they must remain dependent upon!
The harvest, ripe and ready, is dependent upon the spiritual provision of the kingdom of God – which the disciples proclaim. At the same time, the disciples are dependent upon the harvest for physical provision. There is an interdependent relationship here. No one is independent. No one can thrive without trusting in Christ, whose authority and message is proclaimed, and who is ultimately responsible for all provision.
Now look at what He says the disciples should do:
1. Vs 10 – This one is implied, but the laborer deserves his food. This means, expect that the laborer will find provision from the harvest.
2. Vs 11 – Find who is worthy. Find the people that welcome you and your message.
3. Vs 11 – Stay with those worthy people.
4. Vs 12 – Greet the worthy house (house means household, those who live in that house).
5. Vs 14 – If no one receives you, or if a household proves worthless, shake the dust from your sandals and leave.
Notice, as the Apostles go out on mission, there will be two results. Some people will receive them, proving themselves to be worthy. Other people will reject them, proving themselves to be unworthy. The worthy will receive peace, the unworthy will receive judgment – for they have rejected the kingdom of God.
Here at Immanuel, we call these worthy people, “Persons of Peace.” We get that term from Luke 10, where Luke calls these people “sons of peace.” In both Matthew and Luke, the disciples are to greet with peace. If a worthy person receives that greeting, receiving also the disciple and his message, then peace rests upon that person. They are a person of peace.
You must capture the importance of this. As the Apostles go and proclaim, they are to look for persons of peace. They are to stay with them and minister to them. In return, those persons of peace will provide for the disciples. Christ has chosen to expand His kingdom through persons of peace!
Let me now show you how Jesus’ words do apply to all disciples through all time. As I have said, the authority Jesus gives to the 12 Apostles is uniquely powerful. But in verse 8, when Jesus says, “you receive without paying; give without pay;” isn’t that true for every disciple of Jesus?
Your faith is a gift, your life is a gift, your inheritance is a gift, and your mission is a gift. You have earned none of it. So too should you give without expecting anything in return. We have now shifted from things only true to the 12 Apostles to things true for every one of Christ’s disciples.
2 Principles for Mission
The authority given to the Apostles is unique, but the principles of the mission are for every disciple. The fundamental principles are twofold:
1. As you go, proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God.
2. Seek and disciple Persons of Peace.
Now, I would like to give you a simple way to know if you have found a person of peace. If you have taken Ambassador Training, or any other 4 Fields Intensives, then you’ll be familiar with what I am going to do next.
Draw Traffic Light
The 12 Apostles had a unique ministry in all of history. Unless your name is listed in the gospels as an Apostle, or your name is not Paul of Tarsus, then you are not among them. You have not been given the same authority as they had been given, and neither has anyone else.
That said, there are apostles today. As Paul writes, among prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers, Christ also gave the church apostles.
[Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. -Ephesians 4:11-12
Today the title “apostle” is used and abused. There are countless false apostles claiming to hear new revelations from God, boasting of unverifiable miracles, and filling their money bags with gold, silver, and copper. Because of these abuses, we don’t use the term apostle very often.
A true, modern-day apostle is someone who takes the word of God to people who have never heard it before. True modern-day apostles are frontier missionaries. Garrett Simerson is a modern-day apostle. The Lord has called Garrett to take the message of the gospel to unreached peoples in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.
Again, an apostle is a delegate or ambassador, given special authority to carry a specific message. Today, apostles have a specific calling to go to places unreached by the gospel. Not all of us have this apostolic calling on our lives, but all of us are called as ambassadors.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come…All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. -2 Corinthians 5:17,19,20
Though we are not all called as apostles, and though none of us are the 12 Apostles, everyone who is a new creation in Christ is an ambassador for Christ. All of us have been authorized to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God. All of us are to be working the harvest, looking for persons of peace.
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. The church has prayed for God to send laborers. Will you serve the Lord of the harvest? Will you work the field? Will your life be marked by not just faith, but also obedience? Will you proclaim as you go?
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