We have just finished reading Matthew 22-28. In this section we have the last block of teaching that Matthew builds his gospel around. If you remember, Matthew records five "sermons" that Jesus preached that were used as teaching materials for the early church. These five teaching blocks were for new believers as they began following Christ. They are the Sermon on the Mount (5-7), Instructions for Missionaries (10), the Nature of the Kingdom (13), Greatness in the Kingdom (18), and the End of the Age (24-25).
Actually, chapters 24-25 answers three questions the disciples posed; "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Jesus had just told them that the Temple would one day be destroyed so that one stone would not be left upon another (24:1-2). Jesus answers their three questions in a different order than they asked. In 24:4-14, He answers their third question, in 24:15-20, He answers their first question. And in 24:21-44, He answers their second question. Jesus tells three parables, 24:45-51, 25:1-13, and 25:14-30 to emphasize to us the importance of being prepared and faithful to receive from the Lord and to be obedient to the Lord with what He has entrusted to us.
This last block of teaching ends with a picture of the Judgement Day when Jesus Christ returns in glory with all of the angels to separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. We are not as familiar with this process as they were. Sheep are separated from goats by a word, the voice of the Shepherd. Sheep respond to His word; goats do not. They only eat. They are led by their appetites. Then Jesus says that both groups, sheep and goats, will be surprised by the Lord when He tells them that they fed, clothed, and visited Him when He was in need (sheep) and that they did not feed, clothe, or visit Him when He was in need (goats). They both ask the same question, "When did we see You hungry and feed You...?" (sheep), "When did we see You hungry and not feed You...?" It seems as though the goats had done some culling with their benevolence whereas the sheep had shared indiscriminately. We think of the inn keeper in Luke's gospel who did not know it was the Christ who was about to be born, or he would have made room for Him (Luke 2:7).
The teaching is clear on how to prepare for the return of the Lord; receive from God and share with others from the abundance that God gives. Do not judge others as to whether they are "worthy" or not; appearances can be deceiving; just share and see how closely the Lord is to those in need. Jesus assures us that when we do, ministry becomes an act of worship.
There is another important teaching in this section; in chapters 22-23 we see Jesus being questioned by the religious authorities. In Exodus 12:1-7 we see the instructions that God gave the people concerning the Passover lamb. It was to be selected on the tenth of the month and sacrificed on the fourteenth of the month. For four days it was to be examined. If it had any blemishes it was not to be used. During those four days in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was being examined. He was found to be without blemish.
The questioning began in 21:16 when Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Children were crying out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" The chief priest and scribes were indignant and asked, "Do you hear what these are saying?" It seems strange to us that anyone would ask Jesus if He could "hear." Jesus could perceive men's thoughts. Jesus answered their question with a question. This is a known technique of a master teacher to help the students learn. It is better if a student discover an answer rather than be given one. Jesus is seeking to teach as He is being questioned. In each of the next three questions (21:23, 22:17, 22:24) Jesus answers their question with questions of His own. He is not distracted by their attempts to catch Him in His words. Jesus stayed focused and obedient to the Father; preach and teach the Kingdom and demonstrate the powerful reality of it.
The last question (22:36) is the exception. Jesus does not answer with a question. He simply quotes Scripture to answer. This reminds us of when Jesus was being tempted; He would answer the temptations with Scripture (4:1-11). The question He was asked was, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" There was a huge dispute and disagreement over that question among rabbis. Jesus simply quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jesus was asked four questions and He asked eight questions. This lets us know that He is the one we must answer to, not the other way around.
Chapters 26-28 are chapters we must take our shoes off when reading; it is holy ground. This is the section of the Last Supper, the garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal, arrest and trial, torture, crucifixion and death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world. We can say this about that; Jesus Christ gave His life for us in order to give His life to us so that He could live His life in us, as us, before the watching world, for the glory of our heavenly Father. This event changes everything, forever.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Matthew 11-21
We have just finished reading Matthew 11-21. In this section of Matthew we see the mounting complaints, criticisms, and opposition toward Jesus. We see this opposition coming from all quarters and we see how Jesus handled it; by continuing to teach, preach, and heal. Jesus was not swayed nor distracted by the opposition. His heart was steadfast and steady in following His Father's will. He would use this criticism as an opportunity to teach.
Look at how the opposition grew from thinking to the accusation of Jesus being in league with the devil. Compare 8:33-34, 9:3-6, 10-11, 14, 32-34, 12:1-2, 9-14, 24, 38, 46-50, 13:53-58, 15:1-2, 16:1, 22-23, 17:24-27, 19:3, 21:14-16, 45-46. Notice what Jesus teaches during these occasions of opposition and criticism. Here is the question: What do you do when you are criticized and opposed? Do you try to defend yourself? Do you consider your actions in light of God's will? Do you seek to learn from the stress of it? Do you seek to teach others from the situation? Jesus shows us how to handle opposition.
This sections also gives us a clear teaching on the purpose of miracles. In 11:20 we learn that the purpose of miracles is to lead us to repent. Look also at 12:38-42, 43-45, 16:1-4. In each of these passages repentance is the key. Why would we repent in the sight of a miracle? Most of us would respond with "Wow; did you see that?" But Jesus teaches us that we should respond with, "Woe is me, I am undone; a man of unclean lips..." Repentance. Jesus is teaching us that the only way for a miracle to happen is if God is present and active. Only God can do miracles. Miracles are the work of His hand. And turning (repentance) to Him in every occasion is always the right thing to do, it is always the right response.
There are different kinds of miracles in this section. There are restorative miracles, like when Jesus would restore a person's eyesight or speech (12:22). There are nature miracles where Jesus changes things into a different nature, like when He and Peter walked on the water (14:22-33). There are creative miracles, like when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. He created muscle and tendons that were not there before. The question we must ask as we see this is: What kind of repentance do these miracles lead me to? In the presence of creative miracles my repentant response should be; "Lord, create in me a clean heart." In the presence of a restoring miracle; "Lord, restore unto me the joy of your salvation." The the light of a nature miracle; "Oh God, change me; I'm so easily swayed and tossed about by every wind and wave of temptation; Change me into a solid witness for you; transform my mind; my will; my emotions." The last miracle in Matthew done by Jesus is found at the end of this reading section for the week, 21:18-22. It is the strangest miracle that Jesus performed in that it was the only destructive miracle He ever performed. Notice the teaching Jesus gave as the result of it. How would you respond with repentance as a result of that miracle and teaching?
In this section we also see two of the five blocks of teachings from Jesus; chapter 13 on the nature of the Kingdom and chapter 18 on the nature of the Kingdom in me; or greatness in the Kingdom. In 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, and 47, it says "the Kingdom of heaven is like..." and then lists six very different things. Each of these things reveals something about the nature of the Kingdom. Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom is like things that are in our lives, things that we can understand. He is letting us know that if we are interested in the Kingdom we can learn about it. But in chapter 18 Jesus teaches us that there comes a point when we must decide whether we want to know about the Kingdom or do we want to enter it. In chapter 18 we learn of greatness in the Kingdom, or how great it is in us when we enter into it. Jesus says three things about the greatness of the Kingdom; humility is great in the Kingdom, our witness and the rejection of sin is great in the Kingdom, and forgiveness is great in the Kingdom. Forgiveness gets most of the print in this block of teaching. When Jesus tells the parable of the wealthy king who entrusted 10,000 talents to a servant (a talent was one lifetime's wages for a common laborer; @ $7 an hour/48 hrs/week/ 51 wks./year X 10,000 it equals $2.9 billion), then asked for his account, the king learned he had lost it all. This is a very wealthy king. This is a very irresponsible servant. The servant begs for forgiveness and receives it. This king is so wealthy, the loss of $2.9 billion doesn't set him back. But when this servant goes out and finds a fellow servant that owes him 100 denarii (a denarius was one day's wage), or about $5,600, and the fellow servant begs for forgiveness but does not receive it from the irresponsible servant. The other servants report the injustice to the king. The parable ends with one of the most startling statements made by Jesus in 18:35, to emphasize that forgiveness received and given is a big deal in the Kingdom.
One of the most misunderstood statements of Jesus is found in this section of teachings, 18:18. This is when Jesus said, "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." The context is forgiveness and reconciliation with a brother. What Jesus is teaching is that binding and loosing has to do with relationships. We are to be bound together as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom and are to loose forgiveness with each other here on earth because this is what is bound and loosed in heaven. This is an application to the prayer Jesus taught in 6:10, "...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."
The point is that if we desire to enter the Kingdom, we must realize the greatness of it and be willing for great humility, great rejection of sin in our lives, and great forgiveness to be received and given. We must be ready to receive great change in the way things have been in our lives. What about you? Do you desire a change in your life or do you want to continue simply being you? If you are satisfied in being you, don't follow Christ. But if you desire a Life that fully pleases God, follow Christ and receive His. Christianity is about the Life of Jesus being lived in you, through you, as you before the watching world, for His glory.
Next week we finish Matthew's gospel with the section of chapter 21-28.
Look at how the opposition grew from thinking to the accusation of Jesus being in league with the devil. Compare 8:33-34, 9:3-6, 10-11, 14, 32-34, 12:1-2, 9-14, 24, 38, 46-50, 13:53-58, 15:1-2, 16:1, 22-23, 17:24-27, 19:3, 21:14-16, 45-46. Notice what Jesus teaches during these occasions of opposition and criticism. Here is the question: What do you do when you are criticized and opposed? Do you try to defend yourself? Do you consider your actions in light of God's will? Do you seek to learn from the stress of it? Do you seek to teach others from the situation? Jesus shows us how to handle opposition.
This sections also gives us a clear teaching on the purpose of miracles. In 11:20 we learn that the purpose of miracles is to lead us to repent. Look also at 12:38-42, 43-45, 16:1-4. In each of these passages repentance is the key. Why would we repent in the sight of a miracle? Most of us would respond with "Wow; did you see that?" But Jesus teaches us that we should respond with, "Woe is me, I am undone; a man of unclean lips..." Repentance. Jesus is teaching us that the only way for a miracle to happen is if God is present and active. Only God can do miracles. Miracles are the work of His hand. And turning (repentance) to Him in every occasion is always the right thing to do, it is always the right response.
There are different kinds of miracles in this section. There are restorative miracles, like when Jesus would restore a person's eyesight or speech (12:22). There are nature miracles where Jesus changes things into a different nature, like when He and Peter walked on the water (14:22-33). There are creative miracles, like when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. He created muscle and tendons that were not there before. The question we must ask as we see this is: What kind of repentance do these miracles lead me to? In the presence of creative miracles my repentant response should be; "Lord, create in me a clean heart." In the presence of a restoring miracle; "Lord, restore unto me the joy of your salvation." The the light of a nature miracle; "Oh God, change me; I'm so easily swayed and tossed about by every wind and wave of temptation; Change me into a solid witness for you; transform my mind; my will; my emotions." The last miracle in Matthew done by Jesus is found at the end of this reading section for the week, 21:18-22. It is the strangest miracle that Jesus performed in that it was the only destructive miracle He ever performed. Notice the teaching Jesus gave as the result of it. How would you respond with repentance as a result of that miracle and teaching?
In this section we also see two of the five blocks of teachings from Jesus; chapter 13 on the nature of the Kingdom and chapter 18 on the nature of the Kingdom in me; or greatness in the Kingdom. In 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, and 47, it says "the Kingdom of heaven is like..." and then lists six very different things. Each of these things reveals something about the nature of the Kingdom. Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom is like things that are in our lives, things that we can understand. He is letting us know that if we are interested in the Kingdom we can learn about it. But in chapter 18 Jesus teaches us that there comes a point when we must decide whether we want to know about the Kingdom or do we want to enter it. In chapter 18 we learn of greatness in the Kingdom, or how great it is in us when we enter into it. Jesus says three things about the greatness of the Kingdom; humility is great in the Kingdom, our witness and the rejection of sin is great in the Kingdom, and forgiveness is great in the Kingdom. Forgiveness gets most of the print in this block of teaching. When Jesus tells the parable of the wealthy king who entrusted 10,000 talents to a servant (a talent was one lifetime's wages for a common laborer; @ $7 an hour/48 hrs/week/ 51 wks./year X 10,000 it equals $2.9 billion), then asked for his account, the king learned he had lost it all. This is a very wealthy king. This is a very irresponsible servant. The servant begs for forgiveness and receives it. This king is so wealthy, the loss of $2.9 billion doesn't set him back. But when this servant goes out and finds a fellow servant that owes him 100 denarii (a denarius was one day's wage), or about $5,600, and the fellow servant begs for forgiveness but does not receive it from the irresponsible servant. The other servants report the injustice to the king. The parable ends with one of the most startling statements made by Jesus in 18:35, to emphasize that forgiveness received and given is a big deal in the Kingdom.
One of the most misunderstood statements of Jesus is found in this section of teachings, 18:18. This is when Jesus said, "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." The context is forgiveness and reconciliation with a brother. What Jesus is teaching is that binding and loosing has to do with relationships. We are to be bound together as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom and are to loose forgiveness with each other here on earth because this is what is bound and loosed in heaven. This is an application to the prayer Jesus taught in 6:10, "...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."
The point is that if we desire to enter the Kingdom, we must realize the greatness of it and be willing for great humility, great rejection of sin in our lives, and great forgiveness to be received and given. We must be ready to receive great change in the way things have been in our lives. What about you? Do you desire a change in your life or do you want to continue simply being you? If you are satisfied in being you, don't follow Christ. But if you desire a Life that fully pleases God, follow Christ and receive His. Christianity is about the Life of Jesus being lived in you, through you, as you before the watching world, for His glory.
Next week we finish Matthew's gospel with the section of chapter 21-28.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Matthew 1-10
We are reading through the Bible in two years with a reading schedule that calls for about 10-12 chapters a week. This allows time for study and meditation. I hope to use this blog each week to review each week's readings.
This past week we read Matthew 1-10. There are four major sections in this reading; the birth of Christ (chapter 1-2), the beginning of His ministry of teaching and healing (chapters 3-4, 8-9), the sermon on the mount (5-7), and the instructions to His missionary disciples (10).
One of the things we notice in the birth story of Jesus are the Magi. These Gentile astronomers from the East traveling to Jerusalem in search of the newborn "King of the Jews," seem out of place in Matthew's gospel. Matthew reveals Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of Old Testament prophesies. Over and over he states, "...this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet..." Twenty times in this week's reading we have Old Testament quotes. But Matthew has another emphasis; Jesus is also the Savior of the Gentiles. Notice in chapter 1:1-17, the genealogy of Jesus, there are three Gentile women listed; Tamar, the Canaanite wife of Judah, Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who married Salmon (Boaz' father), and Ruth, the Moabite wife of Boaz. Matthew shows us Jesus ministry to Gentiles. In 4:25 the crowds that were being healed are described by being from Galilee and the Decapolis (ten Greek cities), and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordon (Gentile territory). Jesus is the King of the Jews, but from the very beginning, God had included Gentiles in His Kingdom. The Gentiles seemed more eager to enter than the religious Jews.
The Sermon on the Mount (5-7) is the first of five blocks of teachings that Matthew presents to his readers. These teachings sections (5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25) were used in the early church as a catechism for new believers. The first of these, called the Sermon on the Mount describes the life of Jesus. It is as if the first lesson for those who had begun following Christ was this question, "Are you sure you want this kind of life?" We find twelve characteristics of the life of Jesus in these chapters. These characteristics exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The righteous life of Christ is the only life that glorifies the Father. This kind of life is a light that shines from being face to face with the Father; it is the righteousness of God in Christ. The characteristics of reconciliation, pure passions, faithfulness, truthfulness, godly responses, prayerfulness, a disciplined life, being eternally-minded, trusting the Father fully, and a Spirit-guided life of service for others are all explained by Jesus. This is His life. This is what we will become more and more like as we follow Christ. His life is what you receive when you follow and trust Christ as your Lord and Savior.
In chapter nine opposition is introduced (9:11) by Pharisees who criticize Jesus for keeping company with tax collectors and sinner, and eating with them. Jesus responds to His critics with teaching. He is not distracted from His ministry but rather uses the distractions to clarify His ministry. This is a lesson for us. We will see much more opposition in next week's reading (chapters 11-21).
The teachings from chapter ten give instructions to the missionaries of the Kingdom. Jesus instructs His missionaries on the fact that He is their authority and power for the task. Jesus gives them a clear "people group" to minister to. He instructs them to preach and teach the Kingdom and to demonstrate the power of the King in the lives of the oppressed. He tells them to stay with those who are receptive and to include others in the task by receiving from them support for the mission. He warns them of the opposition and of the choice that friends and family must make when other relationships threaten the advance of the Kingdom. The Lord assures His missionaries that they will be successful and that they will be persecuted and suffer. He encourages them not to fear man, but to fear God. Most of all, Jesus lets His missionaries know that He is with them. When someone receives them, Jesus said they "...receive Me."
Some questions from this section:
This past week we read Matthew 1-10. There are four major sections in this reading; the birth of Christ (chapter 1-2), the beginning of His ministry of teaching and healing (chapters 3-4, 8-9), the sermon on the mount (5-7), and the instructions to His missionary disciples (10).
One of the things we notice in the birth story of Jesus are the Magi. These Gentile astronomers from the East traveling to Jerusalem in search of the newborn "King of the Jews," seem out of place in Matthew's gospel. Matthew reveals Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of Old Testament prophesies. Over and over he states, "...this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet..." Twenty times in this week's reading we have Old Testament quotes. But Matthew has another emphasis; Jesus is also the Savior of the Gentiles. Notice in chapter 1:1-17, the genealogy of Jesus, there are three Gentile women listed; Tamar, the Canaanite wife of Judah, Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who married Salmon (Boaz' father), and Ruth, the Moabite wife of Boaz. Matthew shows us Jesus ministry to Gentiles. In 4:25 the crowds that were being healed are described by being from Galilee and the Decapolis (ten Greek cities), and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordon (Gentile territory). Jesus is the King of the Jews, but from the very beginning, God had included Gentiles in His Kingdom. The Gentiles seemed more eager to enter than the religious Jews.
The Sermon on the Mount (5-7) is the first of five blocks of teachings that Matthew presents to his readers. These teachings sections (5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25) were used in the early church as a catechism for new believers. The first of these, called the Sermon on the Mount describes the life of Jesus. It is as if the first lesson for those who had begun following Christ was this question, "Are you sure you want this kind of life?" We find twelve characteristics of the life of Jesus in these chapters. These characteristics exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The righteous life of Christ is the only life that glorifies the Father. This kind of life is a light that shines from being face to face with the Father; it is the righteousness of God in Christ. The characteristics of reconciliation, pure passions, faithfulness, truthfulness, godly responses, prayerfulness, a disciplined life, being eternally-minded, trusting the Father fully, and a Spirit-guided life of service for others are all explained by Jesus. This is His life. This is what we will become more and more like as we follow Christ. His life is what you receive when you follow and trust Christ as your Lord and Savior.
In chapter nine opposition is introduced (9:11) by Pharisees who criticize Jesus for keeping company with tax collectors and sinner, and eating with them. Jesus responds to His critics with teaching. He is not distracted from His ministry but rather uses the distractions to clarify His ministry. This is a lesson for us. We will see much more opposition in next week's reading (chapters 11-21).
The teachings from chapter ten give instructions to the missionaries of the Kingdom. Jesus instructs His missionaries on the fact that He is their authority and power for the task. Jesus gives them a clear "people group" to minister to. He instructs them to preach and teach the Kingdom and to demonstrate the power of the King in the lives of the oppressed. He tells them to stay with those who are receptive and to include others in the task by receiving from them support for the mission. He warns them of the opposition and of the choice that friends and family must make when other relationships threaten the advance of the Kingdom. The Lord assures His missionaries that they will be successful and that they will be persecuted and suffer. He encourages them not to fear man, but to fear God. Most of all, Jesus lets His missionaries know that He is with them. When someone receives them, Jesus said they "...receive Me."
Some questions from this section:
- How can the emotion of anger be channeled away from the destruction that leads to murder into something that glorifies God? See Mark 3:5 for a time when it says that Jesus was angry.
- How can the eyes become pure and never worry about being torn out for sinning?
- What kind of fruit should we look for in teachers? It must be more than their words and actions according to Jesus (7:21-23).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)