Milo

JULY 23

Reading 204

KING AND SON OF GOD Matthew 16–17

” ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ ” (Matt. 16:15–16).These chapters mark a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. From now on, Jesus spoke less of the kingdom, and more of the Cross.

Overview

Jesus rejected an official demand for a miraculous sign (16:1–12). Only His disciples acknowledged Him as Son of God (vv. 13–16). Jesus commended Peter (vv. 17–20), and began to instruct the disciples concerning the Cross (vv. 21–28). Christ’s transfiguration displayed His glory to the disciples (17:1–13) before an unbelieving generation failed to see Christ’s glory in an act of healing (vv. 14–22). Even then Jesus did not insist on His rights as the Son of God (vv. 23–27).

Understanding the Text

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him” Matt. 16:1–12. These two groups were at odds theologically and politically. Yet both saw Jesus as a threat. As both were represented on the Sanhedrin, this is very probably another official demand that Jesus prove His claims by a “sign from heaven.” It’s amazing that this demand would be made, in view of the hundreds of healings and other miracles Christ had performed in Judea and Galilee. When I was in college I worked in a mental institution, and taught a Bible class there. One of the other attendants was a philosophy major at the University of Michigan like myself, and not a believer. I suggested that fulfilled prophecy provided the proof he said he needed of Scripture’s supernatural origin, and he took up the challenge. After studying for several months he agreed. Fulfilled prophecy did prove Scripture’s claims. But he still refused to accept Christ. He had not really been open or wanted to prove Christianity true. He had hoped to prove it false. Though all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction, he persisted in his unbelief. Don’t be surprised when some you witness to keep on in disbelief, even though they see answers to prayer and evidence of God at work in your life. Miracles didn’t produce faith in Jesus’ day. All we can do is what Jesus did. Confront unbelief and keep on ministering to those whose minds are not yet made up. “Who do people say the Son of man is?” Matt. 16:14 After years of ministry in Israel, Jesus sent His disciples to circulate among the crowds and listen to what people were saying about Him. They were full of praise of Jesus; all identified Him with some Old Testament great. It was a clear case of damning with faint praise. It’s as if you or I looked at a portrait by Rembrandt, and said, “Oh, it’s a nice picture.” This is almost worse than the religious leaders’ open hostility. And moderns take the same stand! “Oh, Jesus is all right. He was sure a good Man, and a wonderful Teacher. We’ve got a lot to learn from Jesus all right. Too bad He was crucified and died before His time.” People can respect Jesus as a good Person. But God calls us to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Anything short of worshiping Him as Son of God is rejecting Him completely. “Who do you say I am?” Matt. 16:15–20 Jesus didn’t send out His disciples because our Lord was curious about what the crowds thought. He sent them out to listen, so they would be forced to make a decisive personal decision. It doesn’t matter what others say about Jesus. It doesn’t matter if our parents, or our friends, or our whole family are Christians or if they are not. Each one of us must answer for himself or herself the question that Jesus asked His followers then. “Who do you say that I am?” If we say, with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and thus trust ourselves to Him, we experience salvation and pass from death to life. If we side with the crowd, no matter how much we may approve of Jesus as a moral and spiritual Leader, we are lost. There has been much debate about the meaning of Christ’s words to Peter, “On this rock I will build My church.” There has also been debate over the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” of which Jesus spoke. There is no grammatically compelling reason why Christ was not referring to Peter as the “rock.” What is important is that Christ said “I will build” and “My church.” Christ had been pouring His life into His disciples, including Peter, for years. Peter clearly was “first among equals” of the Twelve. Nothing Jesus said here suggests apostolic succession or that Peter was “pope.” The church was then, is now, and always will be Christ’s, and He its ultimate builder. What about the “keys.” The teachers of the Law in Jesus’ time had “taken away the key to knowledge” (Luke 11:52) and bound the Jewish people to multiple rules that actually “hindered those who were entering [God’s kingdom].” Peter, in preaching the first sermon to Jews (Acts 2) and Gentiles (Acts 10) used the key of knowledge of the Gospel and “loosed” those who had been bound, by directing them to Jesus. “Jesus began to explain . . . that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” Matt. 16:21–27. Peter, commended just above, is now rebuked by Jesus. Peter didn’t like the idea of Christ facing death by crucifixion. So he urged Jesus to avoid it! Jesus angrily pushed him away. Peter’s attitude lacked the perspective of God. Jesus went on to explain that every disciple must learn to look at his or her life from God’s perspective. Each of us must “take up his cross and follow.” Not that we will literally be crucified. Instead, each of us must, like Jesus, find and do the will of God for him or her. The believer’s cross does not represent suffering, or death, but the plan and purpose of God for him or her. Jesus went on to point out that God’s purpose frequently seems negative to us rather than positive. It often seems to us that if we do the will of God, we will “lose our life.” What we need to understand is that rather than losing our life, we will “save” it. Only in doing the will of God do we become our own better, purified selves. So let’s take up our cross. Daily. And gladly. If you and I determine to do God’s will each day, whatever the cost, we will each become what we most yearn to be. “See the Son of man coming in His kingdom” Matt. 16:28–17:8. The promise Jesus made was not that some would live until Christ’s second coming. It was that some who had believed in Him as Son of God would see the glory that was temporarily masked by His humanity. The chapter division is unfortunate, for 17:1 tells us that just six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountaintop where He was “transfigured before them” (v. 2). In the rays that blazed from His familiar form, in the bright cloud that enveloped them, and in the voice announcing Jesus as God’s Son, Christ’s essential glory was glimpsed. It’s significant to note that only those who knew Him as Son of God were given this vision, and then not all of the disciples shared it. Sometimes believers today go through life without ever an intuition of the surpassing glory of Jesus, while others seem to live in His presence. Let’s take time to study and meditate on who Jesus is. As we do, Christ will show us His glory too. “They could not heal him” Matt. 17:14–21. When Jesus returned to the valley, He found the nine disciples left behind had tried to heal an epileptic boy and failed. Jesus healed the boy, and rebuked His disciples for their “little faith” (v. 20). The Greek word, oligopistia, is better understood as poor or defective faith. A number of failures of the disciples’ faith are mentioned in this section of Matthew (14:26–31; 15:16, 23, 33; 16:5, 22; 17:4, 10–11). It was not the size of the faith, but a flaw in the faith that was to blame. How do we know this? Because immediately Jesus said that “faith as small as a mustard seed” can move mountains! (v. 20) What then was the flaw? Here the flaw was in the object of the disciples’ faith: “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” The disciples had begun to trust the power Jesus had earlier given them, and to think of it as their own. Actually any power they had, flowed from Jesus, and Him alone. This is actually an encouraging story for us. Often we hesitate to reach out to help others, dreadfully aware of our inadequacies. It’s then we need to remember that our faith is in Jesus, not in our own strengths or resources. The flawed faith of the disciples serves as a reminder that even mustard-seed sized faith in Christ is enough to work miracles! The first-century priesthood required the use of this silver coin to pay the half-shekel temple tax required annually of every Jewish male. Jesus reminded Peter that kings only collect taxes from strangers, not family (17:24–27). If Peter had remembered this, he would have realized that Jesus, God’s Son, owed no temple tax to the Lord!

DEVOTIONAL

No One Except Jesus (Matt. 17:1–13)

The Christian mystics have an important contribution to make to each of our lives. This is illustrated in the story of the Transfiguration—and in its immediate aftermath. Notice how the disciples fell down before the transformed Jesus, and how when they looked up they “saw no one except Jesus.” What a mountaintop experience that was. They were deeply, completely, totally immersed in worship. They started back down the hill and almost immediately they became sidetracked. “By the way, Jesus,” you can almost hear one of them say, “I’ve always wondered about that Malachi 4 passage. Does it really mean what the teachers of the Law say: that Elijah must appear before the Messiah can?” The moment of worship had passed and was replaced by questions about the Bible and theology. I know. The Bible and theology are important. I’m so convinced of that that I spend my life studying and teaching Scripture. But there are times when getting another answer from the Book, or asking another question, detracts from a person’s spiritual life. Just like asking that question about Elijah must have drawn some of the wonder from the memory of their worship, and diluted some of their awe of our Lord. That’s what the mystics have to teach us. That ultimately what is vital is not having all the answers, but worshiping Christ. Not knowing more, but knowing Him. Not study, but kneeling in awe before the One we meet in God’s Word.

Personal Application

Study of God’s Word will nurture your spiritual life—if it is accompanied by contemplation and adoration of Jesus.

Quotable

“If you desire to know how these things come about, ask grace, not instruction; desire, not understanding; the groaning of prayer, not diligent reading; the Spouse, not the teacher; God, not man; darkness, not clarity; not light, but the fire that totally inflames and carries us into God by ecstatic unctions and burning affections.”—Bonaventura

JULY 22

Reading 203

MORE MINISTRY Matthew 14–15

“Great crowds came to Him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the dumb and many others, and laid them at His feet; and He healed them” (Matt. 15:30).In His healings and in feeding the 5,000 and then the 4,000, Jesus met the physical needs of His people. But would they let Him meet their spiritual needs?

Biography:

Herod

The Herod mentioned here is not Herod the Great, who died shortly after Christ was born. This is Herod Antipas, his son, who was only tetrarch of Galilee, though addressed by the courtesy title “king.” This Herod had married his half brother’s ex-wife, who was also his cousin, and was denounced by John the Baptist for incest. Herod imprisoned John the Baptist, but then vacillated. He wanted to kill John, but worried about the reaction of the people, and was himself in awe of the austere prophet. Herod and his wife Herodias remind us of Ahab and Jezebel. He, wicked but weak. His wife, wicked and brutally tough. In the end she saw to it that John, whom she hated, was killed. Later Herod’s guilty conscience and superstition combined to convince him that the Miracle-worker, Jesus, was John the Baptist come back from the dead.

Overview

Events moved rapidly. John the Bapist was beheaded (14:1–11). Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 (vv. 12–21) and walked on water (vv. 22–36). But official hostility grew. Jesus openly condemned a delegation from Jerusalem (15:1–20). In contrast to the doubt in His homeland, a Canaanite woman believed (vv. 21–29). Back in Galilee Jesus fed another great crowd (vv. 29–39).

Understanding the Text

“Because of his oaths and his dinner guests” Matt. 14:1–12.Herod had political as well as personal reasons for wanting John dead. Yet he held back from executing the prophet—until he made a drunken promise in front of dinner guests. The situation reminds us of an inner tug we all feel at times. We want to do something we know is wrong, but hold back. Until something pushes us over the edge. What provoked Herod to act against his better judgment? A foolish remark. And fear of what others might think. Herod wasn’t thinking clearly when he gave in to what clearly was peer pressure. He had other options. He might have rebuked his stepdaughter. He might have announced that the life of one of God’s prophets was not his to give. But under the pressure of the moment he did what he knew was wrong. That’s the danger in peer pressure. Our concern for what others might think or say so clouds our thinking we can’t come up with other options. We give in, and do what we know is wrong. The story of Herod and John the Baptist reminds us that there is always one option open when others pressure us to do what we feel is wrong. We can say no and choose to act on our convictions. Only if we make this choice can we avoid the sense of guilt—and the judgment—that Herod later faced. “When Jesus heard . . . He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” Matt. 14:13. The text tells us that after John the Baptist was beheaded, his followers came and told Jesus. It was then Jesus went privately to a “solitary place.” We’re not told why. But usually when the Gospels report that Jesus went to a “solitary place” it was to pray and commune with the Father. What a comfort talking with God is when tragedy strikes. If Jesus needed to withdraw and spend time with His Father just then, we surely need such a retreat when we experience hurt. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick” Matt. 14:14. Jesus tried to be alone, to meet His own need. But the crowds followed Him and were at hand when He landed! This time, as many others, Jesus set aside His own needs because He “had compassion” on the crowds. The word “compassion” is a significant one. It indicates not only a deep emotional concern for others, but also an effort to meet others’ needs. When the hurt others feel forces you or me to set aside our own concerns to meet their needs, we need not feel imposed on. We can rejoice. We are walking in the footsteps of our Lord. “You give them something to eat” Matt. 14:15–21. The disciples showed a concern similar to that of Jesus when they encouraged Jesus to send the crowd off to buy food. But there was a great difference, one underlined by Jesus’ suggestion that the disciples give the crowd food. The disciples felt for the crowd, but they could not meet their needs! You and I often find ourselves in a similar situation. We feel deeply for others who suffer in destructive relationships, who struggle financially, who are in the grip of illnesses, or who are experiencing the consequences of their own unwise choices. Yet again and again it’s driven home to us that there is really nothing, or so little, that we can do. That’s undoubtedly how the disciples felt when they objected, “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish” (v. 17). What happened next is a great encouragement to us. Jesus took the little His disciples had, and miraculously multiplied it. Those five biscuit-sized loaves and two fish fed 5,000 men. Adding women and children, perhaps 20,000! Jesus still performs miracles. If we have the compassion and the willingness to offer what we do have to others, Jesus can miraculously multiply our little to meet the needs of many. “You of little faith . . . why did you doubt?” Matt. 14:22–35 This is undoubtedly one of the most familiar stories in the Gospels. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the waters of a stormy sea. Peter cried out, “Lord, if it’s You . . . tell me to come to You on the water.” Peter jumped out of the boat, and walked on the water toward Jesus. Then he took his eyes off the Lord and gazed at the frightening seas—and began to sink. The story is the basis of hundreds of sermons, most reminding us to keep our eyes on Jesus not our circumstances. But it’s important to note something else. Peter here is an example both of faith and unbelief. He alone trusted Jesus enough to step over the side and venture out on the waves. If later he flinched at the fearful waves, it was only because he had faith enough to dare. Faith isn’t a static thing in any of our lives. It is constantly tested by our circumstances as we journey through life. We should not be surprised if those with great faith sometimes falter. And we should not be too hard on ourselves if, at times, fright leaves us sinking and in doubt. When times like this come, we need to remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “Why did you doubt?” These words aren’t a rebuke, but a reminder. When we, like Peter, retreat for a moment to “little faith,” all we need do is ask, “Why doubt?” Jesus is here, with us, as He was there on the sea with Peter. The waves may crash all around us. But we will walk on them, not sink under them, if we keep our eyes fixed on our Lord. “Some Pharisees and teachers of the Law . . . from Jerusalem” Matt. 15:1–9. The note “from Jerusalem” suggests that this may have been an official delegation of members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, come to interrogate Christ. They challenged Christ directly, charging Him with not teaching His disciples to “wash their hands” before they ate. This washing was not hygienic, but a matter of ritual “cleanness.” By the first century many detailed rules for washing before eating had been developed. One entire tractate of the Mishnah, the codification of Jewish practices organized by Rabbi Judah the Prince in the last half of the second century, discusses “hands.” It tells just how they must be held when washing, the amount of water that must be used, etc., for a Jew to be ritually “clean” for eating. Christ sharply attacked the delegation, not on this one issue, but on the approach to biblical religion that they represented. He pointed to one area where such rabbinic hair-splitting served to avoid a clear Old Testament command given by God, and said, “You nullify the Word of God for the sake of your tradition” (v. 6). Jesus condemned these men who came to judge Him as hypocrites: They followed a pattern that Isaiah condemned long ago of honoring God with their lips, while their “hearts are far from Me.” If there is anything we learn from this incident, it is not to stand in judgment on others for their practices. Faith in Christ isn’t a matter of externals. It is a matter of the heart. Convictions may differ in Christian traditions and communities. But what counts is this: Do we love God, and does what we do express that love? If our hearts are right, our practices are irrelevant. “These are what make a man unclean” Matt. 15:10–20. In Old Testament religion to be “clean” meant to be in a state of ritual purity that permitted a person to approach and worship God. Such things as touching a dead body, having sex, or a body rash, made a person temporarily “unclean.” This disqualified him or her from attending worship at the temple until a state of ritual purity had been restored. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law (rabbis, or sages) had multiplied the rules governing ritual purity, and treated them as though their rules had the force of Scripture. Jesus directly attacked this whole way of thinking when He taught that “what goes into a man’s mouth” (externals) cannot make him unclean. What really disqualifies a person for worship are those things which “come out of the heart.” The list Matthew gave makes it clear that right living, not right ritual, is the key to a believer’s close relationship with the Lord. We need to make sure our own approach to faith mirrors the principle Jesus laid down here. Let’s keep our lives free of those sins that flow from the heart, and not be concerned about the “do’s” and “don’ts” that to some people are criteria of spirituality. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Matt. 15:21–28 This story puzzles many. But the clues to help us understand are right there in the text. Jesus had temporarily withdrawn from Jewish territory. A Canaanite woman came and begged for mercy and healing for her daughter, addressing Jesus as “Son of David,” His Jewish, messianic title. At first Christ ignored her pleading. Then He seemed to reject her appeal, saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. . . . It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” In saying this Jesus reflected an important reality: no Gentile had a claim to Israel’s blessings, for God’s covenant promises were given to Abraham’s seed. The woman did not argue or plead special need. She simply noted that the children and dogs both eat bread at the table. The difference is that the children eat until they are satisfied, and the dogs receive the crumbs that are left. This display of faith was rewarded. The daughter was healed “from that very hour.” The incident emphasizes the priority Jesus gave to the Jews in His earthly ministry. He was their Messiah: They had first rights to every blessing He offered. Even today many believe that Paul taught Christians should give Jewish evangelism priority when he spoke of the Gospel being “first for the Jew, then for the Gentiles” (Rom. 1:16). Yet Jesus did heal, in response to the woman’s faith. Faith in Christ is the great leveler. Through the one principle of faith both Jew and Gentile are welcomed into the one family of God. Today no one can claim God’s favor exists beyond that claim established by faith. But do note this. Jesus had just been examined by the skeptical and antagonistic men who represented Israel. And, unexpectedly, he found faith in a Canaanite woman—a descendant of those pagan peoples Israel had been charged to drive from the land. That’s the exciting thing about faith. It crops up unexpectedly! Sometimes those who we think should believe hold back, and we become discouraged. And then, suddenly, faith appears in a person we would normally write off, and the revolutionizing power of God transforms his or her life. Then we thank God and, with fresh enthusiasm, continue to do His will.

DEVOTIONAL

Eat, but Don’t Be Satisfied(Matt. 15:21–39)

Food plays a part in the two incidents reported here. A Canaanite woman begged for crumbs from the table of God’s covenant people, and her strong faith was rewarded. Her daughter was healed “from that very hour.” Back home in Galilee Jesus was met by great crowds, who were amazed as He freely healed their lame, blind, crippled, and dumb. When they’d been with Him for three days without anything to eat, Jesus performed another miracle. He multiplied seven loaves and a few small fishes, and fed some 4,000 men “besides women and children.” And the text says, “They all ate and were satisfied.” And the crowd went away. What a contrast. The woman’s daughter, healed “from that very hour,” had her life changed forever. The Galilean crowd, satisfied with the meal, all left—and within a few hours would be hungry again. It’s wonderful that Christ in grace met the momentary physical need of the crowd. It’s grand that He satisfied their hunger. But it’s tragic that they then “were satisfied.” Yes. I know. All the text means is that they ate all they wanted; that they were full. Even so, it reminds me that so many people are satisfied if their material needs are met. If they have a place to live. Food to eat. A nice car. Money in the bank. How tragic that so many never feel the urgency that gripped the Canaanite woman and drove her to Jesus. Because in Jesus, and through faith in Him, we experience a spiritual transformation that makes life forever different, “from that very hour.”

Personal Application

Expect more from your relationship with Jesus than meeting your material needs.

Quotable

“It is as easy for God to supply the greatest as the smallest wants, even as it was within His power to form a system or an atom, to create a blazing sun as the kindle of the firefly’s lamp.”—Thomas Guthrie

JULY 21

Reading 202

OPPOSITION TO THE KING Matthew 12–13

“A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah” (Matt. 12:39).As it became increasingly clear that one must choose for or against Jesus, opposition to Him and to His kingdom hardened. Today too some reject Christ not because they know so little about Him, but because they do not like the little they know!

Definition of Key Terms

Sabbath.

The Sabbath Day was set aside as holy in Judaism. A person could do no work, but did worship, pray, and study the Scriptures. Over the years many rules of Sabbath observance had been propounded by the rabbis. These were intended to help the observant Jew keep from breaking the Sabbath inadvertently. But these rules, held by the Pharisees to be oral law given Moses on Mount Sinai and therefore just as binding as the written Law, were in fact only the notions of men. While Jesus was accused of being a Sabbath-breaker, He in fact only violated human rules that were not binding at all. It’s all too easy to raise our applications or interpretations of Scripture to the status of Scripture itself. This is a tendency each individual, congregation, and denomination must guard carefully against.

Overview

Jesus’ claim to be Lord of the Sabbath (12:1–14) and the Servant predicted by Isaiah (vv. 15–21) brought direct conflict with the Pharisees (vv. 22–37). Christ rejected their demand for a miraculous sign (vv. 36–45), but announced kinship with those who do God’s will (vv. 46–50). In a series of parables told to puzzled crowds (13:1–35), and in another series told to His disciples (vv. 36–52), Jesus explained the unexpected aspects of His kingdom.

Understanding the Text

“Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath” Matt. 12:1–13.Two Sabbath incidents led to open conflict with the Pharisees. The first was provoked by Jesus’ disciples, who plucked and ate grain on the Sabbath Day. In the first century grain was planted right to the edge of paths and trails. According to Old Testament Law a traveler might break off a stalk and eat as he walked along. The Pharisees objected because they classified this as “harvesting,” one of the 39 kinds of work the sages prohibited on the Sabbath. Christ answered in a familiar form of rabbinic argument. The Scripture says no layperson is to eat the temple showbread. But David ate, and was not condemned. If one wants to argue that David was special, all right: Jesus is more special. Again, the Law says not to work on the Sabbath. But the priests work then, offering sacrifices. If one wants to argue that the temple service is special, all right: Jesus is more special. The argument makes a double point. The strict legalism of the Pharisees was not supported by the Old Testament. The written Law showed that God is more concerned with mercy than with sacrifice (i.e., with relationships than with rules and ritual). And, in the person of Jesus, the God who gave the Sabbath cleared the disciples: they were innocent of the crimes charged (vv. 7–8). Shortly afterward Jesus entered a synagogue where there was a man with a withered hand. Looking for some crime to charge Jesus with, the Pharisees asked if it were right to heal (again “work”) on the Sabbath. Jesus’ reply was scornful. Even they would rescue an animal that had fallen in a pit on the Sabbath. Of course it is right to do good on the Sabbath. And then Jesus healed the man’s hand. What a revelation of the heart of Jesus—and of the Pharisees. These men who were so concerned over their rules cared nothing for the crippled man’s suffering. They only wanted to use his injury to attack Jesus. In contrast, Jesus cared about the man, and willingly faced criticism to help him. You and I are much closer to Jesus when we consider how we can meet others’ needs than when trying to force others to live by our convictions. “The Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus” Matt. 12:14. Jesus’ sayings and actions exposed the cold hearts of the Pharisees, and the emptiness of an approach to religion to which they had dedicated their entire lives. When so exposed, only two courses of action are open. One can humble himself, confess, and repent. Or with cold fury one can strike out at the person who threatens his very identity. The Pharisees chose to strike back, and determined to kill Jesus. We must not be surprised when some are furious at the Gospel message. Like the Pharisees, many today have built their lives on a faulty foundation that they hold very dear. “Jesus withdrew from that place” Matt. 12:15–21. Jesus responded to their hostility by simply leaving the area. Matthew explained by quoting a passage from one of Isaiah’s “servant songs.” Messiah “will not quarrel or cry out.” He will be so gentle that He will not even snap a worthless reed flute, or discard a soot-filled candle wick. You and I seldom win those who are deeply antagonistic. It’s far better to leave them, as Jesus did, and go on healing the sick. Debate is never as effective as loving service. We win many more by showing compassion to those in need than by showing up those who want to argue. “Could this be the Son of David?” Matt. 12:22–29 The Greek suggests the question should read, “This can’t be the Son of David, can it?” There were doubts. But there was the growing awareness that Jesus might be the prophesied Messiah. The Pharisees must have been driven to distraction when they learned the crowds were asking such a question. The zealous Pharisees were respected by all and viewed as prime examples of godly, spiritual men. If Jesus were accepted as the Messiah, this Man who showed up the spiritual void of the way they had chosen would surely rob them of all respect. In desperation the Pharisees began a whispering campaign. They couldn’t argue that Jesus had performed no miracles. But they could plant doubt by suggesting He was in league with the devil. When people can’t do anything else to harm believers, they can lie about us. What is important is that our lives be so pure that everyone sees the lies are as ridiculous as the charge raised against Jesus. “Blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven” Matt. 12:30–32. What is the unforgivable sin? It is a denial of that which one knows God must be doing, even as it was clear that Christ performed His miracles by the Spirit of God. The sin is unforgivable because the person who commits it has so hardened himself that he willfully rejects what he knows to be true. If you’ve ever worried that you might have committed this sin, relax. The very fact that you’re concerned shows that your heart is not hardened like the hearts of the Pharisees. “It finds the house unoccupied” Matt. 12:43–45. Self-reform is possible. Ben Franklin developed a list of desirable traits, and worked hard at developing them. But even if our bad habits are overcome, our lives are empty unless we invite Christ in, to empower us for godly living. The Pharisees were great at sweeping out. But their failure to welcome Jesus left them vulnerable to demons far worse than the ones they worked so hard to brush away. Let’s be careful to open our lives to Jesus, and let His love fill us with the compassion, mercy, and love these very religious opponents of Jesus lacked. “He told them many things in parables” Matt. 13:1–35. A parable is a story that makes one central point, and relates every element in the story to this point. The parables in this chapter concern Jesus’ kingdom, but are not obvious. In fact, Jesus said that He spoke in parables so that those who believed might understand and those who did not believe would not understand (vv. 11–15). What an illustration of God’s grace. Those who showed that they would not hear the King were spared the revelation of further truth, for which they would have been held responsible. Those who were willing to respond were given truth in a form they alone would grasp. This section of the Gospel closes with Christ’s return to Nazareth, His hometown. He was famous now, known all over Galilee and Judea too for His miracles and teaching. Did the hometown folks roll out the red carpet, to welcome the returning hero? No; instead they resented His fame. Wasn’t He just the carpenter’s Son? Weren’t His brothers just ordinary folks? How did Jesus get off, putting on such airs? Often the hardest people we have to minister to are those who know us well. Others are impressed. Our family and neighbors seem almost resentful. If this has happened to you, try not to be too upset. It happened to Jesus first. Of course, there’s also the rest of the story. Among those hometown folks who rejected Jesus were His own brothers (cf. John 7:3–5). Yet in Acts 1:14, on a list of those who were gathered in the Upper Room after Christ’s resurrection, praying and waiting for the coming of the Spirit, we find “Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” Yes, it hurt to be misunderstood and rejected at home. But in the end, all the family did respond. All came to know Jesus as Saviour and as Lord. What an encouragement for you and me. We may be misunderstood at home, or even scorned. But a faithful, loving witness will bear fruit.

Parables of the Kingdom

The Parable	Expected Form	Unexpected Form
1. Sower 13:3–9, 18–23	Messiah turns Israel and all nations to himself	Individuals respond dofferently to the Word’s invitation
2. Wheat/tares 13:24–30, 37–43	The kingdom’s righteous citizens rule over the world with the King.	The kingdom’s citizens are among the men of the world, growing together till God’s harvestime.
3. Mustard Seed 13:31–32	Kingdom begins in majestic glory	kingdom begins in insignificance; its greatness comes as a surprise.
4. Leaven 13:33	Only righteousness enters the kingdom; other “raw material” is excluded.	The Kingdom is implanted in a different “raw material” and grows to fill the whole personality with righteousness.
5. Hidden treasure 13:44	Kingdom is public and for all.	Kingdom is hidden and for individual “purchase.”
6. Priceless pearl 13:45–46	Kingdom brings all valued things to men.	Kingdom demands abandonment of all other values (cf. 6:33).
7. Dragnet 13:47–50	Kingdom begins with initial separation of righteous and unrighteous.	Kingdom ends with final separation of the unrighteous from the righteous.

DEVOTIONAL

Careless Words (Matt. 12:1–37)

The Pharisees just didn’t realize what they were saying until it was too late. They figured they had Jesus dead to rights when they criticized His disciples for picking wheat on the Sabbath. And then they rubbed their hands together in glee when they thought of tricking Him into healing a cripple on the Sabbath. Then, oops! They realized all they’d done was expose their own failure to understand God’s Word and their own cold hearts. They had accused the innocent (the disciples) and used the helpless (the man with the shriveled hand). They hadn’t been thinking when they spoke. That’s the meaning of the “careless words” that Jesus speaks of in verse 36. It wasn’t the mean, hateful accusations that the Pharisees hurled against Jesus that exposed them (vv. 22–32). Actually, each person’s heart can be read in his or her actions and words. Those things we say without thinking, like the Pharisees’ challenges of Jesus, reveal the heart. In the Pharisees’ case their words, so quickly uttered, revealed cold and uncaring hearts, totally unconcerned with the guilt or innocence of those they accused or with the suffering of the cripple they intended to use to trap Jesus. What people say coming out of church or in public does not reveal their hearts. It’s the words that slip out when they speak casually to their family, coworkers, or friends. It’s good every now and then to check on our own careless words. When we do, we’ll be able to tell a lot about the quality of our personal relationship with Christ.

Personal Application

Careless words can reveal a loving heart as well as a hard one.

Quotable
“What will it mean in practice for me to put God first? This much at least. The 101 things I have to do each day and the 101 demands on me which I know I must try to meet will all be approached as ventures of loving service to Him, and I shall do the best I can in everything for His sake.”— J.I. Packer

JULY 20

Reading 201

DISCIPLES OF THE KING

Matthew 10–11“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16).There is no greater challenge than to live our lives as disciples of Jesus, the Servant-King.

Definition of Key Terms

Disciple.

In the first century an apprenticeship system was used to train spiritual leaders. Those in training attached themselves to a rabbi, and literally lived with him. Their goal was to both learn all their teacher knew, and to imitate his way of life. Jesus used this then-familiar model to train His Twelve. Matthew 10 records special instructions Jesus gave them for a preaching mission, and further instructions that relate more to the period after His death and resurrection. The word “disciple” is also used in a looser sense in the Gospels, to mean “believer” or “follower.” But it is used in the narrower, technical sense of “leader-in-training” whenever applied to the Twelve.

Overview

Jesus commissioned the Twelve (10:1–4). He instructed them on an immediate preaching mission (vv. 5–16), and spoke of future challenges (vv. 17–31). Jesus explained what He expects of disciples (vv. 32–39) and the disciple’s reward (vv. 40–42). A demoralized John was encouraged (11:1–6) and praised (vv. 7–19) by Jesus, who damned the cities that refused to repent despite His miracles (vv. 20–24). Yet the weary who come to Jesus will find rest (vv. 25–30).

Understanding the Text

“He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority” Matt. 10:1–4. We may be impressed at the authority Jesus gave His disciples. Driving out evil spirits and healing the sick sounds so impressive. But note that Jesus gave this authority only to the Twelve whom He had chosen and trained. You and I may sometimes wish we had special spiritual powers. Let’s remember that the only way to receive them is to serve our apprenticeship with Jesus as the Twelve did. We must stay close to Jesus, and learn from Him, before we can be trusted with spiritual authority. This is one of four lists of the Twelve found in the New Testament (cf. Mark 3:16–19; Luke 6:13–16; Acts 1:13). Simon Peter is first on each list, and Andrew, James, and John always complete the first four. In each list, Judas Iscariot is last. Each of the Twelve except Judas was a fully committed follower of Jesus. Yet there is no doubt that some were closer to Christ than others. Let’s not only be disciples of Jesus, but be disciples who concentrate on remaining close to our Lord. “Freely you have received, freely give” Matt. 10:5–10. At first Christ’s ministry was directed to God’s covenant people, the Jews. This first mission of the disciples was also directed to Israel. What’s most significant here, however, is Christ’s directive to take no extra money, clothing, or traveling equipment. The disciples were to shun luxury. They were to depend on God to supply their needs through the hospitality of others. They were to give freely what they had themselves freely received. If every Christian in ministry today were to adopt the attitudes commanded here—a contempt for material possessions, matched by a bold reliance on God alone—many who have exposed the Gospel to ridicule would today be ministering to the glory of God. “Search for some worthy person there” Matt. 10:11–15. In New Testament times travelers seldom stayed at inns, but rather stayed with any householder who invited them. Hospitality was considered a great virtue among Jews, and few travelers had to sleep out overnight unless they wished to. But Jesus encouraged His disciples to find some “worthy” person to stay with. The text defines a worthy person: it is one who “welcomes you,” and who “listens to your words” (v. 14). Both are important. The disciples came as emissaries of Jesus, not ordinary travelers. The “worthy” are still identified by their response to the Master, not the disciple, and by their willingness to listen to His words. Most travel in the first century was on foot. From Matthew 10 and other written sources, as well as the finds of archeologists, we can reconstruct how the disciples must have looked as they set out by twos on their mission of preaching and healing. “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” Matt. 10:16. Jesus’ disciples were like sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves. They had no obvious defense against the hostility of the world. So they had to be both “shrewd” and “innocent.” In the Near East serpents were viewed as prudent beasts, who avoided danger. Hosea 7:11 pictures doves as “easily deceived and senseless.” Yet the dove was also a harmless and innocent bird, while the serpent was seen as a dangerous and repelling beast. Somehow the believer is to walk a very fine line in carrying out Christ’s mission to the world. Jesus’ disciples were to be prudent without being dangerous, and innocent without being foolish. How much we need Christ’s help to deal wisely with the challenges of our Christian life. “On My account you will be brought before governors and kings” Matt. 10:17–23. In these verses the focus of Christ’s instruction seems to shift from the immediate, local mission, to the post-Resurrection mission to the whole world. Jesus warned of future hostility and suffering, but gave a very special promise. In the first century those charged in court relied on orator-lawyers to plead their cases. Usually a person without this kind of expert help could expect the verdict to go against him! But Jesus told His own not to worry when arrested, for the Spirit of God would show them what to say when the time to speak in court came. What a promise! Who speaks for us when we are persecuted or accused unjustly? God Himself is our Orator-Lawyer. We need never fear with the Holy Spirit handling our defense! “So do not be afraid of them” Matt. 10:24–31. Jesus had bluntly warned His disciples that they must face danger and hostility (vv. 17–23). Now He told them not to fear. Some fears—as of those proverbial things that go bump in the night—are imaginary. But sometimes disciples face very real dangers and truly hostile enemies. In this passage Jesus wasn’t speaking about neurotic fear, but about the fear generated by very real perils. How do disciples deal with fear of real and present dangers? First, we remember the men of Jesus’ day were hostile to Him. Why should we who follow Jesus expect to have things better than our Lord? Second, we remember that one day all they do to us will be exposed to the light—and they will face judgment. Third, we remember that even if Christ’s enemies kill our bodies, our essential selves do not perish, and we enter the realm of eternal life. Finally, we remember that nothing happens to us “apart from the will of your Father.” Confidence in God’s Father-love sustains us. If you’re an anxious kind of person, meditate for a time on these verses. Let the perspective of Jesus reshape your way of looking at life, and bring you peace. “Whoever acknowledges Me before men” Matt. 10:32–42. What are the marks of Jesus’ disciples, and their rewards? We can list the following. A disciple of Jesus acknowledges Him before men (v. 32). A disciple of Jesus places loyalty to Christ above even the bonds of family (vv. 34–35). A disciple of Jesus takes up his cross and follows Jesus, a phrase which means subjecting one’s will to God even as Jesus chose to subject Himself to the cross (v. 38). A disciple of Jesus surrenders all for the sake of his Lord (v. 37). (See Matt. 16 for “taking up the cross” and “losing oneself.”) So far it seems that the disciple’s life is all “give up” and no “gain.” But there are rewards! In the world of the New Testament a person’s representative was treated as that person himself. As Jesus’ disciples minister, some will welcome them as Christ’s emissaries. Those who do so will gain rewards in the world to come—and the follower of Jesus will have the joy of knowing that it was through him or her that others were thus blessed. The Apostle Paul put it this way in his Letter to the Thessalonians: “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (1 Thes. 2:19). You and I, with Paul, have the same joy in discipleship that Jesus had in fulfilling His mission. Jesus had the joy of knowing that because of His faithfulness, many would be saved. As others respond to our witness to Christ, we who share Christ’s sufferings in discipleship will also experience this joy. “Are you the One who was to come?” Matt. 11:2–6 John was imprisoned for over a year in the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea. There he began to doubt. John had announced a Messiah who would bless but also judge (3:11–12). Jesus truly blessed the people by His healings and teachings. But where was the judgment of evil men, like Herod who had imprisoned John? Jesus answered by quoting from Isaiah 35:5–6; 61:1, with possible reference to 26:19 and 29:18–19. Each of these passages speaks of blessings—and judgment! In essence Jesus was telling John, I am blessing now. In God’s time, I will also judge. We want to remember Christ’s careful selection of the blessing sections of these verses. We too rightly emphasize the grace and love of God. After all, today is the day of blessing! Let’s spread the Good News while we can. The day of judgment will come all too soon. “There has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” Matt. 11:7–14. Jesus praised John as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Why? Because of all the prophets, John pointed most clearly to the Messiah. Many prophets spoke of Jesus’ day. But John was privileged not only to announce that the Messiah was at hand, but also to point directly to Jesus and say, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). What did Jesus mean when He said that “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than [John]”? Simply that now, looking back on Jesus’ cross, the simplest believer can point even more clearly to the Messiah, and more fully explain the meaning of His life, death, and resurrection for lost humankind. What a stunning thought. When you or I point someone to Jesus as Saviour and Lord, we perform a ministry greater than that of any prophet of old. “Woe to you, Korazin!” Matt. 11:16–24 John and Jesus both preached the kingdom of God and presented Israel with her King. But the people, like children bored with playing children’s games (vv. 16–17), were satisfied with neither. And so Jesus pronounced, “Woe,” an expression communicating both grief and denunciation, on the cities where He had performed so many miracles. Even the most wicked pagan city would have responded if such wonders had been performed there. But God’s own people refused to believe. We have to be careful not to lose our own sensitivity to Jesus’ voice. It’s all too easy to let what we’ve been taught close our minds to fresh interpretations of Scripture, or to the guidance of God’s Spirit. “Come to Me, all you who are weary” Matt. 11:25–30. God reveals His Son to little children, but hides Him from “the wise and learned.” Christ isn’t teaching predestination here, but judgment. The little child responds trustingly to Jesus’ word. The “wise and learned” stand back, evaluate, and rely on their own judgment. In the same way the person who is weary and burdened is ready to respond to Christ, while the individual who arrogantly rushes on in his own strength sees no need of the Lord.

DEVOTIONAL

Discipleship’s Cost(Matt. 10:16–31; 11:28–29)

Here it is again! A description of a job nobody wants. I mean, who wants work as a sheep among wolves? (10:16) Who wants to be handed over to local councils to be flogged? (v. 18) Who wants family conflict? (v. 21) Who wants to be hated? (v. 22) Who wants to be persecuted? (v. 23) It’s fine to say things like, all this happened to Jesus first (vv. 24–25). And, hey, they can only kill your body, can’t they? (v. 28) But no matter how you cut it, this business of being a disciple doesn’t look all that attractive. Try putting this kind of ad in the paper, and see how many applicants you get. But then, at the end of Matthew 11, Jesus added something that makes it all worthwhile. He invites us, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (11:29). The yoke, which rested on the shoulders of oxen hitched to a plow, was used to distribute the burden of work. The oxen pulled together, and neither was overwhelmed. Being yoked to Jesus doesn’t so much mean that we take on His burdens, but that He, pulling alongside us, takes on ours. Yes, it’s tough to be a disciple. It’s a challenging and disciplined life. Yet the disciple by the very fact of his commitment is yoked to Jesus. And in that relationship, with Jesus taking on most of the load, we find not added burdens but an amazing inner rest. Despite all appearances, the disciple of Jesus knows the truth. Jesus’ “yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Personal Application

The lightest load we try to carry alone is crushing.

Quotable
“I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I never read in either of them: ’Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden.’ “—St. Augustine

JULY 19

Reading 200

KINGLY POWER Matthew 8–9

” ‘But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . . ’ Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home’ ” (Matt. 9:6).Jesus had called for citizens to populate His kingdom. Now He displayed a royal power over all forces in natural and supernatural worlds.

Definition of Key Terms

Authority.

The Greek word for “authority” is exousia. Its basic meaning is “freedom of action.” A person with total authority has total freedom of action. No human being has total freedom of action. All of us are limited by others who act in ways that limit our freedom, as a slave is limited by his master, a soldier by his commander, a student by his teacher, or a citizen by his ruler. We are also limited by circumstances: our state of health, our financial condition, sex, size, etc. Yet in Matthew 8–9 Jesus demonstrated an authority that is total! He is not limited by natural laws, by the sicknesses or sin that bind humanity, or by the demonic forces that attack us. His freedom to act is not even limited by death! In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) Jesus laid down principles by which to live. His miracles of healing remind us that we can trust ourselves totally to Him, for He is Lord of all.

Overview

King Jesus, willing and able to heal (8:1–17), expects total allegiance (vv. 18–22). His authority to overcome nature (vv. 23–27), demons (vv. 28–34), and even human sin (9:1–13), shows that God was doing a new work among men (vv. 14–17). Jesus raised a dead girl (vv. 18–26) and continued to heal and cast out demons (vv. 27–34), providing a ministry model for workers in His kingdom (vv. 35–38).

Understanding the Text

“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” Matt. 8:1–4. The old argument raised by skeptics states that if God has power to correct the evils that torment mankind, He must not be good, for He has not done so. On the other hand, if He does not have that power, He must not be God. The argument breaks down as soon as we introduce the element of free will. A good and all-powerful God has given human beings freedom of choice, even though the choices men have made introduced pain and evil into our world. The argument also breaks down when we read these chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. Here we see a Jesus who is both good and all-powerful. Again and again Jesus exercised His power as God, and each time it was to help or heal a human being in need. Christ is willing. And He is able too. “I do not deserve to have You come under my roof” Matt. 8:5–8.The centurion was a Roman army officer, not a Jew. Yet when one of his servants was stricken, he himself hurried to Jesus. Christ was willing to go with the centurion and heal his sick servant. But the Roman officer, one of the conquering race that dominated Judea and most of the world, humbly replied, “I am not worthy” (KJV). What an example this is. At the feet of Jesus all human distinctions are lost, and every man becomes a supplicant no matter how high his worldly position. At our local church we often serve Communion at the altar rail. Each person comes and kneels there, to receive the bread and wine. The wealthy and poor, the young and the old, the men and the women, the sick and the well, kneel together to worship and receive the elements that remind us of the price Jesus paid for our redemption. Kneeling there each of us is nothing more than a sinner saved by grace, yet nothing less than a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom and a member of God’s forever family. In bowing before a mere Jew the Roman centurion affirmed a great truth. The most important rank a human being can carry is that of subject to the King of kings. “I myself am a man under authority” Matt. 8:9–13. There is more in the story of the centurion for us. He felt unworthy to entertain Jesus under his roof. But he also knew that Jesus’ authority over sickness was not limited by distance. When he said, “I myself am a man under authority,” the centurion meant that his authority in the Roman army did not depend on him, but was granted him by his commanders in a chain leading ultimately to the Emperor himself. The centurion’s orders were obeyed because the full weight of mighty Rome lay behind each command. In asking Jesus to “just say the word,” and in affirming his faith that “my servant will be healed,” the centurion confessed his belief that Christ too was one “under authority.” When Jesus spoke, the full weight of God’s sovereign power was available to enforce Christ’s decree. The centurion’s faith was honored. Christ did speak the word, and the power of God, which neither distance nor evil forces can limit, flowed. Let’s remember the centurion’s faith when we pray. Jesus has the power to meet any and every need. “First let me go and bury my father” Matt. 8:18–22. The first flurry of healings stimulated great excitement. Many were eager to join the “Jesus Brigade,” undoubtedly supposing that Christ would use His powers to break the grip of Rome and usher in the Messianic Age. Two incidents cooled the early ardor. One “teacher of the Law” offered to follow Jesus wherever He went. Such persons were highly respected in first-century Judaism, and typically were relatively well off. When Christ answered that “the Son of man has no place to lay His head,” the man’s fervor faded away! A follower of Jesus must be willing to live as He did, and abandon hope of worldly gain. Another man promised to follow, but “first” he must go and “bury my father.” In Judaism the corpse was buried the very day of death. This man’s father was not yet dead. What his words meant was, “First let me fulfill my obligation to stay with my father until he dies.” Jesus’ answer, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead,” was clearly understood. No competing loyalty must outweigh our allegiance to Christ the King. These words of Jesus are spoken to us too. God gives us many material blessings, and many fulfilling relationships. But neither possessions nor relationships can be more important to us than serving Christ. In Jesus’ time some 300 small fishing boats like this one were operated on the Sea of Galilee. The preserved remains of one of these boats was recently found buried under the lake bottom, telling us how the boat was constructed and its inner frame designed. Jesus undoubtedly was in just this kind of boat when He stilled the storm that threatened Him and His disciples (vv. 23–27). “Why are you so afraid?” Matt. 8:23–27 Those who were already committed followers of Jesus were privileged to see Him display His power over nature. A furious storm came up as the little company traveled by boat on the Sea of Galilee, terrifying even Christ’s fishermen disciples. Christ’s question after He had stilled the storm is one we can ask ourselves when we face trials or danger today: “Why are you so afraid?” The question seems a foolish one if we look only at the tossing waves and hear only the shrieking winds. If we stop to realize that we are never alone, but Christ Himself is with us, the question is prudent indeed. Jesus has all power, and He can use it to deliver those who are His. Nothing can touch us that He does not permit. We have no need to go through life “so afraid.” “They pleaded with Him to leave their region” Matt. 8:28–34. Jesus’ healing of two demon-possessed men in a Gentile district brought an unexpected reaction. It seems the demons Christ released went into a herd of pigs, and “the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” The local folk were terribly upset. Maybe two men were delivered from demonic possession. But their pigs were gone! Wherever human beings place more value on possessions than people, Jesus will be unwelcome. Let’s be sure that we never drive Him away by caring more for our “pigs” than for our fellow human beings. “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” Matt. 9:1–7. Christ had demonstrated His authority as King—over sickness, over nature, and even over evil spirits. But how could Christ demonstrate His authority over man’s greatest antagonist, sin? The answer is contained in this story and the one that follows it. When Jesus told a paralytic that his sins were forgiven, some “teachers of [biblical] Law” thought He was speaking blasphemy. After all, God alone can forgive sin. So Jesus proposed a test. It would be easy for anyone to say, “You’re forgiven.” After all, there’s no way to prove forgiveness one way or another! But Jesus could prove that He spoke with God’s own authority. He could tell the paralytic, “Get up and walk.” Then everyone could see whether or not the paralyzed man walked. This is exactly what Jesus did, and the Bible says that all who saw were “filled with awe.” It adds “and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.” Jesus’ works proved that He did speak with God’s own authority. His works in the physical realm were conclusive proof that His promise of forgiveness was valid indeed. God still gives us physical proof of inner forgiveness—a truth we discover in the calling of Matthew (vv. 9–13). (See DEVOTIONAL.) “Pour new wine into new wineskins” Matt. 9:14–17. Jesus puzzled nearly all who watched Him heal and listened to Him speak. Neither His actions nor His teachings seemed to fit the religion they knew so well. Even John’s disciples were puzzled, and so asked Him questions about His practices. Jesus responded with two illustrations from ordinary life. A person doesn’t patch an old garment with new cloth. And a person doesn’t pour new (unfermented) wine in an old wineskin. In biblical times some containers for liquid were made of animal skins, typically scraped clean of flesh and then sewn tightly at the legs and other openings. Freshly squeezed grape juice was poured into a new skin, which would stretch as the wine fermented. Old skins lost the capacity to stretch, and would split if “new wine” were poured in them. By these stories Jesus warned His listeners not to try to fit Him or His teachings in the categories in use in first-century Judaism. Jesus must be permitted to define a new way to think and to live in the kingdom He was even then about to establish. You and I too have to be careful. It’s so easy to force Jesus’ teachings into our old ways of thinking. Jesus is Lord, and He alone has the right to define our way of life. Never try to make a teaching of Jesus fit one of our prejudices. Let’s let Jesus’ words reveal His own fresh, new way to face life’s challenges. “My daughter has just died” Matt. 9:18–26. The New Testament pictures death as the “last enemy” (1 Cor. 15:26). When Jesus went to the home of a ruler and spoke to his dead daughter, she revived. What a foretaste of the victory we will experience when Christ raises us from the dead, gives us resurrection bodies, and welcomes us to an eternity with Him. “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel” Matt. 9:27–34. The evidence of King Jesus’ authority that Matthew presents is summed up here, in the report of many more healings and exorcisms. The evidence was conclusive: all who saw it acknowledged that even in the wonder-working ages of Moses or Elijah, no comparable miracles had been performed. Even the Pharisees could not deny the miracle, but muttered, “Well, He must be doing them in Satan’s power.” The evidence is in. And each person today too must determine for himself or herself whether to gladly submit to Jesus as Lord, or to reject Him and turn away. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers arefew” Matt. 9:35–38 How do we display a decision to submit to Jesus as Lord? Very simply. We take the burden of continuing His mission on ourselves. We become the workers who, moved by compassion for the lost, go out as Jesus did “preaching the Good News of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Evangelicals have been accused of emphasizing evangelism and disregarding the physical and social needs of humanity. Let’s remember that Jesus in compassion sought to heal the whole person. We are to preach and teach, yes. But we are to model our ministry on Christ’s, and communicate the love of God as Jesus did by also feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and doing justice to the oppressed.

DEVOTIONAL

That You May Know(Matt. 9:1–13)

Some folks scoff at Christianity as “pie in the sky by and by.” Others just shrug, and say they’ll wait and find out after they die. When Jesus was here He made sure no one had to wait to see. He told a paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” (vv. 1–8). When some bystanders were upset by this claim, He offered proof. “So that you may know the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” He told the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” When the man stood up, and walked, the authority of Jesus was proved. The men of that day knew that Jesus could forgive sins. But how about our day? The next story is for us. It’s the story of a man named Matthew who sat at a tax booth (vv. 9–13). In the first century such men were scorned as sinners, and most did extort more money than was due. Jesus came to Matthew’s booth and told him, “Follow Me.” And Matthew got up and followed. Matthew the tax collector. Matthew, whose friends were the outcasts of pious society, became a follower of Jesus. This is the proof we see all around us of the fact that when Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven,” our sins truly are. Forgiveness makes just as dramatic a change in the moral life of the believer as Jesus’ healing did in the frozen limbs of the paralytic. A world that wants proof that Jesus saves can find it in the transformed lives of those who have accepted Him as Saviour.

Personal Application

Your life is to be presented to the world as evidence that Jesus saves.

Quotable
“Non-Christians first need to detect the reality of genuine Christian experience in our lives. Then they will be attracted by our words about Jesus Christ and what it means to know Him personally. After I have spoken to a group, students often approach me with personal questions: ’How does it work?’ ’How can I have the kind of life you’ve been talking about?’ ’Is there any hope for me?’ It’s always a privilege to sit down and explain how forgiveness, cleansing, and power can be individually ours in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.”—Paul Little