QT 27 Apr 17, Matt 14:13-16, Lessons on focus for the young disciples

Matthew 14:13–16 (ESV) — 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

NOTE: After the rejection, Jesus begins to focus on the disciples. He does not ignore the crowds, as this passage clearly shows, but his focus is on teaching his disciples. Each interaction has a main thought or two. This one seems to emphasize two things. First, while heartbroken over the evil inflicted on John the Baptist and needing to get away (some of Jesus' disciples were originally John's), Jesus puts the needs of others ahead of himself. He shows the disciples the need to focus on others not their problems. While there are limits on what we can do in this regard, to the extent possible we are to sacrifice ourselves for others -- spend and be spent as Paul says in 1 Cor 12:15. The second lesson is to think beyond the possible and consider the impossible -- don't focus on present circumstances. The example is extreme, the feeding of the 5000 men with a young boy's lunch, but God is the God of the impossible. And when faced with obstacles we need to go to God in prayer and focus on what he wants. Who knows what God might do. 

QT 26 Apr 17, Matt 13:53-58, Unbelief becomes a new barrier after the rejection

Matthew 13:53–58 (ESV) — 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 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? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

NOTE: Another ramification of the rejection is the requirement for belief. Even in his own town, he is rejected by those who knew him. In fact, their familiarity is the reason. They recognize his wisdom and his mighty works, but they cannot accept the difference, the revealing of who he really was. In fact, they take offense with him. The leaders attributed his powers to Satan and his hometown is ashamed of him. For these reasons, he does not do many miracles, because of their unbelief. I know many will use this as a justification for why God does not do miracles today, that is, our unbelief. But, the main purpose of the miracles was not physical healing, but spiritual revelation -- it acknowledge to the world that God was doing something new and unique, much as what happened when God called Israel out of Egypt. We really don't need miracles if we are going to die eventually, we need spiritual rebirth. Miracles are the sign that authenticate the message. The Jews rejected the message. How do we respond?

QT 25 Apr 17, Matt 13:51-52, We need to understand BOTH the old treasures and the new treasures to teach

Matthew 13:51–52 (ESV) — 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

NOTE: In the new kingdom, the old treasure is the teaching in the old testament (OT) about Jesus, and the new treasure is the revealing of the mysteries and the teaching in the new testament (NT) about Jesus. A teacher (scribe) needs to understand both the NT and the OT, and how they relate to Jesus, and only then is he considered trained. The one thing that does bother me about teachers today is the lack of understanding of Jewish culture, teaching, and traditions of the OT. I think a correct understanding of this eastern culture can shed valuable insights on the treasures of the NT, but far too many teachers use their western framework to understand the treasure of the NT. Lord, open my eyes to your truth. Help me to understand the OT better. As an application, I need to continue my reading program in books on Jewish culture and social activities.

QT 24 Apr 17, Matt 13:44-46, Eternal life is free, but will cost a person his life

Matthew 13:44–46 (ESV) — 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

NOTE: The kingdom has been long promised to Israel. But the nation failed to recognize the time of their deliverance and instead rejected their Messiah. Now, individual Jews and Gentiles are invited into the kingdom through a special relationship called the church. It is a treasure, now hidden to Israel, but revealed to the nations. It is worth everything to own. The gift is free, and it also costs your life, because a person must give up his rebellion to God, repent of his rebellion, and serve God as was intended from the beginning (this is the requirement of the heart). That does not mean one works for it, but one desires it so much, he will pay whatever the price to own it. It is free, but it will cost a man his life. It is worth the cost, and there is no treasure on earth that is any greater.

QT 20 Apr 17, Matt 13:18-23, An evil and crooked generation asks for a sign--that's us now!

Matthew 13:18–23 (ESV) — 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

NOTE: Jesus explains the parable of the sowers. There are four response. I believe most people fall into the first response. The evil one, represented by the birds in the parable, snatch away the truth--essentially, this group (the hard path) lets the evil one snatch away the truth. They don't want to believe truth, but they want to believe that they are their own gods. They can do what they want to do. They do not need to obey God. They do not want to acknowledge a creator. They do not want to believe that Jesus died for their sin. They do not want to accept that sin even exists. This is where our post-Christian culture is today. They think they have logic and scientific reasoning behind them, but it is a pick-and-choose type of factual basis, that only selects those things that agree with their own bias -- fake news that no one wants to admit is fake -- and to charge fakeness to everything that disagrees with them. We live in a sad world where right is wrong, and wrong is right; where perceived hurts are challenged in the courts; and where evil rules in the name of rightness. O Lord, how much worse can it get? Have mercy on us, a crooked and evil generation. A generation wanting to be entertained but complaining at the entertainment. Is there any good left?

QT 18 Apr 17, Matt 13:1-13, Individuals follow Christ, not the nation

Matthew 13:1–13 (ESV) — 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

NOTE: This event follows the rejection and we see the first consequences of the rejection of the offer of the kingdom--Jesus speaks to the people in parables. The apostles immediately question Jesus why he is speaking in parables, and he answers quizzically. The offer of the kingdom has been rejected and given to another, the Gentiles. So his discussion of the kingdom, which Matthews groups in these next passages are not clear, seeing but do not see and hearing but do not hear, lest they understand. But for individuals with a heart to know God, they still come to the Lord during these days. The nation fails, but individuals, called the remnant believe and follow the Messiah. Today, we call these Jews, Messianic Jews or Completed Jews. In the days after Jesus, the were called a sect of Judaism, or followers of the way or Christ-followers or Christians. But they were 100 percent of the early church, at least for the first few years. We owe our Christian faith to a Jew, Jesus, the son of God, our savior, and a multitude of Jewish believers who carried the gospel into the known world.

QT 17 Apr 17, Matt 12:46-50, The consequences of unbelief

Matthew 12:46–50 (ESV) — 46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

NOTE: A curious passage to follow the rejection by the nation Israel toward Jesus' claim of Messiahship. Jesus uses the event to make a point. His family is not his blood relations, i.e., Israel, his family now is his disciples, those who believe in him (which is the will of the Father in heaven). Jesus now focuses his ministry on the disciples and he saves individuals, but the offer of the kingdom has been withdrawn from the nation Israel and "this generation," because they failed to understand the times, and they rejected the Messiah, their God, in his physical manifestation on earth. They called him the opposite of God, Satan, and so rejected him. Now Jesus reveals a new family of God, those who believe in him will be adopted into the household of God and share in his inheritance. Lord, help us to see and understand the times we live in.

QT 13 Apr 17, Matt 12:22-25a, 31-32, The unpardonable sin

Matthew 12:22–32 (ESV) — 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, . . .  31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

NOTE: I know that some believe the blasphemy of the spirit is the rejection of Christ or unbelief. The argument is that Jesus died for all the world sins, therefore the only thing that can send a person to Hell is unbelief in the savior. Those statements are true, but that does not make unbelief the unpardonable sin, since you can choose to not believe all the way up to the door of death and then believe, thereby saving yourself (and being forgiven for your unbelief). Rather this  passage better explains blasphemy of the spirit. It is unique and a one-time occurrence. The introductory miracle is really a double Messianic miracle (if the man was also born blind) and is something that only the Messiah could do. That is why the people are amazed and ask their leaders if this is the Messiah ("son of David" being a euphemism). The Pharisees have already come to a conclusion, having first seen Jesus heal a leper (another of the three Messianic miracles) whether Jesus is the Messiah. They probably came to their conclusion shortly after Jesus "forgave the sin" of the paralytic ("a claim to be God" or blasphemy). Now, having the son of God standing in their presence, on the literal land of Israel, having seen his life and undeniable messianic miracles, the leaders commit the unpardonable sin, they call the holy and perfect God, Beelzebul, the prince of demons, the lord of the dunghill, the lord of the flies. Which is why from this point forward, Jesus refers this generation as "this generation" who were visited by God, and called God, Satan. The nation has rejected their Messiah and their God. Individuals are still saved from this point forward, but God rejects Israel (for a time, a time which we refer to as the church age). God is not finished with Israel yet, but they committed the unpardonable sin, the rejection of God despite having his earthly appearance standing before them.

QT 12 Apr 17, Matt 12:1-8, Does self-interest trump doing the right thing?

Matthew 12:1–8 (ESV) — 1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

NOTE: Jesus directly challenges the oral traditions. The Sabbath laws were interpreted with minutia of detail, but that wasn't the point at all. The Sabbath was a time of rest and of reflection. The Sabbath protected the masses from seven days of abuse by their bosses, encouraged deeper relationships in the family, and gave people time to give thanks to God. It was a time to do good and to show mercy. When Israel abused the Sabbath, it was because they wanted to make more money for themselves. The Sabbath was intended for the good of man, but the religious leaders had turned it into a way to control people. The problem was that they could not control Jesus. He refused to obey every oral tradition, but he obeyed every command of God. By so doing, Jesus challenges the leaders' interpretation of the law, even their ability "to interpret" the law. Jesus was a threat to the way of life of the religious leaders, and he was not doing anything against the Romans, only against the religious leaders. Therefore, the religious leaders were biased toward a decision that was in their perceived best interest -- "this man is not the Messiah." Wow, they ignored the most significant event of history only because it was not in their self-interest. Do we act similarly?

QT 11 Apr 17, Matt 11:13-19, Israel's choice: accept or reject

Matthew 11:13–19 (ESV) — 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

17 “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

NOTE: What is Jesus saying? Is John the Baptist the prophesied Elijah or is he still to come? Well, it depends on Israel's response. If they accept him, which the next passage shows they will not, then John was Elijah, but if they reject him, then Elijah is still to come. John the Baptist fulfilled two of three of the major prophecies. The third one, that the hearts of the people would turn, was not fulfilled. Israel remained stubborn. Israel did not accept Jesus, but rather rejected him. Israel is portrayed as a child who cannot be satisfied, and so Israel's salvation is still to come, and Elijah is still to come. Jesus knew the response, but he gave the nation the free will to choose.

QT 10 Apr 17, Matt 11:2-6, The intent of the first coming of Jesus was to die for our sins

Matthew 11:2–6 (ESV) — 2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

NOTE: Apparently, John's time in prison has depressed his spirit. He had been very confident when he proclaimed Jesus the lamb of God, but now he has his doubts. He asks Jesus, in a coded question, if he is the Messiah. Jesus replies in code, quoting various signs of the Messiah from Isaiah, although leaving one out,  "proclaiming liberty to the captives," which might be misinterpreted by John's capturers. There were three Messianic miracles (healing leprosy, casting a demon out of a mute person, and healing a person born blind), but there were many other signs, all of which Matthew has just included in his collection in chapters 8 and 9. Matthew's  argument, underlined by this discourse between John and Jesus, is clear, Jesus is the promised Messiah. The only difference is that Jesus will not be the political leader that they expected. That is still to come, in the second coming. Jesus first coming had a purpose, his death on the cross for our sins, and his resurrection unto eternal life in a new body. That is what we celebrate this week--the forgiveness of our sins by their removal and placing on Jesus' body, and our hope in the resurrection and eternal life in a new body. We see that now, and we have no excuse for doubting. Thank you Lord!

QT 6 Apr 17, Matt 9:18-26, Authority over life

Matthew 9:18–26 (ESV) — 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

NOTE: One could spend a lot of time discussing the implications of this paragraph of verses. I want to focus on Jesus' authority. While we could discuss the woman's healing, I think the main purpose is to delay Jesus enough so that the man's daughter is clearly dead. "Raising a person from the dead" was not a Messianic miracle, although it was very rare in scripture (Elijah and Elisha both exercised this miracle). Also, technically, this would not count as a resurrection, but rather as a resuscitation in the Jewish understanding, because a person needed to be dead 3 days (all or part of 3 separate days is the Jewish definition) to be a resurrection. Later, Jesus will delay some days before coming to raise Lazarus back to life, fulfilling a true resurrection. But even if this event and others like it are not resurrection events, they still show Jesus' power over life and death. This is a power which can only come from God. Satan's later mimic of Jesus' power is more of an animation of life (in my opinion) than a real resurrection of life. We can almost animate the dead today through machines, but we can't restore brain function after a person has died. So Satan will animate the antichrist's body, and will function as the antichrist's brain when the antichrist dies and is then resurrected. Satan is always trying to mimic the power of God, but Jesus is the power of God.

QT 5 Apr 16, Matt 9:14-17, Authority over religious culture and traditions

Matthew 9:14–17 (ESV) — 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

NOTE: This passage continues the theme of Jesus' authority over the culture, and in this case the religious culture. Jesus was under the law during his life and he fulfilled every aspect of the law, but he interpreted the law differently, and therefore came to some different conclusions than had been arrived at in the oral law or traditions. We need to remember that traditions are not law nor is the oral law, the law. These were added onto the law and represented a departure from the true law (although not intentional). A totally different issue is the relevance of the true law to the believer, since the NT writers go to great extent to communicate that we are no longer under the law (referring to the 613 commands of the OT). Jesus was under that law during his life. His death annulled the law. In fact, the book of Hebrews explains the logic of that statement when it says that Jesus is now our high priest. If the law still stood, that would be a direct violation of the law, because the law stated that the High Priest must be a Levite and a descendant of Aaron. Jesus was descended from Judah and therefore, under the law, could not be our high priest if the OT law was still valid. Therefore the writer of Hebrews makes it clear that a new covenant is required that replaces the old covenant. 

QT 4 Apr 2017, Matt 9:9-13, Authority over culture

Matthew 9:9–13 (ESV) — 9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

NOTE: This section continues a section on Jesus' authority. And one has to ask, if that is the author's intent, what authority is on display? We have already seen his authority over people. I think this goes much deeper than people but to culture. In the Jewish culture, the religious people and the extreme patriots would avoid the tax collectors. They made money off the people by working for the controlling power. Hence, they were considered the worst of sinners because they worked for the enemy. Jesus does not endorse Matthew's occupation and he may even be condemning it by saying that those who are "sick" need a physician. Jesus goes against the religious culture and eats with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus reaches out to society's shamed. Jesus breaks the cultural rules of social etiquette by loving all people, independent of who they are or what they do. I could see Jesus reaching out to the homosexual or the transvestite of today, not endorsing their sin, but making contact and friendship with them as people made in the image of God. Jesus was not constrained by religious or societal culture. He has authority over all. Do we love all people, or do we let religious culture dictate our society?

QT 3 Apr 17, Matt 9:1-8, Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?

Matthew 9:1–8 (ESV) — 1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

NOTE: Matthew's account is the shortest of the three gospel's recording of this event. It is an extremely important event although not as important as what triggered it. The triggering event was the healing of a leper, something that had never occurred to a Jew since the law was written (that eliminates the stories of Naaman and Miriam). There were very specific instructions in Leviticus about this event, but never an opportunity to apply the instructions. Therefore, Rabbis and theologians conjectured this to be a messianic miracle. This fact is probably why a leper went to Jesus, in the hope that he was the Messiah. Anyway, the result (recorded more in Mark and Luke) is that a huge crowd gathered at Jesus' home, many from Jerusalem who were Rabbis, Priests, and scribes. This is the observation phase, and so they are there to decide if this truly could be the Messiah. Of course, Jesus throws them for a loop when he either makes a claim to be God or commits a gross sin of blasphemy, forgiving another person's sin. And then to top it all off, he heals a paralytic in front of them, something that should not have been possible given the blasphemy he just committed. So how did Jesus do it? He either is God or his power has another source. And if it comes from another source, why is it power for good? Today, the claims of Jesus still haunt man. How could a person make such claims? Is he a liar (doesn't seem to have the goals of a liar), a lunatic (certainly does act like one), or who he claimed to be -- Lord and God? Some people will try to make the argument that Jesus never claimed to be God, ignoring the reaction of the people and the culture to those very clear claims. But hiding behind misunderstood conclusions does not change the truth of Jesus' claims.