Monthly Archive for March, 2008

Matthew 4:23f

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
The final verses of chapter four are a summary of Jesus’ Galilean ministry viewing both his activities and travels.
4:23
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Jesus ministered throughout Galilee (40 by 70 miles) with about three million people in 204 villages and cities.
Jesus engages in three ministries:
1) teaching
2) preaching
3) healing
The synagogue was the local meeting place for Jewish people. It was the most important institution in a Jewish community. The main function in the synagogue was instruction, not worship. The Temple was the place of worship, the place of sacrifices. Priests had no official standing in the synagogue but where honored while there. The officers of the synagogue were elected by the congregation or council. The leader of the synagogue was a learned expounder. Jesus often spoke in the synagogue (Mt 13:54; Mk 6:2; Lu 4:15,16-22; Jn 18:20). Apostles also spoke in synagogues (Ac 13:5, 15; 14:1; 17:10, 11, 17; 18:19).
Jesus taught in synagogues because He presented Himself as Messiah from Scripture to Israel. He also proclaimed the good news of His kingdom. He healed in order to establish the authentication of His Messiahship. The purpose of His healing was not to alleviate suffering. His purpose was not to heal everyone in Palestine for the purpose of healing was to present His credentials as the Messiah. Jesus’ enemies never doubted His healing ministry because of the sheer numbers He healed.
4:24
So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
The Roman province of Syria covered all Palestine except Galilee. Jesus’ fame spread to the North of Galilee. Jesus’ reputation and honor grows extensively in greater Galilee even unto Syria.
Note that “they brought him all the sick.” The word “all” indicates massive numbers. He healed them all.
4:25
And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis,
The “great crowds that followed Jesus did not necessarily commit to Jesus. Many were simply curious of the phenomenon that surrounded Him. “Decapolis” was a district of ten cities in northeast Galilee eastward of the Jordan River.
and from Jerusalem and Judea,
People came from southernmost Palestine as well.
and from beyond the Jordan.
People also came from the east across Jordan. These came from a long way.
PRINCIPLE: Many people are attracted to Jesus because of phenomenal experience rather than for its reality.
APPLICATION: There are many in the Christian church today are there because of other reasons than the truth of Christianity. They see phenomenon not equivalent to the essence of Christianity so they jump on board. As a result, the church is filled with fakers. The reality of the kingdom is Jesus Himself. If we do not know Him personally, we do not have the reality of Christianity.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Lk 17:20-21

Matthew 4:18f

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
4:18
While walking by the Sea of Galilee,
The Sea of Galilee was 13 miles long from north to south and 9 miles wide east to west. It sustained a flourishing fishing industry in Jesus’ day.
he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
This is not the first time Jesus met Peter and Andrew (near Bethabara in Jordan (Jn 1:34-42). They left following John the Baptist to follow Jesus. Their first call was to salvation but this call was to service.
4:19
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
The command “follow me” was a call to leave the fishing industry to go into ministry with Jesus. Jesus here recruits a staff for ministry. He does not go it alone; He wants these men to join Him in His Messianic ministry. The call was to fish for men rather than fish for fish.
4:20
Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Peter and Andrew immediately followed Jesus. Jesus had previously called them to salvation earlier (Jn 1:35-51). They immediately recognized Jesus authority and followed Him without question.
4:21
And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
Jesus called James and John while repairing their nets. Herod Agrippa killed James with the sword later (Ac 12:2).
4:22
Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
James and John immediately dropped everything. They left both their business and their father and followed Jesus. They instantaneously broke with their past. This call involved a cost. They left their family and business responsibilities. They paid an economic price for following Jesus.
By responding to Jesus’ call, Peter, Andrew, James, and John became key players in world evangelism.
PRINCIPLE: God’s call on us comes from His electing grace.
APPLICATION: Peter and Andrew were not super-saints but common fishermen. God can use us in whatever state we find ourselves. If God can use Peter, maybe He can use me. However, this calls for radical commitment.
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 1 Co 1:26

Matthew 4:13f

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
4:13
And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
After John’s imprisonment, Jesus went from Nazareth (small agricultural village) to establish His headquarters for His base of operations in Capernaum (larger fishing city of 30,000) on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. His hometown rejected Him (Lu 4:16f).
Jesus went to a center of Roman authority, a political sphere for His headquarters. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali settled in this area.
4:14
so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
Isaiah prophesied that a “great light” would appear in the area Jesus set up His headquarters (Is 9:1-2).
4:15
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
They called name “Galilee of the Gentiles” because it was the frontier between Israel and the outside world. Important roads of the world passed through Galilee. Jesus ministry was not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles.
4:16
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Matthew viewed the Isaiah 9:1-2 passage as fulfilled in Jesus’ move to Capernaum. Jesus was Himself the “great light.”
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn 8:12
4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying,
Jesus now officially begins his public ministry.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus comes with a twofold message. To be a part of the Kingdom, one must “repent.” Secondly, Jesus said the “kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus was the kingdom personified. Jesus never taught a kingdom “within” the people to whom He ministered.
PRINCIPLE: As the light, Jesus is the Savior.
APPLICATION: Jesus made the stupendous claim that He was “the light of the world.” He is the light of the world because He is the glory of God. He is the visible majesty of God. His person and work on the cross is the animation that produces eternal life.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jn 1:4-5
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 Jn 1:5
Have you come to the place where you place your trust in Christ’s payment for your sins so that you receive eternal life? If you will, God will give you His light.

Matthew 4:12

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
4:12
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
A period of time elapsed between the temptation of Christ and the beginning of His public ministry.
Herod put John the Baptist in prison (14:3, 4). Upon hearing this, Jesus launched His public ministry. Jesus does not begin His ministry until the forerunner John finishes his.
PRINCIPLE: When God removes one person from ministry, God provides another.
APPLICATION: When God finished His ministry with Moses, He raised up Joshua.
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Jos 1:1-2
No one is indispensible in ministry. Israel moved from the proved ministry of Moses to the unproven ministry of Joshua but God said, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise…” Some of us attach ourselves to a given leader when we must move on to another leader.

Matthew 4:10bf

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
4:10
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
This quotation asserts mutual exclusive worship. “Worship the Lord your God” shows Satan the true object of worship.
The word “serve” carries the idea of religious service. “Serve” is just what Jesus was about to do in His public ministry. He committed Himself to exclusive service of the Lord God.
The word “only” brings out emphatically the mutual exclusive nature of worshiping “the Lord your God” and Him alone. By putting “him only” before the verb “shall you serve” shows the restrictedness of the proper object of worship. Jesus could not worship both Satan and God with some sort of compromise between the Lord God and the devil.
“You shall have no other gods before me. Ex 20:3
“ ‘You shall have no other gods before me. Dt 5:7
4:11
Then the devil left him,
The devil left Jesus after his failure to lure Jesus away from God’s purpose for Him as the Messiah. Luke says that the devil left Him for a period of time (4:13).
Satan does not tempt us every moment but he comes in waves. He leaves after resistance with the Word of God.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you Jas 4:6-7
and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Angels came to minister to Jesus. Their ministry to Him was ongoing (Greek). Jesus is now ready to begin His ministry after His temptation.
PRINCIPLE: Christianity is mutually exclusively true.
APPLICATION: People believe that if it is religious it is good. That is a deadly error. Satan’s ace trump in leading people astray is religion.
If God is absolute, all-encompassing, all-power, everywhere present, all-knowing, and sovereign, He cannot tolerate any rivals. We live in a day where people believe in pluralism and tolerate every form of religion. There is no religion that can claim certainty for them. However, if God spoke to us from eternity into time, then we can know for certain what we know.
The only way we can worship and serve the Lord God “only” is to exclude every other form of worship.

Matthew 4:10a

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
4:10
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan!
Jesus told Satan to get lost and he did (4:11)! That is a swift and straightforward answer. Jesus made the decision to exclusively worship the Lord God and resisted the temptation to worship in a syncretistic manner.
“Satan” means adversary. He knew His enemy
For it is written,
Jesus cited and paraphrased Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 to defeat Satan’s own lust for power. He met each of the three temptations with a quotation from Scripture. The Lord quoted thirteen books of the Old Testament in the New Testament.
PRINCIPLE: All victory in the Christian life comes through God’s revelation of Himself in the Word.
APPLICATION: The reason most Christians face difficulty in living their Christian lives is ignorance of the Word of God and failure to apply it to their experiences.
…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… Eph 6:17

Matthew 4:8f

Published on March 22, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Now we come to the third and last of Satan’s three temptations toward Jesus. With each victory of Jesus over temptation, Satan uses the way He addressed victory against Him. Jesus used Scripture in the first temptation, so Satan used the Word against Him. Jesus used the Father’s plan as an answer to the second temptation, so Satan used temptation against the Father’s plan against Him in the third temptation. There is a sequence of momentum in Satan’s temptation.
4:8
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
The third temptation was the temptation of power lust. This temptation centered on Jesus’ mission as the Messiah. The devil conducted Jesus to “a very high mountain” to show Him the panorama of “kingdoms of the world and their glory.” “Glory” is a power-lust term. What a range of vision! This is a temptation of exceeding grandeur.
4:9
And he said to him, “All these I will give you,
The “kingdoms of the world” are presently Satan’s because he is the “god of this world” (2 Co 4:4) and “the prince of this world” (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Satan had the power to give the world system to Jesus. If Jesus would have accepted Satan’s proposal of a quick path to the kingdom, He would have thwarted God’s plan for Him to go to the cross.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 1 Jn 5:19
The phrase “all these” is emphatic, with the idea that the devil can give Jesus vast power because he controls these kingdoms. Satan is the ultimate usurper. It was the Father’s plan that Jesus become ruler of the world, King Jesus the Sovereign of the World. Satan attempted to usurp that kingdom. Jesus had to go via the cross to receive that kingdom. Satan’s plan is always to circumvent the cross.
if you will fall down and worship me.”
Satan claims right of worship. This is the temptation to compromise. The word “if” in the Greek is contrary to the fact (second-class condition). The idea is “if, but you won’t.” Satan assumed that Jesus would not fall down and worship him exclusively, but he hoped to get to a compromise of worshiping both him and the Lord God. The idea is “compromise, come to terms with me. Don’t be so exclusive in your belief in God.”
PRINCIPLE: Evil can never overcome evil.
APPLICATION: Satan loves comprise. His temptation is to compromise as a means of reaching a goal. The end justifies the means. Satan intimates that we can reach our goals if we would only compromise a little. “Please come to terms with my plan. You can achieve both God’s plan and my plan simultaneously.”
People believe that if it is religious, it is good. That is a deadly error. Satan’s ace trump in leading people astray is religion.

Matthew 4:7

Published on March 21, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
4:7
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written,
Again Jesus quotes Scripture to meet temptation. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. The word “again” is emphatic, placing emphasis on the right use of Scripture.
‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
This quote refers to Israel. They put God to the test with disastrous results (Ex. 17). Putting God to the test is distrust; it is a sin of presumption.
Jesus turns the “since you are the Son of God” against Satan by quoting Deuteronomy to show Satan that he is not to tempt God. The point? “You are not to put me to the test!” since the Bible says so.
PRINCIPLE: God wants us to trust Him, not dare Him.
APPLICATION: It is sin to test the providential care of God. This sin acts independently of God, just as Satan asked Jesus to put Himself in mortal peril by presumption of a purpose other than God’s plan.
Often false teachers use the devise of citing passages out of context to mislead people. Satan urges people to “see for themselves.” Some health-and-wealth teachers cause people to live beyond their means because “God will provide.” They assure their followers that God will make them rich. However, God wants us to trust Him, not dare Him.
To compel God to rescue us is to put Him to the test. This is not faith but presumption; it is not belief but disbelief. This is the diabolical doctrine of the end justifying the means: “As long as it works, it’s right.”
A modern example of the sin of presumption is putting out a fleece to determine God’s will. This puts God to the test and is the sin of presumption.

Matthew 4:6b

Published on March 21, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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…and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
4:6
 “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
This was a temptation to put God to a spectacular test. However, it is wrong to ask God to prove Himself. Testing God does not equate to trusting God.
Had Jesus jumped into the Kidron Valley so that angels would swoop down and catch Him would have been presumption against God’s will for Him as the Messiah. God’s will was for Him to fulfill God’s functions for the Messiah on earth and then to suffer, die, rise from the dead, and ascend to the Father.
Satan referred to the Psalms to show that God would protect Him if He did this spectacular event. He quoted Psalm 91:11-12 but left out the important phrase “in all Your ways.” This phrase refers to God’s protection when we follow His will. Using His deity to function in His humanity was out of God’s will.
PRINCIPLE: God does not protect those who go independent of His Word.
APPLICATION: God does not protect those who go independent of His will. This is true even if someone uses the Bible toward his ends. Angels would not catch Jesus if He acted independent of God’s plan for Him.

Matthew 4:6a

Published on March 21, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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…and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
4:6
And said to him
The devil gave rational for Jesus yielding to temptation.
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down,
The devil assumed that Jesus was the Son of God because the word “if” assumes the reality of the fact. The devil’s challenge was for Jesus to act on His deity to resolve a human situation.
for it is written,
Since Jesus used Scripture to resist temptation in the first temptation, the devil used Scripture to appeal to temptation in the second temptation. This is an attack on the Word by appealing to the Word! He quoted a passage not pertinent to Jesus’ situation.
The devil quoted Psalm 91:11-12 in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) to strengthen his point. By quoting Scripture, he picked up Jesus’ method of dealing with temptation.
The devil carefully omitted the words in Psalm 91 “to guard you in all your ways.” The reason the devil left these words out is that this is the way God sustains the Messiah in His humanity. An attempt at sensation is the sin of presumption of trust rather than trust itself.
PRINCIPLE: Sincere but invalid use of Scripture violates principles of God’s Word.
APPLICATION: Misquotation and misapplication of Scripture is rampant today. Just because a television preacher lives in luxury does not mean that his followers will have financial prosperity. The mere reference to Scripture does not guarantee its truthfulness.
Satan is always the source of misquotation and misapplication of Scripture. Taking passages out of context has led many astray. People think that “sincerity” is the all-important principle for determining whether something is true. This is a deadly mistake because biblically there is no inherent value in sincerity for determining truth. Truth is truth, and error is error, regardless of how sincere people are. To trust in sincerity without truth is gross stupidity.