Monthly Archive for September, 2008

Matthew 13:9

Published on September 30, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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9He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
13:9
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The word “hear” occurs 19 times in Matthew 13. This is a word of positive volition. If people understand the principle of the parable of the sower, then they need to apply it to their lives. The thrust of the parable of the sower is that the effect of the Word depends on the state of the heart (13:18-23).
Jesus presented three kinds of negative volition and one kind of positive volition. The three negative volitions are (1) hardness towards God’s Word where Satan takes away revelation,( 2) a shallow attitude towards God, and (3) allowing things of the world to choke out God’s revelation. Jesus challenged His followers to be like the fourth kind of soil, a soil receptive to the seed of the Word. Seed produces a crop when sown in ground prepared for fertilization.
PRINCIPLE: There are different ways to receive the Word of God.
APPLICATION: Different types of reception to God’s will depend on positive or negative volition towards God Himself. The nature of receptivity towards Jesus ranges from superficial reception to full embrace of Christ as Savior.
If a believer is not teachable, he has a serious problem with God. The Bible will “effectively work” in the Christian who embraces the Bible as God’s Word.
13For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 1 Th 2:13

Matthew 13:8

Published on September 29, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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8But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
13:8
But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:
The fourth soil was receptive to the seed and received it without any qualification. The soil was totally responsive to the seed. This soil was totally prepared for fertilization.
some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
The fourth environment for growth of seed was good soil. Three of the four sowings did not bear fruit; however, sowing seed on receptive ground did bear fruit.
Jesus interpreted this parable in verse 23. Some people have fertile reception towards Jesus. These are people who indeed have an ear to hear.
23But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Mt 13:23
 
Note the descending numbers. The “hundredfold” are great producers of the Christian life. Those who bear “sixty” and “thirty” produce less than some.
PRINCIPLE: We can rest assured that some will reject our message.
APPLICATION: Pastors, Sunday school teachers, and parachurch workers sometimes become discouraged due to lack of response to their message. Our Lord predicted that there would be different kinds of responses to the message. It is not our responsibility to guarantee the response. Our responsibility is to present the gospel in its clarity with sensitivity and let the chips fall where they may.

Matthew 13:7

Published on September 27, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
13:7
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
The third bad environment for seed to grow is among thorns. In this case, the seed did germinate and grow for a while, but thorns eventually choked the growth to death.
We find the interpretation of this verse in verse 22.
22Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares [worries, carries anxiety] of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. Mt 13:22
 
The person in this parable is a believer who initially responds to the Word but lets the cares of the world choke out the message.
 
PRINCIPLE: Worry can crowd out the Word.
 
APPLICATION: Worry is a great enemy of the believer. Anxiety begins to get to these people. They have an inverted scale of values, for money controls their choices. These are people who do not mix the Word with faith and are not very productive in their Christian lives.
 
The Word of God becomes crowed out in this situation. It is easy to let the details of life crowd out what is most important. Thorns represent love of the world over Jesus.

 

 

Matthew 13:5f

Published on September 27, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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5Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
This is the second kind of reception to the Word illustrated by stony soil.
13:5
Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth;
Palestine is very rocky where rocks lie just below the surface of the ground.
and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
The second illustration depicts a shallow person. Other seed fell on shallow ground where stones lay just beneath of the surface. This shallow ground produced a crop that had very little root.
13:6
But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
The shallow root exposed seed to the sun so that the plant withered away. The seed fell just below the surface in the second sowing. The seed took frail root and sprang up too quickly.
We find the interpretation of the second response in verses 20 and 21.
20But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Mt 13:21
 
Jesus’ interpretation says in effect that this is a superficial believer (12:20-21). This person is enthusiastic about Christ when things go well but falls away then things go badly.
PRINCIPLE: God does not accept superficiality.
APPLICATION: A superficial person is faddish picking up every trend that comes down the pike. When difficulty comes, he gives up on the Word. His understanding of the issues of the Word of God is so shallow that the least countervailing challenge blows him away. This is a person who has no staying power under pressure; the word “tribulation” means pressure. He cannot stand pressure.

Matthew 13:3f

Published on September 26, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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3Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
Jesus first presented the parable of the sower in verses three to nine.
The parable of the sower has to do with receptivity to God’s will. There are three soils that do not receive God’s message, and there is a soil that does.
13:3
saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.
We should not call this parable the parable of the sower but the parable of the soils. The idea is how soils act in response to seed. The same seed has different results. Fertilization occurs in one soil and not in three others.
Jesus later (13:19f) compared seed to the Word of God. The “sower” here is the evangelist. There are four responses to the message of the sower. The first parable is about a sower who planted seed in four different kinds of soil:
1.    In soil packed hard by walking where birds eat the seed
2.    In a thin layer of soil with rocks underneath where seed could not take root
3.    In soil with thorns where the seed sprouted but the thorns choked them out
4.    In good soil where the seed produced abundant fruit
The seed fell on four types of soil. It was the same seed in every case, but there was no fruit borne out of three of the soils. It was the soil (or the receptivity of the seed) that was the problem in three cases. The condition of the soil made the difference in producing fruit.
13:4
And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside;
Some seed fell on the road. This seed did not fertilize at all because of the hardness of the soil. This is a hardened individual who does not respond to the Word of God.
and the birds came and devoured them.
The first illustration of receptivity is where there is no positive volition to God’s Word at all. This verse begins the discussion on the various types of ground that receive the seed. The first situation was where the seed fell on a path packed down with traffic. Seed cannot penetrate soil like this.
We find the interpretation of this parable in verse 19.
19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. Mt 13:19
 
Jesus later in the chapter interpreted the “birds” as representing Satan. The sower is the Lord Himself (v. 37). The “seed” is the Word of God (v. 19). The “field” signifies the world (v. 38).
PRINCIPLE: The onus of response to the Word does not lie upon us but upon the person who hears the Word.
APPLICATION: The business of the believer is to sow the seed. The obligation of the world is to receive or reject the Word. They refuse to believe the message.

Matthew 13:1f

Published on September 25, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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1On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3Then He spoke many things to them in parables…
Chapter 13 is the third of five discourses in Matthew. This is a discourse on the period from Christ’s rejection until the Second Advent at the end of the Tribulation.
Chapters 11 and 12 show the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah-King by the attribution of His miracles to satanic power (12:22, 38). That was a turning point in Jesus’ ministry to the nation. He now turned to parables to reveal a change in the kingdom program; parables illustrate a new phase in the kingdom. Since the scribes and Pharisees (religious Israel) rejected Jesus as King, Jesus now demonstrated a new direction for the kingdom.
Jesus began a new phase of His kingdom with seven parables. Six start with the phrase “The kingdom of heaven is like….” The exception is the parable of the sower. The kingdom of heaven is the sphere of God’s rule. The Word of God sets forth the kingdom in five stages:
1.    The Old Testament prophesy of the kingdom
2.    Jesus offered the kingdom “at hand” as present in the person of the King
3.    The period of rejection of the King
4.    Jesus’ rule for 1,000 years on earth in time
5.    The eternal kingdom in heaven
Chapter 13 portrays the kingdom in the third sense, the period where Jesus was rejected as Messiah-King.
13:1
On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
On the same day Jesus healed the demon-possessed man in Capernaum, He sat down by the Sea of Galilee to give a change in His program. The purpose of this sentence is to link the parables of this chapter with the negative volition shown in the previous two chapters.
13:2
And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Large crowds gathered on shore with Jesus. He entered a boat and taught them by parables. A parable is a principle cast as a story. The seven stories that follow show what the kingdom will be like during the period between Jesus’ First and Second Advents. Jesus spoke the first four parables to the crowd and the last three to the disciples. Jesus interpreted the first two and seventh parables to the disciples.
13:3
Then He spoke many things to them in parables,
Jesus changed His teaching method once Israel formally rejected Him as Messiah. He began to speak in “parables.” Parables hid truth from those with negative volition. The word “parable” comes from two words: alongside and to cast. The idea is to cast a story alongside a principle.
One-third of Jesus’ teaching was in parables. It is very important to note that parables have one central idea. It is wrong to interpret all aspects of the parable as having significance.
Although Jesus gave seven parables in chapter 13, He interpreted only two of them: the parable of the sower and the parable of the wheat and tares. How He interpreted these two parables gives us a clue as to how to interpret the others.
When interpreting parables, we need to keep in mind:
1.    the central issue surrounding the parable,
2.    that the original setting gives the context for interpreting it, and
3.    that there is only one point to each parable.
PRINCIPLE: God hides revelation from those with negative volition.
APPLICATION: Jesus taught in mystery parables to show the nature of the kingdom during the intercalation between the Old Testament economy and the New Testament economy. This teaching answers the question, “What happens to the kingdom of heaven after people reject the Messiah’s offer to establish the kingdom?” It is patently clear that Jesus would not establish the kingdom during His first coming. All seven parables in this chapter show what will happen to the kingdom of heaven during this interval.
The reason Jesus spoke in parables (13:10-23) was to hide His plan to unbelieving Israel during the intercalation period. A mystery is a secret not hitherto revealed until a certain point. That is the case with the church (Eph 3:1f). The Old Testament did not reveal the existence or the nature of the church to come. God gave Paul special revelation on this point. The kingdom of heaven is not identical with the church, but it shows what takes place between Christ’s rejection and His Second Coming (not the Rapture).

Matthew 12:46f

Published on September 24, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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46While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
 
In this section running from 12:46 to 12:50, Jesus announced a new arrangement for His family. From this point, He would not exclusively make an offer to Israel to establish His kingdom, but would rather offer a message to “whoever” might come. It was becoming apparent that Israel had gone negative volition towards Him.
 
12:46
 
While He was still talking to the multitudes,
 
While Jesus was still speaking to the crowd about the demon-possessed man, this section running from 12:46-50 came about.
 
behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.
 
Jesus’ mother and half-brothers stood waiting to talk to Him. Some of His brothers did not believe Him until after His resurrection (Jn 7:5).
 
12:47
 
Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”
 
Jesus used the occasion of His family’s desire to speak to Him as a lesson on the spiritual family.
 
This verse does not occur in some manuscripts.
 
12:48
 
But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”
 
By putting the mother of Jesus and His brothers in close juxtaposition in this verse, it is clear that the brothers of Jesus were not merely spiritual brothers or cousins but His physical brothers; therefore, Mary was not a perpetual virgin. Note also that Mary did not occupy a place of special privilege.
 
Jesus did not repute his earthly family here but asserted His eternal family.
 
12:49
 
And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
 
“Disciples” here refers to those who follow Jesus. Blood relations are superseded by spiritual relations. Jesus gestured with His hand, making this point dramatic. The emphatic point is that mission is more important than temporal values. Eternal relationships are more important than human relationships.  
 
12:50
 
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
 
The idea here is that whoever accepts Jesus as the Messiah is Jesus’ brother and sister. The word “will” carries the idea of desired. The desire of the Father is that people accept Jesus as Messiah.
 
PRINCIPLE: Jesus’ new family is based on regeneration, not generation.
 
APPLICATION: Our spiritual relationships are more important than our human relationships. Regenerate people will live with Christ eternally. A “born again” person is someone who believes in Jesus and His message.
 
3Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again [regeneration], he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born [generation] when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born [generation]?” 5Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water [generation] and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh [generation], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [regeneration]. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again [regeneration].’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit [regeneration].” Jn 3:3-8

Matthew 12:43f

Published on September 23, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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43“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
In this section Jesus drew an analogy between a demon and Israel’s acceptance of the Messiah (12:43-45). The contrast is between religionists of Israel and the Messiah.
12:43
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
A demon finds no rest in the desert (dry places—abodes of demons in inhospitable places). Israel found no rest in demon idolatry.
12:44
Then he says, ‘I will return to my house [the entity that the demon possessed] from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
Having found no rest, the demon returns to his abode (Israel) to find it put in good order, but the house (Israel) was essentially the same. This house was in order but became susceptible to demon possession again because of a vacuum in the house.
12:45
Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there;
The demon finds seven other demons taking up abode in this house, making it more degenerate. Religion without the Messiah made the condition in Israel worse.
and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
The purpose of the Tribulation is to bring Israel as a nation back to God. Their suffering during that time will be worse than the deportation to Babylon.
So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Now Jesus drew the analogy to the nation Israel. Both John the Baptist and Jesus cleansed Israel’s dwelling places, but the people were negative in volition towards Jesus’ claim to Messiahship. Israel did not invite Jesus as the Messiah in the nation. Israel will face ultimate judgment at the Second Coming.
Jesus compared Israel, which turned negative in volition towards His Messiahship, to demon possession. Israel responded to His miracles but not to His Messiahship. That left Israel in a vulnerable vacuum.
PRINCIPLE: Satanic activity seeks a vacuum.
APPLICATION: Jesus seeks to occupy our hearts but idolatry keeps Him out.
5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Col 3:5

Matthew 12:38f

Published on September 21, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
This passage (12:38-42) continues the argument against negative volition.
12:38
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher [Rabbi], we want to see a sign from You.”
Jesus had just performed a miracle, yet the religious leaders asked for another sign (miracle). They chose to disregard by negative volition His previous miracles. The word “sign” is a special word for a miracle that points to authenticity; it is a stronger term than “miracle.” Jesus refused to respond to their new criterion.
12:39
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign,
Jesus’ answer to the temerity of the scribes and Pharisees, spokesmen for their generation, was that they would only receive one sign—the sign of Jonah, the resurrection. The reason was that they were in deep negative volition. Jesus was not about to accommodate unbelief. An “adulterous generation” is an apostate generation that commits adultery with false doctrine. Getting in bed with false doctrine is unfaithfulness to God.
Note that Jesus assigned historicity to the book of Jonah and to the truth of the fish swallowing him.
and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
The “sign of Jonah” is the resurrection (v. 40). This was the only sign Jesus would give to validate His authenticity.
12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth [the grave].
The picture of Jonah swallowed by the fish and disgorged on land was an analogy to Christ’s passion, burial, and resurrection (Jonah 1:17). Jesus’ resurrection would dramatically display to the nation Israel His authenticity.
This is the second time Jesus announced His resurrection three days after His death (Jn 2:19).
12:41
The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
Jesus now cited two examples of Gentiles with positive volition:
·         Jonah’s experience with the city of Nineveh (12:41)
·         Solomon’s experience with the queen of Sheba (12:42)
Gentiles in Nineveh (capital of the Assyrian Empire) did not have the Old Testament, but they repented with positive volition to Jonah’s message (Jonah 3:5-10).
and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
Note the three “greater than” phrases in this chapter:
·         Jesus was greater than the temple (12:6)
·         Jesus was greater than Jonah (12:41)
·         Jesus was greater than Solomon (12:42)
Jesus the Messiah here is greater than Jonah.
12:42
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
The Gentile queen of Sheba (from the eastern shore of the Red Sea on the Arabian Peninsula) responded with positive volition towards God and sought out Solomon’s wisdom (1 Ki 10:1-13).
and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Jesus is greater than Solomon because of His transcending wisdom.
PRINCPLE: Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
APPLICATION: Some people repent with less evidence than others. God provides mankind with adequate evidence for anyone to believe. There are people who want more proof, whereas they have enough to believe. Demand for more evidence is an indication of unbelief.
1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. He 11:1

Matthew 12:33f

Published on September 19, 2008 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
 
We come to a parable that demonstrates the authenticity of belief (12:33-37). The Pharisees accused Jesus of doing ministry through Satan; at this point He demonstrated how they contradicted themselves.
12:33
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
Fruit reflects the tree that produces it. A “good” tree is a healthy tree and a “bad” tree is a diseased tree. A diseased tree cannot produce good fruit. The “fruit” here is the words of the Pharisees. They attributed to Satan the authentication of the Spirit about Jesus’ ministry.
12:34
Brood of vipers!
Jesus called the Pharisees a bunch of snakes in the grass. His cousin John the Baptist called them the same thing. Their venomous ideas poisoned the people who followed them.
How can you, being evil, speak good things?
People diseased in belief cannot say anything that reflects what God is about.
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The mouth of the Pharisees signaled the poison that was in them. The more people believe something (abundance or overflow), the more they will speak what they believe. The “heart” represents the total person, not simply emotions.
12:35
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
To promote one kingdom is to oppose the other. A person with proper belief will draw on the treasure (box where treasure is stored) of his belief system. The same is true about a person with unbiblical beliefs. Speech is an index of belief.
12:36
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Religious leaders poisoned the people with words; they will have to give account for every idle word they spoke against Christ. Someone may say, “I did not mean to undermine Jesus; it was just light talk.” Light talk about serious matters is a solemn issue. Everyone will have to explain the words that did others harm.
12:37
For by your words you will be justified,
Words are evidence of what we believe; they vindicate belief.
and by your words you will be condemned.”
Words justify or condemn the person who speaks them.
PRINCIPLE: Conduct and talk reflect character.
APPLICATION: Deeds always reflect our character; our character is a reflection of what we believe.
Verbal abuse is a reality for those in ministry. Every ministry faces gossip, envy, and spite. Jesus Himself faced this problem, so should we in ministry deem ourselves to be exempt from criticism?
29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Eph 4:29