A Comprehensive Study of The Gospel of Matthew
|
Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" |
by
James Thomas Lee, Jr.
A Bible Study For 2004
11/30/2003 --- 86,695 words
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Jesus' Genealogy and Birth to Mary (Matthew 1:1-25)
Chapter 2 – The Magi Seek Jesus and Jesus in Egypt and Nazareth (Matthew 2:1-23)
Study Questions 2.1 Through 2.6
Chapter 3 – John the Baptist Begins his Ministry (Matthew 3:1-17)
Study Questions 3.1 Through 3.6
Chapter 4 – The Devil Tempts Jesus and He Begins His Galilean Ministry (Matthew 4:1-25)
Study Questions 4.1 Through 4.5
Chapter 5 – The Sermon on the Mount Begins (Matthew 5:1-48)
Study Questions 5.1 Through 5.6
Chapter 6 – The Right Ways to Give, Pray, Forgive, and Fast (Matthew 6:1-34)
Study Questions 6.1 Through 6.7
Chapter 7 – Judging, Being Judged, Asking, and Entering (Matthew 7:1-29)
Study Questions 7.1 Through 7.5
Chapter 8 – Jesus Healed Three Plus Others and Miscellaneous Teachings (Matthew 8:1-34)
Study Questions 8.1 Through 8.8
Chapter 9 – A Healing, a Calling, a Meal and a Ruler's Daughter was Healed (Matthew 9:1-38)
Study Questions 9.1 Through 9.4
Chapter 10 – Jesus Instructs the Twelve (Matthew 10:1-42)
Study Questions 10.1 Through 10.6
Chapter 11 – Jesus Defends the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-30)
Study Questions 11.1 Through 11.6
Chapter 12 – Disciples Pick Grain and the Pharisees Accuse Jesus (Matthew 12:1-50)
Study Questions 12.1 Through 12.4
Chapter 13 – Seven (or Eight) Parables (Matthew 13:1-58)
Study Questions 13.1 Through 13.7
Chapter 14 – John the Baptist Beheaded and Five Thousand People Fed (Matthew 14:1-36)
Study Questions 14.1 Through 14.4
Chapter 15 – Tradition without Obedience, Healing and More Feeding (Matthew 15:1-39)
Study Questions 15.1 Through 15.6
Chapter 16 – Beware the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:1-28)
Study Questions 16.1 Through 16.5
Chapter 17 – The Transfiguration, Healing, and Taxes (Matthew 17:1-27)
Study Questions 17.1 Through 17.8
Chapter 18 – Behavior and Parables (Matthew 18:1-35)
Study Questions 18.1 Through 18.9
Chapter 19 – Divorce and Riches (Matthew 19:1-30)
Study Questions 19.1 Through 19.8
Chapter 20 – The Parable of the Vineyard and Preparing to Die (Matthew 20:1-34)
Study Questions 20.1 Through 20.6
Chapter 21 – The Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-46)
Study Questions 21.1 Through 21.9
Chapter 22 – A Parable, Paying Taxes, and Kingdom Truths (Matthew 22:1-46)
Study Questions 22.1 Through 22.11
Chapter 23 – Seven Woes (Matthew 23:1-39)
Study Questions 23.1 Through 23.7
Chapter 24 – The End of the Age (Matthew 24:1-51)
Study Questions 24.1 Through 24.10
Chapter 25 – Two More Parables and the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:1-46)
Study Questions 25.1 Through 25.5
Chapter 26 – The Plot Against Jesus (Matthew 26:1-75)
Study Questions 26.1 Through 26.3
Chapter 27 – Judas, Jesus, More Trials, and Crucifixion (Matthew 27:1-66)
Study Questions 27.1 Through 27.6
Chapter 28 – Jesus Lives (Matthew 28:1-20)
Study Questions 28.1 Through 28.8
Why the NIV Bible was Used in This Book
Neither the King James Version (KJV) nor the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible is Holy Spirit inspired. Both versions are translations of copies of copies of the original. The KJV was translated from the Massoretic texts, which date to around 900AD, and the NIV was translated from the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in 1948 and date to around 200BC. Based on that, the NIV was translated from copies that are about eleven hundred years closer to the original, and in my opinion, that makes it more reliable.
No evidence exists to show or even suggest that anyone involved in the transmission of the Bible was corrupt. Based on the available data, no one ever tried to intentionally make alterations to the original or to the copies during the copying process, and no one ever tried to change the meaning while translating from one language to another. The individuals involved in producing the KJV and the NIV were all trying to do a good, accurate job. However, despite that, there have still been some minor errors documented in the KJV through the centuries. A scribal copying error was made in Samuel and Chronicles in the use of a verb because a scribe, at one point during the whole process, wrote a Hebrew "r" instead of "k". That error has been retained ever since in the KJV, but translators of the NIV corrected the flaw. The two versions do not agree completely. But they are very close, and none of the differences affect Bible doctrines.
The NIV often uses transliterations, which make the text easier to understand. A transliteration means that the original language, Greek or Hebrew, word was brought forward to the translation. For example, in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33, the Hebrew word "Nephilim" was used instead of the word "giant" in the KJV. In thirty-nine places, the word "Asherah" was used in place of the word "grove," and the KJV reader would probably not know that the word "grove" was really referring to the pagan god, Asherah. But the NIV reader would immediately see that.
The NIV is also written in more modern language, which makes it more readable. One of the arguments for the KJV is that the church has always accepted that version, but one who uses that argument must understand that the KJV was not produced until 1625AD. The manuscripts accepted by the early church were written in Greek because even the Old Testament had been translated from Hebrew to Greek to give a text that is called the Septuagint.
Having said all of the above, I use both the KJV and the NIV. In 1974, when I began studying the Bible in earnest, I used the KJV. Therefore, I learned the Bible from the KJV, and I still find many of the more obscure verses by using a KJV concordance. However, when I discovered the NIV, I found that version to make much more sense and to be much easier to understand. In I Corinthians 14:19, the Apostle Paul wrote, "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue."
In my opinion, the true Bible scholar will always try to work closely with the original languages of the Bible rather than just with one of the popular English translations. When I want to better understand what a particular Bible passage says, I look at numerous English translations, including the KJV, the NIV, and the American Standard Version, plus I look at the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. I try to understand the context of the passage, the intent of the author, the traditions of the time period, and also any kinds of historical or geographical factors that may be involved. I examine commentaries on the passage, and I also seek the leading of the Holy Spirit as He illuminates Scriptures to those that earnestly seek the truth.
My opinion is that valid Bible study always involves much more than just settling on either the KJV or the NIV. It always involves a complete analysis of all of the available information, and it involves a total commitment to the Lord and to His Word.
Chapter 1 - Jesus' Genealogy and Birth to Mary (Matthew 1:1-25)
|
Question 1.1 What was life like during the days of the early church? |
I. A wealthy merchant from Pontus, named Marcion, was excommunicated from the church in 144AD for being a Gnostic.
A. He had studied under a well-known Gnostic named Credo. Gnostics thought that evil existed in physical materials (an idea from the Greeks), and this belief lasted throughout the first two centuries of the church.
B. He had tried to identify his own Canon. In so doing, he tried to remove the Gospel of Luke, chapters 1 and 2, the Gospel of Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews.
C. He had tried to remove the Jewish stuff about Jesus and some of the things relating to His physical birth.
D. He had claimed that the original Scriptures had been obscured, but the church said no. The Canon had not been established yet, so what Marcion was doing was not entirely bad. However, he seemed to be promoting Gnostic ideals in the way that he was doing it.
II. Date and Authorship of the Gospel of Matthew
A. Each synoptic Gospel had a particular theme and audience.
Study Questions 1.2 Through 1.4
|
Question 1.2 To whom were the gospels written?
|
1. The Gospel of Matthew was written to the Jews to show Jesus as their king. Matthew was an eyewitness to what he wrote.
2. The Gospel of Mark was written to the Romans to show Jesus as a servant. Mark got his information from the Apostle Peter.
3. The Gospel of Luke was written to the Greeks to show Jesus as the Son of Man. Luke got his information from eyewitnesses.
4. The Gospel of John was written to believers and non-believers so that they could understand the deity of Christ. The key word in his gospel is "believe." John was an eyewitness to what he wrote.
B. The Synoptic Problem - How can three Gospels be so close in viewpoint, Greek words and phrases, but each is a little different than the others? Mark has 93% agreement with others, but John has 92% differences.
1. Common Original Theory - the other two copied from the first.
2. Mutual Dependence Theory - two used the other, but they were mutually dependent on each other.
3. Many different fragments were used.
C. The three most credible church fathers (Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Irenaeus) certified that Matthew wrote this gospel. Papyrus, who was the disciple of John, also certified Matthew's authorship.
D. The date of authorship was determined to be sometime before 70AD because there is not any mention of the destruction of the Temple.
E. Dr. Marvin R. Vincent, Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, said that Levi and Matthew was the same man. The name, Matthew, means "gift of God" and represented Levi after he became a Christian. In Jewish cultures, people's names often changed to acknowledge their new relationship to the Lord (i.e., Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, and Saul to Paul).
Study Questions 1.5 Through 1.6
|
Question 1.5 How does the Gospel of Matthew differ from the other gospels?
|
F. According to Dr. Vincent, there are some unique writings in the Gospel of Matthew:
1. Ten parables were the Tares, the Hid Treasure, the Pearl, the Draw-net, the Unmerciful Servant, the Laborers in the Vineyard, the Two Sons, the Marriage of the King's Son, the Ten Virgins, and the Talents.
2. Two miracles were the Cure of the Two Blind Men and the Coin in the Fish's Mouth.
3. Four events related to His birth were the Visit of the Magi, the Massacre of the Infants, the Flight into Egypt, and the Return to Nazareth.
4. Ten great discourses were Parts of the Sermon on the Mount, the Revelation of the Babes, the Invitations to the Weary, Idle Words, the Prophecy to Peter, Humility and Forgiveness, Rejection of the Jews, the Great Denunciation, the Discourse about Last Things, and the Great Commission and Promise.
III. Matthew 1:1-17 lists the royal genealogy of Joseph. Luke 3:23-38 lists the genealogy of Mary.
A. Joseph was a descendant from David through Solomon (Matthew 1:6). Jesus inherited the throne of David from Joseph, His stepfather.
B. Mary was a descendant from David through Nathan (Luke 3:31). Jesus was the legitimate Son of David and Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) through Mary.
|
Matthew 1:6 says, "and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife," Luke 3:31 says, "the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David," |
|
Question 1.7 What can one learn from Joseph’s genealogy? |
IV. Significant verses in Matthew 1:1-17
A. Matthew 1:17 says, "Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ."
1. Or Messiah. "The Christ" (Greek) and "the Messiah" (Hebrew) both mean "the Anointed One."
2. Jewish children were often taught in patterns that could be more easily remembered.
3. The key word in the above verse is fourteen.
B. Matthew 1:3 says, "Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram."
C. Matthew 1:5 says, "Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,"
D. Matthew 1:10 says, "Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,"
|
II Kings 21:16 says, "Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end-- besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the LORD." |
Study Questions 1.8 Through 1.9
|
Question 1.8 Does the Bible teach reincarnation?
|
V. Mr. James M. Pryse wrote a book entitled, Reincarnation in the New Testament.
|
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. |
A. In that book, he claimed that Jesus was a reincarnation of David.
B. He based his reasoning on the dual accounts in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38 and on Psalm 110:1, which says, "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"
1. Mr. Pryse did not understand the differences between the two genealogies.
2. He did not realize that Mary was a descendant of David, too.
3. He did not accept Jesus as eternal deity.
4. He did not understand the virgin birth.
5. He did not understand the right of succession to the throne.
C. In Psalm 110:1, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David said, "The LORD says to my Lord." David was verifying that Jesus had existed as Lord even before David, himself, existed. Jesus confirmed that in John 8:58.
|
John 8:58 says, "'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!'" |
D. Because Mr. Pryse's words are contrary to the Bible, they MUST BE REJECTED!!!
Study Questions 1.10 Through 1.12
|
Question 1.10 What kind of a man was Joseph?
|
VI. In the beginning, Joseph did not want to have anything to do with Mary and her baby.
|
19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
|
A. He was going to quietly walk away until an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
B. The angel told him to not be afraid.
C. He said that the Holy Spirit conceived her child. He had to have as much faith as Mary.
|
Isaiah 7:14 says, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Genesis 3:15 says, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." |
1. She was probably a young teenager, and he was probably somewhat older.
2. He probably died shortly after Jesus' birth because he not mentioned much in the New Testament.
VII. Facts about Jesus from the above verses
|
21 "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
|
A. He will save His people from their sins (John 12:32-33). Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua, which means the LORD saves.
|
John 12:32-33 says, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die." |
B. Joseph did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do (I Samuel 15:22).
|
I Samuel 15:22 says, "But Samuel replied: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'" |
C. He stayed away from Mary until after Jesus was born.
Chapter 2 – The Magi Seek Jesus and Jesus in Egypt and Nazareth (Matthew 2:1-23)
I. The birth of Jesus
A. He was born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
|
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
|
Study Questions 2.1 Through 2.6
|
Question 2.1 How was prophecy fulfilled when Jesus was born?
|
B. Jesus was born during the time of Herod, and Herod was very wicked. The Jews hated him because he was so evil.
1. Herod the Great was born in 73BC to Antipater II, his father, and to his mother, who was the daughter of King Nabatea.
2. His father was a patriot that had helped Julius Caesar come to power. Because of that, the Roman Senate, in 40BC, through the encouragement of Mark Anthony and Caesar Octavian, declared Herod to be the king of the Jews, if he could conquer them.
3. Herod first took Galilee, and over the next three years, he took Israel.
4. Herod was very accomplished, and he was very worried about being overthrown. His fear of being attacked from within explains some of his accomplishments.
a) He built the Antonia, which was a structure seventy-five to one hundred feet tall.
b) He built another fortress, called Herodium, which was five miles south of Jerusalem and looked like a volcano.
c) He built Macherias, which was where John the Baptist was beheaded.
d) He fortified Masada, which was thirteen hundred feet above the Dead Sea.
e) He built the Alexandrian as a fortification for defending against his enemies.
f) He built two more such structures in Jericho and Mount Tabor, and those fortresses were high enough to not be obstructed by anything else. Guards could see each other from the different towers and use them for cross communications.
g) He built the Western Wall.
h) He died in 4BC, but members of his family controlled the throne until 34AD.
C. The Magi and the star in the East (unique to Matthew)
1. The Magi were normally considered wise men.
2. They saw the star come up in the east. According to astronomers, a number of planets lined up in about 6BC, and Herod died in April 4BC. Most Bible scholars say that Jesus was born sometime between those two dates.
D. Herod was paranoid when he heard the news.
II. Herod wanted to know where Jesus was born.
|
4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
|
Study Questions 2.7 Through 2.11
|
Question 2.7 How did Herod react when he heard about Jesus’ birth?
|
A. Notice that he never questioned that Jesus was and is the Christ, or Messiah.
B. Notice that the chief priests and teachers of the Law acknowledged the prophet Micah and his prophesy in Micah 5:2 about Bethlehem.
1. Micah said that a Ruler and a Shepherd would be born in Bethlehem.
2. Fulfilled prophecy is one way that we can have confidence in the Bible.
III. Herod tried to trick the wise men.
|
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
|
A. He did not intend to worship Jesus.
B. The wise men followed the star and found Jesus.
C. They gave Him gold, incense, and myrrh.
1. Gold symbolized royalty.
2. Incense "was the purest incense. When burned it produced a white smoke which symbolized the prayers and praises of the faithful ascending to heaven. Because the ancients often burned frankincense during religious rituals, this gift symbolizes sacrifice, Christ's divinity, His sweet savor, and His priestly role. It is also a symbol of the Divine name of God" (source: "Christmas Symbols" at http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/frankin.htm).
|
Isaiah 60:6 says, "Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD." |
3. "Legend says Caspar brought the gift of myrrh from Europe or Tarsus and placed it before the Christ Child. Because of myrrh's various medicinal uses this gift represents Christ's human nature, the Suffering Savior, the Great Physician, and the Passion" (source: "Christmas Symbols" at http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/myrrh.htm).
IV. The wise men were warned, and Herod did not get the information that he very much wanted.
|
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. |
V. The third of three dreams (Matthew 1:20, Matthew 2:12, and Matthew 2:13)
|
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
|
A. According Luke 2:22-24, Jesus was presented in the Temple shortly after His birth.
Study Questions 2.12 Through 2.20
|
Question 2.12 Why was Herod so persistent?
|
B. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. This was his second important dream. The first had told him that Mary was okay to marry. Why did Joseph have the dreams and not Mary? In good marriages, husbands and wives are partners, not master-servant.
|
Ephesians 5:22 says, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." Ephesians 5:28 says, "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself." |
C. Joseph was told to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt for safety (unique to Matthew).
1. Why did God allow Herod to pursue Jesus? He could have just killed the king and let Joseph, Mary, and Jesus have an easy time of things.
2. Most of the time, God uses natural processes to accomplish His purposes. Even in something like evolution, God created each species and then allowed those species to evolve within their own kinds (Genesis 1:21-27).
3. Notice that they left the same night. They did not even wait until morning. He might have been seeking the safety of night time travel, but he also might have been faithful to obey his dream.
D. Herod was very persistent even though he knew that Jesus was and is the Messiah (Matthew 2:4).
1. Why would he fight so hard against God?
2. Why did Saul fight so hard against David?
3. Why did Haman fight so hard against Mordecai and the Jews?
E. Out of Egypt was a prophecy in Hosea 11:1.
1. Hosea wrote about Israel's deliverance from Egypt through Moses, and Hosea 11:2-7 talks about Israel's rebellion against Him.
2. Jesus returned from Eqypt, but He did not rebel against His heavenly Father (unique to Matthew).
|
Hosea 11:1 says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." |
VI. Herod did not want to be outdone.
|
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
|
A. Herod issued orders to kill all the boys two and under in Bethlehem (unique to Matthew).
1. If Herod died in April 4BC and if Jesus was already two years old, then Jesus would have been born in 6BC.
2. Therefore, his time of birth is usually put at between 6BC and 4BC.
B. Jeremiah had prophesied those killings in Jeremiah 31:15.
|
Jeremiah 31:15 says, "This is what the LORD says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.'" |
VII. Two More Dreams, and Joseph, Mary, and Jesus Return to Nazareth
|
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
|
A. Herod failed just like Saul and Haman many years earlier. A person cannot fight God and win.
1. Saul died in battle, and David became king (I Samuel 31:3-6).
2. Haman was hanged on his own gallows (Esther 9:23-25).
B. Joseph obeyed his third dream and returned to Israel.
C. He was warned in the same dream or possibly a fourth dream to stay out of Judea.
D. He took Jesus and Mary to Galilee and Nazareth.
1. Bethlehem was about ten miles south of Jerusalem.
2. Nazareth was about thirty miles north of Jerusalem in the vicinity of Mount Tabor and about twenty miles west of the Sea of Galilee.
3. Nazareth was the small village where Joseph had grown up, and it was where Jesus would grow up.
Chapter 3 – John the Baptist Begins his Ministry (Matthew 3:1-17)
Study Questions 3.1 Through 3.6
|
3.1 What kind of man was John the Baptist?
|
I. The Beginning of John the Baptist's Ministry
|
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
|
A. He preached in the desert of Judea. Where was that?
B. His message was one of repentance. When people come to the Lord, they always change their ways.
C. The Prophet Isaiah had prophesied the coming of John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3).
|
Isaiah 40:3 says, "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." |
1. He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:57-66). Luke 1:63 says, "asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, 'His name is John.'"
2. His appearance was unusual.
3. His diet was unusual. Did he actually eat bugs?
II. He introduced a type of water baptism, and the church still observes that ordinance. But the two baptisms were different. John baptized repentant sinners. The church baptizes those that associate with Christ and a local assembly of believers.
|
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
|
A. People went to him.
B. They confessed their sins.
1. Even under the Law, people knew that confession of sins was important.
2. Compare Habakkuk 2:4 and II Corinthians 5:7. Paul quoted Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17. People were saved the same way in the Old and New Testaments. One looked forward to the cross, and the other looks back to the cross.
|
Habakkuk 2:4 says, "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright- but the righteous will live by his faith." II Corinthians 5:7 says, "We live by faith, not by sight." |
C. They were baptized.
III. John the Baptist was not popular with everyone.
|
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
|
A. The Pharisees and Sadducees could not stay away, but they did not come to repent. They were there to find fault.
B. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, but salvation is conditional. The sinner has some clear responsibilities (Luke 19:10).
1. The sinner must come to Jesus (Matthew 3:5).
2. The sinner must believe on Him and accept Him as Savior (John 3:16-18).
|
John 3:16-18 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. |
3. The sinner must ask for forgiveness. God cannot forgive someone that does not ask for forgiveness.
4. The sinner must show fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8).
C. God expects His people to produce fruit. (Compare John 15:1-8)
Study Questions 3.7 Through 3.10
|
Question 3.7 How did John the Baptist feel about his “temporary” ministry?
|
IV. John the Baptist knew that his ministry was temporary, and he was at peace with that.
|
11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
|
A. Hebrew "with" in verse eleven also means "in".
B. Baptism is a symbol for washing and regeneration, but it is also a good conscience before God (I Peter 3:18-22).
|
I Peter 3:18-22 says, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." |
C. John basically said that Jesus would clean house.
Study Questions 3.11 Through 3.16
|
Question 3.11 Why was Jesus baptized?
|
V. Jesus was baptized.
|
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
|
A. An Important Observation: The Holy Spirit had revealed to John the Baptist, to the people who repented and came to him, and to Jesus that water baptism is important. It was important then, and it is important now.
B. Jesus acknowledged that baptism was the right thing to do. He submitted Himself to John when John really should have been the one to be baptized.
C. Which "he" saw the Spirit of God descending? I think that John the Baptist saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus (see John 1:32-34).
|
John 1:32-34 says, "Then John gave this testimony: 'I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.'" |
D. Did everyone hear the voice and the same words? I think so because God would not have said only to Jesus, "This is my Son."
E. Based on this passage, notice that modalism cannot be true.
1. Modalism says that one God manifested Himself three different ways at different times in history.
2. But all three Persons of the Trinity were witness to Jesus' Baptism.
Chapter 4 – The Devil Tempts Jesus and He Begins His Galilean Ministry (Matthew 4:1-25)
I. Jesus was tempted in all points of the Law.
|
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
|
Study Questions 4.1 Through 4.5
|
Question 4.1 How was Jesus tempted?
|
A. He was tempted just as we are tempted (Hebrews 4:14-15) but not in the same way.
|
Hebrews 4:14-15 says, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." |
B. Jesus was not tempted to steal, to cheat on His taxes, to have an illicit affair, or to skip church. He was tempted, and He understood the pangs of temptation. But His temptation was different than what we typically experience.
II. Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread so that He could eat.
|
3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
|
A. He had the need.
B. He had the power.
C. But He did not give into the temptation. Instead, He quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3 and applied James 4:7-8.
|
Deuteronomy 8:3 says, "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." James 4:7-8 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." |
1. Jesus countered the devil's temptation by rightly using Scripture.
a) He had a high view of the Old Testament, which was all that they had in those days.
b) He accepted the writings of Moses, which means that He believed him to be a prophet.
c) Our strength also comes from God's Word.
2. The kenosis (Philippians 2:5-8))
|
Philippians 2:5-8 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! |
a) Jesus could have turned every rock in this world into a piece of bread to satisfy His hunger, BUT HE RESISTED THAT TEMPTATION.
b) When was the last time that you fasted for forty days, knowing that you could quickly grab something to eat from the refrigerator in the next room. Jesus felt hunger that as you and I do, and He could have turned anything into food or even created something from nothing for His meal.
c) The essence of the kenosis is that Jesus gave up the "voluntary" use of his "comparative attributes" (omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence).
III. He was tempted to show His supernatural power, but he did not do so. The challenge was Psalm 91:11-12, and His response was Deuteronomy 6:16).
|
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
|
IV. He was tempted to rule the kingdoms that He already had the right to rule.
|
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
|
A. He countered Satan with Deuteronomy 6:13.
B. The essence of the kenosis is that Jesus gave up a lot when He voluntarily became a human.
C. He did it for each of us (Romans 5:6-8).
Study Questions 4.6 Through 4.12
|
Question 4.6 Why was John the Baptist arrested?
|
V. John the Baptist was arrested and would eventually be put to death.
|
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. |
A. John took a stand, and it cost him his life (Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, and Luke 3:19).
B. He told the king to stop his wicked behavior.
VI. Jesus set up his home base (Isaiah 9:1-2)
|
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali--
|
A. Jesus had His home base in Capernaum.
B. The Prophet Isaiah had said that He could come out of Zebulum and Naphtali and that He would be a great light to the people living in darkness.
|
Isaiah 9:1-2 says,, "Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan - The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." John 8:12 says, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" |
VII. Believing is more than just believing.
|
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." |
A. John the Baptist and Jesus preached the same message (Matthew 3:8).
B. There is more to John 3:16 than just believing in Jesus. The devil believes and trembles (James 2:14-19).
1. EIS - means into and presents the idea of entering into a relationship with Jesus.
2. EPI means on and presents the idea of trusting "on" the Lord like one would trust a chair.
Study Questions 4.13 Through 4.17
|
Question 4.13 How did the disciples respond when Jesus called them?
|
VIII. They dropped everything and followed Him immediately.
|
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
|
A. Jesus called Andrew and Peter. But according to John 1:41, Andrew went and found Peter, his brother.
B. The account in Matthew 4:18-22 differs from the account in John 1:35-42. Notice the chronology between the two accounts.
1. In John 1:35-42, Jesus met with Andrew, John, Peter, and James. He had probably just been baptized.
2. John 1:39 says that Andrew and John spent the day with Jesus.
3. John 1:40 says that Andrew left Jesus to go find his brother, Peter. He brought Peter to Jesus.
4. John 1:43 says that Jesus decided to go to Galilee the next day. While there, He turned water into wine at Cana in Galilee, and then they went their separate ways. He went to Capernaum, and they went back to their fishing trade in Galilee.
|
John 1:35-43 says, "The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!' When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?' They said, 'Rabbi' (which means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' 'Come,' he replied, 'and you will see.' So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter). The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, 'Follow me.'" |
5. Matthew 4:18-22 says that Jesus saw the four again while in Galilee.
6. The first day, they came to Jesus. Some time later, He came after them on a return visit to Galilee. When He sought them, during their second meeting, they left everything to follow Him.
C. He called James and John. They were also called the sons of thunder because they were so highly spirited.
1. James and John wanted to sit next to Jesus in the kingdom (Matthew 20:20-28).
a) James became the first martyred disciple (Acts 12:1-4).
b) John became so humble that he always referred to himself as the one that Jesus loved (John 13:23, John 20:2, and John 21:20).
2. John was Jesus' best friend on earth.
a) He was the only disciple to not be martyred.
b) He wrote the Book of Revelation.
D. Jesus organized the Twelve into four groups of three, and those first four became His inner-circle.
Study Questions 4.18 Through 4.22
|
Question 4.18 How did Jesus minister?
|
IX. Jesus started ministering to the people.
|
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
|
A. How old was He (Luke 3:23)?
B. How long did He minister?
1. This is known based on the number of Passovers that He attended (John 2:13, John 6:4, and John 11:55).
2. He ministered between three and four years because He attended three Passovers.
C. He taught, preached, and healed.
D. Jesus was very popular.
Chapter 5 – The Sermon on the Mount Begins (Matthew 5:1-48)
Study Questions 5.1 Through 5.6
|
Question 5.1 What were the major discourses recorded by Matthew?
|
I. Jesus went into the mountainside to speak to the crowd.
|
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
|
A. His first major discourse: The Sermon on the Mount (Dr. D. A. Carson, "Matthew," The Expositor's Bible Commentary, volume 8).
1. Discourse 1 - The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 7:29).
2. Discourse 2 - Mission and Martyrdom (Matthew 10:5 through Matthew 11:1).
3. Discourse 3 - The Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-53).
4. Discourse 4 - Life Under Kingdom Authority (Matthew 18:1 through Matthew 19:2).
5. Discourse 5 - The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23:1 through Matthew 26:1)
B. His longest message in the Bible is this sermon.
C. He went up into a mountain.
1. From that location, He could have spoken to the crowd that had gathered.
2. He also could have spoken privately to His disciples.
II. The Beatitudes
|
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
|
A. The Beatitudes are not easy to understand. A person must understand that the Beatitudes were a proverbial type of genre (or literature). See Proverbs 6:10-11.
|
Proverbs 6:10-11 says, "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." |
1. Dr. Vincent said that the Greek word for "blessed" had a meaning of outward prosperity before Christ but that the New Testament use of the word elevated it to more of a spiritual significance. The word means "happy" rather than just outwardly well off.
2. "Poor in spirit" and the "kingdom of heaven" – Was Jesus saying that being poor in spirit is an automatic ticket to heaven?
3. "Mourn" and "comforted" – Was Jesus saying that people who mourn would be comforted?
4. Both of those verses must be qualified.
B. The "meek" and "inheriting the earth"
C. Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. That compares to Matthew 5:4.
D. The merciful will be shown mercy.
E. The pure in heart will see God. Compare this to Romans 3:10-11, which says, "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."
F. The peacemakers will be called sons of God.
G. Those that are persecuted for the cause of Christ will be blessed.
1. Followers in Christ are expected to not retaliate when people insult them, persecute them, or falsely say all kinds of evil against them because of the Lord.
2. Note that the prophets of old could not win. They were killed for telling lies, and they were killed for telling the truth.
Study Questions 5.7 Through 5.10
|
Question 5.7 What does it mean to be salt and light?
|
III. Being salt and light in a world that lacks both.
|
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
|
A. Lot's wife was turned to a pillar of salt. That was a symbolic gesture.
B. Sodom had not been the right place for Lot to live, but he had chosen to take his family there anyway (Genesis 13:12). By the time that the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:15-17, Lot was living inside of Sodom.
|
Genesis 19:26 says, "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." Genesis 13:12 says, "Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom." Genesis 19:14 says, "So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking." |
C. Salt preserves. It causes pain when put on a wound. Christians are to be salt in this world, but Lot had lost his saltiness.
1. In Genesis 19:14, when he tried to warn his sons-in-law, they only laughed at him.
2. His faith was a joke to them.
D. Light penetrates the darkness. It shows the dark, dirty places in a person's life (John 3:16-19).
|
John 3:16-19 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." |
E. In Knowing God, Dr. J. I. Packer wrote, "adoption appears in the Sermon [on the Mount] as the basis of Christian conduct." He also said that the entire Christian life must be understood in terms of adoption (pages 209-214). Christian adoption makes the following requirements on one's life.
1. The first requirement is to "imitate the Father" (Matthew 5:44-48).
2. The second requirement is to "glorify the Father" (Matthew 5:16).
3. The third requirement is to "please the Father" (Matthew 6:1-18).
Study Questions 5.11 Through 5.14
|
Question 5.11 How did Jesus feel about the Old Testament?
|
IV. What was Jesus saying in these verses?
|
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
|
A. In Matthew 5:17-18, He was showing His high regard for the Old Testament.
1. He did not speak negatively of Scriptures.
2. He said that He had come to fulfill them.
3. Even the smallest part of a letter was precious to Him.
B. In Matthew 5:19, He was showing that a person can actually do wrong, teach the same, and still go to heaven. Of course, the greater blessing will be for those that rightly teach and practice His word. Salvation is not tied to the Law.
C. The point of Matthew 5:20 was that they were self-righteous and that everyone in Christ exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes (teachers of the Law). His remark about the Pharisees was sad but true.
Study Questions 5.15 Through 5.19
|
Question 5.16 What is the significance of the three judgments?
|
V. Maintaining Good Relationships with Others
|
21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
|
A. Jesus was speaking in a progressive fashion about one's inappropriate attitude towards a brother (Exodus 20:13).
B. Three types of judgment. According to Matthew Henry, during this time in Jewish culture, there were three degrees of capital punishment for an offender of the law, and each form was a little more brutal than the others [1].
1. The first was beheading, and the lowest court pronounced this punishment.
2. The second form was stoning, and the Sanhedrin carried out this one. "Raca" was an Aramaic term of contempt.
3. The third was to be burned in the valley of the son of Hinnon, and this form of capital punishment was considered to be the most severe.
C. Those statements about capital punishment were probably intentional overstatements.
1. Jesus was making the point that He had power to redefine the Old Testament Law.
2. He was also giving them a higher Law.
3. One must also remember that Jesus was speaking in a proverbial type of genre (or literature). See Proverbs 6:10-11 on page 40.
D. Jesus always emphasized Christians' love for one another.
E. Do not waste your time with God if you are at odds with someone else.
Study Questions 5.20 Through 5.23
|
Question 5.20 Should Christians take someone to court?
|
VI. Settle your disputes quickly.
|
25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
|
A. Jesus said to avoid going to court with anyone, Christian or not.
B. The Apostle Paul said to take a loss rather than go to court with a brother or sister in the Lord (I Corinthians 6:7-8).
|
I Corinthians 6:7-8 says, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers." |
C. The consequences of going to court can be serious.
1. Going to court against another Christian is a bad testimony.
2. Jesus said that you may be found at fault and suffer serious consequences.
VII. Jesus' Teaching on Spiritual Adultery
|
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
|
A. Committing physical adultery is wrong (Exodus 20:14).
B. In Matthew 5:28, He redefines adultery. Only God can do that.
C. In Matthew 5:29-30, was Jesus trying to warn that a person's sins, and specifically adultery, would condemn that individual to eternal doom? The answer had better be NO.
1. He was more accurately saying that nothing on earth is worth turning one's heart from God and that a person would be better off going through this life without an eye or without a hand than to die lost.
2. Based on Matthew 5:19-20, which was discussed above, people are not eternally condemned because of their sins.
3. They are eternally condemned if they do not accept the finished work of Jesus, the Christ, on the cross at Calvary, but they are not condemned if they do receive Him (John 3:18).
|
John 3:18 says, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." |
4. In this passage about adultery, one needs to understand that Jesus was not just talking about physical adultery.
a) He was also talking about spiritual adultery.
b) The First Commandment, recorded in Exodus 20:2-3, says, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."
c) In Jeremiah 3:1-11, the prophet wrote about the spiritual adultery of Israel.
Study Questions 5.24 Through 5.26
|
Question 5.24 In talking about divorce, how did Jesus prove His deity?
|
VIII. Jesus' Teaching on Divorce and on Making Oaths
|
31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
|
A. Giving a certificate of divorce was permissible under the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).
B. The Greek word for marital unfaithfulness is "porneia," and this word means illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, sexual intercourse with close relatives, or sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman.
C. As with the discourses on calling a brother a fool and on looking lustfully at a woman, Jesus was expanding the definition of sin, which is one more evidence that He was telling the people that He was God-incarnated. Only God can legitimately define and redefine sin.
D. Jesus consistently taught everyone that He was the Christ and that He had actually been born the Christ.
E. Concerning making oaths, or swearing what you will or will not do, Jesus said to not do it.
1. The problems with making oaths are that not all oaths are positive and that people cannot always control what they will or will not do.
2. When oaths are made, a person's integrity is put on the line. When oaths are made foolishly, a Christian's spiritual immaturity is put on display.
Study Questions 5.27 Through 5.31
|
Question 5.27 Why did Jesus teach His followers to not resist evil people?
|
IX. Jesus' Teaching on Handling Evil People
|
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
|
A. Do not resist the evil person (Colossians 3:1).
|
Colossians 3:1 says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." |
1. Turn the other cheek.
2. Give your cloak also.
3. Go two miles.
4. Give to those that ask.
B. What do these things mean?
1. Jesus presented a higher teaching on suffering, and it did not focus so much on recovering damages for oneself or on the protection of one's possessions.
2. Are Christians supposed to be the world's doormat? In a sense, the answer is yes. But in a different sense, the answer is no.
3. Christians are not to be controlled or owned by the things of this world. Instead, they are to be Christ-centered and heavenly-minded.
4. Christians need to be very careful about being self-serving, about being unwilling to make sacrifices for the Lord, about trying to hoard this world's goods, and about trying to have the good life in the name of Jesus. Christians are supposed to live differently than the rest of the world.
5. However, He did not expect them to simply lay down and let people walk all over them. Balanced with the idea of being very peaceable and very accommodating is also the idea of being a good steward (I Corinthians 4:1-4).
|
I Corinthians 4:1-4 says, "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." |
Study Questions 5.32 Through 5.35
|
Question 5.32 How did Jesus prove His deity?
|
X. Jesus' Teaching on Spiritual Maturity
|
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
|
A. The Old Testament said to love one's neighbor (Leviticus 19:18).
B. Jesus once again gave a higher command, and the fact that the people listened shows that they believed Him to be God also.
C. Christians are called to a higher lifestyle than non-Christians. Perfect comes from the Greek word that means to be spiritually MATURE.
Chapter 6 – The Right Ways to Give, Pray, Forgive, and Fast (Matthew 6:1-34)
I. The Right Way to Give
|
1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
|
Study Questions 6.1 Through 6.7
|
Question 6.1 Why is Christian conduct so important?
|
A. In Knowing God, Dr. J. I. Packer wrote, "adoption appears in the Sermon as the basis of Christian conduct." He also said that the entire Christian life must be understood in terms of adoption (pages 209-214). Our adoption makes the following requirements on our life.
1. The first requirement is to "imitate the Father" (Matthew 5:44-48).
2. The second requirement is to "glorify the Father" (Matthew 5:16).
3. The third requirement is to "please the Father" (Matthew 6:1-18).
B. The Pharisees did things so that they could be seen by others. They have their reward.
C. Be considerate of those that you help so that you do not embarrass or humiliate them.
D. A left hand and right hand mentality.
E. Gaining a reward is a poor reason for helping others. Christians should have a heart to help others whether there is a heavenly reward or not.
Study Questions 6.8 Through 6.13
|
Question 6.8 How do hypocrites pray?
|
II. The Right Way to Pray
|
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
|
A. Do not be like the hypocrites.
B. They have their reward.
C. Do things in secret.
D. Do not make long prayers just to be heard.
E. The Lord knows our needs.
1. Do not pray amiss.
2. Do not pray selfishly
III. A Model Prayer
|
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
|
A. We can talk to God like a Father.
B. Hebrew "hagiazo" for hallowed means to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin. God's name is pure, and it cannot be associated with any kind of evil.
C. The Millennium Kingdom is a futuristic event. The devil is the prince of this world (John 12:31, John 14:30, and John 16:11).
|
John 12:31 says, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out." John 14:30 says, "I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me." John 16:11 says, "And in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." |
D. Praying for the right things
1. God's Will to be done on earth.
2. Daily Bread (Proverbs 30:8)
|
Proverbs 30:8 says, "Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." |
3. Forgiveness for our shortcomings (the sin debt)
4. Deliverance from evil. Divine wisdom reminds us that we are not a match for the devil.
Study Questions 6.14 Through 6.20
|
Question 6.14 Why is it so difficult to forgive others?
|
IV. Forgiving Others and Fasting
|
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
|
A. Being willing to forgive is an indication that you have been forgiven and that the Holy Spirit dwells within.
B. My definition of fasting: Fasting is being so involved with something spiritually that you do not think about eating.
1. Jesus opposed the Pharisees who did everything for show. He opposed their boasting about helping others and their lengthy prayers, too.
2. God rewards things done secretly, including helping others, praying, and fasting.
3. When the Prophet Jonah preached in Nineveh, God honored the Ninevites when they repented, prayed and fasted. The Ninevites were not even Jewish (Jonah 3:4-10).
Study Questions 6.21 Through 6.24
|
Question 6.21 Why is money such a problem for people?
|
V. Accumulating True Treasure
|
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
|
A. The treasures that most people seek are phony. Everyone knows that money cannot buy happiness, but people still try to get it.
1. Jesus did not buy into prosperity religion. Many preachers promise earthly wealth to those that support their ministries, but God is interested in people serving Him.
2. Jesus did not buy into prosperity religion, but all His earthly needs were met.
3. He owns all the cattle on the hills, but He did not try to make the good life for Himself (Psalm 50:10).
|
Psalm 50:10 says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." |
B. Jesus taught and demonstrated the importance of being ministers and servants (Matthew 20:20-28). The Apostles John and James learned His lesson well.
|
Matthew 20:26-28 says, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." |
C. Riches are not bad. But when people love their riches, they become bad for that individual. Money is a resource to be used, not a commodity to be hoarded.
|
Question 6.25 Whom do you serve? |
VI. Whom do you serve?
|
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
|
A. With the eyes, people lust after things (I John 2:15-17).
|
I John 2:15-17 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." |
B. Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money."
1. If you have money, then use it for good to serve God and others.
2. Whether you have money or not,
a) Be thankful for a God that enters into personal relationships with His Creation.
b) Be thankful for a God that meets all your earthly needs.
c) Be thankful for a God that loved you enough to die for you so that you can spend eternity with Him.
Study Questions 6.26 Through 6.28
|
Question 6.26 Why do people worry?
|
VII. Worrying is not Biblical.
|
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
|
A. Do not worry.
1. Do not worry about your life.
2. Do not worry about what you will eat or drink.
3. Do not worry about what you will wear.
B. God puts a high value on human life (Jeremiah 1:5, John 3:16, and Romans 5:6-8)
C. Solomon was rich, but we live better than he did.
VIII. Seek the Kingdom of God first
|
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
|
A. God will clothe you and give you nourishment.
1. He does this most of the time by giving you a way to earn a living, so people should be thankful for their jobs.
2. One thing that is worse than having to work is not being able to work.
B. God cares for His own (Psalm 37:25).
|
Psalm 37:25 says, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." |
C. Seek God first.
D. Do not look for trouble.
Chapter 7 – Judging, Being Judged, Asking, and Entering (Matthew 7:1-29)
I. Does this mean to not judge or to judge intelligently?
Study Questions 7.1 Through 7.5
|
Question 7.1 What did Jesus mean when He told people to not judge?
|
|
1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
|
A. What did Jesus mean? He used the Greek word, krino, for judge, which means to approve, esteem, to prefer (respecter of persons), to dispute or to go to law, to have a suit at law (judicial matters), or to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong (evaluate).
|
Matthew 5:40 says, "And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." Luke 7:43 says, "Simon replied, 'I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.' 'You have judged correctly,' Jesus said." John 3:17 says, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." II Corinthians 2:1 say, "So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you." |
B. You will be judged as you judge others. Judge by the Word of God, and you will be judged by the Word of God.
C. Sawdust and Plank. Judge yourself by the Word of God. People are usually quick to find the faults of others but slow to find their own.
D. There are always at least two sides to every argument.
II. Be careful how you expend yourself foolishly.
|
6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. |
A. The Gentiles were often referred to as dogs. The Gospel is free, but Jesus never forced Himself on anyone.
B. The Pig was an unclean animal for the Jews. The Gospel is free, but He never made it cheap for the sake of others.
C. Dust off your feet. Jesus wants to reach everyone, but He knows that some people will not let themselves be reached (Matthew 10:11-16).
|
Matthew 10:11-16 says, "Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." |
Study Questions 7.6 Through 7.8
|
Question 7.6 Are prayers answered by simply asking?
|
III. Getting Your Prayers Answered (see Matthew 6:5-8)
|
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
|
A. Jesus presented a continuum of difficulty, effort, and faith.
1. Ask -- Receive è Asking is simple and requires minimal effort and minimal faith.
2. Seek -- Find è Seeking can be easy or difficult, and it requires more effort and more faith.
3. Knock -- Door Opened è Knocking requires even more effort, making a commitment, and having more faith
B. A good God gives good gifts to those that ask, but a person needs to understand some things about asking.
1. God does not always answer our prayers the way we want (James 4:1-3). That's because we do not always pray the way He wants.
|
James 4:1-3 says, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." |
2. An unselfish God does not answer selfish prayers (Matthew 20:20-28 and James 4:1-3 again). God is honored when His people serve Him and others.
3. God does not answer the prayers of those that harbor sin in their heart (Isaiah 59:2 and Psalm 66:18).
|
Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." |
C. NOTE: God is pleased when we pray for the right things, with the right motives, and with unwavering faith, trusting Him and thanking Him for whatever results He brings.
|
Question 7.9 What did Jesus mean when He said the Law and the Prophets? |
IV. The Golden Rule
|
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. |
A. Do Right by God and by Others (Matthew 22:37-39).
B. This sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40)
|
Matthew 22:36-40 says, "'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" |
Study Questions 7.10 Through 7.12
|
Question 7.10 Who will be saved?
|
V. Choosing the Way to Heaven
|
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
|
A. Making a personal choice
B. The narrow gate and the broad road
C. Choosing Life. Is Jesus talking about earning your way to heaven? No.
Study Questions 7.13 Through 7.17
|
Question 7.13 What is a prophet?
|
VI. Recognizing False Prophets
|
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
|
A. False prophets are as ferocious wolves.
B. God was harsh on false prophets during Old Testament times (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and Jeremiah 28:1-17).
C. God expects fruit from His own (John 15:1-8).
|
Deuteronomy 18:20 says, "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." Jeremiah 28:15-17 says, "Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, 'Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.' In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died." John 15:6-7 says, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." |
VII. Those in and not in Christ
|
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
|
A. Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord."
B. He that does the Father's will.
C. What about doing good works in Jesus' name?
D. Not knowing Jesus.
E. Dr. Packer pointed out that Jesus will be God's agent in judgment (page 144).
Study Questions 7.18 Through 7.22
|
Question 7.18 What is wisdom?
|
VIII. Building One's House on a Rock
|
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
|
A. Being a wise person.
1. Hearing Jesus' words and acting on them is wise.
2. James wrote about true religion (James 1:27).
|
James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." |
B. The wise withstand the difficult challenges of life.
C. The foolish do not withstand those challenges.
IX. The people were impressed when they listened to Jesus
|
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
|
Chapter 8 – Jesus Healed Three Plus Others and Miscellaneous Teachings (Matthew 8:1-34)
I. Jesus Healed a Leper
Study Questions 8.1 Through 8.8
|
Question 8.1 Why did large crowds follow Jesus?
|
|
1 When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
|
A. Jesus was very popular with the people.
B. The leper knew that Jesus could heal him.
C. Jesus wanted to help the man. He wants to help everyone.
D. The man was healed immediately.
1. In the same way, salvation is immediate.
2. It is not a process, and it does not take a lot of time.
E. Jesus did not want His works to be announced yet. This also compares to Mark 5:43 after Jesus healed the little girl. Why not?
|
Mark 5:43 says, "He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat." |
II. The Faith of the Centurion
Study Questions 8.9 Through 8.16
|
Question 8.9 Why was Jesus in Capernaum?
|
|
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.
|
A. Jesus set up His home base in Capernaum.
B. The centurion "asked" for help for his servant.
C. Jesus was willing to help, even to the point of going (Matthew 20:20-28).
|
Matthew 20:26-28 says, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." |
1. He had the heart of a servant.
2. Jesus came to serve and to offer His life.
D. The centurion had great faith.
1. He believed that Jesus could heal just by saying the word.
2. Jesus was pleased with the centurion because of the centurion's faith (Hebrews 11:6).
|
Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." |
III. A difficult passage – Jesus often taught hard truths for His listeners.
|
11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
|
A. Who will come? Jesus was talking about everyone, Jews and Gentiles, and they will all take their place at the feast.
B. Which feast was Jesus talking about? This feast refers to the future messianic banquet, as discussed in Isaiah 25:6-9 and Isaiah 65:13-14.
C. Who will be thrown outside? Those Jews that were trusting their place at the banquet to their birthright in Abraham (John 8:37-58) would be wrong.
IV. Jesus Healed the Centurion's Servant
|
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. |
A. Jesus does according to our faith.
B. The servant was healed immediately, just like the leper.
V. Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law as well as others that had come.
Study Questions 8.17 Through 8.21
|
Question 8.17 How did Jesus heal Peter's mother-in-law?
|
|
14 When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
|
A. Peter's mother-in-law was sick.
B. Jesus touched her – the fever left her --- immediately.
C. After He healed her, she worked for Him. When someone has a life-changing encounter with the Christ, they become like a new person (II Corinthians 5:17).
D. He took on the needs of others and healed them (Isaiah 53:4)
|
Isaiah 53:4 says, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted." II Corinthians 5:17 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." |
VI. Jesus Warned that Following Him Would not be Easy.
Study Questions 8.22 Through 8.23
|
Question 8.22 Why was Jesus so negative with two potential followers?
|
|
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
|
A. To the first person, He warned that He did not have a place to even lay His head.
1. Following Jesus can mean hardships and sacrifices.
2. The believer's confidence must be in Christ alone, not in any of the things in this world.
3. Jesus will meet all your needs.
4. The faithful servant will seek to do the bidding of his master.
B. To the second person, He demanded to be first.
1. The disciple's father may not have been dead.
2. Jesus does not force anyone, but He expects a lot of those that follow Him.
VII. Jesus had Power over Nature
|
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.
|
A. His disciples followed Him into the boat, but their faith was not complete.
1. The centurion, in Matthew 8:8, said, "But just say the word, and my servant will be healed."
2. By contrast, the scared disciples thought that they would drown.
B. Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves, and they obeyed Him.
VIII. Jesus had Power over Demons
Study Questions 8.24 Through 8.29
|
Question 8.24 Why is the Mark account different?
|
|
28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
|
A. Some manuscripts say Gergesenes; others Gerasenes, instead of Gadarenes.
B. This account says that two men came out of the tomb. Mark 5:1-19 is a parallel account, and it only talks about one man.
1. They were demon-possessed. The name of the demons was Legion because they were very many (Mark 5:10).
2. They were violent
3. Jesus was not afraid
C. Matthew 8:29 is an argument against an easy believism concerning Jesus (John 3:16). Even the demons believe and shudder (James 2:18-20).
|
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." James 2:18-19 says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that -- and shudder." |
1. The demons in the two men knew that Jesus is the Son of God, but they were not saved.
2. More is required for salvation than believing in Jesus.
3. You must also receive Him by accepting His finished work on the cross.
4. You must be born again (John 3:3). Believing unto salvation is a belief that causes action on the part of the believer.
5. The Greek prepositions, eis and epi, clearly express the essence of salvation.
D. Jesus sent the demons into a herd of pigs, and those pigs quickly ran into the sea and drowned. There were about 2,000 pigs (Mark 5:13).
E. Mark 5:15 says that the demon-possessed man was clothed and in his right mind.
F. The people wanted Jesus to leave. What a testimony!!! Jesus will not force Himself on anyone. Matthew 9:1 says that He stepped back into His boat and left.
G. The demon-possessed man wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go tell others what Jesus had done for him. This is the key to effective witnessing. Tell others what Jesus has done for you. Decapolis means that he went into ten neighboring cities.
|
Mark 5:18-20 says, "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, 'Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.' So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed." |
Chapter 9 – A Healing, a Calling, a Meal and a Ruler's Daughter was Healed (Matthew 9:1-38)
I. Jesus Healed a Paralytic Man
Study Questions 9.1 Through 9.4
|
Question 9.1 Where was Jesus' town?
|
|
1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.
|
A. Jesus returned to His own town - Capernaum. In Matthew 8:34, He had been asked to leave Gadara.
B. He was impressed by the faith of the paralytic man and of those that brought him (Remember Hebrews 11:6). Note that this story was also recorded in Mark 2:3-12 and Luke 5:17-26.
C. Jesus associated the man's condition with his sins. Why? Compare John 5:14 and I Corinthians 11:29-30.
|
John 5:14 says, "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.'" I Corinthians 11:29-30 says, "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." |
D. Jesus was and is omniscient. He knew the thoughts of the teachers, and that was Matthew's first recorded incident on their open opposition to His teachings.
E. Jesus had authority on earth to forgive sins. The man's sins were being forgiven at that time, not in the past. Jesus said, "your sins ARE forgiven."
F. The man immediately obeyed Him.
1. The man experienced Jesus' healing power because of His faith.
2. He also experienced salvation because of His faith.
II. Jesus called Matthew to be His Disciple
Study Questions 9.5 Through 9.10
|
Question 9.5 What was Matthew's profession before Jesus called him?
|
|
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
|
A. Jesus picked a tax collector to be His disciple. Tax collectors were very unpopular.
B. Jesus freely ate with the undesirable (tax collectors and sinners).
C. He knew that He had come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
D. He came to call sinners, not the righteous (Hosea 6:6). God does not want sacrifice. He seeks those that seek Him.
|
Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Hosea 6:6 says, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." |
III. Jesus' Disciples Did Not Fast
|
14 Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
|
A. John's disciples and the Pharisees fasted.
1. John's disciples prayed and fasted for the coming Kingdom.
2. The Pharisees fasted to be seen (see Matthew 6:16-18 and Luke 18:10-14). They were hypocrites, and they openly opposed Jesus.
|
Luke 18:10-14 says, "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 'But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 'I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'" |
B. Jesus' disciples did not fast because He was still with them.
IV. The Theology of Jesus
|
16 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
|
A. His theology was more than just a patch of unshrunk cloth.
B. His theology was like new wine in old skin bottles.
C. Jesus was not trying to revive Old Testament Judaism. He was establishing a New Covenant.
D. "The new wine of grace was not to be poured into the skin-bottles of legality." This quote was credited to Ironside by Dr. D. A. Carson, "Matthew," The Expositor's Bible Commentary, volume 8, page 228.
V. Preparing to Heal a Little Girl
Study Questions 9.11 Through 9.18
|
Question 9.11 Did Jesus limit His miracles to Jewish people?
|
|
18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."
|
A. While He was describing His new theology in relation to Judaism, a ruler came to Him about his daughter.
B. The man thought that his daughter had just died, but he also thought that Jesus could bring her back to life.
C. Jesus was willing to go with the man whose name was Jairus.
VI. A Woman with an Issue of Blood
|
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.
|
A. A woman came up behind Him and touched Him.
B. Who touched me (Mark 5:30)?
|
Mark 5:30 says, "At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, 'Who touched my clothes?'" |
1. Jesus is supposed to be omniscient (all-knowing). Why didn't He know who touched Him?
2. The kenosis: Based on Philippians 2:6-8.
|
Philippians 2:6-8 says, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!" |
a) He made Himself nothing. From the Hebrew word "kenoo," which means "to empty, make empty, of Christ, he laid aside equality with or the form of God"
b) In the kenosis, He gave up the voluntary use of His comparative attributes (omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence).
c) Jesus gave up a lot just to die for lost humanity. What are we doing for Him?
3. By becoming human, Jesus temporarily gave up the free use of His comparative attributes. When He was resurrected from the grave, He reclaimed them.
C. Her faith made her whole. With God, faith is always the key (Remember Hebrews 11:6)
VII. Jesus Healed of Jairus' Daughter
|
23 When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd,
|
A. The musicians had arrived because they thought the girl was dead.
B. He sent them away, saying that she was only asleep.
1. The girl might have dead, in which case Jesus brought her back to life. He did that with Lazarus in John 11:1-44, and John 11:11 said that Lazarus was only sleeping.
2. The girl might have had a sickness unto death, in which case Jesus healed her.
3. Either way, He did a mighty work that day.
C. A Synoptic Problem
|
Matthew |
Mark |
Luke |
||
|
1. Healing at Gadara |
(1) 8:28-34 (2 men healed) |
(4) 5:1-17 (1 man healed) |
(4) 8:26-39 (1 man healed) |
|
|
2. Healing the Paralytic |
(2) 9:1-8 |
(1) 2:3-12 |
(1) 5:17-26 |
|
|
3. Calling of Matthew |
(3) 9:9 |
(2) 2:13-14 |
(2) 5:27-28 |
|
|
4. Dinner at Matthew's |
(4) 9:10-11 |
(3) 2:15-17 |
(3) 5:29-32 |
|
|
5. Healing Jairus's Daughter and woman with issue of blood |
(5) 9:18-38 |
(5) 5:21-43 |
(5) 8:40-56 |
1. Matthew was around from the time that he was called by Jesus. Mark was not there but had gotten his information from Peter who was there. Luke was not there but got his information from Paul and other witnesses.
2. The order is slightly different in the Gospel of Matthew, but the important things are the actions, not the order of the actions.
3. These events were being recorded about 20 years after they had happened. The Holy Spirit inspired correctness concerning what Jesus did, but He allowed human frailty to play a part, too.
VIII. Jesus Healed Two Blind Men
Study Questions 9.19 Through 9.24
|
Question 9.19 What was the basis for the healing of the two blind men?
|
|
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
|
A. They knew who He was, and they knew that He could help them.
B. He healed them according to their faith.
C. He told them to not tell anyone, but they were too excited to remain quiet.
IX. Jesus Healed a Demon-possessed Man
|
32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus.
|
A. The Pharisees incorrectly said that Jesus cast the demon out of the man.
B. The people were clearly amazed.
C. But the Pharisees openly opposed Jesus, and they were in the dark.
X. Workers Needed. Apply Within.
|
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
|
A. Jesus continually gave but rarely got anything in return. But He still had compassion on the people.
B. The Lord's work needs workers. Who will go out into His fields today?
Chapter 10 – Jesus Instructs the Twelve (Matthew 10:1-42)
I. Jesus Gave Authority to His Twelve Disciples
Study Questions 10.1 Through 10.6
|
Question 10.1 How did Jesus prove His deity in this passage?
|
|
1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
|
A. He gave them authority (compare to Matthew 28:18-20).
|
Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" |
1. They would be able to drive out evil or unclean spirits.
2. They would have the power to heal disease and sickness.
B. Jesus' Disciples are Identified. He called His disciples on three separate occasions (John 1:35-51, Mark 1:16-21, and Luke 5:1-11).
II. Jesus Sent Out His Twelve Disciples with Instructions
|
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
|
A. His second major discourse: Mission and Martyrdom (Carson).
1. Discourse 1 - The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 7:29).
2. Discourse 2 - Mission and Martyrdom (Matthew 10:5 through Matthew 11:1).
3. Discourse 3 - The Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-53).
4. Discourse 4 - Life Under Kingdom Authority (Matthew 18:1 through Matthew 19:2).
5. Discourse 5 - The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23:1 through Matthew 26:1)
B. Only go to the Jews
1. The gospel had not been opened to the Gentiles yet, but remember people like Rahab (Joshua 6:17) and the Ninevites.
2. The Samaritans were left out, too.
3. The kingdom of heaven is like a marriage feast (see Luke 14:15-23).
C. The Kingdom of Heaven is Near.
1. People get excited when they hear that the kingdom of heaven is near.
2. But they should also use the time to reflect and repent.
D. God's Way is not concerned with prosperity, but His workers still need to be given the means of support
E. Jesus told them to judge the worthiness of a home (compare with Matthew 7:1-6).
1. Dust off your feet and leave
2. More bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah
3. Sorry will be the person that sits in this church week after week but never responds to God's call on his or her life.
F. Be shrewd and innocent.
1. Christians should have a godly way about themselves.
2. They should not take on the ways of the world, but they also should not be naïve about the world.
III. Jesus Told His Disciples to be Ready for Trouble
Study Questions 10.7 Through 10.10
|
Question 10.7 Why should Christians always be ready for opposition?
|
|
17 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.
|
A. Be on your guard. Expect trouble when you serve the Lord.
1. Jesus warned that His followers would be brought before councils.
2. They would be flogged. Jesus was scourged.
B. When They Arrest You.
1. His followers would be arrested.
2. They would also be given what to say by the Holy Spirit.
3. The Holy Spirit would speak through them.
C. Even though family members will often be against family members, God's faithful servants will not be alone (compare Matthew 28:20).
D. When You Are Persecuted
1. Jesus warned that His followers would be persecuted.
2. He told them that it would be okay for them to flee to other cities.
3. He also promised a speedy return, which explains some of the problems at the Thessalonican church.
|
I Thessalonians 4:16-18 says, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." II Thessalonians 2:3 says, "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." II Thessalonians 3:10 says, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'" |
IV. Jesus Told Them to Not be Afraid.
Study Questions 10.11 Through 10.17
|
Question 10.11 Why should Christians not be afraid of opposition?
|
|
24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
|
A. Do not be afraid of them. All they can do is destroy the body. Colossians 3:1 and Galatians 2:20 tell Christians the mindset that they are to have.
B. Be faithful witnesses.
C. Fear the One that can destroy body and soul.
V. Jesus Expects a Lot from his Own
|
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
|
A. Whoever disowns me before men does not mean that a Christian makes a mistake and then that Jesus forsakes him or her. (Remember I John 1:9).
1. He is talking about those who consistently or even always deny having anything to do with Him.
2. No one can be indwelled by the Holy Spirit and consistently or always deny Christ (see John 14:16-17, John 14:26, and John 15:26).
B. Dr. Packer pointed out that Jesus will be God's agent in judgment (page 144).
C. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.
1. The gospel comes between people, but Christians have still been called to share the gospel and close that gap.
2. A Christian does not do it on his or her own. Christ in him or her is the Source of one's ability to serve Him (see John 15:1-8).
D. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. According to Galatians 2:20, losing one’s life means allowing Christ to live within. When that is done, the person finds life.
|
Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." |
E. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water. . . . Even our most insignificant works done in the Lord's name receives a reward because we make ourselves partakers in His work.
Chapter 11 – Jesus Defends the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-30)
I. Jesus was Visited by John's Disciples
Study Questions 11.1 Through 11.6
|
Question 11.1 Why did John the Baptist question Jesus?
|
|
1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.
|
A. Are you the one who was to come?
1. According to Dr. Carson and Dr. Robert H. Mounce, The New International Biblical Commentary - Matthew, this chapter started a turning point in Jesus' earthly ministry.
2. Dr. Carson said that Jesus was not the Messiah that the people had been hoping for, so they were expressing open disappointment and opposition to the kingdom of God.
3. Dr. Mounce pointed out that hostility began to develop and that even His healings became less frequent because of the people's unbelief.
4. Even John the Baptist was wondering.
5. Notice the following three cases.
a) When John the Baptist asked for a sign, Jesus gave him a sign and even a compliment (Matthew 11:2-11).
b) Jesus gave the wicked generation a sign even though they were wicked (Matthew 12:39 and Matthew 16:4).
c) When Thomas asked for evidence of the resurrection, Jesus showed him a sign and gave him a mild rebuke (John 20:24-29).
6. An analogy of prophecy is that of a person viewing mountaintops from a distance. The viewer may see two mountaintops that appear to be right on top of each other, when really a great distance may actually separate them.
a. Some Old Testament prophecies referred to a coming King.
b. Some Old Testament prophecies referred to a suffering Servant.
7. In John 11:35, why did Jesus weep?
B. The blind receive sight - Jesus presented the depth of His ministry. He was ministering to those that were afflicted, and He was also preaching the good news of the gospel to the poor (in spirit - from the Greek word, ptochos).
C. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. Jesus was omniscient, and He understood that the people were growing impatient. Our attitude towards this life should be based on Colossians 3:1-3.
|
Colossians 3:1-3 says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." |
II. What Did You go to See?
Study Questions 11.7 Through 11.10
|
Question 11.7 How did Jesus describe John the Baptist?
|
|
7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
|
A. A reed swayed by the wind - a reed swayed in the wind suggests fickleness by John the Baptist, and Jesus was telling the crowd that he was not fickle. John's questions had been based on his misunderstanding rather than his lack of faith. Jesus' was bringing the kingdom of God to the whole area in ways that no one fully understood.
B. A man dressed in fine clothes - fine clothes suggests weakness and softness, but John the Baptist was not like that, either.
C. Yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he - according to Dr. Carson, the Old Testament prophets pointed to Jesus more ambiguously than John the Baptist. However, the least person in the kingdom of heaven (post-Pentecost Christians) points to Jesus even less ambiguously than John the Baptist.
III. John the Baptist and Elijah
|
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
|
A. All the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John - once again, Jesus was saying that their prophecies about Jesus were farther from the event, so they were less clear.
B. He is the Elijah who was to come
1. Reincarnation people say that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of Elijah.
2. Christian theologians say that John the Baptist embodied the same spirit and zeal for the Lord as Elijah but not that they were the same physically. Elijah preached against the prophets of Baal, and John the Baptist preached against the Pharisees and religious hypocrites of his days.
C. He who has ears, let him hear - God always speaks to those that are in tune with Him and that want to receive the truth from Him. This was His way of saying, "Wake up!" or "Listen up!"
IV. John the Baptist was NOT a Demon
Study Questions 11.11 Through 11.15
|
Question 11.11 What was Jesus saying about that generation?
|
|
16 "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
|
A. John came neither eating nor drinking
B. The Son of Man came eating and drinking
C. Jesus was NOT a glutton or a drunkard
1. He was telling them that they would not be satisfied. The Pharisees openly opposed Jesus.
2. He was also saying that they would understand Him if they had understood John the Baptist.
3. John the Baptist was born to bear witness to Jesus, and in this discourse, Jesus bore witness to John the Baptist.
V. Jesus' Miracles Were a Curse to Some People
|
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
|
A. Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
B. Woe to you, Korazin
C. Woe to you, Bethsaida
D. And you, Capernaum - Jesus had His home base in Capernaum, and people still did not see the truth in Him.
E. Failure to respond appropriately to the Lord and His message brings a curse on the one that rejects Him.
VI. Many Things are Hidden
Study Questions 11.16 Through 11.20
|
Question 11.16 Why was Jesus pleased that some things had been hidden?
|
|
25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
|
A. You have hidden these things - the truth of the gospel is simple enough to be understood by a child but complicated enough that top scholars walk away. Jesus
B. No one knows the Father except the Son and vice versa - a reference to the Trinity - one God, three Persons.
C. I will give you rest - we can only find rest in Him.
Chapter 12 – Disciples Pick Grain and the Pharisees Accuse Jesus (Matthew 12:1-50)
I. Jesus More Clearly Defined the Rules for the Sabbath.
Study Questions 12.1 Through 12.4
|
Question 12.1 How did Jesus show His deity in the below passage?
|
|
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
|
A. Working on the Sabbath
1. Matthew did not write about the disciples coming back together (Mounce).
2. The Pharisees were zealous about the Sabbath. They had thirty-nine types of work that could not be done on the Sabbath (Carson). According to their Rabbinic law (Vincent), two laws might have been broken.
a. Plucking the ears (reaping).
b. Rubbing them in their hands (sifting, grinding, or fanning).
3. They were also very hypocritical. They loved the Law, but their love for the Lord was not pure.
4. The church does not worship on the Sabbath, and that provides a major proof that the people of those days believed in the resurrection.
B. Have you not read what David did?
1. Because the disciples were not working their land (they were not farmers), they may not have even been breaking the Rabbinic Law. The Pharisees might have been wrong.
2. Jesus raised this example of when David's men ate the consecrated bread in I Samuel 21:1-9, but the two cases were different. David's men were starving, plus the disciples may not have been doing anything wrong.
3. Jesus was saying that what His disciples and He did should be acceptable because He was greater than David and what David did had been acceptable (Carson).
C. The priests in the temple desecrate the day (Leviticus 24:5-8). The priests profaned every Sabbath by changing the consecrated bread "regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath." His argument was that a greater One than the priests was here.
|
Leviticus 24:5-8 says, "Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf. Set them in two rows, six in each row, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the LORD by fire. This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant." |
D. One greater than the temple is here (Hosea 6:6). Jesus made open claims of His deity. He was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.
E. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. As Messiah, Jesus had the authority to override the normal ordinances of the Sabbath (Mounce).
II. Jesus Healed on the Sabbath
Study Questions 12.5 Through 12.8
|
Question 12.5 Was Jesus intimidated by the Pharisees?
|
|
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue,
|
A. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? In the Greek, the Pharisees were saying, "I would like to know if it is lawful" (Vincent). They were not trying to learn from Him. They were trying to challenge Him. They already knew the answer for which they were looking.
B. Rabbinic law allowed for medical care on the Sabbath in a life or death situation, but this healing did not qualify (Mounce). It could have waited until the next day.
C. Jesus was trying to teach a higher truth. It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. He also wanted to demonstrate His authority over the Sabbath (note John 3:1-2).
III. Jesus Had Some Enemies
Study Questions 12.9 Through 12.15
|
Question 12.9 How did the Pharisees respond to Jesus?
|
|
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
|
A. Pharisees went out and plotted. Opposition towards Him was growing.
B. Jesus withdrew from that place. Why was He so secretive? Because the time of His messianic expectation had not arrived (John 17:4-5).
|
John 17:4-5 says, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." |
C. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).
IV. Jesus was Accused of Being Demon-Possessed
|
22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.
|
A. Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.
1. The Pharisees were constantly testing Jesus to see what he would do. They brought the afflicted man to Him. If we try to serve the Lord, we will face opposition, too.
2. Jesus did not worry Himself over the phoniness of the Pharisees. He healed the man that they had brought to Him.
a) The man was blind.
b) He was a mute.
c) He was demon-possessed.
B. It is only by Beelzebub. The Pharisees wanted people to think that Jesus was working cooperatively with the devil, but Jesus showed them the fallacy of their thinking.
C. Jesus knew their thoughts.
1. Knowing their thoughts was a sign of His deity. He was omniscient.
2. He could see through their plot (compare John 8:1-11)
3. He also knows our thoughts.
D. How can a divided kingdom stand?
1. No kingdom can function effectively when internal strife tears apart at the organization.
2. Christians should function as one body to complete the Lord's work on earth (see Matthew 28:18-20).
|
Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" |
V. The Unpardonable Sin
Study Questions 12.16 Through 12.24
|
Question 12.16 What two-pronged indictment did Jesus make?
|
|
29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
|
A. He who does not gather with me scatters. Jesus came to seek others (Luke 19:10), so we should, too.
B. Blaspheming against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
1. Blasphemy against Jesus is a sin of the unsaved, and such a person can be saved (Carson).
a) Jesus was not trying to say that He was less important than the Holy Spirit.
b) The Pharisees should have known that exorcising demons was a work of God, yet they attributed it to the devil. They should not have been spiritually blind.
2. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin of the saved, and there is not any other payment for that person's sin (Carson). The Pharisees should have known better.
3. Calling them a brood of vipers shows that Jesus was speaking directly to those that were speaking falsely against Him and His works (see John 6:35-36).
|
John 6:35-36 says, "Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe." |
C. How does one speak against the Holy Spirit? By denying the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today. The Holy Spirit convicts sinners, draws them to Christ, seals them into God's family, and is busy building the church.
D. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
E. For EVERY careless word they have spoken. People should never speak against any aspect of God's work, but they should also never speak any kind of bad communication. Speak the truth with God's love in your heart (see Ephesians 4:25). A careless word is a non-working word or an inoperative word (Vincent).
|
Ephesians 4:25 says, "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." |
F. Dr. Packer pointed out that Jesus will be God's agent in judgment (page 144).
VI. The Wicked Ask for a Sign
Study Questions 12.25 Through 12.29
|
Question 12.25 How did Jesus respond to the Pharisee's request for a sign?
|
|
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."
|
A. We want to see a miraculous sign from you.
1. "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign."
2. "None will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."
3. What was the sign of Jonah?
4. What was Jesus trying to communicate through that sign? He was making reference to His death and resurrection.
5. Notice the following three cases.
a) Jesus gave the wicked generation a sign even though they were wicked (Matthew 12:39 and Matthew 16:4).
b) When Thomas asked for evidence of the resurrection, Jesus showed him a sign and gave him a mild rebuke (John 20:24-29).
c) When John the Baptist asked for a sign, Jesus gave him a sign and even a compliment (Matthew 11:2-11).
B. The men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah.
C. The Queen of the South came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.
D. The final condition of that man is worse than the first.
1. What is this all about?
2. Outwardly turning over a new leaf without experiencing the rebirth will not work.
3. Each time the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, their spiritual condition deteriorated (Mounce).
VII. Knowing the Father's Will
|
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
|
A. Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Jesus asked His question rhetorically so that He could make His point.
B. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven.
C. What is the Father's will for each person's life?
1. For the unsaved, He desires salvation (II Peter 3:9).
|
II Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." |
2. For the saved, He desires conformity to His Son, which means a clear devotion to Him, others, and the salvation of others (Romans 8:28-29 and Luke 19:10).
|
Romans 8:28-29 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." |
3. Serving the Lord manifests itself in ways that point people to Christ.
Chapter 13 – Seven (or Eight) Parables (Matthew 13:1-58)
I. Jesus Taught From a Boat
Study Questions 13.1 Through 13.7
|
Question 13.1 Why did Jesus teach from a boat?
|
|
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.
|
A. His third major discourse: The Parables of the Kingdom (Carson).
1. Discourse 1 - The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 7:29).
2. Discourse 2 - Mission and Martyrdom (Matthew 10:5 through Matthew 11:1).
3. Discourse 3 - The Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-53).
4. Discourse 4 - Life Under Kingdom Authority (Matthew 18:1 through Matthew 19:2).
5. Discourse 5 - The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23:1 through Matthew 26:1)
B. That same day
1. Jesus has just finished arguing with the Pharisees about His disciples picking corn on the Sabbath.
2. He has just finished defending Himself as not being of the devil.
3. He has just finished responding to their request for a sign.
4. He has just finished talking about His family who were waiting for Him outside.
C. He got into a boat and sat in it. Teachers often sat when they taught, so His posture in the boat was not unusual for that setting.
D. People stood on the shore.
E. Jesus told seven or eight parables depending upon one's understanding of Matthew 13:52.
1. The first four were to the crowd.
2. The last four were only to His disciples (see Matthew 13:36), and they only appeared in the Gospel of Matthew.
II. The Parable of the Farmer (Parable Number One)
|
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.
|
A. This parable was concerned about the soil, not the seed (see Mark 4:3-9 and Luke 8:5-15).
1. Some fell along the path.
a) The birds, which were a symbol of evil to Old Testament people, are a symbol for the devil and his demons (Mounce).
b) When the seeds fell along the path, they did not find good soil, and they were snatched away by the devil and his demons.
2. Some fell on rocky places. In Palestine, much of the soil was a thin layer of dirt overlaying limestone, so the people understood the significance of His analogy (Mounce and Carson).
3. Other seed fell among thorns. When the seed would grow up, the thorns and weeds would choke them, and they would die.
4. Other seed fell on good soil.
a) Good seed in good soil always produces good fruit.
b) Good seed is the Word of God, Christians are the good soil, and Christian fruit is the result (see Galatians 5:22-24).
c) Jesus challenged His listeners to be good soil.
|
Galatians 5:22-24 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. |
B. He who has ears, let him hear.
III. Jesus Spoke in Parables on Purpose
|
10 The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
|
A. Why do you speak to the people in parables?
1. Dr. Mounce wrote, "The parable is a simple story taken from daily life that illustrates an ethical or religious truth."
2. Parables are effective teaching tools.
3. Parable comes from the Greek word "parabole," which means to throw beside. One thing was thrown beside the other so that the hearer could compare and analyze. Parables are religious, and fables are secular (Vincent).
4. The peoples' hearts were already hardened to the truth (Isaiah 6:9-10). Had Jesus spoken directly to them, their responsibility would have been even greater, and their judgment more severe (Mounce).
B. Knowledge has been given to you, but not to them.
1. Knowledge was given to the disciples, and their responsibility was greater.
2. Knowledge is given to us, so our responsibility is greater still.
C. For this people's heart has become callused.
D. Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
IV. Interpretation of the Parable about the Farmer
|
18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
|
A. The evil one comes and snatches away.
|
II Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." |
B. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word.
C. The worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth.
D. The man who hears the word and understands it
V. The Good Seed and the Weeds (Parable Number Two)
Study Questions 13.8 Through 13.14
|
Question 13.8 How is the below parable like the kingdom of heaven?
|
|
24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
|
A. A man who sowed good seed. Jesus gives an analogy of heaven and future judgment. This parable only occurs in the Gospel of Matthew.
B. His enemy came and sowed weeds.
1. The man who sowed good seed is Jesus.
2. His enemy is the devil.
C. You may root up the wheat.
1. The good is retained, and the bad is destroyed.
2. Jesus clearly taught that people will die lost.
3. Therefore, those to whom the truth has been given have an obligation to share that truth with others, as the Holy Spirit leads.
D. "At that time." A time of judgment is coming.
E. Tie them in bundles to be burned
VI. The Mustard Seed and the Yeast (Parable Numbers Three and Four)
|
31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
|
A. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (see Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-19).
1. At the time that Jesus was ministering, the kingdom work on earth was still very small.
2. But it would grow and grow and grow, and today, it is still growing.
B. It is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree
C. Yeast worked all through the dough (Luke 13:20-21).
1. Jesus was making the same analogy about growth of His kingdom.
2. A little yeast added to a little flour makes a bountiful loaf of bread.
3. In the Old Testament, yeast or leaven was often a symbol for sin, but Jesus was not making that statement in this parable.
VII. Interpretation of the Good Seed and the Weeds
|
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
|
A. Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.
1. The disciples did not have perfect understanding of the parables, either.
2. But they asked for understanding, and they got it (Luke 11:9-10).
|
Luke 11:9-10 says, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." |
B. So it will be at the end of the age.
C. Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. Jesus never tried to sugarcoat eternal judgment.
2. He died on the cross so that no one has to die lost.
3. He needs us to care, pray, study, and tell.
D. He who has ears, let him hear.
VIII. The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl (Parable Numbers Five and Six - only in the Gospel of Matthew)
Study Questions 13.15 Through 13.19
|
Question 13.15 How is a hidden treasure or pearls like the kingdom of God?
|
|
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
|
A. He hid it again.
1. In Jewish custom, people commonly buried their treasure because they did not have banks.
2. In Jewish custom, found property also belonged to the finder.
B. He sold all he had and bought that field.
1. The finder sold all that he had to buy what custom already said was his own because he did not want to chance losing what he had found because of some kind of technicality.
2. That is how we should value heaven. Heaven is more valuable than anything else that we could ever possibly hoe to gain.
C. He sold everything he had and bought it (the fine pearl).
IX. The Parable of the Net (Parable Number Seven)
|
47 "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
|
A. The kingdom of heaven is like a net.
1. Like with the wheat and the tares, we live in the same world as those that are without Christ.
2. There will be a judgment day and a time of separation.
3. Jesus died for all, and we should be challenged to share the truth of the gospel with others.
4. Strive to be like the good soil in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9).
B. Threw the bad away.
C. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. Jesus never tried to sugarcoat eternal judgment. Dr. Packer pointed out that Jesus will be God's agent in judgment (page 144).
2. He died on the cross so that no one has to die lost.
3. He needs us to care, pray, study, and tell.
D. Every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old (Mounce).
1. This verse has the same format as the other comparison parables.
2. The owner of the house could be God the Father, and the teachers of the Law could have been referring to the present-day scribes that have been discipled (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were discipled Pharisees).
a) Those that have been taught also have a responsibility to teach. The kingdom of God was a new concept to the Jews, and it was being combined with their own Old Testament Judaism.
b) They bring forth old and new knowledge as all good teachers that have been taught the truth.
X. Those That Knew Jesus Best Lacked Faith
Study Questions 13.20 Through 13.23
|
Question 13.20 Why did the common people question Jesus’ deity?
|
|
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.
|
A. Is not this the carpenter's son?
1. Jesus was not just a good Man.
2. He was not just a great Healer.
3. He was not just an excellent Teacher.
4. He was and is the Son of God and the second Person of the Trinity. He was and is the Savior who died on the cross so that all can be saved, and He wants to be our Lord.
B. They took offense at him.
C. He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith
1. Christians can hinder the Lord's work (Ephesians 4:29-32).
|
Ephesians 4:29-32 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." |
2. Jesus did not perform many miracles in His hometown, and that shows that the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas," which credited Jesus with having done some devious miracles as a Kid, was wrong (Mounce).
Chapter 14 – John the Baptist Beheaded and Five Thousand People Fed (Matthew 14:1-36)
I. The Death of John the Baptist
Study Questions 14.1 Through 14.4
|
Question 14.1 When was John the Baptist killed?
|
|
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,
|
A. This is John the Baptist.
1. According to Dr. Mounce, John the Baptist had been killed before this point when Matthew actually wrote about it.
2. The people were very superstitious.
3. They believed in an afterlife.
4. Herod was convicted about what he had done.
5. According to Dr. Vincent, Herod Antipas ruled one-fourth of the kingdom (based on the Greek word for tetrarch). Herod Archelaus ruled half of the kingdom, and Herod Philip ruled the other fourth.
B. It is not lawful for you to have her.
1. John the Baptist took a stand against sin (II Timothy 4:2-3).
|
II Timothy 4:2-3 says, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." |
a) Dr. Mounce wrote that Herod had broken Jewish law by marrying his brother's wife while his brother was still alive (Leviticus 18:16 and Leviticus 20:21).
b) Withholding the truth hurts the hearer.
c) If Herod had repented and not been controlled by his foolish pride, then he would have loved John the Baptist.
2. John the Baptist was not a respecter of persons.
a) Many people would have looked the other way for someone important and/or powerful.
b) Many people have come out in recent years and said that the indiscretions of JFK were covered up, but John the Baptist would not have done that.
3. It is still wrong to do wrong even if taking a stand against the wrong is unpopular.
4. Jesus also experienced rejection (see Matthew 13:53-58).
C. Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.
1. Unrepentant sinners will always try to silence those that preach the truth.
2. Do not be surprised if the world hates those that follow Christ (I John 3:3).
|
I John 3:3 says, "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." |
D. John was beheaded in the prison.
1. Romans 8:28 still applied even when he died.
2. Dying for the Lord was God's Plan for John the Baptist, and his life and death have become examples to all that have followed after him.
II. Jesus Tested His Disciples
Study Questions 14.5 Through 14.10
|
Question 14.5 How did Jesus react to the news about John the Baptist?
|
|
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
|
A. He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.
1. Jesus wanted to be alone when He heard about John the Baptist.
2. He was and is the Son of God. But He could hurt and feel things just as we do (Hebrews 4:15).
|
Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." |
B. The crowds followed him on foot.
1. Why did people follow Jesus everywhere?
a) They probably did not do so because they loved him.
b) They followed Him because He always loved them.
c) They followed Him because they were healed of their infirmities.
d) The scribes and Pharisees followed Him because they hoped to trap Him.
2. Some people only followed Jesus because they hoped to get something from Him.
3. Many of those same people would soon call out to Pilate to have Him crucified.
C. Jesus had Compassion on Them.
1. They got what they wanted.
2. He also healed their sick.
3. Jesus was and is omniscient, and He could see through their shallowness.
a) While He was saddened by their attitude, He loved them anyway just as they were.
b) He loves us just the way we are, too.
c) If we truly want to make the Lord happy, then just love Him back (Matthew 22:36-40).
|
Matthew 22:36-40 says, "'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" |
D. Send the Crowds Away.
1. The disciples did not realize what Jesus could do among so many people.
2. They were looking at the outward because they still did not know in their heart that Jesus was and is the Son of God.
3. However, do not judge them too harshly because each of us would have probably done the same thing.
E. You give them something to eat.
1. This miracle was also talked about in Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:5-14.
2. In John 6:5, why did Jesus ask Philip how the people could be fed?
a) Philip was the analytical disciple (John 1:43-46). Maybe he would have logically figured out a way to feed them.
b) Philip was always listed as the fifth disciple, which suggests a type of order among the disciples. The first four formed Jesus' inner circle, and they often accompanied Him into places where the other disciples did not go. The second four were probably in charge of logistical matters such as crowd control, food, shelter, transportation, and so forth. That's why Jesus asked Philip about the feeding of the people. He was probably in charge of those logistical issues.
c) Philip did not give Jesus the answer that He wanted (John 6:5-7). The disciples just did not get it (see Mark 8:14-21).
|
John 6:5-7 says, "When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, 'Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!'" |
3. In John 6:8-9, Andrew once again brought someone to Jesus. In John 1:41-42, he brought his brother, Peter, to Jesus.
III. The Miraculous Feeding of the Five Thousand
Study Questions 14.11 Through 14.16
|
Question 14.11 How much food did they have?
|
|
17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
|
A. We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.
1. Little is much with the Lord.
2. The Lord uses everything and everyone that is willing to be used. He used the little boy that had the loaves and fish (John 6:9), He used Andrew who had brought the boy to Him, and He used the little bit of food to miraculously provide for everyone.
3. Notice Philip, the logical one, in John 6:5-7 and Andrew, the one who always brought people to the Lord, in John 6:8-9.
B. Jesus Gave Thanks.
1. Jesus was appreciative of what He did have.
2. He prayed in faith, without wavering, to ask that the needs of the people might be met.
C. Jesus Broke the Loaves.
1. Breaking the thin wafer-like loaves made more sense than cutting them (Vincent).
2. One of the difficult lessons of Christianity is that the Lord breaks something before He uses it.
3. To be used by God, one must be fully committed to Him, and He is always looking for people with that kind of commitment.
D. They all ate and were satisfied.
1. Everyone ate, and everyone got enough.
2. When people are committed to the Lord's work (fully sold out), then He can do great things.
a) Note in Matthew 13:53-58 that He did not do many miracles in His hometown because of their unbelief.
b) Faith and commitment go together.
E. Five thousand men, besides women and children were fed.
IV. The Disciples Were Alone and Afraid
|
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
|
Study Questions 14.17 Through 14.25
|
Question 14.17 Why did Jesus always get alone to Himself?
|
A. He went up on a mountainside by himself.
1. Once again, Jesus chose to be by Himself.
2. He had times when He sought and embraced the crowds, but He also chose to get alone so that He could pray.
3. His prayer life is a clear indication that He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
a) If He had wanted to, He could have healed every person that lived, then and now.
b) His prayer life suggests that He wanted to do more for the people than just heal them physically. He wanted to heal them spiritually.
B. Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. Walking on the water was nothing for the Son of God. He had created the waters on which He was walking.
C. They were terrified.
1. The disciples were not spiritual giants. They had just seen the miraculous feeding of over five thousand people, but they still did not love and trust Jesus unconditionally.
2. They still did not understand that Jesus really was and is God.
a) But of course, they would come to the point to where they would. They were afraid on that night, but they would become mighty spiritual leaders after Pentecost. Ten of the men in that boat would die horrible, tortuous deaths because of their unwavering faith in Christ.
b) Christianity is a growing process. The new convert is a babe in Christ, and over time, those babes should mature in their faith.
V. Peter Walked on Water
|
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
|
A. It is I. Do not be afraid.
1. We do not need to be afraid when we are close to Jesus.
2. How close we get to Him is our choice, not His. He made His choice when He was incarnated into this life and when He became our sin Sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.
B. Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water.
1. At first, Peter was daring enough to try to impossible, and he succeeded.
2. When he realized that he was actually walking on the water, then he became afraid and began to go down.
3. People can say what they want about Peter, but he was the only one in the boat that actually walked on the water.
C. Lord, save me!
1. When he became afraid, he knew to look to Jesus.
2. That is a good lesson for everyone to learn.
3. Most people get hung up on being self-sufficient and all that stuff. But the truth is that none of us ever get to where we do not need the Lord or to where He cannot bring us down if He wishes.
D. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
1. Salvation is always IMMEDIATE.
2. A person does not have to work their way into God's good graces. He will save anyone immediately, IF THEY WILL ONLY ASK.
3. Salvation is only of the Lord. If Peter had called out to those in the boat and had depended upon them, then he probably would have been drowned.
4. Our parents and friends cannot save us, and we cannot save them. What we can do is pray for them and bring them to Jesus, just like Andrew.
E. Truly you are the Son of God.
1. The disciples made that statement, but they still did not really believe it.
2. They would be afraid again.
VI. Jesus Healed the Sick
Study Questions 14.26 Through 14.30
|
Question 14.26 In Gennesaret, why did the people come to Jesus?
|
|
34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.
|
A. People brought all their sick to him.
1. Once again, most people came to Jesus because they wanted something.
2. Do not be like that! Come to Him because you love Him.
B. All who touched him were healed.
1. Jesus healed those that touched Him of their physical diseases, but what He really wanted and wants to do is heal people of their spiritual disease.
2. He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
Chapter 15 – Tradition without Obedience, Healing and More Feeding (Matthew 15:1-39)
I. The Pharisees Were Hung up on Their Traditions
Study Questions 15.1 Through 15.6
|
Question 15.1 Why did the religious leaders want to trap Jesus?
|
|
1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
|
A. They Came From Jerusalem to Question Him
1. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Old Testament Mosaic Law tried to trap Jesus.
2. They were so zealous about getting at Him that they came from Jerusalem to Gennesaret.
3. According to Dr. Mounce, Jesus was well known throughout Palestine by this time.
B. Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
1. The Pharisees and teachers were bothered that the disciples did not wash their hands before they ate.
2. Their tradition was to wash before and after meals and even to voluntarily wash between each course. They rubbed their hands together before meals and lifted them up in the air after meals for drying (Vincent).
3. Most people would agree that washing one's hands before eating is all right, but Jesus knew the wicked hearts of His critics.
4. He knew that their concern was not for good health and hygiene but that they wanted to catch the disciples doing wrong.
5. The Pharisees were more concerned about their traditions than about demonstrating obedience to the Lord. In reality, they should have been thrilled that the Son of God had come in the flesh.
C. Jesus replied. He always had the right response to those that tried to find fault with Him or His ministry.
D. 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
1. The first law came from Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16.
2. The second law came from Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9.
3. "But you say" - Jesus criticized the Pharisee's tradition that related to a young man giving to the temple treasury rather than to his needy parents.
4. The Pharisees thought that it would be all right to give to the temple treasury and to ignore one's needy parents, but Jesus showed them that they were wrong. According to Dr. Vincent, Jesus told them that their traditions had made the Word of God of no effect.
II. Jesus Went From Defense to the Offense
|
7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
|
A. Isaiah was Right when he Prophesied About You
1. We should not be surprised that a prophet was correct. To be a prophet of God, one had to be correct every time and the message had to be consistent with what God would normally say (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
|
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says, "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?' If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." |
2. Jesus did not have any trouble showing the hypocrisy of those that were against Him.
3. He was omniscient, and He knew their wicked hearts. He was and is the Son of God, and He knew His Word.
B. What goes into a man's Mouth.
1. Jesus had an interesting way of looking at ingesting food.
2. Instead of focusing on good hygiene, He was telling them to focus more on matters of the heart.
III. Jesus did not Care if His Critics Were Upset
|
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"
|
A. The Pharisees were offended.
1. The disciples were concerned.
2. Jesus knew that He had upset the Pharisees, but He did not care.
3. He always received those that came to Him in faith, and He always rejected those that came to Him with haughty and defiant spirit.
B. Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.
1. The Pharisees were supposed to be spiritual leaders, but they were hypocritical legalists.
2. Jesus placed high standards on those that were supposed to be leaders.
3. He told His disciples that the hypocritical Pharisees would be rooted up.
C. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
1. The Pharisees did not know the way to God, and they could not lead others to Him.
2. Follow a Pharisee and die lost.
3. Jesus did not hold back in opposing them. He never tried to be politically correct.
IV. Peter Asked Jesus to Explain
Study Questions 15.7 Through 15.11
|
Question 15.7 Was Jesus upset with Peter’s ignorance?
|
|
15 Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
|
A. Explain the parable to us. Peter did not understand what Jesus had said to the Pharisees.
B. Are you still so dull?
1. No one should be able to question Matthew's honesty and humility. He did not try to be politically correct, either.
2. Jesus seems to have been saying that Peter should be able to understand what He had said.
3. People are not defiled by what they eat, but they are defiled by the evil thoughts of their heart.
4. He was talking about being defiled spiritually, not physically.
C. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
D. Eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean.
V. Jesus Went to Tyre and Sidon
Study Questions 15.12 Through 15.18
|
Question 15.12 Why did the Canaanite woman come to Jesus?
|
|
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
|
A. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
1. Jesus moved around a lot even though He never got too far from His home base in Capernaum.
2. People still followed Him and gathered around Him wherever He went.
3. Some came to see what He would say and do.
4. Many came because they wanted something from Him.
B. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.
1. Demon-possession seems to have been a common problem.
2. The woman and daughter were not Jewish. Gentiles were as low as dogs in those days. The Apostle Paul wrote about a mystery in Ephesians 3:6.
|
Ephesians 3:6 says, "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." |
3. Jesus was not refusing to help the woman. He was testing her faith, just as He often tests the faith of those that have chosen to follow Him.
C. I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.
1. Initially, He tried to chase her away by saying that He was only there to help the Jews.
2. But the woman knew that He could help her, so she would not settle for anything less.
D. Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.
1. When He realized that she was fully trusting in Him, He honored her request.
2. The daughter was healed.
VI. The Miraculous Feeding of the Four Thousand
Study Questions 15.19 Through 15.22
|
Question 15.19 Where did Jesus go next?
|
|
29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
|
A. Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee.
B. Great crowds came to Him. People still followed Him in amazement.
C. They have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
1. People were obviously not as obsessed with food as most people.
2. They were so excited about being with Jesus that they did not think about food.
3. A three-day fast can be a good thing.
D. He gave thanks and broke them.
1. Jesus prayed.
2. He broke the bread. It was a thin, wafer-type of toast rather than normal loaf bread.
3. Breaking the bread so that it could be used is a good analogy of how the Lord breaks Christians so that they can be used.
E. After they ate, He left for Magadan.
Chapter 16 – Beware the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:1-28)
I. More Testing for Jesus
Study Questions 16.1 Through 16.5
|
Question 16.1 How does the below incident compare to Matthew 12:38-40?
|
|
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
|
A. The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him.
1. In Matthew 11:2-6, John the Baptist asked for a sign, too. The difference is that he accepted the sign, and the Pharisees and Sadducees did not.
2. This passage is similar to Matthew 12:38-40, but they seem to be different.
a) Matthew 12:38-40 happened in Galilee and involved only the Pharisees.
b) On this occasion, they were probably in Magadan, based on Matthew 15:39, and it involved the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
c) Jesus also seems to have cleared the temple twice, too, in John 2:12-25 and Matthew 21:12-17.
3. Not all manuscripts have verses two and three about the signs for a storm. In those cases, his reply was verse four.
a) Remember that our Bible is a translation of a copy of a copy of many copies of the original.
b) Remember also that a lot of effort went into making sure that we have a very, very accurate Bible.
c) The Massoretes used pointing to ensure accurate copies. They marked vowels over the all consonant versions, and they had elaborate counting techniques to ensure that they did not skip portions or double copy other portions.
d) No one has ever found evidence of fraud among those that made the copies or evidence of major flaws.
e) Be aware of the difference in manuscripts, but do not be overly concerned about it. Verses two and three are not critical to the meaning of the passage.
4. If those two verses actually did exist, then Jesus merely used a weather illustration that they would have quickly and easily understood.
B. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign.
1. In John 20:25, the Apostle Thomas said that he would not believe that Jesus had arisen unless he could touch His wounds.
2. In John 20:26-29, Jesus appeared to Thomas, and Thomas believed.
3. It is human to doubt, but Jesus told Thomas that future saints would be blessed because they would believe even though they had not seen.
4. What signs has Jesus given to this generation about His identity?
a) His Word and the undeniable logic in His salvation plan
b) The indwelling Holy Spirit
c) The rebirth experience
d) The truth of His resurrection
C. Jesus then left them and went away. Once again, He made His impact and left.
II. Jesus and His Disciples Were not Obsessed With Food
Study Questions 16.6 Through 16.10
|
Question 16.6 Were the disciples obsessed with food like most people?
|
|
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.
|
A. The disciples forgot to take bread.
1. Notice the difference in their priorities. They were not that concerned about eating.
2. In Matthew 15:32, the people had not eaten for three days.
B. Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
1. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying.
2. They thought that He was making His comment in reference to the fact that they had forgotten food, but Jesus was not overly concerned about what went into the body.
3. Spiritual nourishment is more important than physical nourishment.
a) The Pharisees did not give good spiritual nourishment.
b) In the Old Testament, yeast or leaven often symbolized sin, and the traditions and teachings of the Pharisees were not of God.
C. Jesus was aware of their discussion.
1. Jesus understood what they were talking about because He was and is omniscient.
2. His comparative attributes are omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresent. Each Person of the Godhead has those attributes.
3. He reminded them about the feeding of five thousand and then of four thousand.
D. How is it you don't understand?
1. Jesus often rebuked His disciples for their spiritual ignorance.
2. In Matthew 15:16, He had rebuked them for not understanding his remarks about the traditions of the Pharisees.
E. He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees
1. Years ago, announcements used to say to go to the church of your choice, but people need to realize that their choice of churches is very, very important and not to be taken casually.
2. There were probably a lot of very good Jews that were in the synagogue and not getting good theological instruction.
3. The Apostle Paul told Timothy to preach the Word (II Timothy 4:2-5).
|
II Timothy 4:2-5 says, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." |
III. Peter Distinguished Himself From the Others
Study Questions 16.11 Through 16.17
|
Question 16.11 Where did Jesus go next?
|
|
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
|
A. Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi.
1. Jesus did a lot of traveling throughout the area.
2. This time, He has traveled to the northern region of Caesarea-Philippi. That area was about twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee, and it was on the southwest slopes of Mount Hermon. According to Dr. Mounce, it had been a sacred place of Canaanite idol worship. The Greeks renamed it into Paneas and worshipped Pan, the goat-man god of fertility.
3. In a place that had historically been used for idol worship, He asked His disciples about His identity to others.
B. Who do people say the Son of Man is?
1. Some people were saying that He was John the Baptist, but that was absurd because they had been contemporaries.
2. Some people thought that He was Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.
3. Based on His disciples' answers, no one associated Him with the idol culture of His day. All of the men named had been great men for the Lord.
4. But then, He made His question personal.
a) To His disciples, He asked, "Who do you say I am?"
b) Dr. Carson says that the word "you" was emphatic and plural, so Jesus was asking all of the disciples. Peter was the one that correctly answered.
c) The question of Jesus' identity is always personal. All people are required to answer that question for themselves.
C. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
1. Peter did not hesitate when He answered Jesus' question. He did not have to think about it.
2. He could have only called Jesus the Christ, or Messiah, through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:9).
|
Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." |
3. Peter had the right kind of faith.
D. Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
1. Why did Jesus not want His identity to be told to others?
a) It was possibly because His time of messianic expectation had not yet come (see John 2:4).
b) According to Dr. Carson, it was possibly because He wanted Israel to understand the right answer to the question of His identity for themselves, like Peter, rather than their having to be told.
2. When people see His true identity, they demonstrate faith, obedience, and submission to Jesus in coming to Him (Carson).
E. "On this rock I will build my church."
1. The name "Peter" means rock. Cephas, from John 1:42, was the transliteration from Aramaic, and "Petros ('Peter') is the closest Greek translation" (Carson).
2. Jesus was announcing that He would build His church based on Peter's message that He is the Christ. Jesus is the rock, and the disciples were mere stones.
3. He was also saying that He would build His church based on His disciples, of whom Peter was the chief.
F. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
1. Keys represent knowledge in Luke 11:52.
2. You (the disciples) will bring the knowledge of the kingdom to others.
3. Bind and loose were rabbinical technical terms indicating the authority to lay down rules or declare exemption from them (Mounce).
4. Dr. Carson wrote that heaven acted first in determining what was bound and loosed (see Acts 18:9-10). "Those he ushers in or excludes have already been bound or loosed by God according to the gospel already revealed."
IV. A One Divided by Infinity Principle
Study Questions 16.18 Through 16.24
|
Question 16.18 What comparative attribute of deity did Jesus display?
|
|
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
|
A. Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
1. Jesus was and is omniscient. He knew what would be happening to Him.
2. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
3. Jesus wanted Peter to understand that those things were supposed to happen to Him.
4. Christians should always strive to not be a stumbling block to their Lord.
B. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
1. Christianity involves self-denial, sacrifice, and self-discipline.
2. But while those are characteristics of Christians, they are not the requirements to be a Christian. One becomes a Christian by receiving Christ as personal Savior. At some time after that, the Christian should make Jesus the Lord of his or her life.
3. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
4. The plan of salvation is Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and Romans 10:9.
C. He will reward each person according to what he has done. This was a reference to the end times, as mentioned in Revelation 22:12.
|
Revelation 22:12 says, "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." |
D. Some who are standing here will not taste death.
1. Jesus could have been speaking to Peter, James, and John and referring to the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9 (Mounce).
2. They saw Him glorified and in the context of an intermediate kingdom.
Chapter 17 – The Transfiguration, Healing, and Taxes (Matthew 17:1-27)
I. The Transfiguration
Study Questions 17.1 Through 17.8
|
Question 17.1 Who was in Jesus’ inner circle?
|
|
1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
|
A. After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John
1. Right after Peter's declaration, Jesus started telling His disciples, in Matthew 16:21-28, that He would suffer, die, and be raised.
2. Six days following that exchange, Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the mountain with Him.
a) The other disciples did not go with Him.
b) This passage shows that Peter, James, and John formed His inner circle. They also appeared alone with Him on other occasions, and sometimes, Andrew was with them (Mark 13:3, Mark 14:33, Luke 8:51).
c) Note that Andrew was the one that always brought people to Jesus, but he was not always part of the inner circle.
3. The experience that they were about to have would have been encouraging to them in light of their most recent conversation about Christ's sufferings (Mounce).
B. He was Transfigured Before Them
1. The Greek word (metamorphoo) that was translated into transfigured came from two other Greek words that mean "change form" (Vincent).
2. In Mark 16:12, Jesus appeared to His disciples in another form. That Greek word, morphe, means external appearance, which suggests that the transformation was more than a changed form. He was actually in another Form.
C. Moses and Elijah -- I will put up three shelters
1. Peter saw Moses and Elijah, and he wanted to build shelters for all three.
2. Moses was the great Old Testament lawgiver, and Elijah was considered to be the first great prophet (Mounce). So, Jesus, who frequently acknowledged the Law and the Prophets, was actually together with the main representatives of the Law and the Prophets (Note Matthew 5:17, Matthew 7:12, Matthew 11:12-13, and Matthew 22:40).
|
Matthew 5:17 says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Matthew 7:12 says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 11:12-13 says, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John." Matthew 22:40 says, "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." |
3. Note that the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3-14 will probably be Enoch and Elijah based on the following verses. Notice the detail and the consistency across all four texts. The authors of these four different passages were Moses, the Apostles Paul and John, and one unknown writer.
a) Hebrews 9:27-28 says, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."
b) Genesis 5:24 says, "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."
c) II Kings 2:11 says, "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."
4. Peter was excited to be with all three, but a voice out of heaven quickly changed his focus. When we force Jesus to share the spotlight, then we are focusing on the wrong thing.
D. This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!
1. God was speaking to Peter, James, and John.
2. His words were very similar to those spoken at Jesus' baptism.
E. Do not tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
1. Jesus did not want others to know until after His resurrection.
2. Dr. Mounce said that Jesus did not want anyone to know because He did not want a messianic uprising.
a) On another occasion, people had wanted to make Him their leader. Those people wanted a general.
b) Also, the Pharisees had earlier asked Him for a sign, and He did not want to cater to their wishes.
3. Mark 9:10 says that the three disciples were puzzled by Jesus being raised from the dead.
II. Elijah Must Come First
Study Questions 17.9 Through 17.13
|
Question 17.9 What is the significance of Elijah?
|
|
10 The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
|
A. Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?
1. Malachi 4:5-6 says that Elijah will come before the Christ.
|
Malachi 4:5-6 says, "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." |
a) Dr. Robert L. Alden says that Elijah in Malachi 4:5-6 was always meant to be John the Baptist.
b) The great and dreadful day is the Second Coming of Christ as described in Revelation 19:11-16.
c) Mentioning Elijah in Malachi 4:5-6 might have been a reference to one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3.
d) The Old Testament prophets were not able to see the church Age that would exist between the first and second comings of Christ. Understanding prophecy is similar to looking at a mountain range from a distance.
2. According to Dr. Carson, Elijah was expected to restore all things for the Jew - a state of justice and true worship.
3. The disciples did not understand why Jesus would be killed in an environment where there was justice and true worship.
B. Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him.
1. Some New Age groups teach that John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah (Matthew 11:13-15).
2. John the Baptist had the same fiery spirit as Elijah, but he was not the reincarnation of Elijah.
3. Reincarnation is a curse because people are forced to try again in this life until they get good enough to go to heaven. This teaching is obviously contrary to Scripture because Christians are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 6:23, and many other verses).
C. Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
1. John the Baptist was a type of Elijah.
2. Jesus connected John the Baptist and Elijah, but that does not automatically mean that Malachi was talking about John the Baptist when he wrote about Elijah.
III. Jesus Healed a Man's Son
Study Questions 17.14 Through 17.20
|
Question 17.14 What was wrong with the man’s son?
|
|
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.
|
A. Lord, Have Mercy on my Son
1. Jesus always had mercy on those that came to Him.
2. The man that came to Him came in faith, knowing that Jesus could help him.
3. Those that will be saved must come to Jesus knowing that He can and that He will help them.
B. Your Disciples Could not Heal Him
1. Even though they had been sent, the disciples were not always successful.
2. Sometimes, the Lord may send us, and we may not achieve the success that we expect.
C. Jesus Rebuked the Demon, and it Came out of the Boy.
1. Demons might be able to give us difficulty.
2. But they could not deny the Son of God.
D. Why could we not drive it out?
1. He replied, "Because you have so little faith.
2. Some manuscripts say, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
3. God honors prayer, and He honors fasting. Sometimes, He wants us to do both.
a) In Jonah 3:5, the king of Nineveh declared a fast to save his land from an angry God.
b) Fasting has always been popular among those that seek the Lord.
c) Fasting, in my opinion, is being so burdened by a pressing need or desire that food becomes secondary.
IV. The Son of Man Will be Betrayed
|
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.
|
A. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men
1. Jesus knew why He had come.
2. He knew what the outcome would be.
B. On the third day he will be raised to life. The resurrection should not have surprised the disciples. But after Jesus was crucified, they were hiding out for fear of a similar fate (John 20:19).
|
John 20:19 says, "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'" |
V. Jesus Paid His Temple Taxes
Study Questions 17.21 Through 17.25
|
Question 17.21 Where did they go next?
|
|
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"
|
A. Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?
1. The temple tax amounted to about two days' wages per year (Mounce).
2. The average wage was about twenty cents per day, and the temple tax was about thirty-five or forty cents per year (Vincent).
B. But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line.
1. According to the disciples' answer, Jesus always paid the temple tax.
2. On this occasion, He miraculously paid the tax.
Chapter 18 – Behavior and Parables (Matthew 18:1-35)
I. Becoming Like Children
Study Questions 18.1 Through 18.9
|
Question 18.1 How many major discourses did Matthew record?
|
|
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
|
A. His fourth major discourse: Life Under Kingdom Authority (Carson).
1. Discourse 1 - The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 7:29).
2. Discourse 2 - Mission and Martyrdom (Matthew 10:5 through Matthew 11:1).
3. Discourse 3 - The Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-53).
4. Discourse 4 - Life Under Kingdom Authority (Matthew 18:1 through Matthew 19:2).
5. Discourse 5 - The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23:1 through Matthew 26:1)
B. Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
1. Humans are often prone to be competitive, and in this instance, the disciples were wondering who was the greatest in heaven.
2. In Mark 9:33 and Luke 9:46, the disciples were actually arguing among themselves about the greatest in heaven.
|
Mark 9:33 says, "They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?'" Luke 9:46 says, "An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest." |
3. Peter was just called the rock, so maybe they wondered if he would be the one. The Revised Version says, "Who then is the greatest" (Vincent).
C. Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
1. Jesus told them the truth. He cannot lie.
2. Jesus always knew how to handle the situation. They were arguing about who would be the greatest among themselves, and none of them was correct.
3. He told them that they had to become like little children.
a) Children are innocent, naïve, usually open and honest, and quick to trust.
b) The disciples needed to change their way of thinking.
4. The Greek word, strepho, was used for change, and it literally meant to turn around. The disciples were hung up on status, and that was the exact opposite of what they needed to be (Mounce).
5. Being changed suggested the image of turning around on a road and heading in the other direction (Vincent).
D. Whoever humbles himself and whoever welcomes.
1. Jesus was pointing out the humility and disregard for social status that is seen in children. Those traits often cause them to be quick to have faith (Carson).
2. The message is to become humble like little children and to also welcome children in Jesus' name.
3. Jesus held children to be of infinite value (Mounce).
II. Woe to the Person that Causes Others to Stumble
|
6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
|
A. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin.
1. Jesus took a very special interest in the welfare of children, especially in those that believed in Him.
2. His primary concern was for those that would try to make children lose their faith (Mounce).
3. A millstone was a large, heavy stone used to ground corn.
B. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin!
1. There are many temptations in this world, and woe to those that cause people to be tempted and to fall.
2. Habakkuk wrote woes against people that bring down other people (Habakkuk 2:9-15).
C. If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away.
D. If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.
1. People do not miss heaven because of their evil works.
2. They miss heaven when they do not receive Jesus as their personal Savior.
3. But Jesus was stressing just how important it is to receive Him as Savior. He wanted people to know that dying lost is a very, very bad thing. A person would be better off without a hand or an eye, then to die lost.
III. The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Study Questions 18.10 Through 18.18
|
Question 18.10 What was Jesus teaching in the parable of the lost sheep?
|
|
10 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
|
A. If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away.
1. The Lord is interested in every individual.
2. Ninety-nine percent is not good enough for Him.
B. Go to look for the one that wandered off (Luke 19:10).
|
Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." |
C. Your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost (II Peter 3:9).
|
II Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." |
IV. The Basis for Church Discipline
|
15 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
|
A. Go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.
1. People need to be careful about being too presumptuous, plus Christians are told to not judge (Matthew 7:1-2).
2. Notice Matthew 7:2, which says, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
3. Evaluate the deeds of others based upon biblical principles, not the fact that someone sat in your place on Sunday morning or took your parking place.
B. So that every matter may be established
1. When you are biblically correct, take a couple of witnesses to visit the offender.
2. Witnesses will guarantee honesty and integrity in the matter (Deuteronomy 19:15).
|
Deuteronomy 19:15 says, "One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." |
C. Tell it to the church
D. It will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
1. Binding and loosing match what was said to Peter in Matthew 16:19.
2. The church has the authority to excommunicate.
E. Where two or three come together in my name, there am I.
1. It does not take a crowd to invoke Jesus' presence.
2. The prayer, of Matthew 18:19, seems to be corporate prayer (Mounce).
3. What kinds of prayers does God consistently answer?
a) Prayers that ask for His will be done.
b) Prayers for service.
V. Being Faithful to Forgive Others
Study Questions 18.19 Through 18.25
|
Question 18.19 What did Jesus teach about forgiving others?
|
|
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
|
A. How many times shall I forgive my brother?
1. Christians have been forgiven.
2. They should be quick to forgive, but they can only forgive those that ask for forgiveness.
3. Even Jesus cannot forgive someone until he or she asks for forgiveness.
4. Christians should be willing to forgive as often as they are asked. However, having a forgiving spirit does not mean being the world's floor mat. We are also called to be good stewards and shrewd as serpents (Matthew 10:16).
B. The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
C. You wicked servant.
1. The unforgiving servant will experience the same treatment.
2. Dr. Mounce wrote, "An unwillingness to extend mercy is proof that a person has never received mercy."
D. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
Chapter 19 – Divorce and Riches (Matthew 19:1-30)
I. Jesus Taught one Man for one Woman for one Lifetime
Study Questions 19.1 Through 19.8
|
Question 19.1 How did Jesus view marriage and the family?
|
|
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.
|
A. He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan
1. He was leaving Galilee for the last time (Mounce).
2. He went to Judea, and He taught and healed the many people that followed Him (Mark 10:1).
3. Jesus had a fully balanced ministry (Carson). He healed, He taught, He preached, and He prophesied.
B. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?
1. The Greek word for "test" meant to tempt in any way (Vincent). The Pharisees were trying to trip Him up.
2. The controversy over divorce arose from Deuteronomy 22:22-27 and Deuteronomy 24:1-4. There were two Jewish schools of thought on what those two verses meant (Mounce and Dr. Earl S. Kalland).
a) Hillel - a man could divorce a woman if anything about her displeased him. This was the more liberal view.
b) Shammai - a man could only divorce his wife if she committed an act of sexual impurity, short of adultery (adultery meant death). This was the more restrictive and more conservative view. In Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus aligned Himself with this view and made fornication (rather than death) the only grounds of divorce.
3. As when tempted by Satan, Jesus answered those that tried to trip Him with Scriptures. He set the right Example for us (Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24).
|
Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 2:24 says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." |
C. What God has joined together, let man not separate.
1. God gave humanity families because the relationships in the family unit are consistent with how He relates to each of us.
a) God is not a super cop.
b) He is our heavenly Father, and He relates to us as a Father to a son or daughter.
c) The family is under attack by the devil because he knows that that is the way to attack the Lord.
2. Jesus did not advocate divorce, and neither does God the Father.
3. Malachi 2:16 says, "'I hate divorce,' says the LORD God of Israel, 'and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,' says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith."
D. Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).
1. Divorce was a reality during Moses' times.
2. It was permitted under certain circumstances, and it was regulated (Kallard).
E. It is better not to marry.
1. In Matthew 5:31-32, the woman commits adultery by remarriage, and in Matthew 19:9, the man commits adultery by divorcing and remarrying (Mounce).
2. Jesus could have been suggesting one of two things. The actual teaching is not absolutely certain.
a) He may not have been opposed to people remaining single, but He may have recognized that being single was not for everyone.
b) He may have been referring to the strict teaching about divorce and remarrying and saying that many people cannot accept such a strict teaching.
3. Voluntary celibacy was uncommon in Jewish culture (Mounce).
II. Jesus Always had Time for Children
Study Questions 19.9 Through 19.19
|
Question 19.9 Why were children brought to Jesus?
|
|
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
|
A. Then little children were brought to Jesus.
1. A custom during Jesus' days was for parents to bring their children to rabbis and elders to have them blessed (Carson).
2. For one of them to place their hands on a child was the same as being blessed by God.
B. The disciples rebuked those who brought them.
1. The disciples may have been upset because the children had interrupted their conversation.
2. They may have been upset because they were about to leave for Jerusalem, and they did not want to be delayed.
3. But Jesus recognized the importance of caring for the children.
C. Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.
III. How can a Person get Eternal Life?
|
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
|
A. Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life (Exodus 20:12-16, Deuteronomy 5:16-20, and Leviticus 19:18)?
1. The man wanted to know what "thing he could do." He was not looking for a relationship with Christ.
2. The Mosaic Law was given as a schoolmaster to point people to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
|
Exodus 20:12-16 says, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Leviticus 19:18 says, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." |
3. Jesus did not deny being good but was actually claiming to be equal with God by identifying Him as the only One that is good (Mark 10:18). But the young man focused more on Jesus' mention of the commandments than on the One that is good.
B. What do I still lack?
1. The man had probably lived a good, law-abiding life.
2. But he was not happy, and he did not have peace. He realized that legalism is not enough (Mounce).
3. Selling his possessions and giving the money to the poor would not have saved him.
a) Obeying the Lord would NOT have saved him (Ephesians 2:8-9).
b) But by being obedient to the truth, the Lord would have opened his eyes to Jesus, and joy and peace would soon follow.
C. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
1. No one meets Jesus and walks away happy, unless he or she has received Him as Savior.
2. No one gets saved by accident.
3. The man's wealth would be an eternal curse to him.
4. This passage does not teach that there is virtue in poverty.
IV. No One Will Be Slighted in the End
Study Questions 19.20 Through 19.26
|
Question 19.20 What Babylonian proverb did Jesus use?
|
|
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
|
A. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
1. The rich man did not miss heaven because he was rich. He missed heaven because his self-sufficiency caused him to reject or dismiss his need of Christ.
2. He chose money over the Lord (Matthew 6:24).
3. People can have money and be saved, but salvation comes from receiving Christ as Savior.
4. Jesus shared a Babylonian proverb from the Talmud, but He substituted a camel for an elephant (Vincent). The camel was the largest animal in Palestine, and the eye of the needle was the smallest known opening (Mounce).
B. Who then can be saved?
1. The disciples did not understand Jesus' teaching on salvation.
2. During Old Testament times, people often equated wealth with God's favor (Mounce). That was wrong then, and it is wrong today.
C. With God all things are possible
1. Only God saves.
2. Through His power, a person can overcome the strong power of wealth and serve the Lord (Mounce).
D. You who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
1. Jesus spoke of the renewal of all things, and in the Greek language, that meant in the final restitution of all things (Vincent).
2. The disciples would not be forgotten or mistreated in the final resurrection.
3. People will have different positions in heaven, and to a great extent, their position will be based on what they have done in this life. The one thing that everyone can count on is the fairness of the Lord.
E. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
1. Many people of that time might have thought that the Pharisees and scribes had great favor with the Lord, and they may have exalted them in this life. Before the Lord, they would be as nothing.
2. Many people would look on those that seem to be abased and look down on them. But they may be the ones that have received Christ as Savior and quietly been faithful during their lives. Such people will be exalted when they stand before the Lord.
Chapter 20 – The Parable of the Vineyard and Preparing to Die (Matthew 20:1-34)
I. Another Parable about Heaven
Study Questions 20.1 Through 20.6
|
Question 20.1 How is the kingdom of heaven like a landowner?
|
|
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.
|
A. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.
1. Jesus compared God the Father and the Holy Spirit to the landowner. The Father owns the vineyard, but the Holy Spirit seeks those to come.
2. His invitation to work compares to our invitation to receive Christ as Savior and labor in God's vineyard, which is the world.
3. Matthew 19:30 and Matthew 20:16 form an inclusion or bookend and connect the two chapters (Mounce).
a) The bookend shows emphasis for what is discussed in-between.
b) The connection ties Matthew 19:27-30 with Matthew 20:1-16. Jesus was still answering Peter's question from Matthew 19:27.
c) The conjunction "for" (Greek gar) also shows continuity between the two passages (Mounce). Dr. Vincent said that the Greek word meant explaining and confirming.
B. I will pay you whatever is right.
1. In ancient times, the workday was from sunup to sundown (Mounce). According to the passage, that would have been from 6:00am until 6:00pm.
2. The landowner went out at 9:00am, 12:00am, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm to get workers.
3. He agreed to pay a fair wage. A denarius was worth about $0.17 and was considered to be a fair day's wage (Vincent).
C. The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.
1. The landowner paid each worker one denarius, and those that had worked more hours thought that they had been cheated.
2. Had they been cheated? Did they not agree to work the day for a denarius?
3. The landowner did exactly what He said He would do.
D. How is the kingdom of heaven like the landowner?
1. God the Father has the final say about heaven.
2. Those saved late in life get the same heaven that those saved early in life get, and Christians should be happy to see people get saved at any point in life.
|
10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
|
A. They expected to receive more.
1. People sometimes think that they deserve more credit or more attention for what they have done.
2. They often grumble when things do not go their way.
3. Jesus always taught that focusing on self is a poor motive.
B. They began to grumble against the landowner.
1. This parable is not trying to suggest that anyone will be unhappy in heaven.
2. The landowner treated them with kindness and respect.
3. He referred to them as friend (companion or comrade (Vincent)) even though they were complaining against him.
4. It shows that followers of Christ should be pleased just to be included in the kingdom of heaven.
C. Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.
1. The landowner could do what he wanted.
2. It was his land and his money.
D. So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
1. Things in heaven will not be according to what humans may think.
2. Peter had asked the question in Matthew 19:27, and Jesus emphasized God will do whatever He wants. Either way, however, whatever He does will be eternally fair since we are people that were once without hope.
III. Jesus Again Spoke of His Betrayal
Study Questions 20.7 Through 20.11
|
Question 20.7 Why was Jesus going to Jerusalem?
|
|
17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,
|
A. As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.
1. Jesus was making His trip to Jerusalem for His final Passover.
2. According to Luke 3:23, John 2:23, John 5:1, John 6:4, and John 12:1, Jesus began His ministry when thirty years old, and it spanned four Passovers.
|
Luke 3:23 says, "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli." John 2:23 says, "Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name." John 5:1 says, "Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews." John 6:4 says, "The Jewish Passover Feast was near." John 12:1 says, "Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead." |
B. The Son of Man will be betrayed.
1. Jesus was not taken by surprise.
2. He talked about His crucifixion as early as John 3:14.
3. He spoke to His disciples alone because they were probably the only ones even closely ready to hear His passion prediction (Carson).
C. On the third day he will be raised to life.
IV. Having the Heart of a Servant
Study Questions 20.12 Through 20.18
|
Question 20.12 Why was John and James' mother asking the wrong thing?
|
|
20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
|
A. Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus.
1. John's father, Zebedee, had had his own fishing business, and he had made himself affluent. He owned homes in Capernaum and Jerusalem.
2. John and James were the sons of Zebedee.
3. Their mother had a selfish reason for coming to Jesus.
B. Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.
C. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.
1. In God's economy, humility and motives are important.
2. To be great, one must become a servant and actually have a servant's attitude.
D. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
V. Leaving Jericho, still on the way to Jerusalem
|
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
|
A. Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us.
1. The two blind men came to Jesus with the right attitude.
2. They got what they wanted (Hebrews 11:6).
|
Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." |
B. We want our sight.
1. They received their physical sight.
2. They received their spiritual sight because they followed Him.
C. Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.
1. He always had compassion for those that came to Him in the right spirit.
2. Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Chapter 21 – The Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-46)
I. Following the Lord's Instructions to the Letter
Study Questions 21.1 Through 21.9
|
Question 21.1 When did Jesus make His triumphal entry?
|
|
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
|
A. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives.
1. Bethphage means "house of figs" (Vincent), and Jesus arrived there as He traveled to Jerusalem.
2. The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was about seventeen miles and climbed in elevation by three thousand feet. To get to Jerusalem, they had to pass over the Mount of Olives and through the Kidron Valley (Carson).
3. He went that way to avoid Samaria (Mounce).
B. Untie them and bring them to me.
1. He sent two disciples into the village and told them to bring back the donkey and her colt. He did not separate them even for His own purposes.
2. Matthew used the Greek words, o kurios, for "the Lord." "Kurios" alone meant master or one of authority. With the word "o" in front of it, the two words expressed Christ's divine nature and power. Matthew was writing "the" Lord as opposed to just Lord. He only used the expression (the Lord) twice (once before and once after the resurrection) while the other gospel writers and Luke in Acts used it much more often (Vincent).
3. When Jesus said that he would send them, He could have been saying one of two different things (Mounce).
a) The man would let the disciples take the donkey and colt.
b) The disciples could have been saying that Jesus would soon return them to their rightful owner.
C. Your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.
1. This incident was prophesied in Isaiah 62:11 and Zechariah 9:9.
|
Isaiah 62:11 says, "The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: 'Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'" Zechariah 9:9 says, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." |
2. By entering into Jerusalem on a colt, He was revealing Himself as the Messiah (Carson).
a) A ruler often rode a donkey during peaceful times. Aggressive rulers would have ridden in on a war-horse (Mounce).
b) His need for secrecy was being lifted, and his hour had come.
c) The tameness of the unbroken colt in the midst of the big, excited crowd would show the Lord's control over a natural situation.
D. The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
1. Discipleship means going.
2. Discipleship means doing.
3. Discipleship means being faithful to the Lord.
II. Jesus Entered Jerusalem
|
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
|
A. They brought the donkey and the colt. Jesus sat on the cloaks rather than on both of the animals (Carson).
B. Cloaks and Cut Branches on the Road
1. The very large crowd referred to the proportionate part of the crowd that followed Him. Matthew was indicating "the most part of the multitude (Vincent).
2. According to John 12:1-12, He stayed in Bethany for a few days before entering Jerusalem, so the people had time to find out that He was coming.
3. People followed Him from Bethany into Jerusalem, and they came from Jerusalem to meet Him (Carson).
C. Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!
1. A Hebrew expression meaning "Oh save!" (Vincent).
2. It became an exclamation of praise (Mounce). The people recognized His coming as a blessing even though they did not realize His real reason for coming (Psalm 118:26).
|
Psalm 118:26 says, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you." |
3. Hosanna may have been a messianic title (Mounce).
D. Who is this?
1. The question was really who is this that is causing such uproar.
2. The people knew Jesus and recognized Him as a prophet.
3. The whole city was stirred, as if by an earthquake (Vincent). His appearing had a very dramatic effect on those that were following Him.
III. Jesus Cleared the Temple Again
Study Questions 21.10 Through 21.16
|
Question 21.10 What did Jesus do when He got to Jerusalem?
|
|
12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
|
A. Jesus entered the temple area and drove out.
1. The Lord was not passive, nor was He always meek and mild.
2. This was probably the second time that He cleared the temple (see John 2:14-16). John recorded the early Judean ministry, but the other gospels did not (Carson).
3. Jesus always knew how to answer, and He always knew what to do. But the religious leaders hated Him.
B. The Gospel of Mark reported the sequence differently than Matthew (Mounce).
1. Matthew wrote about Jesus entering Jerusalem and clearing the temple of the moneychangers.
2. Mark wrote that Jesus went to the temple, looked around, went to Bethany with His disciples, and cleared the temple on the following day.
3. The differences are not significance because the order in which the events happened or were reported are not important. Matthew may have been focusing more on the climactic events rather than the mundane events of His daily travels.
C. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves.
1. The moneychangers converted the foreign coins of pilgrims to shekels that could be used to pay the annual temple tax (Vincent).
2. The Jewish problem was that foreign coins were usually stamped with pagan symbols, and they were not acceptable (Mounce).
3. Three reasons that Jesus was upset by the temple practice (Mounce).
a) The annual temple tax was a half-shekel, but the priests would usually charge foreigners more to make a profit.
b) They also overcharged on the animals that were to be sacrificed.
c) The temple had an inner sanctuary and an outer court. The Gentiles could only go as far as the outer court to worship, and that was where they were being exposed to the dishonest practices. Therefore, the temple was not a good place for them to worship God.
4. Had the practice been done honestly and without a profit motive, then Jesus probably would not have objected so harshly.
5. Thievery would have been very commonplace among the zealous moneychangers.
6. Their actions were making the temple into a nationalist stronghold rather than a place of prayer.
D. It is written.
1. Jesus satisfied the conditions of Matthew 7:1-2.
2. The symbolism of His action is that the purification of Jerusalem and the temple was further indication of Jesus' true identity as messiah (Carson).
3. His actions were part of His objective of self-disclosure. He was no longer hiding His identity.
E. You are making it a den of robbers (Isaiah 56:6-7 and Jeremiah 7:9-11).
|
Isaiah 56:6-7 says, "And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant -- these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Jeremiah 7:9-11 says, "Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe" -- safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD." |
IV. More Conflict with the Pharisees
Study Questions 21.17 Through 21.23
|
Question 21.17 Why were the chief priests and teachers so upset with Jesus?
|
|
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
|
A. The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
1. Jesus purified the temple, and He healed those that would have normally been rejected.
2. Oral law (Mounce) did not allow the lame, blind, deaf, or mute people to offer their sacrifices in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Jesus healed them to show that One greater than the temple was here (Carson).
B. The chief priests and scribes were indignant.
1. They were upset because of the praise that He was getting and "receiving" (Carson).
2. Jesus' willingness to receive worship confirms for present-day people His claims of deity.
C. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?
1. The Greek word for ordained means "to furnish completely" or "to equip" (Vincent).
|
Psalm 8:2 says, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." |
2. Jesus' response provided a biblical basis for the kids to do what they were doing. Psalm 8 is not a messianic psalm, but it is a psalm that refers to God, again showing His claims (Carson).
D. Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany
1. He had passed through Bethany before coming to Jerusalem.
2. He was returning to get away from the crowds that had come to Jerusalem for the Passover (Carson).
V. Jesus Had Power Over a Fig Tree
|
18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.
|
A. Jesus was hungry. The Kenosis (based on Philippians 2:5-7) - He voluntarily gave up the free use of His comparative attributes (omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence) while He was in a human body.
|
Philippians 2:5-7 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." |
B. May you never bear fruit again! Immediately the tree withered!
1. Historical-Cultural Analysis - The fig tree had leaves that suggested that it would also have green figs, but it had none. Jesus was upset because the tree promised fruit, even though it was not yet the season for it to have ripe figs, but it promised falsely. His feelings toward that particular fig tree matched His feelings about the religious leaders (Pharisees) and also Israel (Dr. Henry A. Virkler, Carson).
2. This was the only condemning (Mounce) work of Jesus' ministry, and the tree was not even supposed to have ripe figs yet. The leaves were premature, so they gave a false signal (Virkler).
C. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. "Jesus used the fig tree to teach the power of believing prayer" (Carson).
VI. More Conflicts with the Chief Priests and Elders
Study Questions 21.24 Through 21.30
|
Question 21.24 How did the chief priests and elders next attack Jesus?
|
|
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"
|
A. By what authority are you doing these things?
1. The things that Jesus was doing were riding in on a colt, clearing the temple (Mounce), and healing the sick (blind and lame).
2. The chief priests and elders were supposed to challenge anyone that tried to speak for God, but Jesus challenged their ability to do so (Carson). They represented the Sanhedrin (Mounce).
2. He used a common rabbinical discussion technique of answering a question with a question (Carson).
B. Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question."
1. He put the leaders on the spot with His question.
2. If they said that John the Baptist was from God, then he had borne witness to Jesus and they should have obeyed Him.
3. If they said that he was from man, then they could have been in trouble with the people.
C. Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
1. They could not tell Him an answer, and that shows that they understood the truth.
2. Therefore, He would not answer their question.
3. Once again, He got the upper hand in His ongoing debate with the Jewish leaders.
VII. A Parable about Repentance and Wrongdoing
Study Questions 21.31 Through 21.40
|
Question 21.31 Why did Jesus always teach through parables?
|
|
28 "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
|
A. This was the first of three parables aimed at the Jewish religious leaders.
B. Son, go and work today in the vineyard.
1. "I will not," he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
2. He answered, "I will, sir," but he did not go.
3. When the first son changed his mind, the Greek word for changed carried the full meaning of the Greek word for repented (Vincent).
4. The first son was probably older (Carson).
C. Which of the two did what his father wanted?
1. Jesus was saying that the Jewish leaders resembled the younger son that said he would go but did not. As a result, they would not enter into the kingdom.
2. He was saying that the rejected scum of society (tax collectors and prostitutes) resembled the older son and that they repented and went. As a result, they would enter into the kingdom.
3. "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you."
D. They did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.
VIII. The Parable of the Landowner and His Vineyard
|
33 "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.
|
A. The second parable talked about a Landowner (God) who planted a vineyard (Israel).
B. The tenants (the Jewish religious leaders) seized his servants (the prophets); they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
C. So they took His Son and threw Him out of the vineyard and killed Him.
1. Jesus was telling how the Jewish authorities and religious leaders would treat Him.
2. In Jesus' parable, He declared that the tenants knew that the son was the son. That may or not been true of the religious leaders, but they were just as guilty (Carson).
D. Have you never read in the Scriptures? Jesus will hold each person accountable for his or her attitude towards and devotion about His Word.
|
Psalm 118:22-23 says, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes." |
1. The third parable indicated that the religious leaders had rejected Jesus.
2. Compare the crushing in Matthew 21:44 to Genesis 3:15.
3. The conclusion is that the kingdom would be taken from Israel and given to the Gentiles (Mounce).
Chapter 22 – A Parable, Paying Taxes, and Kingdom Truths (Matthew 22:1-46)
I. The Parable About the Wedding Feast
Study Questions 22.1 Through 22.11
|
Question 22.1 How is the kingdom of heaven like a wedding banquet?
|
|
1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
|
A. Dr. Packer pointed out that Jesus will be God's agent in judgment (page 144).
B. This parable differs greatly from Luke 14:16-27, but the differences may be attributable to the oral tradition (Mounce).
1. The Matthew account indicates multiple servants were sent.
2. The Matthew account indicates that two different sets of multiple servants were sent consecutively.
3. In the Matthew account, the second set of servants were killed, and the king destroyed the city and killed the killers.
4. The Matthew account says that good and bad came. The Luke account says that the poor, crippled, blind, and lame came.
5. The Luke account indicated that the banquet still was not full, so the servant made others come in.
6. In the Matthew account, the king was upset with someone that had underdressed.
C. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
1. The wedding banquet was a marriage feast, not a marriage ceremony (Vincent).
2. He sent his servants to those who had been invited, but they refused to come.
a) Oriental custom was to send servants to accompany those that had been invited. The meal was a luncheon rather than a dinner (Vincent).
b) Like many of His parables, this one was also directed at the Pharisees. They should have been leading the procession to Jesus, but they were instead making themselves His number one critic.
c) Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
d) Romans 10:11-13 says, "As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
e) The invitation has been issued, but many people turned away (see Luke 18:18-23). The rich ruler did not miss out because he was rich. He missed out because he walked away.
3. Then he sent some more servants, and they were murdered.
4. Jesus came, He lived, and He died. And many people still refuse to come.
D. The king was enraged.
1. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
2. God will someday bring judgment and doom on the world. Many people claim that His judgment will not be fair, but it will be completely fair because people have had a choice. It would only be unfair if they did not have a choice.
E. Those I invited did not deserve to come.
1. People exalt religious leaders, but God looks on the heart.
2. Many of those that will be on God's list would not have been on most people's list.
F. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.
1. This part of Jesus' parable speaks to the church and the Great Commission.
2. Christians should go, and they should be a positive influence for Christ before those that may not hear otherwise.
G. When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
1. Intruders will not get into heaven.
2. The correct wedding clothes are the blood of Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27).
|
Galatians 3:26-27 says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." |
3. The man was speechless as though he had been muzzled. He could not utter a word.
4. Dr. Vincent indicated that the Greek suggests that the man knew that he was coming in an unacceptable and disrespectful state. Dr. Carson agreed. The Greek language expressed an absolute denial with the word "me."
5. The last four verses of this parable may not have applied specifically to this parable. Matthew had a tendency to group topics rather than write contiguously (Mounce).
II. Jesus' Instruction about Paying Taxes
Study Questions 22.12 Through 22.20
|
Question 22.12 Why did the Pharisees try to trap Jesus?
|
|
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.
|
A. The Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.
1. The Herodians were probably "Jewish supporters of Herod Antipas and favored collaboration with their Roman overlords" (Mounce, Carson).
2. They were committed to their opposition to Jesus.
3. They wanted to trip Him up.
B. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
1. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.
2. Jesus always knew how to answer. He did not hesitate calling them hypocrites.
3. The taxes were paid in Roman money, not Jewish money (Vincent).
a) The coins of the early Herods did not have images on them because of the Jewish opposition to such a practice. The Jews were strictly monotheistic (Mounce).
b) However, the coin shown to Jesus could have been minted in Rome, or it could have been from the tetrarch Philip since he was the first to put Caesar's image on coins.
4. Jesus was not trying to break life up into secular and spiritual aspects. People have an obligation to the government, but they have an even greater obligation to God (Mounce).
5. Jesus' answer was consistent with the biblical teaching that God gives those in authority their position (Romans 13:1).
6. Dr. Virkler pointed out that people should submit to a government whenever the following five characteristics are satisfied. These characteristics are based on Romans 13:3-4.
a) The rulers do not hold any terror for those that do right (Romans 13:3a).
b) The rulers do hold terror for those that do wrong (Romans 13:3b).
c) The rulers commend those that do right (Romans 13:3c).
d) The rulers are God's servants to do good to believers (Romans 13:4a).
e) The rulers are God's servants to bring punishment to those that do wrong (Romans 13:4b).
C. When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
III. Jesus Teaching about Marriage after the Resurrection
Study Questions 22.21 Through 22.30
|
Question 22.21 Why did the Sadducees ask that specific question?
|
|
23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
|
A. That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
1. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, but they were asking a question about the resurrection.
2. They were obviously trying to trap Him.
3. They were also trying to show the absurdity of the Pharisee's beliefs about the resurrection (Acts 23:7-8). They were trying to force Jesus to take one side over the other.
|
Acts 23:7-8 says, "When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)" |
B. Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
1. The Sadducees were trying to argue that God would never demand such a foolish practice. Therefore, the resurrection must be invalid (Mounce).
2. They were also trying to deny angels, and that shows why Jesus answered as He did.
3. As always, He always knew how to answer His critics.
C. You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
1. He specifically indicated that people will be like the angels in heaven and that they will not marry or be given in marriage. That showed that they were wrong to not believe in angels.
2. He also emphasized that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob belonged to the eternal God, not that they just worshipped Him. The "I am" was a specific reference to God's conversation with Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:6) (Mounce).
|
Exodus 3:6 says, "Then he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God." |
D. When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
IV. The Two Greatest Commandments
|
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.
|
A. Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?
1. The Pharisees were still trying to trip Jesus.
2. The scribes said that there were 248 affirmative precepts and 365 negative precepts (Vincent).
a) They categorized some as being more important (light versus heavy) than others.
b) They were asking Jesus to identify the principle or principles that helped one determine which commandments were the most important.
3. The issue of the greatest commandment was regularly discussed among the rabbis (Mounce, Carson).
4. Because Luke 10:25-28 has a similar passage but a different setting, Dr. Carson concluded that Jesus was probably asked this question on a variety of occasions. He might have had a stock answer to give them.
5. The person asking the question ("nomikos") was an expert in the Old Testament Mosaic Law.
B. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Deuteronomy 6:5).
1. This was the opening verse of the Shema, which was the fundamental creed of Judaism (Mounce).
2. God requires a love that encompasses the whole person - the heart, the soul, and the mind (Carson).
C. Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).
1. The Old Testament taught that one's neighbor was another Israelite or a resident alien (Carson).
2. Luke 10:29-37, in talking about the Good Samaritan, expanded one's neighbor to be anyone that has a need.
3. Jesus told them that being selfless was important. Love God first and others second.
|
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Leviticus 19:18 says, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." |
D. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Carson).
1. His second commandment is not possible if one rejects the first commandment. "Love in the truest sense demands abandonment of self to God."
2. Jesus was probably not saying that all of the other commandments could be derived from those two or that they should be the only commandments that one obeys.
3. He was emphasizing love over law. He was probably saying that keeping all of the other laws were of no value unless one had the proper love for God and others.
V. Whose Son is and was Jesus?
Study Questions 22.31 Through 22.37
|
Question 22.31 Why did Jesus ask the Pharisees His question?
|
|
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
|
A. What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?
1. The Jewish leaders had challenged Jesus three times on that occasion, so He turned the tables and challenged them.
2. Their answer showed the Messiah as not being eternal. If He had been the Son of David, then He would have been born according to David's descendants.
3. The Pharisees were expecting the Messiah to be a military leader that would restore the nation of Israel (Mounce).
B. How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'?
1. They gave the wrong answer.
2. He was not just supposed to be David's earthly successor (Mounce).
C. If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?
1. Jesus showed His eternality by His answer.
2. In the Spirit, David had referred to Him as Lord.
3. Jesus was showing two conflicting texts to both be true (Psalm 110:1).
a) He was physically born of the house of David.
b) He was also David's Lord. Jesus was and is the Son of God and the second Person of the Trinity.
|
Psalm 110:1 says, "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'" |
c) Many Jews thought that Psalm 110 was messianic.
D. No one could say a word in reply.
1. His opposition could not respond to His answers or questions.
2. They did not go away. They went underground, and they would continue to conspire to get Him out of the picture.
Chapter 23 – Seven Woes (Matthew 23:1-39)
I. Do Not Copy the Works of the Pharisees
Study Questions 23.1 Through 23.7
|
Question 23.1 How many discourses did Matthew record?
|
|
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
|
A. His fifth major discourse: The Olivet Discourse (Carson).
1. Discourse 1 - The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 7:29).
2. Discourse 2 - Mission and Martyrdom (Matthew 10:5 through Matthew 11:1).
3. Discourse 3 - The Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:1-53).
4. Discourse 4 - Life Under Kingdom Authority (Matthew 18:1 through Matthew 19:2).
5. Discourse 5 - The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23:1 through Matthew 26:1)
a) Dr. Carson thinks that the final discourse consisted only of Matthew, chapters 24 and 25.
b) He notes that the audiences were different in Matthew, chapter 23 and that the themes were different.
c) In Matthew, chapter 23, he believes that Jesus was making His concluding remarks with respect to His previous confrontation with the Pharisees, and that seems to best fit the material.
d) Dr. Mounce includes Matthew, chapter 23 and calls the final discourse "Eschatological Judgment."
B. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
1. By sitting in Moses' seat, they were supposed to be the authorized interpreters (Mounce).
2. Many of the Pharisees were also thought of as teachers of the Law.
3. They were dedicated to keeping the minute regulations of the Law, both written and oral.
4. They were hypocrites.
a) The Greek word for hypocrite means "to separate gradually" and "to expound or interpret," as on a stage, what has been elicited (Vincent).
b) It meant to play a part. They liked to be seen.
c) A hypocrite is an actor that pretends to be someone that he or she is not (Vincent).
C. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
1. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders.
a) They established ridiculously strict rules, but they would not help others that had difficulty with the rules. Their rules were not good, and they compounded their hypocrisy by not having a helping spirit (Carson).
b) By, contrast, Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).
2. Everything they do is done for men to see.
a) Phylacteries were small leather boxes that contained portions of Scripture (Carson).
b) They wore them on their forehead and on their left upper arm facing their heart.
c) The expression was meant to be figurative, but they took them literally (see Exodus 13:9, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, and Deuteronomy 11:18).
|
Exodus 13:9 says, "This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand." Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 11:18 says, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." |
d) Literally wearing the small leather boxes indicated that they wanted to be seen as very religious and pious.
3. They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues (compare Matthew 20:20-28 and Luke 14:7-11).
4. They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.
II. Whoever Humbles Himself or Herself Will Be Exalted
Study Questions 23.8 Through 23.15
|
Question 23.8 What did Jesus teach about ecclesiastical hierarchies?
|
|
8 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
|
A. You have only one Master.
1. Jesus was probably only speaking to His disciples at this point (Mounce).
2. He emphasized that the disciples were of equal rank and that they were to be like brothers.
3. He was speaking against ecclesiastical hierarchies (Mounce) and expressing humility (Carson).
B. You have one Father, and He is in heaven.
C. You have one Teacher, and that was and is He.
D. The greatest among you will be your servant.
1. Jesus told this to the mother of John and James in Matthew 20:20-28.
2. The superior one in the crowd is the one that serves the others.
3. However, the scribes and Pharisees tried to draw attention to themselves.
III. The First Three Woes Against the Pharisees
|
13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
|
A. A woe can be compassionate or condemning. In His seven woes, though, Jesus expressed strong condemnation against the hypocritical Pharisees (Carson). These woes are expressions of sorrow and warnings of punishment (Mounce).
B. The better manuscripts to do not contain Matthew 23:14, which says, "You, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will be punished more severely." The KJV has the verse, but the NIV does not.
C. You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces.
1. They professed to be religious leaders.
2. But they imposed such strict standards that no one could enter the kingdom.
3. Their standards were wrong and hypocritical, but the common person in the synagogue would have trusted them.
4. The convert and average Jew would be drawn to the Pharisee's religious traditions rather than to their Messiah (Carson).
5. They emphasized the Law, so we are blessed to have Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, and many other New Testament passages that point us to Christ.
D. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
E. Woe to you, blind guides.
1. If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.
2. If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.
3. They were manipulating oaths.
a) They would not use the name God, but they would swear by things that were related to God (Mounce).
b) What they were doing did not make sense.
c) The temple made the gold sacred, and the altar made the gift sacred.
|
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 says, "When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it." |
d) Vows should be taken seriously (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5), but they were making them into ridiculous traditions of men.
F. He who swears
1. He who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
2. He who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
3. He who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
IV. The Final Four Woes Against the Pharisees
Study Questions 23.16 Through 23.28
|
Question 23.16 What did Jesus mean by the fourth woe?
|
|
23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
|
A. You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law -- justice, mercy and faithfulness.
1. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
2. You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
a) The better translation is to "strain out" not "strain at" (Vincent). The KJV uses "strain at," but the NIV says, "strain out."
b) The context is that a certain type of insect, which Aristotle called a gnat, lived in wine. One would put a type of cloth over the container's opening so that he or she would drink the wine but not the insects that were in the wine. The insects were literally being strained out of the wine (Vincent, Mounce).
c) Jesus used the word "camel" as a hyperbole or exaggeration. The Pharisees tried so hard to keep every minute part of the Law that they ignored the more important issues - justice, mercy and faithfulness.
B. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
1. They made themselves look good outwardly.
2. But inwardly, they were hypocritical, blind, and wrong.
3. They were obsessed with external religion rather than the inner person (Carson).
4. In Matthew 12:30-37, Jesus said that bad language comes from a bad heart and that every idle word will be brought into judgment.
C. You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
1. The scribes and Pharisees looked good on the outside, but they were unclean on the inside.
2. This illustration of whitewashed tombs, according to some theologians, might have applied to a tradition of Jesus' day (Mounce, Vincent).
a) A dead person found in a field was to be buried where he or she died (Vincent).
b) People going to Jerusalem for Passover were not allowed to come into contact with a dead body.
c) They would not be allowed to participate in the Passover ceremony because they would be considered ceremonially unclean. They were obsessed with avoiding defilement from corpses (Carson).
d) The tombs were whitewashed so that the people would know to stay away from them.
3. Dr. Mounce also pointed out that ornamental plastering was often put on the tombs of dead people to make them appear ornamental and beautiful. Like the scribes and Pharisees, they were beautiful on the outside but dead bones on the inside.
4. Jesus pointed out their faults, but He did not say that they were intentionally that way (Carson). From that point of view, the woes could have been seen as a warning rather than a total condemnation.
D. You say, "If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets."
1. You testify against yourselves.
2. Jesus said that they had associated themselves with those that had killed the prophets (Mounce).
3. By admitting to such a relationship was to also admit to their guilt (Mounce).
V. Many Prophets Were Killed by the Self-righteous
|
33 "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
|
A. How will you escape being condemned to hell?
1. They were guilty.
2. They could not escape condemnation.
3. But Jesus had compassion because He sent help, which they promptly rejected.
B. I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers.
1. They refused to hear their messages.
2. They stoned them or killed them in other ways.
C. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
D. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you.
1. They rejected Jesus, so their house was left forsaken and desolate (Mounce).
2. Jesus was suggesting that the innocent blood of the prophets were calling out for revenge. That idea was suggested in Genesis 4:10, Isaiah 26:21, and Revelation 6:10 (Mounce).
3. Jesus was addressing the people in this final statement because the people had not forsaken their leaders despite His warnings (Carson).
|
Psalm 118:26-29 says, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." |
Chapter 24 – The End of the Age (Matthew 24:1-51)
I. The Destruction of the Temple and the End of the "Current" Age
Study Questions 24.1 Through 24.10
|
Question 24.1 Why did Jesus start talking about the coming destruction?
|
|
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
|
A. The first two statements of this chapter tie closely to the desolation that Jesus talked about at the end of the last chapter (Mounce).
B. I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.
1. Jesus was walking from the whole temple complex rather than just from the sanctuary (Vincent).
2. The disciples were drawn to the majesty of the whole temple, but Jesus spoke about every stone being thrown down.
a) Herod had rebuilt the Zerubbabel temple, which had been rebuilt after the Babylonian exile.
b) He began around 20BC and concluded shortly before 70AD.
c) The Emperor Titus destroyed the temple in 70AD.i
d) Jesus was prophesying the destruction of the temple in this discussion with His disciples (Mounce).
3. They asked Him two questions, and Matthew seems to have moved back and forth between the two (Mounce).
C. When will this happen? They wanted to know when the stones of the temple would be thrown down because that would be the destruction of Jerusalem.
D. What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the "current" or "existing" (Vincent) Age?
1. They asked about when the end of the current Age would come.
2. They were not asking about the end of time, which is when eternity will begin.
3. They also wanted to know when the time of the Second Coming.
E. Apocalyptic literature (genre) is not tied to the same orderliness and continuity (Mounce) of thought as other forms of literature, such as narrative.
II. A Time of Great Deception
|
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.
|
A. Watch out that no one deceives you.
1. Jesus was telling them to not be deceived or to not be "led astray" by pretenders (Vincent).
2. Those coming in His name or "on my name" would be resting their claims on the name Messiah (Vincent). They would be pretending to be the Messiah (Mounce).
3. The disciples were probably surprised that Jesus spoke about the destruction of the temple (Mounce).
4. The Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to those that ask (John 15:26 and John 16:13).
|
John 15:26 says, "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." John 16:13 says, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." |
B. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
C. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death.
1. Persecution has always been a part of Christianity.
a) The prophets were killed.
b) The early church was persecuted and many people martyred.
c) People in some countries today are persecuted because of their faith in Christ.
d) People will be persecuted during the Great Tribulation if they try to turn to the Lord. During those days, it will be get saved and die.
2. People will turn on one another and also be deceived by the false Messiahs.
D. The love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
1. The love of most would read better as the "love of the most" which means that the love of the majority of all people or the greater body will grow cold (Vincent).
2. Those that turn away are those that were deceived by the false Messiahs (Carson).
a) God will be with His people through persecution (Matthew 28:20).
b) Those not in Him will not be able to stand through the persecution.
E. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world.
1. The gospel will be preached even with the persecution.
2. The early church flourished amid immense persecution.
III. What the Great Tribulation will be Like
Study Questions 24.11 Through 24.19
|
Question 24.11 Which question does the below passage talk about?
|
|
15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand--
|
A. It was spoken of through the prophet Daniel.
1. Matthew 24:15-35 answered the disciples' questions concerning the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple (Mounce).
2. The abomination of desolation is anything that causes estrangement from God. The reference could be to the Roman soldiers under Titus that entered the temple with their standards and ensigns (Vincent).
|
Daniel 9:27 says, "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." Daniel 11:31 says, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." Daniel 12:11 says, "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days." |
3. Dr. Carson said the reference was to the pagan altar to Zeus that Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ruler of the Seleucid Empire) had erected in the temple court..
a) He tried to defame Judaism.
b) He sacrificed swine and other unclean animals in the temple.
4. The abomination of desolation was mentioned in Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11.
B. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again.
1. There will be "savagery, slaughter, disease, and famine" and unprecedented suffering (Carson).
2. Jesus said that that difficult time would never be equaled again.
3. Josephus wrote that the siege and collapse of Jerusalem was a time of enormous suffering (Mounce).
4. The Great Tribulation will also be a time of enormous suffering.
C. For the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
1. Those days may refer to the entire period that is covered by both questions (Carson).
2. That expression would have suggested that God is in control of the events of history and that He would make choices according to what is best (Mounce).
3. The expression could mean a shortened time period, or it could mean shorter amounts of daylight. During the Great Tribulation, some of the destructive acts could affect the atmosphere.
IV. Many False Messiahs will Appear
|
23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
|
A. Do Not Believe Everything that you Hear.
1. Dr. Carson wrote, "Christian faith involves the sober responsibility of neither believing lies nor trusting imposters."
2. Those that can do miraculous works should not be able to deceive Christians. The Egyptian magicians were able to match the early plagues of Moses (Mounce).
3. Why would anyone try to fool Christians?
a) To have power over them (Reverend Moon, Jim Jones, and many, many others).
b) The devil taunts God when a saint follows false, deceptive teaching.
4. Why would Christians let themselves be fooled by others.
a) Christians are often naïve and gullible.
b) Christians sometimes are swayed by the spectacular, but they should worship the Worker, not the work.
5. The object of our worship should be Christ and Christ alone.
6. God will let a person, even a Christian, believe a lie if he or she has a heart to believe it.
a) Christians are torn about speaking in tongues.
b) Christians are torn about the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
c) Christians are torn about the role of women in the church.
d) Christians are torn about tithing.
7. The object of our worship should be Christ and Christ alone.
B. False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles.
1. As long as Christians are naive and gullible and as long as they are caught up in the spectacular, phonies will try to rise up and control them.
2. "Great signs and miracles" is not classifying the works. The Greek indicates how different people will perceive them (Vincent).
a) One person might call the work a mighty work.
b) Another may say that it was a glorious work.
c) Some people will be drawn to how the work appeals to the spectator while others to the one performing the work.
C. So will be the coming of the Son of Man.
1. Jesus' Second Coming will not be mysterious, and people will not have to wonder.
a) His Second Coming is not the Rapture.
b) In I Corinthians 15:51-53 and I Thessalonians 4:16-17, Jesus will come to the clouds and call Christians up to Him. Premillennialists think that that will begin the seven-year Great Tribulation.
c) In Revelation 19:11-16, Jesus is coming to earth to overthrow the Antichrist and to set up His millennial kingdom.
1) Premillennialists think that it will be a literal event.
2) Amillennial believers think that the Lord's earthly kingdom will only be figurative or symbolic.
d) People are not lost or saved based upon their views of the Millennium. They are lost or saved based upon what they believe about Jesus.
2. Just like the lightning that lights up the dark sky, He will come in such a way that there will not be any doubt.
V. They Will be Days of Much Trouble
Study Questions 24.20 Through 24.27
|
Question 24.20 Where will Christians be during the Second Coming?
|
|
29 "Immediately after the distress of those days" 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
|
A. Immediately after the distress of those days, many things will happen (Isaiah 13:10 and Isaiah 34:4).
|
Isaiah 13:10 says, "The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light." Isaiah 34:4 says, "All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree." |
B. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
1. In mourning, they will beat their chests in anguish (Vincent) because they will have followed the Antichrist (see Zechariah 12:10-11).
|
Zechariah 12:10-11 says, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo." |
2. Christians will not be on the earth at the Second Coming because they were taken out during the Rapture, which occurred seven years earlier. Christians will not be mourning.
3. Those that get saved during the Great Tribulation will forfeit their lives, so they will not be a part of those seeing Jesus coming with power and great glory.
a) Some will die because they will not worship the Antichrist (Revelation 13:15).
b) Some will die because of the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17)
C. When you see all these things, you know that it is near.
D. This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
1. Matthew seems to have been switching back and forth between the two questions about the destruction of Jerusalem and about the end of the "current" Age (Mounce).
2. Many early Christians expected Jesus to return for them soon.
a) The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica because some Christians were waiting for Jesus to come back rather than working (see II Thessalonians 3:7-12).
b) Some people thought that the early persecution was a fulfillment of the Book of Revelation.
1) The current-day church looks forward to the time of the Antichrist, but they thought that he was the Roman emperor.
2) How we know that they were wrong: In hindsight, Christians can examine early church history and discover that earthly, satanic forces were opposing the church. By contrast, in the Book of Revelation, the Antichrist will be opposing Israel and those that follow the Lord.
E. My words will never pass away.
1. If Jesus said it, then it will happen even if we do not fully understand what "it" means.
2. If the Bible says it, then it will happen even if we do not fully understand what "it" means.
3. Fundamentalists believe that the Bible is plenary and verbally inspired.
a) Verbally means every word, and Jesus even narrowed it down to every jot and tittle.
b) Plenary means fully inspired. Every word of the Bible may not be equally inspiring (the genealogies), but every word is equally inspired.
VI. Jesus and His Omniscience
Study Questions 24.28 Through 24.36
|
Question 24.28 Why did Jesus not know the exact hour of His return?
|
|
36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
|
A. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
1. Matthew 24:36-51 answers the disciples' second question about the end of the "current" Age (Mounce).
2. Portions of Matthew 24:15-35 seemed to discuss end-time events, too.
3. The kenosis, based on Philippians 2:7 ("made himself nothing"), means that Jesus voluntarily gave up the free use of his comparative attributes (omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience).
a) He allowed Himself to be limited to a physical body.
b) He let Himself experience fatigue, hunger, and other human feelings.
c) He let Himself be ignorant of certain things.
1) In Mark 5:25-34, He did not know who touched Him.
2) In this passage, He did not know exactly when the end would come.
d) The Book of Revelation was written to tell Christians about the end times. Apparently, after His Ascension, He learned about the end, so He came back to the Apostle John in a vision to tell him.
B. So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
C. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
1. We should guard our lives and stay pure in a dirty world.
2. We should share the gospel with others so that they can be saved.
D. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
VII. The Faithful and Wise Servant
|
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?
|
A. It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
1. A servant is someone that has been entrusted with a task that leads to ministering to others (Matthew 20:20-28).
a) Ministers are servants.
b) Sunday school teachers are servants.
c) The choir leader and choir members are servants.
d) Deacons are servants.
2. The Lord is honored and pleased when we are faithful.
B. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. The wicked servant lacks faithfulness and wisdom.
2. The wicked servant mistreats fellow servants.
3. The wicked servant hangs with the rowdy bunch.
4. The wicked servant is listed with the hypocrites, and they were considered the vilest characters in Scriptures.
5. Dr. Carson indicated that being cut off and listed among the hypocrites might mean excommunication.
6. Dr. Mounce indicated that the punishment could be premature physical death, which compares to John 15:6.
7. This expression cannot mean that the servant dies lost because that would contradict Ephesians 2:8-9.
|
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." |
Chapter 25 – Two More Parables and the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:1-46)
I. The Parable of the Bridegroom and the Ten Virgins
Study Questions 25.1 Through 25.5
|
Question 25.1 How will the kingdom of heaven be like ten virgins?
|
|
1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
|
A. The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
1. This parable about the unprepared virgins is similar to the parable at the end of the previous chapter about the wise and unwise servants when the master is away. Both will be excluded from the marriage feast (Mounce).
2. This chapter ends the fifth discourse, and its ending is similar to the first one.
a) The first discourse ended with the man that built his home on the sand.
b) The fifth discourse ends with the separation of the goats and the sheep. The entire chapter deals with those that are unprepared.
3. Jesus talked a lot about heaven and hell, and He always emphasized being prepared.
4. The parable of the ten virgins talked about those virgins that were prepared with oil for their lamps and those that were not.
5. Their lamps were like torches. They probably had a short wooden stem with a small dish on the top and a piece of cloth that had been dipped in oil or pitch (Vincent).
B. At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
1. The time had come, and there would be no more waiting, sleeping, or silence (Vincent).
2. The virgins were being called to a formal feast or ceremony.
a) Without oil the unprepared virgins would not be able to attend.
b) Because each of the prepared virgins had just enough oil, they could not share what they had with those that did not have. There would not have been enough for oil for anyone.
c) All people have to make sure that they are prepared. No one can do it for them.
d) The five virgins that were called wise were the ones that were prepared (Carson).
C. But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
1. This phase was from a rabbinic teaching method that prevented certain disciples from approaching (Mounce).
2. When the door is shut, it is too late to get in.
3. When the Lord ends His earthly program, it will be too late to enter heaven.
D. Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
II. The Parable of the Talents
Study Questions 25.6 Through 25.13
|
Question 25.6 How much was a talent worth, and who got how many?
|
|
14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
|
A. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.
1. A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars (Mounce).
2. The parable about the wise and unwise servant and the wise and unwise virgins emphasized being prepared.
3. This parable goes further by showing a need to be prepared, to be faithful with one's talents, and to actually show an increase over time (Carson).
B. The men who had received the five and two talents, respectively, went at once and put their money to work and gained five and two talents more.
1. People should use their talents, time, and treasure for the Lord.
2. Some people have more than others, but every person will be held accountable based upon what they have been given.
C. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
1. The man with one talent was both wicked and lazy.
2. The number of talents that he was given did not affect what he did with them.
3. People can be wicked and lazy regardless of the number of talents that they are given.
4. In John 15:1-8, Jesus taught His disciples that He is the Vine and that Christians should bear much fruit.
5. The wicked, lazy servant did not bear any fruit.
|
John 15:1-8 says, "'I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." |
6. John 15:6 is probably teaching premature death, not lost salvation.
III. Use Your Talents for the Lord
|
19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
|
A. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
1. The Lord will return someday, and each person will give an account.
2. Just do your best and let the Lord take care of the rest.
B. Well done, good and faithful servant.
1. Every Christian should want to hear those words.
2. The good and faithful servant was not wicked or lazy, but he was profitable.
C. Burying property for safety was an acceptable practice according to rabbinic law (Mounce).
D. I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.
1. I John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
2. His first problem was that he did not love his Lord.
a) He may not have thought that he would be held accountable.
b) He may have thought that he would have plenty of time.
c) His problem was a heart problem more than anything else.
E. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
F. Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1. The wicked, lazy servant was cast into darkness with the other unprepared servants.
2. The servant made a bad assumption in Matthew 25:26 when he implied that his master was a hard master. The Greek emphasized that the master challenged him on that matter (Vincent).
3. The servant could have invested the money as easily as he dug a hole and buried it.
4. The spiritual principle is that when spiritual gifts are not used, they are withdrawn. Conversely, when they are used, then opportunities increase (Mounce).
5. Being cast out might have meant premature death, but it would not have meant losing his salvation because that would have been inconsistent with the rest of Scriptures?
IV. Being Faithful to Serve
Study Questions 25.14 Through 25.21
|
Question 25.14 What role will Jesus play when He comes in glory?
|
|
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
|
A. He will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
1. Jesus is shown as the King.
2. He will sit on His throne and receive heavenly glory.
3. All the nations of the world (the human race) will be gathered before Him as individuals (Vincent).
B. He will separate the people one from another.
1. Judgment will not be a gray issue (Mounce).
2. Either a person will be in, or he or she will be out. They were only separated into two groups (goats and sheep).
3. Goats were considered to be worthless animals (Vincent).
4. This parable compares to the separation of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30).
5. The separation will not be a trial to determine guilt or innocence. It will be a passing of the sentence because the outcome has already been determined (Mounce).
C. Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
1. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.
2. The kingdom has been prepared since the creation of the world.
D. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
1. No work is insignificant if it is done for the Lord.
2. The emphasis on "brothers of mine" could have meant humankind, or it could have been restricted to people of the Christian Faith (Mounce).
a) Christians should help other Christians because they are brothers and sisters.
b) However, Christians should help those outside the Faith as they are able because it is a good testimony and witness (compare James 2:15-17).
V. Judgment for the Sheep and the Goats
|
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
|
A. Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
1. The eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels.
2. It was not prepared for humans, but those that reject Christ will go there because they will not be prepared.
B. Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.
1. Like with the parable of the talents, those that profess Christ should bear spiritual fruit.
2. They have been judged for their wickedness.
C. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Chapter 26 – The Plot Against Jesus (Matthew 26:1-75)
I. Preparation for His Burial
Study Questions 26.1 Through 26.3
|
Question 26.1 How does Jesus demonstrate His omniscience?
|
|
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,
|
A. The Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.
1. Jesus was speaking of the future, but the Greek wording suggested that it was as certain to happen as if it had already happened (Vincent).
2. To be handed over was a judicial term that meant to take one into custody (Mounce).
3. It was only two days before the Passover, and His hour was drawing near.
4. This chapter dealt with Wednesday and Thursday in the final week of Jesus' earthly existence (Mounce).
a) The Passover began on Thursday afternoon with the slaughter of the Passover lamb (Carson).
b) Jesus would have been sharing this message with His disciples on Tuesday evening, which would have been the beginning of Wednesday in Jewish chronology (Carson).
5. The chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in an open court rather than a palace. It was a meeting place. The Greek word used for "palace" was never used to mean "palace" in the New Testament (Vincent).
B. They plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.
1. The Jewish religious leaders wanted to very much get rid of Jesus, and they saw the upcoming Passover as their best opportunity.
2. They did not want to do it during the Passover Feast because Jesus was very popular with the people, and that action could cause a riot.
3. They wanted to get rid of them "apart from the festal crowd" instead of during the feast (Mounce).
C. A woman poured very expensive perfume on His head as he was reclining at the table.
1. Dr. Mounce indicated that Jesus might have spent His evenings in Bethany during the Passover week.
2. In John 12:1-5, He was with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
|
John 12:1-5 says, "Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 'Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.'" |
3. Simon may have been the father of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (Mounce).
4. Another point is that John did not actually say that the dinner was at Lazarus' house. He only said that Jesus was in the town of Bethany, where Lazarus lived (Carson).
D. She did it to prepare me for burial.
1. A common criminal dying on a cross would not be anointed with oil, which was a common ceremony for anyone that died. Thus, she was doing what she did exclusively for his death as a criminal and pending burial rather than as an indication of His deity (Carson).
2. The disciples were probably speaking among themselves rather than directly to Jesus because Matthew 26:10 says that He became aware of what they were saying..
a) He may have overheard what they were saying to each other.
b) He may have been showing His omniscience in that He understood their hearts.
3. Jesus defended the woman for what she had done. She may or may not have understood the significance of what she had done (Carson).
4. He and his coming death were more important than the expensive ointment.
5. Jesus said that her work would be remembered by those generations that followed.
6. Jesus knew what was coming, but His disciples did not even though He had just told them. They heard, but they did not hear.
|
Matthew 11:5 says, "He who has ears, let him hear." |
II. Preparation for the Passover
Study Questions 26.4 Through 26.9
|
Question 26.4 What kind of person was Judas, and what proof is available?
|
|
14 Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests
|
A. What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?
1. The Jewish leaders wanted to do away with Jesus, and Judas wanted money.
a) But the thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money (Mounce and Carson).
b) Another possibility is that Judas was trying to force Jesus' hand into a military conflict with the Romans.
c) On the other hand, greedy is still greedy regardless of the amount.
2. John 12:4-5 says that Judas was the disciple disturbed about the wasted perfume.
3. John 12:6 says that Judas was a thief. That verse says, "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."
4. Judas was probably the most trusted of all the disciples because they trusted him with their money.
B. Jesus at the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
1. The lamb was to be slain on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan) and eaten that night (Exodus 12:6-8).
2. The next seven days were to be unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15).
3. The fourteenth of Nisan was the wrong day to begin the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5-6).
a) It should have been on the fifteenth day.
b) Jesus should have already been crucified by then.
c) The Jews probably started removing the leaven a day early over time. It would have been their new custom (Mounce).
C. My Appointed Time is Near.
1. Jesus was not surprised by the events that were about to happen.
2. He knew it, and He shared it with His disciples on several occasions.
III. Jesus Knew That He Would Be Betrayed
|
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.
|
A. One of you will betray me.
1. The imperfect tense shows that Jesus was in the actual act of reclining. He had not been reclining for a long time (Vincent).
a) The Synoptic Gospels imply that Jesus was eating the Passover meal with His disciples (Carson).
b) But the Gospel of John implies that the Passover lamb was slain at the moment that Jesus was on the cross.
1) John may have changed the timing of the Last Supper and the Passover to preserve his "Jesus - Passover - lamb" topology (Carson).
2) The Synoptic Gospels may have treated the two as the same because they wanted to show the symbolism between the Last Supper and the Passover.
3) No one knows which is correct.
4) All accounts agree that Jesus was crucified on the day after the Last Supper.
5) Note that biblical inerrancy and inspiration of the Holy Spirit are not affected by these minor differences.
2. In earlier days, the Passover had been eaten while standing up. But by New Testament times, it was consumed like any other meal (Mounce).
3. Jesus was and is omniscient, and He knew that one of them would betray Him. It was not just a lucky or investigated guess.
a) The disciples were startled and horrified.
b) Their questions were asked in such a way that they were expecting Him to give a negative reply. It is not you rather than it is you (Vincent and Mounce).
B. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man.
1. Jesus was crucified so that sinners can be forgiven and saved.
2. However, the necessity of His death did not remove Judas from responsibility for his actions (Carson and Mounce).
C. Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."
1. Judas also asked, expecting the same negative response. Note that the others said "Lord" and that Judas said "Rabbi" (Mounce).
2. None of the disciples fully understood. But Judas still did not recognize Jesus as deity.
3. Jesus spoke the truth and told Judas that he was the man that would betray Him.
IV. Having Their Last Supper Together
Study Questions 26.10 Through 26.19
|
Question 26.10 Was their last supper a celebration of Passover?
|
|
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
|
A. Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples.
1. This is My body. According to Dr. Mounce, He actually said, "This My body." The verb "is" was not used in the Aramaic language.
2. Reference to His body was not part of the normal Passover ritual (Carson).
3. During the days of the early church, the Roman Government accused Christians of being cannibals.
4. The bread was unleavened. In the Old Testament, leaven was often a symbol for sin (Matthew 16:6).
|
Matthew 16:6 says, "'Be careful,' Jesus said to them. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.'" |
B. This is My blood of the covenant.
1. A covenant was a contract. Exodus 24:8 showed the relationship of the blood and the contract. The sprinking of the blood showed that the people had been included in the contract agreement with the Lord (Carson and Mounce).
2. God has established seven covenants with His creation.
a) The Edenic Covenant - Stay from the Tree
b) The Adamic Covenant - Work the Land
c) The Noahic Covenant - Human Governments
d) The Abrahamic Covenant - Land and a Seed
e) The Mosaic Covenant - The Law
f) The New Covenant - Grace
g) The New Kingdom Covenant - The Millennium
C. I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.
1. He was looking past His humiliation and suffering and forward to the time when they would be reunited in His fully realized kingdom (Mounce).
2. This may be one reason to not drink wine.
D. When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
1. Singing a closing song was also part of the Passover meal.
2. He would sing the lines, and the disciples would respond by singing "Hallelujah" (Carson).
3. During the original Passover ritual, people did not go outside until morning (Exodus 12:22), so things had changed in this respect over time, too (Vincent).
4. Jesus faced His most difficult hours with a hymn in His heart.
V. Peter's Most Foolish Utterance
|
31 Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
|
A. This very night you will all fall away on account of me.
1. Jesus was omniscient, a sign of His deity, and He knew, not just suspected, what would happen.
2. Zechariah 13:7 said "strike," but Jesus said, "I will strike." The change in the wording indicated that God would strike His only begotten Son (Mounce).
|
Zechariah 13:7 says, "'Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!' declares the LORD Almighty. 'Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.'" |
3. Some object to that prediction by saying that not all of the disciples scattered because Peter and John followed Jesus to His trial. However, they scattered later that evening (Carson).
B. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.
1. Jesus was and is the great Shepherd, and as such, according to Dr. Vincent, He was going ahead of (or leading) His sheep (the disciples).
2. When together in Galilee, He would again assume His role as Shepherd (Mounce).
C. Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.
1. Peter missed the part about meeting Jesus in Galilee. Instead, he focused on being heroic in the face of danger (Carson).
a) He thought that he would stand even though the others would fall away.
b) He did not believe what Jesus was saying about him.
c) He probably did not really believe that Jesus would be dying soon.
d) He was foolish because he did not know himself as well as he thought.
e) In time, he would become the rock of Matthew 16:18, but that time had not yet come.
2. The NIV might have missed the original Greek inference in this verse.
a) Before the rooster crows does not completely express what Jesus was saying.
b) In the KJV, the words "before the cock crow" were used.
1) In the Greek, the actual words were "before cockcrow (Vincent, Mounce, and Carson).
2) The article "the" was left out because Jesus was talking about more than a rooster crowing.
c) The Romans used the term "cockcrow" for the military watch that occurred between 12:00am and 3:00am (the midwatch).
3. The other disciples were just as foolish and falsely heroic as Peter, but they did not blurt out about themselves until after he had.
VI. Jesus Did Not Want to Die
Study Questions 26.20 Through 26.27
|
Question 26.20 Where did Jesus and His disciples go next? Why?
|
|
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
|
A. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him.
1. Jesus continued to expose His inner three confidantes to unique situations.
2. Gethsemane meant "oil press," and that indicated that they were in an olive orchard. "Well-to-do citizens of Jerusalem maintained groves on the west slope of the Mount of Olives" (Mounce).
B. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.
1. Jesus had talked so calmly about His betrayal and death up to this point, but in the garden, He expressed extreme sorrow.
2. Early church fathers did not completely understand the essence of Jesus.
a) They questioned His substance (all God or all human) and His nature (all godly will or all human will).
b) They finally decided that He was and is both God and human and also that He had a divine will and a human will.
c) In the garden, His divine will and His human will were both obvious.
C. Yet not as I will, but as you will.
1. One's Christian experience is not about self. It is about the Lord.
2. In the Old Testament, the "cup" is a metaphor for punishment and suffering (Mounce). See Psalm 75:8 and Isaiah 51:17.
|
Psalm 75:8 says, "In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs." Isaiah 51:17 says, "Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger." |
3. Jesus provided the example of what one's attitude should be.
4. He was about to die a completely unique death ALONE, and one cannot fully understand all the anguish and pain that He was feeling.
5. He did not die as a martyr (Carson).
a) The martyrs in the early church gave up their lives largely because they had hope in their resurrection and heaven. Jesus was the Source of that hope.
b) Jesus did not have that same hope, UNLESS HE WAS AND IS GOD THE SON.
VII. Jesus Demonstrated Perfect Behavior
|
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.
|
A. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.
1. Sometimes, people fall asleep (with their eyes open) when the preacher preaches or the teacher teaches.
2. It was late, and the disciples had had a long day.
a) On the other hand, this was the moment of their Lord's greatest agony.
b) They were also fishermen that frequently worked all night catching fish (Mounce).
3. Matthew 26:40 was more forceful than the NIV conveys. A better rendering would be, "What! Are you so utterly unable to watch" (Vincent).
4. All three were sleeping, but Jesus focused His question to Peter because Peter was the one that had been so bold just a few minutes earlier.
5. Dr. Mounce pointed out that they knew what Jesus was praying because they had to tell Matthew so that he could write about it.
a) They must have been close enough to hear Him before they fell asleep.
b) Given the gravity of the situation, that increases their guilt.
B. Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
1. Jesus exhorts them to watch and pray because He knows what ordeal they will soon be facing.
2. The keys to overcoming temptation, according to Jesus, are to watch and to pray.
a) To watch means to be alert, to recognize one's vulnerability and risks, and to be wise about evil and wrongdoing.
b) To pray means to recognize one's inability to triumph on one's own and to trust the matter to the Lord.
3. The disciples did not overcome the coming temptation, and it was mostly because they were not watching and praying.
4. They had had a halfhearted commitment towards prayer (Mounce).
C. May your will be done.
1. Jesus had a human will and a divine will, called the hypostatic union (Dr. Elmer L. Towns, Theology for Today).
a) His human will did not want to die, and it did not want to suffer the humiliation and rejection that were just ahead.
b) His divine will realized that death on the cross and the humiliation and rejection that were a part of it were His Father's will.
2. He expressed His human and divine nature, but in the end, He surrendered Himself to His Father's will.
3. His divine will ruled out. His human will was second. He overcame His temptation and went to the cross as humanity's sinless sacrifice.
4. Being without sin means to put one's human will second to the Lord's will. Everyone is tempted to do otherwise.
VIII. Judas Gave Jesus an Unloving Kiss
Study Questions 26.28 Through 26.38
|
Question 26.28 Why did Judas kiss Jesus?
|
|
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
|
A. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
1. Jesus was very much aware of His time.
a) Frequently, during His ministry, He said that His time or hour of Messianic expectation had not yet come (John 2:4, John 7:6-8, John 7:30, and John 8:20).
b) He knew that His hour had come (John 13:1 , John 16:32, and John 17:1)
c) Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a passage about time.
2. His time to be betrayed, rejected, denied, and crucified for the sins of humanity had come.
B. The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.
1. The intensive pronoun in the Greek language indicates that Judas gave Him a very elaborate, very affectionate, and very showy kiss (Mounce).
2. The language and intensity of the kiss are the same as that of the father and the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:20 (Vincent).
3. Three reasons for the kiss so that the soldiers would know which was the right man.
a) It was dark (Carson).
b) It was long before the days of photography and even popular celebrities could have been overlooked (Carson).
c) Jesus would have probably looked like the others, and He could have been easily mistaken for someone else. Did He have short hair?
1) The Roman culture was for men to have short hair. Jesus probably had short hair because His appearance was not distinctive.
2) I Corinthians 11:14-15 says, "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering."
3) The Apostle John identified Jesus as the "living" Word in John 1:1-4.
IX. Jesus Did Not Resist Those That Arrested Him
|
50 Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
|
A. One of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear (John 18:10).
|
John 18:10 says, "Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)" |
1. Jesus referred to Judas as friend, and Judas had referred to Him as rabbi, not Lord. He told Judas and the soldiers to do what they had come to do.
2. Notice that initially Peter was the one that battled the soldiers. In the beginning, he apparently was not afraid.
3. In Luke 22:51, Jesus touched and healed the servant's ear. Apparently, Peter had aimed for the servant's head but missed (Vincent).
4. Jesus told Peter to put his sword away because Peter was obviously ready to fight it out. Peter was not a coward.
5. Jesus commented about dying by the sword because Christians are supposed to be peaceful people.
a) That does not mean that Christians are doormats or that that should ever compromise their beliefs.
b) Jesus might have been speaking to Genesis 9:6 and Revelation 13:10.
|
Genesis 9:6 says, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." Revelation 13:10 says, "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints." |
c) Those verses do not address self-defense. The first applies to the rule of governmental law, and the second pertains to the Great Tribulation and the fierce rule of the Anttichrist.
B. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
1. Jesus did not have to be apprehended, tried, humiliated, or crucified, and He did not have to die.
2. The fact that He did not call out for the twelve legions of angels shows that He was committed to the salvation plan, too, even though He was the sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29).
3. Twelve legions of angels would have been 72,000 angels, where each legion was 6,000 angels.
C. Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.
1. Jesus said that He had not done anything wrong or in secret.
2. In Mark 14:48-49 and Matthew 26:55-56, Jesus chastized those that arrested Him, claiming that He had done everything openly during the day and that they could have easily apprehended Him then.
3. He was only taunting them because He knew that it was His Father's will for Him to be crucified.
D. Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
1. In John 18:8-9, He asked the soldiers to let His disciples go. That was also according to His earlier words in John 17:12.
2. The disciples were so overcome by what was happening that they ran for their lives.
3. Jesus had to face His horrible ordeal deserted and alone, without any human support.
X. Jesus Did Not Resist Those That Questioned Him
Study Questions 26.39 Through 26.50
|
Question 26.39 Where did the soldiers take Jesus?
|
|
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
|
A. Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas.
1. Jesus went through six trials on that evening. Three were Jewish, and three were Roman.
a) In John 18:12-13, He was taken first to Annas, who was a former high priest.
b) In Matthew 26:57 and John 18:24, He was taken to Caiaphas, who was the current high priest and also the one that had suggested that one man die for all.
c) In Matthew 26:59, He stood trial before the Sanhedrin.
d) In Mark 15:1, He went before Pilate.
e) In Luke 23:7, He was sent to Herod.
f) In Luke 23:11, He was sent back to Pilate.
2. No one knew what to do with Jesus, and that is still a problem today.
3. Jesus endured all the trials and humiliation and did not try to defend Himself.
4. Meanwhile, Peter was practicing the formula for spiritual failure.
B. Peter followed him at a distance.
1. Notice the comparison between Peter following at a distance and Eve not knowing exactly what God had said. They both fell.
2. People can learn from how Peter and Eve failed.
3. The admonition is to follow the Lord closely, and be a student of the Bible.
C. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
1. This was the third trial.
2. The Greek imperfect tense in Matthew 26:59 suggests that they were all there and that they were sifting through all of the evidence provided by the false witnesses (Mounce). They were looking for false evidence against Jesus.
3. They brought forth false witnesses, but none of them could bring a valid claim against Him.
4. Finally, two men charged Him with claiming to be able to destroy and rebuild the temple in three days.
a) Jesus did not say that He would destroy the temple in Matthew 24:2.
b) In John 2:19-20, He was speaking of Himself and His resurrection.
D. But Jesus remained silent.
1. Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."
2. Finally, the chief priest ordered Him to answer, and that was equivalent to putting Him under oath to speak. In essence, the high priest said, "I call upon thee to swear" (Vincent).
E. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
1. Jesus could not lie, so He had to admit to being the Son of God. He said that the chief priest had spoken correctly.
2. With His death a certainty, He would have been very foolish to lie.
3. The whole church could have been destroyed if only:
a) Jesus had denied His deity.
b) After His resurrection, the Romans or the Jewish religious leaders could have found His body.
c) If the disciples or other saints had denied their new life in Christ. The suggestion that the disciples were somehow involved in a conspiracy is ridiculous, because all of them except John were martyred for their profession of faith in Christ.
XI. Peter's Lowest Moment in Life
|
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
|
A. "He is worthy of death," they answered.
1. The Jewish religious leaders did not understand the Trinity, so they did not understand the three Persons of the Godhead.
2. The Trinity would not be understood by Christian saints until about 400AD or 500AD.
3. They thought that He was guilty of blasphemy.
4. The abuse began, as they started to slap at Him and spit at Him. All the while that they were doing to that to Him, He loved them, and He knew that He was about to die for them.
B. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.
1. Peter and John had both gone to the area outside where Jesus was being tried.
2. In John 18:15, John knew the high priest, so he was allowed inside the courtyard. Peter waited outside of the courtyard.
3. A short while earlier, Peter had drawn his sword to battle those in the garden. He was not a coward.
a) When he had been "with" the Lord in the garden, he had been strong, bold, and courageous.
b) When he followed the Lord at a distance (Matthew 26:58), he was timid, uncertain, and unsure of himself.
c. His first denial was to a servant girl, and he simply said that he did not know what she was talking about.
C. "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth."
1. Peter went out into the gateway where the area was darker, but he was still recognized.
2. Another girl tried to associate him with Jesus.
3. That time, by pledging his oath, he again denied knowing Jesus.
4. To the high priest, Jesus had declared with an oath that He was and is the Son of God.
5. Jesus would not lie even though great suffering awaited Him, while Peter lied three times to protect his own skin.
D. "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."
1. Other people also accused Peter, and they said that his Galilean accent betrayed him.
2. Galileans spoke Aramaic with an accent that people in Jerusalem thought showed inferiority. To them, it was uncouth (Mounce).
3. On his last denial, he called down curses on himself if he were lying. At that point, the cock crowed.
E. Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.
1. The Romans had an expression called "cockcrow" which symbolized the changing of their guard (Mounce).
2. Cockcrow was the midnight-to-3:00AM, Roman watch (Carson).
3. In Matthew 26:35, Peter had not really thought that Jesus would be tried and ultimately put to death (Carson).
4. The Roman common term for that time in the morning was often accompanied by the crowing sound that made Peter realize what he had done.
Chapter 27 – Judas, Jesus, More Trials, and Crucifixion (Matthew 27:1-66)
I. Judas was Sorry About What he had Done
Study Questions 27.1 Through 27.6
|
Question 27.1 What Roman crimes did the priests want to show to Pilate?
|
|
1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.
|
A. All the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death
1. They came together early in the morning as a continuation from the night before, when they had apprehended Him.
2. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate (His fourth trial).
3. They had already made their decision.
a) By going to Pilate, they were just putting it into action.
b) They knew that Pilate would not care about Jesus claiming to be the Son of God.
c) So, they knew that they would have to show that He was guilty according to Roman law.
1) There strategy would be to show that He was guilty of treason (Carson).
2) They wanted to show that He was guilty of seditious teachings (Mounce).
3) They wanted to show that He was guilty of opposing Roman taxation (Mounce).
d) Obviously, their claims would not be true.
B. Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse, and he returned the thirty silver coins.
1. Judas may not have thought that Jesus would be killed.
2. He may have thought that His apprehension would force Him to take action against the Romans.
3. The thirty pieces of silver was not a lot of money.
4. He was very sorry for what he had done.
a) When he went back to the chief priests to return the money, they would not have anything to do with their blood money.
b) Notice that they did not care to release Jesus even after Judas expressed his sorrow. They knew that He was innocent, but they did not care.
5. Judas threw the money into the temple.
a) Dr. Vincent indicated that the money was thrown into the inner sanctuary (holy of holies) where only the priests could go. It was referred to as the temple proper.
b) Dr. Mounce, in referencing the Jewish historian, Josephus, indicated that the area did not have to be exclusively the inner sanctuary.
c) Exactly where he threw the money is not critically important. What the priests did with the money fulfilled prophecy.
C. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled.
1. The Lord was in total control through the entire event.
2. A double prophecy applied to the interchange between Judas and the priests (Zechariah 11:12-13 and Jeremiah 32:6-9).
|
Zechariah 11:12-13 says, "I told them, 'If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.' So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, 'Throw it to the potter' --the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter." Jeremiah 32:6-9 says, "Jeremiah said, 'The word of the LORD came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.' Then, just as the LORD had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, 'Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.' I knew that this was the word of the LORD; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver." |
a) Zechariah prophesied about the thirty pieces of silver and the money being thrown into the the house of the Lord to the potter.
b) Jeremiah wrote about buying the potter's field.
3. However, Matthew only referenced Jeremiah because he was the major prophet.
a) Such a handling of dual prophecies was normal, and the Jewish people would not have been mixed up by it.
b) Mark 1:2-3 quotes Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 concerning John the Baptist, but only Isaiah is mentioned.
|
Mark 1:2-3 says, "It is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way'-- 'a voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" |
II. Jesus in His Fourth Trial
Study Questions 27.7 Through 27.14
|
Question 27.7 Who presided over Jesus’ fourth trial?
|
|
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
|
A. Are you the king of the Jews?
1. Notice that Jesus answered Pilate, but He did not answer the chief priests during the night before, in Matthew 26:63-64, until He was put under His oath.
2. He probably did not answer the chief priests right away because they should have known His identity. It was absurd that the Jewish religious leaders failed to recognizae their own Messiah.
3. He probably did answer Pilate right away because a Roman procurator would not have understood about being the Son of God. Pilate was the fifth procurator of Judea, including Samaria and Idumea (Mounce).
B. Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge.
1. Once again, when the chief priests accused Him before Pilate, He would not respond to them.
2. He was willing to speak to Pilate but not to those that had been conspiring against Him.
C. Luke 23:7-11 says that Pilate sent Him to Herod (His fifth trial), and then, He was sent back to Pilate (His sixth and final trial).
1. Herod tried to taunt Jesus into doing a miracle for him.
2. But Jesus would not respond to him or his request, either.
D. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.
1. Pilate was content to let Jesus go. However, His silence towards the chief priests and Herod created the impression that He might be guilty.
2. No one knew what to do with Jesus.
3. Pilate knew about the custom to let someone go during the Passover Feast, and he thought that the crowd would choose Jesus, the Son of God.
III. Pilate Tried to Pretend that he did not Have any Responsibility
|
19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."
|
A. Pilate's wife sent him this message.
1. Pilate was bewildered by Jesus.
2. Based on a dream, his wife warned him to not be involved with Jesus.
B. But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd.
1. But the crowd said to release Jesus Barabbas and to NOT release Jesus, the Son of God.
2. The crowd was not Jesus' accusers. They were people that wanted to be involved in the amnesty program (Carson).
3. The chief priests probably told them that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy.
4. Be careful about going along with the crowd.
C. What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
1. Pilate tried to take away his responsibility for the matter.
2. He questioned the crowd about Jesus' guilt, but they did not care to hear any of that.
3. Right or wrong, the people were out for blood.
4. The people were willing to make themselves accountable to God for having Jesus crucified.
D. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
1. Pilate washed his hands of the matter.
2. Being flogged was much, much worse than what was indicated by Matthew (Mounce).
a) Jesus was stripped and tied to two posts and then whipped with the "cat of nine tails."
b) The whip had pieces of sharpened bone and lead pellets woven into it.
c) Flogging, or scourging, was supposed to weaken the victim for crucifixion.
d) Sometimes, the victim died from scourging.
3. Then, he turned him over to be crucified.
4. Pilate might have wanted to rid himself of blame, but he could not do so.
a) Extra biblical sources say that he was cruel, imperious, and insensitive to his Jewish subjects (Carson).
b) No evidence exists to show that Pilate's wife ever converted to Christianity (Mounce).
IV. Jesus was Shamed and Treated Terribly
Study Questions 27.15 Through 27.19
|
Question 27.15 What did the Roman guards do to Jesus, and why?
|
|
27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.
|
A. The governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium.
1. The Praetorium was in Jerusalem (Mounce).
a) It was the governor's residence when he was in town.
b) It was also the barracks for his official guard when he was not there.
2. The soldiers would have numbered about six hundred if all were available. Most likely, the soldiers was referring to only those that were on duty rather than the whole group (Carson).
3. Some critics think that this guard, which was composed mainly of the recruited, non-Jewish population of Palestine and under Pilate's control, would not have been so cruel to someone that had just been scourged. However, the Jewish historian, Philo, wrote that such behavior was not unusual (Carson).
B. They stripped Him, they put a scarlet robe on Him, they set a crown of thorns on His head, they mocked Him, they spit on Him, they struck Him on the head again and again, and then, they led Him away to crucify Him.
1. What they did Jesus showed humanity at its worst (Carson).
2. The crown of thorns may have had the thorns pointing outwardly since the main purpose of their actions was to mock and ridicule Him rather than inflict even more pain. Jesus had already been scourged (Mounce).
3. The gesture was also imitating the radiating crown of Tiberius Caesar on the Roman coins (Mounce and Carson).
C. Jesus warned that the world would hate us, too (Mark 13:13 and John 15:18).
|
Mark 13:13 says, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." John 15:18 says, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." |
V. Jesus was Crucified for You and for Me
|
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.
|
A. They forced him to carry the cross.
1. Jesus had been scourged, mocked, and treated very poorly.
2. He is often pictured as weak, but He would have been in excellent shape.
a) He did a lot of walking.
b) He also would have been the proper weight because He would not have been a glutton.
3. But He had been through so much that He was worn out and could not carry His cross.
a) The crucifixion victim had to carry the crossbeam that was attached to the top of vertical post.
b) The vertical post remained in place all the time. The crossbeam was carried to the post and the place of execution (Mounce).
4. A man from Cyrene, named Simon, was forced to carry His crossbeam for Him.
a) Mark 15:21 says that Simon was coming into the city from the country. He was only passing by. He was not there to gawk.
b) Executions normally occurred outside the city, so Jesus was probably able to carry His crossbeam to the city gates (Carson).
c) It is a mistake to make a hero out of Simon (Carson).
1) The evidence does not indicate that He had any sympathy for Jesus or that he supported Him in any way.
2) Besides that, he did not have a choice. The Roman soldiers forced him to carry the crossbeam.
B. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).
1. It may have resembled a skull.
2. It may have just been the place of execution (Mounce).
C. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
1. Modern-day Christians cannot comprehend the cruelty of a Roman crucifixion.
2. Crucifixions were always public as a warning to others (Carson).
3. The soldiers cast lots for His clothing (Psalm 22:17-18), and that was a common practice (Mounce).
|
Psalm 22:17-18 says, "I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." |
a) It was a very bitter concoction, and Jesus would not drink it.
b) The wine may have been laced with a narcotic to ease the pain of the crucifixion (Mounce).
D. THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
1. That was His crime, and it was common for such a plaque to be mounted.
2. The Jews would have associated their King with their Messiah.
3. Therefore, Pilate was most likely saying that Jesus was a Messiah Pretender.
VI. Jesus was Mocked While on the Cross
Study Questions 27.20 Through 27.28
|
Question 27.20 Why was Jesus suddenly so unpopular?
|
|
39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads
|
A. Those who passed by hurled insults at him.
1. This was also in Psalm 22:17-18.
2. In the end, Jesus will be exalted, not mocked, belittled, or made fun of. People were there to watch because the Sabbath did not begin until sundown.
3. They referenced His statements about destroying the temple and rebuilding it in three days.
4. But they were confused about what He was saying (Carson).
a) According to the Greek verb tense, they were actually accusing Him of having tried to destroy the temple in three days.
b) Their remarks also show that they were either at His trial in the Sanhedrin or that they were aware of what had happened.
5. They also tried to get Him to use His powers to come down from the cross. His mental anguish must have been almost unbearable.
B. The chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.
1. No big surprise in their behavior.
2. Remember that Judas had shown that Jesus was innocent, so the Jewish religious leaders knew exactly what they were doing.
3. They also got into the act of ridiculing Him.
4. When they stand before the Lord in the final judgment, they will not be happy to see that they had murdered the Son of God and that they had missed the whole thing spiritually.
C. The robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
1. Jesus was attacked by everyone.
2. He faced His disgrace, humiliation, and agony ALONE.
3. He did it for each of us.
VII. His Final Hours of Agony
|
45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
|
A. Darkness came over all the land.
1. A supernatural darkness came over the whole land. The sixth hour would have been about noon, and the ninth hour would have been about 3:00pm.
2. Amos 8:9 says, "'In that day,' declares the Sovereign LORD, 'I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.'"
a) Amos wrote about the Day of the Lord, when all the world would be judged (Dr. Thomas E. McComiskey, "Amos," The Expositor's Bible Commentary, volume 7).
b) He could have been writing about Revelation 8:12 and Revelation 9:2, which would have more closely tied to the overall theme of his Book.
c) His words could have been like a double prophecy.
3. The darkness during the middle of the day was an interruption to natural order (McComiskey).
4. Darkness in the middle of the day, without an eclipse, was a sign of God's judgment (see Exodus 10:21-22) (Carson).
B. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
1. David had written about the rejection that Jesus would feel (Psalm 22:1) by writing about the rejection that he was already feeling.
|
Psalm 22:1 says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? " |
2. Several parts of the psalm relate to Jesus on the cross (Notice Psalm 22:6-8 and Psalm 22:14-18).
3. Jesus felt what He was saying because the experience was dreadful and it was real.
4. However, He may also have been sharing with those around Him what was happening.
a) By referring to Psalm 22:1, which every good Jew in the crowd would have known, the people could have read in their own Scriptures about His rejection.
b) By associating Himself with Psalm 22, He was also claiming to be the Messiah, even while He was on the cross.
C. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him.
1. The people knew that Elijah had been a mighty prophet.
2. They knew that he had been carried to heaven in a fiery chariot and that he had not died in the sense that normal mortals die (II Kings 2:1-12).
3. They knew that Jesus had been able to work mighty powers before He was nailed to the cross.
4. Their curiosity had them looking for some great miracle to take place.
5. Only looking to Jesus out of curiosity is a mistake that many people have made through the ages.
D. When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
1. Jesus really died. It was not a Hollywood production.
2. He had made seven statements from the cross.
|
1. Luke 23:34 says, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'" 2. Luke 23:43 says, "Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'" 3. John 19:26-27 says, "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.'" 4. Matthew 27:46 says, "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi,Eloi, lama sabachthani?'-- which means, 'My God,my God, why have you forsaken me?'" 5. John 19:28 says, "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'" 6. John 19:30 says, "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." 7. Luke 23:46 says, "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last." |
3. "It is finished" came from a Greek business term which meant that the debt had been paid in full.
a) Jesus did more than die for us.
b) His blood paid the sin debt for every sinner that will accept what He has done.
c) That is what John 3:16 meant when it said to believe on Jesus.
VIII. Things That Happened When Jesus Died
Study Questions 27.29 Through 27.38
|
Question 27.29 What happened to the curtain in the temple? Why from top?
|
|
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
|
A. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
1. Jesus' death was not a neutral event.
2. Genesis 3:14-15 says, "So the LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.'"
3. When Jesus died on the cross, He crushed Satan's head. Satan has been judged, and in time, he will be eternally condemned.
4. The temple had two curtains (sixty feet long and thirty feet wide (Vincent)). One was the inner, and the other was the outer (Carson).
a) If the outer curtain had been torn, then that would have suggested a destruction of the temple, which did, in fact, happen later during the first century.
b) If inner curtain was torn, then that would have symbolized that people would have a new kind of access to the Lord.
c) Both interpretations fit, but Dr. Vincent and Dr. Mounce favored the new access theory.
5. Jesus' death changed people's access to Him.
a) Before His death, they only had access to the Lord through a priest (Hebrews 10:19-23).
b) Now, people have access directly to God, and Jesus is the only Mediator that they need (I Timothy 2:5-6).
|
I Timothy 2:5-6 says, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men -- the testimony given in its proper time." |
c) Calvary says that the Roman Catholic Church, with all of their bureaucratic, religious hierarchy, are wrong. There is not a pope or cardinal or priest between Jesus and any sinner.
B. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
1. They came out of the tombs.
2. They went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
3. The event reflected Old Testament imageries of earthquakes, tombs opening, and the rising of the dead (Mounce).
C. Surely he was the Son of God!
1. Anyone watching Jesus' crucifixion knew that they were not watching a normal execution.
2. But the Roman centurion was not acknowledging Jesus' deity.
3. The original Greek does not say "the Son of God." It only says "Son of God," and that really meant that Jesus must have been Someone really special (Vincent).
a) The guards were pagan and not religious.
b) They would have only known what they had heard from others.
c) They did, however, know that Jesus was not like the normal criminal.
IX. His Body was Prepared for Burial
|
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.
|
A. He asked for Jesus' body.
1. The women were watching from a distance, but that was alright because they would not have had any status during those days.
2. After Jesus was dead, Joseph of Arimathea asked for His body.
a) Jesus had died physically, but He did not die spiritually (Ephesians 4:7-10).
|
Ephesians 4:7-10 says, "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.' (What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)" |
b) Joseph was taking a big chance by being associated with Jesus. Just a few hours earlier, Peter had not been willing to do that.
c) Joseph would have approached Pilate between 3:00pm and 6:00pm since the Sabbath would begin at 6:00pm (Vincent).
d) Everyone was probably trying to do things quickly because of the Sabbath.
B. Joseph placed it in his own new tomb.
1. The Greek word for "new" tomb really meant that it had not been defiled by another dead body (Vincent).
a) Dr. Mounce thought that the tomb had just been hewned out.
b) The Greek word in question is "kainos," and it means recently made, fresh, recent, unused, or unworn.
c) Consequently, either interpretation seems reasonable. The Jews were always concerned about being defiled, so that may favor the "unused" nature of the tomb.
2. Joseph was a follower of Jesus.
3. After putting Jesus in his personal tomb, Joseph rolled a heavy stone in front of it. He may have had help.
a) People were not allowed to mourn the death of someone that had been executed under Roman law (Carson).
b) His followers had to simply watch quietly as He was buried.
c) The stone would have been very heavy and not easily moved.
d) The stone would have been rolled into a hole in front of the tomb, which would have made it even more difficult to move.
4. The opening of most Jewish tombs was 4-1/2 to 5 feet tall (Dr. Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense, Compiled by Bill Watson. San Bernardino, California: Here's Life Publishers, Inc., 1991.)
a) Spices for Jesus' body would have probably been about 75 pounds. This was not uncommon for a leader.
1) Gamaliel, the renouned Jewish scholar and teacher, had 86 pounds of spices.
2) For Herod, 500 men were needed to carry all the spices used on him.
b) A solid rock to cover such a large opening would have probably weighed between 1-1/2 and 2 tons.
X. Worried That the Disciples Would Steal His Bodies
Study Questions 27.39 Through 27.45
|
Question 27.39 What did the chief priests ask of Pilate, and why?
|
|
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.
|
A. We remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said.
1. The Romans and the Jewish religious leaders wanted the Jesus-thing to die out quickly.
2. Many people were turning to Him, and they wanted to avoid more problems (McDowell).
3. They remembered His prophecy about rising from the dead, and they wanted to make absolutely sure that no one stole the body in order to claim a resurrection that did not happen.
B. His disciples may come and steal the body.
1. The notion that they would steal the body was absurd because most of them were still in hiding.
2. Following His resurrection, John 20:19 says, "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'"
C. Make the tomb as secure as you know how.
1. Pilate cooperated with their wishes.
2. The Roman guard would have been a sharp fighting unit.
3. Failing to do their job would have resulted in their deaths.
Chapter 28 – Jesus Lives (Matthew 28:1-20)
I. An Angel Rolled Away the Stone
Study Questions 28.1 Through 28.8
|
Question 28.1 What aspects of the resurrection were unique to Matthew?
|
|
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
|
A. Matthew brought out aspects of the resurrection that the other gospel writers did not (Vincent).
1. He noted the angel's outward glory.
2. He mentioned the earthquake.
3. He discussed the agency of the angel, probably in relation to the earthquake and the rolling back of the stone.
4. He noted the inability of the military to do their jobs.
5. He shared the disciple's adoration of the risen Jesus.
B. The minor differences among all the gospels makes the event more credible (Mounce).
1. The authors gave honest but slightly different accounts in terms of who went to the tomb, why they went, who spoke to them, and how they reacted.
2. None of the differences affect the validity of the resurrection.
3. Each writer was writing to a different audience, and the importance of that overshadowed any differences.
4. All of the Bible is verbally, plenary inspired. Verbal means that the words are inspired, and plenary means that the whole Bible is inspired.
C. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
1. Mark 16:1 also said that Salome was with them.
2. Matthew wrote that they went to see the tomb. Mark wrote that they went with spices to anoint Jesus' body.
3. The Greek text suggests that they went late on Saturday evening or early on Sunday morning before daybreak (Mounce).
4. The NIV and KJV suggest early Sunday morning.
D. There was a violent earthquake.
1. Only Matthew mentioned the earthquake.
2. The imperfect tense suggests that the stone was rolled away before the women got to the tomb. The angels were sitting on the stone.
3. The women saw an angel with a face like lightning and with clothes as white as snow.
4. What they saw compares closely to Daniel 7:9 and Daniel 10:5-6.
|
Daniel 7:9 says, "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze." Daniel 10:5-6 says, "I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude." |
E. The guards were so afraid.
1. Roman soldiers were trained for just about everything.
2. In Exodus 12:33, the Egyptians became afraid when they saw God's power and experienced His plagues.
II. The Women Saw the Risen Jesus
|
5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
|
A. Do not be afraid.
1. The angel reassured the women.
2. He told them to come closer to see the empty tomb.
B. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
1. They witnessed the greatest, most significant miracle of all time.
2. Christians' hope is the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:13-19).
|
I Corinthians 15:13-19 says, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." |
C. Come and see.
1. The women were encouraged to come and see.
2. Christians are encouraged to bring others to come and see.
D. Go quickly and tell his disciples.
1. The women went to the tomb, and the disciples were hiding away for fear of their lives.
2. When they experienced the reality of the resurrection, they were changed, too.
E. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Do not be afraid."
1. Like the angel, Jesus reassured the women, too.
2. In John 20:17, Jesus told Mary Magdalene not to hold onto Him.
a) The Greek word for hold indicates that she was holding onto Him, probably His feet because she fell prostrate and worshipped Him.
b) He wanted her to go tell His disciples about His resurrection rather than having her hold onto Him.
c) She needed to tell the disciples to go to Galilee.
d) He wanted to make her understand that their relationship had changed because He would no longer be in human Form.
III. The Stolen Body Theory
Study Questions 28.9 Through 28.17
|
Question 28.9 How would the chief priests try to explain the resurrection?
|
|
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
|
A. The chief priests met with the elders and devised a plan.
1. The Roman guard was given to the chief priests, so it would have been logical for them to report to them (Mounce).
2. The large sum of money literally meant a sufficient amount of money to bribe them to where they would invent or support the lie (Vincent).
3. The guards confessed to a crime that would have been punishable by death, but the chief priests protected them.
B. We will keep you out of trouble.
1. The Roman guards trusted the chief priests to keep them out of trouble with Pilate.
2. The whole plan and Christianity could have been overturned if only someone had found Jesus' body.
3. The Romans would eventually persecute the church, but they never tried to deny the resurrection.
C. This story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
D. Arguments Against the Stolen Body Theory
1. According to Dr. Alexander Balmin Bruce in his book, even the language of the chief priests plan did not make sense. Those "sleeping" Roman guards in the above passage would not have known who, if anyone, had stolen the body (Alexander Balmin Bruce. The Expositors Greek New Testament. Volume I. "The Synoptic Gospels." London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1903).
2. The guards would have been highly trained, well-disciplined troops. Someone is supposed to believe that military personnel of that caliber could have or even would have actually slept while some or all of the disciples rolled away a three thousand pound stone, unwrapped Jesus body, and then carried Him away.
3. Even the biggest skeptic would have to chuckle at such a notion. Sleeping on duty under normal circumstances would have meant certain death for the guards. According to Dr. McDowell, those men would have been foolish to have committed such a crime and then even more foolish to have actually confessed to it (Josh McDowell. Evidence That Demands A Verdict. Volume I. San Bernardino, California: Here's Life Publishers, Inc., 1986.).
4. According to Dr. James Rosscup, Dr. Gary R. Habermas, and many others, the behavior of the Apostles changed dramatically following the discovery of Christ's Resurrection (James Rosscup. "Class Notes." La Mirada, CA: Talbot Theological Seminary, 1969. and Gary R. Habermas, The Resurrection of Jesus. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1984.).
E. Plenty of people saw the resurrected Jesus (I Corinthians 15:3-8).
|
I Corinthians 15:3-8 says, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." |
F. Other Arguments Against the Resurrection
1. The Swoon Theory
a) This theory says that Jesus faked His death.
b) Arguments against the Swoon Theory
1) Christ was beaten when He appeared before the High Priest.
2) He was scourged.
3) He had to carry His own cross to the site of the execution.
4) He had to endure the agony of being nailed to that cross.
5) He had to hang there naked and exposed to the elements for six hours.
6) He was stabbed in the side with a spear.
2. The Hallucination Theory
a) The Hallucination Theory says that people did not really see the resurrected Jesus but that they were only having hallucinations.
b) Arguments against the Hallucination Theory
1) Dr. Habermas tells us that hallucinations are not contagious and that they cannot be passed from one disciple to another, much less to hundreds of people at the same time.
2) Dr. McDowell adds that hallucinations are usually linked in a person's subconscious by a particular past experience.
3) Given these facts, it is highly unlikely that any two people, much less the hundreds who were reported, could have had the same hallucination at the same time.
4) Since Jesus was seen by many on several different occasions, this theory also is not reasonable.
3. The Legend Theory
a) The Legend Theory suggests that the resurrection was adopted by Christians after a long period of time to make Christianity more mystical and more appealing. But the main point of this theory is that the resurrection never happened.
b) Arguments against the Legend Theory
1) Dr. Habermas reports that there were many eyewitnesses who saw Jesus after the Resurrection.
2) Many of the people who had lived during those early days of the New Testament Church readily recognized and accepted the Resurrection as truth.
3) The fact of the Resurrection was well accepted during Josephus' days, and it had been since the time of Christ's death.
4) In light of all this information, the suggestion that this event had somehow been added over time just to spice up Christianity is not logical.
5) Because both secular and non-secular historical evidence shows that the Resurrection was reported and accepted from the beginning, the Legend theory, like the others, also cannot be taken seriously.
IV. The Giving of the Great Commission
Study Questions 28.18 Through 28.19
|
Question 28.18 What is the Great Commission?
|
|
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
|
A. The eleven disciples went to Galilee.
1. Jesus had told Mary Magdalene to remind them of their planned meeting.
2. Jesus and the disciples had already planned to meet in Galilee (Matthew 26:31-32).
B. They worshiped him; but some doubted.
1. When they worshipped Him, they fell prostrate with their face towards the ground. They had never done that before (Vincent).
2. Matthew 28:18 says that Jesus came to His disciples. Thus, their doubt might have been because they were not close to each other rather than that they doubted what had happened (Mounce).
C. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
1. "Came and spake unto them, saying" (KJV).
2. The first Greek word for say or speak (laleo - to utter a voice or emit a sound) indicates that Jesus first broke the silence.
3. A second Greek word (lego - to exhort, advise, to command, direct) that the author used focused on the importance of what Jesus was saying (Vincent).
4. God the Father gave Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth.
5. The Greek word for authority in the context in which it was spoken meant absolute power and jurisdiction (Mounce).
D. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
1. The Greek word, eis, for "in" means "into." Salvation can be understood by two of the prepositions that were consistently used when discussing it.
a) EIS - into Jesus to show a relationship
b) EPI - on Jesus to show complete trust
2. The Great Commission - Christians are commanded to go, make disciples, encourage new converts to be baptized as a first act of obedience, and teach one another.
E. I am with you always.
1. Jesus is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
2. We are never alone.
Alden, Robert. L. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. "Malachi." Volume 7. General Editor, Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
Bruce, Alexander Balmin. The Expositors Greek New Testament. Volume I. "The Synoptic Gospels." London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1903
Carson, D. A. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. "Matthew." Volume 8. General Editor, Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
Habermas, Gary R. Philosophy 240 - Christian Evidences. Liberty University. Lynchburg, Virginia, 2001.
Habermas, Gary R. The Resurrection of Jesus. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1984.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Commentary - Matthew to John. Volume V. McLean, Virginia: MacDonald Publishing Company.
Kallard, Earl S. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. "Deuteronomy." Volume 3. General Editor, Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
McComiskey, Thomas E. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. "Amos." Volume 7. General Editor, Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
McDowell, Josh. A Ready Defense. Compiled by Bill Watson. San Bernardino, California: Here's Life Publishers, Inc., 1991.
McDowell, Josh. Evidence That Demands A Verdict. Volume I. San Bernardino, California: Here's Life Publishers, Inc., 1986.
Mounce, Robert H. New International Biblical Commentary. "Matthew." Volume 1. New Testament Editor, W. Ward Gasque. Peabody, Massachusettes: Hendrickson Publishers Inc, 2002.
Packer, J. I. Knowing God. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Rosscup, James. "Class Notes." La Mirada, CA: Talbot Theological Seminary, 1969.
Tenney, Merrill C. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. "John." Volume 9. General Editor, Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
Towns, Elmer L. Theology for Today. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989.
Vincent, Marvin R. Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament. "Matthew." Volume 1. Peabody, Massachusettes: Hendrickson Publishers Inc.
Virkler, Henry A. NBST 652 - Hermeneutics. Liberty University. Lynchburg, Virginia, 1995.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (North American Edition). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The End
Tom of Spotswood
"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Send email to: tlee6040@aol.com