The Bedrock of the Church (Matthew 16:13-20)

Recapitulation

We have seen in our study of Matthew that after nearly three years of Jesus’ teaching concerning the kingdom of heaven, there has been little repentance—no ‘great awakening’ — certainly not on a national scale.  Last time we saw that Jesus told His disciples to beware of the Pharisees’ teaching which emphasized the physical realm to the exclusion of the heart.  The religious leaders had even dared Jesus to prove that He had the authority of heaven to speak and teach this.  His answer, though somewhat veiled, was that they would only receive the sign of Jonah—whose preaching brought about repentance among the sinful Ninevites some 830 years before.  Jonah’s experience with the great fish also pictured Jesus’ own conquering of death after 3 days and 3 nights.  So, Jesus’ teaching concerning godly repentance and His coming death and resurrection would be the only sign from heaven that Israel would receive showing His authority to speak for God.  Just like the prophets of old, He gave His message from heaven and provided a validating sign to come.

The Rock and the Gates of Hades

Now in verses 13-20 of Matthew 16 we come to a well-known pericope that has been understood in different ways.  This is why we must carefully consider the background, the definitions of the words, and the meaning of the grammar in this passage. 

First, the background.  In verse 13, Jesus led His disciples to Caesarea Philippi.  This town is located at one of the major sources of the Jordan River due north of the Sea of Galilee.  It is still an impressive sight today to watch the water pouring out of a huge rock formation and then plunging down into the depths of the Jordan Rift Valley.  In Jesus’ day, the site had been preempted by the worship of various Greek and Roman Gods—especially Pan—which explains why it is still called Panias today.  There is a cave there that was said to be the entrance to Hades which in Greek and Roman thought (as well as Jewish) was understood to refer to the underworld—the abode of the dead. 

Hades was the Greek word that the Jews used to translate their Hebrew word Sheol.  It was never considered to be the kingdom of Satan.  But it was the place under the earth where the dead were said to have gone after they die.  In Scripture, all the dead are in Sheol (or Hades) but the righteous go to a special place within Sheol reserved for them—sometimes called paradise or Abraham’s bosom.  Paul refers to the righteous as being “present with the Lord.”  In either case, death is a place of waiting until the resurrections.  The Bible teaches that there is a resurrection of the righteous first and later there is a resurrection of the ungodly (John 5:28-29).  But, generally speaking, Hades in Scripture refers to the temporary abode of the dead.

Who is the Son of Man?

It is here, at this place known as the gates of Hades, that Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  This is how He almost always referred to Himself.  It is also a deliberate echo of Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14) to Whom was given dominion over an everlasting kingdom.  This everlasting kingdom was also seen in another of Daniel’s visions as a huge mountain of stone that grew to fill the whole earth and thus overthrowing all previous earthly kingdoms (Daniel 2:31-45).

The disciples were quite aware of the rumors going around about Jesus’ identity.  They rattled off some of them:  John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.  The consensus among the general population seemed to be that He was one of God’s prophets Who had been resurrected.  Recall that even Herod had entertained that idea in chapter 14.  So, if that was the consensus, that He spoke for God, why didn’t they pay attention to Him and believe Him?  It appears that they did believe Him, to a point.  But they had been poisoned by the leaven of the Pharisees.  They rejected the notion, by and large, that there was any need to effect a transformation of the heart.  They also had a history of killing the prophets with whom they disagreed.

So, Jesus said, “But Who do you say that I am?”

While Peter seemed to frequently open his mouth before putting his brain in gear, this time he was spot on: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus tells us that Peter was enabled to see this only because God had revealed it to him.  It was not a conclusion from the physical realm.  The leaven of the Pharisees would have ruled out such an answer!

I Will Build My Church on This Rock

It is Jesus’ enigmatic reply that many have struggled to understand.  Let’s examine His statement line by line.

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!”  Recall, that in the beatitudes in Matthew 5, the blessed ones will inhabit the kingdom of God!  And this is the only place Jesus calls Peter by his surname, Bar-Jonah—meaning son of Jonah.  This is a deliberate textual link to Jesus’ comments about the sign of Jonah, the spokesman of God in Nineveh’s day, that He had just made a few days before when the Pharisees demanded a sign from heaven.  Peter’s words –his confession about Jesus’ divine identity—are a further revelation of Jesus’ authority—only, the Pharisees did not get to witness them.

“And I tell you, you are Peter.  And on this rock—the Son of Man, I will build My Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”  Many commentators have noted that the Greek word for ‘Peter’ and ‘the rock’ are similar. So, some argue that Peter is the rock and Jesus will build His Church on Peter.  Indeed, Paul in Ephesians 2:20 refers to the church “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.”  But this mostly likely refers to the apostles’ and prophets’ own foundation which is Jesus.  So, the Church is actually built on Jesus—just like the ministries of the apostles and prophets were also.  This is borne out also in 1 Cor 3:10-11 where Jesus is the only foundation for the Church. In 1 Cor 10, Paul refers to the Israelites drinking spiritually from a spiritual rock that was Christ.  Lo and behold, the Jordan gushing from the rock at Caesarea Philippi is the setting for Jesus statement.

Furthermore, how did Peter himself understand the foundation of the Church?  In 1 Peter 2:4-8, Jesus is the Living Stone and we are small living stones that are built on Him who was rejected by the builders but has become the Chief Cornerstone.  The word “stone of stumbling” there in 1 Peter is part of a quote from Isaiah 8:14. Peter’s quote uses the same Greek word that is translated “rock” in our passage in Matthew.  It is the word ‘petra’ (petra). Interestingly enough, it is the same word used in Matthew 7:24-28 to describe the foundation of the wise man’s house.  It means bedrock.  Jesus will build His Church on bedrock—Himself.  Jesus is the rock that will not roll. 

So why do some people say the rock is Peter himself?  The Greek word for Peter is ‘Petros’ (PetroV) which refers to a small pebble, stone, or detached rock and some feel this is intended to be a pun of equality.  But Peter saw himself as a living stone being built on the bedrock of Christ.  Jesus is saying, I will build my Church on the bedrock of Myself.  And you, Peter, are one of my choice stones being laid on Me. 

Some have thought that perhaps the Church is built on Peter’s confession (that Jesus is the Son of God).  But, as important as that is, the Church is built by Christ.  The only stone Peter saw in himself was the living stone he spoke about in 1 Peter 2 which also describes all believers who are built upon Jesus the foundation.

The Non-Prevailing Gates

Now what about “the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”  At Panias today there are giant iron barred gates preventing entrance into the cave where the door to Hades was once thought to be.  Many have thought Jesus was referring to attacks by the forces of Hell against the Church.  But, gates are purely defensive.  They don’t attack.  And the Greek word is ‘Hades’ (‘adhV) not ’Gehenna’ or Hell (geenna) as Jesus discusses in Matthew 5.  Hell is not yet inhabited by anyone—not even Satan. 

Remember our discussion earlier regarding Hades.  It is the realm of the dead.  The gates of Hades are the entrance to the realm of death.  So, Jesus is saying death will not prevail over Jesus or His Church.  We will die because of the curse but those who die in Jesus will be present with the Lord and will ultimately experience resurrection.  And Jesus Himself will conquer death in His resurrection.  Remember death was Adam’s curse.  It is now conquered.

The Keys of the Kingdom

Finally, Jesus’ next words have also provided fodder for an endless supply of jokes about Peter checking IDs at the gates of heaven.  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  And whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven” (Williams). This is like the NASB, Amplified and NET Bible.  The versions that have “shall be forbidden (or bound)” or “shall be permitted (or loosed)” are wrong (1) because of the Greek grammar and (2) because they seem to wrongfully imply that whatever the Apostles decide becomes the law of heaven!

What about those keys?  Notice that they aren’t for the gates of Hades but for the kingdom.  In Matthew 23:13, Jesus accused the Pharisees of shutting off the kingdom of heaven from people, not entering themselves, and not permitting others to go in.  But here Peter was given the authority to initiate the spread of the gospel—the good news—to all the world.  This he finally did on the day of Pentecost.  He opened a door that the Pharisees tried to slam shut—but failed miserably.  This door to the kingdom is still open today.  But some day it will shut.

And what were the terms of binding and loosing or permitting and forbidding?  We must be careful not to teach easy salvation like the Sadducees (You’re born into it) or difficult salvation like the Pharisees (You earn it).  It is a narrow path that leads to heaven.  Salvation is free but not cheap.  The apostles must preach the bread of heaven not the leaven of the Pharisees.  Beware of both legalism and rationalism.

Finally, why did He forbid them to share this yet?  Because they did not yet understand the role His death, burial, and resurrection would play in this great gift of salvation.  (See the next pericope). All they knew was that Jesus Himself would provide it.

© 2018 Eric Thimell

Hypocrisy: The Leaven of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:5-12)

In our study of Matthew, we have repeatedly noticed that Jesus does not just make random statements.  Matthew has deliberately arranged his historical narrative concerning Jesus’ ministry in such a way that we can view certain themes that Matthew found most compelling concerning the life and mission of the Messiah.  He has done this most effectively through the record of His interaction with the people, with their leaders and with His followers.

In our last study, we saw how the leaders – the Pharisees and Sadducees – like everyone – felt fairly confident in their ability to discern and respond to issues in the physical realm.  Jesus used the example of their ability to discern the weather from simple observations of the sky.  However, they were unable to discern “the signs of the times.”  They had dismissed the gospel of the kingdom that both John the Baptist and the Messiah had proclaimed saying, ‘Repent for the kingdom of God is within reach.’  Both of these divinely appointed spokesmen saw their message being embraced in the physical realm but rejected in the spiritual realm.  This was in large part due to the religious leaders being blind guides who both Jesus and John called ‘hypocrites’ – a term we need to investigate in the way that Jesus used it.  The result of their ‘hypocrisy’ was that they tended to focus on externals at the expense of the root problem which was in the heart.  Thus, there was no repentance—not even a recognition of the depth of the problem.  It was a fatal inability for them. 

We saw how the sign of Jonah was the only external sign they would get—and they would reject it.  Nineveh repented and yet God’s own chosen people refused to listen to the warning.

So now in verses 5-12 of chapter 16, Jesus takes his disciples back across the Sea of Galilee to Dalmanutha (which means harbor in Aramaic)—the port of the city of Magadan.  They apparently left in such a hurry that the disciples forgot to purchase enough bread for the trip.  So, they began arguing about whose fault it was.

Matthew reports that Jesus made a rather pointed observation and warning.  “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.”  Now, the disciples wrongly but naturally connected His comment with their failure to buy enough bread since leaven is a crucial ingredient in making bread.  Perhaps, Jesus’ comment came across as warning them not to buy bread from the Pharisees.  They were totally focused on the fact they had no bread and now it looked like Jesus didn’t want them buying bread from outsiders. (This can be a problem for us, too.  As we spend time in the Word, it is quite tempting to attempt to relate the passage of Scripture to our immediate felt needs instead of asking for God to open our eyes to what He is trying to show us.)

But Jesus used the opportunity to help them learn from the events of the past few weeks.  “Don’t you get it, guys?  Have you forgotten how God supplied our daily bread even miraculously with the feeding of the 5000 and then the 4000.  Remember all the leftovers from those events?” 

Then He repeated His enigmatic warning: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”  What kind of bread had the Pharisees supplied?  Not bread but leaven—an ingredient known for its ability to spread throughout the whole batch of dough and make it rise and when baked the flour has been transformed from a powder into bread.”  What is this ingredient that spreads and transforms that was propagated by the Pharisees?  Jesus had His words and works that presented the Word of God to repent for the kingdom of God is within reach.  The Pharisees had their words and works also. 

Jesus revealed that their words and works needed repentance—change—because they dealt with the externals only and even that was corrupt when examined in the light of Scripture.  So, to repeat the earlier assertion, their words and works were labeled by both John and Jesus as ‘hypocrisy.’  What exactly does Jesus mean by this?

In today’s usage, a hypocrite is one whose words do not match his works.  But this is not the whole picture as it is used in the New Testament.  In Greek, a hypocrite was the term used for orators and poetry readers and actors.  These were people who were attempting to give ‘an answer’ to a situation—which is the root meaning of ‘hypocrite’.  Eventually, its use for actors gave it a figurative emphasis on someone who was playacting.  But among the Greek speaking Jews, it was used to describe those who were godless despite a polished exterior.

In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were attempting to give their ‘answer’—their solution—to the problem of estrangement from God.  Their solution—their leaven—their teaching—was to polish the exterior.  Or, as Jesus put it later, ‘whitewash the mausoleum.’  But how do you ‘bring forth fruit in keeping with righteousness’ (as John the Baptist put it), when the condition of the heart was wicked (as Jesus had just pointed out)? 

The Pharisees resisted Jesus message that the interior world needed total transformation. It conflicted with their message, their teaching, their leaven, that the physical world was where the problem lay.  And the disciples’ argument about bread was a subtle shift in their understanding of ‘the answer.’  Jesus uses the incident to point out that ‘the answer’ is not to be found in our efforts surrounding the physical world.  We don’t ignore it, because Jesus did use real bread in the physical world to provide for a miracle feast—twice.  But, conflict in the physical world stems from unresolved issues in the unseen world of the heart.  In this case, a lack of faith and trust in their Leader.  This lack of faith was due to a spirit of self-reliance in the outer world—a whiff of the leaven of the Pharisees.

How is this focus on the exterior world affecting our hearts today?  I am speaking of believers.  Who or what are we looking at to save us, to sustain us, to provide for us?  I am afraid that even among believers there are differing visions of ’the answer’ to this need—differences that are causing divisions and bitterness between brothers and sisters in some quarters and even worse bitterness among some against the God Who provided a Savior—because their own expectations were not met in this outer world.

In Biblical terms, hypocrisy is ultimately a focus on the physical realm to solve a spiritual problem.  Jesus says, ‘Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.’  This is a leaven that spreads and affects everyone whom it contacts.

© 2018 Eric Thimell

The Sign of the Prophet Jonah (Matthew 16:1-4)

We have examined two successive rounds of questions that Jesus endured at the hands of the religious leaders and the unexpected answers and actions that Jesus provided in return.  To try to regain face, the Pharisees ascribed Jesus’ power to Beelzebul and they also attempted to recast His public image as One Who rejected the traditions of the elders.  As a result, Jesus’ public support as a spiritual leader began to wane.  They still loved His ability to heal and provide bread but they were unsure of His authority to teach.

In Matthew 16, the Pharisees demanded that He provide a sign from heaven.  They had already made this demand after spreading their opinion that Jesus’ power came from Beelzebul in Chapter 12.  But Jesus had refused to give any such sign.  He said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”  This statement is repeated verbatim in chapter 16 but with some differences we will examine.

Notice that in chapter 12 it was the scribes and Pharisees.  In our text in chapter 16 we have the Pharisees and Sadducees.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were usually at odds with one another.  But here they have agreed together to test Jesus (according to verse 1).  The Sadducees did not even believe in miracles so their participation was entirely gratuitous.  They had an ulterior motive. Matthew says they wanted to test Him.  We already know how that turned out for Satan at Jesus’ testing in the wilderness.

Notice here that Jesus’ opening comment is a little different.  He begins by talking about signs in the weather.  This sort of sign they all believed in—just as everyone does even today.  This is called “empirical evidence.”  It’s based on careful observations that have been shown to be repeatable.  This is not the same thing as rigid proof (i.e. that it is known that it will always happen that way) but it is as close as finite people can come. 

They all knew that in Israel when the sky was red in the evening (i.e. in the west), they could expect fair weather.  But a red sky in the morning (i.e. in the east) meant stormy weather was coming.  We have a similar proverbial saying among sailors: “Red sky at night—sailor’s delight.  Red sky in the morning—sailors take warning.”

But Jesus pointed out that they had no way of applying observational science to God’s timetable—the signs of the times.  Then He repeated His comment that He had given earlier in chapter 12 and quoted above.  Why is there no sign to be given to an “evil and adulterous generation?”  If a person is rebelling against God—actively resisting God—you cannot compel such a person to believe.  You can give them evidence—such as you have—but faith is ultimately a heart matter—not a head matter.  So, what is the evidence that they will be given—for what good it will do—to those who are rejecting God?

Once again, Jesus repeats the sign that they will get— “the sign of Jonah.”  Or as chapter 12 called it— “the sign of the prophet Jonah.”  In chapter 12, recall that Jesus added a comment – “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

There are actually two points that Jesus is making in both chapter 12 and repeated here in chapter 16. 

1)  Jesus predicts His own resurrection from the dead.  And

2)  Jesus’ credentials as a prophet of God—as One Who speaks for God—will be obvious after His resurrection.  (He doesn’t expound on that theme here but Matthew looking back records that Jesus does predict not only His death but also His resurrection on the third day.)  Some might take this by itself as proof of His divinity, but others also rose from the dead in the past and will again in the future.  But taken as a predicted sign, it does prove His credentials to speak for God. 

How do you test a prophet of God? 

1) Do they teach contrary to God’s already revealed commands? 

2) Do their predictions come true?  (Of course, combined with such credentials, notice that He does claim to be the Messiah in other places.  Also in a few paragraphs down, Peter will make the leap and exclaim, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’ and Jesus accepts this worship but cautions the disciples not to discuss this publicly.  More on this when we study those verses.) 

Notice also, that Jonah was a prophet whose warnings were heeded and a city was saved from destruction. Jesus, in His role as a prophet of God (one of His many roles at that time), was warning the people of Israel over and over to ‘repent for the Kingdom of God is within reach.’  Since they are rejecting His role as a spokesman for God, they are not going to get any further sign.  That’s all Nineveh got and they repented. 

It is important that we understand, then, what is meant by repentance.  In Nineveh’s case, they needed to turn from their wicked ways (Jonah 3:8-10).  In Israel’s case, they refused to listen to God’s Spokesman patiently explain what God desired of their behavior.  (By the way, in Jonah’s day, the deadline was 40 days.  In Jesus’ day, Jerusalem would be destroyed in 40 years.)  How does repentance apply to us?

God is a holy God in His nature and cannot abide sin in any form.  We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and deserve eternal separation (Romans 6:23) from this holy God.  But Jesus’ took upon Himself all our sins and died in our place that we might not perish but have eternal life with God (Jn. 3:16).  So, we who are believers receive salvation as a free gift (Eph 2:8-9).

Yet even those who truly believe continue to sin—though maybe not so blatantly—yet it is still sin that God cannot abide.  We can confess it and God will forgive us (1 Jn. 1:9) based on the merits of Christ’s death in our place but there must also be a desire in us to stop committing sins.  Every siren call in our body, in the world, from the devil, must be marked off as sin and replaced with a desire to please God in all things.  This turnabout is called repentance.  And we need to do it as often as needed.

Some Bible teachers also see it as a prerequisite for being born again—but the Biblical requirement for salvation is faith not works or efforts.  So, we begin by faith and for some it may frequently involve turning from some sins that we know are opposed to God’s will—certainly anything that prevents us from trusting in Christ alone.  Repentance is needed at the beginning to whatever extent sin may be an obstacle to belief in Jesus.

The problem is that our repentance is not as comprehensive as we would like it to be.  But it is something that every child of God will need to participate in as the Spirit of God convicts us by the Word of God—the sword of the Spirit.  It will be a lifelong process to willingly and obediently turn from things that we come to see as opposed to the nature of God.  It will not be completed in one moment of time.

The Pharisees had twin problems:  they were hypocrites and they refused to repent even when Jesus, God’s Spokesman, exposed them.  Matthew gives this ominous last word in 16:4, ‘So He left them, and departed.’  May we not reject or resist the uncomfortable conviction of God.  Our window of opportunity is limited.  If you continue to feel conviction, thank God.  He hasn’t departed! He is still dealing with you and pleading with you.  We only have a limited window of opportunity when God will continue to work in us in this life.

Now, of course, the evil one can also use past indiscretions to immobilize us.  If we have confessed them and repented of them then we are clear before God, but if not, they can prevent us from living a victorious Christian life.  How can you tell if your discomfort from past sins is from God or the evil one?  The Spirit of God is always specific.  Satan leaves you in a muddle.

Someone greater than Jonah the prophet, far greater, has spoken for God.  The Pharisees and Sadducees closed their ears and Jesus departed from them.

© 2018 Eric Thimell

Crumbs from the Master’s Table (Matthew 15:21-39)

In our last study in Matthew, Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees in front of a crowd of people for a second time. 

The first time was when they charged Him with casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul.  Jesus answered the charge by pointing out that if this were true then Satan must be pretty stupid.  But the charge seemed to cloud the people’s thinking since they always looked up to these leaders.  Jesus continued to teach them but in a veiled way using parables.  These teaching devices helped to explain to those who were tuned in to His words why there would be a delay in the coming of the kingdom.

But then in chapter 15, there was a second confrontation concerning the fact that Jesus did not pay much heed to the traditions of the elders—the extra-Biblical practices that were supposed to ensure true godliness.  And, just like his earlier answer, Jesus showed how foolish they were just using common sense.  But even more embarrassing was His evaluation of another non-biblical tradition that actually contradicted the biblical commandment of God to honor your parents.  He explained to His disciples that the Pharisees may have been well-meaning but they were blind and were leading others to destruction.  Sincerity is never the test for truth—reality is.

Notice in both confrontations how Jesus responded to the false teaching.  First, when they said He was empowered by Beelzebul and second when they said He was unconcerned with defilement.  In both cases, He answered the charge without emotional personal attacks.  He was passionate for the truth without getting personal.  The Pharisees were blind guides, He said—but that implies that they didn’t know any better. When we encounter false teaching, let this be a lesson in both firmness and gentleness.  Too often, we have seen false teachers attacked as if they were deliberately being evil—and not just blind and deceived themselves.

Now, in the remainder of the chapter, we are going to look at another response of Jesus to this growing opposition.  Remember, that after the first charge and His response, He began teaching in parables.  And now after this second charge and His response, He does something else.  He leaves Galilee and heads up to what is today southern Lebanon—the Bible calls it the “district of Tyre and Sidon.”  This was the area where King Hiram cut down huge beams of cedar for Solomon to use for roof beams in building the temple.  Later it became known as the homeland of the Phoenicians.  It was populated by both Jews and Gentiles at this time.  Jesus had spent most of his time teaching in Galilee but for now He heads northeast for Lebanon.  If He actually visited the ancient site of Tyre itself, that was about 40 miles or several days’ travel. But it seems that He wanted to avoid provoking the religious authorities too much because it was not yet “His time.”  But He also had another couple of reasons that the text makes clear. 

There was a “Canaanite woman” there that had a demon oppressed daughter.  Mark calls the mother a Syrophoenician. She pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter.  Notice that Matthew has just mentioned that, for Jesus, the biggest issue we have is the problem of evil in the heart.  Here is a girl with an evil spirit that needs to be cast out.  Her Gentile mother is crying out and begging Jesus for help.  But Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”  Jesus’ main reason for being there was to reach these Jewish people—these lost sheep of Israel.  But the Canaanite woman knelt down and pleaded with Him.  And Jesus said, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs.”  Some people point out that the Jews called Gentiles disparaging terms like “dogs” but here Jesus seems to be speaking in a proverbial way.  His mission was to feed Israel.  But the woman persisted and humbled herself saying, “Yes, but even the dogs are allowed to eat the crumbs that fall to the floor.”  Jesus was so excited to see her faith that He healed her daughter right then and there.  Here are the lost sheep of Israel—God’s children—mostly rejecting Jesus message of repentance even though He backs it up with clear signs of His heavenly authority while this Gentile is begging for a few crumbs.  And Jesus responds with compassion!

Matthew records that Jesus left the area and went back to the Sea of Galilee but Mark points out specifically that He goes to the district of Decapolis which is on the east side of the lake.  Decapolis was for centuries a Gentile area so named for the ten principal cities of the area.  But although He initially entered the area quietly according to Mark, the people eventually discovered that He was there.  Matthew describes the many people that came to Him for healing: “the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others.”  And the crowds wondered and glorified the God of Israel when they witnessed Jesus heal them all.

It is at this time that the crowds were growing despite the desolate nature of the place and after three days of growing numbers and no sign of them leaving, that Jesus pointed out to His disciples once again that He needed to feed them.  So, Matthew records what to many critics seems like a redundant repeat of His earlier feeding of the 5000.  But notice that this event is recorded just a few pericopes later.  And furthermore, in our next chapter in Matthew, within the same paragraph, Jesus Himself will refer to both as separate incidents that prove His ability to provide.  (So critics, begone!)  This feeding used seven loaves and a “few fish” while the other one used five loaves and two fish.  This time he only fed 4000 people and only had seven baskets of leftovers while the other incident had twelve baskets of leftovers.  I say ONLY 4000 but of course it is exactly what was needed!  “They all ate and were satisfied” just like the 5000.  Jesus supplies exactly what we need.  And we need far more than full bellies and physical health.

Note, by way of comment, that Jesus did not do miraculous feedings very often.  It was an act of compassion but it was also a miraculous sign that He was sent by the same God who had fed the Israelites in the wilderness.  Now, these children were “lost sheep” who had gone astray.  Jesus came to plead with them to repent and return to the God Who loved them.  They liked His food and His healing but they were not so sure about His message.  But here in Galilee, Decapolis, and Tyre where the international trade route passed, thousands of Gentiles also saw Jesus and they were also attracted to Him.  They had no loyalty to the Jewish religious establishment and their own false religious sentiments were shown to be quite hollow in comparison to what Jesus preached.  This area is where the early church was most quickly established for we learn later that it is in this area (to the north of Israel) at Antioch where the believers were first called Christians.

The first missionaries to Asia discovered a similar problem.  When they had few converts in those early days they noticed that the few they had were frequently more interested in the free meals.  And whenever persecution came they fell away quickly.  The missionaries called them “rice Christians.”  After the missionaries were forced out in 1949 by the Communists believers in the West wondered if the tiny church would survive.  But under persecution the church actually exploded in numbers.  Some experts estimate that they outnumber their brethren in the West today.  It is Christ Himself that we really need in order to grow.  Miracles and free food were His credentials but not the message.  Do we believe in God because of miraculous answers to prayer or because we realize we just need Him?

© 2018 Eric Thimell

Trusting the Messiah: The Four Soils Demonstrated (Matthew 13: 53-14:36)

We have been looking at a series of parables designed to teach about the kingdom of heaven in a veiled way.  Last time we looked at four parables that answer the question, “Why is God still sowing seed while we wait for the kingdom?”  Earlier in the parable of the four soils, we saw that this seed is the Word of God which has varying results at harvest depending on the receptivity of the soil. 

Now, this time, we will finish chapter 13 and move quickly through chapter 14 to look at several pericopes that demonstrate the varying receptivity of different people just as Jesus taught in the parable of the four soils.  There are actually five pericopes we will zip through in this endeavor.  While there are several lesser observations that we will not have time to develop and apply, hopefully we can mention some of these sub themes as we ride by at full speed.  What we are attempting to do is to get a good handle on what Matthew’s purpose is in telling his future audiences these accounts.  They are all tied together and are deliberately placed in the text right after his day long teaching of parables.

The first pericope is in Matthew 13:53-58.  The ESV titles it: “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth.”    Right after Jesus delivered his last parable at the seaside, He left and went to Nazareth some 25 miles from Capernaum so he may have made the journey the day after leaving the seaside after spending the night in Capernaum.  Nazareth is where he grew up after his family returned from Egypt.  This passage informs us that he had four brothers as well as some unnamed sisters.  We learn that His step father was skilled in the building trade. (That is the actual meaning of the word usually translated “carpenter.” The word encompasses working with both wood and stone for constructing buildings—not furniture.  So, a better translation would be: “Is this not the builder’s son?”)  The townsfolk were familiar with the whole family including Jesus, the one they would have called the builder’s eldest son.  Remember that Joseph was protecting Mary from any hint of scandal so as far as anyone in town knew, Joseph was the real father. (Jesus had been born out of town and lived awhile in Egypt before moving to Nazareth).  Nazareth was not a large town at all but very Jewish even though it was just 3½ miles from the much larger pagan Roman metropolis of Sepphoris.  No wonder the townsfolk were so bewildered by Jesus’ wisdom and facility in the Scriptures.  There were no universities in Nazareth.  The saying that “familiarity breeds contempt” was thus demonstrated in full right there.  “I used to babysit for you—you can’t be the Messiah.”  Thus, this is the real-life illustration of the seed sown on the path.  Matthew comments that He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  In many places, people have become so familiar with the gospel that they reject the Savior.  They have become inoculated against it and few people are even paying attention anymore.

The second pericope is in Matthew 14:1-12.  This catches us up with the death of John the Baptist which had already occurred.  Wicked King Herod had already had him beheaded but upon hearing about the miracles that Jesus was doing, He wondered if Jesus might be John resurrected from the dead!  He had no problem believing in miracles from God!  But he wasn’t coming to Jesus for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.  Herod is like the seed sown on rocky ground.  Mark 6 even says he listened to John “gladly” like the rocky ground seed that received the Word “with joy.”  But there were too many relationship obstacles and pleasurable pursuits for him to give up if he were to follow Jesus.  In the end he murdered the man who had the words of life.

The third pericope is in Matthew 14:13-21.  The ESV entitles this “Jesus feeds the 5000.”  Matthew positions this pericope immediately after being told about John the Baptist’s death.  And Jesus went away to a desolate place all by Himself –perhaps to mourn for John and pray.  But it wasn’t long before the crowds found Him out in the middle of nowhere.  They had made great effort to track Him down.  And so, Jesus saw them on the shore there and He landed His boat and had compassion on them and healed them all day.  When the disciples realized that there was no food they tried to send the people on a long trek to find dinner but Jesus insisted that they feed them!  So, the disciples showed that they had at least prepared enough for themselves and had but five loaves and two fish but Jesus took them and blessed them and had them pass out the pieces as He broke them and they fed over 5000 and had leftovers enough for each of the twelve to carry a whole basket home.  This crowd’s response is like the seed sown among the weeds and the thorns.  It grows but doesn’t bear much fruit.  This crowd is believing in Him but mostly for the food and miracles.

The fourth pericope is in Matthew 14:22-32.  This is the familiar account of Jesus walking on the water.  Matthew places this immediately after feeding the 5000.  The disciples hit the boat and leave very quickly while Jesus stays behind to dismiss the crowd.  Meanwhile the disciples in the boat encounter contrary winds and row all night long.  But Jesus catches up to them in the fourth watch of the night (this is 3-6 am) by walking on the water.  They were so frightened they even thought He was a spirit. But Jesus spoke to them (apparently, they could hear Him despite the wind) and identified Himself.  He told them to take courage and don’t be afraid.  That’s when Peter realized that this really was Jesus.  And His faith welled up and emboldened Him to ask if he could also walk out to Him on the water.  Jesus told him to come and away Peter went for a few minutes—and then he was distracted by the impossibilities surrounding him and he began to sink.  But he cried, “Lord, save me” and Jesus grabbed hold of him and then asked, “Why did you doubt?”  They both got into the boat.  The wind stopped.  And everyone worshiped Jesus saying, “You are the Son of God.”  They were totally convinced.  This is like soil #4, the fertile ground.  There are varying levels of belief but they all trust Him as the Son of God.

Now the final pericope is in Matthew 14:34-36.  Matthew again places this account immediately after they land their boat the next morning.  There hasn’t been any rest but the people of Gennesaret immediately brought their sick to see Him.  They even begged to touch his hem or possibly the tassel of His tallit—His prayer shawl—and those who did were also healed.  Again, there is at least faith enough to receive healing.  This is likely soil #3 or #4 again. 

Do you see the varying faith responses to Jesus?  Jesus longs to see the response of faith.  He encourages it every step of the way.  He is looking for faith that grows and is fruitful.

Here’s a question to think about.  How has your faith been growing?

© 2018 Eric Thimell

The Authority of the Messiah Challenged by Tradition (Matthew 15:1-20)

For the past few weeks we have followed Jesus response to the Pharisees challenging His miraculous credentials.  Their arguments seem to have swayed many people to reject Jesus as Messiah, yet they still enjoyed hearing Him and experiencing His healing—apparently, even if it was supposedly the work of Beelzebub!   The heart of the problem was one of authority. Jesus had challenged the authority of the Pharisees.  Everyone claimed that they wanted the kingdom of heaven but they weren’t so sure about wanting to live like one of the blessed citizens.

We have a similar issue today—what I call the problem of ‘cafeteria Christians.’  I’ll have some love, justice and mercy for me (not my neighbor).  Skip the truth—it’s too convicting. Transform my neighbor.  She needs it, but I’m just fine.

So, Jesus taught regarding the nature of the kingdom—in parables.  The kingdom was not universal in membership but it would affect the entire world.  Some would reject and others would accept this message with varying degrees of enthusiasm and dedication.  It would start small but would be thorough.  It was God’s highest desire for which He would pay the highest price.

Then Matthew records how even Jesus’ own family and hometown rejected Him as a teacher—just as His people would ultimately reject Him.  (We know His mother and at least two of His brothers were later totally on board just as we know that His own people will also one day be totally on board.)   And yet, even non-Jewish Edomite Herod seemed to believe up to a point.  And many other people were desperate enough to trust Jesus for miracles of healing and provision.

Now in Matthew 15:1-20 the Pharisees were back with some legal experts from Jerusalem and they wanted to prove that Jesus wasn’t following some universal Jewish traditions—some things agreed upon by both the Sadducees and the Pharisees.  This was a set of customs called the Halakhoth: the “traditions of the elders.”  They are not found in Scripture but are long standing traditions that are supposed to help the Jews maintain their purity of religion.

In Matthew 15, the immediate issue was the custom of ‘washing away’ impurity from contact with non-Jews.  So, you washed before and after eating, after coming from the marketplace, or after a journey.  You washed pots and pans and containers.  You always used a tiny container holding perhaps half a pint of water taken from a ceremonially pure stone container or from a flowing stream.  The washing had nothing to do with dirt but had everything to do with ‘ceremonial uncleanness.’  When you washed your hands, you made a fist and let the water dribble down to your wrists.  Then you were considered clean.  Jesus taught His disciples that this was unnecessary and the Pharisees hit on Him for opposing a universally accepted custom.

Now it was not wrong to do all these washings—except those who maintained these traditions began to see them as a simple way of verifying one’s righteousness.  Jesus could have just followed the custom so as not to upset the people (and given the Pharisees an opening to accuse Him).  But something very important was at stake here.  There is NO substitute for righteousness of the heart. 

Jesus needed to give authoritative easily understood proof that these Halakhoth (traditions) were blinding them to their need for true righteousness.  He pointed to another tradition that was also one of the eleven universally accepted Halakhoth. The Jews called it Corban meaning “dedicated to God.”  This sounds mighty righteous, doesn’t it? The custom was originally instituted to allow a person to promise to give some property or some money to the Temple upon death but to go on using it as if it still belonged to you until then.  It benefited both the Temple treasury and the ‘donor,” in that, no one could attach this property for a debt and the Temple was constantly being enriched as people died.  Also, people who were owed money or who claimed they were owed money could declare that debt as Corban thus making the other person guilty of wrongfully withholding money belonging to the Temple. Yet if the debt were paid the person collecting it could still withhold it from the temple since it did not pass to the Temple until their demise!   Jesus was pointing out that some people were doing this just so they didn’t have to provide for their elderly parents.  The whole thing had become a con game for people’s greed.  There was nothing righteous about it.

But what about the hand washing tradition?  (You’re evading the issue, Jesus.)  So, Jesus, after establishing that some traditions contradicted the Law of God, went on and demonstrated that this particular tradition did not do what they taught it did—namely, it did not remove true defilement.  Hand washing removes only exterior filth but it has no value with regard to spiritual defilement.  Such impurities come from the heart as He has taught them over and over again.  Our heart needs to be cleansed because that is where external sin is born.  Little do they know that this is what Jesus has come to do.

Now after his explanation that the traditions of men could not and did not replace the actual commandments of God, He quoted from Isaiah 22:13 to the effect that their misplaced tradition had the effect of distracting them from the true worship of God because this replacement had become disobedience.

Things got pretty uncomfortable and even Jesus’ disciples became somewhat fearful of offending the Pharisees and mentioned the fact to Jesus.  But Jesus compared their reliance on extraneous traditions to weeds that will be destroyed at harvest time.  He also pointed out that this was due to blindness on their part.  They really thought they were guiding people but the awful truth was that they would lead many to destruction.

Notice that Peter still didn’t understand that the Pharisees were providing a cure for an imaginary defilement while being completely oblivious to real defilement which resides in the heart.  (By the way, Jesus came, not only to forgive the sins of the body and the sins of the heart, but also to cleanse us—1 John 1:9.)

Even today, it is still possible to maintain a list of “don’ts” or even “dos” that can serve to distract us from our need for heart righteousness—even when the list itself may be Biblical.  I may think that because I have maintained the external standards—I have controlled my behavior—and now I am “good to go.”  That’s Pharisaical righteousness!  The behavior may be commendable but what about my heart?

© 2018 Eric Thimell

The King Sacrifices All in His Search for Citizens (Matthew 13:44-52)

We have been looking at a series of parables that Jesus told the crowds while they sat by the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  All these parables dealt with the subject of the Kingdom of Heaven but were designed to be understood only by those who believed in Jesus.  And even then, Jesus had to explain several of them to the disciples.  Last time we looked at three parables that explained the coming of the Kingdom of heaven and how it would start small and grow large, how it was not designed to destroy unbelievers immediately lest it harm believers in the process, and how the gospel of the kingdom would spread all over the world.  The coming of the kingdom will be slow, thorough, and patient but surprisingly not everyone will want to be a part of it.

This time we will look at four more parables that answer the question, “Why is God sowing seed while we wait for the kingdom?”  In the parable of the ‘wheat and the weeds’ and the parable of the ‘four soils,’ we saw that this represents the Word of God in one parable and the Sons of the Kingdom in another.  In other words, God uses both people and His Word to reach more people.  But why doesn’t He just set up the kingdom right now and let those who believe enter immediately?  There are several reasons.

Let’s look first at the parable of the hidden treasure in verse 44.  We see here that the kingdom is compared to a ‘Hidden Treasure’ that a man found in a field.  The man covered it back up so no one else would claim it or steal it and then sets about to legally obtain possession of the field (and all that is in it).  He is thrilled to sell everything he owns just to get that field that contains the treasure.  He pays the price for the entire field even though it is the hidden treasure that he is focused on.  Just so, the Messiah would give up His home in heaven, and give His body as a sacrifice offering salvation to the whole world even though he knew that not everyone would believe.  (1 Jn 2:2 and many others).

The second parable in verse 45 called ’the Pearl of Great Price’ is similar.  A jewel merchant is looking for fine pearls to buy when he finds one special pearl of enormous value.  He wants it so much that He sells everything to buy it.  Once again, notice that something valuable is so dear that everything is sacrificed to obtain it.  Jesus gave His life for us.

Now in verses 47-50 what is sought here?  Good fish are sought and so the seas are scoured looking for good fish.  In the process, the net brings up ‘Good and Bad Fish’ which are sorted through throwing away the bad fish and keeping the good.  Here, Jesus gives some explanation.  The angels do the sorting at the end of the age where the righteous are what is sought while the evil are thrown into a fiery furnace like in the parable of the ‘Wheat and the Weeds’ where the weeds are also gathered at the end of the age by the angels and thrown into a fiery furnace.  In both cases the bad fish and the weeds represent evil persons who are consigned to the furnace where they experience weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Finally, in verses 51 and 52 the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house who shows off among his ‘treasures things that are new as well as things that are old.’  Jesus compares this master to a scribe (an expert in teaching the Bible) who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven.  He studies the Word of God which is filled with valuable things both ancient and recent.  In this case, we see the great value of the Word of God whether we are reading the Old or New Testament because in them we discover the way to the kingdom of heaven.  As Paul later puts it, “All Scripture is profitable for instruction . . .”

So, in these parables, the King looks for citizens to people His kingdom—such people are of huge worth to Him.  He gives up the life of His Son for them.  Even though His life is payment for the whole world, only some will actually believe and follow Him—yet they are still exceedingly valuable to Him.  In His search, He looks at all men and like the weeds and the bad fish, those who reject Him are punished, but those who believe enter the kingdom.  Of great value in this enterprise is the Word of God as it goes out proclaiming the good news whether it is from the Law, the Prophets, or the Apostles, because like the good seed it will eventually bring forth a valuable harvest.

© 2018 Eric Thimell