Monday
– 11th March
Topic:
The King’s Concern
Read:
Matthew 15
As
in the previous chapter, we see the Lord in conflict with His enemies (15:1-11), teaching His own disciples (15:12-20), and ministering to the
needy multitudes (15:21-31). This is
the pattern during this period of withdrawal.
Our
Lord's great concerns are truth and love. He taught the Jewish leaders the
truth and exposed their hypocrisy, and He showed the Gentile crowds love as He
met their needs. By studying these two concerns, we can understand the message
of this chapter.
Truth: He Rejected Jewish Tradition
(15:1-20)
This
dramatic event involved three requests and three replies.
The Scribes and
Pharisees (vv. I-II).
The fact that the scribes and Pharisees united in this attack, and came all the
way from Jerusalem to speak to Jesus, indicates the seriousness of their
purpose. It is likely that this committee represented the leaders of the
Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.
Their
accusation about "washing hands" had nothing to do with cleanliness.
They were referring to the ceremonial washings of the rigidly orthodox Jews (see Mark 7:1-4). It was bad enough
that Jesus and His disciples mingled with outcasts, but they did not even seek
to be purified! Of course, in making this accusation, these religious leaders
were forcing Jesus to deal with the very foundation of their religious faith.
If Jesus rejected the sacred traditions of the nation, then He was a heretic!
Where
did these traditions come from? They were handed down from the teachers of
previous generations. These traditions were originally the "oral law"
which (said the rabbis) Moses gave to the elders, and they passed down to the
nation. This oral law was finally written down and became the Mishnah.
Unfortunately, the Mishnah became more important and more authoritative than the
original Law of Moses.
Our
Lord's reply to their charge began with an accusation (v. 3). It was they who were breaking God's Law by practicing their
traditions! He then proceeded with an illustration (vv. 4-6), their practice of "Corban" (see Mark 7:11). The Hebrew word
Corban means "a gift." If a Jew wanted to escape some financial
responsibilities, he would declare his goods to be "Corban-a gift to
God." This meant he was free from other obligations, such as caring for
his parents. But in so doing, the person was losing the power of God's Word in
his life, and thus hurting his character and missing God's blessing.
Jesus
concluded His reply with an application (vv.
7-11), quoting Isaiah 29:13. Jesus
made it clear that obedience to tradition made a person disobedient to the Word
of God; and this proved the tradition to be false. Exodus 20: 12 taught a man
to "honor" father and mother. But the "Corban" rule would
make a person dishonor his parents, and, at the same time, disobey God.
Tradition
is something external, while God's truth is internal, in the heart. People obey
tradition to please men and gain status (Gal.
1:14), but we obey the Word to please God. Tradition deals with ritual,
while God's truth deals with reality. Tradition brings empty words to the lips,
but truth penetrates the heart and changes the life. Actually, tradition robs a
person of the power of the Word of God.
Tuesday
– 12th March
Topic:
The King’s Concern
Read:
Matthew 15:1-20
Unfortunately,
there are many "evangelical traditions" in churches today, man-made
teachings that are often considered as authoritative as the Word of God-even
though they contradict His Word. By obeying these traditions, Christians rob
themselves of the power of God's Word.
God
wants us to give Him our hearts, and not just our lip service. We believe in
the heart (Rom. 10:9-10), love from
the heart (Matt. 22:37), sing from
the heart (Col. 3:16), obey from the
heart (Eph. 6:6; Rom. 6:17), and
give from the heart (2 Cor. 9:7). No
wonder David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, a God!" (Ps. 51:10)
Jesus
declared boldly to the multitudes that sin comes from the heart, not from the
diet. It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles us, not what goes in.
The
disciples (vv. 12-14). The disciples
were astounded by what Jesus taught about foods. After all, they had been
raised good Jews (see Acts 10:14 for
Peter's testimony). They knew the difference between the "clean"
and "unclean" foods (Lev. 11).
But
the disciples had another concern: This teaching had offended the Pharisees and
was certain to create serious problems. But Jesus was not worried about the
Pharisees. Neither they nor their teachings had been planted by God, and
therefore would not last. While there are isolated groups that seek to maintain
the traditions, for the most part, Phariseeism is gone. However, the spirit
of Phariseeism (tradition, legalism, hypocrisy, externals) is still with us,
what Jesus called "the leaven of the Pharisees" (16:6).
Jesus
also pointed out that the Pharisees were blind and could only lead their
converts into the ditch. In Matthew 23:16, He called them "blind guides"- quite a graphic description.
Why be afraid of rootless plants that are dying, or blind guides who cannot see
where they are going?
Peter (vv. 15-20). Peter was not content
until he had an explanation of the saying about foods. Patiently our Lord
explained the lesson again. The meaning seems obvious to us, but it was
astonishingly new to orthodox Jews. Whatever enters the mouth eventually goes
into the stomach and comes out in human waste. Food never touches the heart.
But what comes out of the mouth begins in the heart, and these
things defile a person. Of course, actions are included with words;
often actions speak louder than words.
The
Lord had to repeat this lesson on foods to Peter a few years later when He was
going to call him to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 10). Paul repeated it in 1 Timothy
4:3-6. He also dealt with it in Romans 14, Romans 15
Compassion: He Responded to Gentile
Needs (15:21-39)
Not
only did Jesus teach that no foods were unclean, but He practiced His teaching
by going into Gentile territory. He left Israel and withdrew again, this time
into the area of Tyre and Sidon. The Gentiles were "unclean" as far
as the Jews were concerned. In fact, Jews referred to the Gentiles as
"dogs." That Jesus would minister to Gentiles was no surprise (Matt. 12:17-21), although at that
time, the emphasis was on ministering to Israel (10:5-6).
Wednesday
– 13th March
Topic:
The King’s Concern
Read:
Matthew 15:21-39
The demonized (vv. 21-28). Jesus was trying to
remain hidden (Mark 7:24), but
somehow this Canaanite woman heard where He was and came to Him with her need.
Keep in mind that our Lord responded to this woman as He did, not to destroy
her faith, but to develop it. Her own replies showed that she was growing in
faith and unwilling to let Him go without getting an answer. Godly Samuel
Rutherford stated this principle perfectly: "It is faith's work to claim
and challenge loving kindness out of all the "roughest strokes of God
"
When
she approached Him as "Son of David," she was definitely putting
herself on Jewish ground; and this she could not do, because she was a Gentile.
Of course, this title did reveal her faith in Him as the Messiah of God, for'
'Son of David" was a name for the Messiah (Matt. 22:42). Since she came t-o Him on Jewish terms, He was
silent. Of course, He knew her heart, and even His silence encouraged her to
continue asking.
Impatient
with her persistent following and crying out, the disciples said, "Send
her away!" We are not sure whether they meant, "Give her what she
wants and get rid of her” or just' 'Get rid of her! " In either case, they
were not showing much compassion for either her or her demonized daughter. Our
Lord's reply in verse 24 indicates
that they probably wanted Him to answer her request. .
We
cannot but admire the patience and persistence of this Gentile mother.
"Lord, help me!" was her next plea; and this time she avoided any
messianic titles. She came as a sinner needing help, and she offered no
argument. In His reply, Jesus did not call her a "dog" the way the
Pharisees would have addressed a Gentile. The Greek word means "a little
pet dog' and not the filthy curs that ran the streets and ate the garbage. The
children" referred, of course, to the people of Israel.
Jesus
was not playing games with the woman, nor was He trying to make the situation
more difficult. He was drawing out of her a growing response of faith. She
immediately seized upon His illustration about the children's bread, which was
exactly what He wanted her to do. We may paraphrase her reply: "It is true
that we Gentiles do not sit at the table as children and eat the bread. But
even the pet dogs under the table can eat some of the crumbs!" What a
tremendous testimony of faith!
It
was this faith that Jesus acknowledged, and immediately. He healed her
daughter. It is worth noting that both of the persons in the Gospel of Matthew
who had "great faith". were Gentiles: this Canaanite woman and the
Roman centurion (Matt. 8:5-13). In
both cases, Jesus healed the one in need from a distance. Spiritually speaking.
the Gentiles were' 'afar off" until Calvary, when Jesus Christ died for
both Jews and Gentiles and made reconciliation possible (Eph. 2:11ff).
This
woman's faith was great because she persisted in asking and trusting when
everything seemed against her. Certainly her race was against her: She was a
Gentile. Her sex was against her. for most Jewish rabbis paid little attention
to women. It seemed that the disciples were against her, and Christ's words
might have led her to believe that even He was against her. All of these
obstacles only made her persist in asking.
Thursday
– 14th March
Topic:
The King’s Concern
Read:
Matthew 15:29-39
The sick and handicapped (vv. 29-31). Jesus departed from the
borders of Tyre and Sidon and went to the region of the Decapolis. The Decapolis
included 10 cities that were in a league and were authorized by the Romans to
mint their own coins, run their own courts and have their own army. This was
predominantly Gentile territory.
Jesus
healed there a man who was deaf and dumb (Mark
7:31-37).
Even
though the Lord cautioned the man to be silent, be and his friends spread the
account of the miracle abroad. This apparently caused a great crowd to gather-including
people who were lame, blind, dumb, and crippled (maimed). Jesus healed these
people, and the Gentiles "glorified the God of Israel ".
We
cannot help but marvel at the contrast between these Gentiles and. the Jewish
leaders who knew the Old Testament Scriptures. The Gentiles glorified Israel's
God, but the Jewish leaders said that Jesus was in league with Satan (Matt. 12:22-24). Our Lord's miracles
did not cause the Jewish cities to repent (Matt.
11:20ff), yet the Gentiles believed in Him. The very miracles that He
performed should have convinced the Jews that He was the Messiah (Matt. 11:1-6; Isa. 29:18-19, Isa. 35:4-6).
Jesus marveled at the faith of a Gentile soldier and a Gentile mother. Yes, He
was amazed at the unbelief of His own people (Mark 6:6).
The
hungry (vv, 32-39). Critics have accused the Gospel writers of
deliberately falsifying the records in order to prove that Jesus performed more
miracles. They claim that the feeding of the 4.000 was merely an adaptation of
the previous miracle of feeding 5.000. A
careful examination of the records shows that this accusation is false and that
the critics are wrong. This chart shows the differences between the two events,
Feeding 5,000 Feeding 4,000
Primarily
Jews Primarily Gentiles
Galilee,
near Bethsaida The
Decapolis
5
loaves, 2 fish
7 loaves, “ a few fish”
12
baskets over
7 baskets over
Crowd
with Him 1 day Crowd with Him 3 days
Spring
of year (green grass) Summer season
Since
the crowd of 4,000 had been with Him three days, they have used up their own
supplies of food. Our Lord's compassionate heart would not permit Him to send
them on their way hungry, lest they faint along the way. The first motive for
this miracle was simply the meeting of human need, The people had already seen
His miracles and glorified God, so the miracle was not for the purpose of
preaching a sermon or authenticating His ministry.
However.
this miracle did have a special purpose for His disciples. We are amazed that
they had forgotten the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, (Read carefully Matt. 16:6-12). The 12 were perplexed
when they should have been saying, "Jesus is able to multiply loaves and
fish, so we have no need to worry!" Of course, it may be that they thought
He would not perform that kind of a miracle in Gentile territory. Or, perhaps
the fact that the previous crowd had tried to make Him king would cause Jesus
to avoid repeating the miracle.
Friday
– 15th March
Topic:
The King’s Concern
Read:
Matthew 15
As
in the feeding of the 5,000, this miracle took place in HIS hands. As Jesus
broke the bread and gave it to His disciples, the bread multiplied. Everybody
ate and everybody was satisfied. Again, Jesus ordered the fragments to be
collected so that nothing is wasted, The ability to perform miracles does not
grant the authority to waste God's gifts.
The
word translated baskets in verse 37 means' 'a large hamper." It is the
same kind of basket that was used to lower Paul over the Damascus wall (Acts 9:25). The word for basket in Matthew 14:20 means "a wicker
basket," the kind a person carried with food or other goods in it. The
fact that these two different words are used is further proof that the two
miracles are different.
Jesus
did not preach a sermon to this crowd on 'the bread of life" as He did to
the Jews in Capernaum, following the
feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:22ft).
The facts about the Old Testament manna and the "bread of God" would
have been foreign to these Gentiles, Jesus always adapted His teaching to the
needs and the understanding of the people to whom He ministered.
Before
leaving Matthew 15, let's review
several spiritual lessons that it contains for us.
(I) The enemies of truth are often
religious people who live according to man's traditions. Satan
often uses "religion" to blind
the minds of sinners to the simple truths of God's Word.
(2) We must beware ofany religious
system that gives us an excuse to sin and disobey God's Word.
(3) We must also beware of worship that
comes from the lips only, and not from the heart.
(4)
If we major on the inner man, the outer man will be what God wants it to be,
True holiness
comes from
within.
(5) It is difficult to break free from
tradition. There is something in us that wants to hold to the past
and make no changes. Even Peter had to
learn his lesson twice!
(6) We dare not limit Christ to anyone
nation or people. The Gospel came "to the Jew first" (Rom.1:16).
but today is for all men in all nations. "Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord
shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
Saturday
– 16th March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16:1-5
The
events recorded in Matthew 16 form a
dramatic turning point in our Lord's ministry. For the first time, He mentioned
the church (v. 18) and 'openly spoke
about His death on the cross (v. 21).
He began to prepare the disciples for His arrest, crucifixion, and
resurrection. But, as we shall see, they were slow to learn their lessons.
The
theme of faith runs through the events in this chapter. In these events,
we see four different levels of faith and how they relate to Christ.
No Faith-Tempting Christ (16:1-4)
Their
desire to silence Jesus had caused the two opposing religious parties to unite
in one common effort, They were waiting for Him when He returned to Galilee.
The Pharisees, of course, were the traditionalists of their day, while the
Sadducees were quite liberal (see Acts
23:6-10) They united to issue a challenge to Jesus: "Show us a sign
from heaven and we will believe you are the Christ."
The
word translated sign means much more than simply a miracle or a demonstration
of power. It means "a wonder by which one may recognize a person or
confirm who he is,"
This
was the fourth time the religious leaders had asked for a sign (John 2:18; Matt. 12:38ff; John 6:30) Later, they did it again (Luke 2:14ft).
But
miracles do not convince people of sin or give a desire for salvation (Luke 16:27-31; John 12: 10-11: Acts
14:8-20). Miracles will give confirmation where there is faith but not
where there is willful unbelief.
Why
did our Lord talk about the weather? To reveal to His enemies their own
dishonesty and stubborn blindness. They could examine the evidence in God's
world and draw valid conclusions, but they would not examine the evidence He
had presented. His enemies would not believe. And therefore they could not
believe (John 12:37ff). The
Pharisees and Sadducees did not lack evidence; they lacked honesty and
humility.
Their
demand for a sign revealed the sad condition of their hearts: they were evil
and adulterous. He did not accuse them of-being guilty of physical adultery,
but of spiritual adultery (Isa. 57;
James 4:4). These men were worshiping a false God of their own manufacture,
and this was spiritual adultery. Had they been worshiping the true God, they
would have recognized His Son' when He came.
Jesus
had mentioned the sign of Jonah before (see 12:38-45). This was the sign of death, burial, and resurrection.
Our Lord's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection were actually a sign to Israel
that He was their Messiah. It was this sign that Peter preached about at
Pentecost (Acts 2:22ff).
Verse 4 records the Lord's third departure
from Galilee. He departed before to avoid Herod (Matt.14:13) and to avoid the Pharisees (15:21). It was certainly an act of judgment.
Monday
– 18th March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16:5-12
Little Faith-Misunderstanding Christ
(16:5-12)
The
disciples had but one loaf of bread with them (Mark 8:14). We are not told what happened to the many baskets of
leftover food that resulted from His feeding the 4,000 just a short time
before. Perhaps they gave it away. Jesus used this embarrassing event as an
occasion to teach an important spiritual truth: Beware of the false teachings
of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The
disciples misunderstood Him; they thought He was' talking about material bread.
Often in the ministry of Jesus, people misinterpreted His words by interpreting
them literally rather than spiritually. Nicodemus thought that Jesus was
talking about an actual physical birth (John
3:4), and the Samaritan woman thought He was referring to material water
from the well (John 4:11). The
Jewish crowd in the synagogue thought Jesus was speaking about eating actual
flesh and blood (John 6:52ff) when
He was describing a spiritual experience (John
6:63).
As
we noted in our study of Matthew 13,
leaven was to the Jews a symbol of evil. Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees
had infected the religious beliefs of Israel with false doctrine. The Pharisees
were legalists who taught that only obedience to the Law and the traditions
would please God and usher in His kingdom for Israel. The Sadducees were
liberal in their thinking and denied that there would be such a kingdom on
earth. They even denied the truth of the resurrection and the existence of
angels.
Why
would the Lord's mention of leaven cause the disciples to discuss their lack of
bread? Possibly they were planning to purchase bread on the other side of the
sea, and they thought Jesus was cautioning [hem not to buy unclean bread which
Jews could not eat. If they had remembered how Jesus had multiplied bread on
two occasions, they certainly would not have worried. Their "little
faith" kept them from understanding His teaching and depending on His
power to meet their needs.
"Little
faith" was one of our Lord's favorite names for His disciples (Matt.6:30, Matt. 8:26, Matt. 14:31). Of course,
"little faith" is better than no faith. The disciples had many
lessons to learn before they would graduate to "great faith."
Tuesday
– 19th March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16:13-20
Saving faith - Confessing Christ
(16: 13-20)
Jesus
took His disciples to Gentile territory, in the region of Caesarea Philippi.
They were about 120 miles from Jerusalem in the northern part of Palestine. The
region was strongly identified with various religions: It had been a center for
Baal worship; the Greek god Pan had shrines there; and Herod the Great had
built a temple there to honor Augustus Caesar. It was in the midst of this
pagan superstition that Peter confessed Jesus as the Son of God. And it was
probably within sight of Caesar's temple that Jesus announced a surprise: He
would not yet establish His kingdom, but He would build His church.
If
anyone else asked, "Whom do men say that I am?" we would think him
either mad or arrogant. But in the case of Jesus, a right confession of who He
is basic to salvation,(Rom. 10:9-10; 1
John 2:18-23; 1 John 4:1-3). His Person and His work go together and must never
be separated. It is amazing to see how confused the public was about Jesus (John 10:19-21). Perhaps, like Herod,
the people thought Jesus was John raised from the dead.
It
had been prophesied that Elijah would come again (Mal 4:5), and some thought that this prediction was fulfilled in
Christ. However, Jesus did not minister as did Elijah; it was John the Baptist
who came" in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:13-17). Jeremiah was the weeping prophet whose tender heart
was broken at the sight of the decay of the nation. Certainly this attitude was
seen in Jesus, the Man of sorrows.
One
thing is clear: We can never make a true decision about Jesus Christ by taking
a poll of the people. (But some people do get their "spiritual
knowledge" this way.) The important thing is not what others say, but what
do you and I personally say? The decisions of the crowd (wrong or right) can
never substitute for personal decisions.
Peter
had the correct response: "Thou art the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of
the living God!" This confession was Peter's response to the revelation
God the Father had given him. Jesus Himself explained this experience in Matthew 11:25-27. This revelation was
not the result of Peter's own investigation. It came as the gracious act of
God. God had hidden these things from the proud Pharisees and Sadducees and
revealed them to "babes," the humble disciples.
It
should be noted that there had been other confessions of faith prior to this
one. Nathanael had confessed Christ as the Son of God (John 1:49), and the disciples had declared Him God's Son after He
stilled the storm (Matt. 14:33).
Peter had given a confession of faith when the crowds left Jesus after His
sermon on the bread of life (John
6:68-69). In fact, when Andrew had brought his brother Simon to Jesus, it
was on the basis of this belief (John
1:41).
How,
then, did this confession differ from those that preceded it? To begin with,
Jesus explicitly asked for this confession. It was not an emotional response
from people who had seen a miracle" but the studied and sincere statement
of a man who had been taught by God.
Also,
Jesus accepted this confession and built upon it to teach them new truth, it must
have rejoiced His heart to hear Peter's words, The Lord knew that Peter could
now be led into new steps of deeper truth and service.
Wednesday–
20th March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16:13-19
All
of our Lord's ministry to His disciples had prepared the way for this
experience. Let's look at these great words and concepts individually.
Rock- These Jewish men, steeped in Old
Testament Scripture, recognized the rock as a symbol of God, "He is the
Rock, His work is perfect ... " (Deut. 32:4). "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress ... " (Ps. 18:2). "For who is God save
the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God?" (Ps. 18:31)
But
let's investigate the Greek words. that the Holy Spirit led Matthew to use.
"Thou art petros [a stone], and upon this rock [petra-a large rock] I will
build My church." Jesus had given Simon the new name of Peter (John 1:42) which means "a
stone." The Aramaic form is Cephas, which also means "a stone."
Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and confesses Him as the Son and God and
Saviour, is a "living stone" (1 Peter 2:5, NASS).
Jesus
Christ is the foundation rock on which the church is built. The Old Testament
prophets said so (Isa. 28:16; Ps.
118:22). Jesus Himself said this (Matt.
21:42), and so did Peter and the other apostles (Acts 4:10-12). Paul also stated that the foundation for the
church is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3: 11).
This foundation was laid by the apostles and prophets as they preached Christ
to the lost (Eph. 2:20; 1 Cor. 2:1-2; 1 Cor. 3:11).
In
other words, when the evidence is examined, the total teaching of Scripture is
that the church, God's temple (Eph.
2:19-22), is built on Jesus Christ-not on Peter. How could God build His
church on a fallible man like Peter'? Later, the same Peter who confessed
Christ became an adversary and entertained Satan's thoughts (16:22ff). "But that was before
Peter was filled with the Spirit," some argue. Then consider Peter's
doctrinal blunders recorded in Galatians
2, blunders that had to be dealt with by Paul. This event occurred after
Peter was filled with the Spirit.
Church-This is the first
occurrence of this important word in the New Testament. It is the Greek word
ekklesia'(ek-klay-SEE-uh) from which we get our English word'
'ecclesiastical," referring to things that pertain to the church. The
literal meaning is 'a called-out
assembly , The word is used 114 times in the New Testament and in 90 of these
references, a local church (assembly) is in view. However, in this first use of
“ekklesia”, it seems likely that Jesus had the whole church in mind. He was not
just building a local assembly, but a universal church composed of all who make
the same confession of faith that Peter made.
The word ekklesia was not new to the disciples. This
word was applied to the popular assembly of Greek citizens that helped to
govern a city or district (Acts 19:32,
39, 41). Also, the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint)
used ekklesia to describe the congregation of Israel when it was gathered for
religious activity (Deut. 31:30; Jud.
20:2). However, this does not mean that the Old Testament congregation of
Israel was a .. church" in the same sense as the churches of the New
Testament. Rather, Jesus was introducing something new to His disciples.
Jesus
spoke about "My church" in contrast to these other assemblies. This
was to be something new and different, for in His church, Jesus Christ would
unite believing Jews and Gentiles and form a new temple, a new body (Eph. 2:11-3:12). In His church,
natural distinctions would be unimportant (Gal.
3:28). Jesus Christ would be the Builder of this church, the Head of this
church (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18).
Thursday–
21st March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16: 13-19
Each
believer in this church is a "living stone" (1 Peter 2:5). Believers would meet in local congregations, or
assemblies, to worship Christ and to serve Him; but they would also belong to a
universal church, a temple being built by Christ. There is a oneness to the
people of God (Eph. 4:1-6) that
ought to be revealed to the world by love and unity (John 17:20-26).
Gates of hell-A better translation
would be “gates of hades.' Hell is the final destiny of all unsaved people
after the judgment of the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). Hades is simply "the realm of the dead." It holds the spirits of the unsaved
dead and releases them at the resurrection (Rev. 20:13; where "hell" ought to read
"hades"). According to Jesus, hades is down (Matt. 11:23), and it is a prison to which He holds the keys (Rev. 1:18).
On
the basis of Luke 16:19-31, some
people believe that all the dead went to hades prior to the death and
resurrection of Christ-believers to a paradise portion and unbelievers to a
punishment portion. We are certain that believers today when they die, go
immediately into the presence of Christ (Phil.
1:23; 2 Cor. 5:6-8).
“Gates” represent, in the Bible, authority
and power. The city gate was to a Jew what city hall is to people in the
Western world. Important business was transacted at the city gate (Deut. 16:18; 17:8; Ruth 4:11). "The gates of hades" then
would symbolize the organized power of death and Satan. By His death and
resurrection, Jesus Christ would conquer death, so that death would not be able
to hold any of His people. Christ would "storm the gates" and deliver
the captives! This declaration certainly is verified by Hebrews 2:14-15; I Corinthians 15:50ff; and other Scriptures.
Keys of the kingdom- A key is a badge of
authority (Isa. 22:15, 22; Luke 1 J
:52). "The kingdom of heaven" is not heaven, for no man on earth
carries the keys to heaven! (All of the jokes about' 'St. Peter at the
gate" stem from this misunderstanding. They are both
unbiblical
and in bad taste.) We use keys to open doors. Peter was given the privilege of
opening "the door of faith" to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2), to the Samaritans (Acts 8:14ff), and to the Gentiles (Acts 10). But the other apostles
shared this authority (Matt. 18:18),
and Paul had the privilege of "opening the door of faith" to the
Gentiles outside of Palestine (Acts
14:27).
Nowhere
in this passage, or in the rest of the New Testament, are we told that Peter or
his successors had any special position or privilege in the church. Certainly
Peter in his two epistles claimed to be nothing more than an apostle (1 Peter 1:1), an elder (5:1), and a servant of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1).
Friday–
22nd March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16:13-19
Binding and
loosing-This
was a very familiar phrase to the Jews, for their: rabbis often spoke of
"binding and loosing," that is, forbidding or permitting. Our Lord's
statement in 16:19 referred to
Peter. But His statement later in 18:18
included all of the apostles. As the representatives of their Lord, they would
exercise authority according to His Word.
The
Greek verbs in verse 19 are most
important. The Expanded Translation by
Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest reads: …. and whatever you bind on earth [forbid to be
done], shall have been already bound ... in heaven; and whatever you loose on
earth [permit to be done], shall have already been loosed in heaven .... "
Jesus did not say that God would obey what they did on earth, but that they
should do on earth whatever God had already willed. The church does not get
man's will done in heaven; it obeys God's will on earth'.
The
apostles were not to share this truth about Jesus being the Son of God with
other people until after His resurrection and ascension. Then the "sign of
Jonah" would be completed, the Spirit would be given, and the message
could be proclaimed. The nation in general, and certainly the religious leaders
in particular, were not yet ready for this message. Read Peter's sermon at
Pentecost and see how he proclaimed Jesus as the Christ (Acts 2)
Saturday–
23rd March
Topic:
The King’s Surprise
Read:
Matthew 16:21-28
Serving Faith-Following Christ (16:21-28)
Having declared His
person, Jesus now declared His work; for the two must go together. He would go
to Jerusalem, suffer and die, and be raised from the dead. This was His first
clear statement of His death, although He had hinted at this before (John 2:19; 3:14; 6:51; Matt. 12:39-40, Matt. 16:4). "And He was stating the matter plainly" (Mark 8:32. NASB).
Peter's response to this
shocking statement 'certainly represented the feelings of the rest of the
disciples: "Pity Thyself. Lord! This shall never happen to Thee!"
Jesus turned His back on Peter and said. "Get behind Me, adversary! You
are a stumbling block to Me!" (literal translation) Peter the
"stone" who had just been blessed (v. 18) became Peter the stumbling block who was not a blessing to
Jesus!
What was Peter's mistake?
He was thinking like a man, for most men want to escape suffering and death. He
did not have God's mind in the matter. Where do we find the mind of God? In the
Word of God. Until Peter was filled with the Spirit, he had a tendency to argue
with God's Word. Peter had enough faith to confess that Jesus was the Son of
God but he did not have the faith to believe it was right for Jesus to suffer
and die. Of course, Satan agreed with Peter's words, for he used the same
approach to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matt.
4:8-10).
Today the cross is an
accepted symbol of love and sacrifice. But in that day the 'cross was a
horrible means of capital punishment. The Romans would not mention the cross in
polite society. In fact, no Roman citizen could be crucified; this terrible
death was reserved for their enemies. Jesus had not yet specifically stated that
He would be crucified (He did this in Matt.
20:17-19). But His words that follow emphasize the cross.
He
presented to the disciples two approaches to life:
deny yourself live for yourself
take up your cross ignore the cross
follow Christ follow the world
lose your life for save your life
for
his sake your own sake
forsake the world gain the world
keep your soul
lose your soul
share his reward and glory lose His reward and glory
To deny self does not
mean to deny things. It means to give yourself wholly to Christ and share in
His shame and death. Paul described this in Romans 12:1-2 and Philippians
3:7-10, as well as in Galatians 2:20.
To take up a cross does not mean to carry burdens or have problems. (I once met
a lady who told me her asthma was the cross she had to bear') To take up the
cross means to identify with Christ in His rejection, shame, suffering, and
death.
But
suffering always leads to glory. This is why Jesus ended this short sermon with
a reference to His glorious kingdom (v.28).
This statement would be fulfilled within a week on the Mount of
Transfiguration, described in the next chapter.
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