I think I will pursue this in two legs. The first leg shall consider the little we can discern of the man himself, and the second shall consider something of a skeletal outline of the course of his gospel.

The man (06/05/13-06/06/13)

So then, what do we know of Matthew Levi, son of Alphaeus? Well, we know his father’s name, certainly. We know that he worked in the tax-collector’s office in Capernaum at the time he was called. We know, too, that he was instant and rather thorough in answering that call. From these bare facts, there are some others we can extract. We know, for instance, what the public perception was of those Jews who assisted Rome in taxation. Publicans! Throughout the Gospels, we rarely if ever hear that word spoken without it being immediately connected with sinners. Indeed, to Jewish sensibilities, publicans were numbered amongst the very worst of sinners. Yet, Matthew is more willing to make known his past than the other writers.

It is not, clearly, that he is trying to promote himself. Quite the opposite. This is seen in the fact that the feast he mentions, to which so many (and note the phrase again!) “publicans and sinners” came, was a feast he himself hosted. Yet, it is only because Mark makes note of this that we are aware of the fact. Matthew himself simply writes of ‘a feast’.

Considering the public perspective towards his career, this apparently immediate response of throwing a feast for Jesus might be seen as reflecting his own surprise and joy at being courted, as it were, by a religious. Can one imagine a Pharisee calling the likes of this man to be his student? Were Gamaliel or Hillel or any of the others likely to accept such a one, however much he could pay for the honor? No. To their like, the publican was already beyond hope of redemption. To Jesus, as we are told, they were the whole purpose of redemption. What need had the holy for a redeemer? But, then, who was there that would be found holy?

So, then, this call of Jesus had a profound and immediate impact on Matthew. There isn’t the least note of hesitation on his part. He rises from his desk and follows, and not only that, but expends what must have been a considerable amount of cash to honor this Jesus who called him! Is this an effort to dispense with ill-gotten gains? I don’t think so! I think it’s the outpouring of that sense of marvel he felt at being called by such a one as Jesus. If He would call me, why not others like me? Truly, this is a grand evangelistic effort for such a newfound faith.

Jesus Himself makes clear the reason He is pursuing the likes of Matthew. It is because they have need of Him, yes. But, it is also because they recognize their need. The Pharisees, who found Jesus’ association with these sinners reprehensible, were in reality just as needy of His ministrations, but they did not believe that to be the case. This aspect of Matthew’s story is somewhat obscured. This is by his own design, to be sure, for he desires the focus to be wholly upon Jesus. But, he is part of the story of Jesus. Jesus came to seek those who knew they were lost! Matthew fit the bill.

We see this in his readiness to drop everything to follow Jesus. But, we see it as well in his awareness of the Scriptures. Everybody comments on the fact that his gospel makes note of far more of those cases where Jesus fulfilled this prophecy or that than do the others. But, this suggests that quite apart from the purpose Matthew had in pointing these things out, he was also sufficiently familiar with Scripture to be able to bring forth the references. And note what was said about his style! He was not only quoting the texts from Hebrew, as he might have memorized them as a child, but also from the Septuagint. The inference made in the Encyclopedias is that he was personally providing these translations from Hebrew to Greek, doing the work himself.

This, of course, tells us another thing about Matthew, something fairly obvious, really, from his line of employment. He was literate. He could read and write, and it would appear he could do so in at least three languages. His original texts, we are given to believe were in Hebrew. This Gospel is in Greek, but there are underlying terms that suggest a degree of familiarity with the language of Rome. He was, then, a particular boon to the team in this regard. If, as some posit, the earlier Hebrew text he wrote consisted largely of the sayings of Jesus, would it not stand to reason that much of this was taken down more or less as dictation? Would he have had the materials with him to do so? Why not? He had the funds to throw that dinner for Jesus.

So, we have in Matthew a man particularly suited for the task of secretary to this team of disciples. I think of that in the organizational sense, as we have an office of secretary amongst the elders, or as we have a Secretary of State. There is a need for such people in any organization, and it’s not to fetch coffee. We have also a man who clearly had a hunger for God. But, that hunger was being deprived its food by those who saw themselves as the gatekeepers in God’s house. The Pharisees, as noted, saw the tax collectors as beyond redemption, not so very different from prostitutes, really. What use could God possibly have for the likes of them? How could He be expected to look upon them with sympathy, let alone favor? They were beneath contempt, beneath notice. But, for Jesus, it was not so.

Is it any wonder that Matthew leapt at the offer to follow? Here was what his soul had been longing for! Here was news of God, and news of a God Who still loved him, Who was longing to help him as much as he was longing to be helped! This is not, I dare say, the way we tend to consider the sinner in our own day. We understand that salvation is by grace alone. We understand that it is God first and foremost, it is God first and last. If He does not call, the heart does not think to seek. But, with all that, the story is not changed as concerns the sinner He has called. Such a sinner begins to seek out this God. “Here I am, Lord.” But, how do we respond, who are His and know it? Do we welcome such people with open arms, or are we too much like the Pharisees, convinced that their sort could never be found amongst the elect?

Look! We know better. I know better. I need look no farther than my own past to realize that I am that very sort. I am the sort that could never be found amongst the elect. And yet, I am not only found amongst them, but am entrusted with this role of oversight. Is it me? No way! It’s God and God alone. Yet, I can lose sight of this. I can begin to look upon those who are at the start of this stunning transformation, or who are seeking to find entrance to the process, those who look more or less like I did myself not so many years ago, and dismiss them out of hand. They’ll never come. They have no interest in God. If they did, why would they be living as they do? But, that’s exactly how society was looking at Matthew, and it is abundantly clear that they were entirely wrong. The only reason he wasn’t faithfully attending synagogue and temple was because they wouldn’t have him. Oh! How he longed for acceptance amongst God’s people, but they would not.

And yet, in God’s great wisdom, he is given this seat of honor. To him is entrusted the task of preserving the words of Jesus for posterity. To him is granted the first page of this New Testament record. To him comes the task of providing the clear linkage between that which was written and that which is written. His Gospel serves as the perfect bridge between those who had prophesied the Messiah, and those who had witnessed the Messiah and now went forth in His name. What great honor God places upon those whom men despise! This ought not to be lost on us. Indeed, it is a fundamental lesson we should take away from having spent this time with Matthew and the others. Let us beware of supposing we know the value of a man. Let us beware of supposing we are fit judges of much of anything when it comes to the economy of God. Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1Co 10:12). Let him take great care to be certain that it is the mind of God he is pursuing and not his own.

As I work into this new position as elder, how much greater these concerns rise in my mind. This elevation to office is no cause for pride, only for humility and awe at what God is doing. You would choose me for this work? Like Moses, I find myself wondering if there’s been some clerical error. Surely, you wanted another? Maybe a similar name, a case of mistaken identity? But, this is God we’re talking about, and the possibility of error with Him simply does not exist. He does as He wills, and He wills as is wise. For my part, it means I must be the more diligent in prayerful pursuit of Him. I must be, as the Baptist said, less of myself, more of Him. And that I cannot do except He so wills and works in me as to make it so. Thankfully, I have His word on that matter, that He does just that!

Turning to the text that Matthew has left us, this marvelous introduction to Messiah, his purpose is abundantly clear. He labors to establish the legitimacy of Jesus Messiah. The need for this effort is explained in that business with the soldiers at the tomb. They had been paid off by the temple to spread tales, and clearly, tales with such seemingly official backing would tend to be taken as incontrovertible. There would need to be a good deal of evidence to convince that average denizen of Jerusalem that things were other than they seemed. Matthew provides, therefore, a good deal of evidence. Look! He shouts over and over again. Here, He fulfilled prophecy. There, He fulfilled prophecy! Even in His birth and youth, things over which He had no control, He fulfilled prophecy! You know the signs He performed. You know those who were healed by Him. You heard His teaching. And yet, you were unconvinced. But, look at all this! Could any man contrive to meet all these marks of Messiah and not be Messiah? What more evidence can you possibly require?

The ISBE notes another aspect of the message of Matthew. “Over against the false Messianic ideas and ideals of contemporary teachings among the Jews, [Matthew] selects those facts from the teachings and deeds of Christ which show the true Messiah and the correct principles of the kingdom of God.” It is true that he not only displays those points of controversy between Pharisee and Christ, between Sadducee and Christ, he explains and demonstrates the reason for the controversy. As that text said, we have a clear contrast drawn between the ‘ideals’ taught by the purportedly religious, and the reality not only taught but practiced by Messiah.

There is also, of course, the matter of expectations. Concerning Messiah himself, the popular conception had little to do with reality. They wanted a warrior to come drub the Roman occupiers out of their kingdom, to see Israel reestablished in the glories of empire as they knew it under Solomon. They got a servant. They wanted a King. They got a carpenter. In every way, it seems, He defied and destroyed their expectations. It is painfully evident in that final week. They welcome their King with shouts of Hosanna, but a day later, seeing that He is doing nothing to remove Pilate, they are ready to see Him destroyed. He didn’t meet expectations. Isn’t this at the root of Judas’ betrayal? Jesus wasn’t what he expected of Messiah. He must therefore be a fraud, for surely we couldn’t be wrong, could we?

Fausset’s notes the way in which Matthew paints us a picture of Jesus as King, though He comes as a servant. He is the King of kings. He is the Son of David. He is also the Lord of David. He is greater than David. That was going to bother some folks. Greater than David? The man after God’s own heart? How dare you! Next, you’ll say this Jesus is greater than Moses, greater than Abraham. And indeed, He is! Behold, something greater has come!

Of course, we must also be aware, as we read Matthew’s words, that he has not written a chronicle here, but a Gospel. Particularly as concerns those things Jesus said, his arrangement is a topical arrangement. Things said on a particular theme are gathered together though they may have been spoken on several different occasions. Thus, we arrive at a dense series of similes about the kingdom of God. Thus, we have a lengthy set of woes pronounced against the Pharisees and Sadducees who refused to hear the Truth of God and accept correction.

The Gospel (06/07/13-06/15/13)

This morning, I start to consider the book Matthew has left for us. One thread which clearly runs through his Gospel is that of establishing the legitimacy of Jesus as the Christ of God’s choosing. It is there at the very outset of the book. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1), and continues to unfold in many statements thereafter. We have the inadvertent confession of Herod that this child was ‘born King of the Jews’ (Mt 2:2). There is the repeated motif in Jesus’ words through chapter twelve. “Something greater than the temple is here” (Mt 12:6). “Something greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:41). “Something greater than Solomon is here” (Mt 12:42). Then, of course, there is Peter’s confession: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16), not to mention God’s own confession: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him” (Mt 17:5)! There are those who recognize Him as Messiah, as witness the blind men. “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David” (Mt 20:30)! And, finally, there is that which Jesus Himself states in these final verses: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Mt 28:18).

To these must be added all of those passages which make reference to Jesus, the Son of Man. Consider what Jesus said when healing the lame man on his pallet. “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk’? But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic — 'Rise, take up your bed, and go home.' And he rose, and went home” (Mt 9:5-6). This comes back to that message from Matthew 28:18. “All authority has been given to Me.” The Son of Man has authority. The Son of Man is Me. We well understand the intended connection of that term to the vision of Daniel. Rest assured those who heard Jesus likewise understood! There is also this declaration in Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.” That should leave no doubt as to the connection being drawn. The Son of Man has God as His Father, and He shall be honored with the throne of heaven.

One more should seal the matter. “Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:64). And, let there be no doubt in your mind that those listening to Him understood the message being delivered. As He hung dying on the cross, the populace taunted Him. Here was this man who had claimed such greatness and look at him! He’ll be just as dead as those rebels beside him in short order. What greatness now, hero? But, hear the specifics of their taunting words. “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Mt 27:40). Whether or not they had accepted the message, they had certainly received it!

Now, another thread to follow, probably the most commonly understood thread in Matthew’s material, is that of demonstrating the myriad prophecies which were fulfilled in the life of Jesus. It begins with His name, a matter dictated to Joseph in a dream. He is to be named Jesus, or Joshua, as the true name would be understood. Matthew informs us of the connection established. He shall be called, “God with us” (Mt 1:23). Immanuel! God with us! So, Isaiah had pointed out this Messiah, and here he was. Matthew would be sure we don’t miss that. And, as was pointed out in the notes of the NET, he ends his book with this same note, to ensure we get it. “Lo! I AM with you, even to the end of the age.” He shall be thus called, He was thus called, and of His being so called, there is no end.

Above and beyond this, we have those many actions Jesus undertakes, of which Matthew points out that they occurred, ‘so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled’ (Mt 13:35). I take but the one example, yet the number of points where Matthew makes similar statements is large. I believe one of the encyclopedia articles set the number somewhere around 40. I will offer one further example, that of Jesus in the Garden, as the soldiers are come to arrest Him. Mt 26:53 “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”, Jesus asks His disciples (Mt 26:53). And, note his concern: I could do this, but then, how would Scripture be fulfilled, which says it must be this way? And, lest we fail to understand, Scripture must be fulfilled. It cannot be otherwise (Mt 26:54). So, then, just before His disciples break and run, He concludes, “But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled” (Mt 26:56). Everything is unfolding according to plan.

As much effort as Matthew puts into displaying the many prophetic fulfillments found in Jesus, he also takes pains to make clear that these things did not occur without being noticed. Foremost amongst those recognizing what is happening in Him, or at least that something is happening, are the disciples themselves. This stands to reason, as they are the ones who are with Him most constantly. So, as the storm dissipates out on the Sea of Galilee, we hear His disciples asking, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Mt 8:27). But, they were hardly alone in seeing Jesus doing those things that the prophets had foretold. In the mountains around that same sea, crowds came with their sick and their possessed, and what transpired? “They saw the dumb speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel” (Mt 15:31). At another point, these same sorts of evidences were pointed out to John the Baptist via one of his disciples. Go tell him what you saw. That should answer his question.

No, the disciples were not alone in recognizing Jesus as fulfilling the Messianic prophecies. We see, as He makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, that a goodly portion of the populace understood this to be the case as well. They had their misconceptions about what that would mean, but they had no misconceptions, in that moment about His being the One. “And the multitudes going before Him, and those who followed after were crying out, saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest’” (Mt 21:9)! This was the song of the king returning, the Messiah welcomed into His city. If there were any doubt as to the significance, it is set aside by the reaction of the elders. Silence Your followers lest there be a riot! Matthew actually relates a rather more prosaic discourse between the leaders and the King. “Do you hear what they’re saying, Jesus?” For all intents and purposes, Jesus’ response is effectively, “Yes, do you?” (Mt 21:16).

Well, they did. And it becomes clear enough that they understood exactly what all these events indicated. They rejected Jesus as Messiah, but it was not on the basis of any evidence. It was not, in fact, even for lack of understanding. They understood quite well! If this intervention as He came into Jerusalem were not proof enough, then proof would come. We might find it as Jesus confronts their practice in the parable of the vineyard and its rebellious tenants. They have beaten the owner’s envoys, and have not been satisfied with that. When the very son of the owner arrives at the gate, their thought is not one of repentance, but rather of taking over. If we kill the son, then the place will be ours! How this thinking takes the owner into account is beyond me. But, then, how the priests of God could proceed without taking God into account is likewise beyond me, except to recognize the fallen state of man.

But, Jesus, having relayed this parable to these very men, poses to them this question: “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” The Pharisees and their friends, whatever their failings, were not stupid. Besides, the parable was designed to direct one’s thoughts down a specific path to an unmistakable conclusion, and this conclusion they reach. “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons” (Mt 21:40-41). Yes, they had some understanding of what was happening here. And this one who confronted them, the Son of the Owner of all things, makes pronouncement based on their own reading of the evidence: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it” (Mt 21:43).

I have had, as one aspect of this study, the theory put forward in the book, ‘The Parables of Jesus’. That book posited a usage model by which Jesus made His parables a weapon against such opponents as the Pharisees. I don’t think that can be applied in a universal way to every parable He has spoken. The bulk of those parables concerned with describing the kingdom of God to His disciples would not seem to fall into this mold. But, certainly, as we come into the final week, and the more direct confrontations between Jesus and the proponents of tradition, this seems to be the case. They are weaponized parables, designed to destroy the misconceptions of His opponents, but also designed to irritate them no end. There is much in Jesus’ activity in that final week that seems geared towards nudging the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin into action, that the schedule of God’s choosing should be observed.

Now, if there remains any doubt that these same leaders who rejected and sought to destroy Jesus knew with Whom they were dealing, their request for Pilate to post guard over His tomb should cast those doubts aside. There is a reason, I dare say, why Matthew covers this part of the story. They knew. They knew Who He really was, and yet, in their blind foolishness, they still thought to thwart the very God they claimed to represent! And, in their darkened madness, they brought the destructive force of God’s wrath upon those same sheep they were supposed to be shepherding! I would note that this, too, comes in fulfillment of the prophetic word. But, note that scene before Pilate. He has washed his hands, borrowing from the practices of Jewish Law, to profess his innocence as concerns the death of this innocent Man. And, how do the people respond? “And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children’” (Mt 27:25)!

It can be questioned whether that mob was responding with understanding of what they were saying. It can even be argued to what degree they were in control of their own tongues at this critical juncture. The same could be said for their leaders, of course. But, the simple and uncontrived point of this scene is that, seeing the formulaic act of Pilate, such is their state of mind that they respond in formulaic fashion. Yes, Pilate, you are innocent, we will take the responsibility for this. And the strength of that vow! Upon us, and upon our children also. Sadly, I doubt there were any in that crowd who recognized the terrible power of what they had just said. So weak had the public sense of the binding power of a vow become that these may have felt like empty, ritualistic words to them. They had about as much meaning to their day-to-day lives as did that other shout, ‘we have no king but Caesar’! It is expected, and we must say it. But, that doesn’t mean we have to buy it.

I will break my flow, at this point, to take note of a matter that often rises to my mind, that of our treatment of particularly well known passages of Scripture. In many churches, there is a weekly recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, for example. But, how many, in reciting that prayer, really consider what they are saying? How many were caused to memorize Psalm 23 in their youth? They may still be able to call it up for recitation today. But, do they think about it beyond recalling the words? Do they take those words in, make them their own? I fear that familiarity can likewise weaken passages that we hear often as benedictions on the service. Do they mean anything more to us than, “you can go now”? They should. So, too, the greetings and closings in our letters one to another. “Brothers”, is that meant or is it formulaic? If we set some nicely religious sentiment before our name in closing, is it meant, or is it done because it seems to be expected? In short, are we real or are we posturing? It is a thing to be considered constantly, checked constantly. For, it is far too easy for us to slip into the way of the Pharisee complete with all the blindness to personal hypocrisy.

I want to back up now, as something of a transitional point, and consider that greatest of prophetic moments. Peter, James, and John, who appear to form the inner circle amongst Jesus’ followers, were privileged to witness the most marvelous of prophetic events, as Jesus “was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Mt 17:2). And, there He stood, with Elijah and Moses in company. The three chief prophets of Israel were there together, consulting. The significance was not lost on those present. It might be said, though, that if John the Baptist served the role of Elijah’s return in spirit, here was Elijah’s return in reality. Here, too, was Moses granted to set feet in the Promised Land after all. But, there was a statement being made by this brief congregation of prophets. Moses, the prophet, and Elijah, the prophet were together acknowledging Jesus as The Prophet. Those who had foretold were in discussion with Him Whom they had foretold.

There is another aspect of this conference. Not that Jesus needed anybody’s validation, but there is a validation here, a passing of the mantle, if you will. Elijah, you might recall, passed his prophetic mantle to Elisha. Moses passed his mantle to Joshua. There was a succession here, and an acknowledgement of the one who would continue the work. Here, it would seem, they are given to pass their mantles onward again, but not for the continuation of their work. This time, it was passed to the One Who completed the work. Admittedly, nothing is said of any such action taking place between the three of them, but then, the witnesses from whom we learn of the event were prostrate and blind for the bulk of the time there. They saw enough, but they did not see all that transpired.

So, then, they are acknowledging Jesus as their true successor. In the case of Moses, he is acknowledging that here is the One I told you would come. And, of course, lest there be any doubt remaining in the minds of Peter, James or John, the Father Himself pronounces, “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him” (Mt 17:5)! He has much to say. He has much to prophesy Himself. And in that prophetic voice of Christ, we hear one of Matthew’s most familiar phrases. “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt 13:50). That is repeated in Matthew’s material so often that it would seem some of the scribes along the way felt like it should appear even more often than it does! Of course, whether these were scribal insertions or truly Matthew’s original words must remain a matter of conjecture. But, if there is one thing people will tend to recall about Matthew’s Gospel as distinct from the others, it might well be that phrase.

The particulars of those prophesies Jesus spoke are particularly difficult to assess. On at least two occasions we find Him prophesying what seem to be falsehoods given what know from history. In both of the cases I have in mind, He is speaking to an audience of the living, and discussing heavenly matters which will transpire while they are still alive to witness it. Early on, Jesus prepares His disciples for their first local mission. In the midst of all this comes the message, “for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes” (Mt 10:23).

Were this worded more generally, it would come across as a simple statement about scheduling. He’s not coming back until all Israel has heard that the kingdom is at hand. Many today seem to hear the message in those terms, and feel more of an urgency to the matter of reaching the Jews for Christ. While that’s certainly not a bad thing, it seems a misunderstanding of what Jesus is saying on this occasion. He is speaking to the twelve. That is made expressly clear. “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying…” (Mt 10:5). It is not a general message. It is a particular instruction. So, to these twelve He says that the Son of Man will have come before they finish the job.

It could be argued that the Son of Man was already come, and therefore this was no prophecy at all, but a simple statement of fact. For that to be the case, thought, we would have to accept that Jesus is just spouting a bit of foolishness here meant to confuse His disciples. No, it seems pretty clear that He means something more by this. But, if He is not referring to His physical presence, then what? One thing we must bear in mind is that He is not speaking specifically of this one mission. In fact, we might take Him to be making clear that their missions go beyond the particulars of this current journey. But, the prophecy remains addressed to these twelve men. You will not have finished before He comes. Yet, they are gone and we’re still waiting. How does that work?

To make matters worse, the same general message is delivered to them again! After Peter has so wonderfully confessed Jesus as the Son of God, and then immediately drawn rebuke from that same Jesus for his rejection of God’s plan, Jesus addresses His disciples yet again. In closing His comments, which have begun to lay out the things that lie ahead for Him and for His followers, Jesus says this: “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Mt 16:27-28).

Think about that. He is coming in the glory of His Father, and with His angels. Does that match anything we know of? Not that I can find. Yet, “some of those who are standing here shall not taste death until this is seen.” How can this be? We are confident that to a man the apostles are long since passed to dust. Is it any wonder, really, that the Thessalonicans found cause for concern? There were not so very many apostles left, and yet, no sign of this Christ. Had they missed Him? Was He a fraud? What were they to make of this? What are we to make of it? After all, if any man ought be held to the ancient standard of the prophet, it would have to be Jesus. Every word true, or no prophet at all. Every word true, or worthy of stoning. Not just worthy of stoning, but requiring stoning.

Well, we can set aside one of the questions. They did not miss it. Jesus makes it clear, as we studied in church last week, that when He comes in that glory of His Father, there will be no missing it. There will be no need for somebody to point it out to us. We won’t need to Google the event to find news of it. It shall be seen from east to west. Some will work this out by applying the message of these prophecies to the destruction of Jerusalem, and that may well be the case. That city fell in the 60s, and certainly there were those amongst the apostles who were still extent. That also, we are given to understand, sets the latest date before which this text must have been written, for there is no reference to the traumatic event as having come to pass, only as prophesied.

This certainly gives us a way through the conundrum. But, it is the right way? Of this I am less certain. The Son coming in His kingdom, in the glory of the Father and with His angels, seems a rather inapt description of that event. Shall we put the Roman army in the place of angels? I think not. But, of course, we might accept them, must accept them, as tools of God’s purpose just like Babylon and Egypt before them. It does not make the Roman army a bunch of godly men. But, apart from His plan and purpose, they would never have taken Jerusalem down. The question remains: Is this the Son in His kingdom? Is this the glory of the Father? Inasmuch as the Father is glorified in His judgment as much as in His mercy, we could say that yes, His glory is evident in those days. Israel, like those who were in the land before them, had filled the measure of their sins, and now came the judgment in full and equal measure. God is shown utterly just in His judgment, and is therefore glorified.

Can this be demonstrated as the Son come in His kingdom? In that it demonstrates His absolute reign over the nations, perhaps we could make that fit. But, it does not fit with our conception of His second coming any more than His first tour fit the conceptions of Israel. This is not what we have in mind when we read of the Son coming in His kingdom. We’re looking for the Warrior on the White Horse. We’re expecting those four dread companions who precede Him. We’re thinking bowls and trumpets, and the redeemed taken up to greet Him with hosannas in the sky. And that certainly does not fit the history known up to this point. Further, if He is to be seen in that siege and destruction, how do we assign the angelic role in events? Had they been fighting alongside the Romans, I should think the end would have been far more swift. Had they been fighting against the Romans, the whole thing devolves to a showpiece, as God effectively fights against Himself, and that just isn’t going to happen.

I am left with a bit of a quandary, then. These prophecies, taken at apparent face value and as being addressed to the Twelve then present, would seem to have failed. But, this cannot be. Ergo, there is something in the formula that remains beyond my understanding, or which my own preconceptions reject out of hand. As concerns the earlier prophecy, it may be that His intention in declaring that the Son of Man coming before they have finished their task, could this be pointing to the Triumphal Entry? The Son had indeed come in official capacity at that point. It could fit the bill, I suppose. It is the later prophecy, with its mention of the glory of heaven attending which requires, or seems to require us to associate it with the Last Day.

In that case, it would seem the definition of tasting death must be considered as the variable item. “There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Not going to His kingdom. Not seated upon His throne in His kingdom. Coming in His kingdom; arriving, returning. The Ascension, therefore does not work as fulfillment, nor, at least so far as I can see, does the destruction of Jerusalem.

One plausible solution is that theory by which we posit the now/not yet nature of the kingdom. The kingdom is here, now. The kingdom is not yet here in fullness. Are we, then, to see that ‘now’ having begun in the Triumphal Entry? Or perhaps in the Crucifixion or the Ascension? Pastor had mentioned the woman at the well in conjunction with this thought Sunday. Jesus told her that the time now is. That reference, granted, is not directly to the kingdom and its presence, but rather to the presence of true worship of God. So, then, there is this sense of things begun but not yet finished. And, if a thing is begun, then there is, presumably, a time before it was begun. Where, then, is the introduction of the now of the kingdom? Is it not to be found here in the ministry of the Son of Man? By the time He had finished His work, was it not made certain? Yes, it was.

Why, then, the “some of those standing here”? Why not most, or even all? As noted, He is talking to His disciples. Of these, the only one who was not around to observe that final rise to the throne was Judas. Were there more than the Twelve present to hear this? It’s possible. If so, there may well have been those who could no longer deal with the cost of discipleship.

Or perhaps we need to understand death more in the terms we would apply to Adam and Eve as they were removed from the Garden. It is not the physical state of a body no longer functional that is in view, but the spiritual state, the separation from God. Still, that would seem to leave the focus on ‘most of you’, rather than ‘some of you’, but leave that aside. This actually fits, in some degree, with the discussion Jesus is having on that occasion. “Whoever seeks to save his life shall lose it. Whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.” Clearly, there’s more in view here than flesh and bone. “What will a man exchange for his soul?” Indeed! And that is the very question that introduces this prophetic word. That may well be the key to understanding His intent. It is that life which may be gained in the losing of life which He has in mind, and it is that life which will endure, in spite of the body that lies moldering in the grave, to see the Son of Man return!

And, when that day comes! Jesus informs us, “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah” (Mt 24:37). It will be just as total, just as unmistakable. And, it will be just as unexpected. In spite of the warnings, in spite of what Noah was doing and saying, the people simply did not believe it possible, and therefore went on with their lives as if nothing had changed. So, too, at the return of the Son. The bulk of humanity will have lost all belief that there even is a Son, let alone a chance of His return. The teaching of the Son Himself makes it clear that even amongst those who call themselves by His name, there will be a large proportion who, if they still believe He will return at all, suppose it to be so far in the future as to be of no concern to themselves. And these, it must be supposed, will in the end find themselves just as lost as those who deny the very existence of the Son.

May we take great care as to where we are in this. When the Son of Man comes, will we have been awaiting Him in joyful anticipation, or caught out by the surprise, having long since decided He had no real bearing on our lives? Oh! That I might live as one ready! Ready in any moment for the return of my King! Oh! That I might know myself to be looking for His return, that I might even have the immeasurable honor of kneeling in fealty before Him. I cannot think of this without seeing images of Robin Hood at the return of King Richard. Here is my rightful ruler. Here is the only one to whom I must bow, and he, the very one to whom I would gladly bow and make offer of my every ability and talent to his service. That is the sense we are left with from the story of those two men. And, it is very much the story of Christian at the return of his Christ. Here is the Only One to whom I must bow, and to whom I have longed to bow, it seems, for an eternity. The King has come! The usurper, whose reign has been such terror to life, is finished! Long live the King! Indeed, He shall reign forevermore, and our hearts rejoice to welcome Him to His rightful throne. Oh that this may be our desire, our daily expectation! Oh! That we would be found ready.

Jesus was quick to cast aside any suggestion that He was introducing a new order, overturning the ancient faith in any way. Matthew gives us a very thorough account of what Jesus taught, and much of that is set in the Sermon on the Mount. I might be inclined to suggest that some of what is captured in the chapters covering that sermon was spoken on other occasions, but that is really beside the point. There at the outset, Jesus makes this statement: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17).

Notice that: He comes to fulfill not just the Prophets, not even primarily the Prophets. They are set in secondary position. Primary is the Law, and He has come to fulfill this, as well. That is not to say that the Law, after His moment, no longer has any bearing, that it is finished and completed in the same sense that a prophecy is. No! It means that He came to uphold it in every respect, to observe it in the perfection that the Law itself required. And this He did. This He also taught. There are (at the very least) two great themes that permeate the teachings of Christ. The first, of course, is the kingdom of God. A great deal of His teaching is involved with explaining this kingdom to His disciples in terms that they can grasp, and also in ways that will provide them with some tonic against discouragement.

But, the second theme we find is that of restoring the Law to its right understanding. Jesus, in this sense, stands firmly in the line of reformers. Through the middle portion of that sermon, we often hear this pair of phrases set forth as Jesus juxtaposes current understanding with original intent. “You have heard it said…”. There is the culture, the traditions, the watered down, manageable translation of God. “But, I say…”. And, there is the true intent. The standard, as I have often noted, is impossibly high. The minute we fall into that game the rich young ruler played, and suppose that “I have done all these things from my youth”, we have lost sight of the real scope and purpose of the Law. You have not done so much as one of these things since breakfast. That’s the reality. That’s the depth and degree of our depravity.

So, then, Jesus gives us a number of teachings which we must needs take to heart, as best we may. They are not easy things. They are, in fact, impossible things. But, in the impossibility, there is that which is possible, there are guidelines for our lives. To be sure, our adherence to these guidelines does nothing to enhance our chances of attaining to heaven. That’s settled in Christ. But, these are the things which define the life and character of one who has desired to “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph 4:1). We, who have pledged ourselves to the King’s service, have accepted His obligations upon ourselves. And here, in the lessons of the King Himself, we have those obligations laid out. Let us, then, be about it!

The bulk of those about which I intend to comment are taken from the Sermon on the Mount. But, throughout Matthew we find these challenges for the life of the disciple, and they are challenges that we must surmount not once, but repeatedly. For, no sooner do we think ourselves to have achieved, then we slacken our efforts and begin to fall back a bit. Once more, we need to hear the list, to be prodded towards action, to be reminded of duty. Some of these items I have set out to comment upon here are exactly in that category of reminders of duty.

To whit: “Give to him who asks of you” (Mt 5:42). Right up front, I am challenged. Note what He does not say. He does not tell us to assess the need. He does not grant that we should review our accounts and see what we can do. Nope. Give, pure and simple. And, lest we miss it, it’s repeated. “And do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” This runs rather counter to the received wisdom of Shakespeare, doesn’t it? Give to him who asks. Don’t hold back. In fact, I think if I am to walk in light of this, I cannot even construe it as a loan. Giving differs from loaning. If it is returned, grand. If not, well, it was a gift. What’s the issue?

Other challenges seem easier for me, personally. Such as this: “When you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition” (Mt 6:7). Now, one might ask how this fits with the present-day conception of praying in tongues. Is that not, so far as our heads are concerned, meaningless repetition? At least, as some practice it, I think it falls dangerously close. But, if it is the Spirit speaking through us, it is unlikely to be either meaningless or repetitious. Indeed, one might go so far as to take this as one means of distinguishing between the gift of the Spirit and the working up of the human. I cannot set that forth as doctrine, but it seems odd to me that the God who tells us not to babble at Him like the pagans do would then send forth from Himself upon His own to do just that.

Even without the issue of tongues, though: To what degree do we go on and on in prayer on the same matter. Oh, there’s a place for persistence. We are encouraged to persistence in prayer. But, there is a persistence that comes of certainty and there is a persistence that comes of doubt. Daniel persisted in prayer because he was certain of his God. He knew the answer was forthcoming, and he knew his job was to pray for the remnant of Israel. Contrast this with those priests of Baal with whom Elijah contested. They went on at length. They worked themselves to a fine lather as they pelted the air with their petition. It was to no avail, of course, because their gods were nothing. But, this is the very thing we are being warned away from.

Don’t offer empty prayers! Quite often, it seems to me, the repetitious nature of our prayers does not flow from faith, but from unbelief. We have seen no evidence that God is acting, ergo we feel a need to remind Him. Hey, dude! You said… What gives, You can’t do it? Maybe I didn’t ask right? Maybe there’s some keyword I need to throw into my prayer to get You to act? What? So, we pray over and over. Lord! I asked You to heal so and so, and they’re still sick. What gives? I asked You to save so and so, and they still don’t believe? I thought nothing was impossible for You! Well? And we go on and on, and we congratulate ourselves on being persistent, but we are being persistent in our unbelief.

No! Somewhere in this I find cause to think that if my faith is in God, and I trust Him, then having prayed for the matter, it is in His hands. He has heard. He will answer. He is not, however, bound to answer according to my desire. Far be it from me to hold such power over the Almighty (were such a thing possible)! Far be it from me to chase after a god I could so easily control. This is, I think, some of what James is getting at in his epistle. Let not the double minded suppose their prayers are accomplishing anything! Length of prayer is meaningless. Breadth of faith is all.

A great deal of Jesus’ teaching addresses the change of focus and change of character that must necessarily accompany the change of heart when He comes knocking. Here, too, we know a tension between that which Jesus says shall characterize the children of God’s household and that which describes our present condition. Consider what may be one of the most known declarations in the Sermon on the Mount. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself” (Mt 6:33-34). Don’t be anxious for tomorrow! You can’t do anything about it anyway, and God’s already got it under control. If, then, you are seeking His kingdom, you know this. If you are seeking His kingdom, you trust this. If you trust this, there is no true cause for anxiety is there? If you are firmly confident in the kingdom whose King is Your Provider, then you know He provides. Certain attitudes must flow from such confident knowledge of God.

See, it is not enough to know God in such fashion as allows you to accurately describe His character. Likewise, it is insufficient to have memorized Scripture, or even to have laid out the most accurate of systematic theologies, if knowledge does not inform practice. For, it is practice which defines character, and it is character which marks the Christian out as one being fashioned in the image of the Father. Thus, we have the instruction later in that same sermon, that which we speak of as the golden rule. “However you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 7:12).

Think about that! If the chief law is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, soul and mind, then Jesus is here telling you that to love the Lord your God in this fashion requires that you treat others as you would wish them to treat you. To love your neighbor as yourself: This is a more obvious parallel. But, to love God? Yes! He is plainly and boldly telling you that where there is love for Him, there cannot but be this same love for neighbor that not only sets him equal to yourself, but in fact sets him before your eyes as more important than yourself. In a world steeped in a mindset of, “You deserve it,” and, “Just do it,” this is potentially the most counter-cultural message at which one could arrive! Is there still a hunger for being counter-cultural in the youth of today? It doesn’t lie in further debauchery and cheapening of life. That’s been in play so long that it’s now the defining feature of culture. No! If you would be counter-cultural today, here is your prime directive: Treat others as you would be treated.

If one tries to imagine a world in which this was first principle, where this was the normative feature of the character of the people, what would it look like? It certainly wouldn’t look like it does today, would it? In such a world, there would be no need for governing powers, because the very character of a man would govern him more than sufficiently. In such a world, there would be no theft, for who would desire to be robbed himself? There would be no rape, for who would desire to be raped? There would be no crime, for who would care to be the victim of a crime? There would not even be cases of libel. There would be no drug-abuse, for both cause and source would have dissipated. Who could feed an addiction when possessed of such a mindset? If battling addiction themselves, would they really prefer their neighbors and acquaintances to help them lose the battle? I tell you straight out that, while the hungering sin within might whisper that this was an outcome most to be desired, the heart of the man, the soul embattled, wants only victory, freedom from the bondage, and a removal of all possibility of future capitulations.

If I were to sum up such a world in but a word, that word would have to be, ‘heaven’. It would be heaven to live in such a society, where each held the other in highest esteem, where egotism and pride were no longer the plague that they are, where the spiritual malaise induced by typical advertising schemes could not take hold, and such admen must seek new avenues of more gainful employment. It would be heaven, and this only stands to reason. For, it is the King of heaven who is proclaiming this as the social order of His own kingdom!

Some later lessons must also be touched upon. As concerns the evangelical efforts of God’s people in their role as ambassadors of His kingdom: “It is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Mt 10:20). This is both wondrously encouraging and perfectly humbling. The immediate context, of course, indicates that here is yet another bit of anxiety to be set aside. Don’t go agonizing over how best to present the Gospel, how to defend yourself before the powerful who disbelieve. Don’t get into that mode of running mental rehearsals, editing and re-editing, and thinking to get every phrase just so. That way lies paralysis anyway. And, besides, this isn’t about your clever words. Even Paul got this, and he was amongst the finest minds of his age. No, it’s not you speaking, it’s the Holy Spirit! If you will but get this, you will have conquered one of the great impediments in the way of heeding the commission that closes the gospel.

On the other side, for those who have overcome and taken up the task of proclaiming the gospel, here is a great corrective! It’s not you. The minute your efforts start taking on that tang of, “look what I’ve accomplished!” know that you are striding fast towards a great fall. This is something, I will confess, that concerns me whenever I find what strikes me as a particularly apt phrase even in these studies. There is that within me which wants the credit. But, the reality is that if anything here is apt, it is not my doing, but wholly the Spirit of God working through me, working in spite of me.

Likewise with music. There are those moments when I know full well I am playing beyond my means. More accurately, there are those moments when I come to the realization that I have been doing so, for generally, in that moment of recognition, pride rises up to say, “look what I’m doing!” And in that instant of taking credit for what God is doing, the whole thing just falls apart. The same may be said for our prayer life, for teaching or preaching or whatever it is we may be doing in service to our Lord. The proper mode is that He is working through us, and this has to leave us with the understanding that whatever is being accomplished, it’s not our great prowess that is accomplishing, but it is God in us working and willing for His own good pleasure. Fallen beings that we are, though, pride rises up with its only refrain: “Look at me!” And having turned our eyes upon self, they are necessarily turned away from that kingdom which we must seek first, foremost and exclusively. In that very moment, except it be that God has cause to continue with us in spite of our flaws, it has been my experience that I am immediately cast back upon my own meager skills. It is quickly clear that I have exceeded my capacity, that my dependency is showing.

[06/12/13] In chapter 18 we are given, amongst other things, instructions regarding matters of church discipline and forgiveness. I choose to connect those two thoughts because they were clearly connected in Matthew’s and Peter’s minds, and I would also suppose them closely connected in the mind of Christ. There is a time when forgiveness must make way for discipline. But, there is also a time when the disciplinary actions have been taken and have also had their desired effect such that forgiveness can come once more.

As I look at this section, it is striking that one of the most popular sayings of Jesus as concerns prayer comes in the midst of His discussion of church discipline. It is upon instructing the church to treat the unrepentant member ‘as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer’ that Jesus turns to the authority set in the Apostles, and by inference in ourselves (Mt 18:17-20). Here is the message about binding and loosing, matters which we must understand in forensic terms: matters of court proceedings, and by what Jesus says, we are set as judge and jury. But, we must remain cognizant that the judgments we may render either reflect the judgment of the King or they really have no weight. It is as Jesus informs His disciples of this judicial responsibility they bear that He then says, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.”

I am struck, as I am struck by the end of the book, by the fact that this is at least as much warning as comfort. This is, after all, the same message. “I am with you even to the end of the age.” I am handing you great authority, but it is not yours to play with. It is not yours to abuse. Be firmly, keenly aware that as you render your opinions, I am with you. You, as my appointed judges, are not put in place to render your opinions. You are appointed to render My decisions, and I am very much in attendance upon your efforts. When, therefore, you must discipline your fellow believer, I am with you. When you are assessing the situation, I am with you. When you are setting direction for My sheep, I am with you.

So long as we retain and cultivate an active awareness of this, I think it stands as great comfort. I don’t have to make these decisions in my own limited understanding. I am not required to figure out from the surface evidence whether discipline or forgiveness is in order. My King is with me. My Counselor is not only with me, standing by, He is also within me, abiding, instructing, advising. I have but to listen to His voice to know what I ought to speak. It goes back to that earlier thing, doesn’t it? “Don’t be anxious about what you should say.” In fact, it’s the answer to that anxiousness. “I am with you, in your midst.” I am abiding in you, My branches. Drink from Me, and pour forth from Me. Speak from Me. But, think not it’s your own vaunted wisdom that speaks! Speak from Me, or speak not at all.

And, as regards disciplinary necessities, we daren’t lose sight of the equally necessary quality of forgiveness. Lest we think it a small thing, Jesus adds a very clear, very certain encouragement to this matter. “If you don’t forgive your brother in earnest (none of that sheepish mouthing of words you don’t mean just to get this over with), neither shall My Father forgive you” (Mt 18:35)! It is, as with the matter of discipline, an issue of serving as ambassador to the King. He is thus, and so we must be thus. Where He disciplines, we must accord with and enforce His discipline. Where He forgives, we must likewise forgive. And, the well-known lesson is that we must keep no record of wrongs. If there be such records, they are His to maintain, for He knows the heart. For our part, seventy times seven like offenses are more than we could track even if we were so inclined. It’s like ‘Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall’ for Christians. The game of unforgiveness will have lost its flavor long since, ere ever we reach that count. And that, of course, is the point. It is not to set the limit, but to make clear that the command to forgive is indeed limitless. Just as the Father continually forgives us, in spite of our seemingly endless repetitions of the same mistakes, the same sins.

So, then, we come back to the end of the message Matthew has recorded, the final instruction. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples” (Mt 28:18-19). Now, I want to note plainly that Jesus does not give any indication of having passed so much as an ounce of His authority to anybody else here. “It has been given to Me.” I AM Authority. You, My Apostles, are My messengers, yes! My ambassadors and representatives, certainly! You are My voice in this world, and those who would follow Me must needs follow you as you follow Me before them. But, don’t make a mistake about this: The authority is in Me and in Me alone. Don’t get all big-headed over your role. Remind yourselves, “I am a bondservant of the Christ.” This will help you retain proper perspective. As I said with the previous matter of discipline and forgiveness: Speak from Me, or speak not at all.

It seems clear to me that the Apostles got this. Read the epistles, and they are ever reminding themselves that they, like the Baptist before them, must decrease and He increase. Paul is very careful to demark those places where he is speaking from his own opinions as opposed to expounding the revealed Truth of God. We ought to have that same care and concern.

“Go and make disciples.” And how do we do this? Certainly, we must go with God’s offer of clemency in hand. Certainly, we can only make disciples as we explain both the need for and the availability of true forgiveness to the truly repentant. But, Jesus also explains the necessary follow up. We cannot count on an altar call to have done it all. We can’t even count on that to have made a start. There can be no disciples without disciplers. There can be no student without there being a teacher. And, it is far nearer the master / apprentice relationship than the instructor / student relationship we are more familiar with. To make disciples requires an investment of time and energy. Teach them to observe all I commanded you. And how did He teach these things in the first place? By word, yes. But, also by constant example and exercise of that which was said. There is no room here for the, ‘do as I say, not as I do’ school of training. Rather, we are commanded to so succeed in following Paul as he follows Christ that we, too, can say, “follow my example as I follow Christ.”

Lo! I am with you always, even to the end of the age! This being the case, there ought be no moment where I am not following Christ. Would that it were so, but weak flesh and treacherous heart make clear that it is not. But, the more mindful I can be of this Truth that He is with me, watching over my shoulder, hearing my thoughts, let alone my words, the more I can succeed in truly following Him. In the hands of any other authority, such powers of observation would be fearsome indeed. But, in the hands of an all Wise, perfectly Just, infinitely Merciful Father, Brother, Husband, King? There can be no better place for me!

Even so, Lord, grant me to be more constant in turning my eyes upon You, in seeking Your kingdom, and being attuned to Your voice. Here is all my strength and hope, and here alone shall I find victory over those sins that so easily beset, that cloud my thoughts and occlude my vision of Your kingdom hour by hour, day by day. Here, too, the strength to heed the words You speak, not just as good advice, but as impetus to action. May I, by Your strength and will, be more consistent a doer of Your word, a model of Your instruction, a man who can stand before Your sheep and say with the conviction that it is Your own good advice, “follow me as I follow Him!”

So, then, building upon those closing words of Christ, indicating the investment of all Authority in His glorious Person, let me walk back to that Sermon on the Mount. Jesus, having expounded upon the true scope and meaning of the Decalogue, having corrected many of the corrosive effects of tradition, speaks a well-known phrase, “everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them…” (Mt 7:24). It is, of course, the issue of those who claim to be His as opposed to those who truly are His. We know by their fruits. Let me just say that this can and should be turned inward first. We know our own true condition by our own fruits. Thus it is that those who not only hear but act upon what they have heard are the wise men. They are building something sound and solid in building their faith and character. Those who settle for head knowledge, admitting the profound truths contained in His message, but then going on unchanged? Foolish in the utmost.

But, I bring this passage up for another reason, really. Notice this about His message. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine.” They are His words! He takes ownership of them. Now, this must be held in harmony with His declarations elsewhere that He speaks only what He hears from the Father, only what He is given and commanded to speak by the Father. But, in spite of this, the words are very much His. This stands in stark contrast to the standards of the typical rabbi, who would teach by way of referring to the words of Hillel, or of Shimei or some other man of renown. In other words, they were but repeating what somebody else had said. Jesus speaks yes, what He has heard from the Father, but He speaks His own words. Or, perhaps, more fittingly, He speaks them as His own words. It is thus that we find that conclusion that Matthew sets upon this great sermon: “He was teaching them as one having authority” (Mt 7:29). This was something distinct, and people knew it.

That the scribes, the other teachers of the time operated on a different level was to be seen in their grounds for confronting Jesus. “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders” (Mt 15:2)? It is absolutely telling – and intended to be so – that they point to no true transgression of Law, only of tradition. And that is precisely where Jesus points in answering their complaint. “And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition” (Mt 15:3)? Indeed, you have great concern for your traditions. Would that your concern were so great for the actual commandments of God! Would that your traditions were actually founded upon and reflective of those commandments, rather than excuses for sinning in the name of God.

Those traditions, it seems to me, though they arose out of a sincere desire to guard against even an accidental breach of God’s rule, were in reality much like Paul’s teaching was perceived by unbelievers to be. “Shall we sin the more that grace may abound” (Ro 6:1)? Of course not! Yet, this was the effect of tradition: Making permissible and even approved that which most assuredly stood in violation of the Law of God. And, make no mistake: We’re playing the same games still today. It really doesn’t matter, in this regard, whether you’re in an organized church or pretending you can go it alone. Indeed, the very fact that we have so many Christians today who think they can go it alone, even though this stands contrary to the Word of God they seek to obey, is an example of the problem. We are all of us inclined, in spite of knowing better, to put our own opinions and preferences before the clear instruction of Scripture.

This is reason number one for the admonition to be meditating constantly upon God’s Word. It is because the moment we stop considering the Truth revealed therein, we start replacing it with our own vain opinions. The moment our eyes are off the kingdom, we’re busily subverting kingdom principles for our own comfort and pleasure. Some things never change, it seems. They do, in reality, but it seems they don’t. Oh! That sin would lose its savor for us. Oh! That we could, even in this lifetime, know the obedience that Christ demands and deserves! But, it is only as He works in us, as He works in spite of us, that we can even approach this most to be desired end.

And there is another thing that is needful for us if we are ever to draw near the goal. It is a thing Jesus Himself modeled often in His own time here. Matthew makes note of it, as does Mark. In fact, coming from Mark, with his emphasis on deeds and actions, it is the more surprising. But, Matthew was likewise impressed and instructed by this example. “He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray” (Mt 14:23). Now, it’s not the mountain that’s important here. Arguably, it’s not the solitude, either. It’s the prayer. But, that being said, there are things that only solitary prayer can truly address. There is a distinct difference between that solitary pursuit of God’s answers and directions and the more corporate prayers we may pray. Even when we as a group are seeking God’s answers, seeking His directions, it is not quite the same thing.

There is something about that model of stepping back from the actions and efforts of ministry to a place of solitude. We have our retreats, or as some insist on calling them in spite of the obvious falsity, advances. Male pride demands that we never retreat, we advance. Christ’s own model for us makes folly of such sentiment. Of course you retreat. In fact, you should do so more often. It’s not just about getting directions, receiving orders. It’s about recharging! How long will your phone last if you’re constantly calling, texting, what have you, and never giving it a moment to recharge? Not long. Yet, given an hour or so on the charger, you’re good for several hours of use once more.

We are not so very different from our gadgets. We, too, need constant recharging. One round in the morning may not – no, will not suffice for the day. Why do you suppose we grow so susceptible to sin? It’s because we never recharge! We get our morning’s dose, maybe an evening’s added top-off – or maybe not. And we think this will get us through. Truth is, we know it won’t, but we just can’t be bothered. Too much to do. It doesn’t fit with my schedule. I’ve got work to get to, housework that needs doing, shopping, news, what have you. Far too busy to be dropping everything to pray every few hours. And yet, there is no greater need in all of life! There is no greater aid to our sanctification. And we would count ourselves wise! Look to your Teacher! If He needed those time outs, periods of stepping out of the active role to pray and rest, how much more do we have need of such times?

[06/13/13] I must be more brief than usual this morning, as the hour is getting away from me. But, this morning, I turn my attention to a couple of interesting, if minor details from Matthew’s account. The first of these is something I notice in his introductory genealogy of Jesus. As a sample, Matthew 1:5 reads, “Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth” Now, what is intriguing to me is that when I read through that genealogy, there is this striking fact: The great bulk of his list speaks only of father and son at each generation. But, of those exceptions where the mother is mentioned, it is always a case in which the mother was one who would normally be considered a most improbable candidate for being involved with God’s blessing of Messiah. In the verse above, we have Rahab, a prostitute who decided to aid and abet the Jewish spies as they entered the promised land, and Ruth, a Moabitess. Think of that! Moab! A nation the prophets condemned for their cruel treatment of Israel, though Israel was their own kin, after a fashion. But, she was not born a Jew, only became one primarily as a support to her mother-in-law after the death of her husband.

Then, of course, he cannot help but bring up Bathsheba, whom he will not even name, only note her as having been stolen from Uriah. That comes in the very next verse! So, then, we have as immediate links in the succession, three sons of dubious birth. And yet, given the end-results of David, and Solomon after him, there wasn’t a soul in all Israel who would question their legitimate place in the required genealogy of Messiah. Everybody knew that Messiah must come a son of David, that David had been promised the permanent throne. This must necessarily include Solomon as well. Was any other of David’s sons ever a legitimate king in Israel? There was Absalom, of course, but he was thoroughly cut off, and so, necessarily, was any line through him that might arrive at Messiah.

So, then: Why does Matthew take pains to mention these three women? It is possible, of course, that this only reflects his own sense of being a man most would have considered impossible to include in the kingdom. But, the genealogy, particularly as it is placed right here at the head of his text, serves a critical purpose of introduction. I think he had more on his mind than his own condition before he met Jesus. Clearly, that welcome by Jesus had made a great impression on him, and that might have led him to be a bit more sensitive to these particular details. But, I think there’s a more central purpose to his inclusion of these outcasts in the path to Messiah.

It is something I find hints of elsewhere in the Gospels. The thing is, particularly as Mary’s own part in the lineage is set before us, it is clear that many besides Joseph would have found ample cause to question the legitimacy of this first son she bore. Pregnancy is not a thing that can be long hidden, and we can count on the fact that there were those around Nazareth who could count back the months from His birth and notice that this did not seem to quite fit with the date that those two were married. Nazareth: A small country town, a town where everybody knew everybody, and knew everybody’s business. This rather early date of birth did not go unnoticed. Tongues wagged. You can hear it in some of their later comments. “Isn’t that Mary’s boy?” Yes, and we know all about that one, don’t we? Him, a prophet? He’s not even legitimate. Sure, legally, He’s Joseph’s son, but that legal fiction doesn’t touch on reality does it? Him a prophet? How could God be expected to use such a one?

I seem to recall a few of the encounters with the Pharisees where there were hints that they, too, were aware of the rather questionable details of His birth. There is a reason that such great pains are taken to explain the Virgin Birth, and it’s not merely that He needed to be established as directly begotten of God. It’s not solely to establish that He was, unlike any other before or since, born without sin, a legitimate heir of David, but not an inheritor of Adam’s failure. It is also a matter of establishing that nothing about His birth disqualified Him as Messiah. There was no sin in His conception, not from the Father, certainly, not from Joseph, for he was uninvolved except after the fact, and rather critically, not from Mary.

It seems to me that Matthew serves two purposes by noting these other mothers along the way. First, it certainly serves to foreshadow Mary’s tale which follows. But, the bigger issue is that it makes plain to his readers that even were their false opinions of Mary found to be true, this would not suffice to invalidate the Christ. Look at those from whose wombs David and Solomon came. Were they any less to be esteemed for having such parentage? Did God decide they could not be used given who bore them? Obviously not. Well, then: On what basis can one discount the possibility of Jesus Messiah based on rumors about His birth? By his asides as to these former wives in the genealogies, Matthew has rather cleverly cut off all such attacks upon the line of Messiah.

OK. One other very quick observation, and this one much closer to the end of the text. As Matthew arrives at the scene of Gethsemane, he notes those who Jesus called to come with Him to watch as He prayed. “And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee” (Mt 26:37). Now, it may well be that there is nothing to make of this, but I do find it striking that rather than simply noting them as James and John, as seems so common on other occasions, Matthew opts to simply call them, ‘the two sons of Zebedee’. Now, as to James, there is that challenge of distinguishing him from the other James. So, it is that we find Matthew referring to these two as James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. So, maybe this is simply a shorter reference, since by now we are quite familiar with who they are.

But, this intrigues me: Somewhere between chapter 17 and chapter 20, Matthew seems to drop their first names. Before then, they are James and John. Afterwards, the other three mentions we have, they are just the sons of Zebedee. Given that earlier reticence about mentioning Bathsheba by name, one wonders if there is a similar reticence here. Was there some lingering issue for Matthew? Recall that these were the two who had sought out the places of honor in the kingdom which Matthew now sought to serve. Recall that John, at least, was still very much present and highly regarded. James? James was initially up there at the head of the small group of believers, at least until his martyrdom. It seemed, then, that they had in some ways attained the honors they had sought from Jesus. It seemed in some ways that Jesus, in spite of His protestations, had honored that request after all. The Gospels note the bitterness that this episode had caused amongst the Twelve. One wonders if perhaps some had a harder time setting that bitterness aside than others, or if later events caused old memories to arise.

It might well be that such lingering sentiments colored Matthew’s writing unintentionally. This may not have been a conscious decision on his part, but rather a deeper, inward reaction as memories of that event were drawn forth. Oh yes. I remember those days. How angry we were with those sons of Zebedee! Such arrogance! And so, the memories having resurfaced, they had an influence on Matthew’s writing of later events, although up to that point he had sensed no particular animosity towards them.

It’s possible. I don’t say it’s necessary, or even necessarily probable. But, it’s possible. I have known such surprises of retained emotion on my own part. You think a matter settled and long since forgiven and forgotten, and then some event brings it all back to mind and, whoa! There is something here I need to deal with. It is, of course, God at work, rooting out any residual causes for bitterness in us that we might be the more like Him. Could it be that as he wrote this, Matthew as discovering just such a revelation about his own condition? Could it be that he did not stop right then and there to address what God was showing him, but finished his writing, only afterwards coming to Christ in prayerful repentance, only afterwards putting an end to such thoughts?

[06/14/13] As concerns Matthew’s own calling, I have already commented on this. But, it does have its place in his account. He introduces himself in that moment of his calling. “And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he rose, and followed Him” (Mt 9:9). Notice that: No deliberation. No hemming and hawing. It is immediate. Jesus calls. Matthew follows. To large degree, this response must be attributed to the working of the Holy Spirit upon Matthew’s heart and mind. But, his response – not just this immediate dropping of everything to follow Jesus, but the feast which follows – indicate that this was a thing Matthew had been waiting for, hoping for. By now, he had doubtless been hearing reports of this Jesus fellow. And it seems clear that there was much within him that longed for God’s acceptance.

Let me say this: While public perspective had long determined that the taxman was by definition the chief of sinners, there was not any real, legitimate correlation. One could be a taxman and yet be a true believer. A pious taxman may have been a rarity indeed, but it was not an impossibility. We have our own cultural equivalents. It might be the lawyer, or perhaps the politician. We have many such conceits of thought. Think of the many employments which to us define one who is lying whenever his lips move. We learn of their role in society and immediately assume them to be both unsaved and unsaveable. No sense even trying. But, that’s exactly where Matthew was in their eyes. Yet, Jesus saved him, and as I noted before, the impact was huge. That feast which Matthew throws in response, inviting all the other social outcasts with whom he congregated by necessity to come to this same hope that he had found. The implication would seem to be that they, like himself, had not chosen to alienate themselves from society. Polite society, religious society, had determined to alienate from them.

That trend continues after the feast as it continues to this very day. They see the holy man emerging from this soiree of the damned, and are certain they have what they need to take him down. Jesus, a great religious force? Just look! What sort of holy man hangs about with tax collectors, with outcasts, with prostitutes? Now, there could be no accusation that He was availing Himself of their services, and frankly, many of those hurling accusations would have had difficulty defending themselves against such charges. But, for their purposes, mere association – in public! – was enough. How a feast such as this counts as public, I’m not sure, but it was public enough to offend their sensibilities.

And so, the brief account of this day closes with Jesus responding to their offended complaints. You think Me impious for associating with the lost? And you consider yourselves the religious experts? “But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mt 9:13). In truth, their own need was at least as great as was the need of those lost souls at the feast, greater even. They were just as lost, just as sinful. The only difference was that they tried to hide it. They hid it from public sight. And, by their traditions, they were fairly successful at hiding it even from themselves. But, they were not succeeding in hiding it from God.

Yet again, I am drawn back to that thematic linkage of, “I am with you.” It is true for us, and it is indeed great comfort. It is great encouragement. He is with us. We do not walk alone. We do not speak from our own meager wisdom, but from the infinite wisdom of the One beside us. But, we are not so unlike the Pharisees as we ought to be. We, too, have a tendency to attempt to hide our sins. Why? Because we know they are sinful. Though we do them, though we even lust after opportunity to do them, we know them to be wrong, so we’d just as soon nobody saw us doing them, certainly nobody from church! We’d never live down the shame. Certainly nobody who knows us to be Christians. It might damage our witness. But, somehow, we convince ourselves that the One Who is ever beside us doesn’t matter in this regard. He’s here in our midst when we’re doing things right, pursuing His mission. But, when we’re doing things wrong and ignoring His mission, He’s still right there. We just attempt to disbelieve, or simply ignore the fact.

Such is our foolishness so long as we remain in this fallen flesh. And just so great is our need for that which God alone can do in us. It remains for us to do our utmost to come into alignment with what He is doing. We are to pursue our sanctification, labor towards it, but not as though we are thereby achieving something of our own, something of which to boast. No! I am put back in mind of that footnote that the Harper Study Bible sets down in Nehemiah. The lesson of Israel rebuilding the walls was that they simultaneously prayed as though they were wholly incapable of working, and worked as though they were wholly incapable of praying. It is yet another tension of the faith, another both/and that we must needs embrace. It’s all about Him and yet we must still strive, must still seek how we might be more like Him moment by moment.

There remains one other great theme that I would explore from Matthew’s material, one which comes out of what he has gathered up in chapter 12. I would state this theme as, ‘something greater is here’. Near the beginning of this chapter, the phrase is introduced by the Greater One. “But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Mt 12:6-8). Notice the repeated use of that most wonderful declaration God spoke: “I desire compassion, not sacrifice.” We just saw that from Matthew 9:13, as He spoke of His having come for the sinners who know their need for Him. Here, He is speaking in response to yet another complaint that His followers are not complying with tradition. Jesus is once more pointing out how far the ‘holy’ traditions have strayed from the perfection of the Law. There is something of a second ‘something greater is here’ to be found in His closing remark identifying Himself as Lord of the Sabbath. Something greater than the Sabbath is here. Elsewhere we find that thought expanded, as He explains that the Sabbath was established to help man, not to bind and constrain man to some rigid, life-threatening ritual observation.

This, I should note, is always the complaint Jesus has against these ostensibly religious citizens. Their rituals and posturing look holy. They purport to satisfy and support the letter of the Law. But, the truth of the matter is that they have utterly missed the intent of the Law. They have opted for a shallow understanding of God’s proclamations and have thereby utterly failed to recognize God’s character. They have failed to comprehend that the Law is intended to guide us in developing character like unto God’s own. Instead, they make the Law the thing, and character an option. And so, in the name of obeying the Living God, they purse death.

There follows a demonstration that this Something Greater is also greater than the demons who plague this world. But, these same pious fools refuse to admit the evidence, offering instead the theory that Jesus is Himself but a greater demon. This nonsense is soon shown up for what it is (Mt 12:22-37), and then they have the audacity to beg a sign of Him, some proof of His person! Jesus might appear to lose patience at this point. More properly, I think we must recognize that the Father has long since lost patience. Woe be to us should we ever bring Him to this same point, and I fear that we, as a nation, are drawing nigh to doing so! But, for Jerusalem, the city of God’s choosing, housing the people of God’s choosing, that time had come. Patience had run out, and all that remained was for them to fill up to the full the measure of their sins.

Thus we have Jesus pursuing His theme of ‘something greater’, as He points out to them their own dire situation. Something greater than Jonah is here (Mt 12:41)! Something greater than Solomon is here (Mt 12:42)! Look around you! Look at what your own eyes have seen, listen to your own ears! Those nations around you that you think so irredeemably ungodly? Ninevah? You’re pretty sure about them, right? But, they will condemn you! All they got was Jonah, and they knew enough to repent. You? You’re so far gone that you can’t see what’s before you now! Egypt? The very mark of the enemy to you, the representation of all that is unholy? But, all they got was Solomon and they bowed to his wisdom. You have the very Word of God in your midst, and still think yourself wiser. Oh, yes. Something greater is here.

For those who were the target of His words, this was a message that ought to have been turning knees to water, but they doubtless heard it as Pharaoh heard Moses, only firming up their resolve and opposition; only becoming the more determined to see this annoyance destroyed from their midst. Here can be seen evidence that indeed, God’s patience had run out. Had He any patience remaining, then surely these words would have sunk in, and purged the hearts of that crowd. But, no. As Jesus would later lament, “How often I would have gathered you to My protection, but you wouldn’t have it.”

So, then: For those who insistently opposed the Messiah as He went, this message of something greater was a dire warning. No, it was more than a warning, for a warning would suggest there was still time to avoid the cataclysm. Instead, it was more like an epitaph spoken beforehand: Here lie those who, though privileged to witness Something Greater, refused to repent of their wicked ways.

But, if we will take note of that which lies buried at the center of this encounter, I think we may take a second message, a joyful message, from this same encounter. Go back to Matthew 12:21, and we find this marvelous gem in the midst of the dark forebodings: “In His name the Gentiles will hope.” Now, this is not Jesus speaking, as it happens, but Matthew offering explanation of what just transpired. Jesus was healing the crowd, and the bulk of that crowd was made up not of Jews but of Gentiles, for the Jews were already rejecting Him, too busy being offended at these breaches of tradition to hear the Gospel that was offered, and the True purpose of God revealed thereby.

But, in His name the Gentiles were hoping then, and would hope through the ages. In His name, the Gentiles continue to hope to this very day, and shall so long as the Lord shall tarry! Indeed, Something Greater is here! The Purpose of Israel has come, and seen to it that what the nation had failed to accomplish as God’s people, He would accomplish for Himself. “By My own right arm, I shall do it!” Yes, He shall! Yes, He has! For all that the Church may appear embattled today, and even losing the battle, the Truth is far different. The very gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church, for He is His Church! Something Greater has come, and the very lord of hell has already been defeated and cast down. The King has ascended His throne, and there He shall remain. There is no power in all the universe that is capable of casting Him from that throne. The arms of every nation that has existed since the dawn of time and that shall exist before its close could not in their combined might so much as dent the gates of His realm.

In His name the Gentiles will hope. What name? That name with which Matthew has bookended his Gospel: God with us. Immanuel. Something Greater is here. The author of the book of Hebrews, as we have been studying these last several months at church, spends his entire book expounding this marvelous theme. The history of Israel, and of Israel’s God was great, is great. The temple of Solomon, and Solomon himself, were marvels of renown down through the ages. Just think about those events that surrounded the arrival of Immanuel. Magi from the east come to declare their submission to Him at His birth! And make no mistake: that was their purpose. So, then, almost the first to bow down to this King were not from amongst His chosen people, but from amongst Babylon and Persia, of all places. They knew. They knew and had been awaiting this moment for ages, apparently at least in part because of the prophecies of Balaam. Now, Balaam hardly goes down as a hero of the faith. But, in spite of himself, he turns out to have been mightily used of God, not that it would seem to have done him any good personally. He is just another proof of God’s sovereignty.

But, there they were at His birth, proclaiming their allegiance, and even proving it by not returning to Herod – Herod who more properly ought to have been bowing his knee to the King. But, it was left to shepherds, to women, to taxmen and prostitutes, and to Gentiles to exalt the King, to rejoice in His arrival, and to proclaim His ascension. That is the marvel of the Gospel. That is the shocking revelation. That is a thing that boggled even Paul, I think. How often we have him speaking of how God chose the foolish, how He upstages the wisdom of the age by spokesmen whom the world would judge to have no value, no importance. Paul had learned this the hard way. He, too, had thought himself wise before Jesus showed him is foolishness. But, Jesus also made of this fool the most powerful tool and voice of the Church, so powerful that even today those who seek to truly understand the doctrine he established must wonder at their own limitations.

But, it is not in Paul that we hope, nor in Peter or James or John. No, it is in the Lord of the Sabbath, the Lord of the Church, the Greater Something Who Was and Is and Is to Come. He is all my righteousness. He is my joy, my hope, my strength. Let the nations rage! Let the atheists howl! “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Ps 2:4). In His own good time, rest assured, “He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury” (Ps 2:5). And, He shall reign over all the earth. Every knee shall bow. For the sons of God, it shall be a bowing in joyful acknowledgment. For the rest, it shall be a bowing of necessity. It may be solely because of the rod of iron with which He has sworn to break the rebels in His lands (Ps 2:9), the lands of His inheritance. But, bow they shall, and quite possibly fail ever to stand again. Is that harsh? So be it! But, let them rather avail themselves of opportunity while opportunity remains. The Lord is compassionate, patient and kind. But, even He reaches the end of His patience, and woe to those whose constant crimes against Him have brought Him to that end. God will not be mocked! Nor shall He be defeated or thwarted in all His purposes. It is well to be mindful of this.

It is well for us as believers to be mindful of this, and to therefore set ourselves the more firmly to walk according to His ways, to submit to His will, to seek His guidance, and to act upon His words. God is with us! As I have noted repeatedly in these past few weeks, He is with us, like it or not. He is with us when we need Him most and when we most wish He’d look away for a moment. He is with us as our great strength and encouragement, and He is with us as witness to our every thought. The NSA has nothing on Him! Nor can His records be hacked by enemy spies. No. God will not be mocked. He shall reign over all the earth, forever and ever, Amen!