Notes on Matthew's Gospel by J C Ryle
This is one of those books that you can refer to for a "quick" idea of what a particular passage in Matthew means. It is "a shortened version of Expository Thoughts on Matthew by J C Ryle, first published in 1856." I would like to share with you some of what I have learned from this little book.
Matthew 1 verses 1 to 17
J C Ryle reminds us that Matthew tells us the story of the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To know Christ is life eternal
To believe in Christ is to have peace with God
To follow Christ is to be a true Christian
To be with Christ will be heaven itself.
We can never know too much about the Lord Jesus Christ!
You probably know how Matthew starts his book - with a family tree. 16 verses dating from Abraham to David and then from David to Jesus' own family. I know when I was young I would have skipped over these verses and at Christmas time everyone always starts reading from verse 17 but J C Ryle points out 3 things from these verses:
1. God always keeps his word - remember way back in Genesis 12 God promised Abraham that from his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Then he promised a Saviour from David's family - Isaiah 11 verse 1. Why are these verses recorded? To prove that Jesus was the son of David and the son of Abraham and that God's promise had been fulfilled.
Remember: God cannot tell lies, he will always be faithful.
2. These verses also show us the sinfulness of human nature.
Rehoboam and Jehoram had good parents but they were wicked men. Their stories are recorded in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Kings 8. Just because your parents are Christians doesn't make you Christian - you have to come a personal faith in Jesus christ to become a child of God - John 1 verse 13.
3. How great is the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of the names recorded here remind us of shameful lives but at the end of the list comes the name of Jesus Christ. Imagine the eternal God humbling himself and taking on human form to save me!
No-one (and I mean no-one!) is beyond the reach of Christ's love today. Sin will not shut us out of heaven if we repent and believe the gospel. If Jesus was not ashamed to have so many wicked ancestors, he will not be ashamed to call me his child and give me eternal life.
Matthew 1 verses 18 to 25
In these verses we are introduced to Joseph and the emphasis is on his behaviour rather than anything he said (nothing is recorded of his words). His behaviour is an example of wisdom and thoughtfulness for others. He didn't know that Mary's baby was God's own son. All he knew was she was pregnant before they had married. Joseph must have prayed about his problem because we are told God spoke to him in a dream. He was told not to be afraid of taking Mary to be his wife and that her child was from the Holy Spirit. Surely this is a reminder to me that I need to take all my worries and concerns to God in prayer.
Then we are told of the 2 names given to our Lord. One describes his task and the other his nature.
1. Jesus - the same name as Joshua in the Old Testament and it means Saviour. He saves people from their sins (Hallelujah!).
He saves from the power of sin by putting the sanctifying Spirit into their hearts.
He saves them from the presence of sin when he takes them out of this world to rest with him.
He will save them from the results of their sin when he gives them a glorious body at the last day.
I am not saved from sorrow and trouble but "saved from sin". I am cleansed from guilt by Christ's blood. I am being prepared for heaven by Christ's Spirit. I love the words of John 3 verse 17 "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
2. Immanuel - which means "God with us".
Jesus is perfect man as well as perfect God and perfect God as well as perfect man.
As we read the Gospels we can see that Jesus was weary, hungry and thirsty. He could weep and feel pain just like me. This shows him as the man Jesus. But he could also see into people's hearts and minds. He had power over devils. He could work great miracles with a word. He spoke with angels.
Jesus is the one who possesses all power in heaven and earth and will allow no-one to take us from his hand.
As a baby Jesus was nursed by Mary. As a man he experienced the temptations of the devil. He endured real hunger, shed tears and felt pain. I can trust him with my sorrows and tell him everything that is in my heart.
And this is only chapter 1 of Matthew!
Matthew 2 verses 1 to 12
These opening verses tell us of the visit of the wise men from the east. Why is their coming important?
1. There may be true servants of God where we should not expect to find them. The Lord has many hidden ones like these wise men, who may be little known on earth but who will be found with Christ at the end of history.
2. It is not always those who seem the most religious who give Christ most honour. We might have thought that the scribes and Pharisees (the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day) would have hurried to bethlehem when they heard of Jesus' birth. But only the shepherds hurried to see Jesus (as Luke records). These unknown men from other lands came to rejoice at Jesus' birth
3. We might know scripture in our heads but do we know grace in our hearts? King Herod asked the priests and elders where Christ should be born and the were able to tell from scripture the exact place of his birth but they did not go to Bethlehem themselves. We must long to love the Lord at the same time as we long to know Christ.
4. An example of strength of purpose. How much time and effort it took for these wise men to travel from their home to Bethlehem. The dangers of the journey didn't worry them. They had set their hearts on seeing the one who was born King of the Jews and they did not rest until they saw him. Am I ready to do the same as them? How seriously do I think about my soul? Does my faith come first in my life?
5. An example of faith. These wise men believed in Christ before they had ever seen him. They believed in him when they saw him as a baby on his mother's knee. They worshipped him as a king.
Remember: they saw no miracles to convince them, they saw no signs of divinity or greatness about him - just a baby needing a mother's care like any one of us.
What did they do when they saw him? They bowed down and worshipped him as the divine Saviour of the world. Should I not be copying these men? Am I ashamed to believe in Jesus?
Matthew 2 verses 13 to 23
1. Rulers think very little about God or religion. Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus. Do I envy the rich and the great? The bible warns against money, greed and possessions (Luke 12 verse 15 and Hebrew 13 verse 5).
2. The Lord Jesus was a man of sorrows from the time of his birth. Danger awaits him as soon as he enters the world. He is the Saviour that suffering and sorrowful people need. He knows what I mean when I pray to him about my troubles. What a reminder to tell God everything. He is the greatest friend I could ever know because he knows about the cruelty of the world.
3. Death removes rulers without warning just like anyone else. Joseph and Mary heard about the death of Herod and they were able to return to their own country as a result. What a reminder that the "joy of the godless lasts but a moment" (Job 20 verse 5) but the truth will always survive.
4. A lesson in humility is taught through Jesus' home while he was on earth. Jesus lived with Mary and Joseph in a small town in Galilee called Nazareth. He lived for 30 years in this town and was obedient to his parents. Just living among ordinary people, content with the simplicity of life. How content am I with where I live? Where will I go when I die?
These last few verses teach about the humility of Jesus. This is one of the most beautiful graces.
"Our knowledge may not be great, our faith may be weak; but if we are disciples of Jesus, let us be humble"
Matthew 3 verses 1 to 12
This is the chapter on John the Baptist. This chapter tells us about the way he lived. His preaching attracted the attention of people from Jerusalem, all Judea and all around the region of the Jordan. Luke's gospel records his birth and now as a man we are introduced to his ministry.
1. He spoke plainly about sin.
John taught the absolute necessity of true repentance before being saved (note the word true). When we repent there must be a change in our behaviour. John warned people not to rely on who they are or how often they go to church or other Christian meetings. We are naturally dead and blind and asleep with regard to spiritual things - something which I have to confess I forget when I talk to people who are not Christian. Unless we repent we shall all perish.
2. He spoke plainly about Jesus
John told everyone to expect someone much greater than him. He called himself a servant, preparing the way for the Messiah. The Messiah would take away all their guilt and one day judge the whole world. Faith in Christ is about a personal relationship.
3. He spoke plainly about the Holy Spirit
John taught about the baptism of the Holy Spirit - something that only Jesus can give us. Forgiveness of sins is not the only thing necessary to salvation. There must not only be the work of Christ for us but the work of the Holy Spirit in us. In other words we need to be prepared for heaven and that is only done by the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to know something of the baptism of the Spirit.
4. He spoke plainly about the awful anger of those who were impenitent and unbelieving
John told of the wrath of God that was to come and he preached of the fire that never goes out. Repentance is serious - so often I personally think about God's love and mercy but I need to remember that God is a God of justice and holiness. It is possible to be lost forever.
5. He spoke plainly about the safety of true believers
There is a heaven for everyone who belongs to Christ. One day Jesus is coming again and we will all be taken to be with the Lord for ever. Today we live in a wicked world and we are often tempted by the devil but Jesus will never forsake us, he will guide us safely through this life and then take us to heaven.
What amazing teaching from John - it has been so good to be reminded of the basics of my faith.
Matthew 3 verses 13 to 17
J C Ryle points out that when the Jewish priests took up their priesthood the were washed with water (Exodus 29 verse 4). When Jesus, at the age of 30 began the work for which he came into this world he was publicly baptised.
1. The importance of baptism.
If Jesus wanted to be baptised then I should also want the same. It needs to be regarded though with reverence. We should not have any superstitious ideas about the water of baptism. The water is quite ordinary and cannot act as a charm. We must not think that all people automatically receive the grace of God at the moment that they are baptised. On the other hand, we must be careful not to dishonour baptism by regarding it as of little importance. Baptism is ordained by Christ himself and should be treated with much reverence.
2. The special importance given to Jesus' baptism
All 3 persons of the Trinity were present at Jesus' baptism. God the Son is baptised in the Jordan. God the Spirit comes down like a bird to settle on him and God the Father speaks from heaven. It is as if the whole Trinity is announcing the public ministry of Christ and saying "Let us save man." There was a voice from heaven - the last time this happened was at the giving of the law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20 verse 1). Notice God's words - "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." These words make it clear that Jesus is the Saviour appointed from eternity to redeem the world. He is to be the link between God and man. God makes it clear that he is pleased with Jesus as the peacemaker, the substitute, and the ransom payer for all mankind.
Matthew 4 verses 1 to 11
After Jesus' baptism we are told of his temptation.
1. The devil is a real and cruel enemy of humankind
3 times the devil tried to tempt Jesus into sin.
It was the devil that brought sin into the world - Genesis 3
It was the devil that brought terrible suffering to Job - Job 1 and 2
It was the devil that deceived David - 2 Samuel 11
It was the devil that urged Peter to deny any knowledge of Jesus at his trial - matthew 26 verses 74 and 75
The bible describes the devil as a murderer; a liar and a roaring lion - John 8 verses 44 and 1 Peter 5 verse 8 - he never rests from his attack on mankind. His greatest hope is to pull us down to hell. His cunning is too clever for us to understand. He can even deceive us into believing he is an angel of light - 2 Corinthians 11 verse 14.
2. Temptations are to be expected
If the devil came to Jesus, he will also come to us. Remember to be tempted is not a sin; it is yielding to the temptation that we have to fear.
3. The Bible is our chief weapon in resisting the devil
3 times Jesus was tempted and 3 times he resisted the temptations with the words "It is written" and a text from Holy Scripture. What a reminder to read God's word daily. If we use the bible as our strongest weapon we will fight and win. It is not enough to simply possess the bible we must read it, we must pray about what we read, we must read the words until we know them well, until we remember the stories and have many verses stored in our memories. Knowledge of the bible only comes to us with attentive reading time every day. If you are not willing to give the time or attention to your bible then you are not ready for the kingdom of heaven.
4. What a sympathetic Saviour we have in the Lord Jesus
Jesus is able to understand when we are tempted because he was tempted too (Hebrews 2 verse 18). I can run to him and tell him all my troubles; he is ready to listen and will always understand my worries. I speak from personal experience. Those who seek their happiness only in the things of this life and despise the religion of the Bible have no idea what comfort they are missing.
Matthew 4 verses 12 to 25
Now we read about the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He started among simple folk but soon attracted the attention of all Syria by his miracles. Multitudes were drawn to see and listen to him.
1. Notice the way Jesus started to work
He began to preach. He was not ashamed to preach. Preaching is the primary means God used to convert and instruct souls. Times of great revivals have been times when preaching was greatly valued. Times of few conversions and careless backsliding have been times of careless and unbiblical preaching.
2. Notice the first doctrine that Jesus proclaimed to the people
"Repent" The necessity of repentance is one of the great foundation stones of Christianity, a truth that is of great importance. All have sinned, all are guilty before God and all must repent and be converted if they wish to be saved. True repentance is a big change, a change that is displayed in great sorrow for our sins, in a sincere confession of our sins, in a complete breaking away from our sinful habits and a lasting hatred of all sin. Such repentance cannot be separated from a saving faith in Christ.
3. Notice from what section of society the Lord chose his close companions
Peter, Andrew, James and John were all fishermen. They were poor and they were humble. The religion of our Lord was not intended only for the rich and learned, it was for the whole world; and most of the people in the world will always be poor. Poverty and ignorance prevent no-one from serving their Lord. Humility, repentance, a desire to listen to their Lord, to love him and to follow him; these are the things that are needed to reach the kingdom of heaven. Intellect, money and rank are worth nothing without God's grace. Jesus gives us a religion that does not flatter the rich or the great or the learned. He gives us a religion that offers us no encouragement to immorality. He gives us a religion whose first teachers were poor fishermen. This religion could not have turned the world upside down unless it came directly from God.
4. Notice some general features of the miracles that our Lord used to confirm his ministry
These miracles show us our Lord's power over creation He could heal with a touch or cast out devils with a word. He is able to save all people who turn to him, because he is almighty.
The miracles also show our Lord to be a spiritual doctor. He is able to cure every sickness of our soul. There is no broken heart that he cannot heal; no wound of conscience that he cannot cure Even though sin causes us to be crushed bruised and struck down by plague, Jesus by his blood and the Holy Spirit can make us whole. We have only to cry to him for mercy.
Most of all these miracles show us the Lord's heart. He is a most compassionate Saviour. He rejects no-one that comes to him; he refuses no-one, however wicked they have been. Jesus knows everything about you and is always ready to help. Jesus is kind and his compassion is great.
"He is just as able to save, just as willing to receive, just as read to help now as when he walked on the earth. Let us tell him all our needs, for he can heal "every disease and sickness."
Matthew 5 verses 1 to 12
Matthew chapters 5 to 7 is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Take note of those people who Jesus called blessed.
1. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are poor in spirit
Who are the "poor in spirit"? Those who are humble; those who are certain of their own sinfulness in God's sight; those who do not think of themselves as clever, but see themselves as wretched, poor and miserable in their spiritual blindness. Humility is a virtue for which all Christians should aim.
2. The Lord calls those "blessed" who mourn
Jesus is speaking in a spiritual sense and he means those people who have a deep sorrow for their sins. The memory of their sin grieves them; the burden of their sin is something they cannot bear. The offer God their broken hearts. But the day is coming when God himself will comfort them.
3. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are meek
Jesus means those who are slow to take offence, those who do not complain as soon as anything goes wrong, the patient people.
4. The Lord calls those "blessed" who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jesus means those who long for the knowledge of God, those who long to understand exactly what God wants them to do. One day their spiritual hunger shall be satisfied.
5. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are merciful
Jesus means those who care for all who suffer, those who have tender feelings towards all who hurt in mind or body and do what they can to help them. They will be rewarded in this life and the life to come.
6. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are pure in heart
Jesus means those who are working hard at their inward holiness - not simply showing the world how good they are but making a real effort to keep from being sinful and doing their best to serve God with their whole being. Blessed are such people for God sees their hearts (1 Samuel 16 verse 17) and will make himself known to them.
7. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are peacemakers
Jesus means those who make every effort to create lovely relationships with their relatives and neighbours. He means those who try hard to make all men love one another, by teaching the Gospel which says, "Love is the fulfilment of the law" (Romans 13 verse 10). They are doing the same work as the Son of God.
8. The Lord calls those "blessed" who are persecuted for righteousness' sake
Jesus means those who are sneered at, treated with contempt and harshly treated, because they are trying to live as Christians. Jesus was treated in the same way and he will reward them greatly.
8 great truths:
- the values of Christ are the exact opposite of those in the world. The things the world praises, the world despises. In the world, pride, thoughtfulness, anger, greed, selfishness and lack of love can be seen all around us but Christ condemns them.
- how sad it is when Christ's teaching differs so greatly firm the practice of professing Christians
- how holy and spiritually minded all believers should be. Good doctrine is the root and foundation but holy living should always be the fruit.
Matthew 5 verses 13 to 20
1. These verses teach us what kind of life a Christian should display to other people in the world.
Jesus says "you are the salt of the earth". Salt has a distinctive flavour. It preserves meat from going rotten and flavours all that it is mixed with. But once it has lost its saltiness it becomes useless. See how important it is to have a fresh and distinctive life.
Jesus says "you are the light of the world." The least spark in a dark room can be seen at once. Light is the most useful of created things, bringing nourishment to nature, guidance and comfort. Light was the first thing that God called into being.
As a Christian I have to display a completely different character to that of the unbeliever. My life and my action must prove that I am worthy to be called Christian. Have I grace? My actions must prove that I have it. Have I the Holy Spirit in my heart? Then I must show the fruits of the Holy Spirit. I must show the difference in my daily life. Christianity is more than attending church or getting baptized. It is living a life that has been surrendered completely to God. Jesus expects us to be unusual people in comparison with unbelievers. We have to dare to be different.
2. These verses teach us how the message of Jesus relates to that of the Old Testament
Some of the Jews had spent much of their lives studying the books of the Old Testament and were worried that Jesus was teaching against the Law and the Prophets but our Lord dispels this worry in a single statement - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them." The Old and New Testaments belong together as a single complete book for all time. Jesus came to fulfil all that was predicted by the prophets about the promised Saviour. Jesus came to fulfil the ceremonial law by becoming the blood sacrifice. Jesus came to fulfil the moral law by his perfect obedience, an obedience we could never offer. He came to pay the penalty for the sin of mankind with his atoning blood, a penalty which we could never have paid. In all his words and actions he honoured the laws of God, making their importance clearer than it had ever been (Isaiah 42 verse 21).
Let us not despise the Old Testament. It has the roots of Christianity. It is the Gospel in bud. The New Testament is the Gospel in full flower.
Let us not despise the Ten Commandments. The coming of Christ did not alter their importance at all, for they are God's unchanging measure of right and wrong. It is by the commandments that the Holy Spirit shows mankind its need of Christ. it is to the commandments that Christ points his people as their rule and guide to holy living. The commandments cannot save us or justify us but we should not despise them. The true Christian delights in the law of God.
Let us not imagine that the Gospel has lowered the standards of personal holiness. The more light we have, the more we ought to love God; the more clearly we see our own complete and full forgiveness in christ, the more heartily we ought to work for his glory.
Matthew 5 verses 21 to 37
In these verses Jesus teaches that his Gospel expands the Law and honours its authority. His teaching about the Law reveals a far more spiritual and heart-searching rule than most of the Jews supposed it to be. To give them proof he selects 3 commandments as examples.
1. The sixth commandment, forbidding us from killing another human is enlarged upon by our Lord. He shows that it condemns all displays of anger and all threatening language. We may never murder anyone, and you break the sixth commandment again and again!
2. The seventh commandment forbidding adultery is enlarged upon by our Lord. He teaches that even though our actions are moral and correct we break the seventh commandment with our impure thoughts and imaginations. God sees far beyond our actions, he looks deep into our minds and thoughts. Even a glance of the eye may be sin!
3. The third commandment. Many thought that they were keeping this Law by keeping their promises and speaking truthfully. The Lord taught that the taking of oaths or the making of promises should only be used on very serious occasions. It is a great sin to do these things carelessly!
What does this teach me?
4. It teaches us the holiness of God. He is a pure and perfect being, who sees faults and imperfections in our minds and hearts. He sees our words and thoughts as easily as our actions. He wants us to be pure in our hearts. We ought to think about this every day and so drive out of our minds all pride, self-righteousness and careless thoughts.
5. It teaches us the spiritual ignorance that is in so many of us. There are thousands of people who call themselves Christian but know nothing of the laws of God. It is possible that they have heard the Ten Commandments. They may have read them, but they know nothing of the ease with which they can break them by a thought or a look. So they live in ignorance, quite happy with their little bit of religion.
6. It teaches us our need for the Lord's redeeming blood. Is there anyone who is not guilty before God? Is there anyone who has not broken his commandments? Without Jesus as our mediator we should all be condemned at the Judgement Day. Ignorance of the true meaning of the Law is one reason why the people do not value the Gospel. They do not understand how God's commandments can be so strict and holy, for if they did they would never rest until they were safe in Christ.
7. It teaches us our need to avoid all sin. If we want to be holy, we must think carefully before we speak and sort out our quarrels before they lead us into sin. We must work hard at this, being willing to take painful action and endure any difficulty rather than fall into sin. Our duty is simply to follow our Lord.
Matthew 5 verses 38 to 48
Our Lord gives us rules on how to conduct our thoughts and actions towards other people.
1. He forbids all thoughts of taking revenge or refusing to forgive a person who has upset us or hurt us in any way.
2. We must love everyone, even our enemies. This includes speaking kindly and doing good to those who hate us. We are to be unselfish at all times.
3. This is a solemn matter:
- if we cannot aim to keep the Lord's rules we are not yet children of God. Does our Father in heaven only send rain on good people but not on bad? No the rain comes to both good and evil and the sun shines on the evil just as much as on the good. Where is our likeness to our Father in heaven if we cannot show mercy and kindness to everybody?
- again if we are unable to aim for the spirit of such rules we obviously still belong to the world. Our Lord asks, "What are you doing more than the unbelievers?" Even unbelievers love their friend. If we find it impossible to do good to our enemies then we have not yet been converted, we have not received the Spirit.
These verses show us what the Christian should be like, but sadly the reality is often very different.
4. Think what a good example of Christianity the world would see if Christians remembered and practised these things. Unfailing courtesy, tenderness and consideration for others make the characters of Christians beautiful. People notice these things. The neglect of them deforms our characters. There is no religion in rudeness, roughness and incivility.
5. Think how much happier our world would be if people practised these things. So many of our miseries are caused by quarrels, jealousies, selfish behaviour and a lack of kindness. How much happiness we could spread with the Christian love recommended by our Lord. True religion promotes good will, charity and peace. The more people accept of the Holy Spirit's teaching, the more they will love one another and the happier they will be.
Matthew 6 verses 1 to 8
In this part of the Sermon on the Mount our Lord instructs us on 2 subjects - giving to the needy and praying. These were of great importance to the Jews.
1. Jesus took it for granted that those who called themselves his disciples would give to the needy, so here he concentrates on the way in which the help is given. Those who never help others can hardly expect to be considered disciples of a giving Saviour.
2. Jesus also took it for granted that all those who called themselves his disciples would pray and he talks here only about the best way of praying. Prayerless people are not genuine Christians. Some people think that if they have attended Sunday worship and perhaps the weekly prayer meeting they have said enough prayers. But Jesus instructs us on private praying. Without consistent private prayer we may be outward members of Christ's church but we are not living members of Christ.
So what rules did our Lord give about our giving and prayer?
1. If we are giving to the needy, every action that is putting on a show must be avoided. We must not give hoping that other people will look at us and notice how generous we are. Rather, we must be humble and quiet about the way we give. "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
2. When we pray, the important thing is to be alone with God. We can usually find such a place if we really do want to be alone. There we can pour out all our joys and all our hurts and troubles to him.
3. In both these duties we can be sure we are doing it in the presence of a heart-searching and all-knowing God. "Our Father sees what is done in secret." We cannot impress our God with any outward show! We simply have to desire to please him. We must often ask ourselves if we are really sincere about all this.
Matthew 6 verses 9 to 15
These verses give us our Lord's pattern for daily prayer. It is known as the Lord's Prayer and would be recognised by thousands of people who call themselves Christians, but never open a bible or go to a place of worship. They know the words of the prayer but not the spiritual meaning. The Lord's Prayer is short and it is simple, but its words give us everything that a prayer needs to contain. It is truly a prayer from God. It has 10 parts.
It starts recognising that it is God our Father to whom we pray and there are then 3 requests about his honour, kingdom and will.
We then have 4 more phrases regarding our daily needs, our sins, weaknesses and our dangers.
After expressing our feelings towards other people, it concludes with a verse of praise.
In the whole prayer we are taught to say "we" and "us" to remind us that we are saying the Lord's Prayer with many other Christians around the world.
1. We are to pray to our Father in heaven. Not to angels or saints but to our Father, Lord of our souls, Lord of heaven and earth.
We call him Father as our creator
We call him Father in a higher sense as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, reconciling us to himself through the death of his Son
We claim to be his children by faith in Christ and to have the Spirit of adoption that allows us to cry "Abba Father". This is the sonship that we must desire. Without faith in Christ's blood and union with him, it is useless to talk of trusting in God as our Father.
2. We are to pray about God's name. By the "name" of God we mean his power, wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy and truth. By asking that they may be "hallowed", we mean that they may be made known and glorified. The glory of God is the first thing that we should desire. It is the object of one of Jesus' own prayers: "Father glorify your name" (John 12 verse 28). It is the purpose for which the world was created, the most important thing for which we should seek, that "in all things God may be praised" (1 Peter 4 verse 11).
3. We are to pray about God's kingdom. By this we mean firstly the kingdom of grace that God sets up and maintains in the hearts of all believers. Even more importantly, we mean the kingdom of glory and is promised with the second coming of our Lord Christ, when all shall know him, "from the least to the greatest" (Hebrews 8 verse 11).
4. We are to pray about God's will. With these words we pray that everyone may obey God's laws as perfectly, readily and unceasingly as the angels in heaven do. Our truest happiness is in perfect submission to God's will and it is a work of great kindness when we pray that others may claim this happiness by their own submission.
5. We are pray about our own daily needs. We should realise and express how much we depend on God our Father, not only for bread but also for the supply of all our daily necessities. We are humbly asking our Maker to take care of us.
6. We are to pray about our sins. We confess that we are sinners and need daily forgiveness. This is important! It condemns all our efforts at self-righteousness and self-justification. We are taught to make a daily habit of seeking God's forgiveness. A daily habit!
7. We are to profess our feelings toward others. We ask our Father to forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. We must not bear any spite within our own hearts. It is a reminder to us not to expect our prayers for forgiveness to be heard if we cannot forgive other people.
8. We are to pray about our weaknesses. It teaches us to acknowledge our weakness to God and to plead with him that we should not be led astray or allowed to slip into sin. We are asking him to restrain us from going anywhere that could be dangerous for our soul and not to allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10 verse 13).
9. We are to pray about our dangers. It is a cry to God to deliver us from the evil in our world; from the evil that is in our hearts and from the devil himself. As long as we are in this world, we are constantly seeing, hearing and feeling the presence of evil. it is within us and around us on every side; and we earnestly pray to God, who alone can preserve us, to be continually delivering us from its power (John 17 verse 15).
10. The prayer ends with a statement of praise. "Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory". We acknowledge that all power belongs to him and that he alone shall receive all the glory. We give him all honour and praise and rejoice that he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Matthew 6 verses 16 to 24
We examine 3 more subjects: fasting, wordliness and single-mindedness.
1. Fasting
This means going without food for a time in order to bring the body into subjection to the spirit.
David fasted when his and Bathsheba's child was ill and close to death - 2 Samuel 12 verse 16
Daniel fasted when his soul was greatly troubled - Daniel 9 verse 3
Esther fasted before going in to plead with King Ahasuerus for the Jews - Esther 4 verse 16
There is no command to fast in the New Testament; deciding to fast must be a matter of individual choice. We are taught here that if someone chooses to fast, it should be done with simplicity and humility, not with any foolish show of pride, for it is a private matter between that person and God. No-one else needs to know. The lesson to learn - there is a great importance of honest cheerfulness in our religion. Our Lord's words "put oil on your head and wash your face" are full of meaning. They teach us that we should let people know that our beliefs make us happy. Looking sad and gloomy adds nothing to our religion! Let us show people that we can be joyful.
2. Worldliness
One of the most dangerous sins. It seems so harmless to seek happiness in the world as long as we avoid obvious sin. But we make a fatal mistake if we start putting worldly goods first and neglect the need to give priority to heavenly blessings. Where are our priorities? What do we love best? Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Let us learn from the Lord's caution to watch and pray against an earthly spirit. What are the majority of people doing? They are laying up treasure on earth. They are giving priority to what they wear, what and how much they eat, and how they relax. Let us beware of following them along the pathway to hell that consists in giving too much attention to lawful things.
3. Single mindedness
One of the secrets of building a good and happy spiritual life. It is not clever to try to concentrate on 2 things at one time. If we take on 2 jobs we will very soon discover that we are unable to concentrate on either of them successfully. In the same way we cannot serve the Lord and the world at the same time. The Lord's will and his teaching must receive our whole attention. If we keep looking towards the Lord then our soul will be in the light and it will be safe because the Lord will give us help. But if our eyes lose contact with the Lord, all will be confusion because our "body will be full of darkness."
Let us learn to be decided followers of Christ. Let us proclaim with Paul: "One thing I do" (Philippians 3 verse 13). And this decision will allow the heart, the head and the conscience to be filled with happiness. Be decided for Christ and "your whole body will be full of light."
Matthew 6 verses 25 - 34
These verses are a good example of the wisdom and compassion of our Lord's teaching. He knows us so well. He knows that we try not to think of the warnings about worldliness with the excuse that we cannot help being anxious for the things of this life. We have to provide for our families and our own needs. How can we cope with everyday life if our minds are full of heaven? Our Lord sees all our daily needs and has given us his answer.
1. He forbids us to be anxious. 4 times he tells us not to worry; about life, about food, about clothing and especially about tomorrow. Carefulness and wisdom is right, but anxiety is wrong!
2 He reminds us of the providential care that God continually takes of everything he has made. Has he given us life? Then he will surely not let us lack anything needed to maintain it. Has he given us a body? Then he will surely provide us with food and clothing.
3. He points out the uselessness of over-anxiety Our lives are in God's hands and we shall ive and die at God's appointed time.
4. He points to the birds of the air for our instruction. They make no provision for the future: they do not sow seeds, they do not reap, nor do they store their corn in great barns. They live from day to day using the instincts that they have received from God. If we are seeking to obey God we will not lack the essential things of life.
5. He points out the flowers of the field. Year after year they appear and delight our eyes, all without the slightest work from themselves. "They do not labour or spin." God, by his almighty power makes them beautiful every season. So why should his believers doubt that he is able to provide them with clothes? He who takes thought for the lilies of the field would surely not neglect his children.
6. He suggests that worrying about the things of the world is most unworthy of the Christian. Let the unbelievers be anxious, for they know nothing of our Father in heaven; but let believers show faith and contentment. When we are bereaved of loved ones we are not to behave in the same way as those who have no hope. When we are bearing the weight of the troubles of this life, we are not to worry as if we had no God.
7. He makes a gracious promise that if we put God first, all we really need will be given to us. "In all things God works for the good of those who love him" and "no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Romans 8 verse 28, Psalm 84 verse 11).
8. Our Lord ends his instructions with the words, "tomorrow will worry about itself". It is no use to worry about things that have not yet happened. If some tragedy does come to us, we may be certain that God, who has allowed it to happen, will also send us grace to deal with the problem.
Matthew 7 verses 1 to 11
"Do not judge" does not mean that we are never to assess the behaviour and opinions of others. Nor do they mean that it is wrong to correct someone who is obviously making sinful decisions.
1. Our Lord is condemning those people who like to make the worst of another person's mistakes. We should have a trusting attitude, hoping the best about other people. We should be slow to find fault. This is Christian love (1 Corinthians 13 verse 7).
2. Verse 6 teaches us the importance of being careful in choosing those to whom we speak about religious things. It is not wise to speak to someone if it is clear that their angry reactions and increasing sin are only making matters worse.
3. The next few verses teach us the duty of prayer and the many encouragements there are to pray. We must pray! Our Lord emphasises the importance of prayer by using the words asking, seeking and knocking. If worldly parents give good things to their children, how much more will God listen to our prayers.
We all know that if we want to find something, we have to search. If we do not search we shall not find. But what is the good of knowing this and not bothering to search? The knowledge will only increase our condemnation on the last day.
Matthew 7 verses 12 to 20
In these verses our Lord gives us:
1. A good principle to guide us in our dealings with other people. We are to treat others as we would like them to treat us. It is likely that in our lifetime we will receive bad or selfish treatment, but we must not return that sort of treatment. Real Christians are people who make an effort to stop such behaviour and show that it is possible to be kind.
2. A warning against simply following the majority in matters of religion. We are told that the way to everlasting life is "narrow" and few travel on it; we are told that the way to everlasting destruction is "broad" and many prefer to take that way.
3. A warning about false teachers in the church. There were false prophets amongst Christians in the time of the apostles and they have been troubling men and women ever since. The best safeguard against false teaching is the regular study of the word of God, with prayers for help from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 7 verses 21 to 29
1. We have a lesson here on the uselessness of some professions of Christianity. Not every one who says "Lord, Lord" shall be saved. It is not easy to save a soul. We must practise Christianity and not just profess it.
2. The following lesson is about 2 sorts of hearers, those who hear and do nothing and those who hear and do what is needed.
- Those who hear the Christian teaching and practise it are like wise people who build their house upon a rock. In times of trial their religion does not fail them; the floods of sickness, sorrow, poverty, disappointments and bereavements bear upon them in vain. Their souls stand unshaken, their faith does not give way. The religion that can stand trial is a true religion.
- Those who hear the same teaching but never get beyond listening to the words are like the foolish people who build their house on the sand. They listen to the preaching and it gives them good feelings and good desires. it helps them to think about spiritual things, but that is all. They never really break from sin or make any effort to give up their worldly ideas. They never lay hold of Christ. They never take up the cross. They are hearers of the truth and nothing more. And what is the end of their religion? It breaks down under the first time of trouble It fails them when their need is at its greatest. Such a religion will always prove useless.
Matthew 8 verses 1 to 5
The greatest sermon ever preached is followed up with great miracles, proving that the preacher was the Son of God. Not only did he speak as no other man spoke, but he also backed his words up with actions. These verses give us 3 miracles to study.
A leper is healed.
An absent, paralysed servant is healed on the request of his master.
A woman sick with a fever is restored to perfect health and strength by a touch.
1. What great power our Lord Jesus Christ has. When it was confirmed that someone was a leper they immediately became an incurable outcast, shunned by family and friends. Yet Jesus said "Be clean" and the leper was cured. To heal someone who was paralysed, whom Jesus could not even see, might seem impossible; yet the servant was healed. To relieve a woman of a high fever so that she was able to get up at once would be most unlikely, yet when Jesus touched her hand "she arose and made a meal for him." These are the doings of one that is almighty.
Here is a broad foundation for the faith of a Christian! We are told to come to Jesus, to believe on Jesus, to live the life of faith in Jesus; we are encouraged to lean on him, to cast all our cares on him. He is our strong rock. He is almighty. He can give life to the dead and power to the weak. With Jesus everything is possible.
2. How compassionate our Lord Jesus Christ is. Think about the circumstances of the 3 miracles and how they were completely different from each other. Jesus heard the leper's cry "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." It was a centurion that appealed for his servant to be healed, but Jesus never saw the sick man. Jesus saw Peter's mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever but we are not told that he spoke at all. In each instance Jesus was quick to show mercy and give healing.
Jesus is so gracious. He is never tired of doing good. He knows all our weaknesses. He knows how much evil can be done in the world. He is as ready to bear with us now as he was 2000 years ago. No heart can feel for us as much as the heart of Jesus.
3. What a precious gift it is to have faith. Think about the centurion. We are told very little about him, but one thing we know and that is that he believed! Jesus offered to go with this man and heal his servant but the centurion said, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." The centurion believed when scribes and Pharisees did not, and our Lord commended him with words that have been heard all over the world: "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith" (verse 10). To believe Christ's power and willingness to help, and to make a practical use of our belief is a precious gift. To be willing to come to Jesus as helpless sinners and give our souls into his hands is all that is needed.
Faith in Christ is most precious in God's sight. By faith true Christians come alive, by faith they overcome the sins of worldliness. Without faith no-one can be saved.
Matthew 8 verses 16 to 27
1. Here we have an example of our Lord's dealing with those who professed a willingness to be his disciples.
- when a scribe offers to follow him wherever he goes, the man's offer is not directly accepted, but neither is it rejected. Jesus said "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (verse 20).
- another man asked if he could become a disciple after he had been home to his father's funeral. Jesus said "Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead." (verse 22)
Jesus knew how people, listening to him preach and watching him work miracles, were often inspired to join his followers. But he also knew how quickly inspiration could be forgotten. His answers show that we too must ask some plain questions: "Have you really thought about this? Are you prepared to endure much hardship? Are you ready to carry the cross?" There are times when a Christian must give up all for the sake of our Lord. There are many worldly duties that people will insist they must attend to but which never be compared to our responsibilities to obey and serve the Lord. There may be many people who profess religion while very few prove to have real grace.
2. Saving grace often has much weakness. We are told of our Lord and his disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat. While Jesus slept there was a storm. The rain and wind were so furious that his disciples, most of whom were fishermen, were terrified that the boat would sink. They cried out to Jesus to save them. Jesus awoke and with a word silenced the winds and the waves so that everything was calm and still. At the same time he asked "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
How many of us show enough faith and love to leave all for Christ, yet are afraid when troubles comes? How many will turn to Jesus when troubles come yet do not have grace enough to believe that in the darkest hour all will be well! Let the words, "Lord, increase our faith" always be included in our prayers. Perhaps we will never know the strength of our faith until we are sorely tempted. We may thank God that Jesus is a great high priest who is compassionate and tender hearted: he knows our strengths and our weaknesses. Our prayers, even if they only have "little faith" are always answered.
Matthew 8 verses 28 to 34
1. We must be clear that there is such a being as the devil. Satan is very close to each of us and full of malice against our souls. From the beginning of creation he has been doing his best to destroy God's people and will never cease to tempt us. Both in Jesus' time and our own, the devil may even curse people with demon possession.
2. We must also understand that the power of the devil is limited. As forcefully as his will is set to do us harm in this world, he cannot move against the Lord. So we read that evil spirits can only attack the world for as long as the Lord permits. This was true of the men who approached Jesus, for when the demons who possessed their bodies and minds saw him, they recognised him as the Son of God and cried out to him, "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" (verse 29) And they pleaded to be sent into the herds of pigs.
3. Jesus Christ is man's great deliverer from the power of the devil. It was prophesied that he should bruise the serpent's head; he began to bruise that head when he was born of the Virgin Mary; he triumphed over that head when he died on the cross. When he was upon earth he showed his rule over Satan by "healing all who were under the power of the devil" (Acts 10 verse 38) Our protection, when attacked by Satan is to cry out to Jesus for help. He can break Satan's hold upon our minds and bodies and set us free. What a miserable world this would be if we did not know the strength of our Lord against the devil. Christ is able to save us completely, for he lives to pray for us (Hebrews 7 verse 25).
4. We cannot leave these words without drawing attention to the worldliness of the Gadarenes. Their only thought seemed to be that Jesus should leave their region at once. They gave no sign of being glad that Jesus performed a miracle and rid the troubled men of their demons. They gave no sign of recognising Jesus as the Son of God and master of satanic forces. They cared only that their herds of pigs had rushed into the sea and drowned. They blamed Jesus for killing their animals and only wanted to be rid of him. Similarly, there are many today who are concerned only to make some money and not at all about their spiritual needs.
Matthew 9 verses 1 to 13
1. The Lord's knowledge of our thoughts. Jesus had just healed a paralysed man and immediately some scribes began to murmur amongst themselves. "This man speaks blasphemy". They spoke in secret but Jesus spoke openly and exposed their bad thoughts. All thoughts are naked and open to him (Hebrews 4 verse 13). Nothing is hidden from Christ.
2. Christ's calling of Matthew to follow him and become one of his disciples. Matthew was a tax collector. He sat at his desk possibly thinking only about his worldly affairs but when Jesus called him he got up at once and followed him.
- with Christ nothing is impossible. He can take a tax collector and make him an apostle; he can take the heart of any sinner and change it for good. When he says by the power of the Spirit, "Follow me" he can make the most sinful soul obey.
- Notice Matthew's immediate response to Jesus. By doing so he had the reward of writing this Gospel. He was blessed in his own soul and became a blessing to others.
3. Our Lord's declaration about his own calling. The Pharisees found fault with Jesus because he treated sinners as his friends. They said that it was not possible for some one to be a teacher from heaven and yet be eating and drinking with those whom they considered sinners. They were ignorant of the work prepared for Jesus during his time on earth. They were ignorant that he had come to be a Saviour, a doctor, a healer of sick souls. Jesus told the Pharisees "I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (verse 13).
- we all need to know about our own corruption We need to come to Christ knowing that we ourselves are the worst of sinners. We must not keep away from Christ because we are wicked, for we are among the sinners that Jesus came into the world to save. A sense of our personal sin is just what we need to approach God.
- if by the grace of God, we really understand the truth that sinners are those people that Christ came to call, let us never forget it. We will always need our Lord to come between our sins and us. We need our Lord to pray for us. We were sinners when we came to Christ. We will continue to be sinners as long as we live, needing to draw grace all the time from the fullness of Christ. We shall find ourselves to be sinners at the hour of our death and shall find ourselves as dependent on Christ's redeeming blood at that moment as in the day we first believed.
Matthew 9 verses 14 to 26
1. In this passage let us notice that Jesus talks of himself as "the bridegroom". He takes to himself all the souls of those who believe in him and loves them with an everlasting love. He takes them into union with himself and pays all their spiritual debts. He supplies all their needs. He sympathises with them and bears all their failings. Those that persecute his people are persecuting him. By faith God joins our sinful souls to himself.
2. The wisdom Jesus showed in the way that he treated his new disciple. The disciples of John asked him why Jesus' disciples did not fast as often as they did. Jesus defended his disciples by saying that he was with them; they would not need to fast until he was taken from them. Also, they were new to their discipleship and were not expected to know everything at once, which would be like using a piece of new, unshrunk cloth to patch an old garment, or putting fresh wine into old wine skins. Be certain that the first principles of repentance and faith are put before the people again and again until they have a clear understanding of what has to be learnt.
3. What encouragement our Lord gives to a humble soul. A woman, who for 12 years had suffered from a haemorrhage (bleeding inside), came behind our Lord and touched his clothes. She was frightened of speaking to him, but she knew in her heart that she would be healed if she touched his clothing. Jesus turned and seeing the woman, recognised her faith and spoke to her. "Go in peace. Your faith has made you whole." How happy and grateful that woman must have been! These words are recorded to help us when we are in desperate need. Our faith may be feeble; our courage lacking; our understanding of the Gospel weak. But do we trust in Jesus? do we look to Jesus and only to Jesus for pardon and peace? If we do, it is good. We can touch his heart, for such faith saves the soul.
4. Our Lord's almighty power. He restores to life one that was dead. Death is stillness, silence, coldness and no sign of breathing. We cannot mistake the change that has taken place. The body we are looking at is no longer the loved person that we once knew so well. But in this account our Lord goes to the body, calls the spirit back and the body lives again. No-one could do such a thing except God the Creator. The more clearly we look at Christ's power, the more likely we are to enjoy the peace of the gospel.
Matthew 9 verses 27 - 38
4 lessons from this passage:
1 A strong faith in Christ may sometimes be found in unexpected places. We read of the 2 blind men who were unable even to see Jesus. They had to be told about the miracles he performed. But they understood enough to know that Jesus was the Messiah. They called him the "son of David" and believed that he could help them. Grace is stronger than circumstances. The Holy Spirit can give faith to people who have little or no education, no money and very little spiritual opportunity. Simple people can believe in the Lord while many of the educated live and die in unbelief.
2. Our Lord had much experience of disease and sickness. He went about in all the cities and villages doing good. He saw every form of suffering. Nothing was too horrible for him to cure. We do not know what sufferings we or our loved ones will have to bear in the future. Our Lord is the one who is especially suited to help us to cope with our sick bodies as well as our sick consciences. He is the one from whom we will receive pardon and peace before we die.
3. Our Lord's concern for neglected souls. He saw people scattered about like sheep without a shepherd. He saw them neglected, ignored, helpless and unfit to die. He could not see such things and not feel sad. What are our feelings at such a sight? There are millions of idol worshippers and heathen on earth. Do we feel concerned about their souls? Do we pity their spiritual poverty? Do we long to see that poverty relieved? The person who does not wish to help the souls of all unconverted people cannot possibly have "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2 verse 16).
4. There is a serious duty for all Christians to pray for the unconverted and for those who are seeking to bring the Gospel to them. Let us never forget to be asking the Lord of the harvest to send out workers. it is one of the best ways of doing good.
Matthew 10 verses 1 to 15
This chapter records how our Lord appointed and sent out the apostles, the first workers in the earliest days of the church.
1. Not all ministers are good men. We read that, along with 11 other men, our Lord chose Judas Iscariot as one of his apostles. Jesus who knows the heart of every one, includes a traitor. Appointed pastors are not infallible. They have the same passions as we have, the same weaknesses and the same temptations. We are to compare their teachings with those of the bible and we are to follow them as far as they follow Christ and no further They are very much in need of our prayers.
2. Ministers are to do good by working for the Lord. They are to spread the good news, relieve those who are suffering, encourage those who are sorrowing and be glad with the joyful. Faithful ministers must be ready to sacrifice their bodies, minds, time and patience for the people in the church. they should be ready to serve rather than rule.
3. Verses 13 to 15 shows that it is most dangerous to ignore the message of the gospel. We do not need to sin in obvious, public ways to be ruined for ever. We have only to go on hearing without believing, listening without repenting, going to church without going to Christ and soon we will find ourselves in hell! What are doing about the gospel that we hear? We must receive our Lord's truth; we must have him living in our hearts; we must become his servants. If not, the preaching of the gospel will only increase our guilt. The words of the bible are all true.
Matthew 10 verses 16 to 23
1. Those who wish to do good to souls must be careful in what they expect. They will not have continual success; they will have to put up with intolerance and persecution, much of which may come from their own families. They will find themselves like "sheep among wolves" (verse 16). Human nature is wicked. The power of evil is great. It is better to know what to expect before we begin serving our Lord, than to learn it by bitter experience.
2. Those who wish to do good to souls need to pray for wisdom. They should not invite trouble by trying to force their religion on everyone and at all times. On the other hand, we must never use this principle as an excuse for cowardice or unfaithfulness. It is too easy to give way to laziness and a desire to avoid trouble and so throw away great opportunities to be useful. Let us be careful to avoid both extremes. Let us seek Christian wisdom. Let us take everything into account, not as fools but as wise people (Ephesians 5 verse 15).
Sadly many believers in the Lord Jesus do not pray consistently for the wisdom of knowledge and good judgement. Let us remember that grace with common sense is something rare. King David and the apostle Paul displayed these things, but our Lord Jesus is the most perfect example. He was the wisest of men. Let us seek to walk with Jesus!
Matthew 10 verses 24 to 33
It is not easy to win souls for the Lord. Courage is needed. So is faith, patience and perseverance. Satan will attack strongly to keep souls for himself. Human nature is desperately wicked; to do harm is easy but to do good is hard.
1. We must not expect to receive better treatment than the Lord. Jesus was slandered and rejected by those he wanted to help, so no-one can be surprised if their efforts receive the same attention. if we leave the world alone it will probably let us alone; but if we offer it some spiritual advice, we will receive the same hatred as Jesus was given.
2. We must look forward with patience to the Judgement Day. Remember that everything will be set right on that last great day. "He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun" (Psalms 37 verse 6). The good intentions, the wisdom and the rightfulness of our cause shall be seen by the whole world. So let us work on steadily. People may not understand us and some may violently oppose us, but the day is coming when we shall be proved right at last. The Lord will bring to light those hidden things of the dark.
3. We must fear God more than people. People can hurt our bodies but that is all. God "can destroy both soul and body in hell." We may be threatened with the loss of our character and property but we should not worry. We should be ready to put up with anything in order to obey God.
4. We must remember that God is looking after us for our good. Nothing in this world can happen without God's permission. Be sure of this: there is no such thing as chance, accident or luck. Christianity can often be frightening, especially when the Lord has called a person to some special duty, but we are safe in God's hand.
5. We should continually remember the day when we will meet the Lord and receive our reward. If we would like Jesus to own us and bring us to his Father, we must not be ashamed to confess him before other people. Even though we have to bear laughter, mockery, persecution and scorn, let us not be afraid to show people that we love Christ and want them to know and love them also.
The Lord cares for all his believing people but especially for those who work for his cause. All believers can do something if they try. Let us see what we have to do and then do it.
Matthew 10 verses 34 to 42
Our Lord concludes his teaching to those sent out with the gospel by reminding them of 3 great truths.
1. His gospel will not always cause peace and agreement. "I did not come to bring peace but a sword." We have no right to be surprised at the continual fulfilment of these words. It is not strange if the gospel brings disruption to our families As long as one person believes and another remains unbelieving, preaching the gospel will inevitably cause division. The gospel is not to blame for this, but the hearts of the people. In the churches there is much talk about "unity" and "harmony" and "peace" as if they were the things we ought to expect. No doubt unity and peace are blessings for which we should work and pray, but not if we have to sacrifice the truth and our own consciences.
2. True Christians must accept trouble in this world. We must endure hardships, we must deny ourselves in many things or we shall never reach heaven. So long as the world, the devil and our own hearts are inclined toward evil, there will be trouble in this world. It is best if we grasp that although we are promised a crown at the end, we are also promised a cross before we get there.
3. The smallest work done to help those who work in his cause will be rewarded by God. Anyone that gives a cup of cold water to one of his disciples will certainly not lose a reward. There is something very beautiful in this promise. It teaches us that God sees everything and knows those who work for him.
How we think of Christ's work? Do we work help the faithful or do we ignore them? Do we work against his workers or do we help them? May we all strive to leave this place a better world than it was when we were born!
Matthew 11 verses 1 to 15
1. The message which John the Baptist sends to our Lord. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus "Are you that one who was to come or should we expect someone else?" This question was not because John doubted Jesus. it was asked for the benefit of his disciples. It was meant to let them hear Christ give his own evidence of his divine mission. John was in prison and felt that his own ministry was finished. He remembered the jealousies that had been shown by his disciples towards the disciples of Jesus and he took the best way of dispelling those jealousies for ever. He sent his followers to "hear and see" for themselves.
2. The testimony that our Lord gives to the character of John the Baptist. In the past, John had pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now Jesus names John as more than a prophet. he tells the people not to suppose that John was a timid, unstable person, "a reed swayed by the wind". He was actually a bold witness to the truth. John was a self-denying preacher of repentance. He would not keep quiet about the king's sins even if it made the king angry. John not only prophesied about him, but saw him and was given the honour of pointing him out and saying, "Look, The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1 verse 29)
This testimony of John the Baptist shows the interest that the Lord takes in the lives of all his followers. Christ sees all that we do for him and really values it. Jesus will bear testimony to all believers at the last day. He will say, "Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Matthew 25 verse 34)
Matthew 11 verses 16 to 24
These saying of Jesus were spoken to the Jews when he realised how unsympathetic they were towards his preaching and miracles.
1. The unreasonableness of the majority when they dismiss everything to do with the Christian religion. The leading Jews in our Lord's time found fault with all the teachers that God had sent among them.
First came John the Baptist, a man who had withdrawn himself from society and lived a simple life. But this did not impress the Jewish leaders. They said "He has a demon!"
Then Jesus the Son of God came to preach the gospel. He lived as other men lived and practised none of John's austerities. But again the Jewish leaders found fault. "Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." They were hard to please as rebellious children.
There are thousands of people today who are just as hard to please. Whatever we say or do, they will find something to complain about. They will despise our teaching and ridicule our behaviour. They will be quick to suggest that what we do does not match what we say. What is all this but the conduct of the Jewish leaders all over again? Believers must not expect unbelievers to straightaway listen to what they say, for the Bible tells us that "the sinful mind is hostile to God" (Romans 8 verse 7). "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God." (1 Corinthians 2 verse 14)
2. The wickedness of wilful impenitence. Our Lord denounced the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, by saying that it would be more tolerable for Tyre, Sidon and Sodom in the Judgement Day than for those cities where people had ignored his preaching and his miracles. Just remember the idolatry and immorality of Tyre and Sidon and the terrible wickedness of Sodom. Then think what our Lord says about Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. They were not outwardly wicked towns but are said to be in the lowest place of hell because they had heard the gospel regularly and yet remain uncommitted. Moral, decent and respectable though they are, they are more guilty than a sinner from Tyre, Sidon or Sodom. It is a most serious matter to be a regular hearer of the gospel if our hearts remain hard and unmoved. It is not enough to think that the preaching is nice: we must "Repent ... and turn to God" (Acts 3 verse 19). We must become one with Christ. Until then, our souls are in awful danger.
Matthew 11 verses 25 to 30
1. How good it is to have minds that are childlike and teachable. Our Lord praises his Father "because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to your little children" (verse 25) It is not for us to understand why some receive and believe the gospel while others do not. Those from whom the gospel message is hidden are usually those who are certain that they know best. Those who accept its message are mostly humble and willing to learn. The words of our Lord's mother are very true! "He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." (Luke 1 verse 53)
Let us fight against all sorts of pride; pride in knowledge, pride in wealth, pride in thinking how good we are. Nothing is more likely to keep us out of heaven than pride. Let us pray for humility. The start of the way to heaven is the feeling that we are on the way to hell! We must become willing to pray in humble submission like Saul "What shall I do Lord" (Acts 22 verse 10). Our Lord repeats again and again, "He who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18 verse 14).
2. The greatness and majesty of our Lord. Jesus says "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (verse 27) In these words we see something of the perfect union that exists between the Father and Son. We see how superior Jesus is to all humanity.
Let us accept the practical truth that Jesus holds all the concerns of humanity in his power. He holds the keys to heaven and it is to him that we must go for admission. He is the door and it is through him that we must enter. He is our good shepherd and like sheep, we must listen to his voice. He is the doctor and we must go to him to be healed of our sinfulness. He is the bread of life and if we wish our souls to be nourished, it is to him we must go for this bread. He is the light and we must walk close to him to avoid being lost in the dark. He is the fountain of life and we must wash in his blood if we wish to be cleansed. Christ has everything that we need.
3. The wonder of the great invitation of Christ's gospel.
- notice who it is that Jesus invites. He speaks to all who are weary and burdened. This is very wide reaching. Whatever their past life has been, all who feel a load on their heart, a load of sin, sorrow, anxiety or remorse, all are invited to come to Christ.
- notice the kind offer Jesus makes "I will give you rest." Unrest is characteristic of this modern world. Hurry, failure and disappointment create tension. But with faith in our Lord's words there is hope. There is rest in Christ; rest of conscience, rest given by the pardon of sin; rest flowing from peace with God.
- notice the simple request Jesus makes. He says to those who are loaded down, "Come ... take ... learn ..." There are no difficult conditions in what he says. He only asks us to come to him just as we are with all our sins, and to submit ourselves like little children to his teaching.
- notice how encouragingly Jesus speaks about himself. He says, "I am gentle and humble in heart."
- notice how Jesus speaks about serving him. He says "My yoke is easy and my burden is light". No doubt there is a cross to be carried if we follow Christ. No doubt there are trials to be endured and battles to be fought. But the comforts of the gospel are better than the weight of the cross. they are pleasant ways and paths of peace (Proverbs 3 verse 17).
- Here is a picture of the history of the Jewish nation at the time of our Lord. They were called out of Egypt to be God's chosen people but they never seem to have lost the tendency to worship idols. They were afterwards redeemed from captivity in Babylon but they never seem to have given to God a due return for his goodness. They had been aroused by John the Baptist's preaching but their repentance was only very superficial. Their last condition became rapidly worse than the first and only 40 years after Jesus spoke, the end came. They rebelled against Rome, Jerusalem was taken, the temple was destroyed and the Jews were scattered throughout the world.
- Here is a picture the whole body of Christian churches. Delivered from heathen darkness by the preaching of the Gospel, they have never really lived as they should. Revived as they were at the time of the Reformation, they did not make the right use of their privileges and teach perfection. Now it seems that "the evil spirit has returned to his original place" and we are preparing for an outbreak of infidelity and false doctrines such as our churches have never yet seen. Everything is ready for the coming of anti-Christ.
- Saddest of all, here is a picture of the history of many individual souls. Despite strong religious feelings and some outward changes, there was nothing deeper and they eventually gave up religion. Their consciences seem to have left them; their sense of religion seems to be destroyed. They are like depraved people and it appears to be impossible to help them to repent. Let us never be content with a partial reformation of life without true conversion to God and the death of the whole body of sin. It is a good thing to cast sin out of our hearts, but let us take care that we also receive the grace of God in its place.
Matthew
13 verses 1 to 23
This
parable gives such an apt description of what goes on in all groups of
listeners from Jesus’ day up to today.
1. The work of the preacher is like that of the sower.
- The preacher must sow good seed if he wants to see fruit. He must sow the pure Word of God, not the traditions of the church or the doctrines of men.
- The preacher must work hard. He must keep preaching “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4 verse 2). Whilst his success does not depend on his efforts, there will be no success without effort.
- The preacher cannot give life to the seed. He can scatter the seed, but he cannot command it to grow. He may offer the word of truth to his people, but he cannot make them receive it and bear fruit. That is God’s work.
2. 2. There are ways of hearing the truth without any benefit to our souls.
- We can listen to a message while our hearts are like the hard trodden path. If we are thoughtless and unconcerned as we hear the words, the devil will pluck them away and we will go home as if we had not heard anything at all. The words of the psalmist are so true “They have ... eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear” (Psalm 135 verses 16 and 17)
- We can listen to a message with pleasure but it only has a temporary effect upon us. Like the “rocky places”, our hearts may have a good crop of warm feelings but there will be no deeply rooted work in our souls, and at the first sign of opposition or temptation our religion will wither away.
- We can listen to a message and approve of every word it contains and yet get no good from it because of the influence of the world. Our hearts, like the thorny ground will be choked with a crop of pleasures and worldly plans. There are many such hearers! They know the truth well: they hope to be good Christians, but they never come to the point of giving up everything for the sake of Christ. They never commit themselves to seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6 verse 33) and so they die in their sins.
We
should never forget that there are plenty of ways to listen to the word without
bringing profit to ourselves “The heart
is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17 verse 9)
3. Bearing fruit is the only thing that proves that we have listened to the word correctly. This fruit of the Holy Spirit is repentance towards God, faith towards the Lord Jesus, holiness of life and character, prayerfulness, humility love and spiritual mindedness. These are the only satisfactory proofs that the seed of the word is doing a good work in our souls. Without such proofs our religion is wasted. “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear good fruit – fruit that will last.” (John 15 verse 16)
There
is no part of the whole parable that is more important than this. We must see that the Gospel we love produces
true fruit in our hearts and lives. This is real Christianity. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says”
(James 1 verse 22). How do we hear the
Word from our preacher? What effect does
it have on our characters? We may rest
assured, that to reach heaven it needs more than going to morning and evening
services and listening to the preacher.
The word of God must be received into our hearts. If it does not do this
it will only add to our condemnation in the Judgement day.
Matthew 13 verses 24 to 43
1. It teaches us that good and evil will always be found together in the church until the end of the world. The visible church is like a large field in which wheat and weeds grow together. We must expect to find believers and unbelievers, converted and unconverted all together in our congregations. The devil has always been clever enough to sow weeds in any congregation and the most careful discipline will not completely prevent it. People who do not worry so much about the “wheat” and simply want to root out the “weeds” do not know much about the mind of Christ. After all there is much truth in a charitable saying of Augustine: “Those who are weeds today may become the wheat of tomorrow.”
Do we hope to see the conversion of the whole world by the work of missionaries and ministers? Let us give thought to the parable and beware of such an idea. We shall never see all the earth peopled by the “wheat” of God. The weeds and the wheat will grow together until the harvest. The world will never be perfect until the Lord himself returns.
2. It teaches us that there is to be a day of separation between the godly and ungodly members of the visible church at the end of the world. The wheat and the weeds will be divided at last. The angels who do the reaping will make no mistakes. The true servants of Christ will receive glory, honour and eternal life. All the careless and unconverted will be thrown into the fiery furnace.
- Let the ungodly tremble. They are sowing misery for themselves if they continue to neglect God. God’s patience should not be misunderstood.
- Let all believers take comfort. There is happiness and safety prepared or them in the day of the Lord. In the end they will be separated from the wicked. How brightly will grace shine when it is no longer dimmed by contact with the worldly and unconverted. The righteous are not greatly appreciated now: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3 verse 1). But one day it will all change. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3 verse 4)
Matthew 13 verses 44 – 50
The parables of the treasure in the field and the merchant seeking pearls tech the same main lesson. They differ because the treasure was found by one who was not looking for it, whereas the pearl was found by someone who was seeking it. However, in both cases the finders sold everything they possessed to keep what they had found.
1. The parables teach us that people who are really convinced of the importance of salvation will give up everything to win Christ and eternal life. The men in the parable were sure they were making a good bargain even if others thought them foolish. In the same way, true Christians know that what they are doing is worthwhile. They come out from the world. They forsake the companions of their former life. Christ becomes their treasure; Christ becomes their “pearl of great value”. To win Christ they will make any sacrifice. This is true faith. This is the mark of a genuine work of the Holy Spirit.
2. The parables help us to understand the conduct of unconverted people. They are not fully persuaded that it is worthwhile to be different. Therefore they will not take up the cross. They cannot make up their minds to commit themselves to the Lord. They have no faith. If someone will not give up anything for Christ, we must sadly conclude that they do not have the grace of God.
3. The next parable of the fishing net is like that of the wheat and the weeds. It teaches us about the true nature of the visible church of Christ. The preaching of the Gospel is compared to letting down a net into the sea. The net gathers in both good and bad fish. In the church there are people of various sorts, converted and unconverted, false believers as well as true. The separation of good and bad is sure to come at last, but not until the end of the world. It is most important to understand this parable because mistakes can be very dangerous to souls!
- Congregations of professing Christians should be regarded as mixed bodies. To tell all baptized people that they are born again and have the Holy Spirit and are members of Christ is completely wrong. It promotes self-righteousness and lulls sinners to sleep. It goes against the teachings of Christ and ruins souls. Let us remember the net.
- Never be satisfied with mere outward church membership. We may be inside the net but not in Christ. Are we converted? Are we among the “good fish”? This question will be answered at last. There will be separation between the good fish and the bad; there will be a “furnace of fire” for the wicked.
Matthew 13 verses 51 to 58
1. The first thing to notice here is the serious question that our Lord asks the disciples after they had listened to the parables. “Have you understood all these things?” (verse 51) A sermon without an application is like a letter without an address. Listening to a sermon is useless unless it is understood. The brains must work, The heart must appreciate. Ideas must be taken home afterwards. There are thousands of people who go to a place of worship and think they have done their religious duty but do not learn anything. We should go to church not only with our bodies but also with our minds and consciences. We must remember that the Holy Spirit reaches our souls through our minds. Sleepy, inattentive people are never likely to be converted.
2. The second thing to notice is the treatment that our Lord received in his home town. He went to the synagogue and began to teach the people, but what he said made no impression on them. They were astonished but their hearts were not affected. They said, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary?” (verse 55) They were so familiar with the man Jesus that they took no notice of his words. Our Lord had to say, “Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honour.” (verse 57)
- This is a sad picture of human nature. It is easy to despise things that we know well but we can provoke God into withdrawing our opportunities to hear the truth.
- This explains why relatives and friends of Christians are not always converted. Remember what happened to Jesus of Nazareth.
- Do we imagine that we would have believed if we had seen Jesus in the flesh? This account tells us otherwise.
3. The last thing to notice is the destructive nature of unbelief. “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Souls perish when people will not believe. Salvation is put before them. Their sins could all be forgiven; the Father’s love is ready to receive them; the blood Christ is ready to cleanse them; the power of the Holy Spirit is ready to renew them. But they still will not believe. May we all be on our guard against this terrible sin. There are 3 great enemies of the Christian, pride, worldliness and unbelief. Unbelief is the worst.
Mathew 14 verses 1 to 12
In this passage we read how John the Baptist was bold in rebuking King Herod for his sins and how he was later put to death. This has been written for our benefit.
1. Let us learn about the power of conscience. King Herod hears of the fame of Jesus and says to his servants, “this is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!” (verse 2) He remembered his dealings with that holy man and he was deeply troubled. He remembered that he had despised John’s good advice and had him murdered. Let it not be forgotten that there is a conscience in all of us, accusing or excusing us. Conscience can make anyone, even a king miserable if they wilfully reject its advice. God’s witnesses may be silenced but their testimony lives and works long after they are dead. “God’s word is not chained.” (2 Timothy 2 verse 9)
- Let thoughtless people remember this and not sin against their consciences. Let them know that their sins will certainly find them out (Numbers 32 verse 23). They may laugh and mock at religion, but they are sowing misery for themselves and will eventually reap a bitter crop. They will find that “wickedness will punish out; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God.” (Jeremiah 2 verse 19)
- Let ministers and teachers remember that there is a conscience in everyone, and let them work on boldly. Their instructions are not wasted because they seem to bear no fruit at the time they are given. There is a conscience in the hearers of sermons; there is a conscience in schoolchildren. Thousands know that their preachers and teachers tell them what is right but, like Herod, they refuse to think that it is so.
2. Let us learn that we must not look for reward in this world. If ever there was a case of godliness unrewarded in this life it was that of John the Baptist. Let us think what a remarkable man he was during his short career. Think of his violent death before the age of 34. He was a faithful preacher murdered for doing his duty, just to please an adulterous woman, and at the command of a tyrant king. However unjust things may appear in this life, we are reminded that there will be a Judgement day. God will reward everyone according to his or her works. John the Baptist, James, Stephen and the millions of other martyrs have their names in God’s book. “The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her, she will conceal her slain no longer.” (Isaiah 26 verse 21)
Let us remember that our best
things are in the future. The present
time is a time of testing. We are
learning patience, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness. But “our light and momentary troubles are
achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs all .... For what is seen
is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4 verses 17 to
18).
Matthew 14 verses 13 to 21
These verses contain one of our Lord’s greatest miracles, the feeding of 5000 men (plus women and children) with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. This miracle is the one mentioned most often in the New Testament.
1. It is an unquestionable proof of our Lord’s divine power. To satisfy the hunger of more than 500 people with no small portion of food had to be miraculous. We must surely be blind if we cannot see in this miracle the hand of him who “gives food to every creature” (Psalm 136 verse 25). God is our creator! We should treasure the evidence of our Lord’s divine power and thank God that his Son is almighty.
2. This miracle is an example of our Lord’s compassion towards us. Jesus realised that the crowd who had followed him would be faint with hunger before they could get home. He knew that many of them had no true faith and felt no love for him. But he had pity on them. They all took the food that he miraculously provided and everyone was satisfied. Let us see the mercy of our Lord towards sinners. In all his dealings with people on earth he showed himself as one that delights to show mercy (Micah 7 verse 18). Let us strive to be like him.
3. This miracle illustrates how the Gospel is able to meet the needs of everyone. All the miracles were intended to teach spiritual truths.
- The hungry crowd represents all mankind. The people are a crowd of sinners in the middle of a wilderness world, helpless, hopeless and on the way to ruin. “We all, like sheep, have gone stray” (Isaiah 53 verse 6). We are far away from God. We may not be aware of our danger but in reality we are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelations 3 verse 17). There is but one step between us and everlasting death.
- The loaves and fishes seemed inadequate but were made sufficient for thousands. They represent the doctrine of Christ crucified for sinners. He takes the sins of the whole world and makes atonement for them by his death on the cross. Christ crucified was “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1 verse 23) And yet Christ crucified has proved to be the bread of life “who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6 verse 33). Wherever it has been preached, the story of the cross has met the spiritual needs of all mankind.
There are great riches in the Scriptures. Other religious books turn out to be poor and inadequate by comparison. But the more we study the bible, the more treasure we shall discover.
Matthew 14 verses 22 to 36
The miracle recorded here shows us the power and mercy of the Lord, and the mixture of faith and unbelief in his best followers.
1. We learn about the absolute authority that our Saviour has over all creation. He walks on the sea as if it was dry land. The rough waves that buffeted the disciples’ boat obey him and immediately the wind was calm. It may seem impossible to us, but it must have been easy for the one who made the sea at the beginning. This is an encouragement for all Christians. Let them know that there is nothing created that is not under Christ’s control. He may allow his people to be tried for a season and tossed by storms of trouble. He may be later than they wish in coming to help them, but never let them forget that winds and waves and storms are all Christ’s servants. “Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea – the Lord on high is mighty” (Psalm 93 verse 4). Are we tempted to cry with Jonah. “You hurled me into the deep, in the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me”? (Jonah 2 verse 3). Let us wait patiently. We may yet see Jesus coming to us, walking on the sea.
2. We learn about the power Jesus can give to those who believe in him. We see Simon Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water like his Lord. What a proof this was of our Lord’s divinity! What great things our Lord can do for those who hear his voice. He can carry them through difficulties and trials, which, without him, they would never have dared to face. Moses in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, the believers in Nero’s household are all examples of this mighty power. Let us fear nothing if we are doing his will. If Jesus says, “Come!” we have no cause to be afraid. “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these” (John 14 verse 12).
3. Let us learn how much trouble people bring upon themselves by unbelief. We see Peter walking on the water for a little way, but when he sees how the winds churn the waters, he is afraid and begins to sink. His thoughts are overcome by the waves and the immediate danger to himself and his faith collapses. “Lord, he cried, ‘Save me’ (verse 30). There are so many people who have faith enough to take the first step in following Christ, but not enough faith to continue. Like Peter, they cease to look at Jesus and give way to unbelief.
4. Let us learn how merciful our Lord is to weak believers. We see Jesus reaching out his hand to save Peter. He does not leave him to sink in the deep waters, and the only reproof he utters is “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (verse 31). We should notice the gentleness of Jesus. He can forgive much when he sees grace in a person’s heart. He loves and pities people before and after their conversion. When our faith is small, the Lord is ready to help us. “When I said, “My foot is slipping” your love, O Lord, supported me” (Psalm 94 verse 18). How much there is in all this to encourage us to serve the Lord. If we fail, he will help us. His mercy will never be taken away from us. He has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13 verse 5). He will keep his promise. We do not despise little faith but we should not be content with it. Rather, we should always pray, “Lord increase our faith!”
Matthew 15 verses 1 to 9
In these verses we have a conversation between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees which contains much of great importance to us.
1. We learn that hypocrites usually attach great importance to outward things of religion. These scribes and Pharisees brought an accusation to our Lord against his disciples. It was not that the disciples of Jesus were covetous or self-righteous. It was not that they were untruthful or uncharitable. It was that Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands when they ate bread. They were breaking a rule that the scribes and Pharisees had made. Sadly, we recognise the spirit of the Pharisees among Christians in our day. People are judged on purely outward matters. We should beware of such hypocrisy. Let our principle be, “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14 verse 17).
2. We learn the danger of adding anything to the Word of God. Whenever people try to made additions to the Scriptures, they are likely to think that their own rules are better than the rules in the Bible. Our Lord replied to the accusation against his disciples by asking the Pharisees, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (verse 3). Jesus reproves the whole idea of adding anything to God’s perfect Word. He shows how the traditions of the Pharisees were destroying the authority of the fifth commandment. May we remember that religious traditions made by us humans can never justify disobedience to any of God’s commandments.
3. We learn that the religious worship that God desires is the worship that comes from our hearts Our Lord quotes from Isaiah “these people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (verse 8, from Isaiah 29 verse 13). The condition of the heart is the most important thing in the relationship between husband and wife, between friends, between parent and child. And the heart must be our greatest concern when we think about the relationship between God and ourselves.
- What is the thing we need in order to be a true Christian? – a new heart
- What is the sacrifice that God asks us to bring him? – a broken and a contrite heart.
- What is true circumcision? – the circumcision of the heart
- What is genuine obedience? – to obey from the heart
- What is saving faith? – to believe with the heart
- Where ought Christ to dwell? – to dwell in our hearts by faith
- What is the request that wisdom makes to everyone? “My son, give me your heart” (Proverbs 23 verse 26)
Let us leave these verses with
honest enquiry about the state of our own hearts. Let us be sure in our own minds that formal
worship of God is empty and pointless if our hearts are not right with
God. We may bend our knees, bow our
heads say a loud amen, read a chapter from the bible every day and attend
communion regularly. But all these
things are useless and unprofitable if our hearts are secretly given to sin,
pleasure, money or the world. Before we
can be saved we have to give a satisfactory answer to our Lord when he asks,
“Do you truly love me?” (John 21 verse 16)
Matthew 15 verses 10 to 20
2 important sayings of our Lord are recorded in these verses.
1. Our Lord declares that our duty is to oppose false teaching, for its destruction is certain, and its teachers ought to be forsaken. Jesus says Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots” (verse 13). The disciples were surprised at such strong words because so many people in their day thought well of the Pharisees. But the meaning of our Lord’s words is that all false teaching should be rejected, like pulling out an unwanted plant. The doctrine of the Pharisees contradicted the word of God. Our Lord’s disciples must resist all teaching that was not in the Scriptures and forsake those people who continued to teach error. His disciples would eventually see that what was false would be completely rooted out and replaced by that which came from the word of God.
- Do we see the duty of boldness in resisting false teaching? Of course we do! Nothing should prevent us from speaking against such doctrine.
- Do we see the duty of forsaking false teachers? Of course we do! Nothing should prevent us from leaving any teacher who contradicts God’s Word.
- Do we see the duty of patience when false teaching is all around us? Of course we do! We must take comfort in knowing that God will defend the cause of his own truth.
2. Our Lord declares that the human heart is the source of all sin and defilement. The Pharisees taught that holiness depended on what people ate and drank, on washing and purification. They taught that those who kept the rules that they had made were pure in the sight of God. Those who neglected their rules were considered impure and unclean. Our Lord impressed upon his disciples that defilement had nothing to do with the outside of people Defilement came from the inside. It came from the heart “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him “unclean” (verses 19 and 20). Our Lord’s awful picture gives a true account of the hearts of all of us.
Let us not be content with simply
going to church. We need a heart that is
“right before God” (acts 8 verse 21).
The right heart is one sprinkled with the blood of Christ, renewed by the
Holy spirit and purified by faith. Never
let us rest till we find within the witness of the Holy Spirit, that God has
created in us a clean heart and made all things new (Psalm 51 verse 10; 2
Corinthians 5 verse 17). Finally let it
be a resolution of each one of us to guard our heart, “for it is the wellspring
of life” (Proverbs 4 verse 23). Our own
hearts can do more damage to us than the world and the devil if we do not watch
and pray. We shall all be happy if we
remember the words of Solomon: “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks
in wisdom is kept safe.” (Proverbs 28 verse 26)
Matthew 15 verses 21 to 28
1. True faith may be found where it might have been least expected. A Canaanite woman cries to our Lord for her daughter to be cured. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (verse 22). Such a prayer would have shown much faith if the woman had come from Bethany or Jerusalem, but when we read that she came from the region of Tyre and Sidon, her prayer was a great surprise. It shows us that the grace of God can turn anyone of any religion into a true believer. We may live in a godly family, like Gehazi with the prophet Elisha, and yet continue without repentance or faith. We may live among people who are superstitious and follow false gods, like the young Israelite girl who had been captured and served in the house of Naaman and yet be a faithful witness to God (2 Kings 5). Let us not despair of anyone coming to faith simply because they live in unpromising circumstances.
2. Affliction may come as a blessing to a person’s soul. The Canaanite woman had obviously been troubled for many years. Her daughter was demon possessed and there was nothing the woman could do. Yet in her desperation for her child, she was brought to Christ and found the power to pray. Without this problem she might have lived and died in careless ignorance. She might never have heard about Jesus. Surely it was good for her that she was afflicted (Psalm 119 verse 71). There is nothing that shows our ignorance so much as impatience with our troubles. We forget that everything is a message from God and intended to do us good. Health is a good thing to have, but sickness is better if it leads us to God. Anything is better than living in carelessness and dying in sin.
3. Christ’s people are often less compassionate than Christ himself. The Canaanite woman did not find favour with our Lord’s disciples. Her cries annoyed them and they asked Jesus to send her away. There is too much of this spirit among some who profess to call themselves Christians. They can easily be suspicious and so discourage those who are asking about the Lord. Let us rather imitate Jesus and be gentle, kind and encouraging to all those who are seeking the Lord.
4. What encouragement there is to persevere in prayer for ourselves and others. At first this mother’s prayers seemed to be entirely unnoticed, yet she kept calling to our Lord. When he did reply, it sounded discouraging: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (verse 24). But she still cried out “Lord, help me!” Jesus’ next reply was even less encouraging: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (verse 26). Even then she was not silent. She prayed for some crumbs of mercy to be granted, and at last she received her reward. Jesus said, “Woman you have great faith! Your request is granted” (verse 28).
- Let us remember this when we pray for ourselves. We may be tempted to think that our prayers are never answered and we want to give up. Let us be sure that it is the devil that is the tempter. It is good to spend time praying. Jesus hears us and will answer our prayers when he knows that the time is right.
- Let us remember this when we pray for others. Are we concerned to see our family and friends converted? Let us follow the example of this Canaanite mother and carry on praying. Let us believe that Jesus, who heard her pleading, will certainly listen to us and at the right time will give us peace.
1. How people think more about the disease of the body than the diseases of the soul. A multitude of people came to Jesus bringing relatives and friends that were lame, blind, dumb and diseased. Most of the people had travelled a great distance and their ill companions must have been a heavy burden. But the hope of being healed is strong and this hope means everything to sick people and those who love them. Let us remember that our souls have an illness that is more complicated and more difficult to cure than a sickness of the body. It is the plague of sin. We must be healed or perish everlastingly. Do we really know this? Do we feel it? Sadly, there is one answer to these questions – most people do not feel it at all. Their eyes are blind. They are utterly unaware of their danger. When their bodies are out of order they crowd the doctors’ waiting rooms. But they do nothing for the health of their souls. Happy are those who know about the disease of their souls? They will never rest until they have found Jesus.
2. The power with which our Lord healed all who were brought to him. “The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel” (verse 31). See here a picture of our Lord’s power to heal souls. There is no spiritual complaint that he cannot cure. The fever of lust, the paralysis of the love of the world, the cancer of laziness, the heart disease of unbelief – everything is overcome when the Holy Spirit comes to us. The Spirit can open the eyes of someone’s understanding and show them the kingdom of God. The Spirit can open ears and make people willing to hear the voice of God. The Spirit can give strength to those who wish to walk with God. The Spirit can make the hands of a sinner able to work for God. The time of miracles is not past. Every conversion is a miracle. Do we feel soul-sick and want a cure? Let us go to Jesus. he still welcomes sinners. (Luke 15 verse 2). He is still mighty to heal.
3. The compassion of our Lord. Of all the feelings experienced by our Lord compassion was the distinguishing mark. The word compassion seems specially chosen for us in these verses. If we are hesitating to walk in the ways of God, let us know that our Saviour is full of compassion. He receives us graciously. He forgives freely. He dismisses all our old sins. He will give us all that we need. We have no reason to fear him, for his mercy is deeper than the deepest well. It ought to comfort us when we feel weary or think that weakness and failure marks everything that we try to do. We need only remember the verse “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail (Lamentations 3 verse 22).
Matthew 16 verses 1 to 12
In these verses the Lord is opposed by the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were not usually friends but they were united in persecuting Christ. It is ever so.
1. Notice how our Lord repeats his words When they asked for a sign from heaven, he gave them the same answer as he had given them in chapter 12 verse 39: “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given except the sign of Jonah.” (Jonah 1 verses 17 to 2 verse 10) This is important. What we hear twice, we remember better than what we hear once. Do not assume that if you read the same words of Jesus in the different Gospel accounts, they must have been spoken on the same occasion. This can create unnecessary difficulties in trying to harmonise the accounts.
2. Notice the solemn warning our Lord gives his disciples. He tells them, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (verse 6). The best and holiest of believers needs to be on guard. He describes the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees as “yeast”. Yeast is small. It works in secret. It completely changes a loaf of bread. In the same way, the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees could change the whole meaning of Scripture. This is something we need to remember today. It would have been much better for the church if the warnings of the Bible had been studied as much as its promises. Let us be most careful. There are always those, like the Pharisees, who want to add something to the gospel. There are always those, like the Sadducees, who want to take away parts of the message. Both errors would kill and destroy Christianity. Let us be committed to “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Matthew 16 verses 13 to 20
- What is the meaning of our Lord’s words to Peter? “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (verse 18). Does it mean that Peter was to be the foundation on which Christ was to build his church? Such a meaning is most unlikely. If he had meant this, our Lord’s words could have been “I will build my church on you” rather than “I will build my church on this rock.” The rock here means the truth that Jesus is both God and Messiah as Peter has just declared.
- What are we to understand when we read the promise that our Lord made to Peter? “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (verse 19). Do these words mean that the right of allowing souls into heaven is to be placed into Peter’s hands? Such an idea is absurd! Christ alone has that position (Revelation 1 verse 18). Peter is being told that he will have the privilege of being the first preacher of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. This happened when he preached at Pentecost to the Jews (Acts 2) and to the gentiles at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10 and 15 verse 7).
Now let us see some practical lessons:
1. Let us appreciate the wonderful confession that Peter made. When Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter replies “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” These amazing words came when few people really believed in Christ. To make such a statement at such a time required great faith and a strong character. With all his faults. Peter was a truehearted, single-minded servant of Christ. He had many imperfections but he has given us a pattern that we would be wise to copy. Peter sometimes lacked steadiness of purpose and sometimes made mistakes, but zeal like his should never be despised. It inspires us to become fully awake. It moves us when we are slow. It stirs us to do more for our religion.
2. Let us take care that we understand what our Lord means when he speaks of his church. The church that Jesus promises to build is the company of all faithful people. It is not any visible church but all true believers in every age and every place. It is a church containing all who are really forgiven, made right with God and renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is a church where all are of one heart and one mind and believe the same truths. Jesus is the head of this body (Colossians 1 verse 18).
3. Let us notice the glorious promises that our Lord makes to his church. He says that Satan will never destroy the people of Christ. Every member of Christ’s church shall be brought to paradise. In spite of their sins and failures, and in spite of all that the world, the flesh and the devil can do, no member of the true church shall ever be cast away (John 10 verse 28).
Matthew 16 verses 21 to 23
In these verses Jesus begins to explain to his disciples about his approaching death. He must go to Jerusalem. There the chief priests and the elders of the law would take him prisoner. He would bear much abuse and many tortures. He would be crucified. But on the third day he would rise again. He had not been born to take a worldly kingdom. He had come to this world as a sacrifice. He was to give his life as a ransom for those who followed him. How shocked his disciples must have been by our Lord’s words. Their minds could not deal with the idea of a suffering Messiah. They had no understood the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. They did not see that the sacrifices of the law pointed forward to the death of their Lord.
1. We learn that there may be much spiritual ignorance in a true disciple of Christ. Peter straight away tried to argue. “Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!” He did not see that the Lord must die and actually tried to prevent it. And yet Peter was a converted man who really believed that Jesus was the Messiah. A good man may be really useful in the church and yet make great mistakes. Another may have little knowledge although he truly loves Christ. Be patient with him. Like Peter, he may see more later.
2. We learn that there is no teaching of Scripture so important as the doctrine of Christ’s atoning death. Clear proof of this is shown by the words our Lord used to rebuke Peter. He said “Get behind me, Satan!” It was as if Peter was doing the devil’s work. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Understanding our Lord’s death and the benefits that would come to the whole world are the foundation of Bible-religion. Let nothing move us from this belief. The sum of all our hopes must be that Christ died for us. If we forget that doctrine we will have no hope at all.
Matthew 16 verses 24 to 28
The disciples thought that Jesus had come to set up an earthly kingdom but he corrects their misunderstanding in these solemn words.
1. Let us learn that we must accept trouble and self-denial if we follow Christ. Our Lord tells his disciples that anyone who wants to follow him must “take up his cross”. The glorious kingdom they might have been expecting was not going to come immediately. They had to know that they would suffer much persecution. They had to know that they might have to lose their lives if they wanted to save their souls. We must not hide from ourselves that Christianity means we have to take up the cross every day The devil must be resisted. Worldly habits must be overcome.
2. Let us learn that there is nothing so precious as our souls. Our Lord asks each one of us the same question. “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” There can only be one answer. The world is passing. Our souls are made for eternity ! Let that sink down deeply into our hearts.
3. Let us learn that the second coming of Christ is the time when his people shall receive rewards according to their works. The Lord knows how easily we get discouraged, so he makes a gracious promise. There will be glory, honour and reward for all who have loved and served Jesus, but that time is still future. If we want to share our Lord’s glory then, we must be willing to share his humiliation now.
Have we taken up the cross? Are we bearing the weight of that cross every day? We know that each one of us has a soul. Do we live as though we believed it? We have heard of our Lord’s second coming. Do we look forward to it with hope and joy? Happy are we if we can say, “yes” to all these questions.
Matthew 17 verses 1 to 13
These verses tell us of the event called the transfiguration. The order in which it is written is beautiful and instructive. Peter, James and John, who had been so saddened by the news of how our Lord was to suffer and die, were now to receive a vision that would give them much happiness. It was the vision of Christ’s glory Let us try to understand the practical lessons that the transfiguration is meant to teach.
1. We have a pattern of Christ’s future glory. It was meant to encourage the disciples by giving them a glimpse of what was yet to come. Our Lord’s face shone like the sun and his clothes were as white as the light all around him. This gave the disciples some idea of the beauty and majesty in which Jesus will appear at his second coming. Peter later wrote about the transfiguration “We were eye-witnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1 verse 16). It is good for us to have the coming glory of Christ impressed on our minds. We are surrounded by sin and unbelief and it is easy to forget or doubt it. But part of the glory that is coming has already been seen by 3 trustworthy witnesses.
2. We have a clear proof of the resurrection of the body and the life after death Moses and Elijah appeared in glory with Christ. They were seen clearly in bodily form. They were heard talking to Christ.1480 years had passed since Moses had died (Deuteronomy 34 verse 5). More than 800 years had passed since Elijah had been taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2 verse 11) and yet they were seen and heard by Peter, James and John. The transfiguration gives us the clearest evidence that those who have died will rise again. There is no such thing as the death of people’s spirits. God “is not a God of the dead, but of the living” (Luke 20 verse 38). The spirits of the dead live as surely as we are living now, and like Moses and Elijah, they will appear in glorified bodies.
3. We have a testimony to Christ’s superiority over all people. This point is brought out strongly by the voice from heaven, which the 3 disciples heard. Peter was puzzled by the vision and offered to build 3 shelters, one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. This seemed to treat the 3 as equals but at once God’s voice came from heaven, repeating the words that he had used when our Lord had been baptised. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (verse 5). Moses was a faithful servant of God. Elijah was a brave witness for truth. But Christ was the Son of God. He was the Saviour to whom the Law and the prophets were continually pointing. He was the true prophet, to whom all were commanded to listen Deuteronomy 18 verse 15). We should honour Moses and the prophets but if we want to be saved we must take Christ alone as our master and give glory to him alone.
Let us constantly remember that the best of us are only human. Every one of us is a sinner who needs a Saviour. Christ alone is the Son in whom the father is well pleased. He alone is “God over all, for ever praised” (Romans 9 verse 5). Let us make sure that we hear his voice and follow him. Let us value religious teaching but only if we are sure that it is leading us to Jesus.
Matthew 17 verses 14 to 21
1. We see here a proof that Satan sometimes has a terrible influence on our young people. A man came to Jesus pleading for his son who suffered from dangerous seizures that caused the boy to fall on the fire or into water. It is difficult to watch people we love in agony from some sickness, but how much more painful it must have been to watch a son or a daughter completely under the influence of Satan. There are still many instances of Satan’s spiritual strength. Youngsters give themselves over to the devil's temptations. They are unaware that the have been “taken captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2 verse 26). They think nothing of God or his commandments; they follow their own lusts and pleasures; they refuse the advice of their parents or teachers. They think nothing of ruining themselves, body and soul. Satan is rarely blamed for possession of people’s bodies these days, but he is still powerful over their souls. But never despair. Remember the almighty power of our Lord Jesus Christ as shown here.
2. We see here an example of the weakening effect of unbelief. The disciples asked our Lord why they had been unable to cure the boy of his seizures. Our Lord replied, “because you have so little faith” (verse 20). Faith is the most important virtue in our Christian warfare. Lack of faith will always lead to defeat. The Israelites, who at one time went through the Red Sea in triumph, were terrified when they reached the borders of the Promised Land. They let themselves doubt God’s love and power. “They were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” (Hebrews 3 verse 19)
3. Lastly, we see that Satan’s power will not be defeated unless Christians repel him with much determined action. Jesus’ words seem to imply that the disciples had been a little careless about prayer and fasting. Like the Israelites at Ai, we often learn by bitter experience the spiritual battles will not be worn without hard fighting (Joshua 7 verses 3 to 5). We must never handle God’s work carelessly. Let us watch our own souls. Whatever we do let us do it with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10). Satan is a powerful enemy who should not be despised. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers ... against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 5 verse 12). We need to take the whole armour of God and not only take it, but use it too. We may be sure that those who win most victories over the world, the flesh and the devil, are those who pray most and are disciplined (1 Corinthians 9 verse 27).
Matthew 17 verses 22 to 27
These verses show us an incident that we find only in Matthew’s Gospel. Tribute money for the temple is needed and our Lord provides it in an unusual way.
1. Let us note our Lord’s knowledge of everything that is said and done in this world. We read that collectors for the temple tax met Peter and asked him if his master paid the tax. Peter told them that he did. Obviously, our Lord was not present when this conversation took place, but as soon as he entered th house Jesus asked Peter a question. Do rulers collect taxes “from their own sons, or from others?” From our Lord’s question Peter realised that Jesus knew that he had been talking to the tax collectors.
Jesus knows all things. He knows our daily conduct and our daily words. Trying to hide anything that we do is impossible. Hypocrisy is useless. We cannot deceive our Lord. We should do our best to walk before him and be blameless (Genesis 17 verse 1). We should say nothing that Christ would not like to hear and do nothing that Christ would not like see. If we have a difficult decision of the rightness or wrongness of something, there is a good test: How would I behave if Jesus were standing by my side? This standard interferes only with sin. We are happy indeed if we feel our Lord’s presence and think and do everything as he wishes.
2. Let us note our Lord’s power over all creation. He makes a fish bring the money for the temple tax. Only the Creator has such power “By him all things were created” (Colossians 1 verse 16). Missionaries may always feel safe in our Lord’s keeping for they are serving him who is all-powerful.
3. Let us note our Lord’s willingness to make allowances rather than give offence. He asks Peter to pay the tax and not offend the collector. There is wisdom in the words of our Lord, “so that we may not offend them”. They teach us that we ought to give up our own ideas and submit to what is asked of us rather than offend those in power. We must never give up God’s rights, but we may safely give up our own. There are occasions when it shows more grace in a believer to submit than resist.
- As citizens, we may disagree with some of the things our government does. But will it do any good to our religious beliefs to resist our government? Are their laws really trying to destroy our religion? If not, let us keep our peace, “so that we may not offend them”.
- As members of a church, we may not like some minor practical arrangements. We may not think that those guiding us in spiritual growth are always wise in what they say. But are these matters important? Is any truth of the Gospel at risk? If not, let us keep our peace, “so that we may not offend them.”
- As members of society, there may be practices that, as Christians, we find tiresome and unprofitable. But can they hurt our souls? will it help the cause of the Gospel if we refuse to fit in? If not, we should keep our peace, “so that we may not offend them.”
May we never forget the words of Paul: “We put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9 verse 12).
Matthew 18 verses 1 to 14
1. We are taught the necessity of conversion. A true conversion is marked by the obedience and trust of a child. The disciples had asked who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’ reply was that no-one could enter this kingdom unless they were converted. We need an entire change of nature. It is good to be baptised and to go to church. But are we really converted? The surest sign of a true conversion is humility. If we have received the Holy Spirit other people will recognise it by our childlike soul. We will think humbly of our own strength and knowledge. We will be very dependent on our heavenly Father, knowing that he will give us all that we need for our well being and for spiritual growth. We all need a conversion that replaces our pride with humility.
2. We are taught the great sin of hindering people from following Christ. We can do this by direct opposition. We can also do it if we profess to be Christians and yet live in a way that makes Christianity look bad. This should make us search our hearts. It is not enough to want to do good. We must also make sure that we are not doing harm. A bad example gives unbelievers an excuse for not coming to Christ. It is also discouraging to other believers.
3. We are taught the reality of future punishment after death. Our Lord tells us of being “thrown into eternal fire” when we are condemned to hell. There is a place of dreadful misery in the world to come, to which all people who die unbelieving and impenitent must go. The same word that promises heaven to all true believers also declares that there will be a hell for the ungodly. Many people deny the eternity of future punishment and repeat Satan’s words, “you will not surely die” (Genesis 3 verse 4). But we must keep our faith strong. The God of love and mercy is also a God of justice.
4. Lastly, we are taught the value that God puts on the lowest of his believers. “Your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost” (verse 14). These words are meant for the encouragement to of all true Christians and not only for little children. This is made clear when Jesus tells us the parable of the hundred sheep and the one that strayed. It is meant to show us that Jesus is a shepherd who cares tenderly for every soul committed to his charge. He will lead them gently through the wilderness of this world. He will carry them through every difficulty. He will defend them against every enemy. His words will be fulfilled. “I have not lost one of those you gave me” (John 18 verse 9). With such a Saviour, who would be frightened of becoming a Christian?
Matthew 18 verses 15 to 20
1. Let us notice the rules that our Lord makes for the healing of differences among Christian believers. If a member of our church says or does something that hurts us, we must first discuss it privately with them. We may find that it was not deliberate or that there is a good explanation. Perhaps he will admit that he was wrong and do what he can to put it right. A calm way of dealing with a disagreement will keep a friend. However, if that fails to produce any good effect, we are to take one or two witnesses with us and discuss the matter again. If that also proves useless, we are to “tell it to the church”. Perhaps the fear of being shown up in public will bring about repentance. If not, the church must sadly treat the person as one who is acting as an unbeliever. Our Lord’s teaching shows great knowledge of human nature. Nothing does so much harm to our religion as quarrels between church members. But many of these problems could be avoided if we followed this procedure.
2. Let us notice the importance of exercising discipline in Christ’s Church. The church must settle serious disagreements between members. We have “to tell it to the church”. The church should take notice when any of its members fails to repent of sin and should take action to exclude that person from the privileges of membership. Spiritual penalties are the only punishments that our Lord permits the church to inflict. It can never be right that just any one, even those who are obviously ungodly, should be allowed to come to the table of our Lord. It is the duty of every believer to try to prevent this happening. A high standard of church membership is always the sign of a lively, active church.
3. Let us notice the encouragement that Jesus gives to those who meet together in his name. “Where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.” He attends every activity amongst believers. We may be discouraged because of small numbers, but Christ himself is with us. There is a rebuke in our Lord’s words for those who are careless about attending the worship of God and the other church meetings. If we say that the meetings are not very useful, or that it does us more good staying at home than going to church, we should be wise and remember those words of our Lord: “Where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.” If we do meet with other believers let us continue without shame.
Matthew 18 verses 21 to 35
In these verses Jesus deals with forgiveness. Living as we do in a fallen world, it is most important that we know how to behave when we are badly treated.
1. He says we should forgive other people completely. When Peter asked, “How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus replied, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Of course, he does not mean that we should ignore it when people commit crimes against the law of the land. But he does mean that we should cultivate a spirit of mercy and forgiveness towards other people. We should put up with things silently rather than start a fight. Thoughts of revenge are unworthy of a Christian. It is sad that these words of our Lord are not known or simply disobeyed. So many disagreements and quarrels could be avoided if everyone was more willing to forgive. Let us decide to return good for evil, blessing instead of curses, and try to make enemies into friends (Romans 12 verse 20)
2. He gives us 2 motives for having a forgiving spirit. Our Lord tells a parable about a servant who owed a great amount of money to his master but could not pay it back when his master asked for it. However, his master had pity on him and forgave him his debt. The forgiven servant then refused to forgive one of his fellow servants who owed him a very small amount. He even sent him to jail until he could pay everything. Jesus tells how this wicked servant was punished. After receiving mercy himself he should surely have shown mercy to others. The parable ends with a clear message from our Lord, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (verse 35)
- We should forgive others because we ourselves need God’s forgiveness every day. Our neighbours’ offences against us are so small compared with our offences against God.
- We should forgive others because there is a Judgement Day coming. There will be no forgiveness on that day for unforgiving people, for they would be unfit for heaven.
Let us take these things seriously. It is sad that so little forgiveness is shown, when its importance is so clearly taught in the bible.
- Do we want evidence that we are at peace with God, born of the Holy Spirit and made God’s children by adoption and grace. Remember this passage. We need to be forgiving like our heavenly Father.
- Do we want to do good to the world? Do we want to influence others to see the beauty of true religion? Remember this passage. People who are not interested in our beliefs may be impressed by the practice of forgiveness.
- Do we want to grow in grace and become more holy in our ways/ Remember this passage. Nothing grieves the Holy Spirit and brings spiritual darkness over our souls so much as when we give way to quarrelsome and unforgiving behaviour (Ephesians 4 verses 30 to 32).
Matthew 19 verses 1 to 15
Here we have Jesus’ teaching about the relationship between husbands and wives and about how we should treat children. These are most important for the well-being of nations and societies. We should be glad that Jesus has spoken so clearly.
1. Our Lord teaches us that the marriage of husband and wife should never be broken off except for unfaithfulness – adultery – of one of the partners. In the days when our Lord was living on the earth, divorce was permitted among the Jews for any small reason. The practice, though tolerated by Moses, had deteriorated into wicked abuse, which led to much immorality (Malachi 2 verses 14 to 16). The remark made by our Lord’s disciples shows the low state of public feeling on the subject. They thought, “If this is the only reason for a divorce, it would be best not to marry.” Our Lord had a much higher standard than his disciples. He reminded them of the words used at the beginning of Genesis, showing that the union of husband and wife was even closer than that between parent and child (Genesis 2 verse 24). He then added his own words, “What God has joined together, let man not separate” (verse 6). He also explained how serious it was for someone to divorce for inadequate reasons and then marry again. He said that such a person was also committing adultery (verse 9). Jesus makes it very clear to all Christians that marriage should be honoured. Marriage is a relationship that only death can break. Marriage will have a big effect on the partners, bringing either great happiness or absolute misery. No-one should marry without careful thought.
2. Our Lord teaches us to care for little children by word and by action. Little children were bought to Jesus so that he might put his hands on their heads and bless them (verse 13). They were infants, too young to be taught, but not too young to be blessed. The disciples thought that this was a waste of Jesus’ time. They rebuked those who had brought them. But Jesus aid “Let the little children come to me ... for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (verse 14).
· Let us learn that our Lord cares for the souls
of small children. May this passage comfort parents of children who die in
infancy, for they truly belong to the kingdom of heaven.
· Let us be encouraged to care for the souls of
children. Let us do the most we can to read the Bible to them. Let us pray with
them and teach them how to pray. We can be sure that Jesus sees our efforts and
they will not be wasted. God’s blessing will surely be on a church where the
children are cared for as much as the adults. Remember that he put his hands on
the little children and prayed for them.
Matthew 19 verses 16 to 22
In these verses we have a conversation between our Lord and a young man who was enquiring about the way to eternal life. People need to come as individuals to Christ and this has much to teach us.
1. We see that a person may have desires for salvation and yet not be saved. Here is someone who chooses to come to Christ. He does not come for physical help but about his own soul. He starts the conversation with a question, “Teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” This seems promising but we find that he goes away sorrowful. We never read that he was eventually converted. Good feelings by themselves are not the genuine saving work of the Holy Spirit. Sadly , good feelings may even be dangerous if we do not act on them. Let us never be satisfied until we have the witness of the Spirit in our hearts. We need to be sure that we are truly born again, that we have truly repented and that we really believe the Gospel. It is good to have religious feelings but it is much better to be converted.
2. We see that an unconverted person is often deeply ignorant about spiritual matters. Our Lord exposes the real state of the young man’s heart by telling him to keep the commandments. The young man is very confident. He replies “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” He is quite unaware that the commandments apply to our thoughts and words as well as our actions. He has no idea about the holiness that God requires. Sadly, there are many people like that today, even in the churches. They think their own actions can save them. How true it is that “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” (1 Corinthians 2 verse 14)
3. Lastly, we see that one idol adored in the heart may ruin a soul for ever. Our Lord said, “Go sell your possessions and give to the poor.” At once we see the weakest point in the young man’s character. We see the one thing that he loved better than his own soul. It was his money and he went away sorrowful. Here is another illustration that “The love of money is a root of al kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6 verse 10). We must place this young man in our memories by the side of Ananias and Sapphira and Judas. Beware of covetousness. There are many people who are not far from the kingdom of God, but they never make any progress. And why? Because they are fond of money.
Let us test ourselves. Are we honest and sincere in our desire to be true Christians? Have we broken away from all our idols? Is there any secret sin that we are holding on to and refusing to give up? Is there anything or person that we love more than Christ and our souls? These are questions that we need to answer. Many people who hear the Gospel are in an unsatisfactory state because of spiritual idolatry. We need not be surprised that John says, “Keep your selves from idols” (1 John 5 verse 21)
Matthew 19 verses 23 to 30
1. The danger which riches bring to the souls of those who possess them. After the young man had walked away, Jesus spoke to his disciples: “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Few statements of Jesus are more surprising than this. It is rarely accepted but it is so important. Everyone wants to be rich! But those who have great wealth have many temptations. It makes the way to heaven even more difficult.
· Let us beware of the love of money. It is possible to make good use of money, but most people use it in evil ways. Worldly people may think money is the most important thing, but Christians profess to have their riches in heaven
· Let us pray for the souls of rich people. They are not to be envied but to be pitied. They have many spiritual dangers.
2. The almighty power of God’s grace in the soul. The disciples were amazed at what Jesus told them. It was completely against all that they understood about wealth. They asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus said, “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” The Holy Spirit can persuade even the richest of people to seek treasure in heaven. The bible tells us that Abraham was rich, yet he was the father of the faithful. Moses could have been a prince in Egypt but he left all when God called him to leave the Israelites. David, Jehoshaphat, Josiah and Hezekiah were all wealthy but they all loved God more than their earthly wealth. They show us that nothing is too hard for the Lord. Let us never despair of anyone’s salvation
3. The encouragement that the Gospel offers to those who give up everything for Christ’s sake. Peter wanted to know what he and the other disciples would receive since they had left everything to follow their Lord. Jesus replied that they would receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. We may all rest assured that no-one who has followed Christ will lose anything. Believers may suffer loss when they are first converted but Christ can give them better friends than the ones they love. Christ can arrange a much warmer welcome for them than they will ever receive in the world. Christ can give them peace of conscience and inward joy, which will give them more satisfaction than anything they have had to give up. So let us trust in Christ and not be afraid!
Matthew 20 verses 1 to 16
The correct explanation of this parable starts at the end of the previous chapter. There we find Peter asking our Lord the question “What will we receive after leaving everything to follow you?” Jesus makes a promise to Peter that he and the other disciples would each sit on a throne judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus also says that all other people who suffer loss for his sake would receive 100 times more than their loss and would also inherit everlasting life. We must remember that Peter was a Jew and like other Jews, he had been brought up in ignorance of God’s plan to save the Gentiles. It was only after he had been given a vision from God that Peter began to think that Gentile should be converted (Acts 10 verse 28). Another thing to remember about Peter and the other disciples was that they were weak in faith and knowledge. They attached much importance to all they had given up to follow Jesus, and they were often inclined to be self-righteous and proud. Our Lord knew his disciples. He understood their weaknesses. He told this parable especially for their benefit to check their pride and to teach them humility.
1. God shows free, sovereign and unconditional grace in calling different nations to follow him. He calls the families of all the earth into the visible church to his own time and in his own way. This truth is brought out in the history of God’s dealings with the world. The children of Israel were called and chosen to be God’s children at the beginning “early in the morning”. Some Gentiles were called by the preaching of the apostles and others at different times up until the present. Even today, yet others are “standing ... doing nothing” because no-one has “hired” them. We do not know all the reasons for this but we do know that God will not allow the older branches of his church to look down on the younger ones. We also know that God offers pardon and peace to everyone, whatever their nationality. The Gentiles converted at the last hour are as precious to him as the earliest Israelite believers.
2. God is sovereign in the saving of individuals, as well as in the calling of nations, and acts as and when he wants to. He has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy (Romans 9 verse 15) and he does so in his own time. We see Timothy, who was called to repentance and faith at a very early age. He worked for the Lord for 40 or 50 years. We see another called at the eleventh hour of his day, like the thief on the cross. One day he was a hardened sinner and the next day he was in paradise. Both Timothy and the thief are equally forgiven before God. Both are washed in Christ’s blood and clothed in Christ’s righteousness. Both are justified and will be found at Christ’s side at the last day.
This doctrine may sound strange to some Christians. It hurts human pride. It leaves the self-righteous with nothing to boast about. But it is impossible to reject it, unless we reject all biblical teaching. Truth faith in Christ, though it is only one day old, justifies us before God as completely as the faith of one who has followed Christ for 50 years. Both owe everything to Christ. We may not like this fact, but it is the doctrine of this parable and of the whole New Testament.
This parable has sometimes been misunderstood:
·
Let us beware of thinking that what we do
contributes in any way to our salvation. To suppose this is to deny the
teaching of the bible. Whatever a believer receives from God is a matter of
grace. When we have done our best, we are still unworthy servants (Luke 17
verse 10)
·
Let us beware of thinking that saved souls will
all have the same glory. “He will reward each person according to what he had
done.” (Matthew 16 verse 27)
·
Let us beware of thinking that it is safe to put
off repentance until the end of our lives.
Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6 verse 2). Few are saved on
their death beds. One thief on the cross was saved so that no-one should
despair, but only one so that no-one should presume.
Matthew 20 verses 17 to 23
1. Jesus clearly announces his approaching death. For the third time he tells his disciples that he must soon suffer and die. Jesus knew everything that he would have to suffer: the treachery of Judas, the persecution of the chief priests and scribes, his delivery to Pontius Pilate, the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the cross, the nails, the hanging between 2 criminals and the spear in his side. He had seen Calvary in the distance all his life and yet he walked calmly towards this cruel death. Never has there been sorrow like his sorrow or love like his love. He suffered intentionally, deliberately and of his own free will. He knew that without the shedding of his blood there could be no remission of sins. Without his death, his miracles and preaching would have done nothing to save the people of the world.
2. The mixture of ignorance and faith that may be found in true-hearted Christians. We see the mother of James and John coming to our Lord with her 2 sons. She asks that they may sit, one on his right side and the other on his left when he comes into his kingdom. She seems to have forgotten everything that he had been saying about his suffering and can think of nothing but his glory. She forgot that Jesus was to be crucified before he could reign. They are Christians who are like this woman and her sons. They see the things of God. They have enough faith to follow Christ. They have enough knowledge to hate sin. Yet they are ignorant of many truths and make many sad mistakes. We must deal gently with such people and not think of them as graceless. There may be real faith at the bottom of their hearts. Remember that James and John become devoted workers in the church later on. Like them, a believer may start in confusion but end up as a strong and useful Christian.
3. Our Lord’s reply to the request of the mother of James and John. He said, “You don’t know what you are asking” (verse 22) She and her sons did not understand that those who want to stand with Christ in glory must first drink from his cup of agony and be baptized with his baptism. They did not realise that it would be those who carry the cross who would receive the crown. It is right that our Lord should say, “you don’t know what you are asking.” We too can make the same mistake. We ask that our souls may be saved. This is good but are we ready to give up everything and face a hostile world? We ask that God would make us holy and good. But are we prepared to be sanctified by any process that God gives us? Are we ready to be purified by affliction, weaned from the world by bereavement or drawn to God by the pains of sickness and sorrow? When we draw near to God in prayer let us beware of making thoughtless requests. Solomon writes, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5 verse 2).
Matthew 20 verses 24 to 28
1. There may be pride, jealousy and love of fame, even among the disciples of Christ. We read in the bible that when the 10 heard what James and John had wanted, “they were indignant with the two brothers” (verse 24). Pride is one of the oldest and most dangerous of sins. The angels who became proud were thrown out of heaven (Jude 6). It was pride that led Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, thinking that they would become like God. Pride does the most damage to Christians. It is also the most difficult sin to overcome.
2. A life of unselfish kindness to others is the true secret of greatness in God’s Kingdom. We read in the bible “whoever wants to become great among you must be our servant” (verse 26). The ways of the world and the ways of our Lord are in complete opposition to one another. In the world, the person with the most money and influence is thought to be the greatest. In God’s family, the greatest person is the one who does the most good to others. True greatness is found, not in receiving but in giving. It is found not in selfishly taking good things, but in giving good things to others. It is found not in sitting and waiting for others to be kind to us but in going to others and helping them. God sees more beauty in the work of a missionary than in a gold digger! Let us beware of trying to find greatness in the wrong things “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20 verse 35).
3. Our Lord is meant to be an example for all true Christians. We read in the bible that we are to serve one another “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (verse 28). God has provided his people with everything they need for their sanctification. He has given them clear teaching and encouraging promises. In addition he has given a perfect example in the life of Jesus. It is in Jesus’ steps that we are meant to walk. Jesus is the model for all our behaviours, our thoughts, words and actions. How humbling this truth is! What a lot it gives us to think about! If we do not try to follow Christ as our example, we are not true Christians (1 John 2 verse 6)
4. Christ’s death took away our sins. We read in the bible that Jesus came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (verse 28). This is the greatest truth in the bible and we must hold it firmly. His death was not simply martyrdom, or a great example of love. Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to cleanse us from our sins. He took all our sins upon himself. He took all God’s condemnation and the judgement away from us. He paid the price that we could never pay ourselves. He suffered to bring us to God.
Let us ask ourselves, where is
our humility? What is our idea of true greatness? What is our example What is
our hope? Eternal life depends on the answers we give to these questions. Happy
are those who are truly humble, who make every effort to do good, who walk in
the steps of Jesus and depend totally on the ransom that he paid. Such people
are true Christians.
Matthew 20 verses 29 to 34
1. What strong faith may be found when it might least be expected. These men had never seen Jesus’ miracles and had never met him, but they were certain that he would be able to help them. As soon as they heard that he was passing by they cried out, “Lord Son of David, have mercy on us!” Such faith may well put us to shame. With all our books about the bible the knowledge of Christianity, few of us know anything of such simple, childlike confidence in Christ’s power and mercy. Many poor believers can only read and understand the bible with difficulty but still have a firm trust in Christ.
2. How wise it is to use every opportunity to get benefits for our souls. These men sat by the roadside. If they had not done so, they might not have been healed. Jesus never returned that way. They might never have met him again. Do we use every opportunity of good for our souls? Let us never neglect our places of worship. Let us never avoid a chance to meet with other Christians, never miss the reading of our bibles, and never miss our private prayers. These things will not save us without the grace of the Holy Spirit. But it is in the use of these that souls are converted. They are opportunities to be where Jesus walks.
3. We need to make an effort and persevere in looking for Jesus. The blind men were rebuked by many of the people around Jesus. They were told to keep quiet and hold their peace. But the blind men took no notice. They knew that they needed help that Jesus could give and so they kept crying out: “Lord Son of David, have mercy on us!” We should not be discouraged by difficulties when we look for the salvation of our souls. We must “always pray, and not give up” (Luke 18 verse 1). Friends, relatives and neighbours may be scornful but if we recognise our sins and want to rid ourselves of them, let us persevere in crying out to our Lord.
4. How kind and gracious our Lord is to those who seek him. Our Lord stopped by the blind men and asked them gently what they needed. When they told him, he had pity on them and touched their eyes and they were immediately healed. The Lord Jesus is not only a powerful Saviour but also fully of mercy, kindness and grace. The love of Christ is far greater than our understanding (Ephesians 3 verse 19). Let us pray to know more of this love we need it when we begin our Christian journey. We need it as we travel the path of Christianity with all its difficulties. We shall need it as we approach death at the end of our days. So let us hold on to the love of Christ and keep it always in our hearts and minds.
Matthew 21 verses 1 to 11
These verses describe Jesus’ public entry into Jerusalem when he went there for the last time before he was crucified. There is something unusual in this incident in our Lord’s history. It reads more like an account of some royal conqueror returning to his own city. A great crowd surrounds him in a triumphant procession. It seemed as though the whole city joined the celebration. This was very different from our Lord’s usual humble behaviour. But he had a reason for this change in attitude. He knew that the time of his earthly ministry was near its end. All that remained was the offering of himself as a sacrifice on Calvary. Knowing this, he no longer looked for secrecy. He now needed everyone to see that he was coming to Jerusalem to die. It was right that the last actions of our Lord should be done with as much show as possible The atoning blood of the Lamb of God was about to be shed and the deed was not to be done secretly.
1. Our Lord’s perfect knowledge. He sends 2 disciples into a village and tells them where they will find a donkey for him to ride. He tells them what to say to the donkey’s owner. He tells them to bring the donkey to him. All this happens exactly as he told them. Nothing is hidden from our Lord. We are never out of his sight. Knowing that we are being watched by a King should have a good effect upon us. Let us do nothing we would not like Christ to see or say anything we would not like him to hear. This is the way to be trained for heaven, where we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4 verse 17)
2. How the prophecies about our Lord’s first coming were proved true. We are told that his triumphant entry into Jerusalem fulfilled the words of Zechariah, “See your king comes to you ... gentle and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9 verse 9). 550 years had elapsed since the telling of this prophecy. However, when the time was right the Messiah came, literally riding on a donkey. Most of the people in Jerusalem probably had no idea of the connection between a prophecy from Zechariah and Jesus on a donkey, but we are told that everything was done so that the prophecy might be fulfilled. We can expect that the prophecies of the second coming of Christ will be fulfilled as accurately as those about his first coming. Jesus will come a second time. When he came the first time, he came to suffer. When he comes the second time, he will reign in glory. He will preside over the judgment of the ungodly and the gathering of the elect. All this will come true and we should not forget it.
3. The worthlessness of popularity. The crowds who cheered our Lord as he entered Jerusalem offered no help when he was delivered into the hands of wicked men. Many cried “Hosanna!” but 4 days later cried, “Away with him! Crucify him!” This is a true picture of human nature. Nothing is so uncertain as popularity. So let us not be fooled by it. Let us seek the favour of him who “is the same yesterday and today and for ever” (Hebrews 13 verse 8).
Matthew 21 verses 12 to 22
2 events in Jesus’ life – each of them show that Jesus always sees thing with a keen spiritual awareness.
1. Jesus’ visit to the temple in Jerusalem. He found his Father’s house in a state of chaos. Traders were standing ready to sell animals to pilgrims who had travelled a long way. Moneychangers were ready to change foreign money into the local coinage. Buying and selling of bullocks, sheep, goats and pigeons were actually taking place within the court of the temple, as if the place was a cattle market. Jesus saw all this with holy anger. He drove out all the animals and those who were selling animals for sacrifices. He overturned all the tables of the moneychangers. Nobody resisted because they knew he was right. It was an abuse that had been allowed for the benefit of greedy men. No wonder Jesus said, “it is written, “My house will be called a house of prayer” but you are making it a “den of robbers” (verse 13, quoting Isaiah 56 verse 7). This is a picture of what Jesus will do when he comes to earth the second time. He will purify his visible church as he purified the temple court. He will cleanse it of everything shameful. He will allow no lovers of worldliness into heaven. We should think seriously of the words in the bible: “Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap” (Malachi 3 verse 2).
2. Jesus’ curse of the fruitless fig tree. He came to a fig tree on which there were plenty of leaves but no fruit. Jesus spoke to the tree and said, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered and died. It had seemed healthy enough with its covering of leaves. It looked nice, but bore no fruit so it was useless.
· The fig tree was a dramatic picture of the Jewish people of our Lord’s Day. They had everything to make an outward show. They had the temple in Jerusalem, the priests, the daily services, the yearly feasts and the scriptures. But the organised religion had no grace, no faith, no love, no humility, no spirituality and certainly no willingness to receive the Messiah. It was soon to be stripped of all its ornaments and its members scattered. Jerusalem was to be destroyed and the temple burned.
· These things were recorded for us as well as the Jews. Our churches, chapels and places of worship are in constant danger of becoming like that fruitless fig tree. Many famous churches of the past have withered because they bore no fruit. Let us beware of being proud about our churches.
· There is a lesson, too, about the danger of professing faith but bearing no fruit. Anyone who is content with the outward form of Christianity without godliness is in great peril. The fruit of the Spirit is the only sure proof that we are united to Christ and on the way to heaven. This should always be remembered.
These verses record a conversation between Jesus and the chief priests and elders. Many people had noticed what Jesus was doing and his enemies were trying to find a reason to accuse him of doing wrong.
1. How ready the enemies of truth are to question the authority of those who do more good than themselves. They do not challenge his teaching or behaviour but want to know who gave him authority to act. The same question has often been asked of those who were trying to check the progress of corruption in any place of corruption. It has been used for hundreds of years to try to stop revivals, reformation and the establishment of new churches faithful to the scriptures. It is used today against all sorts of humble workers who are only seeking to do good. Let us not be surprised. The same implied accusation was made against Christ himself.
2. The wisdom with which our Lord replied to these questions. Jesus said “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism ... was it from heaven or from men?” This was not avoiding their challenge. This new question actually answered his enemies’ enquiry. Jesus knew that they dared not deny that John was sent from heaven. They knew that John had claimed that Jesus was “The lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world” and that Jesus would “baptize with the Holy Spirit”. If they confessed this about John, they would have to agree that Jesus was the Christ! Let us pray that in this difficult world we may be supplied with the same wisdom that was displayed by our Lord.
3. What encouragement our Lord gives to those who repent. We see this in the parable of the 2 sons. Both were asked to go and work in their father’s vineyard. One son like the obvious sinners of Jesus’ day) refused to go, but later repented and went to work. The other son (like the Pharisees) pretended to be willing to work, but later decided not to go. God the Father is willing to receive every penitent sinner- no matter how bad they have been. But, if a person’s profession of religion seems good and yet they have never really given up all their sins, they are unclean in the sight of God and not fit for heaven. Let us take courage if we have been bad sinners. Let us repent and believe in Christ. Let us encourage others to repent. Never will these words fail “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1 verse 9)
Matthew
21 verses 33 to 46
The parable in these verses was told with special reference to the Jews. The are the tenants that we read about in this parable. But we must not think that it was only for the Jews. There are lessons for all of us.
1. What privileges God gives to some nations. He chose Israel to be his favoured nation. He separated them from other nations and gave them many blessings. He gave them much knowledge about himself; he gave them the Law. He treated the Israelites as he would treat a piece of land that he had fenced off and cultivated while the rest of the surrounding countryside was left untouched. The house of Israel was the vineyard of the Lord (Isaiah 5 verse 7). We also have many privileges. We have the bible and freedom for everyone to read it. We have the Gospel for everyone to hear. We have spiritual mercies in abundance. How thankful we ought to be!
2. What bad use many people make of their privileges. When the Lord separated the Jews from other people he had the right to expect that they would serve him and obey his laws. But Israel did not listen to God. They mingled with their heathen neighbours and hardened themselves in sin and unbelief. They despised God’s temple they refuse to listen to his prophets and they abused those who had been sent to call them to repentance. Finally, they killed the Son of God. What are we doing with our privileges? Do we behave as those who are grateful for the mercy that we have received? Many amongst us act as if they knew nothing about God! The fruit that the Lord receives from his vineyard is disgracefully small.
3. What awful judgement God can inflict upon those who do not use their privileges well. A time came when the patience of God towards the Israelites was finished. 40 years after our Lord’s death, they received the judgement for their sins. Their holy city, Jerusalem, was destroyed. Their temple was burned and they were scattered amongst the nations. Will the same thing happen to us? Nothing offends God so much as the neglect of privileges. Much has been given to us and much will be required.
4. The power of conscience, even in wicked people. The chief priests and elders realised that our Lord’s parable was meant especially for them. In these days there are many who listen to the gospel who are in the same sad condition as the chief priests of Israel They know that what they hear from the bible is right. They know that what they do is wrong. Every message condemns them but they have neither the will nor the courage to change. They are too proud or fond of the world to confess past mistakes. Let us beware! It is terrible to be convicted by our consciences and yet to die unconverted.
Matthew
22 verses 1 to 14
The parable told in these verses definitely refers to the Jews. But it also has lessons for all those who listen to the gospel.
1. Salvation is compared to a marriage feast. In the gospel there is a supply of everything that can relieve spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst. There is pardon and peace with God. A lively hope in this world and glory in the world to come are set before us. All this is because of the love of our Lord. He offers to clothe us with his own righteousness and to present us faultless before his Father’s throne. It is really joyful news. God offers through his Son to be at one with sinners. Never forget this. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4 verse 10).
2. The invitations of the gospel are unlimited. The servants were told to go to all those who were invited and ask them to come to the feast, for everything was ready. No-one will ever be able to say that it was God’s fault if they are not saved, for the Father is ready to love and receive, the Son is ready to pardon and cleanse and the Spirit is ready to sanctify and renew. Only one thing is necessary - the sinner must be ready and willing to come. Sinners are responsible and accountable. God’s offers are sufficient for all, although effective only to believers. Every one has an invitation to come, but few people accept the offer.
3. The salvation offered by God is rejected by many to whom it is extended. Those who had been invited to the wedding feast took no notice of the servant’s request that they should come. They all made selfish excuses. There are many people in the world that will not listen to the message of the gospel. They like to go their own way. They love their money, their land, their business or their pleasures. They find these more interesting than their souls. Many will find themselves in hell, not so much because they broke the Ten Commandments but because they were not willing to receive the truth. Christ died for them but they did not care!
4. All false believers will be exposed and eternally condemned on the last day. When at last, enough people had come to the feast, the king noticed that one person was not wearing suitable clothing. He had no excuse and was taken away. As long as someone knows their bible and lives an outwardly correct life, no-one will think of them as a deceiver or a hypocrite. But there will be no deception at the last day. God will know those who are his own people and those who are not. Only true believers will sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb of God. The deceiver will be thrown into outer darkness. This is very solemn. Have we accepted God’s invitation? Have we put on the righteousness of Christ? Do not rest until you are certain. Be warned by the words, “Many are invited but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22 verses 15 to 22
In this passage we read of a question that the Pharisees and Herodians put to our Lord. They were trying to trap him into saying something that might be used as an accusation but they failed.
1. The deceitful way in which his enemies flattered our Lord. They thought by speaking in a friendly manner they would make our Lord careless in his replies. Many of us make the mistake of thinking that persecution is the only weapon that Satan uses. He also knows how to poison our souls by the world’s kindness. It is easy to forget this. What brought about the ruin of Samson? Not the armies of the Philistines, but the false love of a Philistine woman. What brought about Solomon’s back sliding? Not the strength of his enemies, but the enticement of his many wives. What was the cause of Hezekiah’s greatest mistake? Not the sword of Sennacherib, but the flattery of the Babylonian ambassadors. Let us remember these things and be prepared. Satan is always doing his worst when he appears as an angel of light. The world is doing its worst when it smiles. When Judas betrayed our Lord, it was with a kiss.
2. The wisdom of the reply that our Lord gave to his enemies. They had asked if it was right to pay tax money demanded by the Roman authority. They hoped that our Lord could not answer without getting himself into trouble. If he replied that it was right to pay the taxes, they could say that he had dishonoured the privileges of the Israelites by inferring that they were not a free people. If he replied that it was not right to pay the taxes, they would tell the Roman authorities that he refused to pay his taxes and was a rebel against Rome and Caesar. But our Lord completely defeated their scheme. He asked them to tell him whose head was stamped on each coin. They replied, “Caesar’s”. Jesus at once gave them the answer to their question. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (verse 21).
These well-known words are of great importance. There is one obedience that we owe to the laws of our country in all earthly matters. There is another obedience in all things spiritual that we owe only to God. The government should not interfere with our consciences. On the other hand, the church should not try to act as an earthly ruler.
Matthew 22 verses 23 to 33
In this passage we read about a conversation between our Lord and the Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection and were also trying to trap Jesus.
1. There have always been unbelieving objections to some truths in the bible. The Sadducees told Jesus that a certain woman had married 7 brothers in succession. Each of these men had died without providing the woman with any children. They then asked Jesus to which of these men the woman would be married in the world to come? They were trying to ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection and the next life. We should not be surprised or troubled when people object to the bible’s teaching about the next life. Unbelievers love to use imagined problems in some difficult areas as an excuse for avoiding the plain truths that cane be clearly understood. We must remember that many truths in the bible are easy to understand we should believe and obey them. But when we come across truths that are not easy and we cannot understand them, we have to accept that they will be made plain at a later date.
2. Let us notice the text that our Lord quotes in reply to the Sadducees’ question. They were the words God spoke to Moses at the burning bush. “I am ... the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3 verse 6) and he added “He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (verse 32). At the time when Moses heard these words, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been dead for many years, yet God spoke of them as though they were living. He did not say, “I was their God” but “I am”. So let us be clear in our own minds that the dead are still living. They have passed from this life but God still sees them and he will raise them up on the Day of Judgement. There is no such thing as people being wiped out of existence.
3. How our Lord explains the state of his people after the resurrection. He shows the Sadducees that they had totally wrong ideas about the resurrection. It will be very different from the present state. He says, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are as the angels of God in heaven.” We know very little of the life in heaven. Our clearest ideas are what it will not be, rather than what it will be. There is no hunger or thirst. There is no sickness, pain or disease. Old age and death have no place there. Those who are admitted to heaven shall stay there for ever. We shall be like the angels and like the angels we shall serve God perfectly. We shall always be in the presence of God. Are we ready for such a life? Would we enjoy being in heaven? Is the company of God and the service of God pleasing to us now? These are solemn questions. Our hearts must be heavenly now if we hope to go to heaven at the end (Colossians 3 verse 1 to 4).
Matthew 22 verses 34 to 46
In these verses we find one of the Pharisees asking Jesus which was the greatest commandment. It was not a friendly question but our Lord’s reply was full of helpful teaching.
1. What a helpful summary of God’s requirements we are given. “Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the law and the prophets hang on these 2 commandments.” These 2 rules seem simple, but they contain so much. How humbling they are, showing our daily need for forgiveness through Christ’s blood!
· Love is the great secret of obedience to God. When we feel towards him as small children feel towards their parents, we will delight to do his will. We shall take pleasure in keeping his laws, and soon feel sorry when we disobey them. How do we find this love for God? It is not a natural feeling. It will come only when we are at peace with him through Christ. Faith in Christ is the true spring of our love towards God. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4 verse 19).
· Love is the great secret of right behaviour towards our neighbours. If we love our neighbours, we will not do anything to hurt them and will always do what we can to please them. When some one loves us it gives us confidence. We know that there is help close by in times of trouble. How do we find this love for others? It is not a natural feeling. By nature “we lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3 verse 3). The only way to start loving our neighbours is to be changed by the Holy Spirit. We need to be born again and receive the mind of Christ. “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” (Galatians 5 verse 22)
2. See the question now put to the Pharisees by our Lord. After he has answered their question so wisely, he asks them one. “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They answered immediately, “The son of David”. Jesus then asks how it is that David calls him “Lord” (Psalm 110 verse 1). “If then David calls him, “Lord”, how can he be his son?” Not one of the Pharisees could answer this question. Their ignorance of the Scriptures and their worldly thoughts of Christ made them ashamed before the people. From that time on they were afraid to ask Jesus any more questions.
How would we answer that same question? What do we think of Christ? What do we think of his life and his death? What do we think of his resurrection, ascension and intercession at the right hand of God? Have we tasted his graciousness? Can we truly say that he is our Redeemer, our Saviour and our Friend? It will be of no use simply to read about Christ if we do not possess him by a firm, practical faith.
Matthew 23
verses 1 to 12
In this chapter our Lord strongly rebukes the teachings and practices of the scribes and Pharisees. He tells the religious teachers exactly what he thinks about them. He knows that his time on earth is almost finished and so he warns his followers against the false leaders who were around them. The whole chapter is an example of boldness and faithfulness and in attacking error. It proves that the most loving heart can use stern language when necessary. It shows the terrible guilt of false teachers.
1. We see in these verses that we must distinguish between the position that a false teacher holds and his example. ”The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat” (verse 2) They had that position amongst the Jews and that position should be respected. But their bad lives were not to be copied. Their teaching was to be followed if it was scriptural but not when it went against the Word of God.
2. We see that inconsistency, boastfulness and pride are displeasing to Christ.
· Our Lord said that the Pharisees were inconsistent because they did not practise what they preached. They instructed the people to do thing that they themselves were unwilling to do.
· He accuses them of being boastful, wearing special clothes so that people would notice and think how holy they were.
· They were proud, Jesus said, because they wanted the best places at every public function and to have people call them “teacher”.
· Jesus wanted us to avoid these soul-ruining sins. He said “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5 verse 44). Sadly the same type of behaviour has often appeared in the church. Let us be careful. It is possible to be a professing Christian and yet in spirit to be a Pharisee
3. We see that Christians must never give anyone the honour that belongs only to God and Christ. We should not call anyone on earth “father”. We should certainly respect ministers for their work but Jesus means that we must be careful not to give them an honour they do not possess. They must never come between us and Christ. They are not priests who atone for us. They cannot represent us before God. They are sinners who need the same cleansing blood and the same renewing Spirit as everyone else. Let us not forget these things. Human nature would always prefer to lean on a visible minister than on an invisible Christ.
4. We see that humility should be the distinguishing mark of the Christian. To be considered great by Christ, we should seek not to rule, but to serve the church. The desire of the Pharisee was to receive honour. The desire of every Christian must be to do good. He must give himself to the service of others. The example of our Lord and the commands of the epistles both demand that Christians be clothed with humility. It is the best evidence of saving faith and true conversion to God. “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (verse 12)
Matthew
23 verses 13 to 33
Here we have 8 severe charges that our Lord makes against the religious teachers. Standing in the middle of the temple he fully exposes the main errors of the scribes and Pharisees. 8 times he warns them with the words, “woe to you!” 7 times he calls them hypocrites. Twice he calls them blind guides; twice he calls them fools and blind and once serpents and a generation of vipers. Our Lord’s strong words show us how abominable the spirit of the scribes and Pharisees was in the sight of God.
1. Let us briefly look at the 8 accusations
· The first “woe” in the list is directed against the opposition of the scribes and Pharisees to the progress of the Gospel. They rejected the warning voice of John the Baptist. They refused to listen to Jesus or accept that he was the Messiah. They tried to keep back any serious Jewish enquirers. They would not believe the message of the gospel themselves, and they did all that they could to prevent others from believing.
· The second “woe” is directed against the greed of the scribes and Pharisees. They took away widows’ houses, excusing their action by saying long prayers. They deceived lonely women by pretending to be so holy that the women thought they were to be obeyed in all spiritual matters. They did their best to make money from their religion.
· The third “woe” is directed against the efforts that the scribes and Pharisees made to get people to join them. This was not to benefit the men’s souls or to bring them closer to God. It was simply to increase the number of their followers.
· The fourth “woe” is directed against the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees about oaths. They gave greater importance to oaths sworn by the gold offered in the temple, than by oaths sworn by the temple itself. This brought the third commandment into contempt.
· The fifth “woe” is directed against the practice of scribes and Pharisees that made smaller things in religion seem larger than the greater truths. They made a fuss about tithing mint and other garden herbs but neglected duties such as justice, charity and honesty.
· The sixth and seventh “woes” are directed against the religion of the scribes. They regarded outward purity and decency as more important than inward sanctification and purity of the heart. They made it a religious duty to clean the outside of their cups and plates but thought nothing of the state of their own hearts. They were like tombs painted white: clean and beautiful on the outside, but full of darkness and rotting flesh inside.
· The eighth “woe” is directed against the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees when they pretended to honour the memory of dead prophets. They built the tombs of the prophets and decorated the grave of righteous men. But their own lives proved that they were really like those who had killed these righteous men. They preferred dead believers to living ones. They pretended to honour the dead prophets but could see no beauty in a living Christ.
2. Let us learn some lessons for ourselves. We turn from this picture with sorrow and humiliation. Sadly the same things have happened again and again in the history of the Church. It can easily be shown that persons calling themselves Christians have walked in the steps of the scribes and Pharisees.
· Learn what a sad condition Israel was in when our Lord was on earth. Its sin had reached its peak. It was the right time for the Son of Righteousness to come to earth. It was the right time for the gospel to be preached.
· Learn how horrible hypocrisy is in the sight of God. Whatever we are in our religion, let us be honest and true.
· Learn how dangerous it is to be an unfaithful minister. It is bad enough to be blind ourselves. It is much worse to be a blind guide!
· Finally we must never let the danger of hypocrisy stop us from confessing Christ. We must keep on believing and trying to please him. We should be praying daily to be kept away from error and saying with the psalmist, “May my heart be blameless towards your decrees.” (Psalm 119 verse 80)
Matthew 23 verses 34 to 39
These verses are the last that our Lord spoke in public and they show his wonderful tenderness and compassion. Though he left his enemies in their state of unbelief, he showed that he still loved and pitied them.
1. We learn that God often makes great efforts with ungodly people. He gives them warning. He does not leave them to sin again and again without calling them to repentance. He sends sickness and troubles. He worries their consciences by sermons and the advice of friends. He takes away their idols. They usually do not know the meaning of these warnings. They are often blind and deaf to God’s messages. In the end, but perhaps too late, they will realise that he was at work. Like the Jews, they had good people sent to them but they had ignored all the advice, “Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die?” (Ezekiel 33 verse 11)
2. We learn that God sees how his messengers are abused and he will never forget. The Jews often treated God’s messengers without mercy. His prophets were persecuted, scourged and killed. Jesus told them that there would be a day of reckoning In a few years time there would be such a shedding of blood in and around Jerusalem as the world had never seen. The nation that had murdered so many prophets was destroyed by the plague, starvation and war. Even the people who escaped death became wandering beggars and were scattered to other countries. Let those who persecute God’s people in this age think what they are doing. Let them know that Christ takes notice of those who harm anyone who belongs to him. On the Judgement day, the King of Kings will call to account all those who have insulted his servants.
3. We learn that those who are thrown into darkness on the Judgement Day will have only themselves to blame. Jesus’ words are remarkable: “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were not willing” (verse 37). It shows that Christ has feelings of pity and mercy to many who are not saved. Men are ruined because they do not want to be saved. Man is powerless to believe and yet powerful to ruin his own soul. If he is not saved it will be because he has chosen to go that way “you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5 verse 40).
Let us be encouraged that with Christ nothing is impossible. He can make the hardest heart willing. Grace is certainly irresistible. But the bible tells us that we are responsible beings. It also says of some “You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7 verse 51). If people are lost it is not because Christ is unwilling to save them nor is it because they wanted to be saved but could not. It is because they will not come. Let us understand that if we are saved, it is wholly by the will of God. If we are lost, it is wholly by our own will. The evil that is within us is all our own: the good is all of God. The saved in the next world will give God all the glory. The lost will find they have destroyed themselves. “You are destroyed ... because you are against me, against your helper.” (Hosea 13 verse 9)
Matthew 24 verses 1 to 14
On leaving the temple, the disciples called our Lord’s attention to the beautiful buildings. To their surprise he tells them that soon they would all be destroyed. His words troubled the disciples. When they came to the Mount of Olives and Jesus sat down they asked him, “When will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (verse 3). This question helps us to understand the prophecy that our Lord was about to give his disciples. His reply tells us something about (1) the destruction of Jerusalem; (2) Jesus’ second coming; and (3) the end of the world. But sometimes these subjects are mixed together.
(a) The first lesson is a warning against deception. “Watch out that no-one deceives you” (verse 4) Satan is aware of the value of prophecy and is always working to make the subject seem ridiculous. We should watch out for those who make false predictions. We should also watch out for those who do not believe the plain predictions in the bible. People did not believe the predictions that the Messiah would suffer when he came the first time. Let us not doubt that he will return to reign.
(b) The second lesson is a warning against too much optimism about all that is to happen before the end of the world.
· We are not to expect a time of peace and happiness in the world before the end comes. Our Lord tells us that there will be many wars. There will be starvation. There will be earthquakes. There will be no peace until the Lord returns in glory. Only then will our weapons be turned into farming tools and there shall be no more war.
· We are not to expect the church to be perfect in teaching or behaviour before the end comes. There will be false prophets and increasing wickedness. Holiness will never rule until our Lord returns and overcomes Satan. Only then will there be a glorious church without any fault (Ephesians 5 verse 27).
· We are not to expect that the world will be converted before the end comes. The gospel is be preached in the world, but we shall not see it believed by the whole world. The complete gathering of all the nations shall not take place until the Lord comes. Only then shall the earth be full of “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2 verse 14).
So let us hurry to spread the gospel. The time is short and difficult times are coming. Above all let us long for our Lord’s return. Let us pray every day: “Come Lord Jesus” Revelation 22 verse 20).
Matthew 24 verses 15 to 28
These verses include our Lord’s prophecy that the Romans would destroy Jerusalem. This happened 40 years after his death and resurrection. The miseries that the Jews endured during that time were the worst they had every known. When Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, the system of worship that God had commanded through Moses came to an end. The daily sacrifice, the yearly feasts, the altar, the Most Holy Place and the priesthood were all essential to the Jewish religion. But when Christ died upon the cross, their work was done. The system was dead and needed to be buried. It is not surprising, therefore, that Jesus spoke about the coming destruction of the temple, where so many holy Jews had seen “shadows of good things to come” (Hebrews 10 verse 1). His prophecy is also a picture of another destruction that will only be ended by the second coming of our Lord.
a) We see that sometimes it is our Christian duty to flee from danger. Certainly, we must not be cowards. We must be willing to die for the truth if we have to. But we are not to be rash and seek danger. In times of persecution, we need much wisdom to know how to act.
b) We see that our Lord makes a special mention of the Sabbath. “Pray that you do not have to flee on the Sabbath day” (verse 20). Although the keeping of sacrifices and feasts were past, the Sabbath was still the day set apart for God (Hebrews 4 verse 9).
c) We see that God takes special care of his elect. God’s people are his special jewels. All the events of history are arranged for their good. Whatever troubles may come to the world, they will be kept safe. Never rest until you are sure that you are one of them! The promises of the gospel are open to all.
d) We see that the second coming of our Lord will happen very suddenly. We know from the bible that our Lord will come again to this world. We also know that he will come at a time of great destruction. But we have not been told the exact time of his coming. Our duty is to live as those always ready for his return. Let us walk by faith. Let us believe in Christ, serve Christ, follow Christ and love Christ. Then, whenever he returns we shall be ready to meet him.
Matthew 24 verses 29 to 35
In this part of our Lord’s prophecy he describes his final coming to judge the world.
a) These verses teach us that when our Lord Jesus returns to the world he will come with majesty. His second coming will be very different from his first. He came first as “a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53 verse 3). He was born in humble circumstances. He took on him the form of a servant. He was despised and rejected by men. He was betrayed into the hands of wicked men. He was unjustly condemned, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, and at last crucified between two thieves. But he will come the next time as the king of all the earth. He will be the great judge. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord. Let us wait for this with patience.
b) These verses teach us that when Christ returns he will first of all take care of his believers. He will send his angels to gather all the elect. When he returns in glory, true Christians will be safe. There was an ark for Noah when God flooded the world in judgement. There will be a hiding place for all true believers when the wrath of God bursts on a wicked world. That day will be terrifying but Christians may look forward to it with confidence. Remember that it will be a happy family gathering. We are moving towards a day when we shall meet our Saviour and all our believing friends and never be parted from them.
c) Lastly, these verse teach us that what our Lord prophesied will certainly happen. He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (verse 35). May we all take notice of his warning. We live in an unbelieving age. Few people believed that he had come the first time (Isaiah 53 verse 1) and few people believe it when they are told that he will come again. So let us listen in faith and believe, that our souls may be saved. We are learning the greatest of truths. May God give us a heart to believe them!
Matthew 24 verses 36 to 51
a) These verses warn us about the bad state that the world will be in when our Lord comes again. The world will not be converted when Jesus returns. It will be in the same condition as it was in during the days of the flood (Genesis chapters 6 and 7). Before the days of the flood, everyone was eating and drinking and marrying. They were content with their worldly lives and took no notice of the warnings Noah gave them about God’s judgement. No-one believed that there was any danger. Then the flood came and washed them all away. Everyone who was not with Noah in the ark was drowned. The people were unprepared to meet God. Our Lord tells us that it will be just like that when he returns (verse 39). Many people who thought they were Christians, will be found to be unbelieving, godless, worldly and unfit to meet their judge. Let us be sure that we are not found among them!
b) These verses tell us about the separation that will take place when our Lord returns. 2 times we read that one will be taken and the other will be left. At present, the godly and the ungodly live together. But then, there will be a complete division. Wives will be parted from husbands, parents from children and brothers and sisters parted from each other and from their friends. There will be no time for repentance. Believers will be caught up, rescued for eternal life. Unbelievers will be left behind. Blessed are those who are of one heart and mind in following Christ. Their union will last for ever.
c) Lastly, these verses tell us about the need to watch for our Lord to return. Jesus rarely mentions his second coming without telling us to watch and be ready. He knows how sleepy and forgetful we are even about the most important matters of our faith.
· True Christians should live like watchmen. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. We must always be prepared. Paul writes “Let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” (1 Thessalonians 5 verse 6)
· True Christians should live like good servants. They should be ready for the Master to come back. They should seek to keep their hearts in such a way that when Christ comes, they would give him a loving reception.
All that we have been reading demands that we should make a sincere self-examination. Let us be certain that we are united with Christ. Let us live in purity so that we may be called blessed. Let us understand that this prophecy, which has not yet been fulfilled, is of great practical importance. “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he (Christ) is pure” (1 John 3 verse 3).
Matthew 25 verses 1 to 13
This chapter is a continuation of our Lord’s prophecy. It tells of his second coming and the end of the world. Our Lord gives us the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 of them were wise and 5 of them were foolish.
1. When Christ returns, the church will contain evil people as well as good. The church is compared to the 10 virgins who went to meet a bridegroom. They all took lamps but only 5 were really wise and took enough oil. The church is in the same condition. All are baptized in the name of Christ, but not all hear his voice and follow him. All are called Christians, but not all have the grace of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. This has to make us humble. After all the hard work of preaching, praying, visiting and teaching both at home and abroad, many will be found dead in their sins. The wickedness and unbelief of human nature is something about which we have much to learn.
2. When Christ returns, people will be taken by surprise. In the middle of the night when the virgins were sleeping someone called out, “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” (verse 6). It will be the same when Jesus returns to the world. Business will be going on. Politics, trading, farming, buying, selling and pleasure seeking will be taking up everyone’s attention. Churches will be worrying about thing of no importance. Preachers will still be calling people to repent and most will still be putting off any decision. At such a time, the Lord will appear. When no-one is thinking about the end of the world, everything will stop and all people will have to stand before the King of Kings.
3. When Christ returns, many people will find out the value of saving religion too late. Let us be careful that we are not like the foolish virgins, who found out too late that they were not ready. One day, it will burst upon the minds of men like a flash of lightning that they need knowledge, faith and a Saviour. They will realise the value of their souls, but it will be too late. Are we ever mocked, persecuted, or though foolish because of our religion? Let us bear it patient and pray for those who persecute us. They do not understand what they are doing. One day the world will know that the saints of God made a wise choice.
4. When Christ returns, his true people will receive a rich reward for all that they suffered for his sake. When the bridegroom came, the foolish virgins had to go for some spare oil but the wise virgins went in with him for the marriage feast and the door was shut, leaving the foolish virgins outside. True Christians will be found ready at the second coming. Washed in the blood of atonement, clothed in Christ’s righteousness and renewed by the Holy Spirit they shall meet their Lord with boldness. They shall be with their Lord. They will be with him who loved them and gave his life for them. They will be with him whom they loved and followed faithfully. Then the door shall be shut. It will be shut to keep out all pain and misery, a wicked world, the temptations of Satan and every doubt and fear. Let us think about all this and rejoice. The believer may have much trouble now but great comforts are coming. “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30 verse 5). Let us just be sure that we have the oil of the Spirit in our hearts!
Matthew 25 verses 14 to 30
The parable of the talents is like the parable of the 10 virgins. Both speak about the return of Christ. The story of the 10 virgins calls on the church to watch, to be vigilant, to be prepared. The story of the talents calls on the church to work, to be diligent, to be active.
a) All people have gifts from God. We all belong to God and we all have talents. A talent is something that glorifies God. We have out health, our strength, our time, our senses, our memories, our intellects, our money, our privileges as members of Christ’s church All that we have is on loan from God. We are God’s stewards. We are in debt to God.
b) Many people make a bad use of the mercies they receive from God. We are told that 1 servant hid the Lord’s talent by burying it in the earth. Many people are like that. To hide our talents is to neglect opportunities of glorifying God. Those who are baptized but scornful of the bible, those who do not pray, those who do not keep God’s day holy, the faithless, the sensual, and the worldly minded, the money lover, the jealous and those who think only of themselves, they are all like the one who buried the talent in the earth God has lent them so much1 Why do they not make use of his gifts? As Daniel said to Belshazzar, “You did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all you ways.” (Daniel 5 verse 23).
c) Everyone must have a reckoning with God. We will be judged according to all we have done. We shall have to give God an account of everything that he has given to us. We shall find ourselves judged as responsible creatures. If we have been given much, then much will be expected from us. So let us judge ourselves every day, so that we are not condemned by our Lord (1 Corinthians 11 verse 31).
d) All true Christians will receive a great reward on the Judgement Day. This is both comforting and surprising. The least of Christ’s servants will discover that his work for Christ has not been wasted. His Master remembers and is pleased. It will make up for all our troubles when we enter into joy.
e) All unfruitful members of the church will be cast way on the Judgement Day. The one that buried his talent was reminded that he knew what the Lord expected He was without any excuse. He was condemned as wicked, lazy and worth nothing. He was cast into outer darkness! There will be no excuse for unconverted church members on that last day. They know in their consciences that they are guilty. They have buried their talents. They have not done what they knew they ought to have done.
Let us never be content with a pretence of Christianity. Let us not only talk about religion. Let us take action about it. We are told that the worthless one did nothing about his talent and that this was his ruin! Let us beware of doing nothing about our religion, for such “Christianity” does not come from the Spirit of God.
Matthew 25 verses 31 to 46
In these verses our Lord describes the Judgement Day.
a) Who will be the judge on the last day. It will be Jesus, the Son of God. He who was condemned, he who was beaten, scourged and nailed to the cross. That same Jesus will judge the world when he returns in glory. “The Father ... has entrusted all judgement to the Son” (John 5 verse 22). “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2 verses 10 and 11). Let all believers take comfort in this. When they see him they will have no cause to feel alarmed. Let unconverted people think of this and be afraid. Their judge will be Christ, whose gospel they are despising and whose invitations they are refusing to accept. How great their confusion will be if they persist in unbelief and die in their sins. It will be dreadful indeed to be condemned by the very one who would have saved them!
b) Who will be judged on the last day. We read that all the nations will be gathered before Christ (verse 32). Every person who has ever lived must appear and they will be divided into 2 classes. The distinction will be between those who have grace or no grace, those who have conversion or no conversion and those who have faith or not faith. All that are found in Christ will be placed at his right hand. All those that are found not to be in Christ will be placed at his left.
c) What way the judgement will take place.
· It will be based on evidence. Our works will definitely not justify us. We are justified by faith alone. But what we have done will show whether our faith is true. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2 verse 17).
· It will bring joy to all believers they will hear those words, “Come, you who are blessed by my father; take your inheritance” (verse 34). The least and the lowest of the family of God shall have a crown of glory.
· It will bring confusion to all unconverted people. They will hear those awful words, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (verse 41). They would not listen to our Lord’s words when he invited them to find their rest in him. But now they have to listen to his words “Depart from me!”
· It will demonstrated how different the lost and the saved really are. The believers show humility and are amazed to be praised. The lost are still bind and unaware of their failures.
d) What the final results of the Judgement day will be. The wicked “will go away to eternal punishment but the righteous to eternal life” (verse 46). Nothing changes or ends after the judgement. The misery of the lost and the blessedness of the saved are both alike forever. As God is eternal, so heaven is an endless day without night and hell an endless night without day.
· How can we describe the wonders of eternal life? It is an eternal rest after many conflicts; the eternal company of saints after struggling with an evil world; a painless body after bearing weakness, infirmity and the approach of old age; an eternal vision of Jesus, whom we have never seen. This is blessedness indeed! And yet, there is much more.
· How can we describe the misery of eternal punishment? It is the never ending pain of the body; the eternal sting of a bad conscience; the eternal horror of having to mix with evil people; the eternal memories of opportunities neglected and Christ despised; the eternal prospect of a hopeless future. All this will be misery indeed1 An yet, there is much more.
On which side of Christ are we going to be found when that last day arrives?
Matthew 26
verses 1 to 13
We now come toward the end of our Lord’s earthly ministry These verses tell us of his coming suffering and death. We have seen him as a prophet, we shall now see him as a great high priest. We shall see the sacrifice to which all the sacrifices of the Old Testament had pointed. Here we see how the blood was shed which cleanses us from all sin; we see Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1 verse 29). We see in the death of our Lord, how God can be just and yet justify the ungodly. All 4 gospels give us a full account of this event.
a)
How
careful Jesus was to tell his disciples about his death – verse 2. He had just been speaking about
his return in glory to be the judge of all mankind. He now reminds them that he
must die as a sin offering before he can come to glory. He must make the
sacrifice on the cross before he can rule as King forever. Without the shedding
of his blood there is no forgiveness of sin. This is the truth on which the
whole of Christianity is based. Every part of the life and ministry of our Lord
is very important. We ought to delight in the hope of his second coming. But we
must never think of these as more important than his death on the cross. It is
the core of all Scripture that Christ died to redeem us from our sins. To this
thought let us daily return.
b)
How
Jesus loves to honour those who honour him. We read that when he was eating a meal in the house
of Simon the leper, a woman came to him and poured precious ointment on his
head. The disciples were indignant. They said it was wasteful. They said she
should have sold the expensive ointment and given the money to those who were
poor. Jesus quickly rebuked them – verses 10 to 13.
·
We see
how perfectly our Lord could see things to come. Every day his prophecy is
fulfilled as people read about the woman in the bible. The praise of mankind
only lasts for a short while. The praise given by Christ endures forever.
· We see a wonderful foretaste of the Judgement Day. The least work done for Christ will be remembered and rewarded. Do we know what it is to work for Christ? If we do, let us take courage and continue in that work. Some may call our sacrifices for Jesus’ sake a waste of time, a waste of money, a waste of strength. Let none of these things worry us. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 58
Matthew 26 verses 14 to 25
We learn in this passage how our Lord was betrayed. The priests and scribes were plotting to capture our Lord and put him to death. But they were frightened of being mobbed by the crowds of people. Then Judas Iscariot presented himself and greed to deliver Jesus to them for 30 pieces of silver.
a) People can make a great show of their religious profession and yet their hearts are never right before God. Judas Iscariot was a chosen apostle and companion of Jesus. He was an eyewitness of the miracles and must have heard much of what Jesus had taught. Yet in his heart he still clung to sin. Not one of the 11 apostles suspected him of hypocrisy. When Jesus said “One of you will betray me”, no-one said, “Is it Judas?” Like Lot’s wife Judas is intended to be like a warning light for the whole church. We should plead, “Search me O God and … see if there is any offensive way in me.” (Psalm 139 verses 23 and 24)
b) The love of money is one of the greatest evils to a soul. Judas must have given up much for our Lord but he had not given up his covetousness. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6 verse 10) For money Joseph was sold by his brothers. For money Samson was betrayed to the Philistines. For money Gehazi deceived Naaman, and lied to Elisha. For money Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive Peter. Let us all be on our guard against the love of money. It is so common today and so infectious. We can love money even if we do not have it. We should constantly remember the words “what good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8 verse 36) Let us seek rather to be rich in grace. It is the worst of bargains to give up eternal blessings for temporary enjoyment.
c) The hopeless condition of all who die unconverted. Jesus said of Judas “It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (verse 24). It is better never to live at all than to live without faith and die without grace. Jesus could not have said this if everyone eventually reaches heaven. The bible plainly teaches that hell has no end. There are always people who do not believe in the reality and eternity of hell Many exaggerate God’s mercy at the expense of his justice Let us not listen to such teaching, Let us live by everything that we are told in the bible. Let us be glad to walk in the old paths – those that teach us that there is an eternal God, an eternal heaven and an eternal hell.
Matthew 26 verses
26 to 35
Here we read about the origin of the practice of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus chose the very last evening before his crucifixion. He gave this parting gift to be a precious ordinance. The Lord’s Supper ought to have united the church, but our sins have made it a cause for division.
a) We must notice the right meaning of Jesus’ words, “This is my body ... this my blood” (verses 26 and 28). Jesus means: “This bread represents my body. This wine represents my blood”. We believe this for several important reasons.
· There is no word in the Hebrew language which expresses “to signify” or “to represent”. The Greek of the new Testament uses the Hebrew or Syriac idiom “it is” to mean “it signifies.”
· The conduct of the apostles shows us that the bread was not literally Christ’s body, and the wine was not literally his blood. All Jews were taught that it was sinful to eat flesh with blood (Deuteronomy 12 verse 23) but there is nothing to show that they were startled by our Lord’s words. It was certain that they saw no actual change in the bread and wine.
· We are never called to believe something that contradicts our senses and we can taste that the bread and wine used in the Lord’s Supper are not changed.
· The human body of our Lord Jesus was like ours. It could not be in different places at the same time. His body could not be sitting at the table and at the same time be eaten by his disciples.
· The bible often uses expressions like this. Our Lord spoke of himself as “the door” and “the vine”. It is obvious that these are pictures and so it is in the Lord’s Supper
b) We must notice the purpose of the Lord’s Supper.
· The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrifice. There is no offering up of anything except our prayers, praise and thanksgiving. On the day that Jesus died, no more offerings for sin were necessary. “By one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever all those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10 verse 14).
· The Lord’s Supper does not bring any benefit unless we come with faith.
· The Lord’s Supper was ordained as a regular reminder of his sacrificial death until he returns on the last day. It reminds us that the offering of his body and blood is the only atonement for sin, and the life of a believer’s soul. It is for redeemed sinners. By receiving it we declare our guilt and need of a Saviour. We also show that we want to love and serve him. Used in this way, it will draw us nearer to Christ.
c) The last thing for us to notice is the character of the first communicants. They were his chosen apostles who loved him. But they were weak in faith and knowledge. They thought they were strong enough to die with him, but Jesus knew that later than night they would all leave him and run away. Someone may know little and be lacking in spiritual strength, but that does not disqualify them from being present at our Lord’s Table. Does a man really know his sins? Does he really love Christ? Does he really want to serve him? If this is how he feels, we should welcome him to the Lord’s Table.
Do we come regularly to the Lord’s Supper? If so what is on our minds? Do we come with all humility and faith? Do we truly understand what we are doing? Do we truly feel the needs of Jesus as our Saviour? Is it our greatest desire to live a Christian life? We are happy if the answer is “yes” to all these questions. Let us go forward and persevere.
Matthew 26 verses 36 to 46
These verses describe Christ’s agony in Gethsemane. Why do we find our Lord so sorrowful? Why do we see him going away from his apostles and crying to his Father? Why is Jesus, who came into the world to die, almost fainting at the thought of death? There is only one answer to these questions; the weight that was so heavy on our Lord’s mind was not the fear of death and its pains. It was the great burden of all our sins. He who had never sinned was about to have our sins laid on him like a scapegoat (Leviticus 16 verses 10, 20 to 22). That burden must have been so great that only his Father could understand it.
a) Prayer is the best practical remedy in times of trouble Christ himself prayed when his soul was sorrowful. All true Christians ought to do the same We cannot avoid trouble in this world but the first thing we should do is pray. The first person to whom we turn for help must be our heavenly Father. We must believe that nothing is too small or too great for him to deal with, so long as we ask it with entire submission to his will.
b) One of our chief aims should be to submit our will entirely to the will of God. The words of our Lord are beautiful. He says “Not as I will but as you will.” He says again “Your will be done” verses 39 and 42). We do not know what is best for ourselves. Like Paul, we need to learn to be content in all circumstances (Philippians 4 verse 11). It shows that we have the mind of Christ if we can put up with disappointments and difficulties without grumbling.
c) There is much weakness, even in true followers of Christ. We have to watch and pray against that weakness. We see peter, James and John sleeping when they should have been praying for their Lord. We find our Lord saying, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” verse 41. The experience of all Christians confirms that they find within themselves 2 contrary principles and a continual warfare between the two. Our Lord describes these two principles when he talks to his sleepy apostles about “the spirit” and the flesh”. He does not excuse the weakness of his apostles but uses it as a lesson for watchfulness and prayer. It is a lesson for all of us. If we want to walk with God, let us never forget to watch and pray. Let us live as if we were on enemy ground. Let us always be on our guard. We must walk carefully. We have to take care of our souls. The world will try to snare us. Satan is always busy. Our spirits may often be very willing; but our bodies are very weak. So let us always watch and pray.
Matthew 26 verses 47 to 56
In these verses we see our Lord’s sufferings increase. He was betrayed by an apostle, forsaken by the others and taken prisoner by those who wanted him to die. We should never forget the reason for these sufferings. He was being delivered up for our sins (Romans 4 verse 25).
a) See how Jesus condemns the use of human weapons to defend him. Jesus rebukes one of his own disciples. He tells him to put away the sword and declares “All who draw the sword will die by the sword” (verse 52). Such weapons may rightly be used to defend a nation but should never be used to spread the gospel. It is a great mistake to use force to try to change people’s religious views. Sadly, no wars have shed so much blood as those that have been started by different religious opinions. Let us remember that the weapons we fight with are not worldly ones, but spiritual (2 Corinthians 10 verse 4).
b) See how our Lord allowed himself to be taken prisoner. It would have been easy for him to scatter his enemies. He could have asked his Father to send thousands of angels to protect him “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (verse 54). Our Lord came to be a wiling sufferer, and to save the world He came to be the “Passover Lamb”. He came to be the Scapegoat” who was to carry the guilt and the sins of the people. Because he suffered willingly, we can be sure that he is ready to save all those who flee to him for salvation.
c) See how little we realise our weakness until we are tested. The apostles were overcome by fear of death and they fled. They forgot all their recent promises to die with Jesus if necessary. How many believers have done the same? How easy it is to promise not to be ashamed of Jesus, but then to fall when trials comes. Let us be humble. If we do not watch and pray, any one of us can fall badly. We need to pray daily, “Uphold me, and I shall be delivered” (Psalm 119 verse 117).
Matthew 26 verses 57 to 68
We read here how Jesus was tried before the high priest and declared guilty.
a) Notice that the chief priests were responsible for the death of Christ. It was not the ordinary people who were the main cause of our Lord’s death but Caiaphas and his companions. These men could trace their family priesthood right back to Aaron, and it was these priestly men who murdered Jesus. Do not let us think that all Christian ministers are perfect. Their teaching and conduct must agree with the bible. If it does not, we should not follow them. As Isaiah said, “If they do not speak according to this word, the have no light” (Isaiah 8 verse 20)
b) Notice how our Lord publicly declared that he was the Messiah, and that he would come again in glory. He tells the Jewish council that he is the Christ. He had not appeared in glory as they would have expected their Messiah to do, but Jesus warns them that they would indeed see him in power and glory, coming in the clouds of heaven (verse 64). But unbelief and self-righteousness hardened their hearts and they took no notice of his words.
c) Lastly, notice how much false witness and mockery our Lord had to endure in front of the Jewish religious council. Lies and ridicule are favourite weapons of the devil. Jesus had suffered them these throughout his ministry and now it is just the same. As soon as he was proclaimed guilty those around him started to abuse him. They spat in his face; they struck him with their fists. They slapped him and demanded that he should prophesy who had hit him. It is wonderful that our Lord accepted such treatment to redeem such sinners as we are. It is wonderful to note that these insults had been predicted 700 years before our Lord received them: “I did not hide my face away from mocking and spitting” (Isaiah 50 verse 6).
If ever we are treated in the same sort of way let us bear it patiently. By doing so, we drink from the same cup as our Lord. There is but one difference. We will drink no more than a few bitter drops but Jesus drank everything that was in his cup.
Matthew 26 verses 69 to 75
These verses tell us about Peter’s denial of Christ. If the gospel had been a story invented by men, we would never have been told that one of our Lord’s chosen apostles denied his Master.
a) See how bad the sin was that Peter committed He had been Christ’s followers for 3 years. He had often expressed faith and love towards his Master. He had received much love and kindness from Christ. Jesus had treated him as a friend – and yet we see him denying any knowledge of Jesus 3 times. More than this, Peter had been clearly warned of his danger but had declared loudly that he would never deny Jesus (Matthew 26 verses 34 and 3). It does not even seem that Peter was in any great danger. It is a very humbling picture. This has much to teach us. We may be converted. We may have faith and love towards our Lord. Yet we may still be overtaken by sin. It shows us the necessity of humility. We must never think that we cannot sin. It also shows us how loving we should be with others when they sin. Do not think of them as unconverted because of an occasional mistake. Rather we should remember Peter and restore them gently (Galatians 6 verse 1).
b) See the steps that led to Peter’s sin.
· First, there was too much self-confidence. “If all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
· The second step was laziness. He had been told to pray, but he fell asleep with the other apostles.
· The third step was cowardice. He did not keep close to his Master but only followed at a distance.
· The last step was going into the wrong company. He sat down amongst the servants as though he was one of them.
· Then comes the fall, with swearing, lies and 3 denials.
· Believers are often shocked and discouraged by the misconduct of those who have been looked upon as leaders in churches, while the enemies of God rejoice. The usual explanation of these cases is a private departure from God. We fall away from God in private long before we all away from him in public.
c) See the sorrow Peter’s sin caused him. “He went outside and wept bitterly” (verse 75). Peter was immediately aware of the unhappiness he had caused himself by his departure from God. Feelings of sadness and a troubled conscience will always follow backsliding and inconsistency. “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways” (Proverbs 14 verse 14). If we love inward peace we must keep close to God. We see in Peter’s tears the mark of a true believer. When hypocrites commit a sin they usually keep on sinning because they have no principle to improve their lives. When believers sin, they rise again by true repentance and the grace of God.
Do we claim to have hope in Christ? Let us be careful and watch for any descent into sin. Have we forgotten our first love for the Lord? Let us remember that the Saviour of Peter still lives. There is mercy for us; but we must repent and look for that mercy if we really want to find it. If we turn to God, he will turn to us. “His compassions never fall” (Lamentations 3 verse 22)
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