70-71. Confirmation, Condemnation, and Comfort

BACKGROUND AND LINKS

70. Jesus eases John's doubts: Matthew 11:1-19, Luke 7:18-35

Who was Jesus? 

News of Jesus' fame had reached Herod's palace at Machaerus in Perea where John had been imprisoned for nearly a year. The expected kingdom had not yet come. Was Jesus the promised Messiah ("coming one") from Old Testament prophecy who would set up that kingdom? John sent some of his disciples to find out. Jesus revealed that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah 35:5 and 61:1

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened

And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

Because the LORD has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And freedom to prisoners . . .

Jesus' miracles authenticated that He was the "one who was to come"! Jesus also confirmed that John was the one prophesied in Malachi 3:1:

Behold, I am going to send My messenger, 

and he will clear the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek,

will suddenly come to His temple;

and the messenger of the covenant, 

in whom you delight,

behold, He is coming," 

says the LORD of hosts.

Despite this, the Pharisees and lawyers still rejected God's purpose for themselves! John was an ascetic, and Jesus was a glutton. So, they rejected both and Jesus condemned them. 

71. Jesus promises rest for the soul: Matthew 11:20-30

Judgment was not Jesus' primary objective in coming to earth (John 3:17), but He announced some "woe" on Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. He had been in Galilee performing miracles for around a year right in front of their eyes (five of the ten miracles performed in Matthew 8-9 were in Capernaum), but they still did not repent and believe. Jesus contrasted these three Jewish cities with the wicked Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon and the godless city of Sodom. (Genesis 18; 19; Ezekiel 27; 28). Each was destroyed by God for their wickedness. 

"Woe" can mean judgment, but it can also include pity and sorrow. I think Jesus felt this for these cities too because He follows up this judgment with an invitation. The religious leaders were challenging Jesus because of their pride and would not come to Him like humble, innocent children, but Jesus invites ALL who are weary ("tired from hard toil) and heavy-laden with legalistic religious obligation and the sin of their lives to . . .

1) Come to a Him - Jesus was inviting those "spiritual zeros" he talked about in the Beatitudes (Event #49) 

2) Take on His yoke - A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen and is attached to the equipment they would pull. His yoke was easy ("well-fitted") and restful. With Him, there is peace with God (Romans 5:1) and the peace of God (Philippians 4:6-8).  

3) Learn from Him - The Greek word for the word "learn" is mathete and disciple is mathētēs. A disciple is a learner of His words, ways, and wisdom. 

APPLICATION

At the beginning of my time with God, I often give Him everything on my "plate": all the things that are burdening my heart and causing anxiety and sin. Sometimes I even draw a plate and put all those things in my life I am carrying on it. 

Do this as you let Matthew 11:28-30 wash over your soul. Meditate in and linger long over it. Give Jesus the burdens you have been carrying and take on His yoke. 

Sometimes, I like to meditate more deeply on a passage using different paraphrases:

   Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? 

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. 

I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. 

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 

Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

(Matthew 11:28–30, The Message)  

Another exercise I love to do regularly includes these verses in Matthew 11 and Psalm 46:10. It is a way for you to process your circumstances ("your plate"), and your emotional responses to them, and to hear God's voice about it. 

Where Am I? How am I? Who am I? 

Also, at the beginning of my teaching about the Cycle of Grace, I guide you through a Lectio Divina of Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message:

PRAYER

Lord, thank You that You have promised REST for our weary souls. We come to You right now with all our burdens. We give our load to You. Thank You that You daily bear our burdens (Psalm 68:19). Amen. 

68-69. Faith and Resurrection

BACKGROUND with LINKS

68. A Roman officer demonstrates faith: Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10

At this point, Jesus' fame increases, and He begins to place a greater emphasis on repentance.

This healing was significant because it was a Gentile Roman centurion (a commander of one hundred soldiers) who approached Jesus as Lord. He was a man of great faith and recognized Jesus' authority because He believed that Jesus had the power and authority to heal his servant from a distance. This story is important because it demonstrated the need for faith to enter the kingdom and that even a Gentile could enter if he had faith. This flew against conventional wisdom that said that you had to be a Jew to enter. Salvation is by faith alone. It is interesting to note here that the Luke account records the sending of messengers.

69. Jesus raises a widow's son from the dead: Luke 7:11-17

Nain was 25 miles southwest of Capernaum. This miracle is unique to the gospel of Luke and emphasizes Jesus' compassion for the needs of people. The only means of support for a widow was an offspring. Without her son, she would have been destitute and had to resort to begging for food. Many commentators believe that Luke recorded this so that the interchange between Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist in Luke 7:18-23 would have more impact. His ability to raise her son from the dead authenticated who He was.

REFLECTION

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, 

for he who comes to God must believe that He is

 and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

(Hebrews 11:6) 

And this man came to Jesus, and he was rewarded!

I love this Gentile Roman centurion's faith. He believed that Jesus could heal from a distance. We are told that Jesus was amazed or marveled only two times in the different gospel accounts.  One was at the lack of faith of the Jews (Mark 6:6) and the other with this man's "great faith"! He only commended two people for their "great faith," and they were both Gentiles (Matthew 15:28). Jesus also healed at a distance on these occasions.  Jesus was there to "bring near the Gentiles" (Ephesians 2:11-13).  This totally rocked the Jews' world!

APPLICATION

If this Roman, with very little spiritual instruction, had that kind of faith in God's Word, how much greater our faith ought to be! We have an entire Bible to read and study, as well as nearly 2,000 years of church history to encourage us, and yet we are guilty of "no faith" (Mark 4:40) or "little faith" (Matthew 14:31). Our prayer ought to be, "Lord, increase our faith!" (Luke 17:5) (The Bible Exposition Commentary (Lk 7:1))

PRAYER

Lord, increase our faith! Amen.

63-67. Kingdom Living - Part III

LINK: Matthew 7; Luke 6:37-49  (Read over the next two days)

BACKGROUND

Jesus teaches about . . . 

63. Judging others: Matthew 7:1-6, Luke 6:37-42

Jesus builds upon what He said about loving our enemies by telling us that we always reap what we sow. We will be judged and condemned ourselves if we judge and condemn others. When we pardon and give, it will lead to pardon and giving in return.

64. Asking, looking, knocking: Matthew 7:7-12

It is important to note that the Greek tense in these three verbs implies to "keep asking, keep seeking (looking), and keep knocking." 

65. The way to heaven: Matthew 7:13-14

Luke 13:24 is a cross-reference for these verses even though it is not considered the same instance of Jesus saying this. Jesus' way is very narrow in that it comes one way, through belief in Jesus (John 10:7-9; John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5).

66. Jesus teaches about the fruit in people's lives: Matthew 7:15-20, Luke 6:43-45

Just as we can identify a tree by the fruit it bears, people will know what kind of person we really are by the fruit that we bear.  The fruit of our mouth will reveal what is in our hearts! 

67. Jesus teaches about building on a solid foundation: Matthew 7:21-29, Luke 6:46-49

Jesus gives an illustration of the house built on the rock versus the house built on the sand (Matthew 7:21-29) to illustrate that we must act upon what we believe. We cannot just give lip service to what we believe. We have to act on our beliefs. This is the first parable mentioned in the book of Luke.  See James 1:22-27.

Today concludes the first of six long discourses Jesus makes in the book of Matthew:

1. Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7) 
2. Charge to the Twelve Disciples (Chapter 10) 
3. Kingdom Parables (Chapter 13) 
4. Greatness teachings (Chapter 18) 
5. "Woes" to the Pharisees (Chapter 23) 
6.  Discourse on Mount of Olives (Chapters 24-25)

REFLECTION

It is not enough to know God's will. We must obey it too.

Selective obedience isn't obedience at all; 
it's only convenience.

(The Daily Walk, October 2008, p. 7)

Many of us check Bible reading off our "To Do" list and go on with our day not responding to anything we have read. That is why we have emphasized listening to God and applying what He tells you to your daily life as you read in the Gospel Harmony Book Club and the Bible Book Club. It does not have to be my specific application, but we need to pray through how God would have us respond by talking to Him about how the Holy Spirit is speaking to us in the passage. Then, we can respond. 

APPLICATION

I have shared this before, but some of you are new to the Gospel Harmony Book Club and/or the Bible Book Club. So here is a handout I created about making specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (S.M.A.R.T.) applications from Scripture.

Tools for Meditation and Study

Let us be like the wise man who built his house upon the rock, not the sand, by applying what we learn from reading the Sermon on the Mount. Translate this spoken sermon into a living one today!

PRAYER

Lord, teach us to be doers of the Word rather than just hearers who delude themselves (James 1:22-25). We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

58-62: Kingdom Living - Part II

LINK: Matthew 6

Jesus teaches about . . . 

58. Giving to the needy (6:1-4)
59. Prayer (6:5-15)
60. Fasting (6:16-18)
61. Money (6:19-24)
62. Worry (6:25-34)

BACKGROUND

In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus rejected the external righteousness of the Pharisees and encouraged inner righteousness that serves and seeks to please an audience of One (God). 

Having shown us true well-being and the goodness of the kingdom heart, Jesus now, in Matthew 6, alerts us to two main things that will block or hinder a life constantly interactive with God and healthy growth in the kingdom. These are the desire to have the approval of others, especially for being devout, and the desire to secure ourselves by means of material wealth. 

If we allow them to, these two desires will pull us out of the sway of the kingdom -- "the range of God's effective will," as we have described it -- and back into the barren "righteousness" of the scribe and the Pharisee. But as we keep these two things in their proper place, through a constant, disciplined, and clear-eyed reliance on God, we will grow rapidly in kingdom substance. We will progressively incorporate all aspects of our life into the kingdom, including, of course, the social and the financial. (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 188)

He speaks of giving secretly to the poor, prayer, forgiveness, fasting, devotion to God rather than wealth, and the true cure for anxiety being seeking God first above all else.

The prayer section (6:5-15) contains the "Lord's Prayer," and it is meant as a guide rather than the only way to pray. We can look at the Lord's Prayer as a model in this way:

"Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name" -- The prayer principle of adoration (praise for who God is) and thanksgiving (praise for what He has done).

"Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" -- The principle of affirmation, that is, agreeing with God's will and submitting to it. 

"Give us our daily bread" -- The principle of supplication, in which we make requests both for ourselves (petition) and for others (intercession). 

"And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors" -- The principle of confession in view of our need for forgiveness of sins. 

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" -- The necessity of renewal as we face the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever" -- A closing prayer that honors the Lord and completes our thoughts.  

This is from Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship by Kenneth Boa. It is a prayer guide for praying Scripture daily based on this structure. It is excellent for developing your prayer life in a way that does not make it legalistic! I have used it for years. (2023 Update: It is sitting right next to my chair, and I will pray through today's Scripture after updating this post.) 

REFLECTION (written in 2010)

On the whole, I am not a big worrier. My mother worried about everything, and I was bound and determined to not be a worrier like her, but sometimes, I do worry. Last Sunday, it all came to a head as I lay on a heating pad in pain.

I worried about my six-and-a-half-week post-operative appointment with my orthopedic surgeon the next day. In early December, the pin immobilizing the first joint of my big toe had accidentally come out. Since the only way to put it back in was another surgery, the doctor gave me a boot and told me not to move my toe until my next appointment in four weeks because the stitches in my tendon might come out. If that happened, I would have to do the surgery all over again (I had a friend who had to do that). This would mean another six weeks of inactivity and walking unevenly in a boot that raised my already longer leg another three inches. My back could not take that. I had already been bedridden for the better part of the previous 2 1/2 weeks when my muscles gave way to the strain of walking unevenly. Worry and anxiety gripped me about that Monday appointment.

I was also anxious about some big changes that my eldest son was making. He decided on a new youth group late in his high school career because he wanted more depth and deeper relationships that he just was not getting in the fun and games youth group he had been attending for 2 1/2 years prior. On top of all that, he was starting two college courses on Tuesday. This mama bear was anxious about her cub!

Last Sunday, as my son left with his dad to attend the new youth group, and I lay on a heating pad flat in bed because of my back pain, I poured out my heart to the Lord about the worry and anxiety I was feeling about everything. I thought of Matthew 6:28-34. Through tears, I quoted Philippians 4:6-7:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I confessed my fears and anxieties, and He met me in that "sweet hour of prayer" and gave me a sense of great peace about the future.

Michael came home from the new youth group excited about a Youth Life Journal that his new Discipleship Group (D-Group) leader had given him. He immediately went downstairs to catch up because he was two days behind. He loves the challenge and is excited about the more relational way they organize things in this new group (no loud music and no cell phones). People have been so welcoming. (Update: the next year he was on the leadership team in that youth group with an amazing group of young people. He loved every minute of it. What a great decision!)

Also, my fears were relieved the following Monday when the doctor told me to lift my toe. The surgery was successful! I walked out of there with my right shoe on for the first time in seven weeks!

The back quit spasming once I could walk more evenly without the boot. I am on the road to recovery, and I am staying away from drinking glasses that break and fall from the counter to the ground becoming guillotines for toe tendons (freak accident), and I am wearing shoes in the kitchen while making my chai tea in the morning!

I am so thankful for that "sweet hour" when things came to a head, and I could release my worry to Him by seeking Him first!

APPLICATION

Are you worried about anything right now? Meditate more closely on Matthew 6:25-34 of today's passage and talk to God about your worry. My Kingdom Community just prayed through this passage in The Message translation:

   If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. 

Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.  (Matthew 6:25–34)  

2023 Update: Anxiety and worry are related to fear which is among the "Six Big Emotions" (according to Life Model Works): Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Shame, and Fear. I have found that Immanuel Journaling is very helpful for dealing with these and connecting to God's presence amid these emotions. 

PRAYER

Pray through Matthew 6:25-34 by reading and then talking to God about what you have just read. 

50-57. Kingdom Living: Part I

LINK: Matthew 5:13-48; Luke 6:27-36 (Read over the next two days)

BACKGROUND

Plato (423-347 B.C.) in Republic and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) in Nicomachean Ethics attempted to answer the question about which life is the "good life."  Jesus came along in the context of the day and answered that question in Matthew 5:1-20.  
In Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus taught of the blessed life for all the "spiritual zeros" who would enter the Kingdom. He continues to answer the "good life" question when he teaches about . . . 

50. Salt and light: Matthew 5:13-16

The brilliance and profundity of Jesus stand out in the overall structure and outline of The Discourse on the Hill, as he forcefully conveys an understanding of human life that actually works. The talk as a whole is given, of course, under the assumption of the availability of the kingdom he proclaimed. Within that framework, the first part of the talk (on the "blesseds" and the light and salt of the earth) revise prevailing assumptions about human well-being by presenting unlikely kinds of people who in fact found and still find blessedness in the kingdom. (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 136)

Kingdom blessedness overflows into the world. Those blessed will be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-3) by infusing the world with the two purposes for salt: seasoning and purification. Overflow also brings light to dark places. We reflect the light of Christ to the world not because we "try harder" to make it shine but Christ's life is infused in us, and it radiates (Psalm 36:9). 

51. The law: Matthew 5:17-20

The radical shift of perspective with regard to "the good life" and who has it led Jesus' hearers to begin suspecting that "the law" was irrelevant to their life in God's world. On the one hand, they were sure that their own lives fell short of the law, those "in charge" never let them forget it. But, on the other hand, Jesus had said that blessedness was still theirs in the kingdom. It sounded to them as if Jesus had set the law aside. 

However "the law" they had in mind and that they rubbed up against every day was not the law of God. It was a contemporary version of the religious respectability, very harsh and oppressive in application, that Jesus referred to as "the goodness of scribes and Pharisees" (5:20). Law as God intended it remains forever essential to the kingdom, and Jesus made it clear to his hearers that his aim is to bring those who follow him into fulfillment of the true law. The fulfillment he had in mind was not for the purpose of making them humanly acceptable. That is quite another matter. But fulfillment of God's law is important because the law is good. It is right for human life. And the presence of the kingdom brings us all that is right for human life. (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 136)

KINGDOM LIVING: PART I (Matthew 5:21-48)

Matthew 5:21-48 marks a transition point by bringing us the second question Jesus deals with in this sermon: Who is truly a good person? "Who has the kind of goodness found in God himself, constituting the family likeness between God and his children?" (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 98). How do we fulfill the Law in our daily life? How do we not just follow the ancient teaching from the Old Testament and live our life from a heart infused with Jesus' kingdom agape love and light and overflowing into relationships with others? In this section, Jesus takes six Old Testament laws and contrasts them with a kingdom mindset. Of course, Matthew deals with all these questions because he is talking to the Jews.

52. Anger: Matthew 5:21-26 versus Exodus 20:13

The sixth commandment said that murder was forbidden, but what about the heart behind why a person murders? All rash anger is considered "heart murder" as Jesus explained the full meaning behind this commandment.

53. Lust: Matthew 5:27-30 versus Exodus 20:14

The seventh commandment forbade adultery, but Jesus said you commit it even without the act if you lust in your heart. Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation here. He is advocating a change of heart. 

54. Divorce: Matthew 5:31-32 versus Deuteronomy 24:1-4

This is expanding on the seventh commandment. Jesus deals with this in greater detail in Matthew 19:1-12. You can read that section now if you would like or wait until we get to it in Event 173. 

55. Vows: Matthew 5:33-37 versus Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 23:21-23

Some commentators believe this relates to the third commandment. Pharisees made many oaths, but they used all kinds of tricks to give them an out by not swearing to the holy name of God but to Jerusalem, heaven, earth, or a part of their body. Quoting Isaiah 66:1 and Psalm 48:2, Jesus said that swearing by heaven (God's throne), earth (His footstool), and city (Jerusalem) is a binding agreement to God and profanes His name. 

So, our words should just be true because they come out of an honest heart. 

56. Revenge: Matthew 5:38-42 versus Leviticus 24:19-22

Jesus allowed that one should be willing to suffer a loss in order to avoid causing another to suffer. It means even going further by trying to help the person who injures you. 

57. Loving enemies: Matthew 5:43-48 versus Leviticus 19:17-18 and Exodus 23:4-5

The Law did not allow for hatred of enemies, and Jesus reiterated that. 

REFLECTION

Read about the topic of "Salt and Light" based on one man's thoughts after reading The Divine Conspiracy here. 

Since my breakdown in 1983 (read about it here), God has always confirmed to me that this life of grace is all about overflow. I am a very hard worker, and I try REALLY hard. So, I was predisposed to work REALLY hard at following God. The Sermon on the Mount is not a New Testament version of the "dos and don'ts" of the Ten Commandments. It transcends them. That's why I love what Dallas Willard has to say about them:

The Deeper "Beyond" from Which Actions Come 

But the question is, How can one keep the law? Jesus well knew the answer to this question, and that is why he told those who wanted to know how to work the works of God to put their confidence in the one God had sent (John 6:29). He knew that we cannot keep the law by trying to keep the law. To succeed in keeping the law one must aim at something other and something more. One must aim to become the kind of person from whom the deeds of the law naturally flow. The apple tree naturally and easily produces apples because of the inner nature. This is the most crucial thing to remember if we would understand Jesus' picture of the kingdom heart given in the Sermon on the Mount. 

And here also lies the fundamental mistake of the scribe and the Pharisee. They focus on the actions that the law requires and make elaborate specifications of exactly what those actions are and of the manner in which they are to be done. They also generate immense social pressure to force conformity of action to the law as they interpret it. They are intensely self-conscious about doing the right thing and about being thought to have done the right thing.

But the inner dimensions of their personality, their heart and character, are left to remain contrary to what God has required. That heart will, of course, ultimately triumph over their conscious intentions and arrangements, and they will in fact do what they know to be wrong. Their words, especially, will reveal the contents of their heart (Matt. 12:34). And their need to appear righteous "before men" (Luke 15:15) then forces them into hypocrisy. Hypocrisy becomes the spirit, or "yeast," that pervades and colors their entire existence (Luke 12:1). p. 142

So how do we get to the "deeper beyond"? Willard says, "It is the inner life of the soul that we must aim to transform, and then behavior will naturally and easily follow" (p. 144). We need to become "Jesus apples" by abiding in Him.

Heart transformation involves the transfusion of the very life of Christ in every pore of our being:

Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3-8) 

I emphasize "true knowledge of God" because many of us have a concept of God that is based on our cultural understanding of Him or from our parents. Truly knowing God means getting to know Him through the daily infusion of His precious and magnificent promises. 

Christmas 2012 was amazing. I read a book about Handel's Messiah and listened to it over and over again. Well, the whole thing is just God's Word, and I woke up singing it in my head every morning. Jesus was in my heart, and I did not respond to the world around me from a point of stress but love. I ended up writing a devotional to share what I learned with others. You can read it on the Bible Book Club blog here. 

 2023 Update: I embedded YouTube videos of all the movements in the oratorio. I also have a Microsoft Word version download that will be updated with the links to these videos by Christmas 2023, but you can download the old version here. 

APPLICATION

"It is the inner life of the soul that we must aim to transform, and then behavior will naturally and easily follow." 

(The Divine Conspiracy, p. 144). 

Do you want to be a "Jesus Apple"? 

Have a long and deep talk with God over this whole passage and listen to what He says to you.  Take the time to do it. Let's allow Him to transform us from the inside out.

Guidelines for Growth in the Kingdom of God Series

PRAYER

Infuse us Lord with Yourself, Amen. 

49 - Jesus Gives the Beatitudes

James Tissot [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

BACKGROUND AND LINKS

49. Jesus gives the beatitudes: Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 6:17-26

When reading this chronologically using all four gospel accounts, Jesus has just chosen His twelve disciples (Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16). After this, Jesus began his training program for them and a "large crowd of His disciples and a great number of people from all over" (Luke 6:17). This is a time of teaching. Matthew 5-7 and the parallel passage in Luke 6:12-49 are most often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew's account is much longer than Luke's. Matthew's audience was Jewish, so many parts interpret the Law.  Luke's audience was primarily Gentile. So, these parts were omitted. Some commentators see these two passages as two separate events, but we will not. 

The exact location is unknown, but it is believed to be somewhere between Capernaum and Gennesaret near the Sea of Galilee. In Luke, the sermon is said to take place on a level place while the Matthew account says that He went up on a mountainside. The most logical explanation is that He had gone up to pray and chose His disciples and came down to a lower, level place to give the Sermon on the Mount. 

Plato (423-347 B.C.) in Republic and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) in Nichomachean Ethics attempted to answer the question about which life is the "good life." Jesus came along in the context of the day and answered that question in Matthew 5:1-20.  
What makes a person blessed, which means "favored" or "happy"? Some commentators see this sermon as an ethical code for God's people, a checklist of spiritual attainment. "If I am poor in Spirit (humble), then I will inherit the kingdom of God." According to this interpretation, Jesus laid down, 

. . . a platform of important principles for the enlightenment and guidance of His kingdom forces. This sermon is not a mere ethical code but its sublime moral principles far surpass all human moral standards. Christ's idea of Righteousness as here set forth, became the kingdom's ideal of Righteousness which has never yet been approximately realized by humanity. In His universal eternal principles in this sermon, Jesus laid the basis for the kingdom work for all time. In one discourse, He superseded all previous standards and set up the new and final religious goal for the human race. He here uttered the final word about character and privilege, conduct and duty, religious ideals, the divine and human relations of men, and the supreme objective and goal in life and how to attain it. (The Christ of the Gospels by J.W. Shepard, p. 176. This is a quote in The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ: Book 1, p. 71.)

Other commentators believe that the Beatitudes "cannot be 'good news if they are understood as a set of 'how-tos' for achieving blessedness" (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 106). Rather, they believe it is an announcement by Jesus to the great mass of humanity who was following Him that they did not have to have it all together or be part of the right ethnic group to be in the kingdom of God. Jesus had come to announce blessing to the "spiritual zeros"!

Standing around Jesus as he speaks are people with no spiritual qualifications or abilities at all. You would never call on them when "spiritual work" is to be done. There is nothing about them to suggest that the breath of God might move through their lives. They have no charisma, no religious glitter or clout. 

They "don't know their Bible." They "know not the law," as a later critic of Jesus' work said. They are "mere laypeople," who at best can fill a pew or perhaps an offering plate. No one calls them to lead a service or even to lead in prayer, and they might faint if anyone did. 

They are the first to tell you they "really can't make heads nor tails of religion." They walk by us in the hundreds or thousands every day. They would be the last to say they have any claim whatsoever on God. The pages of the Gospels are cluttered with such people. And yet: "He touched me." The rule of the heavens comes down upon their lives through their contact with Jesus. And then they too are blessed -- healed of body, mind, or spirit -- in the hand of God.

. . . precisely in spite of and in the midst of their ever so deplorable condition, the rule of the heavens has moved redemptively upon and through them by the grace of Christ. . . 

The Beatitudes, in particular, are not teachings on how to be blessed. They are not instructions to do anything. They do not indicate conditions that are especially pleasing to God or good for human beings . . . They are explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the kingdom through personal relationship with Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope.  (The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, p. 100-102, 106)

This second view seems to be in keeping with His announcement that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" before the beatitudes (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15).  They are a "clarification or development of his primary theme in this talk, and in his life: the availability of the kingdom of the heavens" (p.99). 

Christ came to found a Kingdom, not a School; to institute a fellowship, not to propound a system. To the first disciples all doctrinal teaching sprang out of fellowship with Him. They saw Him, and therefore believed . . . The seed of truth which fell on their hearts was carried thither from the flower of His Person and Life.  (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah: Volume 1, p. 528-529)

REFLECTION

I am part of a group that calls themselves the "Kingdom Project," because we have covenanted together to live out kingdom life, right here, right now. 

Lately, we have been reading through Matthew, looking at everything that Jesus says or implies about life in the kingdom.

Some of the questions we are asking are:

-Who can experience life in the kingdom?
-How can they experience life in the kingdom?
-What does Jesus say or imply life in the kingdom of God is like?
-What keeps people from experiencing life in the kingdom?
-How is life in the kingdom different from life outside the kingdom of God?
-When can life in the kingdom of God be experienced? Is it now or in eternity?
-Is life in the kingdom of God to be experienced alone or with others? How does this happen either way?

As you continue in the Sermon on the Mount and even get into the Parables of the Kingdom later on in Matthew 13, ask yourself these questions.

APPLICATION - Making This Message Personal to Us Today

You are really walking in the good news of the kingdom if you can go with confidence to any of the hopeless people around you and effortlessly convey assurance that they can now enter a blessed life with God. 

Who would be on your list of "hopeless blessables" as found in today's world? Certainly all of those on Jesus' list, for though they are merely illustrative, they also are timeless. But can we, following his lead as a teacher, concretize the gospel even more for those around us? Who would you regard as the most unfortunate people around you? (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 122)

To some extent, all of us are broken, and Jesus came as good news for us all! Who are those around you? Go to them!

Here is an entire series on the kingdom of God by Dallas Willard:

Guidelines for Life in the Kingdom

PRAYER

Lord, please open our eyes to see and ears to hear what You have for us. Please lift the veil from our eyes. Help us to walk in the good news of your kingdom and bring that to others in hopeless situations. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

48. Jesus Chooses the Twelves Disciples

48. Jesus Chooses the Twelves Disciples: Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16

Jesus had many disciples who followed Him (2:15), but He appointed the 12 (corresponding to the 12 tribes of Israel) so that He could train them and send them out to preach and carry on His authority over demons. Training was the major focus of His ministry at this point in time. He knew He would be leaving these 12 men to carry on His work.

REFLECTION

Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, 

and spent the night praying to God. 
(Luke 6:12)

Prayer was a crucial part of Christ's life and ministry. There are over 45 sections of Scripture and 30 different instances where prayer is taught or modeled by Christ.

Christ passed on to His disciples that prayer was crucial for any serious follower of Jesus!  We see in Acts 2:42 that the disciples learned this because it was a cornerstone priority in the early church:

They were continually devoting themselves to the 

apostles' teaching and to fellowship, 

to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

"The Church has many organizers,
 but few agonizers. 

Many who are willing to pay, 
but few who are willing to pray;
Many resters, 
but few wrestlers

 Many who are enterprising, 
but few who are interceding. 
People who are not praying are playing . . . 
in the matter of effective praying

never have so many, 
left so much, 
to so few . . . 
Brethren, 
let us pray." 
Leonard Ravenhill

Is prayer a priority in your life?

APPLICATION

Do a mini-study on the priority of prayer in Jesus' life and ministry:

Matthew 6:5-18; 9:35-38; 14:22-23; 17:14-21; 19:13-15; 24:20; 26:30-46; 52-53

Mark 1:35-39; 9:14-29; 15:34 

Luke 3:21-23; 4:1-13 (fasting and prayer are linked in the New Testament); 5:16; 6:12-16, 28; 9:18-21; 11:1-13; 19:45-48; 22:31-38, 17-20; 23:34; 46-47

John 11:40-44; 14:13-14; 17:1-26; 19:30

What Jesus Left Behind: Acts 1:12-14

If you want to do a full Discovery Study Prayer Challenge, click HERE. I did this between Super Bowl Sunday and Easter in 2014, and it was a fantastic journey of discovery and application! 

"The truly GREAT people of the church today are the people who pray.

 It's NOT those who believe in prayer or even those who know how to pray.

 It's those who actually take the time to pray!" 
S.D. Gordon

PRAYER

Lord, teach us to pray! May we not sin against You by ceasing to pray for others (1 Samuel 12:23).  Amen. 

45-47. The Sabbath Controversies and Gathering Crowds

BACKGROUND AND LINKS

45. The disciples pick wheat on the Sabbath: Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-38, Luke 6:1-5

According to Deuteronomy 23:25, people were allowed to pick grain from a neighbor's field, orchard, or vineyard as they passed by, but the Pharisees, with their legalistic rabbinic tradition, said that this was the same as reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food which was all forbidden on the Sabbath.  When Jesus' disciples picked grain, this led to their questioning, and Jesus took the Pharisees to the Word of God when "God's anointed" (David) and his men had eaten the loaves of bread in the Tabernacle. Jesus was saying He was God's new Anointed One and Lord of the Sabbath with authority over all matters related to the Law. 

For his Jewish audience, Matthew quotes Hosea 6:6 again (Matthew 9:13). According to Warren Wiersbe: 

The Sabbath law was given to Israel as a mark of her relationship to God (Exodus 20:9-11; 31:13-17; and Nehemiah 9:12-15). But it was also an act of mercy for both man and beast, to give them needed rest each week. Any religious law that is contrary to mercy and the care of nature should be looked on with suspicion. (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Matthew 12:1)

Jesus was getting to the heart of the matter. It is not what we do on the outside that matters but on the inside.

46. Jesus heals a man's hand on the Sabbath: Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11 

Healing on the Sabbath was only allowed if a person's life was in danger. If Jesus did it, the religious leaders could accuse Him. In the Mark account. Jesus looked at the Pharisees in anger (the only reference to Jesus' anger in the New Testament) because they would follow their law instead of exhibiting God's mercy toward the suffering. Mark also said that Jesus was "grieved at their hardness of heart." Again, it was all about "compassion rather than sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6), and the religious leaders did not get that. They had already accused Him of blasphemy when He healed the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8) and associated with sinners when He healed the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8) and associated with sinner when He ate with Matthew's friends (Matthew 9:11-12), but now He had gone too far by violating the Law of God. They responded to this by plotting to kill Him. The Pharisees and Herodians were united because His authority overwhelmed their authority. 

This is the first time the Herodians are mentioned in our narrative.

HERODIANS -- a Jewish political party who sympathized with (Mark 3:6; 12:13; Matt, 22:16; Luke 20:20) the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne. (Comp. Mark 8:15; Matt. 16:6.) (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

47. Large Crowds Follow Jesus: Matthew 12:15-21, Mark 3:7-12

We see how amid opposition and unbelief; Jesus withdrew with His disciples, but the crowds followed. The "great multitudes" included people from distant as well as nearby regions. The fact that He wanted a boat ready to escape is only reported in Mark. In this time, He delivered others of evil spirits who knew who He was. He did not want others to tell because the time had not yet come for more opposition. He had more to teach His disciples and the people that followed Him. 

Matthew says this withdrawal fulfills Isaiah 42:1-4. Some commentators believe the enemies were "bruised reeds" and "dimly burning wicks," and He would not wrangle with them. Others see the reeds and wicks as the people the loving King would compassionately and lovingly serve.  Note the Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:18 and Isaiah 42:1.

APPLICATION

How can you practice mercy rather than ritual this week? 

PRAYER

Pray responsively to God as you pray Hosea 6:6

42-44. Jesus Claims to Be the Son of God

LINK: John 5

The Bible Knowledge Commentary

42. Jesus heals a lame man by a pool: John 5:1-15

The feast referred to here may have been the Passover (John 2:23; 6:4; 11:55). You can see from the map where the Pool of Bethesda is located in Jerusalem. Archaeologists have uncovered a pool and five porticoes near the Sheep Gate. You might notice that there are brackets from "waiting . . . afflicted" in John 5:3-4. No Greek manuscripts before A.D. 400 contain these words. So, the idea of the first person in the water being healed may have been a superstition. 

Jesus healed him and later warned him to stop sinning. This does not mean that his malady was caused by sin but that there would be a fate worse than his malady awaiting him if he did not get right with God. Healing of the soul is more important than healing of the body!

43. Jesus claims to be the Son of God: John 5:16-30

Jesus was healing on the Sabbath, and this was a big no-no! Doing this was one of the biggest ways Jesus challenged the tradition of the religious leaders and brought Him into intense conflict with them because of it. In addition to the man at the pool, He healed the blind man (John 9), the man with a shriveled hand (Mark 3:1-5), the crippled woman (Luke 13:10-17), and the man with dropsy (Luke 14:1-6) on the Sabbath. In addition, His disciples picked grain (Mark 2:23-28) on that day! 

The Mosaic Law required that man stop working on the seventh day, from sunset Friday night to sunset Saturday night. Jewish religious authorities had added complicated and burdensome laws on top of that. The rabbis believed that the Sabbath was an end in itself. If you were a pious Jew, you were to sacrifice all your personal interests and even ignore the needs of others on this day. Their mantra was that man was made for the Sabbath. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was made for man's benefit (Mark 2:27). If it came down to man's needs versus following the "letter of the Law," man's needs were more important.

God rested on the seventh day from all of His work (Genesis 2:2-3) of creation, but He was constantly active in our lives. Jesus made a claim to His deity in 5:17-30, and it certainly irritated His opponents!

John 5:29 does not imply that works get us into heaven because the rest of John would contradict this (3:17-21; 6:28-29), but it implies that a person who is "born again" (John 3) will live a life of good rather than evil. (The word "deeds" are not in the original Greek. This is why they are in italics in the NASB and omitted in the NIV.) The Greek word for "evil" in this case means "worthless things, slight, trivial, blown about by every wind" (Vine's Expository Dictionary). This tells me that a life that is not lived intentionally for God is not acceptable, even if it does not look downright evil! 

44. Jesus supports his claim: John 5:31-47

"Witness" or "testimony" is a main theme in the Gospel of John. These words and their derivatives occur 136 in John's writings (John, 1, 2, 3 John, and Revelation).  In this section, Jesus claims that John the Baptist (John 10:41), His works (signs), the Father (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; John 12:28; John 3:2; John 6:45, 1 John 5:9-12), and Scripture (The Scarlet Thread of Redemption that points to Jesus throughout the Old Testament) all testify of Him as the True Light and Promised Messiah.  

REFLECTION/APPLICATION

What a great chapter! Several things struck me throughout it:

1) Jesus asked the lame man, "Do you want to get well?"  Sometimes, I feel like people would really prefer to be stuck in their sickness (physical, emotional, spiritual) because it is familiar to them. For some people, it is the only way that they have learned to garner attention for themselves.  I am involved with someone who is addicted to being a victim emotionally. It is a big elephant in the middle of the room, and she can get up and dip her toes in the pool of healing, and she blames not being there when the pool stirred, whining that everyone else got the opportunity but her. I am praying that she takes a dip soon! 

To clarify, God is capable of healing everyone, but He sometimes chooses not to for His own purposes (Paul's "thorn in the flesh" of 1 Corinthians 12 comes to mind). So, if you are sick, I am not putting you down. Some people do wish to be well, and God has not allowed it.

Update: Since I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, there was a breakthrough with this person. Thank God this Scripture prompted prayer for her! 

More Recent Update: That person is now out in the world serving Jesus!

APPLICATION: You do not have to wait for the swirling of the water to find healing. Jesus is asking, "Do you want to get well?" I heartily recommend the Immanuel Approach of listening prayer and Immanuel Journaling to start that journey. 

2) Sabbath was meant by God to lift man's burden, and man-made it burdensome! Jesus said, "My load is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). He wants to give us rest, and the Sabbath was made for just that! My husband and I have gotten in the habit of not scheduling anything on the Sabbath. God can bring anything He wants along on that day, but we are keeping it free for His purposes!  

APPLICATION: Are you taking regular rest periods? Here is a teaching on The Sabbath Practice.

3) Jesus said that our lives would yield good if we believed. If we did not, those lives would be "evil," but I did a little word study, and evil means "worthless, slight, trivial."  So, not just "evil" people are destined for an eternity apart from God but even those non-believers who lived worthless lives because they did not live 100% for God! This is not meant to scare anyone into living for Jesus. Living for Jesus is just the "Good life"!

APPLICATION: Are you living out the destiny that God has given to you? I heartily recommend the book Living Fearless by Jamie Winship. This book assists you in listening to God about your God-given identity and the destiny He has for you.

4) Jesus is who He said He is, and John is a great book for understanding the deity of Christ!  The Scriptures pointed to Jesus, and that is why I write the Bible Book Club blog! 

APPLICATION: If you have not studied The Scarlet Thread of Redemption throughout the Old Testament, I would like to invite you to complete the first two years of the Bible Book Club. It has been in existence since 2008. In 2023, I updated it, adding more resources for growth and correcting all the broken links!

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to be the Light of the World! We worship You. We believe You are who You said You are. Lord, may we live lives of destiny and not worthlessness. In Your name, we pray, Amen.