Always Trust Christ - Matthew 8 & 9

MATTHEW 8 AND 9, SEPT. 23, 2007
By: John Vandiver


Use your eyes to see and your imagination to emphasize the absolute truth in the printed title of this lesson as shown above. The font in the word ‘ALWAYS’ forms an arrow that > you toward TRUST and likewise the font in the word Christ that < back to TRUST and I can tell you on the authority of God’s Holy word, your salvation cannot exist without your trust/faith. By grace through faith we are saved. Trust means faith and faith means trust. Here we have before us the words trust and faith; and as always you must be reminded that these are abstract words. That is, you cannot see them with your eyes, feel them with your fingers, or taste them with your taste buds but faith and trust are as real as an oak tree or apple pie. It is the produced results of both that becomes the concrete proof that that trust and faith are present.

The incident that occurs in the first four verses of our lesson today is a perfect example of the results that occurred when a man exhibited his total trust in Jesus. The man with visible decaying flesh that caused sure death in about seven to nine years, kneeled before Christ and said, “Lord you can cleanse me if you are willing.” The Master touched him and said, “I am willing” and immediately the Leprosy was cleansed. This man’s humbleness was shown by his kneeling and his believing faith became audible when he made the exclamatory statement and said “you can heal me.’

The world watched on TV as the rescue workers went about the flooded city of New Orleans gathering people from the roof tops of their flooded homes after Katrina devastated the area. Mothers would carry their babies, and lead their little ones and step into small John boats that carried them to higher ground. Those parents had trust in the rescuers and especially in the safety of the boat, but no one knew for sure until they stepped into the boat. The viewers could not see their faith, but we could see the results of their faith when they yielded their life safety and stepped into the boat.

Leprosy was the most dreaded of all diseases during the time of Christ’s life on earth and it continued to maim and destroy until the birth of modern medicine in the twentieth century. Josephus, the Jewish historian, relates how the leper was considered as though he/she were dead. They were cast out of society and literally buried in colonies where they were left to die; they were completely banished from human society. There has never been a disease that so separated a man from his fellow-men as leprosy did. And this man with leprosy is the one Jesus reach out and touched breaking strict laws that required complete separation. Matthew said, “And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched the leper.” The moral to this story is that it paints the picture of how Jesus treats the sinner who seeks him. This is a picture of a sinner receiving salvation. “He touched me…and made me whole.”

[a] The leper came to Jesus with confidence—complete trust—in that he had no doubt that, if it was Jesus’ will—he would be made clean. The lost sinner must do likewise.
[b] The leper came with humility. He made no demands, just simply said “If you will you can cleanse me.” The lost must approach Jesus with a humble attitude.
[c] The leper came with reverence. The Authorized Version tells us that the leper worshipped Christ. It uses the Greek verb ‘proskumein’ which is a word that always describes a man’s feeling and action when he is in the presence of a divine being. A sinner must know in his heart that he is unclean, sinful, and he must realize that he is in the presence of Christ in order to be saved.

Why did Jesus demand that he go to the priest only and not tell anyone else? Jesus came to seek and save the lost and not to become an earthly king. He did not want the publicity, and he knew that the Jewish leadership would want him to use this kind of power to establish himself as an earthly leader. Jesus wanted to educate his people to understand that his power was his love for people and not force through a government of armed men. Jesus directed him to the priest because that was required by law…it was the only way a leper could lawfully be accepted as clean and become able to re-enter society.

Vs 5-13—records the greatest faith Christ ever observed in anyone. A centurion was the backbone of the Roman army. A legion contained 6,000 men and it was organized into sixty centuries with a centurion in charge of each 100 man century. Centurions were life-time regular soldiers in complete charge and ordinarily would call on no other to execute for them. This man had to bow low, and believe big, in order to call on Christ to heal his servant. When he ask and Christ told him that he would go to his home and heal the servant—the centurion said, “NO, all you have to do is say the word and it will be so.” This is an example where a slave is healed because another man believed and called on Christ. There is no evidence that the sick man ever exhibited any trust. Make note here that if a Christian is concerned about the condition of another man’s soul, he can intercede and Christ will answer him.

Make another note here that Jews were not supposed to enter the home of a Gentile. The strong faith of this Gentile Roman officer made it possible for Christ to do his work here, heal the slave, and not have to break the Jewish law of entering the home of a gentile. Remember that we do not possess faith on our own and only have the faith that the Holy Spirit allows us to obtain. The Spirit led this Roman officer to exhibit his faith strongly and it prevented Christ from having to go into his house.

The position of centurion must represent the life of a Christian. I do not recall one being mentioned in the NT that was without honor. A centurion recognized Jesus on the cross as the Son of God. Cornelius was a centurion and the first gentiles convert to the Christian Church. A centurion recognized Paul as a Roman citizen and rescued him from a mob. A centurion found out that Paul was to be killed by the Jews between Jerusalem and Caesarea and interceded and prevented his death. And finally a centurion served as Paul’s guard on the way to Rome, and treated him with respect and accepted his leadership when the ship was about to be destroyed by a storm. Note: there was something special about this centurion in Matthew in that he showed mercy toward his servant. Servants were slaves and were not respected by most masters. The centurions of the Baptist church are represented by deacons, bible teachers, and church ministers, who are responsible for the flock and indebted to the unsaved.

Vs 14-15—relates healing where no mention is made of anyone’s faith, however, the mother-in-law of Peter lost her fever the moment Christ touched her and was able to immediately get up and start meeting his needs. The story indicates that she knew him and believed in him or she would not have started serving him. No one knew Peter better than Christ, and so just the fact that he knew of Peter’s faith was enough to prompt him to heal the woman. There is more to this story and it probably is revealed here for a different reason than just to show faith. One good reason was to give the example showing that Jesus heals [saves] us so we can serve him as she did.

Matthew tells the story, but Mark tells more of the story. Mark says this incident happened in Capernaum—on a Sabbath day—after Jesus had worshipped in the synagogue. He had already healed another person while in worship among the Jews. It was against Jewish law to do any work on the Sabbath, and Christ wanted to set the stage to explain that “doing good” on the Sabbath is not sin. This is a case where the oxen is in the ditch and should be pulled out even if it is on the Sabbath.

Vs 23-27—the calming of the storm is to be emphasized in this lesson. During the Sabbath and his working on the Sabbath there must have been a large crowd that had gathered around him, he was exhausted and decided to get away from the throng—some may have been vocal by now, causing him to need some privacy. When he saw what was happening he gave orders to his disciples saying they should go across to the other side of the lake. He got in the boat and went to his bunk in the hull and fell asleep; his disciples followed him and manned the boat headed to the other side. A wild storm arose and the disciples were afraid the boat was about to go down, They called Christ.

Always trust Christ is our theme for today. The incidents up to this point have shown examples of people showing their faith in Christ and getting positive results. Now we come to the place where no one is fully trusting Christ and the results are negative. Several of the disciples were fishermen by trade and this boat was probably one of the fleet they had used many times. This is probably not the first time that they had experienced one of these horrible storms on Galilee, however any time Jesus is involved in a matter like this—things are either much worse than ordinary or much more calm than can be imagined because Christ always brings out either the worst or the best in every one of his involvements.

I have had the privilege of reading several stories from different writers that have experienced the weather conditions in the area around the Sea of Galilee. It is difficult to imagine how quickly a storm can arise and how violent it can be. The Sea of Galilee is small in comparison to other seas around the world. It is thirteen miles long, running from north to south and eight miles wide east to west. The Jordon River has used eons of time to cut deep clefts in the surface of the earth and the Sea is part of the cleft. It is not as steep or as deep as the Grand Canyon but it is 680 feet below sea level and it has other similarities. We can believe that the violence of this storm that started in a short matter of time and was calmed in even less time made believers out of any man that may have still been skeptical of God’s power. The disciples had witnessed other miracles but this one impressed on their minds the power God has to calm the storms of this life only if we will call on him to do so.

Jesus must have been pleased to know that his men had faith to believe that they could call on him and he would save them. At the same time Jesus must have been disappointed that they did not simply hold a prayer meeting and pray that he would come to their rescue at his appointed time. They had faith. They lacked faith. This reminds us of another man in the bible that prayed for Jesus to increase his little faith.

Matthew ends the eighth chapter with his story about the two demon processed men that had faith to believe that Christ would drive their demons out of them and into the hogs. There may be other reasons why Matthew chose to tell this story, but the one that is so sad is that the Gadarenes prized the value of their hogs more highly than they did the presence of Jesus in their land. There is another story in the bible where Jesus told a man to go sell all that he had and give it to the poor and then to come back for his salvation. This man went away sad because he prized his hogs or other wealth highly. Man cannot serve two Gods; it has to be either the Lord or his money.

Strive for Godly Perfection - Matthew 4:17 - 7:29

The presidential campaigning is already in full swing. There are polls being taken every day to predict who the next president will be or at least who is in the lead at the given time. Sometimes these polls are remarkably accurate. There are scientifically prepared studies that are prepared to predict the behavior of rats and men under controlled circumstances that are also accurate in a high percentage of cases. Suppose such a study was conducted to compare your behavior as a professing Christian with the behavior of the average unsaved person in your community; would the results show that your life is different from that of lost people? Only you and the Lord know the true answer. However, others can judge you rather accurately by examining the fruit you bear. We should never think that we are fooling everyone all of the time.

Based on religious reports that have been made in recent years there is reason to believe that the behavior of professed Christians and unsaved people were all too similar. Based on these studies there is reason to believe that the standards of morality in the American society is declining, and the reason primarily is because of the low moral standards among professed Christians. Christians confronted with this charge against them are likely to try to defend their lack of Christ like behavior by saying, “I am just human, and every body makes mistakes.” Regardless of your age and experiences, do your STRIVE FOR GODLY PERFECTION? Are you part of the problem that causes sinners to accuse Christians of being hypocrites? If so, you have no acceptable excuse because Matthew 5: 48 tells us that we are to “Be perfect, therefore, as our heavenly Father is perfect.” We know that only Jesus Christ was perfect…without sin…but we are admonished to continually strive to be as perfect as he is perfect.

In the last lesson, September 9, we left Christ while he must have been at one of the lowest ebbs in his earthly life—without food or drink for the last forty days—without friends or supporters and all alone with Satan who proved to be the master of temptation. “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him [4: 11].” This experience was his final test of preparation for his earthly ministry. Matthew gives us both the message and ministry of Jesus—the new King—the prophesied Messiah in chapters 4 through 25. He features his sermons that show the greatest of all teachers using topical messages as they occurred from day to day and they are not necessarily in chronological order. The major topics that will be discussed are the Sermon on the Mount, his parables regarding the Kingdom and the end time and his teachings on forgiveness.
We must understand that Matthew is a true believer, with no doubts, and that his greatest concern is that his own people have, are, and will continue to reject Christ. He continues to use the prophecies of their Jewish ancestors to prove to the present generation that Christ is the promised Messiah. He says that Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, and because of the opposition that had arisen against John and his message regarding the coming Messiah, he moved from Nazareth to Capernaum just as Isaiah had predicted he would. Jesus began his ministry there—“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”’ Make note that this is the same message John was preaching when he was arrested. The Jewish leadership will treat Jesus with the same respect they showed John and they beheaded him.

Jesus was distressed because the people had rejected John’s message and would now have him killed, and he knew that he faced the same rejection and final crucifixion and he realized that he would have to select his disciples who could continue his work after his death. Therefore, as he walked along the sea shore of Galilee he chose four fishermen as his first disciples. His only promise was that he would make them to be fishers of men instead of fish.

You should be aware that these men did not blindly follow Christ because of some charismatic spell that he had cast over them. These men already knew him and had spent time with him as recorded in John 1: 35-42. When he called them into service, there was no hesitation. I have heard his call many times in my 83 years, and you should be honest and admit that you too have had ample time to hear his call on your life. It is so sad that we must admit that we have not made the strong commitment as the disciples did. I am trying now to help others see the beauty of and rewards for true commitment to Jesus Christ. It is so easy to say, ‘here am I send me.’ He will find a way to use you in his kingdom work, and his promise is to bless you. Why delay?

The last verses of the fourth chapter speaks of the expansion of his preaching and teaching throughout the Holy Land. His reputation as the amazing teacher traveled amazingly fast even as it was only by word of mouth and vast numbers attended and accepted his teachings. Jesus was amazed at the numbers and he had to search for a way to communicate with the vast crowds. In the beginning of the fifth chapter Matthew explains that he had to find a suitable mountain side, where he could situate himself above the crowd of people so he could teach and be heard. It was here that Matthew recorded one of the greatest parts of the New Testament known as the Beatitudes. There is no way for any commentator to improve upon the exact words of Jesus. You must go to Matthew 5: 3 and read them for yourself. If you have a desire to be blessed by God—read the Beatitudes. If you really have a longing in your heart to experience the blessings of God—PRACTICE THEM.

Oh that I could think of simple ways to make you understand the importance of God’s love for his people. The master teacher did it with parables that say little and speak loud and clear. Tomato season is about gone to my chagrin—I crave them in off-season. Just think about what a sprinkle of salt does for a red-ripe tomato—as well as many other foods. But if your salt has gone bland, what happens to the taste of the food? So, it should be discarded and walked on as sand on the seashore.

Many of our cities, even smaller towns at Christmas time, are show-places at night with lights of all kinds that light the way and show forth the prominent places, but if the breaker doesn’t work or someone doesn’t turn the switch on, all is dark and unseen.

God’s people are the salt and the light of this world, only when we are living and working in the will of our master. Without us the tomatoes and other foods are bland and even Las Vegas is a ghost town. If you are a Christian you are a light. If you are an obedient Christian you will let it shine…not for your gain…but for the glory of your heavenly father.

Matthew understood how his people believed in and depended upon the Law as their guide and he made sure that he quoted Christ as he explained that he did not come to do away with the Law but that he came to fulfill it…make it complete. Christ applauded those that would keep the commandments and said they would be called the greatest in the kingdom. Then he let them know that the law was not sufficient…it was not enough…only those whose righteousness surpassed that of the Pharisees and other teachers of the Law would be able to enter the kingdom of heaven [verse 20].

The central theme of the lesson today begins with verse 20, and it is here that he begins to explain the STRIVING FOR GODLY PERFECTION is more important than just the keeping of the law. The open visible keeping of a law, reveals your actions but does not reveal your inward feelings about having to do it. I wear my seat belt, but inwardly I resent having to do it. I feel that the law robs me of the opportunity I should have to make my own choice.

In verse 21, Jesus gave a much better example when he explained that one should not murder. Murder is punishable by law. Before one will murder another person there is a feeling of hatred in his heart; there is a desire to take revenge…to get even and that “feeling” is not punishable by law. Now look what Christ says: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Under law only the action is punishable; but under grace the sinful desire of the heart is subject to judgment. Moses, in Exodus 20 condemned murder, Jesus agreed, but added that hatred also was sin because it violates the commandment to love one another. Matthew is reminding the Pharisees they were condemned because they plotted to kill Jesus and were just as guilty as the Romans whom they tricked into killing him for them.

V-23—Making an offering or paying your tithe is a form of worship. Jesus says here that you can not worship him while you have enmity in your heart toward another person. It is a matter of urgency—don’t even leave an offering until you have solved the problem. If there is a problem with another that has not been solved…it must be solved before there can be true worship. Matters of disagreement must be solved immediately. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary…”

V-27—The OT condemned sexual acts outside of marriage. Christ did not do away with that Law; instead he added to it…made it stronger…fulfilled it, when he said that it was also wrong to look at a woman lustfully. A lustful desire is mental adultery—and Jesus is emphasizing that if an act is wrong—then the intention is also sin. The only difference in the sinful act and the lustful thought is that only the Christian sins in the intention, but if the act is carried out…then there are two or more involved in the sin.

V-33—The last example given in today’s lesson that stresses our need to seek or STRIVE FOR GODLY PERFECTION—plainly and simply emphasizes the need for truthfulness. In the early days of the last century there was a moral code that was often used by Godly people. Christians happily announced that “My word is my bond;” this and a friendly hand-shake were used to seal many agreements during the period of time between WWI and WWII. The decline in morality that came about during the last half of the century has forced honest people to break the commandment given in these verses. Jesus was emphasizing the importance of telling the truth.

The people of long ago in verse 33 were warned in [Exodus 20: 7, Leviticus 19:12, Numbers 30: 1-2, and Deuteronomy 19: 16-20] were told that an oath made using the Lord’s name, must not be broken. When anyone swears falsely, with hand on the bible, there are two sins involved; first you have lied and even more important in the eyes of Christ, you have dishonored his name by using his Word to seal the oath. Your answer to a judge regarding your testimony should simply be “Yes” I will tell the truth—or “No” I will not lie.

There is a central theme that permeates the teachings of Christ revealed in this lesson that is aimed at all ‘better than thou’ Christians. Some Christians in malice—look down on those that commit murder, lie, steal and commit adultery when it becomes evident that their fellow man has committed one or more of these sins. Their response to and conversation about their guilty brethren indicates that these are atrocious sins that should not be tolerated in the church. In many cases they would be the first to initiate action against the guilty one. According to the message that Christ has given us in this lesson, the named overt actions are sin, but they are no more sinful in the Lord’s sight than those who have at one time or another embraced an inward feeling or attitude that was just as sinful as the act itself. May-be they have harmed another and failed to seek forgiveness; May-be they have gossiped, killing a good reputation and that is murder; May-be they have committed lust in their heart for another but no one else knows about it, and that is adultery; May-be they have lied, or withheld a truth that would have made a difference to someone. The overt sins are an example of breaking the Law. The evil desires of the heart are more important in Christ’s sight who says that a man is whatever his heart reveals. Remember to cast the mote from your own eye FIRST. Better still would be to just simply let Jesus do the judging.

God's Sinless Son - Matthew 3:1 - 4:16

In the matter of all the time there is [from seconds to eternity] time is suspended in endless space, without beginning and without end; it has a definition much like that of God who said “I am.” Time was, and is and will always be and those who are alive today will spend the rest of an endless journey suspended in that space of time. The conditions surrounding their existence depend upon their acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ at this point in time. There have been some gaps in time that we know nothing about. For reasons known only by God, he kept man in the dark for one gap in time that might have been billions or trillions of years, no doubt during all of the time it took for him to plan for the creation of all things, and the order in which each would exist and play its part. Then one day he opened his spiritual office and announced to the world that he was the one and only God, and explained how he created the earth and all that is there in. He introduced Adam and Eve as the first of his human creation, and we have the Holy Bible that keeps us informed about most of the time since that day.

The children of Israel, freed from four thousand years of bondage, and promised a land of milk and honey, disobeyed God and remained as wondering pilgrims in the desert for forty miserable years. They thought that God had left them there to die. They later entered Judah and Jerusalem and prospered, built the greatest of all temples and worshipped God. Then because of disobedience they were allowed to be exiled into Babylon for seventy years of lost life and wasted time. Upon their return they started the rebuilding process, and on two occasions the work stopped, and extended years of progress was lost again. On their second failure, God disappeared again, and this time there were no messages from him for a gap of over 400 years.

In last Sunday’s lesson we found that God returned after his four hundred year departure, not as an angel, not through a dream or a vision, not even in his God person with his voice of instruction to his people; but he returned as God and man in the person of his Son Jesus Christ. He was born in Bethlehem, and was immediately rejected by his own chosen people, as had been prophesied. His life was threatened and he had to escape to Egypt until the death of Herod the Great as it had been prophesied. When Herod died Jesus returned to the holly land, but to a different town…he went to Galilee to a town called Nazareth; again this was to fulfill prophesy that he would be called a Nazarene. Here comes another gap in time….from the date of his return to Nazareth until he visited the temple with his parents, little is known about his life—this gap lasted about ten years. He traveled to Jerusalem with his parents, and as a teenager, exhibited wisdom and knowledge that confounded the most powerful minds of men. He became separated from his parents, who returned to Jerusalem and found him in the temple and took him with them back home. Then the last gap that concerns us at this time started and nothing is known about him until he shows up on his way to be baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordon—there must have been about fifteen years between the temple scene and his baptism which marked the beginning of his three year ministry that preceded his death, burial and resurrection.

What did he do in Nazareth? How did his life compare to those of other boys his age in his home town?
When did he start to school? Or, did he go at all? Did he have a girl friend? Did his parents have any problems to solve in which he was involved? What were his favorite foods, games, and hobbies? Did he have any of the childhood health problems that were prevalent in that day? Did he personally communicate with his heavenly father? When did he realize for the first time that he was the spiritual Son of God? How did that knowledge come to him? The other apostles answered a few of our questions, but Matthew skipped about 30 years of the life of Christ and today, as we open the third chapter of his gospel. Matthew starts off by telling us that “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the district of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Again, Matthew was interested in John’s part in the story, BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN PROPHISIED BY THE PROPHETS OF OLD—HIS JEWISH ANCESTORS—AND MATTHEW IS TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THE FACT THAT CHRIST WAS THE ONE PROMISED AS THEIR MESSIAH. Just to make sure, Matthew reminds them that this is the one spoken of by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah was not the only one, many predicted his birth. It is amazing to me that just a few pages back in the bible, the last book in the OT, Malachi 3: 1, but four-hundred-years [400 YEARS] ago, Malachi said: “See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come.’ [Accurate prophecy should build and strengthen your faith. Prophecy and its fulfillment, on time, every time helps me to KNOW that my God is real!] My faith grows deeper each time I review the story of Jesus Christ that was fore-told over four thousand years ago and I have seen and continue to see those prophecies come to pass just as God has promised.

In Matthew’s gospel, almost thirty years has passed [a gap] and now John the Baptist explodes onto the scene. He was easily recognizable because his appearance, clothing, food and message were new and different. The most important of these characteristics was the message. You may ask why it was different. It was different because of the new covenant. In all days past, in order for sins to be forgiven there had to be an atonement made by the sacrifice of some animal…it was a blood sacrifice that had to be repeated over and over, year after year. BUT NOT ANY MORE! When Christ died, shed his blood on the cross, it happened one time and it applied to every person who ever lived or will ever live on earth. John’s new message was one of REPENTANCE and faith in the one, Jesus Christ, who would die once and for all. The accomplishments of Christ did not destroy the law…but fulfilled it. The law had no saving power, but rather it pointed or guided people toward this one, Jesus, who shed his blood that covered all sin for everyone who would repent of their sin and accept him.

Everyone seems to know that repentance means doing an about face—making a 180 degree turn in the direction one is traveling. It does! But let us look at what that entails. Repentance is a turning away from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossip, revenge, and all kinds of immorality. Repentance removes all rebellion from your way of life and the new direction is going in the way with God. Remember that you can not forgive or remove your sin, only God can do that. You simply recognize that you are a sinner and repent asking God to do the forgiving. The bible assures us that “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins.”

Now, let us look at the rest of the second verse in the third chapter. Why should they repent? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” The kingdom of heaven [or of God] began the moment that God entered human history as a man. Christ Came to establish his kingdom on earth and wants it to be as it is in heaven—pure, sinless, and holy. Today Christ reigns in the hearts of all believers, but the kingdom of heaven cannot be to his satisfaction until all sin has been judged and removed.

You may have thought of John the Baptist as a great preacher—he was, but he was one of the most unique PROPHETS that spoke of the coming Christ. You will remember that John met Jesus, face to face, in the same room while both were in the fetus stage of life. Though yet unborn, John recognized Jesus as the Son of God, and informed Martha, his mother, that the child Mary was carrying was indeed the new Messiah. [He leaped in her womb—maybe, kicked her in the stomach] This personal fore-knowledge only increased the tenacity with which John proclaimed the arrival of the Savior. John quoted Isaiah, whom I believe to be the greatest of the OT prophets. They both agreed that the need for repentance was good news to those who believed but terrible news to all who refused to listen and obey.

Matthew says in verse three that John was preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. This represents the task of each of us who know Christ—we too are to prepare the way; that is, we must help prepare the people we know and serve, to recognize Christ when they meet him…even of greater importance is that we prepare them to realize that they have a spiritual need that only he can fulfill. Lost man must first realize they are lost, admit it, and desire to become a member of his bride—the Church. We can also be successful in “making their pathway straight” by correcting misconceptions that may be hindering people from approaching Christ. Someone you know may be ready to accept Christ. Are you prepared and ready to show them the way? Can you help make their pathway straight?

As you read verses four through six you will note that John looked, lived and acted somewhat different from the ordinary man on the street. If for no other reason he might have done this to attract attention of the people he met. The bible teaches that the general public should be able to look at you and see a difference from the ordinary man on the street. If Christians do not act, react and associate with others in a Christian way, how can they otherwise be determined to be different? If John the Baptist would have submitted his résumé to our church—I have often wondered if our church would have called him to be pastor. I personally have a problem with the dress worn by some Christians at worship. Somehow, I keep thinking that we owe God our best and that is dress clothes and a tie if we have them. However, I truly believe that if one does not have a suit, God is well pleased with overalls if they are clean. It is the spirit on the inside that is important—however, what you see on the outside usually reflects what is within. [Just a side note: I personally observed the student’s respect for class room teachers decrease as a result of their de-grading dress and attire during the 1960’s.]

Read verses seven through twelve and you will see that pages could be written and hours spent in explaining the content of these verses. I believe that John fore-knew the problems that the Pharisees and Sadducees would cause our Savior leading finally to his crucifixion, and this must have stirred his fervor or passion against them and resulting in his calling them a brood of poisonous snakes. It is to John’s credit, that while his temper must be at its height, he admits that he is inferior to the coming Lord who wears sandals that he is not even worthy to unlatch or carry. [That act was the place of a slave…so he considered himself less than a slave as compared to the one he proclaimed.]

We often wonder how we are to tell when a messenger is truthful—how we are to know a Christian to be worthy. John uses an example that God has used all through his word and compares a person to a fruit tree. Good trees bear editable fruit; thorn trees bear stickers of pain—and we can know a tree by its fruit. John told these who came to hear him preach that God had sent his ax [Jesus his son] who had already aimed at the roots of the ones that were bearing evil fruit and they would be hewn down and destroyed.

John must have realized that some were enamored with him and his powerful preaching and he wanted to set them straight. He said that he was baptizing with water those who repented of their sin only to point them to the one who was more powerful and would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He assured them that Christ would come with his winnowing fork in his hand and would use it to cleanse the threshing floor. Do you believe in hell, a place of fire and destruction? Sorry, it doesn’t matter what you believe, that alters nothing. You and I are a part of the wheat that is on the floor and we are mixed in with the worthless chaff. On judgment day Christ will use his winnowing fork to separate the wheat from the chaff—the wheat will remain in his barn—the chaff will be destroyed with unquenchable fire. Folk are uncomfortable sitting under a preacher that makes this kind of strong assertion from the pulpit today. Jesus must have approved since he went to John to be baptized.

On one of these days, John had preached and some had accepted Christ and were submitting to baptism in the Jordon River. John looked up and saw Jesus approaching him asking that John baptize him in Jordon. John did not refuse, but was reluctant and tried to ‘deter’ him. It is easy to realize that John felt that it would be more appropriate for Christ to baptize him. Why did Christ seek to be baptized? He had never sinned; therefore he had no reason to repent. Christ said it was to “Fulfill all righteousness.” In his commission to the church later, he instructed that all who repented be baptized—not to save them but as a picture of their death-burial and resurrection from the sinful life. Baptism is a picture of your being in accord with what is just and moral. Christ was just and moral; however he wanted to show others what he expected of them. He set the example. He expects Christians to set the right example; not only in baptism but in every act of their Christian life. John consented and baptized Jesus that day. Why?

Christ saw this as a way to advance God’s mission for him—he was advancing God’s work on earth. No, he had no sin; however, he was confessing the sins of the nation as the prophets had done. He was baptized by John to show his approval of the message John was preaching. It is the belief of many that he was baptized to show the starting point of his earthly ministry. No doubt that there were many of the critical Pharisees gathered at the river to show their resistance to John’s preaching—and Christ approved and took part in his ministry and was baptized just to show them that they were wrong. Was this an important act on Christ’s part? It absolutely was. The last two verses in the chapter say that: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water…heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”’

In the first eleven verses of chapter four, Matthew explains how Jesus was immediately tempted by Satan who tried every trick of his trade to break the spirit of our Master. Withstanding thee temptations proved that Jesus was the Messiah…the Son of God. No one can show true obedience until they have been tempted to sin. Deuteronomy says God led Israel into the desert to humble and test them. You are, or you will be tested so just remember your convictions are only strong when they are able to hold out against the pressure that will come to bear. Satan tempted Eve in the garden and you know the sad story of the results. She succumbed and now sin abounds.

The temptation of Jesus shows us that he was human as well as God’s son. So we are human and this proves that a human can resist the devil. Resist him and he will flee from you. Remember that temptation in itself is not sin. Sin enters when we give in to temptation and disobey God. Think about it, Christ was not tempted while he was with John at the river, before or after his baptism, while he was with friends and supporters all around—but Satan waited until he was alone, hungry, thirsty and uncomfortable. He will attack us when we are most vulnerable; when we are in physical or emotional stress, when we are lonely or tired or weighted with some important decision or face with a crucial uncertainty.

We need to consider the crafty choices made by Satan to use in his seduction of Christ. It just so happens that these three areas of need are the most critical in our lives today. We are prone to give in to our physical needs. We are possessive to the point that we seek wealth and earthly processions, and there is an inward craving for power and recognition. The third area of human need is a deadly one when misused…human pride. These are the exact areas where Satan tried to overcome the will of Jesus to remain holy. Christ was hungry. So why didn’t he turn the stones into bread and eat. Jesus had power and recognition so Satan took him to a high point in the city, and told him that if he was really the Son of God he should jump off the wall and see if God would break his fall…prove that you can save your life after you jump. Finally Satan promised him the entire world if he would only worship him.

I have intentionally left out the answers that Christ gave to Satan’s questions…the reasons he gave for not following his suggestions, and this is for a special reason. I continually seek ways to get you [my class] and [now my readers] to be more diligent in your bible study. You must study to show thyself approved and able to rightly divide [explain] the word of God. Jesus was able to resist all of the devil’s temptations because he not only knew the scriptures {and he quoted scripture as his answers} but he also obeyed the scriptures. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the scriptures are the weapons we need in spiritual combat. Read your bible first—then use commentaries to help you better understand and sometimes to broaden your understanding. Don’t just read your bible; study it!

PLEASE NOTE: God has blessed me with the ability to study his word and my greatest desire is that I can share with others what I have learned. These lessons are mailed to over one hundred people each week and that is great! However, I wish I could share them with thousands each week and I can with your help. I now have a blogspot…web site…that already has 18 lessons written in 2006, and all of the lessons written in 2007 and will continue to carry the current lesson each week. REQUEST: Tell others you know to go to the web page and study along with us. Ask them to let me know that they are receiving the word…Please! The address is: http://drjohnss.blogspot.com:80/ TELL OTHERS!

JUST THINK ABOUT IT! WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE GREAT COMMISSION AND ACTUALLY GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL.

YOU COULD BE THE ONE LINK THAT BRINGS SALVATION TO SOME PERSON TODAY! God has promised that HIS WORD will not return unto him void.

God's Unique Son - Matthew 1 - 2:23

Matthew, a Jew by physical birth and a Christian by spiritual birth, knew beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus Christ was the Son of God; and that he was the Messiah that had been prophesied by many of his fore-fathers. He also knew that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the son of a virgin as had been prophesied. He had walked with Jesus on earth and personally experienced first hand all of the terrible rejection, trial and execution that came about because his own people had absolutely refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The Romans were in power, but they personally had no problems with Jesus; his opposition came from the highest level of Jewish leadership who tried every trick in the book to get Herod and Pilate to do their dirty work. They finally succeeded by charging Jesus with the intention of over-throwing the Roman government.

[One of the most amazing things in the Bible is that practically everyone and every thing but the Jewish leadership recognized Christ as King. Think about it; Herod believed and washed his hands—the devil believed him and tempted him to be his follower—the demons called Legion believed him and drowned—rocks believed him and gave forth with springs of water—fire and clouds believed him and led his people day and night—Moses’ snake believed him and ate the Pharaoh’s miracle snakes—a bush believed him and burned brightly but was not consumed—fish and bread believed him and fed 5000 and on and on—but not the priest in his holy temple.]

The greatest burden on Matthew’s heart was his knowing that the blood of Christ was on the hands of his own people—and the greatest desire of his heart was that he could prove to them that they had made the mistake of rejecting their new King, which they denied. The first method he used was to present the genealogy of Jesus back through King David and then to Abraham both of whom were known and accepted as God’s appointed Jewish leaders. The Israelites have always claimed to be the sons of Abraham and have always believed that the new Messiah would be a descendent of both David and Abraham. Matthew wanted to prove that Jesus was a descendent of both and therefore was the Promised One.

Let me ask you a question. Is there any thing in this world more important to you than for you to know without a shadow of doubt that you are a born again Christian? With confidence I predict your answer to be NO. Likewise, there was nothing more important to a Jew than to know that he was one of God’s Chosen People. How could they know this? They knew that Abraham was the father of the Jewish race, and if they could trace their heritage back to Abraham as their fore-father—then they knew they were one of the chosen. For this reason the use of genealogies was of greatest importance to them. Being a Jew, Matthew thought that if he could prove through this genealogy that Jesus was a descendent of David and Abraham, then his people would accept Jesus as the one prophesied to be the coming Messiah.

Last Sunday, we closed a fifteen year study of the Bible with a lesson on the last book in the OT, Malachi. Because of the Jews continued disobedience there were still many problems in the rebuilt city of Jerusalem and throughout Judah, and they were looking for a new Messiah—a new King like David—that would save the nation. When Matthew wrote this book in about AD 60 to 65, over 400 years have gone by since the days of the prophet Malachi. For 400 years, no new prophets appeared on the scene bringing any word from God—there were no angels, no visions or dreams concerning God. God stopped talking to his people. How would you have felt…what would you have thought if your earthly father had stopped talking to you for just 400 hours? As God’s chosen people, they must have thought he had completely forsaken them.

On a few occasions when my family was young and there was too much confusion going on to suit me…I have used this same method to get everyone’s attention. Just stop answering any questions and refused to converse with anyone for a time, and it usually had the appropriate effect. I believe that God had talked, promised, warned, and begged for the respect of his people for over 4000 years and just decided to leave them alone for awhile to let them feel the emptiness of being neglected. He had not forgotten his people…but many surely believed that he had.

Jesus was born and lived about 30 years; a new covenant based on grace and faith was established; his death, burial, resection and ascension all occurred; and there had been about 30 years used by the disciples and other leaders to establish Christian Churches in many areas of the known world at that time. He had given the church the great commission to go into all the world and spread the gospel—and that was what was taking place during this period of time. Matthew had a deep interest in the establishment of the church…did you know that it is the only one of the Synoptic Gospels that mentions the word ‘church’—only Matthew introduces the passage about the church after Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi in 16: 13-23 and he is the only one that says that disputes are to be settled by the church in 18: 17. By the time Matthew wrote this book, the church had become the dominant factor in the life of the Christian people—and non-Christian, of course, because of their opposition.

The horror in Matthew’s heart was in knowing that far more gentiles than Jews were being converted; and in knowing that the opposition of the Jews was the greatest hindrance. The majority of the Jews were still denying Jesus as the Messiah—and that to our chagrin has not changed to this day.

Matthew is one of our best authorities on the second coming of Christ. He paid close attention to all that Christ taught about his return to this earth, about the end of the world as we know it, and about the judgment that will take place. Matthew gives the most complete discount of any of the other gospels regarding what Jesus said about the apocalyptic teachings. Only Matthew mentioned the parables of the talents—the wise and foolish virgins and the sheep and the goats.

This book is considered by most scholars as the best of the books for “teachings of Christ”—Jesus probably called him to be a disciple because of his writing ability. He prepared a collection known to be the first handbook of the teaching of Jesus. His book is presented in clusters of knowledge where related ideas have been gathered together so it could be remembered. He started this method when he wrote the genealogy when he broke it down into generations. V. 17—“Thus there are fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to Christ.” Other examples are:
1. The Law of the Kingdom or Sermon on the Mount 5-7
2. The duties of leaders 13
3. The Parables of the Kingdom 13
4. Greatness and Forgiveness in the Kingdom 18
5. The Coming of the King 24-25

There were no printing presses, no books, magazines, or newspapers and so few people had access to the written word. Matthew tried to organize his writings in such a way that it would make it easy for his people to commit the gospel to their memories. If you want to know the love of Christ, read John, but if you want to know the majesty and kingship of Christ study Matthew. If you are a sinner or a lonely Christian searching for consolation, read John; but if you are a Christian teacher and want help in teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, please dig in and stay with us through the study of Matthew. Matthew is the teacher’s gospel. You should read today’s entire lesson as it appears in Matthew 1: to 2: 23.

V-1 may surprise you as the way to begin a book, but to a Jew this was always the most interesting way to start telling the story of any man’s life. The Jewish people were exceedingly interested in genealogies. The purity of lineage was of utmost importance because just one mixed marriage caused the children to lose their pure heritage as a Jew.

The genealogy is arranged in three sections, each section containing fourteen names, and is based on one of the three great stages in Jewish history. 1. The first section gives the history from Abraham to David—the birth and reign of Israel’s greatest king. 2. The second section takes the story of the human race down to the time of the Babylonian exile. This is the story of the nation during its greatest sin and shame, its tragedy and complete disaster with the temple destroyed. 3. The last section of the genealogy bridges the gap from the return and rebuilding of the temple to the birth of Christ—the New Messiah that turned the tragedy of the Jew into the triumph of all men regardless of race or creed.

These three stages not only bridge 42 generations of physical men on earth but it also represents three stages in the spiritual history of mankind. 1. Man was born for greatness. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him” and he willed that man be his kindred people to bring him joy through fellowship and worship. 2. Man lost his position of greatness through sin and disobedience and rather than kindred to God he became a slave to sin. Man became what he was never meant to be. But—But—3. Man can regain his greatness. God has never abandoned us, he did not allow us to destroy ourselves through our ignorance and rebellion, but instead—because of his love for us, he sent his son to die on the cross to assure that our sins were paid in full. He has then made it plain and easy for each of us to understand that by our repentance for sin, and acceptance of Christ and what he did on the Cross for us, we can now be saved.

“In this genealogy Matthew shows us the royalty of kingship gained; the tragedy of freedom lost; the glory of liberty restored. And that, in the mercy of God, in the story of mankind, and of each individual man.” Quoted: author unknown.

There is one more unique thing about the genealogy that I want to mention. As you read please note that in every case but on—the very last one—it reads like this. Abraham was the father of Isaac. David was the father of Solomon. Jacob was the father of Joseph. And then the change came when Matthew says that Joseph was the HUSBAND of Mary of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. This is of grave importance because the whole gospel of salvation is based on the one imperative fact that his mother Mary was a virgin. If Joseph was not his father God had to be his father. Christ has to be both man and spirit…man and God…in order to be God’s son.

We must understand the Jewish marriage customs of that day in order to understand some of the statements Matthew makes about what happened. It was their custom for a man and woman to first be betrothed or engaged for a period of time. The engagement was as binding on both as was the marriage which came later. There could be no intimate sexual relationship during the betrothal period. Mary was still a virgin when she was found to be with child. Even her husband Joseph did not understand what had happened until the angel explained God’s plan to him. A son was to be born to a virgin and named Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

“All of this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.” [“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.”] Immanuel means “God with us.” The name Jesus is the Greek form of the word Joshua, which means the Lord saves. See Isaiah 7-14. Joseph was secretly thinking of putting her away [divorce] until the angel visited him while he was asleep. When he awoke he understood, and took her as his wife but they had no sexual relations until after Jesus was born. After Jesus Christ was born, Joseph begat children that are half brothers to Christ.

2: 1-6—Matthew starts building his case by mentioning the birthplace, Bethlehem of Judea, because it fulfilled the prophesy in the OT—the birth of Christ was the fulfillment of all the prophetic intentions of the coming Jewish Messiah.

I will digress for a purpose. I have always thought of Jesus being born in AD 1 and crucified in AD 30 at the age of 30 years. I now believe that he must have been born in either AD 5 or AD 6, and I have no earthly idea why the new century started in AD 1—maybe someone can help me. Why the change of thinking? In verse 3 King Herod enters the picture. There were several different men with this name. This was Herod the Great [also mentioned in Luke 1: 5] and his father was a Jew, Antipater II, a descendent of the Edomites and related to Esau and Jacob. He had gained influence under the Roman Empire and used it to help his son Herod rise to power in positions in Galilee and finally in Judea where he ruled from 37 to 4 B.C. According to the historians who wrote books on the history of Rome and Italy, including Josephus, Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. History books also record that the Emperor was so pleased with Herod that he gave him the title of “king of the Jews” and this may have been the reason he became so disturbed when he heard about a new King of the Jews—Jesus.

My question is: actually my dilemma is: how did Herod question the Wise Men, and make plans to visit Jesus while he was in the manger, if he died in 4 B.C.? Jesus must have been born in 6 or 5 B.C. If so, he would have been either 35 or 36 years old when he died in AD 30.

If anyone has a full understanding of the time change from BC to AD I would like for you to explain it to me. What event triggered the change? It seems reasonable that the date counted down to the year BC 1 and on the 365th day of year BC one—the time changed to the first day of AD one [1]. If so, did it change at midnight as we count time today? I have always assumed that this was the case—and that the change came on the day that Christ was born. Now I am confused. Help!