Equipping the Saints

LESSON 7

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 20-24

Explanations Matt. 23:1-36

Matthew 23:1-39 WOES TO THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES

A. Jesus rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees.
1. (1-4) They lay oppressive burdens on others.

a. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples: Jesus spoke to these groups, but He spoke about the scribes and Pharisees. Of course, these hardened opponents of Jesus listened; but in a sense Jesus was finished speaking to them. Instead he intended to warn the people and His followers about them.
1). The true target of the whole discourse is the crowds and disciples who need to break free from Pharisaic legalism.

. The Talmud describes seven different types of Pharisees; six of the seven are bad.
· The Shoulder Pharisee, who wore all his good deeds and righteousness on his shoulder for everyone to see.
· The Wait-a-Little Pharisee, who always intended to do good deeds, but could always find a reason for doing them later, not now.
· The Bruised or Bleeding Pharisee, who was so holy that he would turn his head away from any woman seen in public – and was therefore constantly bumping into things and tripping, thus injuring himself.
· The Hump-Backed Pharisee, who was so humble that he walked bent over and barely lifting his feet – so everyone could see just how humble he was.
· The Always-Counting Pharisee, who was always counting up his good deeds and believed that he put God in debt to him for all the good he had done.
· The Fearful Pharisee, who did good because he was terrified that God would strike him with judgment if he did not.
· The God-Fearing Pharisee, who really loved God and did good deeds to please the God he loved.

b. Whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do: Jesus said that respect was due to the scribes and the Pharisees; not because of their conduct, but because they sit in Moses’ seat. They should be respected because they hold an office of authority, ordained by God.

c. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders: The scribes and Pharisees were bad examples because they expected more of others than they did of themselves. They set heavy burdens on others, yet they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

d. Heavy burdens: The burden of the religious leaders contrasts sharply to Jesus’ burden. His burden is light, and His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30). These religious leaders were burden bringers; Jesus was a burden taker.

2. (5-10) They do their works to be seen, and they live for the praise of men.
a. All their works they do to be seen by men: The religious leaders were guilty of advertising their righteous deeds. They acted out the religious spirit Jesus spoke against in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-6).

Reminds me of the Widow’s mites. Luke 21:21-4 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.[a] 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings [b]for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

She did this not to be seen of men.

b. They make their phylacteries (a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law)
broad and enlarge the borders of their garments: Both the phylacteries (small leather boxes with tiny scrolls with scriptures on them, tied to the arm and head with leather straps) and the borders of their garments were worn in the attempt to conform to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 11:18, Numbers 15:38-40).

c. They love the best places… greetings in the marketplaces: Not content to display their supposed spirituality, the religious leaders loved it when people admired their supposed spirituality. They coveted the seats of honor at banquets and at the synagogue, and they loved the honoring titles such as Rabbi and father.

d. But you, do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren: Jesus warned the people that they should not imitate the scribes and the Pharisees at this point. His followers should always remember that “you are all brethren” and that one should not be exalted above others by titles that are either demanded or received.
1). “An exhortation which today’s church could profitably take more seriously, not only in relation to formal ecclesiastical titles (Most Reverend, my Lord Bishop, even as called today Master Prophet and Chief Apostle etc.)

e. Do not be called Rabbi. Do not call anyone on earth your father ( source) do not be called teachers: Jesus warned His listeners and us against giving anyone inappropriate honor. One may have a father or teachers in a normal human sense but should not regard them in a sense that gives them excessive spiritual honor or authority.
1). All titles and honors which exalt men and give occasion for pride are here forbidden.

· Jesus was called Rabbi: Matthew 26:25 and 26:49; John 1:38 and 3:26.
· Paul called himself a father: 1 Corinthians 4:15, Philippians 2:22.
· Paul called other Christians his children: Galatians 4:19.
· Paul called himself a teacher and an apostle, but you don’t see a title in front of his name in the Bible. 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11.

2). That which he forbids is,
1. An affectation of such title and hunting after them, 2. the exercise of an absolute mastership, or a paternal, absolute power.

3. (11-12) The way of Jesus: service and humility.
a. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted: This promise is absolutely true, but sometimes is only known in the measure of eternity.

B. The eight woes to the religious leaders.
These woes stand in contrast to the eight beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-11. Jesus spoke harshly here, yet this was not the language of personal irritation but of divine warning and condemnation. Such series of woes are familiar from the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Isaiah 5:8-23; Habakkuk 2:6-19), where the tone is of condemnation, and that is the emphasis here too.

1. (13) Woe to those who shut up the kingdom.

a. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Literally, the word hypocrites refers to an actor, someone playing a part. Jesus exposed the corruption covered by the spiritual image of the scribes and Pharisees.

b. You shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: The religious leaders kept people from the kingdom of heaven by making human traditions and human religious rules more important than God’s Word. This was clearly seen in the way that they opposed and rejected Jesus; if they had opened the kingdom of heaven to men, they would have welcomed and received Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God.

c. You neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in: It is bad for someone not to enter into heaven themselves, but it is far worse to prevent another person from entering in (Matthew 18:6).

2. (14) The religious leaders steal from the vulnerable.

3. Even if it does not belong in Matthew 23, it is certainly present in the Mark 12 and Luke 20 passages.

a. You devour widows’ houses: Using clever and dishonest dealing, the scribes and Pharisees stole widows’ houses – careful to cover it up in the name of good business or stewardship.

b. For a pretense make long prayers: Their long, falsely spiritual prayers were used to build a spiritual image, often for the sake of big donations.

c. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation: The greatness of their sin demanded a greater condemnation than others will endure. Under this concept we can say that no one will have it good in Hell, but we can trust that some will have it worse than others will.

4. (15) The religious leaders led their converts on the wrong path.
a. You travel land and sea to win one proselyte: Their zeal in evangelism did not prove they were right with God. These religious leaders went to great lengths to win others, but they brought people to darkness, not light.
b. Through their great energy they could win some, but to no lasting good to those who were won.

5. (16-22) The religious leaders made false and deceptive oaths.
a. Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing: Out of obedience to God’s Word they refused to swear by the name of God (as commanded in Exodus 20:7). Yet they constructed an elaborate system of oaths, some of which were binding and some were not. It was a way of making a promise while keeping fingers crossed behind one’s back.

b. For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Here Jesus emphasized that the altar itself is greater than the sacrifice made upon it. The altar is the established meeting place between God and man, and our altar is Jesus Himself and His finished work on the cross.
1). It is worthy to think of the greatness of the Old Testament altar: But, the Finished Work declares the altar now in your heart.

c. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it: Jesus reminded them that every oath is binding and God holds the oath-maker to account, even if they excuse themselves.

5. (23-24) The religious leaders are obsessed with trivialities, and ignoring the weighty matters.

a. You pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin: Their tithing was meticulous and noteworthy; but hypocritical because it served to sooth the guilt of their neglect of the weightier matters of the law. It is both possible and common to be distracted with relatively trivial matters while a lost world perishes.
1).The weightier matters do not refer to the more difficult or harder but to the more central, most decisive.

b. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel: Jesus illustrated their folly with a humorous picture of a man so committed to a kosher diet that he would not swallow a gnat because it was not bled properly in accord with kosher regulations. Yet the same man would swallow a whole camel instead. (camels are hooved animals, unclean according to Levitical law)

6. (25-26) The religious leaders are impure both inside and out.

a. You cleanse the outside of the cup: The scribes and Pharisees were satisfied with a superficial cleansing and the appearance of righteousness.

b. Inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence: While greatly concerned with their outward appearance of righteousness, they were unconcerned with an inside full of sin and corruption.

c. First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also: Jesus did not call them to choose between outer righteousness and inner righteousness. He called them to be concerned with both, but to first address the inside. True outward righteousness starts on the inside.

7. (27-28) The religious leaders have the appearance of good, but without spiritual life in the inner man.

a. You are like whitewashed tombs: It was the custom of the Jews of that time to whitewash the tombs in the city of Jerusalem before Passover so that no one would touch one accidentally, thus making themselves ceremonially unclean. Jesus said these religious leaders were like these whitewashed tombs – pretty on the outside, but dead on the inside.

b. You also outwardly appear righteous to men: Men might see them as righteous, but God did not. God is never fooled by what we show on the outside. He sees what we actually are, not what we appear to be to other men.

God looks on the heart. 1 Sam. 16:7

8. (29-36) The religious leaders honor dead prophets but murder the living prophets.

a. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous: They professed to venerate dead prophets, but they rejected living prophets. In doing so they showed that they really were the children of those who murdered the prophets in the days of old (you are sons of those who murdered the prophets).

b. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt: Jesus prophesied about how these leaders would complete the rejection of the prophets their fathers began by persecuting His disciples, whom He would send to them.

c. Serpents, brood of vipers: This phrase has the idea of family of the devil. These religious leaders took an unmerited pride in their heritage, thinking they were spiritual sons of Abraham. Instead, they were more like sons of the devil, not of Abraham.

Paul admonished us: Eph.

d. From the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah: Jesus here spoke of all the righteous martyrs of the Old Testament. Abel was clearly the first, and in the way that the Hebrew Bible was arranged, Zechariah was the last. 2 Chronicles is the last book of the Hebrew Bible, and Zechariah’s story is found in 2 Chronicles 24.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE PHARASAICAL SPIRITS

Pharisaical Spirit: “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2Co 3:6) who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.

1. The Pharisees were a self-righteous group.
There are still those today who measure themselves by others, rather than by the Word of God. They seem to think if they are just a little better than someone else, then they are right with God. They may be right with God, but it is not because they are more righteous than someone else, but rather because they know the Truth and are obeying the commands of the Father. The Pharisees elevated themselves above all others; they were a self-righteous group.

2. The Pharisees were desirous of doing their religious acts to be seen of men. (Matthew 23:5). (Matthew 6:2). The Pharisees wanted someone to pat them on the back and pronounce them righteous. They wanted the praise of men. There are a lot of showmen in the religious area where I live., those who love the praise of men. Jesus said the Pharisees, “said and did not do.” Hear Him in Matthew 23:3, “all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe; but do not ye after their works; for they say and do.

3. The Pharisees had made the commandments of God of none effect by their traditions. The Pharisees had placed their own ideas over and above the revealed truth of God’s Word. Their traditions had made void the word of God.

Mark 7:13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.

4. Another error of the Pharisees was that they drew near to the Lord with their mouth, but their hearts were far from Him. (Matthew 15:7-9).

5. The Pharisees loved the titles and the chief seats in the Synagogues.

6. Lastly, the Pharisees rejected the counsel of God, “But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, being not baptized of him” (Luke7:30).

Counteracting the Pharisaical spirit
1. Put on His righteousness.
2. True and pure hearts of humility.
3. Grace, mercy, forgiveness, yielding to the Holy Spirit, not traditions or law. See Gal. 1:13-14
4. True worshippers in Spirit and in Truth.
5. Take the last place; be a servant.
6. Take up the full counsel of God (walk in love).

We release the apostolic and prophetic anointing/utterance, discerning of spirits, and the spirit of John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. We release revival, the move of God, a visitation of God and the Spirit of Truth. We are His habitation and out of that comes signs, wonders and miracles.

Explanations for Matt 23: 37-39 next week.

We will continue with Les.7 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 7

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 20-24

Explanations Continued Matt. 22:37-46 & Matt. Chapter 23

c. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: Jesus demonstrated the reality of the resurrection using only the Torah; the five books of Moses, which were the only books the Sadducees accepted as authoritative. If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not live on in resurrection, then God would say that He was the God of Abraham, instead of saying “I am the God of Abraham.”

D. Question from a Scribe.
1. (34-36) Question from a lawyer among the Pharisees: which is the greatest commandment?
a. When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered: Matthew gives us the fascinating scene of the opponents of Jesus working hard to embarrass Him – and working unsuccessfully.

b. Asked Him a question, testing Him: This question was also planned to trap Jesus. In asking Jesus to choose one great commandment, they hoped to make Jesus show neglect for another area of the law.
1). The Rabbis reckoned up 613 commandments of the law; and distinguished them into the greater and the lesser. These later they thought might be neglected or violated with little or no guilt.

As Moses’ law or commandments are mentioned, it is not just referring to the 10 Commandments, but the 613 laws later added–Levitical law, governmental laws, judicial laws, moral laws, spiritual laws, civil laws, keeping of feasts and festivals. Jesus/ Yahshua is our guide when it comes to obedience, as He provided the proper example of how to live the precepts of His Father Yahweh. Being sinless, Yahshua was faithful to the Old Testament commandments, including the weekly Sabbath and Feasts, Hebrews 4:15, 1Peter 2:22. JESUS/YAHSHUA FULFILLED THE LAW!!

2. (37-40) Jesus answers: Loving God and your neighbor.

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Notice heart ( mind of the spirit), soul ( mind, will and emotions,) and mind mentioned again.

1st and only commandment—PERFECT LOVE

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Galatians 5:13-17 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Sin by definition: An act which expresses man’s selfishness and his failure to love his God or his neighbor at some given point of contact.

PERFECT LOVE MAKES SIN IMPOSSIBLE

a. Jesus said to him: Perfectly understanding the essence of the law, Jesus had no difficulty answering. Instead of promoting one command over another, Jesus defined the law in its core principles: love the LORD with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself.
i. It is clear enough what it means to love the LORD with all we are, though it is impossible to do perfectly. But there has been much confusion about what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. This doesn’t mean that we must love ourselves before we can love anyone else; it means that in the same way we take care of ourselves and are concerned about our own interests, we should take care and have concern for the interests of others.

b. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets: God’s moral expectation of man can be briefly and powerfully said in these two sentences. If the life of God is real in our life, it will show by the presence of this love for God and others.

E. Jesus asks a question of His opponents.
1. (41-42a) Jesus asks about the lineage of the Messiah.

a. While the Pharisees were gathered together: Before they could think of another question to test Him, Jesus asked them a question.
b. What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He? This was similar to the question Jesus asked of His disciples in Matthew 16:13-15 (Who do you say that I am?). Jesus confronted His opponents with the need to decide who He was, connecting Himself to the Old Testament understanding of the Messiah (the Christ).

2. (42b) The Pharisees identify the lineage of the Messiah.

a. The Son of David: This is one of the great Old Testament titles of the Messiah. Founded on the covenant God made with King David in 2 Samuel 7, it identifies the Christ as the chosen descendant of King David’s royal line (see also Jeremiah 23:5-6, Isaiah 9:6-7, and Luke 1:31-33).
b. The Son of David: It is possible that the Pharisees did not know or had forgotten that Jesus was of the line of King David and was even born in Bethlehem, the city of David. When Jesus recently entered Jerusalem, it was noted that He was from Nazareth, and perhaps His connection to King David had been unknown or forgotten (Matthew 21:11).

3. (43-45) Jesus is not only David’s Son; He is also David’s Lord.

Ps. 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Heb. 1:13

a. How then does David in the Spirit call Him Lord: The Pharisees were partially right in saying that the Messiah is the Son of David. But they didn’t have a complete understanding of who the Messiah is. He is not only David’s Son (a reference to His humanity), but He is also David’s Lord (a reference to the deity of Jesus, the Messiah).

b. If David then calls Him Lord, how is He his Son? Jesus’ brilliantly simple explanation of the Scriptures put the Pharisees on the defensive. They did not want to admit that the Messiah was also the LORD God, but Jesus showed this is true from the Scriptures.

4. (46) Jesus’ enemies in retreat.

a. No one was able to answer Him a word: The religious leaders hoped to trap Jesus and embarrass Him in front of the Passover pilgrims that crowded Jerusalem and heard Him teach. Yet Jesus embarrassed them instead.
1). Yet even their silence was a tribute. The teacher who never attended the right schools (John 7:15-18) confounds the greatest theologians in the land. And if his question (Matthew 22:45) was unanswerable at this time, a young Pharisee, who may have been in Jerusalem at the time, was to answer it in due course (Romans 1:1-4; 9:5).”

b. Nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore: Logic and rhetoric proved useless in attacking Jesus. Now His enemies would use treachery and violence instead.
1). Jesus was done debating with the religious leaders. From now on he will not debate with the authorities but will go over their heads to the crowd.

CHAPTER 23
Matthew 23:1-39
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.3 “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.4 “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.5 “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.6 “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,7 “greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’8 “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.9 “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.10 “And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.11 “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’17 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’19 “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?20 “Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.21 “He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.22 “And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.24 “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.26 “Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.28 “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,30 “and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.32 “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.33 “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?34 “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,35 “that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.36 “Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!38 “See! Your house is left to you desolate;39 “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
23:1-39 THE FALSE RELIGION OF THE PHERISAS Then Yah Shua words with the congregation and with his disciples, wording, Upon the seat of Mosheh sit the scribes and the Pherisas: so all they word to you to guard, guard and work: and as to their works, work not: for they word, and work not: and they bind heavy burdens and place them on the shoulders of the sons of humanity: and they with their fingers will to not offer them: and they work all their works to be seen by the sons of humanity: for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the fringes of their garments: and befriend the hierarchs feasting at suppers and the seats of hierarchs in the congregation and shaloms in the markets: and to be called by humanity, Rabbi. HONORARY TITLES RESERVED FOR DEITY And you, call yourselves not, Rabbi: for one is your Rabbi — even the Meshiah and you all, brothers: and call no man on earth, father: for one is your Father — in the heavens: and be not called leaders: because one is your leader, even the Meshiah. And whoever is Rabbi among you becomes your minister: and whoever exalts his soul humbles his soul: and whoever humbles his soul, exalts. YAH SHUA DENOUNCES THE PHERISAS Woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites! For you devour houses of widows and for a pretext prolong your prayers: because of this you take more judgment. But woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites! For you withhold the sovereigndom of the heavens in front of the sons of humanity: for you enter not — you those entering, you allow not to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites!! For you surround the sea and the dry to work one proselyte: and when he becomes, you work him a son of Gihana — the Valley of Burning double above yourselves. Woe to You, you blind guides — you who word, He who oaths in the nave, as being naught whatever: and he who oaths in the gold of the nave, is indebted. Foolish and blind! for which is greater, The gold? Or the nave hallowing the gold? And, he who oaths in the sacrifice altar, as being naught whatever, and he who oaths in the qurbana upon is, is indebted. Foolish and blind! Which is greater, The qurbana? Or the sacrifice altar hallowing the qurbana? So he who oaths in the sacrifice altar, oaths in it, and by all — whatever it has upon it: and he who oaths in the nave, oaths therein and in him who inhabits therein: and he who oaths in the heavens, oaths in the throne of God, and in him sitting thereon. Woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites!! For you tithe of mint and anise and cummin and forsake the heavy matters of the torah — the judgment and the mercy and the trust: and you need to be working these and not to be forsaking these. Guides — blind! you strain at gnats and swallow camels. Woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites! For you purify the cup and the glass outside and inside they are filled with extortion and injustice. Blind Pherisas! First purify the inward cup and glass, so that it also becomes purified outside. Woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs from afar manifest well but from within are filled with dead bones and all that is foul. Even thus you — from outside you also manifest to humanity as being just, and from the inside you are filled with injustice and hypocrizing hypocrisy. Woe to you, scribes and Pherisas! Hypocrizing hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets
and you adorn the house of the tombs of the just: and you word, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we had not been — been partakers in the blood of the prophets. And then you witness upon your souls that you are the sons of them who slaughtered the prophets: and also you — you fulfill the measure of your fathers. Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How flee you from the judgment of Gihana — the Valley of Burning? Because of this, behold, I apostolize to you
prophets and wise and scribes: and of them, you slaughter and you stake and of them, you torture in your congregations and persecute from city to city:
so as there comes upon you all the just blood poured upon the earth — from the blood of just Habeil — to the blood of Zechar Yah son of Berak Yah whom you slaughtered between the nave and the sacrifice altar. Amen! I word to you,All these come upon this generation. YAH SHUA LAMENTS OVER URI SHELEM Uri Shelem! Uri Shelem! — you who slaughter the prophets and stone them apostolized to you — how often I willed to congregate your sons as a hen congregates her younglings under her wings — and you willed not! Behold, your house is forsaken to you, desolate. For I word to you, You see me not from now, until you word, Eulogized — he who comes in the name of Yah Veh. Aramaic NC

Explanations for Matthew 23:1-39
We will continue with Les.7 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 7

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 20-24

Parable of the Wedding and the Father’s Invitation:

Putting On and Putting Off

The question is: “Do we wish to be found at the wedding feast adorned with the apparel of the “old man with his deeds”? — Are you putting off the “old man”, and putting on the “new man”? Do you know what you already have and are cultivating that?

Paul tells us in Ephesians You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self…Ephesians 4:22-24a
ady.

Put on means: know :THIS HAS BEEN put on
Put off means: know : THIS HAS BEEN put off

WHAT TO PUT ON AND PUT OFF LIST

“Put Off”
Scriptural Insight
“Put On”

Much of our entering into and manifesting the Abundant in Christ Life has to do with the renewing of our minds (Rom.12:2), “For as he thinketh i

Much of our entering into and manifesting the Abundant in Christ Life has to do with the renewing of our minds (Rom.12:2), “For as he thinketh in his heart, so IS he…”(Prov.23:7).

Renewing Your Mind

It is finished but there is a process. The process occurs by thinking (mediatating) about and confessing the truths of God’s Word. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is.”

We can begin this process by applying what we received in the Word to our daily lives. For each negative thing we think, God’s Word has a positive truth for it.

RENEWING THE MIND

Lasting results do not come from anything tangible, but spiritual; lasting results come from renewing your mind and walking in the finished work of Christ! We are already perfect according to how God sees us; we just come to the knowledge of our perfection/sanctification..

Renewing your mind is sanctification: Sanctification is a gift (spiritually you have received it); also sanctification is a fruit (cultivate it as it grows in the soil of your heart).

We will continue with putting on and off and with Les.7 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 7

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 20-24

Matthew 21:1-27 Explanations

THE BEGINNING OF JESUS/YESHUA’S LAST WEEK

A. The triumphal entry.
1. (1-6) Jesus/Yeshua instructs His disciples regarding preparation for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
a. When they drew near Jerusalem: Jesus knew that the religious leaders were going to arrest Him and condemn Him and mock Him and scourge Him and deliver Him to the Romans for crucifixion (Matthew 20:19). Yet He had the courage to not only enter Jerusalem, but to enter in as public a way as possible. This contrasts to His previous pattern of suppressing publicity.
b. You will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her: Jesus/Yeshua would ride upon the younger of these animals, the colt. He told the disciples how they would find these animals, and instructed them to bring both animals.
1). Mark tells us that the colt had never before been ridden (Mark 11:2), so that it would be only prudent to bring its mother as well to reassure it among the noisy crowd.
c. All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: Here, Jesus/Yeshua deliberately worked to fulfill prophecy, especially the prophecy of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, which many feel Jesus/Yeshua fulfilled to the exact day on His triumphal entry (Daniel 9:24-27).
d. Your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey: Jesus came to Jerusalem in humility, yet with appropriate dignity. Instead of coming on a horse as a conquering general, He came on a colt, as was customary for royalty. He came to Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.
2. (7-11) Jesus/Yeshua receives and encourages adoration as the Messiah.
a. Laid their clothes on them, spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road: All this was done to honor Jesus/Yeshua as a great, triumphant person coming into Jerusalem in the season of Passover.
1) Wiseman says of the spreading out of garments for Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13: “The act of spreading out the garment was one of recognition, loyalty and promise of support.” (Wiseman)
b. Hosanna to the Son of David! This was open Messianic adoration of Jesus. They look to Jesus for salvation (Hosanna means save now! and was addressed to kings, as in 2 Samuel 14:4 and 2 Kings 6:26). They openly give Jesus/Yeshua the titles appropriate for the Messiah (Son of David. He who comes in the name of the LORD).
c. When He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved: Jesus/Yeshua also showed that He wasn’t afraid of chief priests and Pharisees. He knew they were plotting to kill Him, yet He came openly to the city as Messiah.
d. This is Jesus/Yeshua, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee: This continues the earlier identification of Jesus/Yeshua with Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). It would sound strange to many – especially to the religious establishment – that a prophet would come from the obscure and unnoted city of Nazareth.

We must remember there were thousands to proclaimed Him the Savior, crying Hosanna, but only about 500 who gathered to see Him rise in the clouds after His resurrection. But only 120 met in the upper room and out of those only 3 were close confidants Peter, James, and John. And John laid his head on Jesus’/Yeshua’s chest and only John was given the revelation of Jesus Christ/ Yeshua Ha’ Masiach

B. Jesus cleanses the temple.
1. (12-13) Jesus forcibly stops the commercial desecration of the temple.
a. Drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple: This seems distinct from the cleansing of the temple courts mentioned in John 2:13-22, which happened towards the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Yet the purpose was the same; to drive out the merchants, who in cooperation with the priests cheated visitors to Jerusalem by forcing them to purchase approved sacrificial animals and currencies at high prices.
1). A pair of doves could cost as little as 4p outside the Temple and as much as 75p inside the Temple. This is almost 20 times more expensive.
2). Yet Jesus’/Yeshua’s anger was against all those who bought as well as those who sold. Sellers and buyers viewed as one company – kindred in spirit, to be cleared out wholesale.
3). One source says that there was a contemporary expectation that the Messiah would cleanse the temple, both approving it after the pagan conquerors (such as Antiochus Epiphanes and Pompey), but also from the false worship from God’s own people.

b. My house shall be called a house of prayer: The merchants operated in the outer courts of the temple, the only area where Gentiles could come and pray. Therefore, this place of prayer was made into a marketplace, and a dishonest one (a den of thieves).
1). Mark’s record contains the more complete quotation of Jesus’ reference to Isaiah 56:7: Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?” (Mark 11:17). The point was that Isaiah prophesied, and Jesus demanded that the temple be a place for all nations to pray. The activity of all those who bought and sold in the outer courts made it impossible for any seeking Gentile to come and pray.

Rev. 18:13 states when talking about Babylon, the world system, (judgment/justice) And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Symbolically/spiritually: Merchandizing the bodies and souls of men is placing much value on church organizations, church growth, buildings, membership, money to support , selling of book and tapes etc. Even much emphasis on conference fees, books, tapes could be with wrong motives the merchandizing of souls. Many leaders feel that God gave them the saints to make them successful and to pay money so they can be supported, build greater buildings, be on tv and take mission trips. There is nothing wrong with these activities taking place, but the perception and motive for such a minister is contrary to God’s purpose for giving to servant leaders for material gain. The disciples and even Paul had jobs. None of what they did was for worldly gain. Jesus/Yeshua told the disciples when sent out, 3And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” Luke 9:3-5 Money that was given to Jesus and His disciples was held in community and used to feed the poor.

2. (14) Jesus/Yeshua carries on God’s compassionate work in the temple courts.
1). The blind and the lame were restricted to the court of the Gentiles; they could not go closer to the temple and could not go to the altar to sacrifice. 2)After purging the court of the Gentiles of merchants and robbers, Jesus/Yeshua then ministered to the outcasts who congregated there.

c. And He healed them: After driving out the moneychangers and the merchants from the temple courts, Jesus didn’t establish The Society for the Cleansing of the Temple. He got back to doing the business of the Messiah, a significant part of which was showing the power of God in the context of compassion and mercy.

Matt. 21:17-27 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”23 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:25 “The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’26 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.”27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
21:17-27 And he leaves them and goes from outside the city to Beth Anya — and remains there. YAH SHUA CURSES THE FIG TREE
And at dawn, when he returns to the city, he famishes: and he sees one fig tree in the way and comes to it, and finds naught within whatever except if leaves only: and he words to it, No fruit becomes within you again eternally. — and straightway the fig tree withers. And the disciples see and amaze, and are wording, How straightway the fig tree withers! Yah Shua answers, wording to them, Amen! I word to you, If you are trusting within, and not doubting, you not only work this to the fig tree, but even though you word to this mountain, Take and fall into the sea!— so be it. And all that you ask in prayer, trusting, you take.
RABBI PRIESTS AND ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE QUESTION THE AUTHORITY OF YAH SHUA And when Yah Shua comes to the priestal precinct there approach him Rabbi Priests and the elders of the people when doctrinating, and they word to him, By whose sultanship work you these? and, Who gives you this sultanship? And Yah Shua answers, wording to them, I also ask you, I — one word, if you word to me, I also word, I — to you in what sultanship I work these. The baptizing of Yah Chanan, from whence has it been? — Of the heavens? Or of humanity? And they reason with their souls, wording, If we word, Of the heavens, he words concerning us, Why trust you him not? — and if we word, Of humanity: we frighten of the congregation for all hold Yah Chanan as being a prophet. — and they answer Yah Shua, wording to him, We know not. Yah Shua words to them, Not even I — I word not to you in what sultanship I do these. Aramaic NC
A.The Lesson of the Fig Tree

1. (18-19) Jesus /Yeshua rebukes a fig tree.
1). He was perfectly human and therefore physically hungry, for hunger is a sign of health.

a. Let no fruit grow on you ever again: In a dramatic way, Jesus/Yeshua performed one of His few destructive miracles. His curse made the fig tree to wither away.
1). It is worth noting that the two destructive miracles of Jesus/Yeshua. This and the events that ended in the destruction of the herd of pigs, Matthew 8:30-32) were not directed towards people.

b. Found nothing on it but leaves: This explains why Jesus/Yeshua did this destructive miracle. Essentially, the tree was a picture of false advertising, having leaves, but no figs. This should not be the case with these particular fig trees, which customarily did not bear leaves apart from figs.
1).The first Adam came to the fig tree for leaves, but the Second Adam looks for figs.
20. In this acted-out-parable, Jesus warned of coming judgment/justice upon an unfruitful Israel. It showed God’s disapproval of people who are all leaves and no fruit. The story is clear and simple, and its point obvious, that what counts is not promise but performance.

2. (20-22) How did Jesus/Yeshua do this?

a. How did the fig tree wither away so soon? Jesus explained that this miracle was really the result of a prayer made in faith ( by the faith of God). Mark 11:22-25 He then encouraged His marveling disciples to also have this kind of faith (the faith of God, faith without doubt), trusting that God would hear them also.

b. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive: This promise of God’s answer to the prayer of faith was made to disciples, not to the multitude. This is a promise to those who are following Jesus/Yeshua.
1). We can only believe for a thing when we are in such union with God that his thought and purpose can freely flow into us, suggesting what we should pray for, and leading us to that point in which there is a perfect sympathy and understanding between us and the divine mind. Faith is always the product of such a frame as this.
2). We know that we already have the God kind of faith in our spirit man. Gal. 2:20 But it must be activated in our soul without doubt.
filled.

B. Jesus/Yeshua answers the Jewish leaders.
1. (23-27) Jesus/Yeshua is questioned by the religious leaders as He comes back into the temple.
a. The chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching: In His previous visit on the day before, Jesus/Yeshua drove out the moneychangers and merchants from the temple courts. Now He returned there to teach, unafraid of the religious leaders.

b. By what authority are You doing these things? The religious leaders raised the question of Jesus’ authority, and He answered by raising the question of their competence to judge such an issue. Their ability to judge John the Baptist and his ministry was a measure of their ability to judge Jesus/Yeshua as well (The baptism of John: where was it from?).
1). His question is far more profound. If the religious authorities rightly answer it, they will already have the correct answer to their own question.”

c. We do not know: They answered only after carefully calculating the political consequences of either answer. They didn’t seem interested in answering the question honestly, only cleverly. This showed they were more interested in the opinions of the multitude rather than the will of God, so Jesus/Yeshua didn’t answer their question to Him.
1). They could not say, of men, for they were cowards. They would not say, of heaven, for they were hypocrites.
2). Jesus/Yeshua kindly and compassionately met the needs of the hurting multitude, as demonstrated in Matthew 21:14. But Jesus/Yeshua didn’t show much patience with those who arrogantly questioned Him and hoped to trap Him in His own words. Jesus/Yeshua never fell into their trap.

We will continue with explanations Matt. 21 next week.

We will continue with Les.7 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 6

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 16-19

Chapter 19

Matthew 19:1-30
Matt. 19:1-24 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’5 “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?6 “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.9 “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:12 “For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24 “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel rope in the original) to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
19:1-24 And so be it, when Yah Shua shelems these words, and bears from Gelila and goes to the boundaries of Yah Hud crossing Yurdenan: and vast congregations come after him: and he heals them there.
RELEASING A WOMAN The Pherisas also approach him testing him and wording, If a human is allowed to release his woman for every pretext? And he answers, wording to them, Recall you not, that he who worked from the beginning, worked them male and female, and worded, Because of this a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his woman: and they two be one flesh? And then, not being two — but one body. So whatever God yokes, the sons of humanity separate not. They word to him, So why misvahed Mosheh to give a scripture of release to release her? He words to them, Mosheh, Because of your contrary hardness of your heart, allowed you to release your women: and from the beginning, it had not been thus. And I word to you, He who releases his woman — lest it be adultery, and takes another, adulterizes: and he who takes her who is released, adulterizes. His disciples word to him, If having blame between man and woman be thus, it is not beneficial to take a woman. And he words to them, Not every human is able to accept this word — except to whom it is given. For there have been eunuchs thus birthed from the womb of their mother: and there have been eunuchs becoming eunuchs by humanity: and there have been eunuchs who worked their souls to be eunuchs because of the sovereigndom of the heavens. Who is able to enable.
YAH SHUA RECEIVES LITTLE LADS Then they offer him little lads to place his hands upon and pray: and the disciples reprove them. And Yah Shua words to them; allow little lads and hinder them not to come to me: for as these has been the sovereigndom of the heavens. — and he places his hands upon them and goes from there. And behold, one comes, wording to him, Graced Doctor, what graced work I do to have eternal life? And he words to him, Why word you me, graced? None has been graced except if one — God: and if you will to enter life, guard the misvoth. He words to him, Which? And Yah Shua words to him, Slaughter not and adulterize not and thieve not and pseudo witness not and Honor your father and your mother and love your neighbor as your soul. The lad words to him, I guarded all these from my youth: What lack I?
EUNUCHS ETERNAL LIFE Yah Shua words to him, If you will to be perfect go and merchandise your acquisitions and give to the poor: and treasures be yours in the heavens and come after me. And the lad hears that word, and when he goes he sorrows for he has been having vast acquisitions. THE RICH AND THE SOVEREIGNDOM And Yah Shua words to his disciples, Amen! I word to you, that a rich man difficultly enters the sovereigndom of the heavens. And again I word to you, it is easier for a rope (some manuscripts read camel) to pass through the opening of a needle than a rich man to enter the sovereigndom of God. Aramaic NC

RICH YOUNG RULER PARAPHRASE
Good teacher. Why do you call me good? What must I do to inherit eternal life? Obey
the commandments. Which ones? Commandments 5-10. What do I still lack? Go, sell, give, come, follow.
I. Seeker and His Search.
A. Good Teacher.
1 This was only a teacher’s way of leading on a pupil.
2. Good meaning: originally, essentially, independently, infinitely, and immutably good, and the author and source of all goodness; which cannot be said of any mere creature only God. The German word for God is Gott, Good.
B. What Good Thing Must I Do? Matthew 24:11; 6:23; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:24,35
C. Which Ones? Romans 3:20
1. The law has failed to accomplish one of its chief purposes in the young man, in that it has not taught him his lack.
2.He had never gone below the surface of the commandments, nor below the surface of his act, or he would not have answered so jauntily. 1Timothy 4:2
3. Also, there is no way he could have kept all the commandments.

Scripture says: Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our [a]tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.Other translations say: master, schoolmaster, trainer, guardian, teacher, pedagogue, chaperon, governor, governess

I love the Phillips translation.

Gal. 3:24 Before the coming of faith we were all imprisoned under the power of the Law, with our only hope of deliverance the faith that was to be shown to us. Or, to change the metaphor, the Law was like a strict governess in charge of us until we went to the school of Christ and learned to be justified by faith in him. Once we had that faith, we were completely free from the governess’s authority. Phillips

The law killed: Galatians 2:19 NET For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God. Romans 7:9-10 NET And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death!

Now that we have responded to the law’s tutoring work, we are no longer under the tutor. Now that we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the law. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

D. (Rich Young Ruler asked) What Do I Still Lack?
teleios {tel’-i-os} meaning (mature, blameless, perfect) (“to be complete and wanting nothing.”)This is the same word for the mature in Christ.

Eph. 4: 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

1. For the rich young ruler it meant a complete revolution in his life; it meant giving up old positions of leadership and following despised Jesus of Nazareth; it meant casting in his lot with those twelve disciples, most of them of humble origin, and going from place to place as a recognized follower of One out of favor in high places. It meant the entire surrender of his life to Jesus Christ, and that he was not prepared to make his possession of riches was only an occasion by which the unwillingness to surrender expressed itself. Hebrews 4:12

2.Then the Master sent light right through the darkened cells of his inner life and revealed the fact that he was a self-centered man. He found that the power of the things that ministered to selfish desire was greater than the call from within him after goodness. It is obvious that he told an untruth and did not keep the commandments from birth.
E. The End of the Story?
1. If he goes back to the world, he goes back feeling more acutely than ever that it cannot satisfy him. He loves it too well to give it up, but not enough to feel that it is enough. Surely, in coming days, that godly sorrow would work a change of the foolish choice, and we may hope that he found no rest until he cast away all else to make Christ his own. A soul, which has traveled as far on the road to life eternal as this man had done, can scarcely from now on walk the broad road of selfishness and death with entire satisfaction. Mark 14:51; Matthew 21:29-32
II. The Perils of Trust in Riches
A. The Problems Wealth/Trust in Riches Creates:
1.duskolos {doos-kol’-oce}= with great difficulty
2.If once a man has possessed comfort and luxury, trusting in the world system, he always tends to fear the day when he may lose them. Life becomes a strenuous and worried struggle to retain the things he has. The result is that when a man becomes wealthy, instead of having the impulse to give things away, he very often has the impulse to cling on to them. 1Timothy 6:10; Revelation 3:17,18; Matthew 6:21

I believe in prosperity but prosperity in spirit, soul and body, not just money.

Matt.19:25-30 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.30 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
19:25-30 And when his disciples hear, being greatly astonished, they are wording, Who then is able to live? Yah Shua looks at them, and words to them, To humanity this is not possible and with God all is possible.
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP Then Kepha answers, wording to him, Behold, we forsake all, and come after you: — now what be ours? And Yah Shua words to them, Amen! I word to you— to you who come after me ,In the new world when the Son of humanity sits upon the throne of his glory, you also sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Yisra El: and every human who forsakes houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or woman or children or fields because of my name takes one hundred and inherits eternal life: and many first become final and the final first. Aramaic NC

A. With God all things are possible: It is possible for the rich man to be saved. God’s grace is enough to save the rich man; we have the examples of people like Zaccheus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Barnabas. These all were rich men still able to put God first, not their riches.
1. Jesus is not saying that all poor people and none of the wealthy enter the kingdom of heaven. That would exclude Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to say nothing of David, Solomon, and Joseph of Arimathea.

B. (27-30) Peter’s blunt question: What do we get for following You?
1. Therefore what shall we have? In contrast to the rich young ruler, the disciples did leave all to follow Jesus – so what would be their reward? Jesus tells of special honor for the disciples: you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The disciples will have a special role in the future judgment/justice, probably in the sense of administration in the millennial Kingdom.
a. As well, the apostles had the honor of helping to provide a singular foundation for the church (Ephesians 2:20), and have a special tribute in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14).

b. Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters: But there will be universal honor for all who sacrifice for Jesus’ sake; whatever has been given up for Him will be returned to us a hundred times over – in addition to everlasting life.
1). Hundredfold is obviously not literal in a material sense; otherwise, Jesus promises a hundred mothers and a hundred wives. Jesus will do more than make up what we have given up for His sake, but the return may be spiritual instead of material. Hundredfold certainly is literally true in the spiritual sense. 100 fold is infinity, more than you can ask, think or imagine.
2). Some of the ways we get our hundredfold:

· Joy in the Holy Ghost, peace of conscience and God’s love abundantly.
· Contentment. They shall have a contented frame of mind.
· God will stir up the hearts of others to supply their wants, and that supply shall be sweeter to them than their abundance was.
· God repays in this life, as He restored Job after his trial to greater riches.

c. But many who are first will be last, and the last first: In the previous words, Jesus promised that those who sacrificed for His sake and the sake of His kingdom would be rewarded. Then He said that though they would be rewarded, it would be different than man usually expects; because we usually believe that the first will be first and the last will be last. The parable in the following chapter will illustrate this principle.
1). Jesus lays it down that there will be surprises in the final assessment. It may be that those who were humble on earth will be great in heaven, and that those who were great in this world will be humbled in the world to come.

We will continue with Les.7 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 6

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 16-19

Matt. 16: 1-28 Continued:

MORE ABOUT BINDING AND LOOSING (Traditional View)

GATES SIGNIFY AUTHORITY FOR THE RULERS OF A CITY ALWAYS SAT AT THE GATES
BINDING AND LOOSING- AGAIN PART OF A BELIEVERS AUTHORITY,
BINDING AND LOOSING IS DONE WITH WORDS.
THE AUTHORITY OF BINDING AND LOOSING IS ON EARTH.

You have that authority. Prayer/Speaking/Declaring is one the ways to bind and loose. Matt. 6:10 Words bind and loose. Your words are your authority here on earth. Gen. 1:28, Prov. 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 puts it this way: The tongue has the power of life and death. The stakes are high. Your words can either speak life, or your words can speak death. Our tongues can build others up, or they can tear them down.

• What will you say—poverty or wealth?
• What will you bind—sickness or health?
• What will you loose—fear or faith?

I was taught to never bind something unless you also loose. Example: I bind sickness from this body and I loose the health of God.

Every believer is given the glorious privilege of overcoming their enemy and joining in the triumph of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, too many never seem to learn the connection between victory and their words. With an undisciplined tongue they talk their way into defeat snared by their own words. If they only could learn, not only just the power of God’s Word, but the power of their own words. It must be revealed to us how our words affect our ability to rule in the spirit. Although the ultimate kingdom of Christ will not be established until He returns at His Second Coming, we have permission, today, to put on display the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ by the authority that we have been given by Christ Himself. It cannot and will not happen until we discipline our speech, conforming to the principles of God’s Word.

Matt. 16:20-28 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?27 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.28 “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

16:20-28 Then he misvahs his disciples to not word to humanity that he is the Meshiah. YAH SHUA PROPHESIES HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION And from then Yah Shua begins to show his disciples how he is prepared go to Uri Shelem: and suffer much from the elders and the Rabbi Priests and scribes and slaughtered on day three and rise. And Kepha guides him and begins to reprove thereby, wording, So be it not to you, Lord: that these be to you. And he turns, and words to Kepha, Go you behind me, Satan! You are an offence to me: for you think not of God but of humanity. Then Yah Shua words to his disciples, He who wills to come after me is to deny his soul and take his stake and come after me.

DESTROY THE SOUL TO FIND THE SOUL For who wills to enliven his soul, destroys it: and who destroys his soul because of me, finds it: for what profits a son of humanity if he acquires all the world and destroys his soul? Or what gives a son of humanity in exchange for his soul? For the Son of humanity prepares to come in the glory of his Father with his holy angels: then rewards human by human as to his work Amen! I word to you, that we have humans standing here who perceive not death until they see the Son of humanity coming in his sovereigndom. Aramaic NC

Verse 20
h. He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ: Jesus was pleased that His disciples were coming to know who He was in truth, but He still didn’t want His identity popularly known before the proper time.
i. Before they could preach that Jesus was the Messiah, they had to learn what that meant.

Verse 21
Jesus begins to reveal the full extent of His mission.
a. He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things…and be killed: This must have come as quite a shock to His disciples. After fully understanding that Jesus was the Messiah, the last thing they expected was the Messiah would suffer many things and be killed.

1)Yet this was the predicted work of the Messiah (Isaiah 53:3-12). He must die, and He must after His death be raised the third day.

2). The suffering and death of Jesus was a must because of two great facts: man’s sin and God’s love. While His death was the ultimate example of man’s sin against God, it was also the supreme expression of God’s love to man.

Verses 22-23 Peter’s unwitting opposition of Jesus.

a. Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You! At this moment Peter had the remarkable boldness to rebuke Jesus. Peter did it privately (took Him aside). Yet he was confident enough to tell Jesus that He was wrong to consider going to Jerusalem to be killed.
1). It’s not hard to see Peter following these steps:
· Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah.
· Jesus compliments Peter, telling him that God revealed this to him.
· Jesus tells of His impending suffering, death, and resurrection.
· Peter feels this isn’t right, and he feels that he hears from God and therefore has some authority or right to speak.
· Peter begins to rebuke Jesus. “Began” suggests that Peter gets only so far before Jesus cuts him off.
· What Peter said didn’t line up with the Scriptures.
· What Peter said was in contradiction to the spiritual authority over him.
b. Get behind Me, satan! This was a strong rebuke from Jesus, yet entirely appropriate. Though a moment before, Peter spoke as a messenger of God, he then spoke as a messenger of satan. Jesus knew there was a satanic purpose in discouraging Him from His ministry on the cross, and Jesus would not allow that purpose to succeed. Jesus/Yeshua didn’t call Peter satan but addressed the spirit of satan which, of course, is the spirit of antichrist.

1). Peter is a perfect example of how a sincere heart coupled with man’s thinking can often lead to disaster.

Jesus’ call to disciples.
Verse 24 Jesus declares His expectation that His followers would follow Him by dying to self. (we discussed dying to self, but we will reiterate here)

Denying self means to live as an others-centered person. Jesus was the only person to do this perfectly, but we are to follow in His steps (and follow Me).
Dying to self involves reckoning, knowing, yourself dead to the old and alive to Christ.

Rom. 6:11 So you also must reckon/consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Word says that He must increase and I must decrease. Notice He must increase first and then I WILL DECREASE as I mature in Him. The Glory of this process is why men will seek death (to self). They really must come to the understanding that they are already dead. I am crucified with Christ.

Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. KJ

There are 2 laws: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Verses 25-27 The paradox of the cross: finding life by losing it.

a. Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it: We must follow Jesus this way, because it is the only way that we will ever find life. It sounds strange to say, “You will never live until you first walk to your death with Jesus,” but that is the idea. You can’t gain resurrection life without dying first.
b. What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Avoiding the walk to death with Jesus means that we may gain the whole world and end up losing everything.
c. He will reward each according to his works: This ultimate gain is given on this day. If we live life blind to this truth, we really will lose our own soul.
Verse 28 A promise to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
a. Some standing here… shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom: Jesus said this at this moment to emphasize an important truth. Walking with Jesus, (in Jesus) means a life of the power and glory of the kingdom of God. Jesus promised some of His disciples would see glimpses of that power and glory.

We will continue with Les.6 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 6

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS. 16-19

Chapter 16
Matthew 16:1-28
Explanation of Matt. 16:1-28 Continued:

C. Peter proclaims Jesus as Messiah.
1. (13) Jesus asks the disciples to tell Him who others say He is.
a. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi: Jesus again withdrew from the mainly Jewish region of Galilee and came to a place more populated by Gentiles. This was likely a retreat from the pressing crowds.
1). Caesarea Philippi lies about twenty-five miles [46 kilometers] north-east of the Sea of Galilee…The population was mainly non-Jewish, and there Jesus would have peace to teach the Twelve.
b. Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Jesus did not ask this question because He didn’t know who He was, or because He had an unfortunate dependence on the opinion of others. He asked this question as an introduction to a more important follow-up question.
2). Caesarea Philippi was an area associated with idols and rival deities. The area was scattered with temples of the ancient Syrian Baal worship. In Caesarea Philippi there was a great temple of white marble built to the godhead of Caesar…It is as if Jesus deliberately set himself against the background of the world’s religions in all their history and splendor, and demanded to be compared to them and to have the verdict given in his favor.

2. (14-16) A pointed question and a pointed answer.
a. Some thought Jesus was a herald of national repentance, like John the Baptist and some thought Jesus was a famous worker of miracles, like Elijah. Some thought Jesus was someone who spoke the words of God, like Jeremiah and the prophets.

b. Perhaps in seeing Jesus in these roles, people hoped for a political messiah who would overthrow the corrupt powers oppressing Israel.

c. The general tendency in all these answers was to underestimate Jesus; to give Him a measure of respect and honor, but to fall far short of honoring Him for who He really is.

d. Who do you say that I am? It was fine for the disciples to know what others thought about Jesus. But Jesus had to ask them, as individuals, what they believed about Him.
1). This is the question placed before all who hear of Jesus; and it is we, not He, who are judged by our answer. In fact, we answer this question every day by what we believe and do. If we really believe Jesus is who He says He is, it will affect the way that we live.

c. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God: Peter knew the opinion of the crowd – while it was complimentary towards Jesus – wasn’t accurate. Jesus was much more than John the Baptist or Elijah or a prophet. He was more than a national reformer, more than a miracle worker, more than a prophet. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.
1). We can surmise that this was an understanding that Peter and the other disciples came to over time. In the beginning, they were attracted to Jesus as a remarkable and unusual rabbi. They committed themselves to Him as His disciples or students, as was practiced in that day. Yet over time Peter – and presumably others of the disciples by this point – understood that Jesus was in fact not only the Messiah (the Christ), but also the Son of the living God.
2). Peter understood that Jesus was not only God’s Messiah, but also God Himself. The Jews properly thought that to receive the title the Son of the living God, in a unique sense, was to make a claim to deity itself.
3). The adjective living may perhaps have been included to contrast the one God with the local deities (Caesarea Philippi was a center of the worship of Pan).

D. (17-19) Jesus compliments Peter for His bold and correct declaration.
a. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven: Jesus reveals to Peter that he spoke by divine inspiration, even if he didn’t even know it at the time. In this, Peter was genuinely blessed – both by the insight itself and how it came to him.
1). We too often expect God to speak in strange and unnatural ways. Here God spoke through Peter so naturally that he didn’t even realize it was the Father who is in heaven that revealed it to him.
2). This also speaks to us of our need for a supernatural revelation of Jesus. If you know no more of Jesus than flesh and blood has revealed to you, it has brought you no more blessing than the conjectures of their age brought to the Pharisees and Sadducees, who remained an adulterous and unbelieving generation

b. I also say to you that you are Peter: This was not only recognition of Peter’s more Roman name; it was also a promise of God’s work in Peter. The name Peter means Rock. Though perhaps unlikely, Peter was a rock, and would become a rock. God was and would transform his naturally extreme character into something solid and reliable.

c. On this rock I will build My church: The words this rock have been the source of much controversy. It is best to see them as referring to either Jesus Himself (perhaps Jesus gesturing to Himself as He said this), or as referring to Peter’s confession of who Jesus is.
1). Peter, by His own testimony, did not see himself as the rock on which the church was founded. He wrote that we are living stones, but Jesus is the cornerstone. We could say that Peter was the first believer; that he was the first rock among many rocks. Many translate this as, “upon this rock of revelation I will build my church.”
2). Peter said as much in 1 Peter 2:4-5: Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

d. I will build My church: This is the first use of the word church in the New Testament, using the ancient Greek word ekklesia. Significantly, this was well before the beginnings of what we normally think of as the church on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
1). This shows that Jesus was anticipating or prophesying what would come from these disciples/apostles and those who would believe in their message that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
2). The ancient Greek word ekklesia was not primarily a religious word at all; it just meant, group or called-out group. In describing the later group of His followers and disciples, Jesus deliberately chose a word without a distinctly religious meaning.

More about the Ekklesia

Each time Jesus mentioned the church He referred to a governing body, not a place of worship. He referred to a group of people who were assigned to exercise authority to solve problems both in the spiritual and in the natural world. Every king and kingdom had an Ekklesia that governed its affairs. Jesus added a spiritual dimension to His kingdom when He said, “I will build my church (Matthew 16:18), because His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. He did not say He would build a worship center, synagogue, or even a cathedral. Jesus is the King and He has a kingdom so He needs an Ekklesia to govern the affairs of His kingdom. That is why He started the church.

The Ekklesia/Church is the governing body upon the earth.

4). Furthermore, this statement of Jesus was a clear claim of ownership (My church). The church belongs to Jesus. This was also a claim to deity: What is striking is the boldness of Jesus’ description of it as my community, rather than God’s.
5). Taken together, the promise is wonderful:
· He brings His people together in common: I will build.
· He builds on a firm foundation: On this rock I will build.
· He builds something that belongs to Him: My church.
· He builds it into a stronghold: the gates /governments of Hades shall not prevail against it.

e. And the gates/governments of Hades shall not prevail against it: Jesus also offered a promise – that the forces of death and darkness can’t prevail against or conquer the church. This is a valuable promise in dark or discouraging times for the church.
1). The Puritan commentator John Trapp explained the gates of Hades this way: All the power and policy of hell combined.
2). The gates of hell, i.e., the machinations and powers of the invisible world. In ancient times the gates of fortified cities were used to hold councils in and were usually places of great strength. Our Lord’s expression means, that neither the plots, stratagems, nor strength of satan and his angels, should ever so far prevail as to destroy the sacred truths in the above confession.

In reality the governments of Hades have no power, only assumed power. Remember, satan, a usurper, assuming powers he does not have.

f. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: This idea of Peter holding the keys of the kingdom of heaven has captured the imagination (and theology) of many Christians throughout the centuries. In artistic representation, Peter is almost always shown with keys.
1). Some people think that this means that Peter has the authority to admit people to heaven, or to keep people out of heaven. This is the basis for the popular image of Peter at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, allowing people to enter or turning them away. No, Jesus/ Yeshua has the keys to hell, death and the grave.

satan was also defeated by Jesus at the cross. Jesus/Yeshua said the ruler of this world has been judged (John 16:11).

The grave had to release Jesus. As it discharged Him, He rose and made a public spectacle of it. He disarmed the powers and authorities that were agents of destruction and paraded them through the heavenly realm as a defeated, conquered, and powerless foes. He publicly shamed them, conquered and crushed them. Col. 2:15

Revelation 1:18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of [a]Hades and of Death.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

2). Some people think that it also means that Peter was the first Pope, and that his supposed successors have the keys that were first given to Peter. Indeed, the Papal insignia of the Roman Catholic Church is made up of two prominent keys crossed together.

3). There is no doubt that Peter had a special place among all the disciples, and that he had some special privileges:
· He is always listed first in the listings of the disciples.
· He opened doors of the kingdom to the Jews in Acts 2:38-39.
· He opened doors of the kingdom to the Gentiles in Acts 10:34-44.

v. The idea that apostolic authority comes from Jesus, who gave it to Peter, who set his hands on the heads of approved and ordained men, who in turn set their hands on the heads of approved and ordained men, and so on and so on through the generations until today is nonsense. Authority is given to all believers.

Matt. 28: 18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

g. And whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven: The power for binding and loosing is something that the Jewish rabbis of that day used. They bound or loosed an individual in the application of a particular point of the law. Jesus promises that Peter – and the other apostles – would be able to set the boundaries authoritatively for the New Covenant community. This was the authority given to the apostles and prophets to build a foundation (Ephesians 2:20). And then given to all believers.

1). We should understand this as Jesus giving both the permission and the authority to the first-generation apostles to make the rules for the early church – and indirectly, the inspired writings that would guide all generations of Christians. The authority that Peter carries is not an authority which he alone carries, as may be seen from the repetition of the latter part of the verse in Matthew 18:18 with reference to the disciple group as a whole.
2). Binding and Loosing were administrative terms in daily Jewish life; whenever a Jew came up against the Law of Moses, that Jewish person was either bound or loosed in regard to that law. To loose was to permit; to bind was to prohibit. To loose was to free from the law, to bind was to put under the law. Their regular sense, which any Jew would recognize was to allow and to forbid. To bind something was to declare it forbidden; to loose was to declare it allowed. These were the regular phrases for taking decisions in regard to the law.
3). In daily Jewish life, this could be rather complicated. Here is one example from ancient rabbinical writings:

· If your dog dies in your house, is your house clean or unclean? Unclean.
· If your dog dies outside your house, is your house clean or unclean? Clean.
· If your dog dies on the doorstep, is your house clean or unclean? Ancient rabbinical writings took the issue on and decided that if the dog died with his nose pointing into the house, the house was unclean; if the dog died with his nose pointing away from the house, the house was clean.

This shows the absurdity of some Jewish laws. By the way, there were 613 of them.

More about binding and loosing:

TRUTH ABOUT BINDING AND LOOSING (Another View by Dr. Kelly Varner)

Matt. 16:18-19, KJV And I say also: You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
BIND = Strong’s #1210 = DEO = a primary verb; to bind (in bind, to put under obligation, used of the law, duty; to be bound to one, a wife, a husband-this speaks of MARRIAGE and COVENANT, of that which has been BOUND together by the Lord.
LOOSE = Strong’s # primary verb 3089= luo = destroy, dissolve, break up or break down, to do away with, to deprive of authority, whether by precept or act to declare unlawful.

KEY PRINCIPLE: WHAT YOU BIND (DECLARE LEGALLY BINDING) IS WHAT YOU ARE! Either CHRIST is bound to us or ADAM is bound to us. Adam was killed at the Cross. Everything now depends on HOW we think-how we THINK determines how we ACT-do you have a RESURRECTION (victorious) mindset? Are you attacking hell or is hell attacking you?
In Matt. 16:18-the Church is AGGRESSIVE against the GATES (the access or entrance to any state) of HELL (HADES = the unseen realm). The strategies and schemes that originate in DEATH and HELL come into the earth through people who are GATES, just as the Mind of Christ that originates in the Heavens comes into the earth through people who are the WINDOWS (FLOODGATES) OF HEAVEN (Mal. 3:10)!
Matt. 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
The Church has been DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED! It is time for us to attack the GATES (the spirits behind certain situations and circumstances) and bring His glory into the earth. The BODY OF CHRIST must lead the way and release His Kingdom by manifesting the character of Christ. We must take the LIFE of the Most Holy Place Out into the earth. We have NO VEIL over our face-the GLORY raises UP and OUT of His nature in us!
We are BOUND to Christ and His FINISHED WORK! We must AGREE in the earth with what has ALREADY BEEN BOUND COVENANTALLY in the Heavens (Amos 3:3). We are NOT binding the enemy, but rather with our LIFE and LIP binding ourselves to His PERSON and WORK. To not AGREE with HIM is to tear us LOOSE from His loving EMBRACE!
APPLICATION:
WE MUST BIND OURSELVES TO ALL THAT WHICH IS BINDING IN CHRIST:

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3).

AGREE with God about YOURSELF.
AGREE with God about YOUR FAMILY.
AGREE with God about YOUR CHURCH and MINISTRY
AGREE with God about AMERICA and the NATIONS.

4). As their rabbi, Jesus did this binding and loosing for His own disciples. Without using the same words, this is what Jesus did when He allowed them to take the grains of wheat in the field (Matthew 12:1-8).
5). Significantly, when it came time to understand the dietary laws of the Old Covenant in light of the new work of Jesus, God spoke to Peter first. He and the other apostles, guided by the Spirit of God, would bind and loose regarding such parts of the Old Covenant.
6). Paul was an example of this in writing to the church of Galatia. Legalism vs Grace.

7). This power is with the Church today.

We will continue with Les.6 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue

LESSON 5

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

CHPTRS.12-15

Matt. 15:21-39

Matt. 15:21 -28 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
15:21-28 YAH SHUA EJECTS A DEMON And Yah Shua goes from there and comes to the boundaries of Sur and Saidon: and behold, a woman — a Kenanaya of those boundaries, goes when shouting and wording, Befriend upon me, my Lord, son of David: my daughter is evilly guided by a demon. And he replies not a word to her: and his disciples approach and seek of him, wording, Release her: for she shouts after us. And he answers, wording to them, Are you not apostolized except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And she comes and worships him, wording, My Lord, help me. He words to her, it is not well to take the bread of the sons and to cast to the puppies. And she words, Yes, my Lord: even the puppies eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their Lord, and live. Then Yah Shua words to her, Behold, woman, how great your trust: so be it to you as you will.— and her daughter is healed from that hour. Aramaic NC

B. Jesus answers a Gentile’s request.
1. (21-22) Jesus is met with a request from a Gentile woman.
a. To the region of Tyre and Sidon: Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities, located some 50 miles (80 kilometers) away. Jesus went all this way to meet this one Gentile woman’s need. This shows remarkable and unexpected love from Jesus to this woman of Canaan.
1). Matthew’s used of the old term, Canaanite, shows that he cannot forget her ancestry: now a descendant of Israel’s ancient enemies comes to the Jewish Messiah for blessing.
b. Have mercy on me… My daughter is severely demon-possessed: This woman came to intercede for her daughter, and she provided a picture of an effective intercessor – her great need taught her how to pray. When she came to Jesus, she made her daughter’s needs her own.
c. Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! This Gentile woman also understood who Jesus was. Many of Jesus’ own countrymen didn’t know who Jesus was, but this woman of Canaan knew.
1). Perhaps this woman knew that Jesus had healed Gentiles before (Matthew 4:24-25; 8:5-13). Yet what made this encounter unique is that Jesus did those miracles as Gentiles came to Him in Jewish territory. Here, Jesus came to Gentile territory and met this woman.

2. (23-24) Jesus’ cold response to the request of the Gentile woman.
a. But He answered her not a word: Though the Gentile mother interceded for her daughter, Jesus did not immediately give her an encouraging reply. His reticence drew a more energetic and faith-filled response from the Gentile woman.
b. Send her away, for she cries out after us: It is likely that the disciples meant, “Send her away by giving her what she wants.” It is entirely possible that they just wanted her to go away, and the easiest way was for Jesus to fix her problem.
1). Send her away: The same verb in Luke 2:29 applies to a dismissal with desire satisfied.
c. I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel: Jesus defined the focus of His mission to His irritated disciples and to the Gentile woman. He made it clear that He was not sent to Gentiles like her.
2). It is fair to ask whether Jesus meant the lost sheep among the house of Israel or meant to say that Israel as a whole were lost sheep. Jesus’ instructions to His disciples in Matthew 10:6 (go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel) would seem to imply the latter.

3. (25-27) The Gentile woman’s persistent appeal to Jesus.
a. Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me! She responded to the rebuff from Jesus with increased dedication to prevail with her request. In so doing, the Gentile woman continued to show what a dedicated intercessor does.
b. It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs: Jesus continued to say discouraging things to the woman, yet this was not quite as severe as it might first sound. When Jesus called her one of the little dogs, He used little as a way to soften the harshness of calling her a dog. This softened the traditional Jewish slur towards Gentiles, which called them dogs in the most derogatory sense.
1). We are at the great disadvantage of not hearing the tone of Jesus’ voice as He spoke to this woman. We suspect that His tone was not harsh; we rather suspect that it was winsome with the effect of inviting greater faith from the woman. It is possible to speak harsh words in a playful or winsome manner.
c. Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table: The woman responded with great faith. She admitted her low estate and did not debate the issue when Jesus called her one of the little dogs. She did not demand to be seen as a child; but only to be blessed as a dog.
1). It was as if she said, Jesus, I understand that the focus of Your ministry is to the Jews – that they have a special place in God’s redemptive plan. Yet I also understand that Your ministry extends beyond the Jewish people, and I want to be part of that extended blessing.”
2). Her response is especially meaningful in light of the increasing rejection of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders. It was as if the woman said, “I’m not asking for the portion that belongs to the children, just the crumbs that they don’t want. In the flow of Matthew’s gospel, there was more and more that the Jewish religious establishment did not want to receive.

4. (28) Jesus rewards the great faith of the Gentile woman.
a. Then Jesus answered: Finally, the woman will receive an encouraging word from Jesus.
b. O woman, great is your faith! Jesus never said this to another person. He complimented the great faith of the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Matthew 8:10), but He said it to the crowd, not to the centurion directly.
This Gentile woman heard it from Jesus directly.
1)Significantly, the only two people to receive this compliment from Jesus were these Gentiles. This shows us that:

· Great faith may be found in unexpected places – not merely Gentiles, but a centurion and a woman!
· Great faith is sometimes measured from its disadvantages. Their faith was great because it did not have the advantage of being nourished by the institutions of Judaism.
· Faith is often greatest when it is expressed on behalf of someone else’s need.

c. Oh woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire: Her faith was great enough to receive her request – what she desired from Jesus.

· Her faith was great, even compared to her other virtues. She was humble, she was patient, she was persevering, she cared for her child. Yet Jesus didn’t compliment any of these good things, but only her faith.
· Her faith was great because it was unlikely. No one might have expected a Gentile to trust Jesus so much.
· Her faith was great because she worshipped Jesus even before she had an answer from Him.
· Her faith was great because it had been tested so severely. It’s hard to think of a greater test than a demon-possessed child; but her faith was also tried by the seeming indifference or coldness of Jesus.
· Her faith was great because it was clever. She turned Jesus’ word inside-out and made what might have been taken as an insult as a door open for faith.
· Her faith was great because it concerned a need right in front of her, and a real need at that. Many people have faith for everything except those things that are right in front of them.
· Her faith was great because it would not give up. She did not stop until she got what she needed from Jesus.
· You could say that her faith made a demand on Jesus. He not only healed her daughter, but He did so immediately, something that she had not even asked for.

1). We read of nothing else that Jesus did during this time in Tyre and Sidon. It would seem that His only divine appointment was to meet the need of this woman of faith and her afflicted daughter.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND HEALING IS EMPHASIZED THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT

Matt. 15:29 -39 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.
15:29-39 YAH SHUA HEALS THE MULTITUDES And Yah Shua departs from there and comes upon the side of the sea of Gelila and ascends a mountain and sits there: and vast congregations approach toward him — having been lame and blind and mute and maimed and many others, and they place them toward the feet of Yah Shua and he heals them: as the congregation marvels — they who see the mute wording and the maimed healed and the lame walking and the blind seeing: and they glorify the God of Isra El. YAH SHUA FEEDS FOUR THOUSAND And Yah Shua calls his disciples, and words to them, I befriend upon this congregation— behold three days they abide toward me and they have not whatever to eat: and I will to not release them when fasting lest they faint on the way. And his disciples word to him, Whence we have bread in the desolation to satiate all this congregation? And Yah Shua words to them, How many breads have you? And they word, Seven, and a few fragments of fish. And he misvahs the congregation to repose upon the earth: and he takes these seven breads and the fish, and glorifies and crumbles and gives to his disciples: and his disciples give to the congregation: and all eat, and satiate: and they take of the remainder of the crumbs and fill seven baskets: and they who eat, so be it, be four thousand men besides of women and lads. And when he releases the congregation he ascends a sailor and comes to the boundaries of Magdu. Aramaic NC

C. The feeding of the 4,000.
1. (29-31) Jesus ministers healing to the multitude.
a. Then great multitudes came to Him: Though Jesus briefly withdrew from the multitudes, He did not do so permanently. He still had work to do among the great multitudes.
1). Most commentators believe this marks a unique period in the ministry of Jesus, when He did His healing and providing work in the predominately Gentile region of Galilee. Especially correlating this with Mark 7:31-37, we see that this happened on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the region known as the Decapolis. As well, the remoteness of the place (in the wilderness, Matthew 13:53 its better with the eastern side.
2). These people were most probably heathen or semi-heathen, gathered from the region of the Decapolis (Mark 7:31).”(Morgan)
3). As Jesus healed and provided for this mixed or predominately Gentile multitude, it showed that the Gentiles in fact were getting more than just a few crumbs from the table.
b. They laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them: In this incident we read nothing about any faith on the part of those who were healed, except for the fact that they came to Jesus for help.
1). Among those brought were certain classed as kullous [maimed], which is usually interpreted ‘bent,’ as with rheumatism. But in Matthew 18:8 it seems to mean ‘mutilated’…Grotius argues for this sense, and infers that among Christ’s works of healing were the restoration of lost limbs, though we do not read of such anywhere else.
c. They glorified the God of Israel: Even in something as potentially self-promoting as ministry of healing, Jesus always drew attention to God the Father, the God of Israel. This multitude – most likely predominately Gentile – learned to praise the God of Israel.
1). The expression suggests a non-Israelite crowd and seems to hint that after all for our evangelist Jesus is on the east side and in heathen territory.

2. (32-39) The feeding of the 4,000.
a. I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way: This miracle follows the same basic pattern as the feeding of the 5,000, except that it reveals that the disciples were generally as slow to believe as we are (where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?).
1). Perhaps the disciples had not “expected Jesus to use his Messianic power, when the crowd was a Gentile one.
2). It is important to see that this is not just a retelling of the previous feeding of the 5,000. There are many differences distinguishing this from the prior feeding of the 5,000:

· Different numbers of those being fed.
· Different locales (on the western and the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee).
· Different seasons of the year, indicated by no mention of grass in the second account.
· Different supply of food at the beginning.
· Different number of baskets holding the leftovers, and even a different word for “baskets” in the second account.
· Different period of time of waiting for the people (Matthew 15:32).

b. The disciples gave to the multitude: Jesus did what only He could do (the creative miracle), but left to the disciples what they could do (the distribution of the meal).
c. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left: At the end of the meal they gather more, not less. The seven large baskets show that God provided out of His abundance.
1). And were filled: “The Greek word here is, in its proper signification, used of fattening cattle.” God always gives more than enough.
2). The way that the Messiah miraculously fed both Jews and Gentiles was a preview of the great Messianic banquet. This was greatly anticipated among the Jews of Jesus’ day, but they were offended by the idea that Gentiles would also attend.

MATTHEW NOW INTRODUCES THE THEOLOGICAL TURNING POINT IN HIS GOSPEL. Before Chapters 16 and 17, Jesus’ preaching has emphasized the kingdom and its ethics. Now the emphasis will shift to discipleship and to the cross.

We will continue with Les.6 next week.

The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22

David & Mary Sue