LESSON 5
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
CHPTRS.12-15
CHAPTER 12 Cont.’:
Matthew 12:41-50 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
12:41-50YAH SHUA PROPHESIES CONDEMNATION Men — the Ninwaya stand in judgment with this generation and condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Yaunan: and behold, a greater than Yaunan is here. The sovereigness of the south stands in the judgment with this generation RELATIONSHIP WITH YAH SHUA And when he words to the congregations: his mother and his brothers come and stand outside seeking to word with him: and a human words to him, Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to word with you. And he answers, wording to him who worded to him, Who is she, my mother? And who are they, my brothers?— and he stretches his hand toward his disciples and words, Behold, my mother and behold, my brothers! For all who work the will of my Father in the heavens, they are my brother and my sister and my mother. Aramaic NC
Explanations of Verses 41-50:
VERSE 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
VERSE 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
A. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it: Simply put, greater light requires greater judgment. Both Nineveh and the queen of the South repented even though they had a lesser light shining in their midst. The rejection of the greater light by the religious leaders was indefensible.
1. There are several ways that the witness of Jesus was greater than Jonah, not to mention that He was the Son of God.
· Christ, who preached to the Jews, was infinitely greater than Jonah, in his nature, person, and mission.
· Jonah preached repentance in Nineveh only forty days, and Christ preached among the Jews for several years. (3 1/2 years 42 months)
· Jonah wrought no miracles to authorize his preaching; but Christ wrought miracles every day, in every place where he went, and of every kind.
· Notwithstanding all this, the people of Judea did not repent, though the people of Nineveh did.
B. A greater than Solomon is here: Solomon was the son of David, and one of the great messianic titles of Jesus is Son of David. Jesus was a much greater Son of David than Solomon was. Because He was the Firstborn of many brethren Son of God.
Rom. 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
1. We again are impressed by the greatness of Jesus’ self-claim. To stand in front of these religious leaders and claim to be greater than Israel’s richest and wisest king was audacious. Yet the seeming audacity of Jesus was well justified.
VERSE 43-WHEN THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT IS GONE OUT OF A MAN, HE WALKS THROUGH DRY PLACES, SEEKING REST, AND FINDS NONE.
A. Jesus uses this occasion, in which he had just cast out a demon, to tell a parable concerning the Jewish nation as a whole.
1. He is not specifically referring to the man whom he had had just healed.
2. Remember that Jesus had been verbally sparring with the Scribes and Pharisees.
3. He is dealing with their unwillingness to accept the Savior who had been provided by the Father.
B. Some background about this verse.
1. This parable relate some common ideas that the Jews of his day held about demons.
2. The Jews thought that the demons preferred dry places to reside.
3. They also thought that the demons took advantage of people who borrowed water and would reside in crumbs or fragments of food.
C. It is obvious that Jesus did not subscribe to these common false notions of His day.
1. Jesus borrowed water from the Samaritan woman, commanded his disciples to gather up the fragments of food after feed the five thousand, and the four thousand, and often frequented desert places.
2. Jesus often used illustrations that were common in his day without endorsing them.
a. The wicked Judge.
b. The wicked servant.
3. This seems to be what Jesus is doing in this passage.
D. The interpretation.
1. It seems likely that Jesus is speaking of the time when John the Baptist began his work.
a. It appeared, at least at first, that based upon the multitudes that had come out to be baptized of John that the body (nation) of Israel was prepared for their Messiah.
2. He cast out the demon from the Jewish nation and prepared it for the Messiah.
3. When the Lord began his ministry it was ready for his work.
VERSE 44-THEN HE SAID, I WILL RETURN INTO MY HOUSE FROM WHERE I CAME OUT; AND WHEN HE IS COME, HE FINDS IT EMPTY, SWEPT, AND GARNISHED.”
A. When the Lord was rejected the Jewish nation was empty, devoid of the Father’s blessing and spiritual righteousness.
1. It was not ready to fall prey to any religious error and misfortune.
B. Having rejected God, it would be obvious that the Jewish nation would be seduced by the prince of demons- the devil.
VERSE 45-THEN HE GOES, AND TAKES WITH HIMSELF SEVEN OTHER SPIRITS MORE WICKED THAN HIMSELF, AND THEY ENTER IN AND DWELL THERE: AND THE LAST STATE OF THAT MAN IS WORSE THAN THE FIRST.EVEN SO SHALL IT BE ALSO UNTO THIS WICKED GENERATION.
A. The number seven is significant.
1. Seven is the number that the Jews considered total or complete.
2. If this demon went and fetched seven more, we would understand this to mean that the evil that would be caused by this legion of demons would be far, far, more than what had been done before the one was cast out.
B. THE LAST STATE OF THAT MAN IS WORSE THAN THE FIRST
1. This could mean the condition of the Jewish nation would be far worse after the rejection of the Messiah than before.
2. Josephus commented that it seemed that some curse was upon the Jews in the years immediately preceding the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD.
3. Untold thousands were slaughtered in fighting with the Romans and among themselves.
4. There was a sorry chain of religious hypocrisy, suffering, and calamities that began to unfold after the rejection of Jesus and concluded in the destruction of Jerusalem.
C. EVEN SO SHALL IT BE ALSO UNTO THIS WICKED GENERATION.
1. Jesus identifies when these great calamities would take place.
2.We should interpret this passage in the same way that we would treat Mark 9:1 and Matthew 24:34.
3. There would be those who had rejected Jesus who would be present when all these terrible events took place.
VERSE 46-WHILE HE YET TALKED TO THE PEOPLE, BEHOLD, HIS MOTHER AND HIS BRETHREN STOOD WITHOUT, DESIRING TO SPEAK WITH HIM.
A. HIS MOTHER
1. While Jesus’ mother has a place of honor among women for bearing the Son of God, she does not carry the high exultation that some place for her.
2. False doctrines concerning Mary:
a. That she never had sexual relations. Matthew 1:25
b. That she never had children other than Jesus.
c. That she never sinned.
d. That she was miraculously conceived herself to avoid the taint of original sin.
e. That she never died but had a bodily assumption into heaven.
f. That she is a co-mediatrix, can be prayed to and through to God. (Mediatrix refers to the intercessory role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in redemption by her son Jesus Christ and that He bestowed graces through her.)
g. These are all based on false assumptions.
B. His Brethren
1. Comes from the Greek word adelphos.
2. Thayer’s Lexicon identifies it as a brother (whether born of the same two parents, or only of the same father or the same mother).
a. According to Thayer this word denotes a blood relation.
3. See Matthew 13:55.
4. Matthew 1:25- tells us that Mary and Joseph had normal sexual relations after the birth of Jesus.
5. If these were not Jesus’ literal brothers, why should we judge that they were referring to Jesus’ literal mother.
6. If these were not his fleshly brothers why does Jesus draw the parallel to spiritual things and talk about brother, sister, and mother.
C. His brethren stood without, desiring to speak to him.
1. We will see that even though they may have not realized it, they were interfering with Jesus and his work.
VERSE 47,48-THEN ONE SAID UNTO HIM, BEHOLD, YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR BRETHREN STAND WITHOUT, DESIRING TO SPEAK WITH YOU. BUT HE ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM THAT TOLD HIM, WHO IS MY MOTHER? AND WHO ARE MY BRETHREN?
A. We will see that Jesus is not showing disrespect for his mother, but is going to teach a lesson on who his true spiritual brethren are-they that do his will.
B. Jesus loved and respected his mother.
1. Luke 2:51.
2. John 19:25-27.
VERSE 49-AND HE STRETCHED FORTH HIS HAND TOWARD HIS DISCIPLES, AND SAID, BEHOLD MY MOTHER AND MY BRETHREN!
A. Jesus moved from the physical to the spiritual plane.
1. He is teaching that the spiritual relationship that we have with the Lord and with fellow brethren super-cedes the relationship that we have with our fleshly families.
B. Concerning the spiritual relationship with Christ and the Father.
1. John 1:12,13.
2. II Corinthians 6:18.
3. Hebrews 2:11.
VERSE 50-FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN, THE SAME IS MY BROTHER, AND SISTER, AND MOTHER.
A. The only way for us to claim spiritual kinship with the Lord is to do his will.
B. The need for obedience.
1. Matthew 7:21.
2. John 14:15.
We will continue with Les.5 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