BLOWIN' SMOKE

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2006-11-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

I hope to open more studies very soon thank you for your patience with me.

GROWTH AND HARVEST

2006-10-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Mark 4:28-29 "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29. "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." the soil produces the crop by itself. However the idea of the soil by itself necessarily includes the power of the seed when placed within the proper environment. Even when these proper conditions do exist it is imperceptible on the short term observation. The sown field looks bare until there appears a faint green sheen over the brown soil similar to putting in a new Bermuda grass lawn. The Bermuda lawn rather soon shows the green sheen and then the individual blade as a whisker. When left unattended the plant will mature as seen as going to seed when the mature head produces more seed or grain as in this present example.
     An interesting note is that the term “by itself” is automate from which we get automatic or automatically. This is the power that will mature as seen as going to seed as the mature head produces more seed or grain in this present example. Our portion is to sow the good seed and let the conditions be left up to the Creator of the Word. Any time we are discouraged by our imperceptible vision of results we must remember the words God gave the prophet Isaiah in Is. 55:10-11 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  11.  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
     We view a great musician who begins out seeming to destroy our ears but over a period of years of study and practice results in a virtuoso. Also in view is the growth in spiritual realms by the continual feeding upon the Word of God. Solid rooting is assured and sanctification is the results of the pastor who continues to cast the good seed over his flock. He is sowing the seed so that the kingdom of God will be established upon the earth.
     Mark 4:29 "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
     This describes the time ripe for harvest. When the crop permits is in reference to a proper time for the harvest; not too early nor too late. This is a time of maximum yield for the farmer. This condition is dramatic in that the growing progress for the harvest is to be acted upon at once. The farmer immediately begins to harvest as he puts the sickle into his crop. He is keen to view the whole growing process to determine when the harvest has come.
     Theologians take two views on this passage. One group says that this man is represents Jesus who used his disciples to sow the seeds that bring in the kingdom until His final harvest is complete in the eschatological future. Others view this as picturing the gospel at work upon people’s lives. The Word is administered and God works within the individual’s heart. This may seem slow but in time God reaps the harvest in the individual and saves him.

The Mystery

2006-10-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

          Mark 4:26-27 and He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27. and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows how, he himself does not know.
It is our responsibility to know the gospel and proclaim the whole of it. This is our portion and our joy to see the furtherance of the kingdom as we sow the Word of God in all types of soil. Once we have done this part we then back off as the farmer finishes his hard day and goes to bed at night taking rest in a task well accomplished. The field is left into God’s care when he gets up the next day because he can do no more. This sequence; night and day is in the oriental thought as being the rest period of night begins the following day.
     After the sowing, the farmer must trust in the power of the seed and it’s Creator. He may water, weed, and fertilize but there is nothing he can do to sprout the seed. He must tend to other things and go about his routine life of going to bed at night and when he gets up by day he is left to observation as far as the seed is concerned. This is also true of spiritual things as Paul proclaims to the Corinthian believers in 1Cor. 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus the focus is on the kingdom of God. Nicodemus does not ask the question but Jesus answers any way in John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The seed must be planted in good soil and God will accomplish His will as Jesus explains this to Nicodemus in verse 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
     We as sowers must cast the good seed but the mystery of germination and growth is wholly of God. Spurgeon says, “You cannot, after the seed has left your hand, cause it to put forth life… we cannot create, we cannot quicken, we cannot transform, we cannot regenerate, we cannot save.” We are taught to be patient in this parable. The farmer casts seed upon the soil and returns to his work in preparation for his crop lest he be foolishly overwhelmed come harvest time. He patiently awaits the fruition of his sowing until he observes the seed as it sprouts up and grows.  This occurrence remains in Gods hand, it is a mystery limited from man’s knowledge and capacity to understand; how this happens, he himself does not know.
     Those who take offense to being told that they he himself does not know will invent something from their own imaginations to refute this clear truth. Spurgeon says, “The philosopher may say that he can explain life and growth, and straightway he will, according to the ordinary process of philosophy, bamboozle you with terms which are less understandable that ordinary talk of infants; and then he will say, ‘There is the whole matter it is clear as possible.’ He cloaks his ignorance with learned jargon and calls it wisdom.”

SPONTANEOUS GROWTH

2006-10-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

84. The parable of spontaneous growth

     Mark 4:26-29. And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;
27. and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows how, he himself does not know.
28. "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
29. "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

     This portion of scripture is included only in Mark’s gospel and should awaken us to pay particular attention to his inspiration. He has just given us the details on the sower and the soils and then pulled us out of sequence by the parenthetical explanation to His disciples after He had them alone.
     We look and find that Mark gives us this sequence of three sowing parables; the sower/soils (4:3-25), the germination and fruition of the seed (vv. 26-29), and the abundant growth we shall see in the mustard tree (vv. 30-32). These Markan parables taken in context tell us about human responsibility in the parable of the sower and soils. In this present parable of mysterious growing we learn of the sovereignty of God. In the next parable of the mustard tree we see the abundant growth obtained when these two powers operate harmoniously.
     Mark 4:26-27 and He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27. and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows how, he himself does not know.
     It is about this parable that C.H. Spurgeon says, “It is a parable for all who are concerned in the kingdom of God. It will be of little value to those who are in the kingdom of darkness, for they are not bidden to sow the good seed: Unto the wicked God saith, ‘what has thou to do to declare My statutes?’ But all who are loyal subjects to King Jesus, all who are commissioned to scatter seed for the Royal Husbandman, will be glad to know how the kingdom advances, glad to know how the harvest is preparing for Him whom they serve.”
     This is spoken to teach patience to the kingdom citizens in that there are things that they can actively contribute but there are also those which are out of their control and jurisdiction. The kingdom citizen can sow and he can reap but in between those points the seed is completely left in God’s hands. We are also to understand that no kingdom citizen lives in obscurity and no one is excluded in sowing the seed. Again Spurgeon says, “There is not within the family of God an infant hand which may not drop its own tiny seed into the ground… sacred service is within the reach of everyone’s capacity and carried by the feeblest hand where it shall multiply a hundred fold.

GOOD SOIL

2006-10-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:23. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."
Mark 4:20. "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
Luke 8:15. "And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.
     We now come to the good soil in which the seed was sown. This is the man who hears the word and understands it and is saved by it. It is truly said that the only barrier to salvation is unbelief. However, this parable is a call to examine one’s own soil to see if we are of the rocky type and have no firm root and are shallow. Are we thorny in our soil content? Is our heart more in concert with the things of the world than obedience to God’s Word? Are we a receptive hearer? Those sown by the road will never even consider these questions.
     The genuine believer has the seed that was sown on the good soil. The indicators that we are this kind of soil are made evident by the capability to hear the Word and understand it. This is the most primary indication; this word or seed is foolishness to the natural man (1Cor. 2:14). We know we are saved if we love the Word and our desire is to be obedient to it. Matt. 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Righteousness can only be determined in God’s Word where He defines His standards.
     The seed sown on good soil bears fruit. This fruit looks like that described in Gal. 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23. gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Fruit bearing does not save us but God saves us for the purpose of bearing that fruit. The fruit will reproduce on other good soil by the process of sowing the seed. Sowing the seed is another aspect of fruit bearing.
We have previously discussed that the average yield for a crop in Galilee would be about eightfold. We consider the yield of God’s seed by those who hear the word and accept it. These will bear fruit in yields of thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. This is a phenomenal rate of production.
Here is another point of examination and encouragement to those who hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance.  These who will hold fast to the seed are seen by giving it away. The Christian is excited that he has discovered how sin’s dilemma is conquered without compromising God’s justice. He thus wants to share in his discovery.
We look at how this seed penetrates the soil of Martin Luther. Luther was a Roman Catholic monk who described himself as the most insane papist, drunk with the pope’s doctrines, so immersed in them he would have killed anyone who detracted one syllable of obedience from the pope. Yet he could not understand that if the pope could empty purgatory by fiat, why would he not do so out of love rather than money?
Luther studied the seed and the seed found good soil one night as he struggled with the Latin phrase, simul iustus et peccator (at the same time just and sinner) found in many lectures on Paul’s letter to the Romans. He knew he was a sinner and was never going to be able to make himself acceptable to a righteous God. Luther was very well read on his theology and feared God greatly making him terrified of death. He sat and studied high in a tower in Wittenberg, Germany Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith."
Righteousness is the starting point and the theme of the gospel message. Luther said, “I hated Paul with all my heart when I read that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel.” He saw this as the obstacle to his eternal life because he was deeply aware of his own sinfulness and knew, because of that fact, he was unacceptable before God; his righteous Judge. This verse had seized Martin Luther with despair.
There are two connotations surrounding the righteousness of God in Rom. 1:17. The first is that it speaks of God’s holy hatred of sin. Luther was stuck in this first understanding. He said, “That expression, ‘Righteousness of God’ was like a thunderbolt in my heart.” Then he observed the second connotation, “As it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” He saw that this righteousness or justice was not something that God did against sinners but something that He gave to sinners. Justice, iustitia, was a favorable verdict rendered by the judge due to special circumstances. These special circumstances are that the Christian is helpless and by God’s grace He gives them faith in Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior from the wages of sin. The justified person cannot do anything to merit divine mercy or even have faith on his own.
Luther’s response was, “I felt myself absolutely reborn as though I had entered into the open gates of paradise itself.” This discovery bore the fruit of the Protestant Reformation that continues to bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

AMONG THE THORNS

2006-10-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19. and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Luke 8:14 "And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity

The third soil finds the seed sown among the thorns. These are the ones who have heard the word but are too involved with the worries of the world to bring any fruit to maturity. We have already heard that man cannot serve two masters and nor can God’s child love the world’s corrupt riches and pleasures. John tells us in 1John 2:15-17 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

So when we analyze this type of man we see that he heard the word and weighed the cost but has fallen for the world and the deceitfulness of its riches which are temporary. He goes for all the gusto of today and never thinks where it all ends. He lets the word get choked out with the so called riches and pleasures of this life as his goal. Paul tells us about this kind in 1Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.

The seed has a purpose of production and reproduction. In the case of the thorny soil it never has an opportunity to grow to maturity because the thorns, which are the worries or concerns of the world, overshadow it. The overpowering thorns choke the seed from life, hindering it from any production let alone reproduction.

ROCKY SOIL

2006-10-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:20-21 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy;
21. yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
Mark 4:16-17 "And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17. and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
Luke 8:13 "And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

The seed is now presented to the hearer who is represented by the rocky places or rocky soil. In their spontaneity they are emotionally enthralled with this new and wonderful experience. They hear and immediately receive the word with joy. There is a problem with this type of soil in that these have no firm root. We might say that this individual is superficial; he may have been duped by superficial religion that builds megachurches on cheap grace. There is no repentance because sin and God’s wrath is ignored from the pulpit and by the leadership. Therefore here is no counting the cost of being a follower of Christ and His lordship.

Churches have gone too long building their membership roles by encouraging a walk down the aisle to pray a formulaic “sinner’s prayer,” a rising of a hand, or a signing of a card. Euphoria and emotionalism reigns supreme making this disciple in the image of the marketing system but not born again in the image of Christ according to the Bible.

In due time his soil be will evident. His “Christian show” is only temporary in that when temptation, affliction or persecution arises because of the word of God he will immediately fall away. This time of temptation, affliction or persecution has a purifying effect on a local church that is deep rooted. When these difficulties become hard to bear then only those who are strong in the faith will suffer through the storm. Those superficially rooted will never weather the storm and will fall out rather quickly leaving only those strong in the faith to carry on the ministry.

MacArthur writes, “If a person’s profession of Christ does not involve a deep conviction of sin, a genuine sense of lostness, a strong desire for the Lord to cleanse and purify, a hungering and thirsting for righteousness and a love of His Word, along with a genuine willingness to suffer for His sake, there is no root to his spiritual life and it will be only a matter of time before his religious house falls.”

SOWN BESIDE THE ROAD

2006-10-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

Mark. 4:15 "And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

Luke 8:12 "And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Jesus now begins His explanation of the soils in private with the twelve and a few others (Mark 4:10). These are those whom it was granted eyes to see and ears to hear that which the unbeliever hears only as an unintelligible riddle.

Jesus begins His explanation in private with the twelve and a few others who were granted understanding as seen in Mark 4:10-11a And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11. And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God.

We now observe the factors of this parable. The first soil is described as that sown beside the road. This soil is hard packed to the point that it is nearly impossible for the seed/the word of the kingdom to make penetration into it. The seed has been presented, or heard but the hard soil is impervious to the seed’s effectiveness. This would describe one who had a heart of stone and does not care the least bit about spiritual matters. This soil is the person who thoroughly rejects God’s truth as foolishness. 1Cor. 1:18 For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. There is nothing wrong with the seed but there is something very wrong with the soil.

This soil has another problem other than being hard packed. The seed is recognized as a threat immediately by Satan thus he snatches away the seed that was sown beside the road. The seed has no possibility of germination in the heart of this person. This person will never have any sense of guilt or shame because the soil of his heart is so hard packed that it will never be broken up by conviction of sin. This is Satan’s work of removing any truth so this soil will remain sealed in darkness without hope. Mark describes the work of the devil in that he takes away the word from their heart so that they may not believe and be saved.

Scripture describes this kind of soil as a fool Prov. 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Ps.14:1a The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." This person is a determined unbeliever and in love with the world.

UNDERSTAND THIS

2006-09-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

     Matt. 13:18. "Hear then the parable of the sower.
     At this point we ask, “Who does this parable speak to?” The components are the sower, the seed, and the soils. We are told straight up that Jesus is the sower in verse 37 of Matthew’s gospel: The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. However, anyone who presents the Word of God to others would be a legitimate sower. The seed, Luke tells us, is the Word of God (8:11). And, the soil represents the hearers of the Word of God. This will be more fully developed as we continue.
     In the Great Commission we are told: Matt. 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20. teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." In this instance we would be sowing the seed of God’s Word and as we do this we are going to be working with various soils that are described in the parable. This task will have disappointment as the poorer soil is addressed but the harvest will happen and in this we can take comfort as sower of the seed.
     Mark 4:13. And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?
     We must understand that at this point Jesus has already finished presenting all the parables from the boat. This then would be a parenthetical passage that gives explanation of this parable of the soils that we witness before we delve into the others. His disciples have asked Him to explain to them the meaning as we have seen in verse 10, as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
     His question to them would be in an admonishing vernacular to awake them to give their attention intently.
     This particular parable of the soils gives the description of simple Christianity. Jesus said to them, His disciples, that the key to understand all other parables hinges upon this one.

THE PROPHETS' SEARCH

2006-09-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

     Matt. 13:17. "For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
     Jesus is teaching on the benefits that this present generation has hearing His voice. This generation has the very one the prophets spoke of to be enlightening them; the prophets in the scriptures did not have this luxury.
     He has just quoted the prophet Isaiah and then says, “Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it.” This very day the miracle of healing the dumb demoniac was a fresh example testifying to Jesus sovereignty over all elements of Creation. The locals in this day saw it happen. However, the prophet Isaiah Never saw anything as remotely close as this but lived in faith that it would happen. The disciples are also sovereignly blessed to hear from the very lips the teaching of that very One whom Isaiah prophesied. John explains in his gospel John 12:37-41 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; 38. that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 39. For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40. "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them."
     The Old Testament prophets studied what they had written to gain a better understanding of the promised salvation that God revealed but still remained veiled. Heb. 11:13. All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Peter also alludes to this same fact: 1Pet. 1:10-11 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, 11. seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
     Isaiah saw clearly the need for repentance of his nation yet could not get his people to see what he saw. Jesus encountered the same frustration in this same rebellious nation who refused to see the truth. But, the nation of Israel in Jesus’ day had the perfect Prophet, who knew all things and created all things, giving them a much clearer picture than that of the prophets of old.

TONGUES

2006-09-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

     Matt. 13:16. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
     This verse is directed at His disciples asking the question of verse 10, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” His disciples did not have the dull heart that the religious leadership did and therefore were blessed with eyes that could see and ears that could hear. They were desirous and also blessed with the distinguishing grace of understanding.
     MacArthur explains more on the topic of this distinguishing grace and the judgment that ensues to those who are dull in heart. He writes, “The gift of languages in the early church was still another form of judgment on unbelievers. Quoting from Isaiah 28:11, Paul wrote, “In the law it is written, ‘By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,’ says the Lord.  So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers” (1Cor. 14:21-22). Tongues were manifested in an astounding and dramatic way on the day of Pentecost and continued to be manifested from time to time during the apostolic age as a form of testimony against those who refused to believe. The Lord first gave His truth to Israel in simple, clear teaching; and when that was ignored, He spoke to them in parables, which, without explanation, were no more than meaningless riddles. Finally He spoke in unintelligible languages that could not be understood at all without translation.”

HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY

2006-09-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:13. "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
We are now brought to the human responsibility side of the equations Christ places the responsibility squarely on them who see nothing revealed in his words but see His words only in parables. These are those like the religious leadership who refuse to understand the words that reveal the mystery of the kingdom. Because while seeing they do not see anything revealed by God but only that which they have contrived in their own imagination. The miracles that were clearly demonstrated by Jesus to the religious leaders were deemed, in their sight, as attributed to the working of Satan and not of God. While seeing they did not see anything but what they desired.
This principle is also laid out upon their auditory experiences as it is with their visual method of receiving information. Not only do they see what they want to see, but they hear only what they deem fit. Jesus explains that those who are irresponsible have no one but themselves to blame. While hearing they do not hear and therefore will be non-responsive to the information that they received. Nor do they understand because they reject the revelation of God only to replace His truth with their own psychological rationalization.

DISTINGUISHING GRACE

2006-09-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

     Matt. 13:11-12. And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12."For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
     Within this very passage we find God’s sovereign and distinguishing grace as stated, “To you it has been granted, but to them it has not been granted.” We cannot get around the fact that scripture teaches distinguishing grace.
God is sovereign but we cannot compromise the twin fact that man is also responsible for his actions.     These are truths that scripture plainly teaches and yet seem paradoxical to the human logic. These truths are only a paradox to the finite reasoning of man but there is none of this with the Author and Creator of these truths. We cannot favor one of these truths without hindering the veracity of the other when we stand in the place as His mouthpiece. If we do so we misrepresent our Lord and His Word.
Throughout history good Christian folks have debated the positions known as Arminianism and Calvinism. Each side opposes the other for taking an unbalanced position. God’s sovereignty to the exclusion of man’s responsibility is what the Arminian accuses the Calvinist. The Calvinist charges the Arminian of usurping God’s authority in this distinguishing grace, or that Man is sovereign in his ability to accept or reject the grace that God has to offer in man’s salvation. When one carefully teaches everything God’s Word has to say on these issues we must take Him at His Word and let His pure and unfiltered meaning flow out of the text. When we do so, we will catch glimpses of just how encompassing our infinite God is as He shows us Himself. This in not unlike Moses encounter with his one on One communion with the great I Am. Notice as God plainly claims sovereignty over His grace and its distribution in Ex. 33:18-23 Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!" 19. And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." 20. But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" 21. Then the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22. and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23. "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen."
With respect to understanding and possessing the grace to know the mysteries of the kingdom, we are told that whoever has this knowledge, to him shall more shall be given. This understanding begins as the seeds are sown in the good soil and produces a crop. On this basis he shall have an abundance. These are those who have a kingdom vision by their grace given knowledge to see their direction toward that goal which is the open and narrow gate into the kingdom of eternity.
On the other hand, whoever does not have this gift of the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom, even what little knowledge of it he does have shall be taken away from him. This is the forever lost soul who wanders aimlessly through life without a compass or any sense of eternal direction. His goal will never take him to anything of eternal benefit.
These two verses summarize the parable of the sower with fuller explanation to come. But before Jesus explains His parable, He continues to explain the reason that He is teaching in this parabolic manner.

The Granting

2006-08-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:10-13.  And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables? 11. And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12. "For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13. "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Mark 4:10-11. And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11. And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parable

Luke 8:9-10. And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable might be. 10. And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

     By divine inspiration, our gospel writers have broken chronological sequence to share the reasoning as to why Jesus has begun His parabolic teaching method. Jesus is speaking to the crowd from a boat throughout this discourse. Mark tells us: as soon as He was alone His twelve began asking Him about the parables. This would have taken place after the multitude had scattered and Jesus would have had opportunity to commune with His closest in an intimate environment.
     With these verses we find two peoples; separate and distinct. There are those who it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom and there are those who are outside of this knowledge. Those who are outside this granted revelation get everything in parables. This is to say that Jesus’ parables make no impact upon this latter group.
     It is quite clear, and will become even more so, that religious Israel had no use for the sovereignty that this “carpenter’s son” had to offer them. By rejecting Jesus, the perverted religious nation rejected the very God whom they professed to represent. The Jews envisioned a messiah king who would set up a nation to rule all other nations in which they would be highly favored. They did not understand that the kingdom would be one devoid of sin and one of eternal peace. Jesus did not fit the mold that the scribes and Pharisees had designed for God to deliver their king from.
     Jesus is now teaching in parables about this mystery kingdom of God (heaven) that only certain ears could grasp. This was not an unfamiliar concept in the Gnostic realms of philosophy. The Gnostics believed that anything that had physical matter was evil and only that of the spiritual realm was good. Only the certain ones with special knowledge – gnosis – could understand spiritual things and therefore the Gnostics deemed themselves privileged and on a higher intellectual plane than others. Jesus is taking the opposite position in that He was not teaching philosophy (the wisdom of man) but that God; the Father would open the ears of His chosen to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. In the same context we view Acts 11:18 And when they heard this, they quieted down, and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life." Repentance is the visible fruit of regeneration which is only born by the granting.
     When we zoom out we witness the whole of Creation under God’s sovereign reign Ps. 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all. This would include Satan and his demons, who are allowed certain freedoms for the present, but limited time. Rev. 20:1-4 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3. and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
     Until Christ comes back, in the flesh, to set up His physical kingdom on this earth, He reigns on earth through His church as it is witnessed by His true subjects bowing to His Lordship. We view this in what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer: Matt. 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. God’s reign now on this earth is over a spiritual kingdom which began with Christ’s rejection and subsequent crucifixion. This is known as the church age. The church – ekklesia – the called out ones, are the testimony to their King as they do His will on this earth. This present kingdom, in its truest form exists spiritually by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of His subjects while the King is yet absent in the physical sense.

NOW; CAN YOU HEAR ME?

2006-08-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13: 9. "He who has ears, let him hear."

Mark 4: 9. And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Luke 8: 8b. As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

     Jesus has had, on this day, a very intensive confrontation with the religious leaders. He had taken direct opposition to their orthodoxy in open view of even some of those who are continuing to listen to Him right here by the Sea of Galilee. It is important to understand that He was becoming less and less welcome within the circles of those in charge of religion. Therefore the ears of the public became the very soil in which He was sowing His messages.
     The ears of the religious were closed to the glorious gospel that offered them the salvation that they saw no need for. He explained to them that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven (Matt. 13:31) on this same day. Hendriksen aptly says, “Is it not lack of receptivity that which, if persisted in, leads directly to the unpardonable sin?
     The hearer is warned by this verse that more important information lies beyond the surface of simple hearing. He who has an ear, which would certainly be everyone listening, let him hear is a call to pay close attention.
     William Barclay gives insight by an example of one speaking a playful pun. He writes, “A jest’s prosperity lies not in the tongue of him who tells it, but in the ear of him who hears it. A jest will succeed when it is told to a man who has a sense of humor, and who is prepared to smile. A jest will fail when it is told to a humorless creature, or to a man who is grimly determined not to be amused.

GOOD SOIL PRODUCES

2006-08-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:8. "And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Mark 4: 8. "And other seeds fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Luke 8: 8a. "And other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great."

The fourth type of ground is the good soil. In this type of soil the seed fell and could easily penetrate as to take root unhindered and grew up. The fruition is stated as they, the seeds, yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold. This is a phenomenal ratio because the typical yield in this place and time in the world would have been somewhat less than eightfold.

THORNY GROUND

2006-08-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:7. "And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

Mark 4:7. "And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

Luke 8:7. "And other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it, and choked it out.

As with the rocky soil, the thorny ground appears just like the good soil with the exception that the plow will dig deep with ease. The problem with this soil is that it is unrecognizably full of the fibrous roots of the perennial weeds that are now dormant and ready to spring to life.
In this third kind of soil some of the sower’s seed fell and the thorns came up and choked them out. This is due to the strength with which the weeds grow that good seed cannot overcome. As with the rocky ground, this is other seed that fell among the thorns yielded no crop.

ROCKY SOIL

2006-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:5. "And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.
6. "But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Mark 4: 5. "And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6. "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Luke 8: 6. "And other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

     Other seed fell on soil that had a limestone subsurface covered only by a shallow layer of fertile ground. This is also common to the area around the Sea of Galilee. Matthew describes this as soil that had no depth. The seed would quickly germinate and grow root until it was turned by the underlying rocky strata. Thus these plants immediately sprang up.
     As the plants got larger their demand for moisture increased at a rate that the soil could not provide. Luke records, “It had no moisture.” These tender seedlings would fall prey to the sun after it had risen; dehydrating what little moisture was remaining.
     In good soil the root would seek moisture at the deeper levels, but these roots hit firm into rock so that they were scorched and withered away. One may accurately ascertain that because they no depth of soil to grow in, they had no root to draw moisture or sustenance.

THE SOWER

2006-08-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13: 3b. saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow;
Mark 4:3. "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
Luke 8:5a "The sower went out to sow his seed;

     It is likely that Jesus looked out over the land and actually saw the sower, as did all who were attending His teaching. He would be wearing a seed bag much like a newspaper boy carries his papers, slung over his shoulder. He casts out seed randomly yet methodically to gain ample coverage over his field.
     We again find Jesus speaking the word “behold” indicative of the necessity of paying close attention.

Matt. 13:4. and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
Mark 4:4. and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Luke 8:5b. and as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the air ate it up.

     The fields would be long narrow cultivated strips with paths or right of ways separating them. This would the road that passers by would use. As the sower was sowing, the wind or an unintentional cast would land the seeds beside, or on, the road where it would be trampled under foot and pulverized. Another way the seed would be rendered ineffective would be by the birds feeding upon a very accessible meal. We find Jesus explaining that the birds came and ate them up.
     These paths were like the ones in section 60 (Matt. 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5) where the Pharisees admonished Him for allowing His disciples to profane the Sabbath by picking and eating the grain as they walked a similar path.

INTERPRETATION

2006-08-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

Extreme care must be exercised in the interpretation of the parables that that the true understanding of Jesus’ teaching is discovered in its purity. This is so we do not slip into allegory as many have done in the past. Lewis Johnson prefaces his exposition with two proverbs: Prov, 26:7 Like the legs which hang down from the lame, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Prov. 26:9 Like a thorn which falls into the hand of a drunkard, So is a proverb in the mouth of fools. He then says, “The proverbs are enough to deter the most intelligent of interpreters, how much more the common lot of them!” He then says, “We shall attempt to be careful in the treatment of them.” I am in total agreement with him in that there is caution in the explanation of the parables that no unwarranted meaning is forced into the text. The allegorist would micromanage the text that every detail represented something. We shall look only to the surface of the text.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH

2006-08-16T18:50:00.001-07:00

The parables center around the word mysteries – musterion – defined as truth that is now revealed that had been previously hidden. These new concepts describe God’s kingdom, not in its nature, but in its time of manifestation. This is the interlude or gap between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks. Dan. 9:24-27 "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. 25. "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26. "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27. "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." This is the mystery of the church age that was unknown before the cross.
The parables teach that this time of the church will end and that the kingdom will climax in a separating judgment. Matt. 13:41-43 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42. and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43. "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH

2006-08-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

HOPE FOR ISRAEL

2006-08-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

     At the time that the parables were spoken Judaism had fallen to man’s devices and no longer resembled the true teaching of God and had been rendered ineffective by the wisdom of those left in charge of it. Paul explains the religionists in Rom. 1:21-25 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22. Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23. and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. 25. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
     There is good news (gospel) proclaimed by John in Matt. 3:2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This same news is also proclaimed by Jesus 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The question that must surface is: “If Israel rejected Messiah, her King, has God’s plan been thwarted?” This question is addressed in the parables.
     The underlying truth about the kingdom is that it would be postponed until Israel would believe and receive her King. Zechariah prophesied this fact in Zech. 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born."

KINGDOM CONCEPTS

2006-08-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

     Before we begin to explain the text of the parables in a near view, we must zoom out to see the total point of what Jesus is teaching from His “nautical pulpit”. Overall He lays out these parables to describe mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Again, we must understand that when we find the two terms: kingdom of heaven, or kingdom of God, they refer to the same thing. This is made evident as we compare parallel texts.
     The intention of the parables is to communicate new information that had not been previously revealed by the prophets in the Old Testament. Kingdom concepts begin with Gen. 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. The kingdom will be consummate as explained in the New Testament: Rev. 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. 14. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
     Adam failed in his reign as he allowed Satan, the adversary or deceiver, to usurp his kingdom. In God’s economy this was allowed for a time but not forever. Man, as rightful ruler of creation, would receive it back in the fullness of God’s timetable. This was plainly understood by the Jews who knew that Messiah would come and reign over them at some point. However, man is corrupt in his nature and will allow his will to overshadow God’s will if he is left to his own devices. This is Israel’s story.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOILS

2006-08-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Matt. 13:3b-23
3b. "Behold, the sower went out to sow;
4. and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
5. "And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.
6. "But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7. "And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.
8. "And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
9. "He who has ears, let him hear."
10. And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"
11. And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
12. "For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13. "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14. "And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
`You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
15. For the heart of this people has become dull,
16. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
17. "For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18. "Hear then the parable of the sower.
19. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
20. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy;
21. yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
22. "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

Mark 4:3-25
3. "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
4. and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5. "And other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6. "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7. "And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8. "And other seeds fell into the good soil and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
9. And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10. And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11. And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12. in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven."
13. And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?
14. "The sower sows the word.
15. "And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16. "And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17. and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18. "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19. and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20. "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
21. And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?
22. "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light.
23. "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
24. And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides.
25. "For whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

Luke 8:5-18
5. "The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the air ate it up.
6. "And other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
7. "And other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it, and choked it out.
8. "And other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
9. And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable might be.
10. And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
11. "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
12. "And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13. "And those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
14. "And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
15. "And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

NAUTICAL PULPIT

2006-08-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

PARABOLIC MYSTERIES ABOUT THE KINGDOM

82. The setting of the parables
Matt. 13:1. On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea. 2. And great multitudes gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the beach. 3. And He spoke many things to them in parables,

Mark 4:1. And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very great multitude gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

Luke 8:4. And when a great multitude were coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

     Jesus has delayed His family long enough who has stood outside the door calling for Him. He cuts his lesson at the point of explaining the eternal family and leaves the house where He has been confronting the traditional and orthodox. Now on that day, the same in which He healed the demon possessed man (Matt. 12:22), Jesus went out of the house and most likely conversed with His family and received nourishment from them so He could continue to deal with this great multitude.
     He has the ire of the top men in religion and the attention of a great multitude. Luke even tells us this gathering of people included those from various cities were journeying to see Him. He would talk to all without distinction; young and old, rich and poor, men and women, Jew and Gentile.
     It is interesting to note that Mark says, “Again” that He taught by the sea. He doesn’t elaborate of give us the other occaision(s) specifically but we note that He was unlimited to the places where He would teach. He would spend time in the temple and synagogues but as the friction between the religious and Himself escalated, He would teach in more public arenas. Even when He would enter the synagogues He would find eager listeners with the exception of the scribes and Pharisees. These would eventually ban Him altogether from the territory they had hijacked.
     We witness Jesus departing to the outside and beyond where the multitudes would continue to follow Him. It is fortunate in this case that He knew the fisherman so that a boat could be available for His pulpit. Had this method of escape not been provided the crowd could have crushed Him or pushed Him into the sea.
     Ken Wuest gives us insight as he writes on Mark’s gospel:
“The word here is ploion, not ploiarion as in 3:9, the distinction there noted being that the former was a large vessel drawing too much water to be brought right into shore, and the latter being a rowboat used to reach the shore from the larger vessel. Mark’s source is generally conceded to Peter. The latter was a fisherman and owned both types of boats. It would seem therefore that Peter would make a clear distinction between them in reporting this incident to Mark. All of which means that the boat Jesus kept in readiness for escape purposes from the crowd that might crush Him, was a rowboat, and the boat from which He preached, was a larger vessel, moored close to shore. With a narrow strip of water between Himself and the crowd, Jesus taught them. The acoustics on a lake shore are excellent. One can hear and understand the human voice quite a distance.”
     He got into a boat and sat down. We again find this rabbinical custom where the teacher, or rabbi, has called his class to order demanding their full attention indicated by when he sat down. In this position he would command full authority over his students and would display that class was in session.
     Jesus’ students are defined as the whole multitude that was standing on the beach, or as Mark puts it, by the sea on the land.
     It was from this time on that His teaching style became more parabolic in nature. We have touched on some of this method of teaching but now it will become a major part of Christ’s teaching. He will explain the reason as to why He would teach this way in this next section where we will view several of His parables in succession.
     We have previously defined parables as stories that use common physical examples to explain the supernatural or spiritual realm in its reality.

NAUTICAL PULPIT

2006-08-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

PHARISEEISM

2006-08-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:49. And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! 50. "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

Mark 3:34. And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers! 35. "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother."

Luke 8:21b. "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

     Jesus identifies spiritual family ties as He shows the protagonists by stretching out His hand toward His disciples and then repeats the initial word that brought about the interruption; “Behold!” This is Jesus’ method of focusing directly on the information that was brought in by His personal family, who was trying to get Him out of His predicament. He is in no way being condescending to His family who He loved even more than they did Him. He came to offer them the salvation that begins and ends in Him as He did with everyone else including His enemies.
     It is at this point His Father is factored into the spiritual family. "For whoever does the will of My Father, he is My brother and sister and mother." MacArthur writes, “Until a person believes in Christ, God cannot give him any spiritual help, and that person cannot give God any spiritual service.”
     The religious were selling reformation as evidenced in Phariseeism. Reformation is a man made adjustment in the way he makes moral decisions which doesn’t make him spiritually alive. This is what is so deadly about selling false conversion; it insulates the spiritually dead from coming into contact with the truth that regenerates. Phariseeism can generate self-satisfaction but Jeremiah tells us about that in Jer. 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”
     Jesus has just been accused of healing a demon possessed man by the power of Satan, yet He still offers a universal call to those who would listen in the word “whoever”. "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." This call to do the will of God is extended to all peoples. So the question and answer as to what the will of God is found in John 6:28-19 They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29. Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
     If one truly believes (is a Christian) he will show his love for the Father’s gift of the Son by living in obedience to what the Son has commanded.

THE INTERRUPTION

2006-08-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12: 47. And someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You." 48. But He answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?

Mark 3: 32b. and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." 33. And answering them, He said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?"

Luke 8:20. And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You." 21. But He answered and said to them,

     By means of relaying the message, Jesus’ attention is commandeered by those outside seeking Him. It was reported to Him verbally, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” Behold is an important proclamation that Matthew and Mark relate. This would command that the spokesman obtain the sole attention of everyone around. We are not specifically told who this person is or what his motive behind the proclamation would be. I believe that this person is a representative sent from Jerusalem as seen in Mark 3:22. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons." Could this be an opportunity for the battered religious to retreat, regroup, and avoid ridicule? We cannot be certain.
     Jesus is not embarrassed or rattled by the sudden outburst but takes opportunity to teach the people about spiritual relationships that His kingdom brings. Mark and Luke say that Jesus answered them. Matthew however, tells us that He answered the one who was telling Him that His family was outside. I believe that this discourse is toward the spokesman for the religious leadership to educate them about true spiritual relationships that go beyond the flesh. As God incarnate, He asks, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”  This monumental question is posed to those pretenders who would say that they were without question on the inside of God’s will.
     This simple question goes much deeper than what is observable. The more difficult question which the religious should have easily known was missed completely; not even asked or brought up. The question not asked is: “Who is my Father?” The religious leadership did not even know God staring them in the face.

INDOOR TEACHING

2006-08-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:46 While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

Mark 3:31-32a And His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him, and called Him. 32. And a multitude was sitting around Him

Luke 8:19 And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.

The scene is described as multitudes and a multitude was sitting around Him. This was the customary position for the rabbi to teach his students, for when he sat down the lesson began and attention was demanded. When he stood he relinquished his position of teaching and that which he would then say would be considered unofficial or non-compulsory. His admirers would still follow him as he would walk to capture any tidbits of information that he would leave to them on this informal transition.
     The inner group sat in a circle around Him while those at the further distance would stand so they could hear and see as the rows progressed outward. This group is defined as multitudes with such a great gathering of people that they were standing outside.
     During the discourse with the religious, there came the interruption by His mother and brothers who were standing outside. Matthew tells us that they were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. The people were so dense that they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.
     By observing the parallel accounts this is overcome by, as Mark tells us, they sent word to Him, and called Him.

All in a day's work

2006-08-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

We have seen a lot transpire in this very day and more to come in the next section that will begin a study in the parables. The day started with Jesus healing the afflicted and moving on to the demon possessed man who was blind and dumb. At this point the religious leadership accuses Jesus of doing these miraculous works by the power of Satan. This drew His first public confrontation of the orthodox religious representatives when they asked Him for a sign of some bizarre magnitude. He labels them an evil and adulterous and evil generation and promises them condemnation twice.
Mark gives important information at the beginning of this altercation that must be seen in the context of what is transpiring while He is teaching in a house. Mark 3:20-21 And He came home, and the multitude gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. 21. And when His own people [His mother and brothers and sisters] heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses." The motive of His family is to protect Him from getting Himself any deeper into a situation that is not getting any better. He obviously has a magnetism about Him that will easily draw a crowd’s attention. However any crowd has the potential to become a chaotic mob. When we view the friction He has with the religious leaders, for whom most of the public sided, there is a recipe for disaster in the making. It is easy to see a mother who would say anything to defuse a situation that threatens her son. This is what is going on here but that still leaves room for internal jealousy between his brothers toward Him. We find them named in Matt. 13:55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Mark 6:3 "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him. We are also given additional information as toward their attitude of Him in John 7:3-5 His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold Your works which You are doing. 4. "For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." 5. For not even His brothers were believing in Him.

THE LAST STATE

2006-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Vv 43-45. "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. 44. "Then it says, `I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45. "Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."
Unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order describes the vacuum of the human heart whose chemotherapy is repentance, not morality. The Jews returned to Jerusalem, not with repentance but a system of fundamentalism that focused, not on blessings reaped by obedience to God’s Law, but to their own manmade laws that focused on what was not to be done.
That which starts out as a positive moral idea, that is devoid of repentance or true living spirituality, is nothing more than a time bomb that awaits opportunity to justify the lusts that have compounded as it matures in self-justification. Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked that itself, and they go in and live there. Morality has now blinded the religious and Satan perfectly dwells within their camp and they are oblivious to the fact that they are possessed.
This is the last state, a state desensitized to sin, to where man has become worse than he was in the first place. Israel and her religion now has no resemblance of what God had so graciously given to them for their own protection. They had swallowed the hemlock of Satan and now could not even recognize the very God that was trying to save them from themselves.
He tried to open their eyes with familiar texts of Jonah and Solomon to no avail. Therefore, He prophesies to the group that would crucify Him, “That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” Morality was the damnation of the scribes and the Pharisees who led the Jewish people in a direction that held no hope of receiving their kingdom’s blessings.

HAUNTED HOUSE

2006-07-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Vv 43-45. "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. 44. "Then it says, `I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45. "Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."
These present passages are what S. L. Johnson calls “a compact eerie little parable of a haunted house.” This relates to Israel who had made her return out of Babylon and left their idolatry. In other words, their house was swept clean, unoccupied, and finds it to be put in order.
We see morality digress as generations turn over. This is seen true in our American churches of today who are as pagan as the Pharisees and scribes whom Jesus is admonishing. Israel focused on morality, external righteousness, but as this progression has transpired through time, righteousness cannot even be recognized.
Speaking particularly to the nation of Israel He explains now that when the unclean spirit goes out of a man it cannot find rest; man, in Adam, has given up his reign to Satan and may only temporarily rid himself of an evil or unclean spirit. The symptom may be salved with ointment but the cancer is always there. In remission, the unclean spirit, who is commanded by the deceiver, when morally evicted, passes through places seeking rest or a home. These states of unrest are depicted as waterless places that would be easily identifiable to a desert nomadic people.
Unlike the man known as the prodigal son, who was truly repentant, this moralist Jewish nation seeks rest back from which she came. This is parabolically seen as when Israel was in her exodus from Egypt wandering through the desert. This was her waterless place; the Hebrew people were ready to return to Egypt seeking their own idea of rest.

MORALITY

2006-07-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Vv 43-45. "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. 44. "Then it says, `I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45. "Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."
Jesus refusal to show the religious their demanded sign has failed the trap that was intended to destroy Him once and for all as the scribes and Pharisees had planned. What happened actually happened was that their plans backfired and they have been twice rebuked. Jesus, however, is not through with them yet. He will once again point out the fact that they are and evil generation.
The scribes and Pharisees were the height of morality, but morality is mere outward righteousness that Jesus plainly taught was worthless in the Sermon on the Mount. MacArthur correctly states, “Christians cannot but be concerned about moral and ethical issues, because God’s Word is unequivocal and unmatched in its standards of righteous living, justice, and social responsibility. But Scripture also makes clear that morality by itself, with out a right relationship with God, is in many ways more dangerous that immorality.” Morality leads to self-righteousness, which is fatal to one’s eternity. One who does not recognize himself as a sinner will see no need of the Savior who personally said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) This is why He spent time with those who the moralists would hold in contempt.

THE REBUKE

2006-07-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

QUEEN OF SHEBA

2006-07-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

Vv 41-42. "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42. "The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
A day of judgment will be upon this generation that Jesus personally addressed and their religion will merit them nothing but condemnation. This condemnation will be collectively handed down by the men of Nineveh who were the ultimate pagan nation in Jonah’s day yet that is not all who will hand down their judgment as we see in Jesus’ continuation of His parabolic teaching: The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
We readily observe that time holds no boundaries for any generation at the judgment for we see the generations of Jesus, Jonah, and now Solomon in one assembly. This parable is taken from a queen who ruled a country 1200 miles southeast of Israel. The story is recorded in 1Kings 10 where the Queen of the South, or Sheba, came to see personally this King Solomon who had a reputation that had spread from the ends of the earth. These reports influenced her so intensely that she had to check it out for herself. She was told of his wealth and wisdom that had spread throughout his kingdom to the point that even his servants were recipients of this lavishness. The thing that most interested her was to hear the wisdom of Solomon because even when one amassed wealth it in itself can only be a means to an end. Her prime interest was to witness the force operative behind him; Solomon’s Sovereign. We now look into these passages: 1Kings 10:1-2 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions. 2. So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. Vv6-7 Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7. "Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. V9 "Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." A friendly relationship was established and gifts exchanged: V13 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested, besides what he gave her according to his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land together with her servants.
http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/

SOMETHING GREATER

2006-07-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

Vv 41-42. "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
We have seen that Jonah was a Jew who cared little for the Ninevites because they were pagan Gentiles in the proud Jewish eyes. Jonah prayed for help (ch.2) while inside the fish and God then had him placed within a 3 day walk from Nineveh: Jon. 3:3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. At this God repeats His initial instruction for Jonah to go into the wicked city of Nineveh and proclaim His Word to them. Jonah now complies and preaches: "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." (Jon. 3:4) At this truth of God the whole city, including the king, repented for their evil deeds so God spared them, much to Jonah’s dismay. Jon. 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
In parabolic juxtaposition we compare the men of Nineveh with this generation of Israelitish administrators. The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah but this generation has something greater than Jonah preaching to them; the very Son of God. Jonah was a pathetic prophet (see Jonah ch.4) and yet respected by a foreign people compared to the sinless Jesus who was rejected by His own people. Jonah preached doom and Jesus was preaching salvation. Jonah had no miracles to authenticate his message and Jesus had all the supernatural miracles attesting to Him and His message. The people that Jesus addressed had all the benefits of being God’s chosen and the Law and prophets whereas the Ninevites had nothing of the sort and yet they repented. Hendriksen aptly states, “Less enlightened people obeyed less enlightened preaching, but more enlightened people refuse to obey the Light of the world.”

http://booksandparchments.blogspot.com/

THREE DAYS

2006-07-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

PROPHECY

2006-07-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

JONAH'S ESCAPADE

2006-07-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

THIS GENERATION

2006-07-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

     Vv39-40. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40. for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
     Jesus response to the request for a sign draws a rebuke that publicly embarrassed the religious elite as He publicly labels them as an evil and adulterous generation. The tables are turned; the religious envision Jesus as easy prey and He publicly sets them back on their heels as He first calls them evil.
     Evil would apply to anything outside of God’s will. This label would be effectively demonstrating that His assessment these demanding conversationalists was that they were outside the will of the very One that they professed to represent.
     Adulterous is a term used of those who prostituted themselves outside the vows that they had sworn. Israel was often referred to as the betrothed of God and still the worshipped the idols of their captors Is. 50:1 Thus says the Lord, "Where is the certificate of divorce, By which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away. The adultery of this generation was the love that they had given to their own fabricated religious practices that had usurped the law of God and had become their idol.
     An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign and this generation determined that Gods coming Messiah would have to be filtered through their prescribed scrutiny before authentication could occur. In other words, God would have to subject Himself to the scribes and Pharisees’ permission before He could be operative in His creation. Religion had “de-throned” God.
     And, with respect to the requested sign, Jesus says “No sign shall be given to it (the demands of the evil and adulterous generation),” but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
     Here again Jesus teaches in a parabolic method through His rapid fire examples that just continue to come at them. He demonstrates that He will not succumb to their tradition and embarrasses them in that He publicly humiliated them. Mac Arthur says, “It was not possible for Jesus to perform a miracle of the sort the scribes and Pharisees wanted – not because He did not have the power to do it, but because it was utterly contrary to God’s nature and plan. Jesus could easily have performed it from the standpoint of His omnipotence, but not from the standpoint of His moral nature – because God is not in the business of bending Himself to satisfy the whims of evil people who have no relationship to Him.”
     Jesus would provide a sign for them, but it would be of a parabolic nature and of His Father’s will. This would be a sign that they all were familiar with; no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
This would be an ultimate defeat to those trying to destroy Him and His ministry.
     He then explains the attesting miracle, or sign, that would be of His own demonstration; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. It is at this point we must become familiar with the circumstances of the prophet Jonah and how his disobedience made his life difficult.

THE SIGN

2006-07-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

     V38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
     Dripping with sarcasm these religious charlatans address Jesus as “Teacher.” This is the same group that He has just called a brood of vipers who would be so assured of their own interpretations of God’s Law that they never would condescend to asking His interpretation or advice within their own field of expertise. The scene is set and the public would surely side with the exalted orthodox religious leadership. They are certain that they have Jesus backed into their trap.
     With the multitude listening in, they fire their predicted death blow at Jesus by their request, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” This was an official mandate from the recognized leadership for Jesus to prove Himself to be the Messiah.
     Jesus had been healing the afflicted out of His compassion but the religious leadership could only see that He would not subscribe to their regulative additions and silly mandates to His Father’s Law. The proud scribes and Pharisees had no compassion for the very people that God’s Law was to protect.
     The sign that the religious sought was of a magnitude on a worldwide scale. This would be like rearranging the star constellations or causing rivers to flow backwards. We compare the parallel passage in Matt. 16:1-4 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2. But He answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, `It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3. "And in the morning, `There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them, and went away. Barclay states, “They desired to see God in the abnormal; they forgot that we are never nearer God, and God never shows Himself to us so much and so continually as in the ordinary things of everyday.” This was not uncommon for these people as Paul tells us in 1Cor. 1:22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom.

THE TRAP

2006-07-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

     V38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
     Some of the scribes and Pharisees likely refers to a special committee appointed from Jerusalem to set Jesus up so that He could be publicly discounted by those who were of the highest moral fiber. The scribes were the lawyers of authority in interpretation of God’s Law. The Sadducees had their scribes in their party but they were the aristocracy who cared little about the little people who Jesus identified with. The Pharisees were regular folks who swore an oath to uphold the law as interpreted by the scribes. This is why the scribes and Pharisees are so closely related. Paul was a Pharisee and also a blue collar tent maker: Acts 18:1-3 After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3. and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working; for by trade they were tent-makers. 23:6 But perceiving that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!"
     Jesus was drawing large crowds to His attention by explaining God’s truth and proclaiming the arrival of His kingdom. The scribes and their student Pharisees were at odds with the teachings of Jesus and sought to put Him down once ad for all.
     Dripping with sarcasm these religious charlatans address Jesus as “Teacher.” This is the same group that He has just called a brood of vipers who would be so assured of their own interpretations of God’s Law that they never would condescend to asking His interpretation or advice within their own field of expertise. The scene is set and the public would surely side with the exalted orthodox religious leadership. They are certain that they have Jesus backed into their trap.

CONFRONTATION

2006-07-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

80. Request for a sign refused

Matt. 12:38-45

38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

39. But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;

40. for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41. "The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

42. "The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

43. "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.

44. "Then it says, `I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

45. "Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

HE HAS YOUR WORD ON IT

2006-06-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

Vv. 36-37. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. 37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
The religious leadership had hijacked God’s true and pure religion for a personal system that circumnavigated God’s spoken requirements. Jesus again alludes to that which was said by these frauds through His opening statement: “And I say to you.” We witness the “God-man” proclaiming the serious error of attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to that of Satan. These blasphemies are their own careless words that they will face in their day of judgment. MacArthur writes, “What a person is on the inside, his mouth will give on the outside, the most immediate illustration of the principle showed that it was the evil hearts of the Pharisees that made them blaspheme the Holy Spirit by accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power. They spoke evil because their hearts were filled with evil, and by their own words they condemned themselves as they sought to condemn Jesus.”
Again we see only two options; you shall be justified or you shall be condemned spelled out in verse 37, "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." It is now time to take inventory of our own words. Do these words edify those we speak to? Their ears are the receptacles that connect directly to our heart; do we inject venom into their hearts by our words or do we seek to speak the cleansing words of God designed to regenerate their soul?
Much time has been consumed on the serious subject of blasphemy and particularly the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. These passages indicate that this is an eternal sin that finds no forgiveness. The question arises, “Can a Christian be guilty of this sin?” The answer in a word is no. I leave John Calvin to explain, “Blasphemy of the Spirit is a token of reprobation, and hence, it follows, that whoever have fallen into it, have been delivered over to a reprobate mind, (Rom. 1:28). As we maintain, that he who has been truly regenerated by the Spirit cannot possibly fall into so horrid a crime, so, on the other hand, we must believe that those who have fallen into it never rise again; nay, that in this manner God punishes contempt of his grace, by hardening the hearts of the reprobate, so that they never have any desire towards repentance.”

CARELESS WORDS

2006-06-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Vv. 36-37. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. 37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
There is only one accurate way to measure one’s heart, mind, and attitude; by observing the words that men speak. The word careless – argos – are those words that are unproductive or worthless; the AV renders this as idle. We must remember that blasphemy is the topic that Jesus is forcing the religious leadership to recognize. This also is recognized by their overflowing mouths.
Hendriksen rightly states, “Every man remains fully responsible for what he is, thinks, speaks, and does, for though it is true that he cannot change his own heart, it is also true that with the strength given him by God he is able to flee to him who renews hearts and lives. The Lord is ever willing and eager to give whatever he demands of men. If men do not receive it, this is their fault, not God’s (Italics his).”
These careless words serve only one purpose; that they shall render account to the spokesman in his; the day of judgment. We leave a telltale trail through this journey called life that will end in a review of how we have littered that very trail we have trod.
Christianity is exclusive in that it draws its doctrine not from man but from God’s self revelation that we know as the Bible. In this we discover that there are only two kinds of people, the saved and the damned. God sovereignly saves those He chooses and uses those very ones as His means to save others by proclaiming their sin debt paid by His own Son’s precious blood spilled at the cross. There are no other options. The saved individual, or Christian, still lives with a very real potential to sin but his sin debt has been covered; past, present, and future at the cross. His sin only serves to inflict despair and remorse whereas the non-Christian, or unregenerate, sees no harm done. This is the blasphemy that will eventually flow from his mouth. Sin is no big deal in the eyes of the unsaved and serves only as an infraction of some arbitrary and optional archaic mandate unjustly forced upon him. These unregenerate will face the day of judgment and their defense will be their own careless words reflecting their heart in their life on earth.

CLEAR VISION INTO ONE'S HEART

2006-06-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

V34b-35. How can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35. "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.
One of the most basic principles in scripture is that one’s mouth speaks out of that which fills his heart. People love to talk about what they are interested in; desires, hobbies, upcoming events, heroes, idols, or even dissention. That which we speak most often of is our favorite topic and we seek to align ourselves with those who have that common interest. We are told that whatever we do, do all to the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31) but we typically pursue our goals for selfish reasons and personal glorification; our mouths will eventually reveal our motives. The religious leaders sought alliances with those who would agree with their assessment that Jesus operative power came from Satan.
That which fills is a single Greek noun – perisseuma – having a meaning of super abundance or fullness that overflows. One’s mouth is the external vent where the overflow of his heart is jettisoned overboard. The evidence of the material examined coming out of this port will expose the heart’s condition in due time. The mouth is the ultimate expression of the heart.
Jesus builds on this idea comparing the heart as one’s treasure – thesarous – as He gives the positive and negative connotations. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good. In this example the good treasure is representing the good heart or a heart that overflows, or brings forth out of his mouth a display of that which is good. In the negative sense the reverse is true: The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. Calvin says, “The tongue is the index of the mind.” This is why it is so important to feed on the text of scripture. It is the only source of what is ultimately good, pure, and regenerative.

VENOM

2006-06-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

V34. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
The analogy Jesus draws is that these religious leaders have the same characteristics of a viper whose venom will result its victim eternal damnation. The religious concluded that Jesus was hostile to their mission; refused to see that their position was in error and violently opposed His Holy Spirit empowered work among them.
Calvin writes, “From all that has been said, we may conclude that those persons sin and blaspheme the Holy Spirit, who maliciously turn to dishonor the perfections of God, which have been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, in which His glory ought to be celebrated, and who, with Satan, their leader, are avowed enemies of the glory of God. We need not then wonder, if for such sacrilege there is no hope of pardon; for they must be desperate who turn the only medicine of salvation into a deadly venom.”
Religion, in its truest form, is a remedy for the sin of mankind. Its primary medicine is repentance. Repentance is the gift of God that removes one from the status of an enemy to a child of God who glorifies his Creator.
Returning to the parable of the trees we observe Jesus scathing anathema that He places on the religious leadership: “How can you, being evil, speak what is good? Good begets that which is good and evil begets that which is evil. Good trees bear good fruit and vipers beget broods of the same venomous kind. Their religion is venom proclaimed from their mouths and injected into the ears of their followers resulting in a blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

BROOD OF VIPERS

2006-06-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

V34. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
With a scathing rebuke, Jesus continues explaining the eternal sin with parables. Again, this is Jesus first public confrontation with the religious leadership, some from Jerusalem (Mark 3:22) who came specifically to take action concerning Him. We have just observed the parable of the trees and their offspring or fruit and now we find the religious tagged with the name brood of vipers. Some translators render brood as offspring which draws the parallel to the offspring of the good or bad tree. One does not long consider the goodness or a viper.
The viper is deadly and deceptive in its camouflage. The mother lays numerous eggs and when hatched the brood scurries off like insects. By total surprise they bite and inject venom into the victim. This very thing happened to the Apostle Paul on the island of Malta: Acts 28: 1-6 And when they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2. And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all. 3. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 4. And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live." 5. However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6. But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

DECISION TIME

2006-06-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:33-37. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35. "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. 36. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. 37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."

Matt. 12:33. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
This verse is another parable comparing the tree and the fruit of its production. We have no difficulty in understanding that the tree is known by its fruit. Good trees yield good fruit goes without objection.
The difficulty in this verse is found in the word “make” – poieo – observe or consider. An English equivalent would be, “He is not the leader that people make him out to be.” We would understand the same sentence rendered, “He is not the leader that people consider him to be.” Jesus is using this same connotation, “Either make (consider) the tree to be good, or make (consider) the tree to be bad.” Herein He places Himself as that tree to be considered; either good or bad.
Confronting the religious leadership with the gravity of sin so grievous that it will never find forgiveness, Jesus points to His own works of healing and casting out demons. He asks them to consider and come to a final conclusion as to His charge. Is He in possession of Satan’s power; the fruit of a bad tree, or does He possess the power of God almighty? The wrong answer is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and will merit eternal punishment for that very sin.
Jesus asks that the fruit be considered. All parties agreed that sickness and death were the fruit of sin and demon possession was obviously the work of Satan. If then you witness My healing of sickness that obviously would lead to death and have witnessed Me casting demons out of inflicted people; Am I a good tree or a bad tree? Do I produce good fruit or bad?
Here again the religious leadership is trapped. Do they repent and be forgiven or do they blaspheme the power of the Holy Spirit by which Jesus had accomplished these miraculous deeds and commit the eternal sin?

BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

2006-06-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:31-32. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32. "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.

Mark 3:28-30. 28. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29. but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" 30. because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

William Hendriksen writes, “In passing, it should be pointed out that these words by no stretch of the imagination imply that for certain sins there will be forgiveness in the life hereafter. They do not in any sense whatever support the doctrine of purgatory. The expression simply means that the indicated sin will never be forgiven. As to the doctrine of purgatory, supposedly the place where the souls of those who are not eternally lost pay off the remainder of their debt by suffering punishment for the sins committed while still on earth, it is clearly contradicted by scripture, which teaches that ‘Jesus paid it all’.”

So what is this blasphemy of/to the Holy Spirit and how does one avoid it? It is not spelled here in the text so we must look to the context of what is going on and let the context be our guide. We see that Jesus is pronounced guilty of operating under the power of Satan while He denies it and claims to be empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. They both cannot be right; it has to be that Christ operates under the power of Satan or the Holy Spirit. The decision made by the religious leaders was that He operated, healed and cast out demons, by the power of Satan. This was their final decision. This final decision had a progression in sin. Initially we grieve the Spirit by the natural sin we play out in our life’s desires. When this is left unrepented we are led into resisting or suppressing the Spirit where we self-justify our sin. This will progress into a state where one quenches the Spirit where one has euthanized his own spiritual conscious. Upon this state one has become his own god and he cannot respond, nor possesses any ember of the Holy Spirit’s influence internally.

We have a snapshot in clear focus as to what the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit looks like. The lens is capturing in its exposure that of the religious leadership who Jesus will now label as: “You brood of vipers,” pronouncing this heinous and hopeless sin against them.

REPROBATION

2006-06-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

We now turn to the negative and the gravity of what is taking place in the lives that are opposed or indifferent to the Holy Spirit. Mark singularly states that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" Matthew says it twice: blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven and again whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.
Our authors, Thomas and Gundry, foot note that the unforgivable (Matt. 12:32) or eternal (Mark 3:29) sin bore a special relationship to the unusual circumstances of that day. The leaders of Israel publicly demonstrated their final and deliberate rejection of the Holy Spirit’s clear attestation to the Incarnate Messiah. Such definitive circumstances are not found elsewhere.
This is the ultimate action that life bears. We know by what we have visited that there is a certain sin that prohibits forgiveness in this age; while one still lives. This is a sealing off of all hope of entering God’s kingdom by one’s own conscious volition. The sad part is that it takes place in this age where there is opportunity to repent. This individual is duped to believe that he is his own sovereign while Satan is holding his reigns. This tells us that the true strong man has removed His saving grace from this individual because of the choices he has made.

HISTORIC BLASPHEMY

2006-06-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:31-32. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32. "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.

Mark 3:28-30. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29. but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" 30. because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

Matthew spells out the generality of blasphemy in that any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men. Herein lays the hope even of the most heinous individual. No one, as long as he has breath, is without opportunity to repent of his infractions. Passing over the last part of Matt 12:31 (but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.) we focus on more of that which will be forgiven. Whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man [Jesus], it shall be forgiven him. This passage is closed to the era of Christ’s life on earth which both Peter and Paul found pardon.

Peter’s blasphemy is found when Jesus is on trial in Mark 14:66-72 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, 67. and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, "You, too, were with Jesus the Nazarene." 68. But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." And he went out onto the porch. 69. And the maid saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, "This is one of them!" 70. But again he was denying it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too." 71. But he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about!" 72. And immediately a cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, "Before a cock crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And he began to weep.

Paul (Saul) was in agreement with the stoning of Stephen and put Christians in prison (Acts 8:1, 3). He had chosen the side that would actively scatter. His confession is found in 1Tim. 1:12-1 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; 13. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14. and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 16. And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

UNFORGIVEABLE SIN

2006-06-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:31-32. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32. "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.

Mark 3:28-30. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;
29. but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" 30. because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

We continue to see to see Jesus in action even though we are told that He has not yet had a chance to eat from His journey. He has not lent His adversaries the opportunity to speak but continues His exhortation. Truly – amen – I say to you, reflects a deep solemnity; a gravity that commands a supreme attentiveness to the information that will follow.
This information pertains to sin, which is any infraction to God’s law that necessarily must be reconciled by forgiveness or punishment. Included is the revelation that many sins lend themselves opportunity to have forgiveness but there is a sin that remains eternally without any hope for remedy.
Our attention turns to the word blasphemy because blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. This word is a direct transliteration from the Greek – blasphemia – and in the most general sense it is used as insolent language directed at God or one’s fellow man. In our language today we tend to take this word in a more focused infraction against God. This would be tantamount to defaming Him or pulling Him down to the secular realm or a willful degradation of Holy things. This infraction meets its remedy in Lev. 24:16 `Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

THE GATHERING

2006-06-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:30. "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Jesus has clearly and truthfully presented His case before the religious leadership that He is the very servant of God that has been revealed to them in their Old Testament scripture. There is only light or darkness, life or death, truth or deceit and one must align himself with one side or the other; there is no middle ground; no gray area. He has proven that He is Messiah, the Son of David.
One cannot avoid the alignment as Jesus says, “He who is not with me is against Me.” Indifference is not an option. He who is not actively engaged in the kingdom is identified as he who does not gather with Me. This pronounces anathema on a “superficial Christianity”. If you are aligned as one who does not gather you necessarily are one who scatters or actively prevents those who would be receptive kingdom citizens. Christ demands our all, and those who are most joyful and blessed are those who are identified as those who gather with Me.
H. Ernest Nichol writes in his hymn:
We’ve a Savior to show to the nations, who the path of sorrow hath trod, that all of the world’s great peoples may come to the truth of God. For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday light, and Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth, the kingdom of love and light.
We have a great responsibility to gather.

THE STRONG MAN

2006-06-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:29. "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
Mark 3:27. "But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
We return to the idea of Beelzebul, the lord of the dwelling, as this theme returns. Jesus continues to strengthen His position and offer more concrete evidence against the charges brought against Him initially.
The kingdom of God is contrasted by the word “or” in this verse to show the opposite of their initial charge to be true. This is posed in the question, “how can anyone enter the strong man's house (the lord of the dwelling = Beelzebul) and carry off his property (his kingdom; citizens/minions) unless he first binds the strong man?” The idea that is expressed here is one of strength; who is the strong man? Would the strong man be the one who enters the dwelling to carry off his property or is the strong man the individual who is all tied up?
The answer and outcome begins when he first binds the strong man (who is really the weaker), and then he will plunder his house. This has already taken place once; right before Jesus began His ministry. This was discussed in detail right after His baptism when He overcame Satan’ temptations in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13). It will culminate in the resurrection when Satan’s ally, death, is defeated. Paul tells us in 1Cor. 15:50-58 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55. "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57. but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. This is the gospel, the good news! There is hope and it is not in vain.

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

2006-06-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

     Matt. 12:27-28. "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges. 28. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
     The question now has become, who is on whose side? Jesus asks the scribes, “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons [your protégés] cast them out?”  With a tinge of righteous sarcasm, Jesus alludes to asking them as He says, “Consequently they shall be your judges.”
     I am not, at this point prepared to prove or disprove the facts of the Pharisees having power to cast out demons. However their friends and associates claimed that they did and they were proud enough to publicly take the glory for this ability. The point examined is, by whose power was it done; God’s or Satan’s? There is no way that they would align themselves with Satan and Jesus has given an airtight argument as to Satan being divided. Those questioning the origination of Jesus power to cast out demons could only come from God because He is the only One stronger than Satan. Even the sons of these mentors would have to side with Jesus on this argument.
     Jesus now puts it all on the line for His would be adversaries to either reject the truth or ally with Satan, or align themselves under His authority. He does this by an airtight conditional clause begun with the “if” (protasis) and logically following the truth of that condition it will lead to the “then” (apodosis). He lays forth: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God; the origination of My power, then it is the only logical conclusion that the kingdom of God has come upon you.” There is no question as to the vulnerability of Satan’s power by Jesus so an alignment must transpire.
     The most important question anyone must answer is “what do I do about Jesus?” That most important question is still being asked by the resurrected Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15)
     It is interesting to note that in this place, Matthew abandons his more commonly used phrase, “the kingdom of heaven,” for the fully orbed “kingdom of God.” This kingdom has come upon you and continues to call its citizens by the means of those inside proclaiming the gospel to those on the outside so that they may enter. This mighty kingdom will one day culminate without opposition. What a day of rejoicing that will be! The next question; will you be in it?

GOVERNMENTAL SUICIDE

2006-06-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12: 25a. And knowing their thoughts He said to them

Mark 3:23a And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables,

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, called them to Himself so as to confront these scribes and Pharisees face to face to show them the gravity of their error. This is Jesus first public showdown with the orthodox Jewish leadership. The confrontation is a line drawn in the sand, dividing that which is of God and that which is of Satan, and to point to the fact that it is absolute; one has no option but to side with one or the other. This is not to say that He ever withdrew His gracious invitation to the scribes and Pharisees to become citizens of His kingdom.
     It is now half-way through His ministry that will lead to His crucifixion in another year and a half. It is at this juncture that Jesus began speaking to them in parables. The parabolic method is a way of conveying spiritual truths by using physical examples. We now see the Master of this device employ His skill as He presents His case to those “would be” prosecutors.

Matt. 12:25-26
25. And knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste 26. "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?

Mark 3:23-26
23. And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
24. "And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25. "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26. "And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!

Jesus, in the immediate preceding verses is charged with being in the possession of and operating under the power of Beelzebul. He now names this mythical god that they identify Him with as none other than Satan. Jesus asks, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” This kind of thinking is absurd because No ruler would destroy his own unity and powerbase. This statement would be rationalizing that Satan would be providing the ammunition to destroy his own defenses and kingdom. Jesus reaffirms this absurdity by stating parabolically, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” We all have heard the cliché: divide and conquer; this is an exact example of that saying. This would be to commit governmental suicide. As Matthew records, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste.” Mark records: “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
     The argument is made from the greater to the lesser starting with the kingdom and then focusing on the house and then individually toward Satan. Mark so plainly records, “And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!”

BEELZEBUL

2006-06-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:24-26. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
25. And knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
26. "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?

Mark 3:22-26. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."
23. And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
24. "And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25. "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26. "And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!

The apple does not fall far from the tree as we see when we compare the scribes with their student Pharisees and their irrational response to an obvious display of Jesus casting out demons. The question posed is, from where is the does His power originate? MacArthur writes, “Outside the Trinity, Satan is the most intelligent being in existence, and he certainly does not assign his forces to fight against each other and internally destroy his own program.”

We now discover Beelzebul. He is first encountered in 2Kings 1:1-4 Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2. And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness." 3. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, `Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4. "Now therefore thus says the Lord, `You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'" Then Elijah departed. William Hendriksen explains, “The New Testament passages substitute Beel [= Baal] zebul for – zebub. Beelzebul means, “lord of the dwelling.” The reason for the change in spelling is not clear. It may have amounted to no more than an accident of popular pronunciation. Another explanation is that there is a play on words, for – zebul resembles zebel: dung. Thus, those who despised the Baal of Ekron were able, by means of a slight change in pronunciation, to heap scorn upon him by conveying the thought that he was nothing but a “lord of dung.” Baal-zebul is also known as “lord of flies” who controlled these insects seen closely associated with dung. We will see deeper into this god as the story unfolds.

KING MESSIAH?

2006-06-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:22-24. Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.
23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?"
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."

Under close scrutiny of the Jerusalem scribes, a man with three afflictions is brought to Jesus. The reason for those bringing him was so that Jesus would cure the man’s eyes and speech, and rid him of demon possession. This is a simple enough task for our Lord in His ability, so He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. This may have been symptoms of demon possession but we are not definitively told in scripture. It is obvious that the demon was removed because of the reaction of the scribes that we will later see. The fact remains that the thrice inflicted man was healed.

The observation of the investigators is shifted to the perspective of the multitudes. The religious leadership could not bear to hear the words of the inquisitive crowd from their amazed reaction to Jesus healing of this man. This congregation, expecting the negative answer, began to say amongst themselves, “This cannot be the Son of David, can he?” The word, amazed – existemi – could be rendered in today’s vernacular as: “They were blown out of their minds.”

The very core of Judaism is the promise of Messiah, the anointed one (Greek equivalent = Christos) who will come and reign over the land promised to Abraham as the mighty Jewish king. This theme runs throughout the Old Testament but can readily be seen it the following passages: Dan. 9:25 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. We see Messiah is a royal prince and is further defined as the Son of David in Is. 11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse [King David’s father], And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. As a final example we look to Jer. 23:5-6 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. 6. "In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, `The Lord our righteousness.' No one ever questioned that Jesus was from David’s lineage and when compare the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 we find that both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David. The concept envisioned from the religious perspective was that Messiah would have these supernatural abilities but their idea of kingly authority was a concept far from Jesus’ humble approach to His throne.

That the Jewish multitudes would even consider the chance that Jesus could be the Son of David was enough to fuel the wrath of the religious toward Him. We see that when the Pharisees heard it, (the crowd refer to Jesus as the Son of David) they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."

JEWISH INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

2006-06-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

Mark 3:22a. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul,"

This is no small confrontation because there were the scribes who came down from the capital of Judaism, Jerusalem (+2500 ft. msl); the higher elevation to Galilee (-600 ft. msl) with Jesus focused in their sights. It is important to know that the scribes were the intelligencia who had studied the oral law as lifelong students. These were those who had generated rules and regulation for their day, culture, and tradition. They had mastered and wrote the law and were called “rabbi” by their students; the Pharisees.

Mark has now set the stage for Matthew to play the scene within the multitude that would have been dispersed by the cold water applied by Jesus’ own people.

Matt. 12:22-24. Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.
23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?"
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."

HIS OWN PEOPLE

2006-06-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Mark 3:21. And when His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."

This verse identifies the reactions of His own people; quite possibly His brothers and Mary could be included in these as we see them personally identified in verses 31-32 And His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him, and called Him. 32. And a multitude was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." Whether on not they are included in this instance we cannot be certain but we can be sure that His own people were concerned to the point that when they heard of this encounter they wanted to remove Him from it. His own people were interested in protecting Him from Himself and the demanding crowd that He poured all His compassion into.

The way they had intended to rescue Him was to take custody of Him. The expressed idea is to seize Him into their own protection so that refreshment would ensue without the requests of the demanding crowd. His own people had good intentions but their motives were reflective of the faithlessness that caused Jesus to lament the words of Matt. 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”

His own people publicly stated; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

This is tragic to think that Jesus has shown His own people great supernatural power and ability and yet associates with the “less-than-admirable” lending to their ideas that the Pharisees and religious may be correct in their confrontation.

DEMANDS OF MINISTRY

2006-06-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

In the following verses/this section we will note the reactions provoked on account of Jesus’ ministry by His own family, the multitudes that would readily assemble around Him, and the religious leadership.

Mark begins the chronology in a fast paced narrative that initiates right after His conflict with the Pharisees over the healing in the synagogue and the choosing of the twelve disciples.

Mark 3:20. And He came home, and the multitude gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.

We are given the facts that Jesus’ ministry was difficult do to the multitude that gathered again. The gathering of this crowd took place when He was returning home. However, the “and” that begins this verse really serves no assistance in a time location but only that of additional information. This information reveals the difficulty that Jesus had in His ministry with this reassembling of people wherever He would go. This particular time Mark tells us that the difficulty was to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. This crowd was so demanding of Jesus, and there is no doubt that His compassion drove Him to the point of neglecting His own comfort to satisfy the legitimate need of the multitude.

RETURNING TO THE HARMONY

2006-06-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

79. Blasphemous accusation by the scribes and Pharisees
Matt. 12:22-37 Mark 3:20-30

Matt. 12:22-37
22. Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.
23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?"
24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
25. And knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
26. "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?
27. "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges.
28. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29. "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30. "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32. "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.
33. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34. "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35. "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.
36. "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment.
37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."

Mark 3:20-30
20. And He came home, and the multitude gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.
21. And when His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, "He has lost His senses."
22. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."
23. And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
24. "And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25. "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26. "And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
27. "But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
28. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;
29. but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"
30. because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

MORE GREAT QUOTES

2006-06-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

William Hendriksen writes, “Every man remains fully responsible for what he is, thinks, speaks, and does, for though it is true that he cannot change his own heart, it is also true that with strength given to him by God he is able to flee to Him who renews hearts and lives. The Lord is ever willing and eager to give whatever He demands of men. If men do not receive it, this is their fault, not God’s.”

THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN

2006-05-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

Matt. 3:28-29. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29. but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"

William Barclay comments on the “unforgivable sin”.

There is only one condition of forgiveness and that is penitence. So long as a man sees loveliness in Christ, so long as he hates his sin even if he cannot leave it, even if he is in the mud and the mire, he can still be forgiven. But if a man, by repeated refusals of God's guidance, has lost the ability to recognize goodness when he sees it, if he has got his moral values inverted until evil to him is good and good to him is evil, then, even when he is confronted by Jesus, he is conscious of no sin; he cannot repent and therefore he can never be forgiven. That is the sin against the Holy Spirit.

GREAT QUOTES

2006-05-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Matt. 12:29. "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Speaking on this verse Calvin writes, “Now the tyranny that he [Satan] exercises is defended on every side by strong ramparts. His snares for entrapping men are beyond all calculation; nay, men are already his slaves, and so firmly bound by a variety of fetters that they rather cherish the slavery, to which they are devoted, than make any aspirations after freedom… By these words he informs us, that it is in vain for men to expect deliverance, till Satan has been subdued by a violent struggle.

There is no man who does not loudly boast that he desires the kingdom of God: and yet we do not permit Christ to fight boldly, as the occasion requires, in order to rescue us from the power of our tyrant; just as if a sick man were to entreat the aid of a physician, and then to refuse every remedy.”

PRIVATE SUPPORT

2006-05-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

The next woman in Luke’s list is Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward. Steward is epitropos – a word meaning commissioner, trustee, guardian, or manager. We see the word used as foreman in Matt. 20:8 “And when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' Vincent defines this word as the one to whom the management of affairs is turned over. This is the one who was to look over Herod’s financial interests. Chuza was a well trusted individual who Herod, no doubt, took good care of.

Joanna fell into the category of those who had been healed. Nothing but Jesus healing would do for her no matter how much wealth they could amass. She was the wife of a dignitary; a first lady but status cannot bring the healing that she was in desperate need of. Jesus took care of that matter and she forsook all and followed Him.

Susanna is only mentioned here and nothing further is known about her. Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, deemed it necessary to record her name with these women who came out of Galilee to serve their Lord that all future generations might know her.

V3c. and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

Mary, Joanna, and Susanna were not alone because there were many others (women) who were contributing to Jesus and the twelve in their evangelistic efforts in proclaiming the kingdom of God.

Jesus was a carpenter in Nazareth and would have to work to gain compensation. The same was true of the fishermen. These left all to follow Him and would likely have little funds to finance their efforts. Matthew may have accumulated some savings but scripture attests that the women contributed support out of their private means. In this verse we find that the true strength of a man’s mission lies in the background; the support of a godly woman. A man’s integrity is supremely shaped by no one greater that his mother and the impact he displays on the world is ultimately in the hands of his wife.

We see that these women were in need, and none other than Jesus could render them aid. Calvin writes, “To be associated with such persons might be thought dishonorable; for what could be more unworthy of the Son of God than to lead about with him women who were marked with infamy? But this enables us more clearly to perceive that the crimes, with which we were loaded before we believed, are so far from diminishing the glory of Christ, that they tend rather to raise it to a higher pitch. And, certainly it is not said that the church which he elected was found by him to be without spot and blemish, but cleansed it with his blood, and made it pure and fair.”

WOMEN WHO CAME OUT OF GALILEE

2006-05-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Vv. 2b-3b. Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3. and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna

Luke groups Mary Magdalene in with the women that he refers to as those who had come with Him out of Galilee. Luke 23:55 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. This portion of scripture is toward the end of his gospel that looks back to these first verses in Chapter 8. However, just to make certain that the record is straight he lists them by name again in verse 10 of the following chapter: Luke 24:10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

John tells us of Mary Magdalene’s experience as the first to witness the resurrected Christ. John 20:1-2, 10-18 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2. And so she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." 10. So the disciples went away again to their own homes. 11. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12. and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14. When she had said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16. Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). 17. Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, `I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" 18. Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her. From this point she passes out of history.

MARY MAGDALENE

2006-05-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Vv. 2b-3b. Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3. and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna

We see the attention that Luke gives three women by purposefully identifying them by name; Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna.

Before we look into who Mary Magdalene is, we look to Doctor Luke and see that his diagnosis of her is that she is from whom seven demons had gone out. Luke is the doctor and he is familiar with the seven demons and symptoms by his personal observation or reliable sources. It would be pure conjecture to go beyond what he has written if we were to further define these demons or venture to say in what method or manner they had gone out.

An air of mystery surrounds this woman called Mary of Magdala or Mary the Magdalene. Most of this is unjust as we will see. First we must understand that Mary was a common name given to many women just as it is today. The reason she is called the Magdalene is to distinguish her from the other women named Mary. Calvin says, “Luke adds the surname Magdalene to distinguish her from the sister of Martha, and other persons of the name Mary, who are mentioned in other passages (John 11:1; 19:25).”

Magdala means a tower or fortress and the town that bore this name was located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee about midway. The Talmud records that the city of Magdala had a reputation for prostitution. However, this could be true of any city because wherever there is a market a supplier will be found.

We find some who equate the sinneress in Luke’s previous passages to Mary Magdalene but this also is farfetched given the attention that Luke gives to the details of his gospel. The sinneress goes unnamed but we have a definitive Mary Magdalene.

NEW LIFE

2006-05-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Vv. 1c-2a. and the twelve were with Him, 2. and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses

Jesus was not alone in His evangelistic efforts; the twelve were with Him. This would include the disciples listed in Mark 3:16-17 and Luke 6:14-16. But included in his entourage were also some women. This was bizarre for a rabbi/teacher to waste their time educating women, so here is another example of how countercultural Jesus was in His day. On the surface, the view of Jesus is one who associates with tax collectors, sinners and values women in common with the men. This is unheard of! (We see this most often in Luke’s gospel where he gives a special prominence to women.) It would appear that Jesus just was not going to be accepted by the status quo.

The women are further described as those who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. This is a testament as to Jesus taking an interest in them by restoring their health. In turn we see them taking their restored lives and wholeheartedly giving them back to Him for His glory. Before He came, their lives were basically over; outside of their own control due to the domination of evil spirits and sicknesses. No longer are these women dominated or do they find themselves restored to health that they may selfishly consider and pursue some new enterprise for their own profit. These women found their solace by being with Him.

EVANGELISM IN MOTION

2006-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

FIRST PUBLIC REJECTION BY JEWISH LEADERS

78. A tour with the twelve and other followers

Luke 8:1-3. And it came about soon afterwards, that He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, 2. and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3. and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

Vv 1a-b. And it came about soon afterwards, that He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God;

We follow Luke’s chronology and find the words: “And it came about soon afterwards,” referring back to the dinner where the sinneress cleansed Jesus feet at Simon the Pharisee’s house. Not long after this event Jesus began a traveling ministry; He began going about from one city and village to another. The purpose in touring these outlying communities was for proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God.

I believe that this translation, the NASB, obscures the meaning in the words proclaiming and preaching where the AV reads: preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. To understand these words we must understand to preach – kerusso means to proclaim. The kerux was the town crier who would bring the word to the common people from the ruling majesty. The common people knew that the proclamation was for mandatory hearing and obedience but before there could be compliance an understanding of the proclamation would have to transpire to the listener. The AV addresses this in the words: “shewing the glad tidings”, or showing the good news – euaggelizo – to evangelize. This would be the bringing of understanding to the contents of that preaching.

The proclamation was the good news pertinent to the kingdom of God. G. Campbell Morgan writes, “The kingdom of God means that God is King now, and always.” Jesus is going door to door, town to town proclaiming this message of God’s eternal kingdom and offering citizenship to those who are interested.

One only has access to the kingdom in which he surrenders his allegiance unto death. From a Biblical perspective very few men will escape death. Therefore death is a mystery to all men who live. Man has only one historic and reliable source that addresses life, death, heaven, and hell. This single source is the Holy Bible that plainly affirms the reality of these and the access portals to heaven and hell. This kingdom of God is described in Rev. 21:27 Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it [the kingdom], but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

GO IN PEACE!

2006-05-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Vv.48-50. And He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." 49. And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" 50. And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

No longer is Christ’s conversation being tossed over His shoulder, And He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." This would reinforce the inner reality that this woman experienced as witnessed by her actions. This action was not due to her burden of sin but the overwhelming relief (love) that she had received. She had received forgiveness from the moneylender whom she was unable to repay. This is something the religious never understood as it is witnessed in verse 49: And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?"

The religious are becoming more and more distanced from Jesus because only God can forgive sins, yet this Jesus is making such a claim on His own. We, like the Pharisees have but two choices; He is God or He is a lunatic.

The dinner party’s words are recorded, as were Simon’s thoughts. However the party received no response from Jesus. The final words were spoken to the thankful one: And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

FORGIVEN LITTLE?

2006-05-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

Continuing to speak to Simon, while facing the woman, He continues:

V47. "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

Simon displayed little love for Jesus but this woman had totally forgotten herself and had become all consumed by the fact that spiritual reality had come to her in that she was no longer a guilty sinner in God’s eyes. She was born again, no longer what she had been but now a child of the King. Simon, on the other hand, considered himself quite capable of paying off his own sin debt as most men historically have and will.

One can always tell the regenerate because their sins are always before them and they recognize the fact that in them held the wrath of God. Sin holds no blessing and the regenerate are testimony to that fact. Show me a sinning believer and I’ll show you a miserable individual.

THE CONTRAST

2006-05-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

V43. Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."

We gain insight into Simon’s attitude when he said, “I suppose.” Hendriksen labels him having a spirit of indifference, real or feigned. The Pharisee is wondering what Jesus is trying to prove. Jesus has proven that He does know this woman’s past and present condition. He also knows what Simon says to himself proving that He is a prophet able to discern hearts and minds.

Simon’s supposition is correctly ascertained in that the one whom is the most forgiven loves the forgiver more.

Vv. 44-46. And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. 45. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

Luke paints us a picture telling us that Jesus, rolling away from the table, and turning toward the woman, He said to Simon. We can see this woman with red eyes, nose, and cheeks complete with matted up hair from Christ’s dirty feet through His eyes. Focused upon the woman He speaks to Simon and said, "Do you see this woman?” This is a rhetorical question; of course he can see her. The jest is that Simon sees her as she was and Jesus can see what she has become.

At this point Jesus draws a comparison between the master of the house and the perceived harlot. Jesus says to Simon, I entered your house; you failed to offer me common hospitality; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. (This woman was acting impulsively having no other resource than her own hair and tears to soothe the feet of her Savior.)

The second indictment: “You gave Me no [customary] kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.” The custom upon entry into one’s home was the kiss on the cheek viewed similar to our handshake. The kiss on the cheek was somewhat natural but to kiss one’s feet was symbolic of supreme adoration.

The third indictment: "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.” Simon the Pharisee, the religious leader of the banquet of religious leadership, couldn’t even display common courtesy but this ex-common street whore sees her only hope in the one whom is getting the least respect from the “God people”. She renders the finest perfume for Christ’s feet whereas Simon would not even anoint His head with simple olive oil.

PARABLE OF TWO DEBTORS

2006-05-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Vv 40-42. And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." 41. "A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?"

Jesus answered and said to him (who had not spoken his question) making it clearly evident that Jesus had no problem reading the thoughts of this Pharisee. Tenderly He says, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” Simon is brought out in the forefront of his dinner guests to be tested and invited to the same forgiveness that the contrite city prostitute had publicly displayed. Simon is left with little option so he replied, “Say it Teacher.”

The parable is now spoken for all to hear but for Simon to evaluate: A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?"

We must understand that parables are examples easily understood in a natural sense but hold deeper spiritual meaning that frankly some will never understand. In this parable we find a certain money lender who had two debtors. Life is great for lending agents so long as revenue steadily returns with interest. Life is also good for debtors who can faithfully repay their debts. This is where the difficulty lies in all three businessmen. Two debtors are in over their heads with debt and they were unable to repay. This situation common to both of these debtors is their inability but they differ in their accountability to the moneylender. The moneylender must react with some kind of response simply for good business practice.

The debt incurred was based on the denarius, or the equivalent of one day’s wages. One debtor owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty; five hundred days of earnings and the other fifty days wages. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the moneylender is out a minimum of 550 day’s wages.

As Simon is doing this same calculation to arrive at a sum, or at least an analogy of what should be done, the moneylender graciously forgave them both. It is at this point that Jesus clears Simon’s slate and poses the question, “Which of them will love him more?”

CLEANSING JESUS' FEET

2006-05-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

Vv. 37-38 And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38. and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet, and anointing them with the perfume.

The streets of this era were dirt paths; muddy when wet and dusty the remainder of the time. On these one made their way on foot and sandal. The shoe was nothing more than a leather sole bound to the foot with tied straps. Needless to say, one’s feet were unclean the majority of the time. Foot washing was the task of the lowliest slave born out of necessity. It was a common act of respect to have one’s feet washed upon entry into their house and also to anoint their head with olive oil.

She began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head and kissing His feet, and anointing them with perfume. In Jewish culture, it was a disgrace for a woman to be seen with her hair down. Customarily the woman on her wedding day bound up hair and she never again would be seen with it unbound again. There is little doubt that this woman has been around Jesus before and has responded to His gospel. It is quite possible that she heard the words fall from His lips: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”(Matt. 11:28) One who understands this reaction to Jesus’ power in regeneration can see this as a normal response. However Simon, the Pharisee, viewed this woman’s action as abnormal. This is verified by his very own thoughts that have been made public record to us, and to all generations to come.

V39. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner."

This woman’s reputation is renowned and has entered the banquet pf these religious men who are closely examining this controversial individual known as Jesus. What will He do, or what will He say to this harlot? We easily find Jesus on the stand without option but to defend Himself wisely.

The Pharisee has just written Jesus off as a prophet because He doesn’t view this woman in the same manner as the majority.

HEART WATER

2006-05-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Vv. 37-38 And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38. and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet, and anointing them with the perfume.

“And behold” is Luke’s exclamatory remark to draw his readers attention to what is about to take place and to pay close attention to the details.

There was a woman in the city who was a sinner (sinneress). The three individuals in these passages are now set on a stage of a dinner with the religious. We find the innocent Jesus, Simon the Pharisee who is holding this banquet and woman of the city well known as a harlot, who never utters a word in this account.

Being a woman in the city she would be keenly aware of local social events. In this case she learned that Jesus was the Pharisee’s invited guest and that He was reclining at the table in his house. This “sinneress” is informed and is set to a mission by compulsion. She has determined to boldy go into a den of separatists with her offering: She brought an alabaster vial of perfume. Alabaster is a soft stone used for carving figurines. The vial of the same material would contain a costly perfume that would have a long cylindrical neck. To access the contents the neck of the vial would have to be broken and the entire sum of the contents used. Perfumes were used to mask body odors of the rich and also to ceremonially make one presentable to God.

She enters into this hostile territory with a single vision; Jesus. The entry to the dining area would be open to the street and from such she makes her entry and is immediately drawn to Jesus without respect of her reputation. She would traverse the wall to where He would be eating to find herself standing behind Him at His feet. Spontaneously she breaks into weeping tears that Luther calls “heart water”.

PLACE SETTINGS

2006-05-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

V36. Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him. And He entered the Pharisee's house, and reclined at the table.

Jesus is getting quite a lot of attention by both the common folk and the religious folks. The religious were the keepers and teachers of those things relating to God. The common people were indebted to the religious to their sharing and teaching them theology – theos – God and ology – the study of. There are problems in society with this man named Jesus because He was doing things that could not be explained naturally and His teaching about God didn’t square with that of the religious.

For the most part the religious had written Jesus off as a shyster and heretic, but now one of the Pharisees was not quite convinced as who he would side. To put an end to the confusion the Pharisee was requesting for Jesus (Him) to dine with him so that he might put an end to his confusion.

Jesus was comfortable in the presence of all social strata and without hesitation accepted Simon’s invitation to dine with him. Eating together was an intimate affair in that it was done low to the ground in a reclining position. One would rest his left elbow on the table, head in hand, and eat with his right hand. Guests would line up reclined around the table head to breast with one’s feet toward the wall. The wall would attract the locals who might be passing by welcome to stop in and listen to the conversation that was taking place at the dinner. Jewish life was quite open and public.

DINNER @ SIMON'S

2006-05-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

77. Christ’s feet anointed by a sinful, but contrite, woman.

Luke 7:36-50
36. Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him. And He entered the Pharisee's house, and reclined at the table.
37. And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,
38. and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet, and anointing them with the perfume.
39. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner."
40. And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher."
41. "A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?"
43. Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."
44. And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.
45. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
47. "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."
48. And He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven."
49. And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?"
50. And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

THE REMEDY

2006-05-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Vv 29-30 "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

The remedy for being weary and heavy-laden is found in submission to Jesus’ lordship as explained in His words, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me.” A line is drawn; either submit to the religious system laid out by the rabbis, scribes, and Pharisees or Me. Either way one chooses his yoke. Here is a strict dichotomy; follow the religious rules that made life unbearable, or follow the One who commanded authority over nature.

The yoke that Jesus offered guaranteed an education: and you will learn from me, this education didn’t riddle one down with a bunch of legalistic regulation. In submission to Jesus one found an experiential education that He was gentle and humble in heart as opposed to the proud religious. In this submission to Christ’s lordship one finds the greatest peace; you shall find rest for your souls.

It is interesting that Jesus would draw upon this passage in Jeremiah because this is an exact replica of what Judaism portrayed in Jeremiah’s past, Jesus’ present, and today’s Jewish nation as their future. The whole passage reads: Jer. 6:16 Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, `We will not walk in it.'

At some point the decision is made, just as death is imminent. One either believes and then worships or one rejects and says with the Jews, “We will not walk in it.” The rational mind will say that the Bible is the absolute truth of God, or the mind will justify the manufacture of one’s own morphing truth. Anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear will readily agree with the absolute truth of scripture that Jesus speaks even today:

V30. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

Therein awaits the rest for the weary and heavy-laden soul. Believe it; or not?

TRUE CHURCH?

2006-05-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

Vv 28-30. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

It is easy, in America today, to find a “church” that will take you as you are and make you a member. The only problem here is that sitting in a church will not make one a Christian any more than sitting in a garage make one an automobile. The writer of Hebrews, speaking of the Hebrew people wandering in the wilderness, gives warning: Heb. 3:9-12 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. 10. "Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, They always go astray in their heart; And they did not know My ways; 11. As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest. 12. Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.

MacArthur writes, “To intellectually acknowledge Christ’s deity and Lordship is a dangerous thing if it does not lead to true faith, because it gives a person the false confidence of belonging to Christ.” Churches today are remiss in proclaiming the whole truth and discipline. One can hardly find much difference between the world outside and the populace inside her walls. However, where the whole truth of scripture is proclaimed, obeyed, and adored, there is where one will find the true church.

The Church’s one foundation Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation By Spirit and the Word”
From Heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her, And for her life He died.

Mid toil and tribulation, And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious, Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great victorious Shall be the Church at rest.

THE INVITATION

2006-05-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

The invitation is now given:

Vv 28-30. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. 30. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

The King calls out to all those who will listen, “Come to Me!” This is a call to man for his salvation. John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. Coming to Christ means submitting to His Lordship. He invites those around Him an avenue of escape after pronouncing the severe indictment upon the local cities. The escape is to flee the popular religious system and simply come to Me! Calvin says, “Hypocrites give themselves no concern about Christ, because they are intoxicated with their own righteousness, and neither hunger nor thirst for His grace.”

Jesus is done with the religious and thus turns to all those who are weary and heavy-laden with the scribal and religious mandates and regulations that proved to be unbearable. The weary and heavy-laden are desperate because they know that in their own ability they cannot please God. He becomes the babe and disposes of all his resources and turns to Christ. Weary – kopiao – is to labor to the point of exhaustion internally and is coupled with the external burden of being heavy-laden that one is totally spent in the mental and physical sense.

The idea expressed is that of repentance: a 180 degree turn from one’s present life of mental and physical exhaustion in their efforts to please God that always falls short. These are those who respond to Jesus invitation, “Come to Me!” These specifically are those who are weary and heavy-laden. Upon that response He promises, “And I will give you rest.”

Rest is not totally understood in a negative sense of the lack of fear, anxiety, and despair, but in the positive sense of peace and comfort knowing in mind and heart the assurance of salvation. Again I emphasize that one can easily be stimulated intellectually by the objective truth taught in the scriptures whose depths will never be plumbed. But, intellectual knowledge is not heart knowledge unless it holds to true faith. James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

THE EXCLUSIVITY OF CHRIST

2006-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

V27. "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Here Jesus gives commentary on His doxology found in verse 25. He now turns to the crowd and explains the election of God before He gives an open invitation in verses 29-30.

"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father is a bold statement in that Jesus is claiming co-equality with God by calling Him, “My Father.” All things would have to include the miracles performed that obviously obtained their power from outside the physical realm. Jesus power had its origination in the Father as He plainly states.

No one knows the Son, except the Father is the bridge that spans heaven and earth. There is a direct line of communion so perfect between the Son and Father that man cannot comprehend. Divinity is something arbitrary to man; he can understand the concept but will never have a perfect understanding because he can only see God by looking at Jesus. Man’s dilemma is the sin factor; his nature. Because of this nature he cannot fully grasp the magnitude of grace and redemption we have through the Son.

And the contrary is also true; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son. A relationship from eternity past has existed within the Godhead that could not be known to man unless God was willing to forfeit His privacy to let man in on His existence. John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was in the beginning with God. 3. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Our needs, as sinners, are known to God alone. We may play our little charades and fool those around us but we cannot fool the omniscient God. Our thoughts are laid bare to His eyes and our motives seeking to glorify ourselves will not escape His understanding.

Nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. This statement is Jesus’ claim to be the sole mediator of the knowledge of God. This is not saying that He is stingy or reluctant to reveal the Father but, from start to finish, salvation is based on sovereign grace. Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Calvin writes, “The passage may be thus summed up: First, it is the gift of the Father, that the Son is known, because by His Spirit He opens the eyes of our mind to discern the glory of Christ, which otherwise would have been hidden from us. Secondly, the Father, who dwells in inaccessible light, and is in Himself incomprehensible, is revealed to us by the Son, because He is the lively image of Him, so that it is in vain to seek for Him elsewhere. And, Martin Luther has said, “Here the bottom falls out of all merit, all powers and abilities of reason or the free will men dream of, and it all counts nothing before God. Christ must do and give everything.”

WHO GETS THE GLORY?

2006-05-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Vv. 25-27. At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. 26. "Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. 27. "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

The scribes and Pharisees were prime examples of wise and intelligent in which these things were hidden. The religion of Christianity is not head knowledge but heart knowledge. The babes are those who have no confidence in themselves and place their utter dependence on their crucified Savior’s love for them.

V26. "Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight.

The goal of all Creation is to bring glory to God. This is exactly what the gospel does. When men respond in repentance to the message that Jesus brings, God is glorified. On the other hand, when men reject the gospel they seek to glorify themselves. The fact remains that God is glorified even when He justly condemns these who reject His offer of mercy and grace.

Calvin aptly says, “All unbelievers swell with a wicked confidence in themselves… [They have] diabolical pride, [which] cannot endure to hear Christ speaking to them from above. God reprobates those who have a higher opinion of themselves than they ought to have.” When he speaks of the babes he says, “[In this case] human wisdom is justly thrown down, that it may not obscure the praise of divine grace.”

THE REVELATION

2006-04-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Vv. 25-27. At that time Jesus answered and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. 26. "Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. 27. "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

We now find a striking contrast to the woes that Jesus pronounced on the apostate cities. We might say that Jesus has been a combination of indignant and exasperated at the indifference of the people to whom He was to be King.

At that time Jesus answered and said, in the form of a doxology, as a prayer to God His Father. The Semitic terminology: “Answered and said”, was an idiom meaning that He spoke out openly. We find Jesus openly and publicly carrying on this inter-Trinitarian prayer of thanksgiving for His Father’s sovereign will in the physical realm as he gives praise to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus leaves no doubt as to whom He is addressing before the multitude of people. In this also it is a claim to His personal deity.

The doxology now changes from the physical realm to the spiritual. God sees no boundaries between the two realms and they hold no effect on His sovereign will. God the Father is Lord of heaven and earth and Lord over the spiritual realm as well. Speaking of those who repent as well as those who reject His gospel, He says, “Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes.” Salvation is what is in view in this passage; those who respond with repentance are saved, and those who find a better option are lost. The wise and intelligent is not referring to mental capacity but to a proud spiritual attitude of independence. The babes are those who recognize their dependence and have a humble spiritual attitude. The humble spiritual attitude is not necessarily hindered by an intelligent mental capacity. Jim Elliot said, “It is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep for that which he cannot loose!”

CAPERNAUM'S CONCEITEDNESS

2006-04-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Vv 23-24. "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24. "Nevertheless I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."

We now turn to the city of least excuse, Jesus primary location for ministry; Capernaum. S.L. Johnson (who worked portions of the NIV translation) renders this rhetorical question as such: “And as for you, Capernaum, you shall not be exalted to heaven, shall you?” The answer is an expected No! However, the Jews of this city expected full vindication because of their self-righteous acts of religion. Their expectations were to merit heaven by their “exaltedness” yet their realization would be just the opposite: you shall descend to Hades.

We draw parallel analogy between cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida with Tyre and Sidon and now between Capernaum and Sodom. Sodom was the city along with Gomorrah that was so wicked that God destroyed them with the raining of fire and brimstone (Gen. 19:24). Sodom is a synonym for moral depravity. The word sodomy is a word derived from this very city known for passionate homosexuality. This is a serious curse on Capernaum to think that this people deserved a worse fate than Sodom.

Jesus says, “If (a second time) the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you then it would have remained to this day. Here is another example of Christ’s kingdom suffering violence by the violence of indifference. And again we are confronted with degrees of punishment in verse 24. Nevertheless I say to you is a clear and definite proclamation elevating the sentence for the self-righteous city of Capernaum over that of Sodom. He says that Sodom will have a more tolerable punishment than Capernaum will in the day of judgment.

We are not quite through these passages until we look upon thorny little word, “if”. The question that begs to be asked is: If Tyre and Sidon along with Sodom would have repented had these miracles been done for them, then why were they withheld these blessings? Calvin slams the door on such questions when he says, “Lest any should raise thorny questions about the secret decrees of God, we must remember, that this discourse of our Lord is accommodated to the ordinary capacity of the human mind.” S.L. Johnson says, “in the final analysis one must admit that “The secret things belong unto that Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the Law” (Deut. 29:29). And in this case the question is more embarrassing for the Arminian than for the Calvinist. Someone has said, “Arminianism is the religion of common sense, but Calvinism is the religion of St. Paul!” The question is very hard for human common sense, but for St. Paul it was somewhat easier (cf. Eph 1:11; Rom 9:6-29).” I will admit that these kinds of questions fascinate me because they go beyond what the human mind can grasp. I think that in this we can grasp another sliver of comprehension of God’s majesty and glory. Calvin writes, “Let us therefore aware of our own weakness, learn to contemplate this height and depth with reverence for it is intolerable fretfulness and pride that is manifested by those who cannot endure to ascribe praise to the righteousness of God, except so far as it comes within the reach of their senses, and who disdainfully reject those mysteries, which it was their duty to adore, simply because the reason of them is not fully evident.”