Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I am not a Biblical scholar. All my posts and comments are opinions and thoughts formulated through my current understanding of the Bible. I strive to speak of things that can be validated through Biblical Scriptures, and when I'm merely speculating, I make sure to note it. My views can be flawed, and I thus welcome any constructive perspectives and criticisms!

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Matthew 13:1-30, 36-43

Notes for BSF

JESUS SPEAKS PUBLICLY IN PARABLES (Matthew 13:10-17, 34-35)


A parable is a story that contains lessons and truths to be learned.

To His disciples, Jesus spoke plainly. However, when speaking publicly, Jesus spoke in parables.


Matthew 13:11

Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

To those who are not in God, Jesus speaks to them in parables, "because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."


This fulfills the prophesy proclaimed by Isaiah in Isaiah 6:9-10.

The majority of people remained blind to Jesus, especially the religious leaders. And because they remained blind, they could not understand the parables, which confirmed them to be hearts of unbelievers, as prophesied by Isaiah.


Matthew 13:12 (Cf. Luke 8:18; Mark 4:24-25)

For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

To those who accept Jesus, Jesus will reveal to us the mysteries and the plans of His heaven. We will be given much, but Jesus will also expect much from us. To those who reject Jesus, they will be blind to the mysteries and plans of His heaven. The things they have in this world will all be lost when Jesus’ kingdom comes.

They hear, but they don’t understand.
They see, but they don’t understand.
Their hearts are dull, ignorant of the love of God, ignorant of His teaching.

People who are blind: They only see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear. They have no interest in learning and exploring the Truth. They just want to go on living the way they want to, and so it is easier for them to ignore the Truth. They ignore the truth, and they shut their eyes from seeing the truth. If they would only open their eyes, open their ears to God’s Truth, Jesus would be able to give them salvation!

Truth-seekers: They are after the Truth. Even if the truth is not pretty to see or nice to hear, they will be open to it, because they know that it is better to face the truth than to live in a lie.



PARABLE OF THE SOWER (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

The seed in the parable is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). The farmer spreads the seed, just as we, the disciples should spread the Word of God.


The hearts of the people who hear the Word are represented by the 4 different types of soil in this parable:


By the wayside (Matthew 13:19)
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

Key: Satan and his demons prevent us from receiving God's Word. For example, people who hear the Message are first intrigued, but they then encounter news reports or society norms, and these views confuse them, pulling them away from God’s Word.


Stony places (Matthew 13:20-21)
But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

Among thorn (Matthew 13:22)

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Good ground (Matthew 12:23)

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

John 14:15
Those who follow God’s commands will yield good crops.

John 15:5

Those who remain in God will yield good crops.

Acts 5:29

Those who obey God -- not man -- will yield good crops.

Philippians 2:12-13

Allow God to continue to work in us will yield good crops.

Hearts of thorny soil turn away from God when difficulties overcome our faith. Hearts of good soil keep us solid in God when we face difficulties.


THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE TARES (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)


Matthew 13:37-39
He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

Satan attacks us when we are vulnerable, when we are weak, when we are not awake. God will not Satan continue his attacks without judgment. However, that day has not yet come because of God's grace for His children. It is not yet time to be rid of the tares, lest the process harms the good crop in the process. In order to give His children the most amount of time and opportunities to return to Him, He will withhold judgment until the time is ripe.

Acts 20:30
2 Timothy 4:3-4
People distort the truth. The media, pop culture, all take the Truth of Christianity and distort it to fit their needs. They take comments out of context so that they can mock it to elevate their status. However, anyone who takes the time and patience to truly study the Word -- in its entirety -- will discover that God’s truth is eternal.

God's grace period cannot last forever, because He is just -- and thus cannot allow sin to run amok without judgement. On that Day, the wheat is harvested and taken into God’s presence, while the tare is burned. Be under God's love!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Matthew 11-12

Notes for BSF

JESUS CONFIRMS TO JOHN THAT HE IS THE COMING ONE (Matthew 11:1-19)


John the Baptist sends messengers to confirm the identity of Jesus
Being in jail and unable to witness the works of Jesus, John the Baptist sent out two messengers to seek confirmation that Jesus was the Coming one.

Jesus proves His identity through His works and through fulfilling prophecies 
Jesus gives numerous proofs substantiating His position as the Messiah.

His works

The blind see
The lame walk
The lepers are cleansed
The deaf hear
The dead are raised up
The poor have the gospel preached to them

His Prophecies

Isaiah 29:18-19
Isaiah 35:5-6
Isaiah 42:1-4 (Cf. Matthew 12:15-21)
Isaiah 61:1-3

Jesus confirms John as the Messenger sent to pave the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1)


Jesus praises John as the greatest and the last prophet to close the Old Testament era (Matthew 11:11; John 1:6-9, 29; 1 Peter 1:10-11)


Christians of the New Testament have a different blessing than the disciples of the Old Testament era: As Christians of the New Testament era, we have Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us!


JESUS CONDEMNS THOSE WHO DWELL IN SIN (Matthew 11:20-30)


Jesus compares the cities in Galilee to the ancient cities that God has judged, including Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.


The ancient cities Jesus mentioned (Tyre, Sidon, Sodom) were judged by God for their corruption and violence (Genesis 19:4-9; Ezekiel 26:2-17; 28:17-19, 24-26).


Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum knew the ancient cities were judged because they did not repent. They should have

learned from these cities and repented of their sins, yet they continued to waste away in sin.


TAKE THE YOKE OF JESUS, FOR IT IS LIGHT (Matthew 11:25-30)


God reveals Himself and His wisdom to the humble, to those who want to know about Him. To those who are proud and do not want to learn about Him, they will remain blind to His wisdom.

Lay our yoke on Jesus -- depend on Jesus and not on ourselves -- and we will feel the lightening of our load.


JESUS IS OUR BEST SABBATH (Matthew 12:1-14)


The Pharisees falsely accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath (Cf. Deuteronomy 5:12-15; 1 Samuel 21:1-6)

The disciples did not break God’s command, as the Pharisees had accused. If the Pharisees used their heart to love God instead of their evil cunning thoughts to be gods, they would understand the true meaning behind God's commandment to keep the Sabbath: It's all about resetting our heart to God.

1) Spiritually, the disciples were not working.
The disciples were living and learning in the presence of the Lord. They were in Sabbath!

2) Physically, the disciples were not working.
According to the Law, they were not working by going through the fields for food. They were gleaning to eat, which was not considered work. Eating is not working.

Matthew 12:6-8
Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

When we abide in and accomplish the will of God, we are in the presence of God and are in God’s Sabbath. Showing the love of God is being in God's Sabbath (Matthew 12:11-14)!

Jesus is not about following the Law. Jesus is about living and showing the love of God.


THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS COME UPON US (Matthew 12:22-50)


Jesus casts out demons by the Spirit of God
The above text, we see the Pharisees try to trap Jesus in technicalities of the Law. Here, we see them trying to discredit Jesus by announcing that Jesus casts out demons by the evil spirit of Beelzebub, another name for Satan.

Jesus makes a valid counter-argument:


Matthew 12:25-27

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?

Jesus healed the demon-possessed man through the Holy Spirit. As we have seen in previous chapters, the demons knew who Jesus is and cower in fear in His presence.

1) Jesus' power is greater than Satan's and demons'

2) Jesus' power overcomes the powers of Satan's and demons' – Therefore, Jesus power comes not from Satan, as the Pharisees bore false-witness, but from God, who is greater than all of His creations.

Matthew 12:29

How can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Since the Fall, the title deed to this earth has fallen into Satan's hands. He is the Prince of this world (Ephesians 2:2; John 12:31), but one day, he will be bound (Revelation 20:2) -- We can only pray that we have by then made our own decision to follow Jesus.

Blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin


John 16:13
When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

The Holy Spirit guides us in all truths. Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is the act of rejecting God. God can save us from all sin, as long as we are willing to follow Him. However, God cannot save us if we actively reject Him, which is why blaspheming against the Holy Spirit it the unpardonable sin.

If we have committed the unpardonable sin, we would not care whether or not we are in sin. After all, if we have developed a great enough apathy to ignore the truth revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, how little would we care if continue to sin against God? If we wonder or worry at all about committing sins that would disappoint God, we have not committed the unpardonable sin. Do not allow our hearts to be so hardened that we would turn permanently away from God. Heed the voice of the Holy Spirit within us and reside under His love!


We will be judged by our hearts


When the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked for a sign, Jesus called them a "wicked and adulterous" generation.

Matthew 12:34

Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Jesus knew that in their heart, they did not ask for a sign because they were genuinely curious. Jesus knew they asked because they wanted to put Him on the spot, to force Him to perform a miracle that would "prove" that He was God.

Think back to the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31). What did Abraham say to the Rich Man when he begged to have someone be sent to warn his brothers about Hell?


Luke 16:29-31

Abraham said to him, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." And (the Rich Man) said, "No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent." But he said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."

The Pharisees weren't interested in who Jesus really was. They had already made up their mind about Jesus, and they were not bowing down to a peasant. They were more interested in catching Jesus in a trap, so that they could get rid of Jesus for good. Instead of humbling themselves and sincerely seek God, they demanded that God prove Himself to be God. This is the heart of a prideful people; this is the heart of this generation -- "Wicked," because they were motivated by selfishness and pride; "adulterous," because they worshiped themselves.

Matthew 12:36-37
For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Jesus is the greater Jonah, the greater Solomon
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law would be more than familiar with the Old Testament, including the story of Jonah.

Matthew 12:40

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Proud of their understanding of the Scriptures, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law would not have missed Jesus' point here: The Messiah would spend 3 days and 3 nights in the grave and be resurrected. When they see this sign, they would know who the Messiah is.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit
We can be possessed by demons. Our bodies are like a house. Demons can come in, and if they find the "house" empty, they will call their friends over, and they will all come and possess the body. As Christians, we are better protected against demon possession, because our bodies are already occupied by the Holy Spirit! Do you think the Holy Spirit will be open to sharing His temple with demons? Demons come, and they will find the Holy Spirit within us, and they will leave our bodies alone, because they know that they have no power over the Holy Spirit!

1 John 1:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Nearing Midnight: The Pope, the Pen, and Peace

from the November 12, 2013 eNews issue
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Jorge Mario Bergoglio—Pope Francis, 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church—seems to be taking the world by storm, as they say. He is, of course, the 112th pope since twelfth-century Irish Bishop, St. Malachy, “prophesied” that the last pope would be number 112 from the time he made the “prophecies,” as we’ve all learned about by now.

Obviously, he hasn’t overtly taken the official name “Petrus Romanus,” Peter the Roman, as Malachy predicted would be the moniker of the final pope who would preside over the Catholic Church during an era of the greatest time of trouble in its history. Let’s think again briefly upon what Malachy said he foresaw. Malachy’s biographer, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, reported in Life of Saint Malachy that St. Malachy wrote briefly, in Latin, on each succeeding pope of the future, and then gave the document to Pope Innocent II, who had it placed in Vatican archives, where it remained for several centuries. It was rediscovered in 1590 and published.

Some scholars who have studied these predictions carefully claim that Malachy was remarkably accurate about succeeding popes right up through Pope Benedict XVI, who abdicated his papal throne in 2013. Others who have looked into these things have found that in most cases regarding the Malachy prophecies, the bishop’s predictions were too oblique, too veiled, or couched in esoteric description to be validated as having been fulfilled to any great extent. Our bottom line conclusion must be that, while most of Malachy’s “prophecies” about the popes arequestionable as to absolute proof that the bishop was accurate in every case, there is little doubt that the 112th pope from the time he wrote the predictions is a strange pope to be sure.

The world at large literally loves the guy. His popularity really jumped on a global scale—and especially in the view of national and international mainstream media, when he implied that there might be many ways to God and Heaven, and declared that Christians must be more tolerant of things we don’t embrace or understand. At least, that was the gist of his statements.

The pope made it clear in a number of statements in various speaking forums that the Catholic Church and all of Christendom must cease condemning and excluding from God’s kingdom homosexuals and those who hold other religious views than those that are Jesus Christcentered.

That sentiment, even among a growing number within so-called Christian churches, is a visceral part of all of humanism’s elite and their mouthpieces. The Christian Bible and its harsh, restrictive, “one way to God” is intolerant, bigoted, homophobic, and bordering on fundamentalist insanity that desires to bring the world to Armageddon. (The pope didn’t say that; I did, based upon the pontiff’s stance of recent days that has won him great accolades.)

America’s current president is perhaps the most recent of the global leaders to express this pope’s elevated standing in his opposition to Biblical restrictions. Barack Obama said recently: “I have been hugely impressed with the pope’s pronouncements.” He described Pope Francis as “somebody who lives out the teachings of Christ [who, by the way, claimed He is the only Way to God, the Heavenly Father]. Incredible humility—incredible sense of empathy to the least of these, to the poor.”

In his interview with the CNBC business news channel, Obama was asked about Francis’ recent comment that the Catholic Church has become too “obsessed” with issues like gay rights and abortion. Obama said:”[Pope Francis is] somebody who is—I think first and foremost—thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away; how to find what’s good in them as opposed to condemn them…And that spirit, that sense of love and unity, seems to manifest itself in not just what he says, but also what he does. And, you know, for any religious leader, that’s something—that’s a quality I admire.”

Sure sounds good, doesn’t it? Unity—that’s the ticket for the coming Antichrist system. Unity means to embrace all belief systems as acceptable to God’s prescription for living on planet Earth, according to the globalist’s elite. This is the route to “peace.”

We are to embrace those religionists who behead women for having been raped. We are to accept as brothers those who murder anyone with whom they don’t agree.

Pope Francis met a week or so ago with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. He wasn’t prepared to give the Israeli prime minister an audience, however. Yet, he is pushing the peace process so Palestine can have its statehood on Israel’s tiny land mass.

The pope gave the Palestinian leader a special pen. He said when handing it to him, “Surely, you have a lot of things you have to sign.”

Abbas responded, “I hope to sign a peace treaty with Israel with this pen.”

My thought was, upon reading about the pope’s generosity, the first beast of Revelation chapter 13 will have a sidekick who will—like Mr. Big himself—push the peace that will be the covenant made with death and hell (Isaiah 28:15, 18).


Reference
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/10/02/obama-pope-francis-cnbc-abortion-gay-rights/2911067/

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Matthew 9:35-10:42

Notes for BSF

JESUS IS OUR SHEPHERD (Matthew 9:35-10:4)


Matthew 9:36

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Jesus has great compassion for us because without Him, we are like lost sheep. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who loves us, guides us, tends to us, and protect us (Cf. Psalm 23:1-3, Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24-25; Jeremiah 50:6,17; Ezekiel 34:5-16; John 10:11-15).


Matthew 9:37

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

There are a lot of lost souls to save, which greatly outnumbers the presence of true disciples of Christ. While we continue to do all that we can to do God's will, we should also pray that God continues to strengthen and support the number of disciples that go out into the world.


JESUS SENDS OUT THE 12 APOSTLES (Matthew 10)

Jesus sends out the 12 prepared

As Jesus sends His disciples out into the world, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Jesus comes first for the Jews (Cf. John 4:22; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16; 2:9-11)

Matthew 10:5-6
Do not go into the way of the Gentiles... but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

In His first coming, Jesus came for the Jews. As we learn through the Old Testament, God called Abraham and his descendants (which makes up the Israelites/Jews) to be His people. It was through them that the world was to come to learn about God and to come to dwell in the love of God. The Israelites were supposed to be God's representatives in this world, shining as a light of Truth, leading all peoples to God.

Jesus instructs the disciples in how to carry on their ministry
Key message of the ministry: "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," therefore repent, allow Jesus to cleanse our hearts.

The way to carry out the ministry:


Give freely as God has freely given us


When entering a city, stay with people of godly values. If the house is a house of people who are God-fearing people, then let God’s peace be filled throughout the house. If the house is not of God, then move on. After our diligent sharing of the Gospel, if there are still those who will not hear the Word of God, then we will not be responsible for the results of their own decisions.

We do our best to share the Gospel. We are not responsible for salvation – Only God provides salvation. The most we can do is do our best to spread the Gospel, to let people know of the Truth. What they do with that information, that is between them and God.

Jesus warns His disciples of coming persecutions

Matthew 10:16

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

It is not cotton candy and lollipops when we choose to follow Christ. Jesus makes it clear from day one that we live in a fallen world, whose leader is Satan (Ephesians 2:2). If we're fighting for Jesus, then we will be going up against Satan and his demons. Forget about the persecutions we face among fellow mankind. It is child-play compared to the darts Satan will throw at us (Ephesians 6:12). As formidable an opponent Satan is, Jesus is much more powerful. 

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus does not send us out without an armor (Ephesians 6:10-20). More importantly, He fills us with the Holy Spirit, who is stronger and more powerful than Satan (1 John 4:4).

Matthew 10:31

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

If God takes that much care in the sparrows in the world, how much more so would He take care of us. Therefore, take great comfort in the Armor of God and the Holy Spirit!

And why are we sent out? So that we may spread the Good News, so that all would come to know the Truth!


It is difficult to live as the light in a world ruled by darkness. Hence, begin each day by putting on the Armor of God and being filled with the Holy Spirit. End each day by mending any kinks in the Armor and being renewed by the Holy Spirit. With every obstacle we face while living by the Word of God, we shine with a light of hope for the people around us. They will be inspired by the hope we have inside of us, which is another way to spread the Gospel!

Persecutions from loved ones hurt the most (Cf. John 15:18-16:4)
One of my pastors once said, "God is not number one on our list of numerous priorities. God is number one on our list of one." This is to emphasize the importance of placing God in the center of our lives.

When we put God first, those who expect us to put them first would not be very sympathetic. In fact, many would shun us, forcing us to choose either God or them. These are very painful encounters and can often weaken our walk with God. Despite the pain, we must continue to put God first. Why? Because nothing else affects our eternity as this decision. If we put family first, we would follow them before we follow God. And if they lead us away from God, then we would lose our salvation. And then, what of this short-lived life? However, if we follow God first and stay true to God, we can be a beacon for the rest of the family and friends, pointing them to God – and then, we would all be saved.


This is why Jesus said following him would break up families. Logically, it makes all the sense in the world to choose Jesus over anything and everything. Emotionally, however, that is not so easy. In the long run, if we remain faithful in Jesus, He will bring this family back together, with Jesus remaining at the center! So, friends, focus on the eternal, and let that guide us through the pain as we bring loved ones into the light!


Profess the name of the Lord and die daily in our sins (Cf. Luke 14:25-35; John 12:24-26)
As disciples of Christ and as we gain understanding of God, we are compelled to die to our sins. This means, when we choose to follow Christ, we need to continue to learn about what that requires us to do. This is why we study the Bible, because it teaches us how to follow Christ. Through this studying, we learn what is right and wrong in the eyes of God. We learn what sin is and why sin cannot be in the presence of God. We live in a fallen world in our fallen bodies. In the millennium, we will receive our eternal bodies, full of righteousness and devoid of sin. Until then, we will never be completely without sin, but we also never strive to live righteously. We no longer live for ourselves or our fleshly wants. We live for God’s will, with our eyes on eternity.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Matthew 9:1-34

Notes for BSF

JESUS FORGIVES SINS AND OUR FAITH HEALS (Matthew 9:1-8)


This passage teaches us a few things:


1. Jesus is God

Only God can forgive sins. By forgiving the sins of the paralytic, Jesus reveals His divinity. (This is why the Pharisees often balked at Jesus. They believed Jesus was a heretic, and back then, heretics are stoned to death.)

2. Sin paralyzes us

Jesus didn't heal the paralytic. The faith of the paralytic healed himself. However, BEFORE that happened, Jesus had to first forgive him his sins. Once his sins were forgiven, he was released from bonds of sin and was able to walk again.

It's important to note that our disabilities or unfortunate events of our lives aren't always the result of sinful lives. In the case of the paralytic, his story is meant to tell us two key points about sin and faith: a) sin can paralyze us physically and spiritually; b) however, when we place our faith in the Lord and look to Him for cleansing and healing, we will be cleansed and healed. God has the power to heal us -- But we must FIRST humbly seek Him and accept His love for us.


3. Be surrounded by friends who build us in the Lord (Cf. Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)
The paralytic's friends carried him to Jesus. They went as far as digging through the roof and lowering him from the ceiling! The paralytic's friends knew that Jesus was the only answer, they did everything they could to ensure that their friend received the best help possible. These are amazing friends! This is the kind of friends that we need in our lives, and this is the kind of friends that we should be to others. Such friends make sure we always get the best help we need, even if they have to carry us all the way.


JESUS CAME FOR THE SICK (Matthew 9:9-34)


The tax collector has a purer heart than the Pharisees

The Pharisees cared only about laws and traditions -- Their faith was no where near that of the tax collector's, whom they despised. They may be able to fast for days, but that does not make up for their lack of heart.

Levi, the tax collector, became Matthew, the disciple of Jesus. Tax collectors were one of the most despised people in those days, because they were Jews who worked for the Romans to financially abuse the Jews. They were despised because they were traitors. Here, we see the Pharisees criticizing why Jesus would sit with "worthless" people, because they believed they were the better people -- and better people don't associate with the worthless. 

What do we learn from Jesus' response? 


Jesus did not come to sit with those who are perfect -- He came for those who need saving. The Pharisees, who thought they were perfect, suffered from the sin of pride and needed saving as well, though they remained too blind to see.


Matthew, whom the Pharisees deemed as worthless, became one of the authors of the Bible. God looks at the heart, not at the status of a person. Matthew's heart was pure -- When Jesus called on Matthew, he was ready to move. He left everything and followed Jesus. He even led others to Jesus. Contrast the heart of Matthew and the heart of the Pharisees. What a difference!


Like Matthew, we should all take up our cross daily to follow Jesus. Die every day to our sins, leave our sins behind, so that we may live in Jesus. Be not like the Pharisees who refused to give up their lives because they did not want to lose their stature and lost their eternal life in the process.

Jesus is the bridegroom, and we, the Church, are His bride

Instead of reflecting, the Pharisees continued to "grill" Jesus about Him and His disciples. They next asked Jesus why His disciples do not fast. Fasting was a difficult discipline today and back then. Only the most devout would be able to fast for days. Again, the Pharisees have missed the point about fasting. Fasting is a difficult discipline because one has to have the right heart and mindset in order to approach God and completely depend on God for physical sustenance during the fast. We fast because we want to get closer to God. The Pharisees fasted because they wanted to show people how perfectly devout they were.

Jesus, despite the Pharisees' devious questioning, continues to teach them. He explained that the disciples will soon enough have reasons to fast. While He is with them, however, they will celebrate the time they have together. He further taught them the difference between the Old Testament laws and the New Testament era. Every detail of the Old Testament foreshadows Jesus. And through Jesus, a new covenant is possible. Old Testament laws provided temporary atonement for sins, but through Jesus, eternal atonement is achieved. Unfortunately, the Pharisees heeded none of Jesus' teachings. They were more interested in defending the pride they held in their ability to adhere to Old Testament laws.


Proclaim our faith publicly (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56)
The woman in this story needed healing because she had trouble with her menstrual period for 12 years. She had seen many doctors about this bleeding problem, but no one could heal her. Instead, she only got worse.

She was a woman of great faith. Her faith in Christ was so strong, she knew that all she had to do was to touch Jesus’ clothes, and she would be healed. As we read in the story, she wanted to just touch Jesus’ clothes and then slip away. However, Jesus knew immediately that someone of great faith had just touched Him and sought her out. He brought her into the public and declared that her great faith had healed her.


The details of this story teaches us so many things. Two key points are 1) when we have such great faith, shine that light to the world. Do not be ashamed of it or hide it! 2) As the disciples commented, hundreds of people touched Jesus (Mark 5:31), and yet, Jesus knew exactly who touched Him with great faith. Jesus knows our heart. There is no hiding our true selves from Him.


As man, Jesus didn’t use His godly powers to heal. In fact, when Jesus sent His disciples out, those disciples were able to heal people and perform all the miracles Jesus had perform as well. Those disciples don’t have super powers, so how could they heal? They couldn’t. They healed because the Holy Spirit healed through them, and the Holy Spirit could heal through them because they all had great faith. 

Every time Jesus healed someone, He always told them, “Your faith has healed you.” What do we learn from this? When we have great faith in God, God will do amazing miracles in our lives. When we do NOT live a life of faith, then we can only blame ourselves for the lack of God’s presence in our lives!


Jesus heals Jairus' daughter
Jairus was a ruler whose daughter had died. There are scholars who remark that his daughter didn't die and use Jesus' comment as supporting evidence. This argument is weak because professional mourners back in those days were, well, professionals (Mark 5:38). They knew when a person had passed. They didn't weep and wail for people who were sleeping. Hence, Jesus' comment was meant as a comfort and affirmation of Jairus' faith. He knew his daughter had passed, but he continued to have faith in Jesus. He knew that if it was God’s will that his daughter lives, then God would be able to raise her from the dead. This is extremely great faith. He understood that what was impossible for man was not impossible for God, and he therefore placed his trust in God, not himself. And because of his faith, his daughter was brought back from death.

Jesus heals the blind, heals the mute
The blind men called Jesus, "Son of David," showing how they knew Jesus was their Messiah (Isaiah 35:4-6; Jeremiah 23:5-6). The messiah, the Son of David, will one day rise to take the throne of God.


WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE?

Matthew 9:34

But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

The Pharisees amaze me. If Jesus did perform miracles fromt he power of Satan, why would the demons fear Him (Matthew 8:29)? Why would Jesus be performing miracles that contradicted the deeds of other demons? The prophets that came before Jesus, especially John the Baptist, all proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. The teachings of Jesus reveal the power of God the Father working through Him. Yet, the Pharisees chose to ignore all that evidence that is readily available to them and continue to dig at Jesus to discredit Him in any way.

Jesus is not about the miracles -- He is our salvation!
Many people are so focused on the miracles that they don’t realize the true miracle is our eternal salvation in Christ. For example, many people will pray that God save their sick child or parent, and when God doesn’t, they turn their backs on God, complaining that if God truly loved them, then why didn’t God save their child or parent? They think of God as Santa Claus. They turn to Him only when they want something from Him, having no interest at all in establishing a personal relationship with Him. 

Friends, God is not here to please us. He is our Creator, who has sacrificed His only Son to redeem us.


1 John 3:2

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.

"... We shall see Him as He is." This passage tells us that in this fallen world, we will not be able to fully understand all that is God. However, when Jesus returns, we will see Him as He is.


We may have questions now; we may not understand everything. However, God has proven to us throughout history that He is faithful to His promises. When we turn our backs against God just because He didn't respond favorably to our requests, when we treat Him as if He's our genie in the bottle, we are behaving like children throwing temper tantrums. Worse, we put our eternal salvation in jeopardy – and for what? For needs and wants of flesh that we already know do not last forever? God is not here to make us happy, giving us candies when we should be nourished with wholesome foods. He is here to offer us eternal life. Do not lose sight of the eternal for the temporary!


Sunday, November 3, 2013

Matthew 8

Notes for BSF

JESUS HEALS THOSE WHO SEEK HIM (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45)


Jesus was willing to cleanse anyone who reaches out to him.

Leprosy, to this day, has no cure. We now know that it's a bacterial disease and is contagious. Back then, there was no medicine to keep it under control, and the only people who knew how to deal with leprosy were God's people, because through Moses, God taught the Israelites how to deal with it (Leviticus, Deuteronomy). Anyone with leprosy back then was quarantined and not allowed to come into contact with people, because the disease was contagious and deadly. If a leper was approaching anyone, he/she had to announce loudly from a long ways off, so that others would be aware and keep proper distance. It's safe to say that lepers are kept isolated, and the lives of lepers were very lonely.


Jesus, however, instead of staying far away from the leper, He accepted him and healed him. Jesus accepts all those who reach out to Him and seek His cleansing -- ALL.



OUR FAITH SHOULD BE AS GREAT AS THE CENTURION’S (Matthew 8:5-13)

Matthew 8:8
Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

The centurion was a military officer who understood obedience and trust from his soldiers. He applied his experience in the military and obeyed and trusted Jesus as His commander in the same way. His faith was so strong, he didn’t need to have Jesus make the long way to get to his servant in order to heal him. He knew that as long as Jesus promised him that his servant was fine, then he would be fine.


The centurion was also a great master. He went through all this trouble to fight for his servant's life, illustrating the great love he had for his servant.


Matthew 8:10

When Jesus heard it, He marveled.

Jesus, as documented in the Bible, marveled only twice. This was one of those two times. The amazing faith of the centurion was so strong, Jesus took note of it!


OUR RESPONSE TO HEALING SHOULD BE AS IMMEDIATE AS THAT OF PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW (Matthew 8:14-15)

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Isaiah 53:4)
Jesus took our sins upon himself so that we may be clean. Our lives should reflect our commitment in our Lord.

Immediately after being healed by Jesus, Peter's mother-in-law got back up and started serving. As Christians, we have been resurrected spiritually from our lives dead in sin. Like Peter's mother-in-law, we should recognize our new life in Christ and begin living in Christ, serving Christ.



FOLLOWING JESUS IS NOT EASY (Matthew 8:18-22)

As Jesus warned those who wanted to follow him, there would be no rest on this journey. If we commit to following Jesus, we need to be ready to for the hard walk ahead. Why will the walk be hard? We are living in the middle of a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12), headed by Satan in the attempt to overthrow God. Anyone who chooses to side with Christ will be an enemy of Satan and his demons. This is why Christians will be persecuted and attacked (2 Timothy 3:12). However, the award that awaits us in Heaven is great. Our eternal salvation is most certainly worth fighting for.

Matthew 8:22

Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.

Luke 9:60
Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Back in those days, sons would wait for their fathers to pass away before they can move on. When a potential disciple in this passage asked Jesus to wait until his father had passed, his father may not even be near death. This son could be asking for Jesus that he wants to wait until his father passed away before he followed Jesus. This could be 10, 20, maybe even 50 years later! Jesus told him that he should not wait to follow Him.

Whether the father was near death is speculation on my part. It may very well be the case that the father had already passed, and the potential disciple was asking for time to at least bury his father before he takes off. Either case, one could argue that Jesus was insensitive. But. Was He?


Recall the history of David mourning for his first son with Bethsheba (2 Samuel 12:16-23). While the child was sick, David prayed and fasted hard, day and night. However, once the child was declared dead, David mourned no more and went on with his life so fast that his servants were shocked and asked him why the dramatic difference. David responded:


2 Samuel 12:22-23

While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, "Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?" But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

David, despite his sins, had a great understanding of God and His love. He knew that those who are alive are those who can still be saved (physically and spiritually). If he wanted his son to be saved, then he has to take advantage of the time that he was alive. Once his son passed, there was nothing more he could do. The child had gone to the LORD, and David knew he would one day rejoin him -- but his son will not be coming back to him.


The same concept applies here, as Jesus told this son to let the dead bury the dead. We need to realize that if we love a person, we do everything we can for him WHILE HE IS STILL ALIVE. Once he is dead, his fate is sealed, and he is either with the LORD or with Satan. To mourn for the dead, that may be culturally sensitive, but in the eyes of the Truth, in the eyes of God, that makes no logical sense at all, because there is now nothing we can do for him! This is why we should follow Jesus immediately, to secure our salvation while we are still alive -- and along the way, make the Truth be known to all those we love, so that they may accept Jesus while they have the chance. It makes absolutely no sense to wait. We should focus on saving people while they are still alive. If we don’t take advantage of this when they are still alive, why do we mourn, when it’s too late?

These passages urge us to focus on the eternal. If we love someone, we don’t wait to tell him the most important truth in life. We do our best and fight hard to make sure we save as many people as we can while they are all still alive.


JESUS HAS POWER OVER NATURE AND DEMONS (Matthew 8:23-34)


Jesus calmed the wind and water (Matthew 8:23-27)
As Jesus and his disciples traveled in a boat, a great storm struck fear in the hearts of the disciples. Since these disciples had seen plenty of storms during their time as fishermen, we can gather that this storm was no normal storm. It was either one of the greatest storms they had ever experienced, or there was something supernatural about the storm. (Since the storm responded to Jesus' rebuke, it was very likely that the storm was demonic.)

The disciples were all very amazed that Jesus had power over the wind and water, but the take-away message for me is that when we rest in the Lord, we can survive anything.


Paul, the apostle, had also suffered through a horrible storm (Acts 27). Yet, instead of freaking out, Paul was the rock that guided the men through the storm.


Coming back to this passage at hand, this is why Jesus rebuked his young disciples: their lack of faith.


Matthew 8:26

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

Instead of trusting in Jesus when facing the storm, they immediately doubted their abilities to live through the storm. They doubted because they relied only on their own abilities – and that’s why they were afraid. If they had deep faith in God and relied on God for life as Paul did, they would have been shaken. As we face the storms of our lives, by completely trusting in God, we will survive even the greatest and most ferocious of storms.

Jesus rebuked the demons and had authority over them (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20)
This passage illustrates a man who was possessed by about 6000 demons. (A Roman legion composed of 6000 soldiers.) The demons who possessed were strong, unable to be contained by chains or shackles (Mark 5:4), and none had been able to help this man with his struggles against these demons. The man was so tormented, he tried to cut himself (Mark 5:5), and even that could not free him from this torture. 

We can gain several important insights from this passage:


1. The demons knew who Jesus is

Every demon, without needing Jesus to announce Himself, knew immediately who Jesus is -- even from long ways off.

Matthew 8:29

And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, you Son of God?"

2. The demons had to obey Jesus
When the demons saw Jesus, they were afraid. Wow, right? We are afraid of demons, and here, we see that they are extremely afraid of Jesus. Furthermore, the demons asked Jesus to not torment them. They had to seek His permission to be cast out of the man and go into the pigs instead. If Jesus told them to get out, they get out. And if Jesus does not permit them to go one way, they cannot just do what they wished. 

Note to self: Be under Jesus' protection, and nothing can touch me.

3. The demons knew the time had not yet come


Matthew 8:29

Have You come here to torment us before the time?

The demons KNOW the time of Jesus coming. They do not know the exact day (no one knows that except the Father; Matthew 24:36), but they know the season -- and they knew that time has not yet come.

Note to self: If the demons know the seasons, then I ought to know as well.


4. The demons knew their fate were in Hell and knew Hell is horrible

They knew that when Jesus comes in His time, they would be tossed into the Lake of Fire (which is why they asked Jesus if He had come to torment them). This fate was so horrible, they would rather be cast into pigs who jumped to their death than to be cast into Hell before the time had come.

Note to self: Hell is not an imaginary place. It is so real, even the demons fear it.


We need to understand the serious implications of the spiritual warfare that we are in. We may not like to hear about sins and Hell and Satan and demons, but these are all very real. What do we do with this information? What did the people of the town do? We see that many of them, because they were afraid of what they had just witnessed, asked Jesus to leave (Matthew 8:34). Instead of seeking answers and understanding, they allowed fear to overtake them and keep them blinded, ignorant, and worse, unsaved.


What do we need to do with this information? Seek understanding; don't remain ignorant. For those who are in Christ, we are comforted. Satan and demons are not foes to be ignored or taken lightly; without Jesus, we don't stand a chance against them. However, with Jesus in our lead, we know we are in good hands.