Thoughts on Matthew – Part 2
MT 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
MT 11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Earlier John boldly declared Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Now John is in prison. John is going thru a trial and he is having doubts. John sends two men to ask Jesus if He really is the Christ or do we look for another.
MT 11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
MT 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Jesus gives John an answer in verse 5. And in each example that Jesus mentions their needs are being met. The blind see. The lame walk. The lepers are healed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised. The poor have the gospel preached to them. These things were also foretold in the Old Testament. Jesus was not only fulfilling needs, but He was fulfilling prophecy.
Like so many of his day, John thought that Jesus would bring in the kingdom right then. They foresaw the kingdom but they did not foresee the cross. Jesus then tells John to not be offended.
MT 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
John did not understand what Jesus was doing and Jesus told him to not be offended.
The doubt that John experienced is not unique to John. I believe that sooner or later in your life, you will not understand something that God is doing in your life. If you never doubted anything yet, you most likely will. We need to heed what Jesus told John and not be offended. We need to trust in His judgment. We need to have faith that Jesus has a reason for everything that He does and everything that He allows.
Now many people heard what Jesus told the disciples to go and tell John. And I am sure you know how wicked people can be and how they get the wrong idea and then spread gossip. So Jesus then addresses the crowd.
MT 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
MT 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
MT 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Jesus tells the crowd that John is the greatest born among women.
Take heart. If the greatest can have doubt, then it can happen to us from time to time. So what do we do when doubt comes? The answer is found by looking at the answer that Jesus gave John. His answer shows Jesus’ power, His compassion, His mercy, His love, and how He fulfilled prophecy. The answer John was given was all about Jesus. His answer was to get John to think about Him.
When doubt comes we need to focus on Jesus. Read more of His Word (The gospels are a good place to start). Think about Him more. Who He is and what He has done. Pray to Him more. Separate more from the world and do more for Him.
Keep your eyes upon Jesus. That is what we need to do when doubt comes.
MT 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
MT 11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
MT 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
MT 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
MT 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Mighty works are not enough. Some people will say if we do this then more people will believe. If we bring the world into the church, then we will reach more. No you might entertain more, but you will not reach more. Some will claim that if they saw some great sign, then they would believe. No. Scriptures teach us that signs are not enough. Here Jesus upbraids these cities because they had seen great miracles first hand and did not believe. Great signs are not what is needed. New methods are not needed. Bringing the world into the church is NOT the answer.
So what is the answer? The power of God.
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Preaching is what God has chosen to reach the lost. Preaching is the power of God. What is needed is a return to God led, Spirit filled, preaching. We need to drop the entertaining and the comedy and return to real conviction bringing preaching.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
The Holy Spirit works during real preaching. He convicts men of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. That is the answer; that is what we need. Holy Spirit empowered preaching.
MT 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.
MT 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
MT 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
MT 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
MT 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
MT 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
MT 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
MT 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
I have had people tell me that if you don’t go to church on Saturday that you will go to hell. That is against the Bible in many ways. First a Saturday salvation is a works salvation, which is NO salvation at all.
It is also against what Jesus taught in these verses. In these verses Jesus shows that King David broke the Sabbath. Jesus shows that the priests broke the Sabbath and were blameless. You would think that would cause the Sabbath law keepers to pause. They either ignore it or have some lame excuse why it was ok for the priests to break it and not anybody else. Jesus is showing that they had the wrong idea of the Sabbath. Jesus is teaching here the same thing that He said in Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
In another place Jesus told a man to carry his bed on the Sabbath.
John 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
John 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
John 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry [thy] bed.
John 5:11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
Jesus broke the Sabbath and told another to break it. And this was not a sin. Jesus was without spot and blemish. Jesus is the sinless Son of God. Jesus never sinned in any way.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The Sabbath day is the only one of the 10 commandments that is not reinforced in the New Testament. Instead you see Jesus teaching that we are not bound by the Sabbath. The Sabbath has absolutely nothing to do with salvation in any way shape or form. Never fall for the heresy that you have to keep the Sabbath to be saved.
MT 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
MT 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
MT 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
These evil men said they wanted a sign. The fact is that they had already seen sign after sign. Jesus had already done countless healings and other miracles. Jesus told them they would only be given the sign of Him being 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth. Then He rebukes them for their unbelief.
MT 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The large city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonas. He was not a great speaker. Go read his sermon. It was about 8 words long. These Pharisees and scribes had the greatest preaching there was. They had the preaching of God incarnate and they did not believe.
MT 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
The queen of the south believed when she heard the Wisdom of Solomon. But these scribes and Pharisees had the words of one infinitely wiser. They had the very words of the Son of God and they did not believe.
Jesus was teaching that you do not need more than the death, the burial, and the resurrection to believe. That is the good news. Because the wages of sin is death, Jesus died for your sin. He then rose again 3 days later proving that the payment had been accepted. He is now a risen Saviour. All you need to be saved is to put your trust in His atoning work. Call upon Him with a repentant heart and be saved.
In this section of scripture we learn an important lesson on the kingdom.
MT 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
MT 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
MT 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
MT 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
MT 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
MT 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
MT 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Simply put not everyone in the kingdom is put there by God. Not everyone in the kingdom is His child. There are tares with the wheat. The tares are put there by the enemy, which is Satan. The kingdom is not heaven. The kingdom is made up of those who claim to be saved. Right now the kingdom is made up of those that are truly saved and those who profess to be saved but are not.
And it will be this way until the end. You will always have tares with the wheat until God says, “Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them:”
In the end the tares will be taken and thrown into hell, but until then we will have tares with the wheat. In every church of any size at all you will have some tares. There will be some false professors mixed in. Don’t leave a church because you run into a tare. There will just be another tare where ever you go.
Instead understand that there will be tares. Stay faithful anyway, and keep serving God in spite of the tares.
MT 13:54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
MT 13:55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
MT 13:56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
MT 13:57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
MT 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
The people in Jesus’ home country did not believe His teaching and preaching. And their unbelief had consequences. In verse 58 we learn that Jesus withheld doing mighty works there because of their unbelief. There is a connection between our faith and God doing mighty works.
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
There are many times that we don’t receive answers to prayer because we do not ask. Why don’t we ask? Well many times it is because we don’t really believe that we will get an answer. We need to ask in prayer believing.
We should not doubt the power of God, or the goodness of God, or His desire to show Himself mighty to us. For in doing so, He is glorified.
Psa 106:8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
Psa 145:10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
Psa 145:11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
Psa 145:12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
O Lord increase our faith that we might ask for you to do a great work in the hearts of men. Let us see your power to save men and change lives. Let us ask in faith. Don’t let our unbelief hold back your mighty works. And then let us give you all the praise and glory for it. Amen
MT 14:3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.
MT 14:4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
John the Baptist was a real man of God. He fearlessly preached the truth no matter what. He stayed true to the Word of God. John was no respecter of persons. He preached to everyone regardless of position. He preached to the poor, he preached to the religious leaders, and here we see that he preached to kings. Preaching to kings can be dangerous to your own life. In John’s case it first brought prison and then death. Preachers are to not fear the face of man no matter of how rich they are or mighty or wicked.
John did not recant what he preached when it got him thrown into prison. Truth is still truth regardless of circumstances. The king was living in sin before John was thrown into prison and the king was still living in sin after John was thrown in prison. You cannot be a pro-claimer of God’s truth and worry about what will happen to you. You cannot preach God’s Word and worry about upsetting someone. The truth is more important than popularity. It is more important than family. It is more important than friends.
One of the problems that we have today is too many preachers are more worried about numbers and popularity than preaching the Word. Preachers need to stand up and preach to please God and not man.
MT 14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
MT 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
MT 14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
Jesus constrained His disciples to get into the ship. He told them to go to the other side. And then a great storm arose. The ship was tossed with the waves. The wind was against them. They were in an uncomfortable, difficult, and dangerous situation.
But remember who sent them there. Jesus did. He full well knew that a storm was coming. He knew exactly what He was sending his disciples into. The storm was no surprise to Jesus. Jesus sent them into the storm to teach them some things. He sent them into the storm so that He could show Himself mighty to them. He sent them there to grow their faith. The fact is that God uses the storms of life to benefit His children. We grow in the storms. We learn in the storms. We become better equipped to help others. God uses storms in a variety of ways. When we are in a storm, we need to remember who sends us into the storms. Jesus does. And rest assured, He does so for a purpose. We need to be faithful in the storm and let God do His work in our lives.
MT 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
MT 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
MT 15:5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
MT 15:6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
MT 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
MT 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
MT 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
God is not pleased with the traditions of men. God says that man’s traditions make the commandment of God of none effect. Jesus calls people who teach tradition hypocrites. He says that they honor him with their mouth and lips but their heart is far from Him.
Jesus also says that those that worship Him this way do it in VAIN. The worship is worthless. It does not have any value. It is rejected by God. Traditions have NO POWER TO SAVE.
And yet millions and millions of people put the traditions of men above the Word of God.
We must be on our guard against the traditions of men in all its forms. We need to reject teachings that are not in the Bible. We need to reject, praying to Mary, the Rosary, praying for the dead, purgatory, just to name a few.
To please God we must get our teaching from the Word of God. Our preaching must come from the Word of God. Therefore it is very important that we leave the Word of God alone and quit messing with it and changing it. We need to stand for, teach, preach, and follow the Word of God.
MT 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
MT 15:12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
Why were the Pharisees offended at this saying? Jesus is asked by Peter to clarify the saying and Jesus does starting in verse 17.
MT 15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
MT 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
MT 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
MT 15:20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Verse 20 tells us why the Pharisees were offended. Jesus said that to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. You see the Pharisees had added many traditions that were not part of the Word of God. One of them was a requirement that they had to wash their hands in a ritualistic way before they ate. They claimed that if you did not then you were defiled. However, God says that it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles. Out of the heart proceeds evil of all kinds. That is what defiles, not if you don’t wash your hands in a certain way. The Pharisees were clearly false teachers.
MT 15:13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
MT 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Jesus told His disciples that the Pharisees were blind leaders of the blind. They had no eyes to see the kingdom of God. Jesus said to just leave them alone. They will fall into the ditch soon enough. They don’t need us to push them. They will be rooted up in God’s time. Let God handle the blind leaders of the blind. We need to keep sowing the seed and watering it. Keep holding to and telling forth the truth to those who will listen.
There are times when we are to rebuke false teachers, but after the rebuke just don’t waste your time. Do what Jesus says and “Let them alone.” They will be taken care of by God soon enough.
MT 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
We are saved by faith and not works. However, works do have a part in the life of the believer. After we are saved we should do good works for Christ. We do not work to get saved. We work because we are saved. Works comes after salvation.
God sees and remembers every good work that we do for Him. He says that He will reward every man and that this reward will be according to the man’s works.
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.
Jesus said that doing good things to others is like doing it to Him.
Jesus does see every good work that we do or refuse to do, He will reward you for what you do for Him. Sometimes reward will come now or the reward will be reserved to be given in eternity. If you are like me, I would rather be rewarded in eternity. Any reward that we get now will only last a moment. Rewards in eternity last forever.
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
MT 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
MT 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Who is Jesus is the One Great Question. The answer of which has eternal ramifications. Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying that He was. Some said that Jesus was John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a great prophet who preached fiery messages. John unashamedly preached against sin and that man must repent. John had to the fortitude to stand up to the false teachers of his day. John was a great preacher, but Jesus is much more than a great preacher. Jesus is much more than a John the Baptist.
Others said Jesus was Elias. Elias was a man who was greatly used by God. He performed many miracles. But Jesus is much greater than Elias. Jeremias and the other prophets told God’s prophecy of the future. Jesus also foretold the future, but Jesus is much more than a great prophet. Some saw Jesus as a great preacher, some as a miracle worker, and some as a man who gave God’s prophecy. But those answers are not the correct answer to the question who is Jesus. After hearing who others said Jesus is, He asks the disciples.
MT 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
MT 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter gives the correct answer. Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Son of the living God. Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. Jesus is God manifested in the flesh. Jesus is the Saviour. He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. Who is Jesus? How you answer that question will determine your eternal destination. To go to Heaven you need to realize who Jesus is and then receive Him as your Saviour.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
MT 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
MT 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
MT 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
MT 17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
A question that people sometimes have is, will we know each other in heaven. We see the answer here in these verses. Moses has been dead for a very long time and he is still recognizable as Moses. And the same with Elijah. They have retained their identity. They are the same people as they were in this life, except without sin. They both were talking with Jesus. They can talk, reason, and think. We are going to get to have great conversations in Heaven. We will fellowship once again with all of our loved ones that passed on before us (of course only if they were saved). Not only will we fellowship with loved ones, but imagine getting to sit down and have a chat with Moses, Joseph, Elijah, David, Ruth, Peter, or Paul. Fellowshipping with those that we read about in the Word of God. And I look forward to getting to know all the saints of God that we never hear about. The millions of people who just quietly served God in some little known out of the way place. But by far the greatest, will be being with Jesus.
MT 17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
MT 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Unbelief is a terrible thing. Unbelief is so terrible that it sends people to hell. Belief saves; unbelief condemns.
Since the saved have enough belief in God to trust His promise of salvation should they not have enough belief to believe all of God’s other promises? You would think that we all would, but all too often that is not the case. Many don’t believe God enough to give, or witness to others, or to discipline their children, or to be faithful. The list goes on and on.
In these verses we see a connection between unbelief and the limiting of God’s work. The disciples could not cast the devil out because they did not believe. They were believers in Jesus. What they didn’t believe was that God would really do a work thru them in casting the devil out. We see here followers of Jesus not believing in God’s power to use them to do a great work. We have the very same problem today. Churches could have a huge impact on their communities if they would believe that God will do a great work thru them and then of course get busy.
Jesus tells them that is was because of unbelief that they failed and then Jesus them tells them that a little amount of faith can do big things.
If we are all honest, we will all admit that we do not always believe in God’s promises and in His ability to do a great work thru us. So what do we do about it? Pray and ask for forgiveness, and then ask God to help your unbelief.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
MT 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
MT 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
God loves His children. He sees every time that anyone does anything to hurt a born again believer. Jesus has some harsh words for those that hurt Christians. He says, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. God will punish them harshly for hurting His children. The punishment will be far worse than drowning. Too often it appears that the wicked get away with it. Be rest assured that they will not. In God’s time and in His way they will be dealt with. It is a guarantee. Jesus says, Woe unto the world because of offences!
If God hates the offences so much then why does He let them happen? He says in verse 7 it must needs be that offences come. He has a plan and a purpose and offences are needed. Christians learn faith, patience, trust, and how to love more like Christ thru trials and tribulations. God has many different reasons for trials and only He knows all of them. The fact is that they are needed, but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
It is much better to be one of God’s children and to be on the receiving end of some offences than to be the one that does the offending. The offender might scoff at God’s pronouncement of woe upon him today, but one day he will be no longer scoffing when God’s judgment comes upon him.
MT 19:13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
MT 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
MT 19:15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
Trying to stop the children from coming to Jesus is a wicked thing. The disciples did not want the children to come to Jesus. But Jesus said, “forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven.” The disciples did not hate children. I think they thought that the children were too young to understand and that the teachings of Jesus was for the adults. Or they might have thought that it was a waste of Jesus’ time. Or that His time would be better spent with them. Whatever their reason was, they were wrong. Jesus tells them to let them come. Jesus loves little children to.
Jesus uses the word suffer in verse 14. If you have ever been involved in a children’s ministry, you understand that statement. Not that it is a horrible experience, far from it. Being involved in a children’s ministry is a blessing. It is a privilege. But if you are going to be involved in a children’s ministry, you are going to have to put up with some things.
Children get out of hand from time to time. They don’t always behave like you want them to. Some kids are dirty and smell terrible. They will try your patience. But it does not matter, you are to bring them to Jesus anyway.
There is one place in every church that can use more workers and that is the children’s ministry. Put up with some things, roll up your sleeves and get busy. It is a sad thing to me when a church is not willing to work with kids.
MT 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
MT 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
MT 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
God created man and woman. He created them to join together in marriage. A man is to leave his parents and join to his wife and they are to be one flesh. No my money your money. They are not to be divided. Instead they are to be one. Two people joined together to pull one load.
They are to help each other, care for each other, and love each other as if the other person is actually a part of them. A man’s wife is to be more important to him than his family, his job, or anything else (except God). Two people who are joined like they are supposed to be, hurt when the other one hurts, is sad when the other one is sad. If you enter into the other’s hurts, then you would never want to hurt the other because you would be hurting yourself.
One of the problems is that people marry out of selfishness. To them it is all about what I can get, my needs, my feelings and so on. That is not what marriage is about. It is about joining with someone else for life to honor them and help them and cherish them. I hope you understand this statement. Marriage is more about your partner than about you!
Marriage is a God instituted, God ordained, institution. And those entering into marriage need to realize that God had joined them together, therefore they are to stay together. God’s way is until death do you part.
And of course marriage is only between a man and a woman. Anything else is unnatural, unholy, ungodly, and in rebellion to God’s clear instructions.
MT 20:17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
MT 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
MT 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
MT 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Two times in this chapter Jesus tells His disciples of His coming death. Jesus tells them that it will happen in Jerusalem. Jesus tells them that He will be betrayed. He tells them that this betrayal will put Him into the hands of the chief priests and the scribes. Jesus tells them that the chief priests and the scribes will condemn Him to death. This was something that they did not have the power to do at this time. Only Rome had the power to enact the death penalty.
The disciples might have wondered how can they do that? But Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. Jesus told them that the priests were going to deliver Him to the Gentiles, and that they were going to mock Him and scourge Him. And after that, crucify Him. Jesus also told them why. He told them that He came to give His life as a ransom for many. No one was going to take His life. He gave it. He did not give it for just a few but for many. For all who would accept His atoning work on the cross.
They kept talking about the kingdom and Jesus was telling them that this was not the time for the kingdom. First He must die. First he must give His life as a ransom for many. He tells them that He did not come to be ministered to like a ruler of a kingdom. That comes later. He came this time to minister. He came to pay for our sin.
But He also tells them that His death will not be permanent. He tells them that 3 days later He will rise again.
After verse 19 they go back to talking about the kingdom. Instead of bringing in the kingdom, Jesus went to the cross and died. The disciples all forsook Him. They wanted a kingdom without a cross. But it does not work that way. (Thankfully the disciples understood that after the resurrection).
First the sin question has to be dealt with. Then later can come the kingdom.
It is the same with you. You first have to go to the cross and have your sins forgiven. You have to accept His atoning work. You have to acknowledge that He died in your place; that He paid your sin debt. You must believe in your heart and call upon Him to save you.
Do not be a part of the multitude that want the kingdom without the cross of Christ.
MT 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Two of the disciples wanted to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in the kingdom. A position of honor and authority. The other disciples were angry at this. Jesus then calls them all together and reminds His disciples how the world looks at greatness and authority. The world sets great men into positions of authority. Greatness as the world sees greatness. Maybe great in speaking ability, or great in talent, or great in building a power base, or great in manipulation, or simply great at bullying. Then Jesus tells them that it is different with God’s kingdom.
MT 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
MT 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
If you want to be considered great with God, then be a servant. Do you want to be chief, then serve others. Real practical, self-sacrificing, working, putting others first type of service. Concern about others and doing something about it thru service is what counts as great with God. The greatest example of course is Jesus.
MT 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
We are to serve others even as the Son of man. That is with a self-sacrificing love. Jesus literally gave the most He could give. He gave His life as a ransom for us.
Some men want to be pastors so they can rule over others. They have the wrong idea. A great pastor is a servant. He is a minister to others. He ministers in many ways, counseling, prayer, hospital visits, and so on. I think the most important way is in the ministry of the word.
The pastor is not the only one who should have an attitude of being a servant. Every Christian should also minister unto others. Greatness is service. Are you being a servant the way God wants you to?
See more lessons from the Gospels