Peter rebukes Jesus

Contents:
• The Pharisees ask for a sign
• The sign of Jonah
• The disciples forget to bring bread
• One like the Son of Man
• You are Peter and on this Rock
• Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven
• On being focused on the things of God
• Deny yourself and take up your cross
• Taste death before seeing the Son of Man coming in His kingdom

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter sixteen.

Verse 1

The Pharisees baffle me. Jesus has been performing miracle after miracle and they now come to him and ask for a sign from heaven? They of course, don’t want to see a sign, they are searching for a way to accuse him of something.

Verses 2-4

Jesus gives a weather analogy and says “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red.” Today, when we see that the clouds are dark and grey we might say “It looks like it’s going to rain”.

Jesus continues, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.” This is a tremendous rebuke of the Pharisees because they are experts in the law. They’re the ones who have diligently studied the scriptures and were supposed to be able to identify the signs of the times as they pertained to the coming Messiah. But they refuse to do so because they hate Jesus.

Jesus continues, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” This, of course is referring to the fact that Jesus is going to go into the grave for three days and then come back to life. He is comparing himself to Jonah who was in the belly of a fish for three days and then was vomited onto dry land.

I have heard scoffers accuse the Bible of being a fairy tale when they say, “How could a man survive for three days inside a fish’s stomach?” But therein lies the analogy. We don’t know for sure, but perhaps Jonah died in the fish and was three days later resurrected to life, just as Jesus is going to be dead in the grave for three days and resurrected to life.

We do know that Jonah prayed from inside the fish:

From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’ The waters engulfed me to take my life; the watery depths closed around me; the seaweed wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains, I descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God! As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!” And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (Jonah 2:1-10)

Notice that Jonah says “As my life was fading away…” It’s entirely plausible that Jonah had only enough time to pray this prayer and then suffocated and died inside the fish and then was resurrected back to life after the fish vomited him up on the land. The point of all this is to say that Jesus is telling the Pharisees that the only sign they are going to be given is that he will die, be buried for three days and will then be resurrected back to life.

As we’re going to see, however, the Pharisees, are going to attempt to cover up the resurrection miracle by paying soldiers to lie. No matter what, the Pharisees were never going to accept Jesus as their Messiah.

Verses 5-12

When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.”

Remember that the disciples are not yet filled with the Holy Spirit. From our Spirit filled position, and having also the benefit of hind-sight, we may tend to view the disciples as being somewhat dumb because they so often fail to understand what Jesus is talking about. However, it’s not their lack of intelligence, it’s that they are not thinking spiritually. Instead, they are thinking carnally.

Those without the Holy Spirit, (I’m thinking particularly of atheists who often want to debate Christians) will get offended when we tell them they can not understand the Bible. Thinking carnally, they assume we are accusing them of not being intelligent enough to understand the Bible. That’s not the case. To understand the Bible, it’s true meaning must be spiritually interpreted. Thus, without the Holy Spirit, how can one understand something that requires a spiritual interpretation. Stated more succinctly, to understand the Bible, it’s meaning must be revealed to us by God. God will not reveal these meanings to someone who lacks the Holy Spirit.
The disciples, however, have Jesus Christ in their presence. Even though they don’t yet have the Holy Spirit, whatever they don’t yet understand spiritually, Jesus is there among them to explain it to them.

He says to the disciples, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

How can we be aware of the leaven of false teachers? By knowing well, the word of God. Most Christians do not read the Bible. This is why I believe self-discipline is an act of worship. To read the Bible daily even when you don’t feel like it.

In every occurrence when Jesus was being tempted by Satan, Jesus used the word of God to refute Satan. In order to defend yourself against demonic influence and to avoid being deceived by false teachers and false doctrine, you must be very familiar with the Word of God. Read it in conjunction with prayer for understanding.

Remember, false doctrine is often very subtle. No pastor ever goes to the pulpit and announces, “Now I’m going to teach you false doctrine”. Even after having read the Bible so many times, I can still sometimes hear a subtle false doctrine and at first nod my head because it sounds so nice. Only after a couple of minutes of thinking about it, does the scripture come to my mind which refutes what I was nodding my head to minutes earlier.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:26)

Let me ask you a question: How can the Holy Spirit remind you of something you’ve never read?

Salvation is by faith, but how can you be certain you are putting your faith into the right thing unless you read the instruction manual? How can you be certain that what you believe is correct unless you read the book that defines truth? Read the Bible. Not once, not twice, you should read from the Bible daily for the rest of your life. You should read the Bible so much, that you eventually wear out the book. Then go get another one and start again.

(By the way, as stated before, I recommend the New Living Translation (NLT), the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Berean Stand Bible (BSB).

If you find something in my New Testament commentaries that you believe to be a false doctrine, and you can convince me through scripture of why I am wrong, I will gladly edit my commentary. However, what I’ve found in my experience (and this is what we’re going to talk about in just a moment), is that in almost every case, when someone has a grievance against my interpretations of the Bible, that person often formed their argument and beliefs based upon what someone else has told them, rather than upon what’s actually in the word of God. The Bible has 1,500+ pages. Most people do not want to read a book that big. Many Christians try to take shortcuts. They try to take the easy route. Many Christians are not willing to inconvenience themselves for the sake of Jesus. Many Christians are not willing to pick up their cross and follow Jesus. They prefer the lazy route of not having to study the Bible and instead form their spiritual beliefs based on what they’ve heard other people say. I challenge you to be self-critiquing. How much have you personally studied the Bible? How often have you prayed for spiritual understanding? If your honest answer is not very much, begin today pursuing Jesus.

Verses 13-18

These are broad reaching and influential verses, so we’ll spend a little time on them. First as always, we have to take everything in context. What’s the first thing spoken?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

The phrase “Son of Man” is what Jesus calls himself. It comes from the book of Daniel in which Daniel was describing his vision of Jesus.

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

So now Jesus is asking his disciples, “who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Keep Peter’s statement in mind because it’s critical to understanding the rest of the verses.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Catholic church teaches that Jesus is going to build his church on Peter. There are several reasons why I reject that interpretation. One of which is that if Jesus were going to name an individual upon which he was to build his church, that person would be Paul rather than Peter. Paul (inspired by the Holy Spirit) wrote nearly 50% of the New Testament. No! Jesus is not saying he’s going to build his church upon a man.

For the sake of emphasis, let’s circle back and read it again:

Then Jesus asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter…..

Within those three verses are two very important points about the future church. The first is Peter’s proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. That Jesus is the Son of the living God.

The second is when Jesus says “And I tell you that you are Peter….”, this is a direct reference and inverse analogy to Jesus’s “I never knew you” verse.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

What Jesus is saying to Peter is “You and I are on a first name basis. We have a relationship. We are friends. I know you. I know your name. You are Peter.”

Therefore, the interpretation of these verses is this; The rock upon which Jesus is going to build his church is the proclamation that Jesus Christ is Lord and that we must be in relationship with Him.

Stated more succinctly; Jesus is going to build his church upon two things, putting one’s faith into Jesus Christ and being filled with his Holy Spirit.

Put even still more succinctly; the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Truth is that Faith in Jesus Christ saves us from our sins. Spirit is that we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you have never before been filled with the Holy Spirit, read these next verses carefully:

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Ask, and (The Holy Spirit) will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Verse 19

Jesus concludes his statement by saying, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

To properly interpret this verse, we have to keep it in context. Jesus is describing how the church will be built. So now we ask ourselves, “what do keys have to do with it”? Keys either lock or unlock a door. Jesus said he is giving the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter and the disciples in order that they can lock or unlock the door to heaven, (but what does that mean?)

A third aspect of Jesus building his church is going to be that the gospel is going to be spread by means of believers sharing the gospel with non-believers. Jesus could have set himself on a giant thrown in the sky for all to see. He could have made it such that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would cause all people to automatically understand the gospel. But he did neither of those things. Instead, it is the will of God that the gospel should be spread (i.e. the church built) by one person sharing the good news with another, beginning with Peter and the disciples. (Particularly with Peter because he’s the one who is going to preach the first gospel message in Acts chapter two when three thousand people accept Christ as their savior).

Jesus says, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Again, the context is still talking about the building of the church. What this means is that when we go out and share the gospel with a person, if said person declares to us that they accept Jesus as their savior, “heaven” acknowledges that. Likewise, if we go out and share the gospel with someone and that person rejects us and rejects the gospel message, heaven acknowledges that.

The verse doesn’t necessarily define bound and loosed. Which one is which? Are people bound into salvation and loosed into hell, or are they bound into hell and loosed in heaven? Whichever the case is irrelevant. Jesus’s point, however, is that if we share the gospel with someone and they accept Jesus as savior, their acceptance is acknowledged in heaven. If they reject Jesus that also is acknowledged in heaven.

Personally, I choose to read it as being like a binding agreement. Thus, I read it such that, if someone accepts Jesus, the “binding agreement” they’ve made on earth is also bound in heaven.

Verse 20

Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.

We know that after he is risen from the grave he’s going to tell his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations….” But for now, he’s instructing his disciples to tell no one. In order to build his church, Jesus needs to keep his disciples alive. Jesus has already aggravated the Pharisees quite a lot. If the disciples were to now begin running throughout Jerusalem declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, they would likely all end up crucified right along side Jesus and that would be the end of the church.

Verse 21

From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Verses 22-23

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!”

Jesus is fully man and fully God. As fully God Jesus knows what is about to take place and he informs his disciples.

Peter attempts to rebuke Jesus saying this will never happen. I empathize with Peter because if my best friend informed me that somebody was trying to kill him, I would rally to his defense and would want to protect him. Jesus, however, understands fully the end goal and the path to get there. He knows it is not by means of resisting evil or by defending himself against harm.

Peter was not focusing on the things of God, but on the things of man. Consider how you might be like Peter. Every single day and in everything you do, your focus is on those things that are important to you. You’re focus is on your own concerns and that which is best for you and your family. You are likely most often focused on the things of man. We all are. This is the reason why we need to rely so heavily upon God through prayer when it comes to decision making. God is focused on the greater things, the bigger things, the more important things, the things of God.

I challenge you to present to God every decision that you have to make. Now, granted, if in the morning you open the fridge door, and there, in the fridge, is a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of apple juice, you don’t need to pray about which one you should have because we already know that God declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), so we can just give praise to the Lord for his provision and drink whichever one we choose. What I am referring to, however, is every decision in which the outcome is unknown, all such decisions should be presented to the Lord and to then rely upon him and let him be your guide. Learn to rely on Jesus.

Verse 24

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

What does it mean to deny yourself? And what does it mean to take up your cross? To put it simply, denying yourself means that you’re not going to do the things you want to do. Jesus said for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander (Matthew 15:19). This means that bad decisions come from following one’s heart. If we want to follow Jesus, there may be times that we have to deny ourselves of the things we long to do. Pursuing wealth, fame, popularity, style, easy money, alcohol or other worldly pleasures are all examples of things we may need to deny ourselves of when choosing to follow Jesus.

Then Jesus says we must take up our cross and follow him. Jesus carried the cross he was going to be crucified on. It represents a big burden. I want to examine this in light of two types of people; the free and the oppressed.

If you live in a country where Christianity is illegal, the cross you must take up to follow Jesus is that of being persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Great will be your rewards in heaven. I encourage this audience to read a book written by Haralan Popov, a pastor who was persecuted by the communists in Bulgaria. Although it is out of print, you can still find it used on various websites. (There are two books with very similar titles written by different authors, therefore, herein I’m not going to give the title because you’re likely to find the other one when searching by title. I have never read that other one. A search for Harlan Popov will produce the book I’m recommending. You can typically purchase it for between $1 to $10).

If, however, you live in a free country such as the United States, where, at the present time, there is little to no religious persecution against the average Christian, the cross you must carry is that of putting upon yourself a high level of self-discipline.

Again, salvation is by faith and not by works, but what Jesus is saying in these verses is that after you put your faith in him, you may have to pick up a cross in order to follow him.

Many Americans have time for sports, entertainment, recreation, hobbies, fashion, the pursuit of wealth and health, but have little to no time for Jesus, the author of their salvation.

Are you going to spend time in God‘s word daily? Are you going to spend time at the feet of Jesus in prayer every single day or are you going to fritter away your evenings streaming movies on your giant television while simultaneously claiming you don’t have time to read the Bible?

Where there is little persecution, Christians get lazy. This means that if you want to follow Jesus, you have to overcome your own laziness. Salvation is by faith, but can a person who ignores Jesus claim they are walking in faith? You need to be reading, God’s word daily, and not just superficially but through prayer. Study God’s word in depth. Develop a dynamic and organized prayer list in which you are often praying for your needs and the needs of others. Get yourself plugged into a quality Church and Bible study where you have the opportunity to associate regularly with people who are spiritually wiser than yourself. Get around them and listen. Allow them to influence your journey with God. Don’t be one of those people who sneaks into the back of the church five minutes after the service started and then dashes out the door the second the pastor says “Go in peace”. Arrive early, stay late, meet people. Get to know other Christians and ask about the church’s Bible studies and small groups. Pray for such opportunities. And also pray that God would give you opportunities to share the gospel with other people.

I challenge you to make those things a high priority. It’s very easy for us Americans to leave church on Sunday and never again think about God until the following Sunday. Be willing to inconvenience yourself for the sake of following Jesus. Remember, we don’t earn our salvation. Salvation is by faith. But does a person who ignores God have faith? Jesus is saying if you want to follow him be prepared for something that’s not convenient!

Verse 25

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Going back to those who live in places where Christianity is persecuted, the person who tries to save his life by denying Jesus Christ will lose his life to hell, but the person who refuses to deny Jesus Christ even if threatened with execution will find his life in eternity with Jesus Christ in heaven.

Verse 26

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Verse 27

For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.

Remember, God is an all-loving God. Therefore, to be all-loving, he must be a God of justice. In a court of law, if the judge let a murderer go free because the judge wanted to be nice, the judge would be unjust because he has no concern for the victim and their family. Likewise, an all-loving God must be a God of justice. He will repay evil people for the evil they have done.

But regarding those who are saved, we will be repaid for the good we have done. Again, salvation is by faith and not by works, but we will be rewarded for whatever good we did. “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21a)

Verse 28

Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Again, always interpret Bible verses in the context of the topic being discussed. Seldom does Jesus suddenly change topics in the middle of his dialogue. Jesus said a moment earlier that He will repay each one according to what he has done. Now He says that some will not tase death before seeing the son of man coming in His kingdom. Does this mean that some standing there will live for thousands of years and not die? No. Absolutely not. Such an interpretation would be outside the context of the subject Jesus is presently talking about. To understand this verse, we have to look at what Paul wrote:

“What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:1-11)

Thus, we conclude that not tasting death before seeing the Son of Man coming in His kingdom is a negative. It’s a terrible thing. You don’t want that. It means the person wasn’t saved and the first time they taste death and see Jesus is when their soul is being cast into hell. But as Paul wrote through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.”

By putting our faith in Jesus Christ we are able to taste death before seeing the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” That, in turn, leads us to eternal life with Christ.

The post Commentary Matthew 16 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

The faith of the Canaanite woman

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter fifteen.

Verses 1-9

Why do Your disciples break the traditions of the elders?

Simple question: who do we worship? The elders or Jesus? Anytime anyone adds something to the word of God, they are creating something God didn’t want there. A friend of mine told me a story about how he was kicked out of a church because he didn’t want to do what the elders had suggested. He had gone to them for a counseling session and the elders gave him some advice. It wasn’t a particularly biblical issue; the elders merely offered their opinions on a practical matter. He prayed about it and decided he wasn’t going to follow their advice. He later told them why he had rejected their advice and they subsequently kicked him out of the church. They claimed that when they spoke it was the same as God speaking. When he told me this story I was appalled at their audacity and I told my friend that he was very fortunate to have been kicked out of that church. I questioned if those elders were even saved because they certainly conducted themselves with an overabundance of pride.

Regarding the Pharisees, Jesus said ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.”

Verses 10-11 & 16-20

A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it. whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.

Verses 12-15

Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

When I read that verse, the phrase that stands out to me is “disregard them”. It was immediately preceded by “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.”

Do not take spiritual advice from anyone (or anything) that is not filled with the Holy Spirit. I knew a man who advised his children to never tithe. He said they needed the money more than the church did. He wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit. His advice was terrible. I also knew a woman who advised a young lady that she should be willing to sleep with her boyfriend if it meant being able to hang on to him and keep him around. That advice was coming from a woman who wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit. It was terrible advice. It was 100% the wrong advice. Do not take spiritual advice from anyone that doesn’t have the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said “disregard them”.

I do think it’s okay to take practical advice from anyone who has experience in such matters, however, you should always weigh it carefully with prayer. For example, someone who is an expert at building houses is certainly qualified to give you advice about remodeling your bathroom. But we have to be careful about those areas where practical advice begins to seep into spiritual advice. This is especially true when it comes to money. People who are wealthy are qualified to offer financial advice, however, a wealthy man who lacks the Holy Spirit, may be inclined to give advice that would put you in a position of prioritizing money over Jesus, making financial decisions without prayer and of relying upon your money rather than Jesus. All of which would be terrible advice.

At the start of the previous paragraph I said, do not take spiritual advice from “anything” not filled with the Holy Spirit. That is specifically referring to AI. I’m writing this in 2025, and what I’m seeing is that the younger generations coming up behind me rely heavily upon AI programs such as ChatGPT. I would advise you to never, ever, ever, turn to ChatGPT for spiritual advice, because it is a machine that lacks the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, in writing this commentary, I have noticed that on every occasion in which I performed an internet search in order to do some research for this commentary, Google’s AI often displays its answer at the top of every search result page. Even if its answer were technically correct, I disregard it. My advice is to only take spiritual advice and guidance from a person filled with the Holy Spirit.

Verses 21-28

Why does Jesus initially reject her pleas? He says he was sent only to the Israelites. First and foremost, Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. We know that after his ascension, he’s going to send both Paul and Peter to the Gentiles.

We also should recall that in Matthew chapter ten, Jesus sent out the twelve disciples with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Jesus is not ardently opposed to the gentiles coming to faith because he does eventually heal this woman’s daughter and we also know that he healed the Roman centurion’s son in Matthew chapter eight and he also spoke to the woman at the well who was not an Israelite. So, clearly Jesus is not opposed to the gentiles.

I’ve concluded that there must be a sequential order in which Jesus the Messiah is presented to the world; a sequential order in which the gospel is proclaimed to the nations starting at Jerusalem.

Why that is, I don’t really know, however, we do know that the Jewish people, the Israelites, are God’s chosen people and that they were supposed to represent God to all the other nations, yet they failed to do so because of their disbelief. However, it appears that the intent remains that this faith is supposed to start at Jerusalem first and then spread outward from there.

It appears in these verses that Jesus is wanting to retain that sequential order but relents when the woman will not take “No” for an answer, which leads me to ask the reader to recall the story of the man who comes to his friend at midnight asking for bread.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:5-13)

This Canaanite woman kept asking and pleading. Jesus eventually gave her the blessing she sought. Likewise, we should be consistent and persistent in our prayers, particularly when asking for the Holy Spirit and when asking that our loved ones be saved. Ask, ask again, and then ask some more.

I don’t want anyone to operate their faith as one who constantly doubts. That would be very bad. However, I pray every day for my own salvation and the salvation of my wife, children, family and friends. Not because I doubt, but because Jesus gave these examples of asking repeatedly. So my prayers for salvation look like this: “Lord save me….Lord I give you praise for my salvation.” “Lord fill me with your Holy Spirit…..Lord thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit.”

Let’s contrast that to a man who, 37 years ago, raised his hand during a Sunday morning alter call, and followed along when the pastor said, “Repeat after me….”, but since that day has never again met with the Lord in prayer for anything. Can he go confidently to his death bed with an assurance of salvation? God judges the heart, but He also says we can judge a fruit by its tree and still further he says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)

So we should ask persistently, but not as one who doubts.

Verses 29-39

Jesus once again, provides for the people by creating something out of nothing. There were only seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. So then where did the seven basketfuls of broken pieces come from, not to mention the fact that all 4,000 men plus women and children ate their fill and were satisfied? God, created all the additional food out of nothing. Despite the fact that God rested from his work at the end of the creation week, he is still able to create things from nothing. This should be for us, a great encouragement in that nothing is impossible for God. If God can create something out of nothing, then there is no limit to his abilities. Our whole entire lives can be boiled down to merely the gathering and utilizing of resources (I need food, I need shelter, I need clothing, I need transportation, I need communication). If God is able to provide for people in such miraculous ways, there is no reason why we can not depend upon Him for everything.

Some will say, God doesn’t work in such miraculous ways today. To which I would respond, “God may not have worked in such miraculous ways in your life, but you are not omnipresent. Don’t make assumptions for the rest of us.” Besides that, if you woke up today breathing, is that not God providing for you? The person who doubts that God does miracles today, will not see a miracle. The rest of us, however, are seeing miracles daily.

The post Commentary Matthew 15 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

Jesus Walks on Water

Contents:
• John the Baptist killed
• God is able to provide for you
• The quality of our prayer life
• Jesus walks on water

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter fourteen.

Verses 1-2

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Perhaps Herod had some guilt or regret about having killed John the Baptist, because it appears that John the Baptist weighs heavily on his mind.

Verses 3-12

Herod arrested John merely for having told him that He should not be sleeping with his brother’s wife. Herod wanted to kill John but was afraid of the people because everyone regarded John as a prophet.

Herod eventually did kill John by having him beheaded at a request given by the daughter of Herodias, having been prompted by her mother.

Verses 13-21

In the feeding of the five thousand men, besides also women and children. We see that although God rested from all his work after the creation week, he is still able to create physical things out of nothing. And on this occasion, he did so as an act of providing. The same was true of the manna from heaven documented in the book of Exodus. God created something out of nothing for the sake of people’s provision.

I don’t believe this is how God normally operates. I believe God most often works through other people (giving both the receiver and the giver the opportunity to be blessed). However, one of the take aways from reading the feeding of the five thousand should be that nothing is impossible for God when it comes to taking care of you.

When I was in my mid-twenties, I was on one occasion at the home of my spiritual mentor. We were sitting in his living room and at one point he got up and went to the restroom. During his absence, there was a knock at the door. Figuring my friend was otherwise occupied; I went and opened the door. Two men stood outside and said, we’ve brought you some groceries. I assumed these were some of his friends, so I invited them in and they brought in several bags of groceries, set them on the counter, offered their departing farewells and left. When my friend emerged from the bathroom, he looked at all the groceries on the counter and asked, “what’s all this?”. I told him about the two men and he asked, “who were they?” I said I had not gotten their names, but I described what they looked like and I described the vehicle they drove. My friend had absolutely no idea who they might have been and was in no way expecting anyone to deliver groceries. However, my friend had been praying for God’s provision because he didn’t have enough money that week for groceries.

Verses 22-24

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After He had dismissed them, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Notice in the verse above the Jesus went up on the mountain to pray. He didn’t pray for 30 seconds. He was up there until evening came. The verse also states that by that time the disciples had managed, in rough waters, with the wind against them, to row far from land. So I’m guessing that Jesus prayed for at least an hour or more.

I suspect that many Christians seldom pray, and of those who do, I suspect that many pray with brevity and superficiality. I once was appointed, for a year, to be a church deacon. The pastor, elders, and deacons held a monthly meeting together in which they discussed the current events within the church and congregation and then made decisions on how to run the church and on future events.

I had never before been in a position to make decisions on how a church should be run, so in my mind’s eye I was imagining a scenario in which, as a group, we would spend the first ten to fifteen minutes of each monthly meeting in prayer seeking the Lord’s guidance and counsel. Unfortunately, however, that’s not what happened. The pastor and elders would lead us each month in a 30 to 40 second prayer and then we would spend the remaining 59 minutes making decisions based largely upon our own limited wisdom rather than God’s unlimited wisdom.

By no means am I suggesting that correct prayer is determined by length of time. However, I am suggesting that if you have never before spent an uninterrupted 30 minutes in prayer with our Lord Jesus Christ, you are missing out on the most essential aspect of a relationship with Jesus. The same people who grumble that God doesn’t answer their prayers are likely the same people who spend little to no time at all in actual prayer.

I want to encourage you to organize your prayers in a text document, preferably on your phone. Start by writing down “Praise God”, or if you prefer you can write “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”

Then, on every occasion that you pray, pull out your phone, open the text app to your prayer list and look at what’s first on your list. Praise. Spend a few minutes praising Jesus Christ for what he has done for you.

In your prayer list, write down the names of each of your family members. Pray for each person individually. Then write down the names of your friends. Pray for each person by name. Then write down the prayer requests you’ve recently received. Maybe you were at a Bible study and your friend Bob asked everyone to pray for his granddaughter. Write that in your prayer list so that you can remember to pray for her.

Lastly, write down your own needs, concerns and worries, and then pray about those also. And finally, don’t forget to take a little time to shut up and listen. In your prayer say, “Lord I’m going to be quiet now and I’m going to just listen for your voice. If there’s anything you want to say, I’m going to be quiet now.”

Something else I recommend that can readily extend the duration and quality of your prayer life is to perform a prayer walk. When you’re at home trying to pray, the dog may be barking, the children may be screaming, the cat is pressing against you asking for attention, it is very hard to remain focused. But if you plot a walking course that you know will take you 20 or 30 minutes to traverse, starting at your front door and ending at your front door, you’ll find you have plenty of time for quality prayer in solitude; just you and Jesus.

Verses 25-33

I’ve heard scholarly people try to explain away the miracle of Jesus having walked on water. Some say he was walking on ice. Others say he was walking on a sandbar. Pessimists such as these are merely searching for any excuse to say that nothing miraculous happened and that Jesus was no one special. So then how did Jesus walk on the surface of liquid water, on a lake that is 140 feet deep?

There is an insect called the water strider. They are common in fresh water creeks and streams. They readily walk on the surface of water by means of the water’s surface tension. I suspect that when both Jesus and Peter walked on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, God had miraculously altered the surface tension of water in such a way that the water was able to support their body weight, much the same way a water strider is able to walk on the surface tension of water.

Regardless of how the miracle actually occurred, the disciples in the boat were rightly in agreement that Jesus was the Son of God.

Verses 34-36

They landed at Gennesaret and the people there brought out their sick and he healed them.

The post Commentary Matthew 14 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

The farmer scattering seed

Contents:
• Why did Jesus speak in parables?
• The kingdom of heaven has mysteries
• Be ever watching and ever perceiving
• The parable of the Sower explained
• The deceitfulness of wealth
• The parable of the mustard seed
• Jesus sent people away
• The parable of the weeds
• Treasure hidden in a field
• New treasures as well as old
• Why a prophet is not accepted inside his own home

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter thirteen.

Verses 1-2

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.

Verses 3-9

Jesus then presents to the crowd, the parable of the Sower which we’ll dive into the commentary for it below when Jesus explains to the disciples its meaning.

Verses 10-17

The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” This is a great question which Jesus is about to answer. If I had been there among the disciples, I might also have been inclined, in my ignorance and limited spiritual understanding, to raise my hand and suggest that more people could be saved if they understood more plainly the message Jesus was giving. Can you imagine if today missionaries from your church traveled to a foreign country and then proceeded to speak to the people in riddles?

Jesus then explains to his disciples, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

Okay, first of all, the kingdom of heaven has mysteries. The bible says that God rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6). This is why I strongly believe that self-discipline is a big part of our daily worship. Again, salvation is by faith, but God wants to reward people who earnestly seek him. The person who makes time to study God’s word even though they don’t feel like it, are the ones who get rewarded with the knowledge to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Likewise, the person who prays regularly and consistently even though he has a busy schedule, is the one who is rewarded with the knowledge of the mysteries. And in like fashion, the one who chooses to take time out of his busy schedule to fellowship with mature and wise believers, is also the one who is rewarded with the knowledge of the mysteries.

For example, I know some Christians who shrug their shoulders and claim that we are not meant to understand the book of Revelation. Yet, I know other Christians who can explain the book of Revelation in great detail. So we see that the person who shrugs their shoulders, doesn’t want to understand it. The self-discipline of diligent bible study is too laborious for them. Thus, it remains for them a mystery. Yet the person whose burning desire is to know God more, will make Bible study their life style. They will study the Bible in great detail over the span of years and even decades. They are the ones who are rewarded with the knowledge of these mysteries.

Jesus gave the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to his disciples but not to the crowds. Why? Jesus continues, “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

Has what? I believe verse 15 gives us the answer “For this people’s heart has grown callous”. It appears that the person who has a heart for God, will be given even more of a heart for God. But the person who does not have a heart for God, his heart will be hardened by God.

Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds because he knew they didn’t really have a heart for God, they were just following Jesus because they wanted him to give them stuff. Food, healings, etc…

Today whenever I see someone attempting to justify their rejection of Christianity, the reason they give is always so flimsy. The flimsiness of their argument demonstrates to me that they longed in their heart to reject Jesus Christ, and sought out an excuse to do so, rather than actually attempting to weigh the validity of their own argument.

But notice in verse 14 Isaiah said, “they will be ever seeing but never perceiving”. This is the verse from where I draw my often-used phrase, “Be ever watching and ever perceiving”. Do you see how I flipped it? I use this phrase to mean that you should always be, especially within Christian circles, weary of, and on the lookout for false doctrine and false teaching. This is no different than when self-defense experts talk about having situational awareness. The person who is walking and totally absorbed by their phone, fails to see a threatening individual approaching them. Perhaps they fail to see an open man-hole cover or a bicyclist heading straight toward them riding on the wrong side of the street. Situational awareness is the act of paying attention to what’s happening in your surroundings so that you can avoid danger and possible injury. By having the attitude of ever watching and ever perceiving anytime you encounter a Christian who has placed himself into a role of authority, especially authority over you and your family, you are weighing carefully everything he says against what the Bible says. Is this guy a genuine Christian or is he a spiritual threat to your family? This is especially important when it comes to your children, because they simply have not had the time in God’s word that you have had. Children can be easily deceived when the person leading them is exciting and fun. You send your children off to a summer bible camp, but who is teaching them? What are they being taught? Spiritual deception is very subtle and often masks itself with cultural norms.

Verses 18-23

The seed sown along the path

Jesus then goes on to explain the parable of the Sower. In his explanation we see that there are 4 types of responses to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. The first is the person who doesn’t understand it, demonic forces come and snatch away what little was sown into their heart.

In the book of Romans the apostle Paul writes “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

So let’s assume for a moment that you hear the gospel, but you don’t understand it. What should you do? You should have an inner desire to seek God. You should make your body a living sacrifice to God. How does one do that? This is why I strongly believe that self-discipline is an act of worship. Again, salvation is by faith and not by works, but the person who longs for God will seek him out. This, in turn, requires self-discipline because it takes self-discipline to read the Bible daily even when you don’t feel like it. It takes self-discipline to get out of bed early so that you can spend quality time in prayer before heading off to work.

In my personal opinion, lazy Christians, who seldom or perhaps never read their Bible, seldom pray, seldom associate with Christians wiser than themselves, are the ones who are in danger of becoming one of these people that Jesus is describing in this parable of the Sower.

Many Christians do not pursue God. They have no desire to read the Bible, let alone study it. They have no time for prayer. They may have plenty of time to binge watch an entire season of Lost in Space on Netflix, but when asked about the consistency of their prayer life, they claim they don’t have time.

Notice that Paul talked about the renewing of the mind. If a person became a Christian at age 30, we can say that it took them 29 years to learn how to become the messed-up individual they now are. Therefore, there should be some expectation that it might take a few years to undo all of that mess. This is the reason why a new Christian needs to associate regularly with other wise Christians, continue reading the bible and continue in prayer, seeking after God. The renewal of the mind is not instantaneous. It is a journey and takes time. You have to continue within Christian fellowship long enough for this renewal of the mind to take effect.

The person in the parable who doesn’t understand the good news, likely just goes back to what they were doing before, having not seen the value of pursuing God. But if you want God, you’ve got to start hanging around those Christian influences. This is why I believe men should be in a men’s bible study. They say that if a man comes to church the family will follow. So men; what are you doing? Why are you not in a men’s bible study?

Also, here’s a piece of advice. Arrive at church several minutes early and after the service ends, stay several minutes late. Talk to people. Introduce yourself and get to know them. Through my decades of church experience I have seen many times that individuals who walk into church late or at the last minute, and after the service they dash out the door, those people never last. We, the congregation, don’t even get the chance to learn their names. We never have the opportunity to invite them to a bible study or to a fellowship dinner. We see them for only a few weeks or months as they slip in late every Sunday and dash out the door the moment church is over. Eventually they quit and never come back. They are the seed sown along the path. They do not last because they made no Christian friends.

The seed sown on rocky ground

The second type of person Jesus talks about in the parable of the Sower is “The seed sown on rocky ground”. This is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy, but since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”

He received the word with joy but had no root. What do you suppose that means? I believe it very likely means that this person was never filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, if you desire God, ask, seek and knock and he will give you the Holy Spirit.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Weather a pastor, or a famous worship leader that once praised God before thousands but is now an ardent atheist, we’ve all heard stories of people who were a Christian at one point, but now they are no longer.

They were seed sown on rocky ground. I personally know people who at one time they were leaders of bible studies, they volunteered at church, they sang on stage, but today they would say they no longer even believe that God exists. They lasted only for a season. As soon as something in their life made it inconvenient to follow God, they quit. God was for them a hobby, no different than when I took up shoreline fishing for a while. It was great fun while it lasted but spending $20 on shrimp and squid every time I went, only to have that bait go bad laying in the hot sun because I’m not catching anything, caused me to become discouraged and quit.

When a person does not have the Holy Spirit, their involvement in Christianity is a hobby. When it becomes inconvenient, they will quit. This can happen to lay people, pastors, elders, deacons, worship leaders, anyone. If you are not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, you are not yet a follower of Jesus Christ. Being filled with the Holy Spirit requires Faith. You must want God. I suspect that many of these people who have no root, probably are seeking some other superficial benefit of being a Christian. Perhaps it’s friendships, perhaps it’s finding a mate, perhaps it’s the receiving of accolades from people. With regards to pastors who have no root and don’t last, I suspect it was merely a career choice.

There are many well known and famous former pastors who are now atheists. Doing a simple Google search, I found the names of several. They are the seed that fell on rocky ground. They had no root. They never sought, nor ever asked for the Holy Spirit. They were an empty shell. Like finding a seashell on the beach, it’s pretty on the outside but there is nothing living on the inside.

The seed sown among the thorns

This is me. This is the pitfall I have to watch out for. The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Let’s talk first about the worries of life, then we’ll dive into the deceitfulness of wealth.

First, however, take notice that unlike the first two individuals, this person is saved, but is unfruitful. The first one didn’t understand the gospel and left. The second one hangs around for a while but doesn’t have the Holy Spirit (they never put their faith upon Jesus Christ). This third one, there is no mention of them not being saved, but that they are unfruitful.

This, in my opinion, represents the majority of U.S. Christians. Not only so, but Christians can move in and out of this group repeatedly during their life. Any time worries pop up in one’s life, it might cause an individual to be so distracted, they become unfruitful.

There have been times during which my problems occupied so much of my mind and mental energy that I had little empathy for the prayer requests sent out by my church. For example, when my car broke down and I didn’t have enough money to get it fixed. Without a car, how was I going to get to work to earn my paycheck? Oh, but Bobby Smith is requesting prayer for his daughter because she has to study for her math test. I find it hard to be concerned about Bobby Smith’s daughter’s math test, when I’m on the verge of losing my job because I have no transportation.

When I have huge worries in life, I find that my prayers are nearly 100% inward focused, “Lord help me with…..” There is little upward focus, and almost no outward focus. Unless someone is dying, I find that when my own problems seem so big, I tend to have little concern for other people’s problems, including them hearing the gospel. The worries of this life cause me to become unfruitful.

Walking in faith means that we have complete trust in the fact that what Jesus Christ said, what the Word of God says, is true. If Jesus Christ is true and the word of God is true, (which is what we are putting our faith in), then when we read in the Bible that God is our provider, we should be able to make the conscious decision to trust that God will provide. Furthermore, God also said:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Thus, if you are financially struggling, and the cause of your struggle is your own lack of wisdom (your financial struggles are the results of your own poor decisions) you should have the faith to ask for wisdom, as the Bible instructs you to do, and to believe that God will give you that wisdom, just as the Bible says He will do. Walking in faith is the act of making conscious decisions based upon your willingness to believe that what God said is true, even though your present circumstances seem to point to the opposite.

Walking in Faith is your willingness to ignore what the present circumstances appear to be pointing to, and instead choosing to act on a belief that what God said is true, and which, of course, is accompanied by abundant prayer.

The deceitfulness of wealth

First of all, let’s define what wealth is. In these United States when people talk about the wealthy, they tend to think of millionaires and billionaires, however, if you live in the US and earn $35,000 a year, you are in the top 10% of wealthiest people on planet earth. Thus, as you read in the Bible about the deceitfulness of wealth, do not assume it doesn’t apply to you simply because you’re not a millionaire. It very much does apply to you, and we’re going to see exactly how.

Consider the meaning of the word “deceitfulness”. It means to mislead someone by means of lies and trickery. A person who is deceived is not one who came up with a crafty plan to do evil. On the contrary, they are a person who fully believes they are doing the right thing, but are following a lie and are unaware of it.

Think of a child who is offered a piece of candy if he will get into the car of a stranger. He is being deceived. He is told he will receive something good, but in the end, he is abducted. Satan wants to do the exact same thing to you.

What is the deceitfulness of wealth?

A reality of life is that aside from salvation, love and friendships, money can solve all other problems. There is no problem in life, besides the three aforementioned, that money can not solve.

If you’re hungry, money will buy you food. If you’re thirsty, money will buy you something to drink. If you’re cold, money will buy you warm clothes. If you need transportation, money will buy you a car. If you need faster transportation, money will buy you an airline ticket. I can go on and on. Money is the solution to nearly every problem.

Because money is a universal remedy for problems, it’s very logical that those without money would put their hope in trying to get money. Likewise, it’s very understandable that people who have a lot of money come to rely upon and trust in, the money they have.

Meanwhile, Jesus Christ wants us to put our hope, reliance and trust upon him. This is a very subtle distinction, so let me give you some examples:

If you earned $50,000 last year, but your annual living expenses were $55,000. You might arrive at December 31st, and looking ahead to the new year say to yourself, “I want to earn an additional $5,000 this year.”

Did you see it? It’s very nuanced. You struggled financially this year because you didn’t earn enough money to pay for all your living expenses. So in thinking about the start of a new year, you concluded that the solution to your financial problem is more money. And in fact, that is true. More money will solve your financial problem.

But where did you place your hope? In Jesus or in that extra $5,000? You were putting your hope in the $5,000. That is the deceitfulness of wealth.

Don’t get me wrong. I want you to earn that $5,000. I would congratulate you if you earned an extra $10,000 more. But the deceitfulness of wealth is placing your hope upon money as the solution to your problem, rather than Jesus. Again, this is a very subtle difference. The subtlety is what makes it deceitful, because more money is in fact the solution to your financial problems. You should try to earn more money, however, you can not put your hope in acquiring more money. Your hope must remain upon Jesus Christ.

If my monthly mortgage payment is $1,000 and on a given month, I don’t have $1,000, but at the same time, I am aware that my employer is going to hand out bonuses this month, suddenly I find that I am placing my hope in that bonus. Why? Because more money is the obvious solution to not having enough money. To identify this subtle deception ask yourself, “What am I putting my hope in; money, or Jesus?” If the answer is more money, than you are in error. Again, I still need that bonus in order to pay my mortgage. That doesn’t change. More money is still the solution to my lack-of-money problem. But where is my hope? My hope should remain in Jesus.

Let me give you another example. This example is about people who rely upon the money they have, rather than relying upon Jesus.

There was a period of time when business was slow for me and we were very tight on money. Our adopted daughter was only a few months old and drank only baby formula. At that time, a box of baby formula cost $65. It also happened to cost about $65 to fill my car’s tank with gasoline.

Rather than filling the tank with gas and then coming up short on being able to buy baby formula, I instead, would put just enough gas in my car each day to get me where I needed to go.

On one occasion I was 16 miles from home. The dashboard light came on indicating that I was low on gasoline. I drove another mile and passed by the last gas station on that highway for the next 14 miles. In that moment, my mind was occupied with other things, I looked right at the gas station as I drove by but didn’t even think to stop.

About 7 more miles down the road I happened to glance again at my dashboard and was shocked to see that the gas gauge needle was below “E”. The E of course, stands for empty. This was not an electric vehicle or a hybrid, it ran only on gasoline, and I was out of it.

In that instant I realized my blunder. I was supposed to have stopped at that previous gas station but I forgot. And the realization that there were no more gas stations for another 7 miles, I was suddenly filled with dread at the reality that I was probably going to run out of gas and be stranded on the side of the highway.

I began to pray earnestly to the Lord that I would be able to make it. I switched into the slow lane, turned off the A/C and put on my cruise control to try to conserve what little gas might be remaining in my tank. I kept praying that I might be able to make it. I would glance occasionally at the gas gauge only to realize that I had never before seen the needle that far below the “E”. Mile after mile I kept on praying and driving. I finally reached the intersection where the gas station was. It was a red light and I had to stop and wait for the light to turn green before I could cross the intersection and pull into the gas station. I was wondering what I would do if the engine suddenly died while I was waiting for the light to turn green. Finally, the light turned and I went through the intersection and pulled up to the gas pumps. I turned off the engine and thanked the Lord. I had driven 7 miles without any gasoline. I considered it a miracle.

The reason I tell you that story, however, is to point out how I otherwise normally behave. You see, I’ve driven that same stretch of highway many many times. Normally, business is good and there’s plenty of money in my bank account. Normally, whenever my car gets down to half a tank, I just fill it back up again and otherwise don’t even think about it. This is an example of how the rich come to rely on their money rather than Jesus.

When I drive 16 miles from one town to another on a full tank of gas, it doesn’t even occur to me to thank God that I made it without running out of gas. The only time I cry out to the Lord for financial provision is when I don’t have any money and can’t pay my bills. But when there’s plenty of money and all the bills are paid, do we even think about God’s provision, let alone getting down on our knees and crying out to the Lord, giving thanks for what we have? Instead we just go about our lives taking for granted how the Lord is providing for us, every moment of the day.

For most people, financial abundance places them into a situation where they rely upon their money and Jesus becomes an afterthought.

Remember when I previously talked about self-discipline as an act of worship? If you truly love Jesus and have financial abundance, you will do something with your time, your schedule or your automated reminders, that will help you to keep Jesus at the forefront of your mind, even when you are financially very comfortable.

Don’t just cry out to the Lord during bad times. Train yourself to spend time at the feet of Jesus daily, even during good times.

While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten lepers. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, shouting, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were on their way, they were cleansed.

When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He fell facedown at Jesus’s feet in thanksgiving to Him—and he was a Samaritan.

“Were not all ten cleansed?” Jesus asked. “Where then are the other nine? Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?”

Then Jesus said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well!” (Luke 17:11-19)

Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

The seed sown on good soil

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” (Matthew 13:23)

The good soil is operating our lives in faith to Jesus Christ.

What is the crop? It is the spreading of the gospel, contributing to the spiritual growth and maturity of others, and supporting ministries and missionaries that do the same.

Verses 24-30

Jesus then presents to the crowd, the parable of the weeds which we’ll dive into the commentary of below when Jesus explains to his disciples its meaning.

Verses 31-32

This is the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus does not explain its meaning, so I will give it my best attempt here.

When we talk about sharing the gospel with others, we may often times incorrectly assume that its our job to make sure people become saved. While this certainly can sometimes happen, it shouldn’t be our expectation when talking to a non-believer, that our two-minute conversation is going to have them dropping to their knees and accepting Jesus as their savior. Unlikely.

Instead, we need to more often think in terms of planting seeds. The mustard seed is very small, like a grain of sand. Our prayer should be that each day we might have the opportunity to plant a small seed of faith into someone’s life.

Here’s an example of how the Lord might work his will in the life of an unbeliever:

I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

Imagine a coworker comes to you and shares some good news. You respond with “Oh, praise God, that is a blessing from the Lord.” Perhaps that’s it. That’s all you say about God, but it was enough to plant a tiny seed of faith in that person.

A few days later someone else walks into that person’s life and waters that tiny seed. And a few days later still another person interacts with them and waters that tiny seed. As time goes on, all those waterings cause that tiny seed to begin growing. Perhaps the person finds themselves now thinking more often of God. Their heart is becoming soft. Then, finally, one day they have a conversation with yet another person. The two of them talk about God and this person senses they are right on the fence, so he shares the gospel with them and they accept Jesus as their savior.

None of those people are aware of one another. None of them know what took place previously, or afterward. The individual himself may not necessarily even remember all the people that spoke words of truth into his life. But little by little the seed grew into an abundant faith that has led the person to be saved. Thus, the kingdom of heaven grows within them into a spiritually big tree, even though it all started with the tiniest seed.

Verse 33

In verse 33, Jesus is repeating the same point he made in the parable of the mustard seed. Leaven is mixed into the flower until it is throughout the entire batch. The leaven is like the tiny seed. Mixing the flower is like that of watering the seed.

Verses 34-35

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Recall early that Jesus said the reason he speaks to the crowds in parables is because their hearts were hard. God is looking for people who will worship him in faith, not by proofs. The disciples had softer hearts and thus they were able to understand his parables. And where they didn’t understand, Jesus explained it to them using plain language. Recall from the book of John that when the first disciples, who were with John The Baptist, heard John’s testimony about Jesus, they followed Jesus. One even ran to fetch his brother and told him, “ we have found the Messiah”. So from the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry, his disciples (except Judas) had put their faith in Jesus. (See John 1: 35-51)

Verse 36

Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

First, before we dive into the parable of the weeds, I find it interesting that Jesus dismissed the crowds. He sent them away. We just finished reading that he spoke to them in parables because their hearts were hard. Now Jesus is sending people away from himself. This is very reminiscent of Him saying in Matthew chapter seven, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Elsewhere in the bible it says, “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). But here we see Jesus sending people away. Why? Because they were not given to Jesus by the father. They are those who are seeking only to get something from Jesus, but they don’t put their faith in Him.

Verses 37-43

Let’s review the parable of the weeds and then Jesus’s explanation.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Now let’s review Jesus’s explanation:

“The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Without question, this is an end-times prophecy. Jesus sows good seed. The field is the world, the good seed are those who are saved. The weeds are those who are not saved. Satan is the one who sows into people’s hearts a rejection of Jesus Christ. The harvest is the end of the age. The harvesters are angels.

Those who are not saved are thrown into the lake of fire. The righteous will then be given glorified bodies. The weeds being thrown into the furnace comes immediately after the great day of judgement which itself comes immediately after the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, which itself comes immediately after the tribulation.

Verse 44

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

The key point in this verse is that the man sold all he had in order to raise enough money to buy the field containing the treasure. In other words, the buried treasure was far more valuable than all his earthly possessions combined. This is how valuable your entrance into the kingdom of heaven is. It is worth more than every single thing you value on this earth combined. Be willing to give up anything that hinders you from following Jesus with all your heart.

I once heard the story of a man who was incredibly good at playing chess. His dream was to become the world’s top chess player. All he ever did was live and breathe chess. But one day he met Jesus Christ and became saved. Jesus said to him, “Stop playing chess”. Because he loved Jesus with all his heart, he gave up his dream and stopped playing chess and instead followed Jesus. Jesus was more valuable to him than his love for the board game.

Now, let me make something clear, the message “stop playing chess” was for this man alone because chess would have distracted him from Jesus. By writing this account herein, I am in no way saying that everyone needs to stop playing chess. The issue is not chess. The issue is what do you value the most. Be willing to give it up if it draws you away from Jesus.

Verses 45-46

This is another illustration of the same point. Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is worth more than everything you possess in this life.

Verses 47-51

It’s been said that when something is repeated in the bible, it is because God is placing emphasis on its importance. Jesus is making the same point here again that he made in the parable of the weeds. This is the same end-times prophecy. At the end of the age the saved and the un-saved will be separated. The un-saved will be tossed into the lake of fire.

Verse 52

There have been many different interpretations regarding the meaning of verse 52. Let’s examine it closely. The first thing I see is the phrase “For this reason”. This is referring to whatever was previously just spoken; however, I don’t believe Jesus is referring to the separation of the saved from the un-saved at the end of the age. Instead, I think Jesus is referring to his parables of hidden treasures. Remember, the first man found treasure hidden in a field. The second man found a pearl of great value.

Now Jesus says, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

I believe what’s being said here is that the Word of God is the treasure and that it keeps on giving. A scribe is a person who studied the Law of Moses and made handwritten duplicates of it. This is what compels me to conclude that the parable is about people who are diligent about studying God’s word. Furthermore, Jesus mentions new treasures as well as old.

It has been my experience, and the experience of nearly all devote Christians that you can read a passage from the bible numerous times, but this time, when you read it again, you suddenly see something you never noticed before. Thus, the Bible is like the storeroom filled with treasures. The person who studies the Bible diligently (like a scribe) will continue to cherish the spiritual truths they’ve already learned (i.e. old treasures), but out of this same storeroom they will also find new spiritual truths (i.e. new treasures) they hadn’t notice before.

Be diligent about studying your Bible. Explore different methods of bible study and different translations. Purchase an exhaustive concordance so that you can look up the intended meaning of the original languages. Participate in group Bible studies. In other words, be excited about getting to know God. Treat your Bible knowledge as something you long to excel at.

Some people pour their life into meaningless hobbies. I was once fascinated by individuals who create model ships out of paper. They build them with so much detail that you might not even believe it was all made from paper. These people spend thousands of hours building paper ships.

Imagine your spiritual growth if you had that much passion for God’s word. Pray to the Lord for such a passion and develop the ability to perform in-depth Bible studies.

Verses 53-58

There is a phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt”, it means that when a person has extensive knowledge about an individual, they may tend to not have a high level of respect for that person.

Jesus says “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

This is why I think it’s important for children to have, in addition to their parents, a wise spiritual mentor who is not their parent or immediate family member. Children in their teens may tend not to listen to their parents. Meanwhile someone who is not of their own household can give exactly the same advice the parents have been giving, and all of a sudden the teenager acts like she’s hearing this great wisdom for the first time.

My wife is our childrens’ homeschool teacher. Many times when she asks our daughter to read something, or to sit still and listen, our daughter acts like it’s the greatest burden in the world. But when we take that same daughter to her dance class, the dance teacher (who is not her mother) can issue a dozen instructions over the course of an hour and our daughter will do every single thing she’s told to do. Why? Because her mother is the “prophet” without honor in her own household.

The post Commentary Matthew 13 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

good tree produces good fruit

Contents:
• The Sabbath day
• The Pharisees continue to reject Jesus. He rebukes them.
• Demon possession
• We are Jesus’s family and friends

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew Chapter 12.

Verse 1-6

On the Sabbath day Jesus’s disciples passed through a grainfield, and took the opportunity to pick and eat some grain. The Pharisees seized that moment to accuse his disciples of being law breakers.

But notice what Jesus does. He does with the Pharisees exactly the same thing He did with Satan. Jesus uses the word of God to rebuttal and rebuke his adversaries.

And once again, I will ask you the reader, the same question I asked previously, “How well do you know the word of God?” As a follower of Jesus Christ, you should make it your daily self-discipline to read from God’s word.

Furthermore, there is reading and there is study. I believe you should do both. Reading is basically just your eyes going over the words on the page. You are simply reading it. This is valuable for gaining familiarity with the enormity of God’s word. It’s a big book.

Having read the whole Bible, multiple times, the Holy Spirit can then, at the moment you need it, remind you of exactly the verse you need for the situation you may find yourself in. (read John 14:26).

Study, however, is reading a portion of God’s word and then researching it to understand what it means. (interacting with God’s word should always begin with prayer).

Reading is superficial, study is thorough. You should do both. If I can make a musical comparison, reading the Bible is like learning scales and chords, studying the Bible is like learning how to play Beethoven’s fifth symphony. You are taking the scales and chords you have learned and are now learning how to apply them.

Verse 7

Jesus reminds the Pharisees of what is written in Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. If the Pharisees had understood this, they would have been merciful, recognizing that the disciples were not farmers out harvesting their field on the sabbath, but were instead, merely hungry travelers passing through a grain field. Did the Pharisees put food to their own mouths on the sabbath day? Yes, they did. Thus, they made themselves hypocrites by condemning those who do no different than they.

Verse 8

Jesus is announcing to the Pharisees that he is the Messiah. By the way, the phrase “Son of man” comes from the book of Daniel and refers to Jesus.

Daniel writes,

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

Because of these verses Jesus often refers to himself as “the son of man”.

Verses 9-14

My whole Christian life, from childhood until this moment right now, I have been truly baffled by the attitudes of the Pharisees. They see Jesus performing miracles that only the Messiah, sent from God, could do. Yet, their greatest desire is to accuse him of wrongdoing.

On this occasion they see that among them is a man with a withered hand. Seizing the opportunity, they ask Jesus if it’s lawful to heal on the sabbath. They speak as if healing powers are common among them, as if they also have such powers.

Jesus highlights their hypocrisy by pointing out that if they had a sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath, they would be willing to lift it out. He continues, “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

But notice he didn’t say, it’s lawful to heal on the sabbath day. That was their specific question. Jesus instead broadens the answer in such a way as to include application for every man and woman. Doing good on the sabbath day is lawful. That can include nearly anything, much of which the Pharisees did not permit.

For example, they already accused Jesus’s disciples of wrongdoing when they picked grain to eat on the sabbath day. But what if you and I owned an enormous wheat field. And what if on the sabbath day we wanted to harvest wheat in order to give it to widows and orphans. Jesus is saying, it is lawful to do good on the sabbath. The Pharisees, however, would have tried to prevent us. They would rather the widows and orphans go hungry than you and I harvesting our field on the sabbath day. This is exactly what Jesus meant when he said he desired mercy not sacrifice. Mercy would be feeding orphans. Sacrifice would be not working on the Sabbath day.

Jesus then healed the man with the withered hand but the Pharisees then plotted how they might kill Jesus. But isn’t that perplexing? Why plot to kill a man for doing good? What if the man with the withered hand was a pharisee’s son? Would that Pharisee still hate Jesus? Their attitude and behavior toward Jesus baffles me. But isn’t it the same today? Jesus Christ wants to save everyone’s life and to rescue everyone from death, yet today so many people hate him for it.

Verses 15-21

Recall that I talked about this in my commentary when John The Baptist was arrested. Jesus knows that in order to complete his mission and ministry he has to keep himself from being arrested or killed before everything is completed. So every time someone is seeking to arrest him or kill him, he withdraws to some other place.

He warns those following him not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.

“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4)

Verses 22-28

A demon possessed man who was also both blind and mute. I am assuming that the cause of his blindness and muteness was his being possessed by a demon. He was brought to Jesus and Jesus healed him to the astonishment of those around him. People began to rightly wonder if Jesus was the Messiah.

But once again, here come the Pharisees, (pearls before pigs). No matter what evidence is presented to them, they will not accept it. The excuse they come up with this time is to accuse Jesus of casting out demons through the power of Satan. In other words, they want so badly for him to not be the prophesied Messiah that they’ll come up with anything to accuse him of.

Jesus points out how ridiculous their accusation is. “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste.” Jesus points out that the only other alternative is that He is driving out demons by the Spirit of God which means that the Kingdom of God has come upon them. In so doing the Pharisees are repeatedly demonstrating their rejection of God.

Verse 29-30

Jesus continues his rebuttal of the Pharisees accusation that he is casting out demons by the power of Satan by informing them that he has tied up Satan. This is not literal; Satan will not be bound until the, yet to come, Millennial reign. But remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert and Jesus overcame Satan. Jesus said to him “Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” After which the devil left Him. (Matthew chapter 4)

That is the key to understanding this verse:

How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

By commanding Satan to go away from him, Satan has lost that battle and no longer has power over Jesus. Satan can not hang around in the areas where Jesus is operating. So to the Pharisees Jesus is saying that not only does he not cast out demons by the power of Satan, but that he also cast out Satan from their geographic area, in order to allow himself to operate fully and unhindered.

I wonder where Satan went at that time? He is obviously nearby because we know that he is going to eventually possess Judas, which God allows.

Jesus then rebukes the Pharisees by declaring that they are against him and that instead of gathering up the spiritual harvest, they are scattering. The work they do is contrary to Jesus’s mission.

Verses 31-32

Jesus continues his rebuke of the Pharisees with this warning, that whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. I want to pause here and spend a little more time on this verse because of its infamy.

“Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.” Praise God! This is the good news! All of your sins can be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. It is he who makes you righteous before God. It is he who enables you to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!

“but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.”

Any person who goes to their grave without having the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Today, if you ask anyone how to get into heaven, most people will say that you have to be a good person. Let’s think about the implication of that sentiment. People who think they can get into heaven by being a good person, are saying that they can get into heaven without God; without the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for them on the cross. They think they can get into heaven by bypassing the Holy Spirit. In other words, getting into heaven by being a good person means that one’s entry to salvation is entirely of their own doing.

That is pride. It is the highest blasphemy there can ever be. Pride is what got Satan kicked out of heaven. How then can anyone think they’re going to get into heaven by means of their own pride? They say, “I am a good person, I have done so well in life that I’m going to be ushered into heaven for having been so wonderful.” Pride, pride, pride.

“I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” ~ a quote from Lucifer as it appears in Isaiah chapter 14

If you die without the Holy Spirit, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven and your sins will never be forgiven. Period. End of statement.

I am reminded of Matthew chapter seven in which Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:15-20)

So we see that even among Christians that are doing good works there will be many people who do not enter into the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus says “I never knew you”, he doesn’t mean that he was unaware of them. He means that they were never filled with the Holy Spirit. They thought they could get into heaven by being a good person. By bypassing the Holy Spirit, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and by bypassing God. It sounds ridiculous, but that’s what believing in salvation by works is.

When Jesus said “but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven”, what is the Father’s will? It is that we put our faith in Jesus Christ.

In summary, the blasphemy of the Holy spirit, from which there is no forgiveness, is that you go to your grave without having ever been filled with the Holy Spirit.

But how do you get the Holy Spirit?

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Verses 33

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

Jesus is condemning the Pharisees of being bad trees which bear bad fruit. This again, is how we are to recognize false teachers. Which, if you think about Jesus saying MANY will come to him on the last day and to whom he will say “I never knew you”, it is therefore safe to assume that MANY of the churches in your hometown may be led by a false teacher and false elders. Remember, be ever watching and ever perceiving. Pray continually for the Lord’s guidance.

Verse 34-37

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees. Remember when John The Baptist called them a brood of vipers? Well, Jesus is specifically repeating John’s words. Jesus goes on to say that what comes out of the pharisees mouths is what is in their heart, and that it is evil.

“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

On the day of judgment, those who put their faith in Jesus stating that “Jesus Christ is Lord” will be acquitted. But those who, with their words, rejected Jesus Christ, will be condemned.

Verse 38

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

These ignoramuses have been watching Jesus heal the sick, restore a man’s withered hand, give sight to the blind, make the mute speak and the lame walk and now they claim to want to see a sign from him?

What they are doing is the equivalent of today’s stereotypical declaration “Prove to me that there is a God!” In this case they are saying “Prove to us that you are the Messiah.” But what does God want from us? What did I write only a few paragraphs ago? The will of the Father in Heaven is that we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Do we worship God by proof? No. that then would not be faith. Thus, anyone who says to you, “Prove to me that there is a God” has already lost, because God will never make someone worship him by proof. That will never happen. However, to the person who seeks God through faith, Jesus will make Himself known to that person. But to the person who screams “Prove it!”, they’ve already lost.

The words “Prove it” are a declaration to their own rejection of Jesus Christ. The person who says, “prove it” is, by their words, stating that they do not believe. And what did Christ just say? “by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Verses 39-40

In response to their demand for a sign, Jesus declares them to be “A wicked and adulterous generation”. He says that the only sign they will be given is that he will be put into the grave for three days, and then will rise back to life again. But even this they will not accept.

On a personal note, I have often enjoyed court room dramas on television. I find them very interesting. On the rare occasion that I’ve been called for jury duty, I’ve been excited to serve because of my interest and desire to watch the court room proceedings. I don’t know if this is at all possible, but I have prayed to the Lord that on the great day of Judgment, I might be allowed to sit in the gallery of God’s courtroom. I am very interested to see what the Pharisees have to say for themselves. I recall throughout my life, the famous and influential people who have mocked God. I would like to hear what they have to say for themselves on their day of Judgment. This is not some sort of vindictive streak within me, rather I actually want to hear from the person who, their whole life they mocked and condemned God, what they have to say while standing before the almighty God.

There was a famous scientist, who had his own television show and was extremely influential on the youth of my generation. He once said, “The idea that God is an oversized male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous.” I am interested to see that man, on the day of Judgement, stand before my savior and explain himself.

“But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36)

Verses 41-42

The people of Nineveh repented when Jonah showed up, but Jesus’s generation did not repent even though he is greater than Jonah. Likewise the queen of the south traveled all the way from Africa to meet Solomon, but these Pharisees wouldn’t even walk five and a half miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see the Messiah when he was born.

On the day of Judgment, the people of Nineveh and the Queen of the south will stand and give testimony against the Pharisees of Jesus’s generation and will condemn them.

Verses 43-45

This is a frightening few verses. I want to begin our focus with the last sentence of the last verse, “So will it be with this wicked generation”. Jesus is saying that in some cases, these people that he has been casting demons out of are eventually going to become re-possessed, making the final plight of the person worse than before.

We know, however, and for example, that the men possessed by legion sought to follow Jesus, but he sent them back to their home town with instructions to tell the people what God had done for them. They did so. So we see that they were operating their lives in faith.

Most of the Jewish people who crowded around Jesus, however, did not put their faith in him and simply wanted something from him. After Jesus ascended into heaven, how many of those people he cast demons out of became re-possessed?

Notice that the key to these verses we are now examining is that when the demon returns, it finds the house vacant. Again, light and dark can not exist in the same place at the same time. When I walk into a room in the early morning and flip the light switch, the darkness instantly flees and I suddenly have to squint my eyes because it’s so bright. Thus, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and through that faith are then filled with the Holy Spirit, we can never be possessed by demonic forces. Ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit.

Verses 43-50

The first thing I notice herein is that these verses show us that the Catholic tradition of Mary remaining a virgin her whole life is a false doctrine. Jesus’s mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. Jesus had siblings. He was not an only child.

Jesus did not immediately go out to meet them. It appears that he may not have gone out at all. Is this an example of Jesus dishonoring his mother? No. Jesus is God and he does not sin. I suspect that perhaps his family had come there to discourage him from doing all that he had been doing. They probably had heard that the pharisees were planning to arrest him or even try to kill him, and they perhaps came there to tell him, “It’s time to come home and go back to making furniture”.

But Jesus did not go out there to meet them. Instead, he continues in his ministry. He tells the onlookers, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

This statement is a strong indication that we are meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is calling us his family. Elsewhere Jesus says,

You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)

Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ become his friends and family.

The post Commentary Matthew 12 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

John the Baptist in Prison

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter eleven.

Verse 1

Jesus was teaching and preaching in various cities

Verses 2-6

It appears that from his prison cell John the Baptist began having some doubts. I can imagine that in his miserable state behind bars he started questioning himself and his God. So John communicates with some friends who are outside the prison walls and he sends them to find Jesus and ask “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

The way in which Jesus answers John’s question is very interesting. Jesus doesn’t say, “Yes, I am the one.” Instead Jesus instructs John’s friends to go back and tell John about the miracles that Jesus is doing. This of course, is meant to reassure John that Jesus is in fact, the one who was to come. The Messiah.

Notice, however, that the Pharisees, who likely have studied the scriptures more than John has, also have seen the miracles that Jesus has been doing, and yet they refuse to believe.

Recall from our previous chapter when Jesus said, “whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven”. The Pharisees are a shining example of those who deny Jesus before men. They know the scriptures and they very likely are aware that Jesus aligns with everything the scriptures say about the Messiah, but yet they still hate him and publicly denounce him.

Verses 7-15

Frist, before we start on these verses, I want to skip ahead to verse 15 in which Jesus concludes by saying “He who has ears, let him hear.” The fact that Jesus said that, tells us immediately that the preceding passage may have been spoken figuratively.

“He who has ears, let him hear” is the equivalent of saying “If you understood what I was referring to then you will get what I’m saying.” Elsewhere in 1 Corinthians chapter two it says,

The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

The secret things within God’s word and God’s will can only be revealed to a person by God’s spirit. Thus, a person without the Holy Spirit can not understand God’s word because the spirit of God does not reveal it to him.

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. (Luke 12:2-3)

He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him. (Daniel 2:22)

Remember; ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit. To those who already have the Holy Spirit, you must make it your regular habit to rely upon God to reveal to you the meaning and secrets of His word. Never rely upon yourself, assuming you are smart enough to understand it. Regardless of how smart a person is, understanding the scriptures requires that God reveal their spiritual meaning to you. So we must pray before (and I would include also, after) every time we read the word of God.

Having now said all of that, let’s dig into this difficult passage.

Frist, Jesus gives commendation and acclaim to John the Baptist stating that he is the greatest of all prophets. Not because John the Baptist is himself some sort of ultra-holy person. No. It is that, of all the profits who ever lived, John was the one given the opportunity to announce to Israel “Here comes Jesus. Here he is.”

John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.” (John 1:29-31)

Jesus continues, “Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”. John is the greatest profit because he is the one who announced Jesus’s entrance. But imagine those who are already in heaven, being able to see with their own eyes the almighty God seated on his thrown!

Verse twelve states; From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

Huh? What does he mean heaven has been subject to violence?

First let’s examine this bit by bit. “From the days of John the Baptist until now” is talking about the entirety of Jesus’s earthly ministry up until that moment.

“For all the Prophets and the law prophesied until John” This means that the Law of Moses and every profit who every lived up until John, merely foretold of the coming Messiah. But now the Messiah himself is standing there talking to the crowd!

Just as Andrew declared to his brother Peter “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41b)

So we know that whatever is meant by the word “Violence”, it has something to do with Jesus’s earthly ministry.

We know that huge numbers of people have been coming from every town in Israel in order to find Jesus. The crowds are huge and people press up against him, they climb trees just to catch a glimpse of him passing by. They yell to him and plead with him and beg him. They push through the crowds just to touch the hem of his garment.

I believe this is the, quote – unquote, “violence” that Jesus is referring to. It is the forcefulness by which people are scrambling to draw near to Him.

Then Jesus refers to John the Baptist as being the Elijah who was to come.

We see in John chapter one verse twenty-one, that John the Baptist denies being Elijah to the Jewish priests and Levites. John the Baptist is not some sort of re-incarnated Elijah. There is no such thing as reincarnation. Thus, John is speaking accurately and truthfully when he says he is not Elijah. However, in Luke chapter one it says,

And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)

Recall what was said earlier, when Jesus says “He who has ears, let him hear” it is an indication that he is speaking figuratively. So John the Baptist is not actually Elijah, but figuratively John the Baptist comes in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Verses 16-19

The Jewish leaders of Jesus’s time were flip-flop hypocrites. When John the Baptist came neither eating or drinking, they claimed he had a demon. When Jesus came both eating and drinking, they called him a glutton and a drunkard. So we see that nothing would ever satisfy them. No matter what was done, they were only ever going to make accusations.

Verses 20-24

First of all, cities do not go to hell, people do. So when Jesus says, “it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you” he is talking about the people of Tyre and Sidon, not the buildings and the land.

Jesus is saying that if the populations of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom had witnessed the miracles Jesus performed, they all would have repented. But the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum did not.

It’s also interesting to note that according to this dialogue, there appears to be different severities of judgment. Jesus says that it will be more bearable for them on the day of Judgment than for these cities he is addressing.

So what does this mean? We know the timeline goes something like this; upon death, the unsaved go to hell until the day of judgement. Then they are resurrected out of hell in order to stand before God and give an account. The unsaved are then judged and afterwards thrown into the lake of fire along with Satan and his demons.

I have heard, and am willing to believe that there are different levels of hell which have greater or lesser severity. However, I do not believe the same is true for the lake of fire. I am willing to assume that the lake of fire is a uniform punishment for Satan, his demons, and all who rejected Jesus Christ as their savior.

Therefore, the thing which is more bearable or less bearable on the day of Judgment must be the act of being judged by God. Not the punishment, but rather having to stand before the almighty God to explain yourself and receive His reprimand. It would be like going before your earthly dad and telling him you spilled some milk vs telling him you burned the house down.

Verses 25-26

Immediately after condemning these cities, Jesus praises the Father for having hidden these things from the wise and learned. Pride is the antitheses to worshiping God. Pride is what caused Satan to be kicked out of heaven. Quite simply, pride says “I can handle this myself; I don’t need God.”

The wise, the well-educated (and I’ll include) the wealthy, have at their disposal obstacles which hinder them from fully relying upon God.

So the person who desires to turn from God and rely upon himself is assisted in doing so by God in that God hides from him the understanding of simple spiritual truths.

To make an earthly comparison, I previously worked for a company that had a high level of security. In order to get from the parking lot to the building, every person had to pass through one of several turnstiles, each of which could only fit one person at a time. Everyone had to swipe their badge to activate the turnstile. One day I forgot my badge and the turnstile would not turn for me. No matter my wisdom, knowledge, or how much money I had, those turnstiles were not going to turn unless I swiped the badge I did not have. To make matters worse, I had car pooled with a coworker who had already passed through the turnstile and was unaware of my predicament. I had to then walk half a mile to the administration building to get a temporary badge.

In this example, the badge represents humility and one’s desire to seek after God. When a person is wise, well-educated or wealthy, they might be tempted to show up without a badge. In response to this, God places a turnstile between the parking lot and the building. The turnstile represents God hiding from them simple spiritual truths which they now can not even understand.

If you are reading this commentary and are yourself well-educated or wealthy what should you do? I once took a PHD level scientist fishing and was surprised to discover that he did not know how to tie a knot. He couldn’t attach his fishing hook to his fishing line. I had to teach him how to tie a knot.

If you have a high-level of education, be aware that the only area in which you are smart is the specific area of your college degree program. In everything else, you are as ordinary as the person who never went to college. For example, if you have a PHD in thermodynamics, it doesn’t mean you know anything about chain stitch crochet.

When you read the Bible, do not approach it like a college text book. Like as if you are smart enough to understand it, if you just read it carefully. Instead, be willing to acknowledge that without God, you can not know or understand anything about God. Be humble. Get rid of your pride.

Verse 27

All things have been entrusted to Jesus. This is a broad statement for a reason. When Jesus says “all things”, he means everything. In Matthew chapter 28 Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is the King of Kings. Whatever he says, and by extension whatever the Bible says, is the ultimate authority.

So when we hear someone complain that the Bible is an obsolete book that is no longer relevant to modern society, they are in error because all authority belongs to Jesus. That means that it doesn’t matter how old the Bible is, it represents the ultimate authority.

Jesus continues, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Jesus is saying here that he is the only path to salvation. Without Jesus, you have no hope at all of ever getting into heaven. None.

Verse 28

This is a verse that has always perplexed me. Jesus repeatedly states that if we follow him, we will be persecuted, perhaps even to death. But now he is saying his burden is light? This doesn’t seem to make much sense to me. How can being persecuted and being murdered be a light burden? To this I have no answer. But let’s look at the statement from a different point of view. Jesus just a moment earlier talked about himself being the only path to salvation. As we go through the entirety of the New Testament, we’re going to see that salvation by faith brings freedom from the law. In this regard, the burden is light in the sense that there is no requirement of works. We walk by faith and are not required to earn our salvation, a task otherwise impossible.

The post Commentary Matthew 11 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

Jesus send out the 12

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter ten.

Verse 1

Whenever a sentence in the Bible begins with And, Therefore, But, Or, Thus, etc….it is a continuation of what was being said previously. I had a pastor who would often say “Whenever you see the word Therefore, ask yourself, what is it there for?”

Jesus, having just finished stating that more workers are needed, gives authority to his twelve disciples. He gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.

The author of this commentary holds the opinion that Jesus giving them authority over demons and illnesses was special circumstances for that moment. Today, if you or I order a demon to be cast out, it is not we who do the casting out, but Jesus. If we lay hands on someone and pray for healing, and that person is instantly healed, it was not by our authority that the person was healed. It was Jesus who healed them.

After the resurrection Jesus appears to his disciples and says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (Matthew 28:18)

Don’t lend yourself toward pride believing that you have the authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. Remember what is says in Matthew chapter seven, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.

I have no doubt that demons may be willing to leave voluntarily for the purpose of allowing a person to delude themselves into believing they’ve been given special powers and spiritual authority. Do not become prideful.

likewise, also recall what is says in Acts chapter nineteen,

Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But one day the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent that they ran out of the house naked and wounded. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. (Acts 19:13-17)

I once attended a small group bible study as a pastor’s house. We were talking about the topic of miracles being performed by people. The pastor pointed out the window at his swimming pool his back patio (in Florida, almost everyone has a swimming pool in their backyard). He said, I could have all the faith in the world to walk on water across the surface of that pool, but I’ll never be able to do it unless God tells me to do it.

Thus, it is not we who perform miracles, (as though we are someone special), it is God who performs miracles through us. God gets the glory, not us. You didn’t do anything except to follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting to be obedient.

Do not believe the pastor who claims that he possesses miracle powers. Miracles are real, and they do happen, but God is the one who makes them happen. God sends us only to deliver his miracle, as messengers of the gospel.

Verses 2-4

The names of the twelve disciples are listed.

Verses 5-11

I recall at a previous church that before they would allow anyone to go on a mission trip, each person on the mission team was required to take a class called Missions 101. The class gave instructions on how to share the gospel and how to conduct one’s self while on a mission trip.

When reading verses five through eleven, I feel as though Jesus is teaching Missions 101.

As part of the 101-class students were instructed to go out on the town not far from the church and share the gospel with people. Many Christians have never shared their faith with anyone, so before traveling to a foreign country and only then trying to figure out how to share the gospel, our church wanted us to gain that experience in our own home town first. That way, when we arrived at our foreign destination, we’d already know what we were doing. We weren’t trying out something new for the first time, thousands of miles from home.

Much like Missions 101, Jesus, in these verses, is telling his disciples to go out and share the good news only within Israel. In other words, He is sending them out locally first, so that they can learn, in their own hometowns, what to do before Jesus sends them out to make disciples of all nations.

Verse 16

This verse has stuck with me my entire adult life. When I was in my mid-twenties my spiritual mentor told me “Be as shrewd as a snake but as innocent as a dove”. Those without the Holy Spirit can be manipulators, liars, tricksters and hucksters.

Being as shrewd as a snake means that you need to be street smart. Someone who is aware of the schemes of men and knows when someone is trying to deceive them.

Meanwhile, being as innocent as a dove means that although you are street smart, you don’t do those things yourself.

Off the top of my head, I can think immediately of two scenarios in which a Christian today needs these qualities. The first is in deciding who is going to be your spiritual leader (i.e. your pastor). Many churches today have been corrupted by pastors who embrace the culture at the expense of Jesus Christ. When you become a member of a certain church, you are making that pastor your spiritual leader. My parents taught me not to take candy from strangers. In the same way, don’t take spiritual guidance from strangers either. Before you commit yourself to joining a church, make sure that pastor is preaching the truth of God’s word.

The second scenario is a warning to single people. For single women, be aware that there are some men who will attend a church because they believe Christian girls are naive and easy. These men are easily spotted because they will boast and brag about their own righteousness, believing that such boastings will impress Christian girls. On the flip side of that same coin, there will be some women who have spent their twenties and early thirties being wild and promiscuous. Now that a little bit of age is beginning to show on their face, worldly men no longer pay them any attention. So they think they can now stroll into a church and find a good Christian man to marry and who will provide for them for the rest of their lives. They’re not there for Jesus, they are there for money. Know this: A quality woman will display spiritual wisdom. When you talk to women about matters of faith, look for a woman who knows the word of God and can articulate spiritual wisdom and understanding. Any person who possesses little spiritual understanding is likely not yet marriage material. Ask the Lord for wisdom and he will guide you to it.

Verses 17-20

The world hates Jesus. There are many places in the world today and throughout the recent and distant past in which Christianity is and/or was totally illegal. I have read several books and testimonies from individuals who went to prison because of Jesus Christ. In such situations, what should one do? Rely upon the Holy Spirit.

Verses 21-22

When Jesus talks about brother betraying brother to death, and a father his child, He is saying that for some, pressure from their immediate family members will be especially intense. When reading this verse, I immediately think about the Islamic religion and how in some instances, if a Muslim converts to Christianity, their own family members kill them. Jesus is saying that those who persevere to the end will be saved.

Let me remind the reader that salvation equals life. Recall what Jesus said to the Sadducees in Matthew chapter 22; “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

Thus, a person who is killed in this mortal life for the sake of his faith in Christ, will not die, but rather will continue to live spiritually. Then at the second coming of Jesus Christ, will be put back into their body (then glorified) in order to rule and reign with Christ on this present earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20). The take away is that there’s a lot of life still to live if one dies for Christ.

Verse 23

There have been many scholarly people who have offered a variety of interpretations for verse 23. As for myself, when I see the phrase Son of Man Comes, I immediately associate this with the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ.

However, that makes little since because we know that since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the upper room, (Acts 2), the gospel has been taken far beyond the towns of Israel.

So again, whenever we see something in the Bible, that appears to be wrong or a contradiction, we must conclude that the error is in our own limited understanding. God knows everything. Our level of intelligence compared to that of God’s would be like comparing the intelligence of a gold fish to that of a person with a PHD level education.

So therefore, it is perfectly Okay to continue to operate your life in faith, pursuing Jesus Christ, while simultaneously not having all the answers to every little nuance of God’s word.

So then, what does this verse mean? I don’t know, however, I am inclined to lean toward the interpretation that Jesus is not referring to his 2nd coming at the start of the future Millennial reign, but rather is referring to God’s wrath being poured out on Israel, and in particular during the time period of 70 AD.

However, what I can absolutely tell you is that the 2nd coming of Christ did not occur in 70AD. I’ve met some people who cling to such an interpretation as stubbornly as my dog when she and I play tug-of-war with her favorite pet blanket.

There is no possible way that the second coming of Christ has already happened or that the Millennial reign already happened or is currently happening. The reason I can say this with such confidence is that Satan has not yet been bound (Revelation 20), and when I was a kid my friends and I would go out into the fields and catch garter snakes and corn snakes, they would always try to bite us. Sometimes they would succeed at biting us.

The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Verses 24-25

Jesus is again emphasizing that if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute His followers.

Verses 26-31

Continuing his thoughts about persecution, Jesus instructs his followers to not be afraid of those who will persecute them. He is telling the disciples not to hide the gospel, but to speak it openly and proclaim it out loud, even from the rooftops.

He goes on to say that persecutors may be able to kill the body, but afterward can do no more. They can not kill the soul. “Instead” Jesus says, “fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”, namely God.

But then Jesus offers them reassurance, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” He is saying that God values you greatly and that nothing will happen to you apart from His will.

Writing that last sentence, I am reminded of Nabeel Qureshi. I encourage you to read about him and listen to his incredible testimony.

Verse 32

The interpretation of this verse is very straightforward. If you deny Christ, you will not be saved. However, always remember that as long as you are alive, you remain under grace and continue to have the opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. A person who denied Christ before others in their youth, but accepted Christ as savior when they were old, does not need to worry about being denied before the father because his sins are forgiven.

For every person there is a cut off point at which it then becomes too late to make any further changes. That point is your death. When your soul departs from your body, you either ascend to heaven or descend to hell, and there is nothing further that can be “done” to alter that course.

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7b)

Verses 34-36

Simply put, Jesus is divisive. And he should be. God is seeking those who love him, but most people hate him.

So it makes a lot of sense that he did not come to bring peace but rather a sword. I have attended football games in which spectators have started fights in the parking lot with fans of the opposing team. It was just a game, yet people have so much hatred that they’re willing to fight over a stupid game. Imagine then how much more they might be willing to persecute you over something that actually matters, but which they hate.

Verses 37-38

Continuing his thoughts Jesus then says that if you love your family more than you love Jesus, you are not worthy of him. He was talking about persecution and he is still talking about persecution.

Remember, Jesus is talking to a group of Israelites. Imagine, even today, if a Jewish young man or woman were to go home and announce to their family that they have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. It might cause division in their home. So the young man or woman who denies Christ in order to merely keep the peace in the house is doing something unworthy of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

Verse 39

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Throughout my Christian walk, I have heard this verse be used with different applications which are very fascinating. In its context, however, Jesus is still talking about persecution. A person who denies Christ in order to save his own life, will end up losing his soul in hell (hell = spiritual death). But the person who is killed for the sake of Jesus Christ will find eternal life.

Another application in which I have heard this verse used is the idea of those who make personal sacrifices for the sake of following Jesus Christ.

One might say, “I’m going to find my life by pursuing wealth and abundance”. This person proceeds to dedicate his life to making himself rich. In the end he will lose his life when he dies and goes to hell.

On the other hand, another man who was on the same path of pursuing wealth and abundance, finds Jesus and makes the conscious decision that he is going to give up this life of pursuing wealth and instead follow Jesus. In doing so, he finds the true purpose and meaning of his life. So he gave up his life of pursuing wealth, but found his life in Jesus Christ.

Verses 40-42

Logically, if you or I bring the message of Jesus Christ to someone and they receive us, by receiving the message of Jesus Christ, they are receiving Jesus.

In verse 41 Jesus is expounding upon verse 40 and giving examples to show the simplicity of this logic. If you receive a prophet, you get a prophet’s reward. If you receive a righteous man, you get a righteous reward. Likewise, anyone who receives Jesus gets Jesus’s reward, which is eternal life. Furthermore, verse 42 is giving indication to the idea that our reward can never be taken away. It can never be lost.

The post Commentary Matthew 10 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter nine.

Verse 1

Jesus crossed by boat to the town of Capernaum.

Verse 2

Notice that Jesus saw their faith. Whose faith? The faith of the men who were carrying the paralyzed man. This gives indication to the idea that we can carry the burdens of others and through our faith, pray for their healing.

I give you this challenge…Every human being whose face you see in person (not photographs or videos, but in person), pray a quick silent prayer for that individual’s salvation. For example, when you are at the grocery store, every person in the store, whose face you see, pray “Lord I pray for this person’s salvation, that they would come to know you.” Truly look at their face and try to see them as someone’s mother or father, son or daughter. Know that someone out there loves that person. Then recognize that you might be the first person ever to pray for their salvation. This should not be received as a point of pride, but rather a point of urgency.

Jesus says to the paralyzed man “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. This is huge, because without the forgiveness of sins we are all damned.

Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him, everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

Verse 3

On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

The Jewish people rightly believed that only God could forgive sins. What they totally failed to understand, however, and is the point that Jesus is insinuating here, is that Jesus is God. He has the ability to forgive sins.

Verses 4-8

When Jesus responds, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”

He is demonstrating, through the healing of the paralyzed man, that he has the authority to forgive sins (i.e. Jesus is God).

However, When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men. The crowds think God gave authority to a man. But in fact, Jesus is fully man and fully God, so in that sense, they are correct.

Verse 9

Jesus finds Matthew. Let’s make note of the fact that tax collectors were generally viewed as dishonest people (sinners). In those days tax collectors would frequently charge more than was necessary and would keep the difference for themselves.

Therefore, what we are seeing is that Jesus is calling sinners to follow him. Now in reality, everyone is a sinner, but to call a tax collector to follow him, he is calling a person who is publicly viewed as a sinner. As a matter of fact, let’s look at the next two verses.

Verses 10-11

Many sinners came and ate with Jesus, but when the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Verse 12

Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Jesus came to heal the sick and save the lost, so logically where does Jesus need to perform his ministry? With those who are sick and lost.

Verse 13

Jesus then gives the Pharisees some advice, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’

This is the same phrase he uses when talking to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:7 “If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

To make a sacrifice for sins committed is much less desirable to God than to have done what was right in the first place. To show mercy to people in need, to ones enemies, to the poor, to sinners, etc….By showing mercy to people, we have the opportunity to point them to God.

Verses 14-15

Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is his bride. (See Matthew 25, Revelation 19, Revelation 21)

Jesus equates fasting with mourning and he intends for us to fast after his departure. But again, what is the purpose of fasting? It is to put the flesh under subjection. Sin is bound in the flesh, so we as Christians should want to be ruled by the spirit, not by the flesh.

Fasting is specifically related to food. Let’s say hypothetically that I have a bad habit of wasting time scrolling social media. One day I make the conscious decision that I’m going to give up social media. I can not, however, call this a “fast” because it’s merely time management and self-discipline. It’s an effort on my part to be more productive and to stop wasting time.

Fasting, on the other hand, puts the flesh under subjection to the spirit. The presence or absence of social media from one’s life does not put under subjection the flesh to the spirit. This can only be done by denying the flesh the thing it needs for life, (i.e. food).

Choosing to stop wasting time on social media is in no way denying the flesh something it dearly needs. The satirical 11th commandment is “Thou Shalt Not Kid Thyself”. In other words, don’t fool yourself into thinking your fasting when all your doing is moving the flesh from one indulgence to another. You cease scrolling social media and call it a fast, but in its place you turn on Netflix (it’s the same thing. You’re entertaining the flesh). Perhaps you cease scrolling social media, but then you go into the kitchen and start snacking on junk food. You’re not fasting. You’re feeding the flesh. Fasting is specifically abstaining from food. There is nowhere in the Bible that someone fasted from anything other than food. Fasting is not the practice of time management. It is not the transition from one activity to another. Fasting is from food.

Here are some examples of fasting: eat only two meals per day. Go half a day without eating anything. Go a whole day without eating anything. Make the size of your meal portions such that you do not get full after eating, but are still hungry when the meal is over.

Fasting can also be the giving up of coffee, soda or junk food, etc…

Verses 16-17

Although modern day Bibles introduce these next two verses with a subheading (for easier navigation), these verses were originally not separated from verse 15. By putting in these subheadings, it is as if our modern scholars interrupted Jesus in the middle of what he was saying.

Remember, when trying to understand the meaning of a passage, never take a bible verse as a stand-alone statement. Always consider what was being said immediately before and after the verse(s) in question.

Let’s look at verses 15-17 uninterrupted.

Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Jesus is specifically talking about the soon-to-come new covenant. When Jesus is taken away, the Holy Spirit will be given to believers. That in turn, will introduce the new covenant spoken about in great detail in the book of Hebrews.

By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

Therefore, in verse 16 the unshrunk cloth represents this new covenant of salvation by faith through Jesus Christ, while the old garment represents the Mosaic Law. Likewise, New wine represents faith in Jesus Christ, while the old wineskin represents the Law.

No one sews a patch of “faith in Jesus Christ” onto the law of Moses. In other words, salvation by faith in Christ is not something being added to the law.

Oh, but wait….I can already hear your objection. The Bible says Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)

But what advice did I just give a few moments ago? When trying to understand the meaning of a passage, never take a bible verse as a stand-alone statement. Always consider what was being said immediately before and after the verse in question.

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18 For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

19 So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Recall from my commentary on Matthew chapter 5 that Jesus is giving a rebuke to the Pharisees and a rebuttal to their accusation that he was a law breaker.

So coming back now to verses 16-17 in our present chapter, we see that yes, salvation by faith is incompatible with salvation by works (i.e. the Law). You can not combine the two.

Verses 18-19 & 23-25

First of all, let’s acknowledge the faith of this synagogue leader. “My daughter has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and she will live.” That’s an amount of faith that is worthy of pointing out as a good example.

Jesus then goes to his home and raises her from the dead. Why? Verse 26 says, And the news about this spread throughout that region. It’s my opinion that the miracles Jesus performed were mainly for the purpose of establishing the fact that he IS the Messiah. Recall when John the Baptist began questioning himself. He sent people to ask Jesus “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.” (Matthew 11:3-6)

When John asks, “are you the messiah?” Jesus replies, “look at my miracles”.

Today, if a man’s daughter dies, should he pray for her to be raised from the dead? Yes, because nothing is impossible for God. If she is raised from the dead, give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, if she is not raised from the dead, should that man then curse God? No! We praise God in both good times and bad. Don’t be to God a fair-weather friend.

The Oxford Dictionary describes a fair-weather friend as being a person who stops being a friend in times of difficulty. A young single woman had friends who all proclaimed that every woman has the right to choose. This young woman became pregnant and chose to continue her pregnancy and keep her baby. She announced her choice to all her friends assuming they would celebrate her choice. Instead, they all stopped talking to her. They were fair-weather friends.

Another woman, after 5 years of marriage, left her husband when he fell into financial difficulties. She was a fair-weather wife.

Are you going to be a fair-weather Christian? One who loves God while times are good but suddenly disdains God when times are bad?

Recall the purpose of life: God has placed us temporarily into these less-than-ideal circumstances in order to prove who loves him and who does not.

…for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6b-7)

Verses 20-22

In the midst of the synagogue leader’s plea for Jesus to raise his daughter from death to life, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak. She said to herself, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that very hour.

Consider the impossibility of bringing a dead person back to life, and yet Jesus is able to take a person’s departed soul and put it back into their body. How much easier is it, therefore, for Jesus to heal a living person who merely has some bleeding?

Always remember this: whatever ailment you may have, it is a simple thing for Jesus to heal you. You should pray often and repeatedly, while having the attitude that your illness is a simple task for God to heal. This commentary author had cancer at age 28. Today he is 53 years old and does not have cancer. Thank you, Jesus.

But again, Jesus answers every prayer with “Yes”, “No” or “Not yet”. Believe that you can be healed. Give praise to the Lord even if you are not.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever. (Psalm 118:1)

Verses 27-29

Two blind men come to Jesus begging to be healed. Jesus asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They answered “Yes, Lord,” Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”

Hypothetical scenario: A person today has a serious illness; they pray for healing. Healing does not come. Should they conclude their faith was not strong enough? No, because when you begin down that path, you are moving away from believing that God heals, and into the error of believing that you somehow magically heal yourself through the strength of your own faith. “If only my faith were stronger, I would be healed.” That in essence would be having faith in your faith. That is false doctrine. You’re not healing yourself through your own strength. You’re looking to Jesus because of his strength. We are weak. He is strong.

So then what is happening in the verses above? Jesus asks them if they believe that he is able, and they said yes. Jesus says that according to their faith they are healed.

Jesus is the healer. These two men believed that Jesus could heal them. They didn’t believe that they could heal themselves. They came to Jesus because they whole heartedly believed that he could do it.

Take notice that in verse 28 Jesus specifically asks “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” It is the strength of Jesus that is able to heal, not the inner-magnitude of your own belief. Granted, faith is a requirement, we can’t expect to receive anything if we doubt that God exits, but it’s not the strength of our inner will power that heals us. If we believe in Jesus, we can ask for healing and it is he who can heal us.

But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)

Verses 32-33

Again, all of these casting out of demons and the healings serve to demonstrate and prove to the Israelites that Jesus is the Messiah.

Verse 34

But no amount of evidence is going to persuade the Pharisees. They have made up their minds that Jesus is their adversary and they intend to stick to that, no matter what they witness. Even when people are raised from the dead, it will not change their minds.

This is still true today in many different scenarios. People can decide, before viewing the evidence, what they are and are not going to believe. For example, a scientist who in his youth decided in his heart that there is no God, will, throughout his career, dismiss all evidence that points to creation, no matter how strong that evidence may be. He will instead only consider and accept evidence that points to evolution, no matter how flimsy that evidence may be.

Frank Turek will sometimes ask the atheists he speaks with, “If Christianity were true, would you accept it?” and the atheist responds, “No”. And so we see that still today, there are people who will reject Jesus Christ no matter what is presented to them. They are the pigs before whom pearls are cast. (reference Matthew 7:6)

Verses 35-37

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus knew that this was too much work for one man, let alone twelve men.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

Imagine 2,000 years ago what the human population on earth was. Most estimates put it at around 300 million. That is basically the population of the United States today, except spread out across the entire planet.

Today, however, there are 8 billion people on earth. 68% of the human population today lives in non-Christian countries. Therefore, how much more relevant and applicable is Jesus’s prayer request today for more workers than it was during his own time?

Pray for opportunities to be one of these workers and to share the good news of Jesus with others. Also, pray for opportunities to financially support those who are actively engaged in spreading the gospel, such as missionaries and ministry organizations.

The post Commentary Matthew 9 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter eight.

Verses 1-3

A man with leprosy knelt before Jesus and asked to be healed. Jesus touched him and immediately the leper was healed. Think about what this implies at the cellular scale. Leprosy is a skin disease caused by a bacteria. In today’s modern medicine, a person with leprosy would take antibiotics over a period of time, which would kill the bacteria. Then the skin would have to heal itself over time, likely leaving behind scars. But Jesus healed the leper instantly. The implication is that God is able to act outside the laws of our physical world.

Isaac Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force. But when God instantly healed the leper, how were the bacteria removed from the man’s body? How were the cells of his skin instantly made new without the cells having to regrow?

Furthermore, in some cases, untreated leprosy can cause an individual to lose extremities such as fingers, toes or their ears. If this particular person who came to Jesus had missing fingers due to his leprosy, God, in healing him, instantly made matter out of nothing, and then made that matter living tissue and seamlessly reconnected it to his hand so that he had all of his fingers back again.

The point that I want you to come away with, is that nothing is impossible for God. He can even operate outside the laws of physics. He can create anything, out of nothing. He can make life from nothing; at any time he chooses. Knowing this then, can you believe that God is able to help you with your problems?

But what if God doesn’t help me? Then can you believe that God has a greater plan for you?

Verse 4

Then Jesus instructed him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”

The priest Jesus is referring to would have been a pharisee. We know that the pharisees did not like Jesus. Therefore, we can assume that if the leper went around telling everyone that it was Jesus who had healed him, by the time he arrived at the priest’s door, that pharisee might have been disinclined to pronounce the man clean because doing so would be a type of acknowledgement and endorsement of Jesus.

Verses 5-13

Again, as stated before, this demonstrates that nothing is impossible for God. Jesus didn’t even need to go there. He didn’t need to touch the person in order for them to be healed. God is omnipresent. God can do a work in your life no matter where you are.

Verses 14-17

Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever and was lying in bed. Jesus arrived and healed her. He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases. Learn to rely upon Jesus for healing and health, even when such healings come to you by means of doctors. Was it not Jesus who put into that person’s heart the desire to become a doctor? And was it not Jesus who carried them through the rigors of medical school? Yes, it was.

When our daughter was sick, we asked a relative to pray for her. This person responded “Well if she’s that sick you better take her to the hospital”. In other words, this person believed that there’s no need to pray until the situation is dire. That is not the relationship that Jesus wants to have with us.

Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Verse 18

Jesus is trying to get away from the crowds, probably to get some rest or to be able to speak with his disciples.

Verses 19-20

First of all, congratulations to this scribe for going out and finding Jesus and telling him he would follow him anywhere. The scribes and the pharisees were notoriously opposed to Jesus. This particular scribe was willing to reject the position of all his colleagues and apparently wasn’t concerned with how it would affect his career. Jesus lets him know that the journey may not be comfortable for him.

He is one of those persons from the Bible that I would very much like to know more about. When I get to heaven, one of the things I would like to do is to ask around and see if I can locate this scribe. And if I find him, I’m going to sit down and ask him to tell me his story.

Verses 21-22

I recall first reading this verse as a teenager and thinking Jesus was unkind to deny this man the time to attend his father’s funeral. However, somewhere along the way (I think in my early 30’s) I heard a pastor’s sermon in which the pastor concluded that this disciple’s father was not yet dead. That this individual was telling Jesus he would follow him a few years from then, after his elderly father eventually passes away.

I feel this is probably the better interpretation. And Jesus responds by telling the disciple to come follow him now.

Verses 23-27

The fact that the winds and the seas obey Jesus’s commands, fully demonstrates that Jesus is not just a good teacher, a wonderful prophet, or merely a nice man. Jesus Christ is God.

Verses 28-34

Just taking a cursory read of these verses, several things stand out to me:
1. The demons instantly recognized that Jesus was the Son of God.
2. The demons incorrectly assume Jesus was there to torture them.
3. The demon possessed men were so violent that no one could pass that way, yet when Jesus is passing that way, these ultra-violent demons are begging Jesus. Therefore, it would appear that they are totally powerless against Jesus and they are fully aware of their powerlessness before Him.
4. The demons know there is an appointed time for them to be tortured (i.e. cast into the lake of fire).
5. The demons also know that this particular day is “before” the appointed time.
6. The demons had to ask to be sent into the herd of pigs. Is the implication that they couldn’t go into the pigs on their own?
7. Why did they want to go into the pigs?
8. The entire herd of pigs drowned in the water and died. So what then happened to the demons? Did the demons not consider that the pigs might do this? Were the demons unable to control or manipulate the pigs’s behavior? (i.e. were the demons unable to prevent the pigs from drowning themselves?)
9. The town’s people beg Jesus to leave. Why? Are they scared of him? If the pigs were their livelihood, perhaps they feared additional loss if Jesus remained in their town.

The fact that the demons recognize who Jesus is, but wrongly assume he’s there to torture them demonstrates that even demonic forces don’t fully understand the will of God. Probably from the time they got kicked out of heaven, they haven’t understood the will of God and while in heaven, being led by Satan, wanted to exalt themselves above God.

What they do understand, however, is the power that God has and that they are powerless before Him. Probably the lessen they learned after getting themselves kicked out of heaven. This is a valuable lesson for us to understand also. Satan and his demonic forces have zero power over you, if, like Jesus, you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Light and darkness can not abide together in the same place. Light always pushes darkness away. Just this past week, I was at a church building on a weekday. I had not been in this building before. The church secretary told me I needed to go to the end of the hallway and turn left. When I got to the end of that hallway and looked to my left, it was absolutely pitch black. I couldn’t tell if I was about to walk into a wall or hit my face on a closed door. It was pitch black. I felt along the wall and found the light switch. When I flipped the switch, the darkness instantly vanished and I could see every detail of what was before me in the hallway. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with light. The powers of darkness no longer have any hold over you.

The Bible says: No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36). Yet these demons know that this particular day was “before” the appointed time. How do they know this?

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door (Matthew 24:32-33)

So we can conclude that the demons, although they don’t know the day or the hour, they do, however, know the signs of the times and they were aware that this particular day was not the day of the Lord.

Why did the demons ask for the pigs and why did they need to ask at all? I suspect that the very reason they were begging was because they knew Jesus had the power to bind them into hell. Elsewhere in the Bible it describes some demons who are prisoners in hell and do not have the freedom to move about the earth.

And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day. (Jude 1:6)

I suspect that these demons believed Jesus was going to bind them in hell, so they begged for an alternative. The closest thing to them was the herd of pigs, so they begged for that and Jesus agreed. However, the pigs immediately drowned themselves. By the way, did you know that pigs are excellent swimmers? Why did the pigs drown? I think Jesus intended to bind these demons into hell no matter what. He gave them permission to enter the pigs but then immediately killed the pigs. I am assuming after the pigs died, the demons were then bound in hell until the day of judgement. But then why did God kill all the pigs? My hunch is that there was a greater work which Jesus wanted to do in the people of the Gadarenes. Yes, they came out and asked him to leave, but he’s going to come back to them later.

The post Commentary Matthew 8 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.

built his house on sand

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of Matthew chapter seven.

Verses 1-2

This is a warning, not to Christians, but to the unsaved. For we know that those who are saved will not be judged for their sins. That’s why Jesus died for us. He took our sins upon himself.

It seems that many non-Christians will use this verse “Do not judge” as a rebuttal against any Christian who tells them they need to repent of their sins.

But again, this is not addressing Christians. It is a warning to those who are not saved. It’s telling them that they will be judged using the same judgement which they used against others.

When a non-Christian judges a follower of Jesus Christ for doing that which God commanded them to do, (i.e. inform people of their need for Jesus and to repent of their sins), and the unbeliever judges the believer “why are you judging me!” It is the unbeliever who is judging. The believer has discernment, but the unbeliever casts his judgment as though the believer has done something wrong. The unbeliever will be judged by God with the same measure they used against the believer.

Now, all that being said, the next verses, three through five, are Jesus instructing believers on how to properly judge other people. But remember, saved people will not be judged for their sins by God. Jesus took our sins. Saved people will only be judged according to the good things they did. For those good things they will receive rewards in heaven. See 1 Corinthians 3:8, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Matthew 25:21&35-40. (the unsaved will be judged for their sins, the saved will be judged for their good deeds).

But again, salvation is by faith, not by good deeds.

Verses 3-5

Jesus asks, “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?” What’s he saying here? You judge someone for something trivial, while simultaneously overlooking your own glaring shortcomings.

Jesus instructs us to conduct some self-analysis before we start handing out verbal critiques of other people’s actions.

Fix yourself first, then you will be able to give good advice to others. This is how we judge others correctly.

Verse 6

There are some people who are so vehemently opposed to the gospel that there’s really no value in continuing to try to talk to them about God.

“And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.” (Matthew 10:14)

Verses 7-11

In my opinion, this is one of the more critical verses in the New Testament. Salvation is by faith. Those who have faith are rewarded with the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Later in this chapter we will read about how on the day of judgement many Christians will be told “I never knew you”. Jesus is referring to those who were never filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, God knows us because God lives in us. The phrase “I never knew you” is not to suggest that God is unaware of some people. God is omniscient and omnipresent. But Jesus said “depart from me, I never knew you”. Those Jesus knows are those who have the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, in relation to the verse presently in question, Jesus says ask, and it will be given to you. What is the “it” which Jesus is going to give? He is talking about the Holy Spirit. If you ask for the Holy Spirit, you will receive it. If you knock, the door will be open to you to receive the Holy Spirit. If you seek the Holy Spirit, you’ll find it. Those who claim the name of Christ, and yet are never filled with the Holy Spirit have zero excuses because all they ever had to do was ask, seek and knock, and they would’ve been given the Holy Spirit. But because they never put their faith into Jesus and never believed him that we ought to ask, seek and knock, they never sought the Holy Spirit. they never received the Holy Spirit.

Most people without the Holy Spirit believe their going to go to heaven because they’re a good person. This, however, is pride. The Bible says that pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18a)

In my opinion, this is the dividing line between those Christians who are saved and those who are told “I never knew you”. It is the infilling of the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ. There’s many Christians out there who will not enter the kingdom of heaven because they never knew Christ. They were never filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus says this himself when he says many will come to me in the last days and will say “we did this” and “we did that” in your name. And that’s when he’ll say “I never knew you”.

Think about it this way, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, God will frequently speak to you by various means and methods, after which God can no longer say, he never knew you. He spoke to you. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit and through the power of the Holy Spirit, you have personal interactions with God (i.e. a relationship) He cannot later say, on your day of judgment, “I never knew you” because you could then reply “wait a minute, don’t you remember in August of 2025 when you spoke to me? We had a conversation. I prayed. You answered. So how can you say you never knew me?”

The infilling of the Holy Spirit leads to a relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship should give the believing Christian more than enough confidence to know that Christ knows them personally.

If you have not yet received the Holy Spirit, ask, seek, and knock daily:
• Ask – “Lord, may I have the Holy Spirit Lord?”
• Seek – Read the word of God daily and get plugged into a Bible study group where people who are wiser than yourself can help you to understand the nuances of what you’re reading.
• Knock – Don’t just ask and seek one time and that’s it. Be like the person from Luke chapter eleven.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’

And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:5-10)

Verses 13-23

The narrow gate is referring to salvation and heaven. The wide gate is referring to hell. The use of the word destruction is also a reference to hell. Many people go to hell. Only a few people go to heaven.

Beware of false prophets. This is what I say over and over again, yet some people want to argue with me. When you first begin attending a church that is new to you, I strongly recommend that for about the first six months you should place the pastor on probation. Be ever watching and ever perceiving. Verify with the Bible that what your pastor is preaching is true. When I say this, people sometimes argue. Some will make an authority argument, by saying that because I have never been to seminary and the pastor has, who am I to doubt his credentials. Other people claim I am casting judgement. They’ll accuse me of being a sinner because I am judging someone. Still others will say that everyone in the pulpit is a servant of God and I should try to learn from everyone.

Jesus, however, says in these verses we are now examining, “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” When you join a church, you are making that pastor your spiritual leader. So if he teaches false doctrine, and you become a member of that church, you are agreeing to be spiritually misled.

Most false teachers will preach a mixture of truth and lies, and many times the difference can be extremely subtle. No false teacher will ever stand up in the pulpit and say, “Now I’m going to teach falsehoods.” This is why I recommend six months of attendance before making any commitment, because it might take you that long to identify that subtlety. Everything a false teacher preaches will sound good on its surface. This is why some false teachers have large congregations. They sound good. But you must weigh their sermons, actions and conversations against the Bible.

In the late 1950’s ordained Christian minister Jim Jones formed The Peoples Temple Church in California. But by the 1970’s he began preaching sermons that, if a person knew the Bible well and had been paying attention, would have recognized that his sermons were beginning to reject traditional biblical interpretations. But never the less, his church grew to over 3,000 members.

As time went on, Jones began exerting more and more control over church members, eventually persuading many of them to turn over all their personal finances to the church, which they did. Then in 1978, when confronted by law enforcement, Pastor Jim Jones ordered that his congregation commit suicide. 909 people willingly drank juice laced with cyanide and died.

This is obviously the most extreme example I could come up with. Do I think that every wolf in sheep’s clothing is going to persuade his congregation to kill themselves? No. But if a pastor leads his congregation to hell, what’s the difference? The end result is the same.

Did your mother ever teach you not to accept candy from strangers? Why would you allow a stranger to become your spiritual leader without first vetting whether or not he’s led by the Holy Spirit?

The phrase “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” is proof to the fact that not everyone who claims the name of Christ is saved. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes? Are figs gathered from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. So beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.

Verses 24-26

The analogy of good trees bearing good fruits is clever, but what is the application? How do we apply his advice?

“everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

There are two ways to recognize a false teacher, the first is that you take careful notes in church and then go home and look them up in the Bible to see if what the preacher said aligns with what the Bible says.

The second way to recognize a false teacher is to look at their life. Anyone who hears the words of Jesus but does not put them into practice is like a foolish man.

Don’t misunderstand me; every pastor is just a man. One day I walked up to my pastor and showed him the book I was reading. He clearly seemed disinterested. I was a little put off by his response to me. I was sharing with him something I was enthusiastic about, but he acted like he had no interest in it.

Do those actions make him a false teacher? Should I have left that church? No. Absolutely not. We are called to have patience with one another. Furthermore, Satan would love to see you quit a church that teaches the truth of God’s word. Your pastor may not become your best friend. Maybe he failed to say thank you when you handed him a fork at the lunch table. Maybe on your birthday he patted you on the back and told you you’re getting old, to which you were offended. His forgetfulness and personality are not in question. What you want to know is: Does his life align with following Jesus?

Verses 28-29

Jesus taught as one who had authority because Jesus is the ultimate authority.

The post Commentary Matthew 7 first appeared on Gary Eugene Howell.