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

Verses 1-2

When Jesus had finished saying these things, (i.e. the end of chapter 18), He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

Verse 3

The Pharisees continue to search for any opportunity to accuse Jesus of something. They search and search, as though their greatest desire is to validate their rejection of the one person who is most obviously the Messiah.

Today is no different, there are individuals who will search the Bible in order to find something (anything), with which they can accuse God, Jesus, Christians, of wrong doing. When you approach the Bible, it should always be from a position of humility, prayer, and a desire to know God better. That’s when God will give to you an understanding of scripture. Otherwise, God has the ability to keep the bible’s secrets hidden from you, even if you read it.

So the Pharisees ask, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” Again, they’re not asking because they want to know the answer. They’re asking because they are seeking a reason to accuse Jesus of something. This is why the verse says they came to test him.

Verse 4

Jesus answered, “Have you not read….” Recall that when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, on every occasion that Jesus presented a counter argument to Satan, Jesus used the Word of God to rebuttal and rebuke Satan. He is doing the same thing here while speaking to the Pharisees. “Have you not read” is Jesus’s reprimand to the Pharisees for not knowing the Word of God. The Pharisees are supposed to be experts in the law, yet they come to Jesus and ask questions they should already know the answer to.

We too should know the Word of God well enough to be able to rebuttal any, and rebuke any deceit or demonic influence. Furthermore, knowing well the word of God is ultra-valuable because it contains most of the answers people are looking for.

By the way, when you ask God a question in prayer and you hear only silence, (i.e., when you ask God something and He doesn’t answer), many times it is because the answer is in the Bible. Here’s what you should do when you ask God something in prayer but hear only silence. First, refer to James 1:5 which says,

Now 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)

Regardless of what the subject matter is, if you are asking any question of God, you are asking for wisdom. Recite this verse in your prayer. Then, if you hear only silence, sit down with your Bible and ask the Lord where He wants you to read. (I’m not suggesting you flop open the Bible to a random page and there expect to find your answer. Doing that can often lead to the Bible being taken out of context). Rather I am saying, when you present your Bible reading to the Lord through prayer, there may be occasions in which you feel strongly compelled to turn to a particular book, chapter and verse.

Verses 5-6

In addressing the Pharisees, Jesus answered, “from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife”.

There is a reason why many teenagers do not get along with their parents. They are being prepared to leave their father and mother and be united to a spouse. God has put into our DNA the desire to leave our parents. That code in our DNA begins to express itself when we’re teenagers. Much like baby sea turtles running across the sand in order to get into the ocean. Why don’t the baby turtles just hang out on the beach all night? There is something within their DNA that says “get to the water!” and they are compelled to do so. In the same way, when a young person is approaching that time in life where they ought to go out into the world and find a spouse, something happens within them that causes them to begin to dislike living with their parents. Mind you, I am not suggesting a 13-year-old should leave their parents, rather I am suggesting this instinct begins preparing them to eventually do so.

My opinion: If you are 20 years old or more, and you’re still living with your parents, you should begin organizing your finances, polishing your resume, researching places to live, and set a goal to move out. That being said, there’s obviously exceptions. A single parent, a person with a disability, or someone who encountered financial devastation might need to remain longer with their parents.

The reverse is also true, once you leave your parents home, it should be your goal to have a wonderful relationship with them. And to all adults who do have a good relationship with their parents, give praise to the Lord. However, if you have a parent who feels it’s their place to meddle in your marriage, (and this is more often someone’s mother, rather than their father) I would encourage you to consider putting some distance between you and they.

My mother always felt it was her place to insert herself into my marriage. Long after I had left home, gotten married, bought a house and a dog, my mother continued to treat me as if I were 12 years old. Sometimes she would arrive at our house unannounced and would come in and begin scolding me in front of my wife for some perceived offense I had unknowingly done to her. I was envious of my two sisters because when they left home, one moved 1,900 miles away and the other moved 899 miles away. Because of my job, however, I remained in the same town as my parents. I found no relief from my mother until we finally boxed everything up and moved to Ohio (and I having had to quit a good job to do so).

“The two will become one flesh, so they are no longer two, but one flesh.”

This verse is perplexing. What does it mean, “The two become one flesh”? Some people, when asked what this verse is referring to, respond by saying “sex; it’s referring to sex.” But the verse says “what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Obviously, it’s not suggesting that married couples should never cease having sex. That would be weird.

Furthermore, we know that Paul wrote the following:

It is good to abstain from sexual relations. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.

The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.

Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. (1 Corinthians 7:1-7)

However, Paul also wrote:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:15-17)

This indicates that two becoming one flesh is in fact about sex, but perhaps there is more to it than just that.

Let’s take a look at exactly where the phrase originates:

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh. And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. And the man said:

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.”

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:21-24)

So in this context, Eve was literally made from Adam’s bone. When Adam received Eve, he was receiving his own flesh back to himself, (i.e. he was receiving back his own rib).

If a person donates bone marrow or a kidney, do they and the recipient become one flesh? I don’t think so, because the verse appears to be specifically about marriage.

Coming back to the context in Matthew, marriage today does not consist of creating a man’s wife from one of his ribs. Two relatively unrelated people meet, fall in love, and get married. Why are they then considered one flesh?

Some have suggested that being of one flesh is merely referring to a partnership or to a mutual commitment. But that can not be the case because two individuals who start a business together make commitments to one another and are in a partnership but they do not become one flesh.

Some have said the verse would make more sense if it said married couples are united in spirit. However, having one spirit would make little sense in the context of what happens when those two people go to heaven? They would obviously not be one soul in heaven. And what if one went to heaven and the other went to hell, how would that work out if they were one spirit?

Furthermore, Jesus said, “in the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30)

Marriage only lasts while we are alive on this earth and our flesh only lasts while we are alive on this earth. But our soul / spirit, goes to heaven where it lasts forever and there we are married to Christ.

Marriage between a man and a woman represents the marriage between Christ and the church. See the following verses: Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:7-9, Revelation 21:2, Revelation 21:9, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Matthew 9:15, Matthew 22:1-14, Matthew 25:1-13, Hosea 2:19-20, Isaiah 62:5

Therefore, anyone who cheats on their spouse represents the church cheating on Christ. That’s not a good look, to say the least.

This comparison of a marriage as being like that of the relationship between Christ and the church is continued by Paul in the book of Ephesians. Paul writes:

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. For we are members of His body.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:15-33)

In these verses we see that the church submits to Jesus Christ and that Christ loves the church. Christ loved the church so much that he was willing to die in their place. By dying on the cross, Jesus sanctified the church so that we (the church) could be presented to Him without blemish.

All of this is represented by marriage. From the first human beings, God meant for marriage to represent what he was going to do for the church, (for those who put their faith in Him).

But verses 31 & 32 contain the essence of what we are looking for here at this moment.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32)

Recall from my commentary on Matthew chapter 13, where I wrote a great deal about the kingdom of heaven having many mysteries. Paul is telling us that this verse, “The two becoming one flesh” is itself one of these mysteries. However, he immediately explains it to us, “I am speaking about Christ and the church”.

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to abide within us. Thus, we (the church) are one with Christ in that the Holy Spirit is living within us. Marriage represents this relationship between Christ and the church. Thus, the two becoming one flesh, represents the marriage between Christ and church, the two becoming one (Christ dying for us to make us pure, and we being filled with the Holy Spirit, to become one with Christ).

Therefore, any deviation from what God intended marriage to be, represents a deviation from, (a rejection of), what Christ has done for the church. Thus, sex before marriage, cohabitation without marriage, casual hookups, wedding ceremonies that exclude God, viewing marriage as merely a legal contract, adultery, pornography, open marriages, gay marriages, gender fluidity and non-binary marriage, divorce, and the no-fault divorce culture, all represent a deviation from what God intended marriage to represent and thus, represents a rejection of what Christ did to redeem us.

This is why marriage should be taken very seriously. As Jesus stated, what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Verses 7-9

“Why then,” the Pharisees asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart. But it was not this way from the beginning. Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

If your spouse cheats on you (sexual immorality), you may divorce. Otherwise it is better to work out your problems.

There are some people, however, who, because of this verse, believe that if their spouse divorces them, they must spend the rest of their life alone and lonely. But let’s look at what it says in 1st Corinthians,
if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. (1 Corinthians 7:15)

Verses 10-11

His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.” “Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given.

Notice that Jesus is agreeing with them. Yes, it is better that a person not marry, however, Jesus says that this only applies to those it has been given not to marry. If you have any desire whatsoever to fall in love, to be in a romantic relationship, to date, to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, or to someday get married, you are not one of these people to whom life long singleness has been given.

Verse 12

Describes the type of people to whom lifelong singleness has been given.

Verses 13-15

The disciples viewed their activities with Jesus as adult stuff, and wanted to send away the children. Jesus, however, takes the opportunity to tell those around him that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who, like little children, are completely humble.

Verses 16-24

Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” This man’s question demonstrates he is starting off this conversation with an incorrect assumption. “What must I DO to go to heaven?”

He is assuming that something he does will earn him his entrance into heaven. This is an error. And 2,000 years later, not much has changed. Most people, when asked how a person gets into heaven, they will respond with “by being a good person”. However, that is not correct.

We’re about to see that Jesus is setting up this conversation with the rich young man to reveal the man’s shortcoming and to give him the true answer he’s looking for regarding the true paths to eternal life.

“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good…”

Jesus is giving this man a big hint. By saying, “There is only One who is good”, Jesus is hinting at the fact that this rich young man is not the one who is good. Jesus is hinting at the fact that the rich young man doesn’t have within himself, what it takes to obtain eternal life.

Then Jesus sets up the conversation to reveal the man’s shortcoming. Jesus says, “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” (Jesus knows, and we, the readers, know that this is not the correct answer), but watch what happens next.

“Which ones?” the man asked. He is still thinking that he is the one who’s going to become so holy that he will be capable of walking himself into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus proceeds to rattle off a few of the ten commandments. “All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?” (Oh, here we go. Set up complete. Now for the slam dunk).

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Now let’s examine carefully what Jesus just said. “If you want to be perfect, sell your possessions and follow me.” What makes us perfect in God’s eyes? Jesus!

Notice that the selling of possessions doesn’t earn the man salvation, it only gives him treasures in heaven. Following Jesus is the key to our entrance into heaven. However, Jesus knows that this rich young man puts his trust in his money rather than in God. That’s why Jesus is challenging him to sell it all and give it to the poor.

In the United States most people rely upon their money rather than Jesus. Here’s an example, you have $1,000 in your bank account. You’re driving in your car and you find yourself getting hungry. You know that at the next intersection is your favorite take out restaurant. What do you do? Without giving any thought to the Lord’s provision, you pull into the restaurant, walk in, place your order, pick up your food, walk out and continue on your journey home. Never once having even given a thought to how God provides for you. That is an example of relying upon your money, rather than God. Oh, and by the way, if you have a job in the United States, I can almost guarantee you that you have more money than the rich young ruler from these Bible verses we’re examining now.

Do you need to sell all your possessions? I would encourage you to have a minimalist attitude toward material possessions, but the point is not that you own something or do not own something (that again, would be trying to earn salvation), rather, the point is your attitude toward your money and possessions. Get rid of the things in your life that prevent you from following Jesus. Get rid of the things in your life that distract you from Jesus.

When the young man heard Jesus’s instruction (to sell his possessions and come follow him), he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

Every sermon I’ve ever heard about this rich young man, concluded that by going away in sorrow, he chose not to do what Jesus said. I totally disagree. Every time I have heard a sermon in which the pastor concluded that the rich young man rejected Jesus in favor of his wealth, I’ve had to shake my head. Here’s why:

Noticed that he didn’t go away indignant. He didn’t go away in protest. He didn’t go away mad. He went away in sorrow. What is it that made him sorrowful? He was picturing in his mind how uncomfortable and how difficult it was going to be to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. He was aware of the fact That what he needed to do was going to be for him a very big sacrifice.

Isn’t this the case with us today as well? Not everything that Jesus tells us to do is going to be convenient and comfortable. God’s will for our lives is not always going to cause us great joy in which we are celebrating, jumping up and down shouting hallelujah. Sometimes the things that Jesus asks us to do are going to make us sad, discouraged, at times perhaps even fearful.

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

There will be times in your Christian walk in which following Jesus is going to be uncomfortable, painful, and in some cases dangerous, but even in our sadness, discouragement, or fear, we’re going to walk in faith and go do it anyway. This is what I believe the rich young ruler did. The fact that he was sorrowful about getting rid of his possessions shows me that he understood the sacrifice he would have to make in order to follow Jesus. I believe he went away and did what Jesus said.

After the man departed in sorrow Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

When Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to get into heaven, he is not suggesting that the balance of your checking account prevents you from getting into heaven. He’s not saying $1,000 will condemn you but $999 is OK. What Jesus is saying is that rich people rely upon their money rather than relying upon God. It is that lack of faith which causes the rich to not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This verse is also not about a small gate that a camel has to get down on his knees to go through. I believe that interpretation is complete baloney. Rather, the verse is about how a person is saved. A person is only saved through faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot put reliance (trust…i.e. faith) upon your money.

And let me also say that if you make $38,000 a year or more, you are one of the richest people in the whole world. There are 8 billion people in the world, but most Americans define wealth as being in the millions of dollars. When people in America talk about wealth, they often think of individuals such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos who each have billions of dollars at their disposal. But the type of “rich” that Jesus is talking about is one in which we Americans need to compare ourselves to the other 8 billion people in the world. If you are reading this commentary on a smart phone, you are among the richest people in the world.

When you and I have plenty of money in the bank, it’s very easy to spend less time thinking about God. This is because we rely on our money rather than God. Make a habit of giving thanks for everything you purchase.

In a previous commentary I told the story of nearly running out of gas on a 14-mile stretch of highway. When I realized the needle was below the “E” on the gauge, I prayed the whole way that God would prevent me from running out of Gas. But on all other occasions when I’ve driven the same stretch of road with plenty of gas in the tank, I didn’t even give one single thought to God’s provision. This is an example of relying upon money.

Make the habit of relying solely upon Jesus and not upon your money. When you have financial abundance and all your bills are paid, give thanks to God.

Verses 25-26

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

This verse is pivotal to the entirety of the Christian faith. For man (in other words, for people), it is absolutely impossible for you to save yourself. There is no amount of good deeds which can be done to save yourself. With man, it is impossible. Note the word being used here is “impossible”. I want to emphasize that again in all capital letters IMPOSSIBLE. There is no possible way that you can enter into the kingdom of heaven by being a good person. We do not earn salvation by doing good deeds. We do not earn favor with God by reading our Bible or going to church or attending prayer meetings.

There are many Christians who think that when they go to church every week and participate in a Bible study, that they are somehow earning God‘s favor. That they are somehow making themselves right with God. Jesus is telling us it’s impossible.

There are some people who think that if they volunteer and help the needy, and feed the poor, and take care of widows and the elderly, that they are earning God‘s favor. But Jesus is telling you that it is impossible.

Let me give the reader this advice. If you’re gonna go to hell, I would rather you spend your life being wild and having fun because this life is the only opportunity in all of eternity that you will have to experience joy. So, if you think that living some sort of obedient, sacrificial lifestyle is going to make you more holy or more righteous or more favored by God, you are wasting your time because that is impossible. You might as well eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you’re gonna die (Isaiah 22:12-13).

I live in a part of the country where there are many Amish people and I associate with them on a somewhat regular basis. When I first came to this area, I assumed that because the Amish made such enormous sacrifices against their lifestyles for the sake of religion, that they would also be studious Bible scholars. However, it has never surprised me more to find out that despite all the tremendous sacrifices they make against their own lives, most of the Amish remain totally ignorant of God’s word.

The Amish people choose to live like as if it’s still the 1800’s. They don’t own cars. They ride in buggies pulled by horses. And they make many other sacrifices against modern amenities. So when I told a certain Amish man that I would meet him at a location that was approximately 10 miles from his home he said it was too far for his horse and asked me if I would come and pick him up in my car. I did and as we drove to our destination, we had a conversation about life and God and other miscellaneous topics. What surprised me was that he was barely familiar with the bible verses he struggled to quote during our conversation. He could scarcely remember even the simplest of scripture.

How do we get into the kingdom of heaven? Only with God is it possible. Only God can open the pathway that lets you get into heaven. And that pathway that he opened was through his son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the remission of your sins. That is what you must put your faith in.

Everything else that you do as a Christian is out of love for Jesus Christ and because you want to follow Jesus.

When I first began writing this commentary, I wrote approximately the first 15 or 16 chapters in which I repeatedly said that if a person wants to grow in their relationship with God, they ought to read their Bible, go to church, pray, fellowship with Christians, etc… Recently, however, I attended a Bible study in which one individual gave a testimony stating that he had previously thought that performing such actions (going to church, reading his Bible, praying) made him more favorable to God. He wrongly assumed that growing in one’s relationship with God meant that we had to do things that earned love.

The moment he said that, it occurred to me that some people might read what I wrote in these commentaries and conclude that growing closer to God means the same thing as finding favor with God. Despite the number of times I have already edited these commentaries, I seriously considered going back and searching through every commentary I had already written and editing them once again in order to clarify that pursuing Jesus and growing closer to God does not in any way earn you good standing with God.

Growing closer to God is not the same thing as having God love you more or having God consider you worthy. Instead, we put our faith in God. We then go to church, read the bible, pray, attend bible studies and the like because we want to gain a greater understanding of God’s will for our lives.

Remember what I said in a previous chapter that faith is not only believing that God exists, and that Jesus died on the cross, and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, but faith also means that you believe that what Jesus said is true. Faith means you trust that what Jesus said is correct. Thus, if you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you will desire to do the things he said. That is faith.

Now, having said that, when we grow closer to God, it does not mean we are finding greater favor with God, rather it means we are learning more about what God‘s will is for our life and we are embracing that will by choosing to do the things God has said do. By growing closer to God, we grow in wisdom and understanding. But at no time does the pursuit of Jesus, regardless of what those activities are, make you more righteous in God‘s eyes. Rather it is the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for you that causes you to be righteous. It is when you put your faith in the sacrifices that Jesus made for you, that you are viewed as righteous.

If you’re a Christian, do not think to yourself that by reading your Bible, by going to church, by associating with other Christians, by spending time in prayer, that you are causing God to approve of you. That is not the case. That’s not how this whole thing works.

Okay, so some will say, “well great! I don’t need to go to church, and I don’t need to read the Bible, and I don’t need to fellowship with other Christians.” That, however, would be an ignorant conclusion.

If you love the Lord Jesus Christ, you will pursue him because you want to know him more. Not because you want him to love you more. Pursuing God through Bible study, prayer, church, and fellowship is an act of gaining a greater understanding of God’s will for your life rather than trying to make God see you as being better than the guy standing next to you.

Verses 27-30

“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

This is an end times prophecy. At that time these disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot will sit as judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.

Everyone who made sacrifices to be able to follow Jesus will get back a hundredfold what they gave up, not to mention eternal life.

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of 3 john.

Verse 1

The salutation. Notice that John, once again, begins to focus this correspondence on truth.

Verses 2-3

Gaius’s soul prospers. John is praying that his physical health may also prosper, just as his soul does. That’s an eye-opening prayer. Many times, have we gone to prayer meetings, small groups and Bible studies and prayed for someone’s health, but how often do we pray that someone’s soul would prosper? But what does that mean exactly? Verse three tells us; Gaius’s devotion to the truth in which he walks.

In modern American culture truth is largely considered subjective. Subjective means to be based on personal feelings, or opinions. However, let’s recall that after Jesus was risen from the grave, he went to his disciples and made the following statement:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18a)

Why was all authority given to Jesus? Because he conquered death and did so on your behalf.

This same person who now has all authority, also said: A time is coming and has now come when 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)

Put simply, we can not worship God by means of falsehoods. There are truths in this world that are absolute and unchanging. God and his word are an unchanging truth. Someday the planet earth will come to its end, but the truth of God’s word will continue to remain. This means that there is no foundation stronger than God’s word. Bricks seem like a very strong foundation. There is a street in our town paved with bricks, it’s been there for more than 100 years and is still in use. Yet, just like the earth, every brick ever made will someday come to its end, yet the word of God will remain.

If you chose to accept that the word of God is the foundational truth upon which you will base your life, your soul will prosper forever and ever. You will never die. You will have relationship with Jesus Christ forever in joy, peace, contentment and fulfillment.

Anyone who claims that word of God is outdated, speaks from ignorance. Anyone who criticizes the word of God lacks wisdom.

Now 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. 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 1:5-8)

Verse 4

John mentions his children. This is not referring to his offspring, rather it’s referring to those that he brought into the faith. Those that were born-again as a direct result of him sharing the gospel. John is referring to them as his “children”.

Verses 5-8

Background: Some missionaries went out, perhaps from John’s location, and went to where Gaius is located. He received them with love and he helped them. Verse eight says specifically that we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

There are two ways to spread the gospel. The first is to go yourself and either be a missionary, or go around your own town, praying for opportunities, and finding them, to speak with people about their need for Jesus.

The second way in which you can spread the gospel is to support those who go out and share the gospel with others face to face. Did you know that in war, for each soldier on the front lines fighting, there are 10 people in supportive roles helping him. These include logistical, administrative, and many other supportive roles.

Most Christians never share their faith with anyone. This is probably because of a fear of rejection or out of concern they don’t have enough knowledge and won’t be able to answer tough questions. Whichever the case, it’s not a reason to simply abandon the great commission.

If you feel that you’re not good at sharing your faith with others face to face, then pray for, and seek out, opportunities to be in supportive roles where you can help those who are able and willing to go out into the world and share the good news of Jesus with others face to face.

Then Jesus 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.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

This could mean giving money to a missionary. The church you attend already has several missionaries they support; you can add to that support. Did you know that most missionaries have to leave the mission field because they run out of money? It’s true.

This could also mean supporting or volunteering at a ministry. There are many Christian organizations that perform various tasks related to spreading the gospel. Here are some examples:

Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) – A ministry dedicated to serving persecuted Christians worldwide by providing practical aid, Bibles, and advocacy for those suffering for their faith.

Samaritan’s Purse – Is a humanitarian aid organization provides disaster relief, medical care, and evangelistic outreach globally. They also run Operation Christmas Child, which distributes shoebox gifts to children in need.

Wycliffe Bible Translators – Focuses on translating the Bible into languages that do not yet have Scripture, helping people access God’s Word in their native tongue.

Compassion International – A child sponsorship ministry that helps release children from poverty through education, healthcare, and spiritual development in the name of Jesus.

One for Israel – A ministry dedicated to sharing the Gospel with Jewish people in Israel and around the world. They focus on evangelism, discipleship, and Bible teaching, using digital media, apologetics, and theological education to reach both Jews and Arabs with the message of Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah.

Again, as stated previously, there are perhaps 10 supporting roles for every front-line soldier. Can you imagine, volunteering your time to support a ministry by doing important work to help spread the gospel around the world, yet never leaving the comfort of your home office?

This of course should be done through diligent prayer. And don’t discount sharing the gospel face to face. Even if you did volunteer your time in a supportive role, don’t be shy towards the person who asks you what you do for living. Tell him what your job is but then quickly add that you also volunteer for a Christian organization that works to spread the gospel. That in turn will probably lead to a conversation.

Whether you yourself are sharing the gospel or are helping others to share the gospel, you are being faithful to the great commission.

Here in 3 John, Gaius was being faithful in that he was helping missionaries. He may have been giving them room and board, a meal to eat, or financial support. John says that by supporting missionaries and those who are actively spreading the gospel, we are coworkers with them.

Verses 9-11

John then offers a counter-example in the form of a person named Diotrephes. This individual would not welcome the missionaries and he forbid anyone else from welcoming them, even going so far as to kick some people out of the church for wanting simply to support the missionaries. John labels this man as evil. Someone who thinks only of himself.

Verse 12

Demetrius, however, received a good testimony. He, like Gaius, was working to support the truth of God’s word and of the spreading of the gospel.

Verses 13-14

John concludes his letter with a farewell and tells the recipients that he hopes to speak with them face to face.

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

Verses 1-4

Matthew presents the disciples’ question of who is the greatest as a zinger coming out of nowhere. If you haven’t already read the books of Mark and Luke, you might wonder why they’re asking such a strange question.

But let’s take a look at what led up to them asking “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35) (A similar telling is presented in Luke chapter nine).

I am reminded of a science fiction show in which a crew wakes up on a space ship with amnesia and immediately proceeds to argue and quarrel about which one of them should be the captain.

I previously attended a very large church. It had seating for 3,000 people and had three services each weekend. There were a few occasions in which people would inquire about auditioning for the worship band, but would instead be offered a volunteer position backstage, behind the curtain. Some of those individuals would decline the offer. If they weren’t able to be on stage, standing in the spot light, like some sort of rock star, they weren’t interested in helping.

Jesus, however, offers some different advice in these verses we’re examining.

Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. (Matthew 18:2-5)

Unless you change to become like little children? What does that mean? I believe the key to understanding this verse comes immediately after the word “Therefore”. The word therefore means that what comes next is the conclusion drawn from what was previously said. Jesus says, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Humbleness is a common theme in the Bible. Pride, however, is what got Satan kicked out of heaven. At the heart of pride is the notion that a person doesn’t need God. That he knows better than God. He doesn’t require God’s input, help or guidance because he considers himself smarter than God. A prideful person may not speak these phrases explicitly, but their attitude conveys these ideas.

When atheists claim there are contradictions in the Bible, they are implying that there’s no possible way that they themselves might have a lack of understanding. It doesn’t even occur to them that the problem could be with themselves.

When an atheist argues that God is immoral due to instances of God pouring out wrath, that person is claiming to know better than God.

When skeptics and scoffers demand that we prove to them the existence of God, what they are desiring is to be the judge of God. They want to elevate themselves above God and force God to submit himself to their examination.

All of these things come from pride. A pride which says, “I am better than God”, “I know more than God” and “I don’t need God”.

So when the disciples are arguing about which one of them will be the greatest, they are arguing over their own merits, rather than the merits of God. He alone is the one who makes their entry into heaven even possible.

Little children, however, do not have such haughty thoughts about themselves. A little child can not do anything for themselves without the assistance of his or her parents. A one-year-old can not dress themselves. They can’t feed themselves. They can’t travel anywhere on their own. They can’t communicate with the outside world. They can’t survive without help from their parents.

This is how we ought to view our relationship with God. We are the one-year-old and God is the parent. Even though, as grown adults, we can simply put on our shoes, grab the car keys and go, we ought to humble ourselves and have an attitude of reliance upon God. This begins with faith, prayer, and a desire to seek after God.

Verse 5

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.

In this statement, Jesus is no longer referring to people who are infants and toddlers, but is referring to God’s children. The phrase “a child like this” is referring to his previous description of humility “whoever humbles himself like this little child”. He is describing those who put their faith in Him. If someone welcomes a Christ follower, they are welcoming Christ.

Verses 6-7

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Again, “One of these little ones” is not referring to infants and toddlers. Jesus is talking about people who put their faith in Christ. Paraphrased, we can re-read it this way: “If anyone causes someone who believes in me to stumble into sin…” it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

God said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.” (Deuteronomy 32:35)

For God to be all-loving he must be a God of Justice. For example, in our criminal justice system, if there was a judge who let every murderer, rapist and child molester go free without punishment, that would not be an act of love. The injustice of setting such people free would be an act of having no compassion for those who were wronged. It would be the antithesis of love.

Thus, an all-loving God must therefore also be a God of justice and wrath toward those who cause his followers to stumble into sin.

Jesus is saying that for such people, they would have been better off drowning in the sea than to stand before God on their day of judgement. Can you imagine, the one with the power to create every galaxy in the universe, focusing his wrath onto a single person?

If you repent, however, your sins will be forgiven. Put your faith in Jesus Christ.

Verses 8-9

Jesus then proceeds to make some seemingly strange comments. If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Is this a literal instruction? No. Jesus is using hyperbole. If it were literal, the whole world would have neither hands nor feet, nor any other parts of their body. Furthermore, we already know that sin comes from the heart, not the hands, feet or eyes.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. (Matthew 15:19)

So then what is Jesus telling us? We should be willing to take drastic measures to get sin out of our lives. However, here’s the irony of it, we can not overcome sin through our own strength and self-discipline. If we could, anyone could become sinless and could teach others to do the same. But sin is bound in our flesh! So what then should we do?

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7-8)

God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6b). Remember, salvation is not earned. It is by faith. However, those with faith, who then proceed to earnestly seek God, will be rewarded. With what? With holy living, spiritual wisdom, peace, joy, fulfillment and contentment.

Verse 10

See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.

Many scholars have interpreted this verse in many different ways. I have no doubt that most of those scholars were far more educated and intelligent than I, but I will offer an opinion nonetheless.

I believe based on the context of the previous verses that the phrase “little ones” is referring to anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ, regardless of their age.

The verse says their angels. Specifically, “THEIR” as opposed to “THERE”, suggesting that perhaps certain angels belong to, or are assigned to, a specific Christian believer. Could this be some type of guardian angel? I tend not to think so, because I can not recall anywhere else in the Bible in which a guardian angel is described. However, there are instances in the Bible in which God sends an angel or an army of angels to defend or protect a person or group of people. I have also heard stories of missionaries being physically guarded by visible angels when someone sought to harm them.

This verse however, describes the angels as being in heaven rather than on the earth; and that they are continually seeing the face of God.

Jesus says do not look down on someone who puts their faith in Christ. And this he is saying to the disciples! Bear in mind that the disciples were, only a few minutes earlier, arguing with one another as to which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Undoubtedly, such an argument might lead a person to look down on (or to despise) another when being told they’re not going to amount to much compared to their coworker who, it is claimed, will be much greater than they.

Therefore, I am opting to interpret this verse as meaning that we should not despise other Christians if one seems to have a greater calling or another seems to have less spiritual giftings. The pastor who has 1,000 members in his congregation should not look down upon the pastor who has 20 people in his congregation. The Christian who failed the music audition at church should not despise those who perform music on stage every Sunday. Those whose responsibility it is to organize and manage a large ministry at church should not look down upon the Christian whose job it is to clean the toilets. One is not greater than another. That’s what the disciples were arguing about.

Later, Paul is going to describe this using an analogy to body parts.

The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

For the body does not consist of one part, but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty, whereas our presentable parts have no such need.

But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

Verse 11

If you are reading from any of the following Bible translations, you will notice that your bible does not contain verse 11 in Matthew chapter eighteen.
• Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
• English Standard Version (ESV)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New Living Translation (NLT)
• Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
• New American Standard Bible (NASB) – 2020 Edition

Many people point to such missing verses as “Proof” that these Bible translations are corrupted. But the reality is quite different. Verse 11 does not appear at all in the oldest and most reliable copies of the Bible that exist. Rather, it was added at some point later. All of the above Bible translations were derived from the oldest and most reliable manuscripts and therefore, do not include verse 11. Each of these Bible translations had 100 or more Bible scholars work on translating them, therefore, I’m confident in their findings and conclusion that verse 11 does not belong, therefore, I am choosing to skip it in this commentary.

Verses 12-13

After instructing his disciples not to look down on another believer, Jesus gives an analogy as to the value God gives to every believer. He compares it to a sheep that wanders from the flock. The shepherd is willing to go search for it. Jesus is saying that every Christ follower is extremely valuable to Him.

First, I want to pause and make a broader comment about this passage. Consider the possibility that God’s word has so much depth and wisdom, that the exact same parable, appearing twice in different locations, can have different meanings based upon the context at each location.

The parable of the lost sheep, here in Matthew chapter 18 has, based on the surrounding context, a different meaning than it does when it appears in Luke chapter 15’s surrounding context.

Here in Matthew, for the past ten verses Jesus has repeatedly been talking about “One of these little ones that believe in me.” Now he’s saying if one of them goes astray….

When he uses the phrase “goes astray” I am reminded of the verse in Isaiah which says;

We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Also;

For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25)

I am interpreting this as specifically referring to backsliders, and not to those who are not at all saved. In Luke’s account I will offer a different interpretation based upon its surrounding context. (Amazing to me is the word of God, that the same parable can have many meanings). But here in Matthew I’ve concluded Jesus is talking about a Christian believer who backslides.

“If a man has a hundred sheep”, so we see that the sheep was part of the flock. “and one of them goes astray”, someone who was part of the flock is now wandering away (i.e. backsliding).

Many years ago, a friend of mine was greatly concerned about the behavior of his 20-year-old daughter. She had begun getting herself into many things no Christian parent would approve of. Living with a boyfriend, getting drunk on weekends, etc…. My friend and his wife prayed diligently for her every day and asked others to do the same. One day I inquired about her and my friend said something that I had never before in my entire life ever considered. I asked how she was doing, and he said, “She is forming her testimony.”

He was viewing the situation as his daughter being a believer who, when young, was kept fenced in by her parents, but upon leaving the shadow of her parents, backslid into a wild life. Her father was believing that the Lord would eventually go and get her just like the sheep that went astray. And that then she would have the ability to see and understand on a personal level, what the Lord has done for her. Not merely what her parents told her about God, but what she has seen with her own eyes and experienced for herself.

Ten years later, that same girl is now fully following Jesus Christ as lord and savior and she’s able to tell people what the Lord has done for her.

Verse 14

A moment ago I stated that the parable of the lost sheep has different meanings in each of its appearances. We are going to compare the last sentence of the parable in Matthew 18 to the parable’s corresponding last sentence in Luke 15. Here they are:

In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:14)

I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:7)

Again, “little ones” is referring to God’s children (those who put their faith in Jesus Christ). Matthew’s rendering of the parable is talking about believers who backslide and then return, while Luke’s rendering is talking about lost people repenting and coming to faith for the first time.

Verses 15-17

Maintaining the theme of backsliding believers, Jesus now says, “If your brother sins against you…” A brother, is not necessarily referring to one’s sibling, but to a fellow believer, and more specifically, a believer that you’re acquainted with, (brother being a male and sister being a female). In our modern times this might refer to someone that attends the same church you attend.

“If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately.” A moment ago, Jesus was telling us not to look down on or despise a fellow Christian. Now He is telling us what to do if such a thing happens to us.

Step one is to go to him privately. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

When Jesus says regard him as a pagan, I believe he is advising us to disassociate with the person.

Verse 18

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

This verse is repeated in Matthew chapter 16. There, however, the context was building the church. Here in chapter eighteen the context is church discipline. So again, we see that the word of God has so much depth and breadth that the same phrases, sayings or parables can have slightly different meanings based on the context.

In Matthew 16, I interpreted the verse as meaning that God is building his church by means of one person sharing the gospel with another. And this binding on earth and heaven is meaning that if any random Christian shares his faith with any random person and said person then puts his faith in Jesus Christ, heaven acknowledges that confession of faith as legitimate.

Imagine if any random Christian shared his faith with some random person who accepted Christ but heaven interrupted and said, “No, you are not authorized to do that.”

What you bind on earth is bound in heaven. Any believer can share their faith with any person, anywhere and if that person accepts Christ, they are saved.

In the context of church discipline, if you go privately to confront a brother and he asks you for forgiveness, heaven acknowledges the forgiveness. Likewise, if he refuses to listen and is eventually expelled from the church, heaven acknowledges this. What you loose on earth is loosed in heaven, meaning heaven has your back.

At a previous job, there was an important and expensive tool that went missing. My co-worker stated that he had laid it on a particular table, but sometime afterwards it was gone. One of the managers came to me privately and asked if I trusted my co-worker. My response was, “If he said he laid it on the table, he laid it on the table. I trust him.”

What you bind on earth is bound in heaven and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven is similar in that a person, filled with the Holy Spirit, is someone with whom heaven can trust.

Verses 19-20

Remember when reading the Bible, we can never take any single verse as a stand-alone statement. This is why I despise the often touted “verse of the day”. If we were to read Matthew 18:19 as a stand-alone statement, we would conclude that if two or three Christians gather together and pray about receiving something, God will give it to them.

If that were true, I would immediately gather two other Christians and together we would each pray for a million dollars, a Ferrari, and a new fishing boat. No one can pray for something outside of God’s will and expect to receive it. Remember, God answers every prayer with either yes, no, or not yet. What God does not do is give you anything and everything you ask for merely because two or three of you are asking. God is not a vending machine.

I wonder how many Christians have been carried into false doctrine because they devoted themselves every morning to reading the “verse of the day”. Oh, and ask yourself this question: who decides which verse will be that day’s “verse of the day”? Notice how they only select verses that sound uplifting. You will never see, as the “verse of the day” something such as; Today will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. (Zephaniah 1:15).

Okay then, what is the context of Matthew 18:19 and what does the verse mean?
Recall just a moment ago that Jesus was saying that if your brother will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Now, in this verse he’s saying that where those same two or three people are gathered (i.e. during the confrontation of the brother who will not listen), Jesus will be there also.

Verses 21-22

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!

This is self-explanatory. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to forgive those who sin against us. Every single time someone sins against you, you are called to forgive them. This does not mean, however, that you allow people to abuse you or take advantage of you. I have known people who have equated forgiveness as meaning permission. The two, however, are not the same.

A friend of mine was saving up money to go on a mission trip. He had about $1,000 in a tin can. One day he invited a guest over for dinner. The next day when my friend looked in his tin can, the money was gone. At some point during the previous evening’s dinner (probably while he was working in the kitchen, preparing the food) his guest had stolen the money. My friend was able to eventually forgive him, but he never invited that person into his home ever again. This is an example of being able to forgive someone but not allowing them to do it again. “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”.

Verses 23-35

Everyone, whom I’ve ever heard speak about this parable, interprets it as being a lesson in how Christians should forgive. I strongly disagree.

First, let’s examine the verbiage used in this parable and let’s ask ourselves if this is referring to those who are saved. Jesus describes the servant as being wicked. He is then turned over to the jailers to be tortured.

Within the New Testament, who does Jesus describe as wicked? The saved or the unsaved?

Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Matthew 12:39)

So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49-50)

In the spiritual world, which people are tortured, the saved or the unsaved? This parable, of the unforgiving servant, is not about those who are saved. It’s not a lesson in how Christian believers should act and the punishment they’ll receive if they don’t. I strongly believe it is describing the unsaved.

Those who are saved have all their sins forgiven. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are not turned over to the jailers to be tortured. Christ took that punishment for us.

Within this parable lies the answer to the question, “Why would an all-loving God send anyone to hell?” It is because those God sends to hell are themselves the wicked servant in this story. They never put their faith in Christ and it is they who demonstrate their lack of faith by being unwilling to forgive those who sin against them. Think about it like this for a moment: if God is all loving and sent his own son to die on the cross for the forgiveness of everyone’s sins, but later he sees someone grabbing a man and choking him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ And then throws him into prison, having no mercy, no patience, no forgiveness.

That same all-loving God, seeing what was done to someone he loves, is going to get very mad. Then, at the end of this wicked servant’s life, God is going to summon him to stand before Him and he’s going to say, “You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In anger the Lord will turn him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. Which, by the way, he’ll never be able to repay that debt.

But now let’s talk about the saved. If Jesus was not referring to those who are saved, the implication is that those who put their faith in Jesus Christ will through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, have an inherent willingness to forgive those who sin against them. Remember that faith equals complete trust. Faith is not only believing that God exists, but faith also trusts that what Jesus said is true. So those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, will do the things that Jesus Christ said to do which include forgiving others who sin against us.

But even if a follower of Jesus Christ should harbor some little grudge or have some sort of distain for someone who wronged them, that sin will be forgiven because Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins.

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31)

Notice the verse says every sin will be forgiven (except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which means going to one’s grave having never been filled by faith with the Holy Spirit). Holding a grudge is a sin which falls into the category of “every sin”. Therefore, the parable about being tortured for the act of not forgiving someone can not possibly be referring to those who are saved. The parable is a warning to those who are not saved.

Before reading this commentary, I encourage you to first read the text of 2 John.

Verse 1

The salutation

Verse 2

— because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

Reading the above verse, I am immediately reminded of the verse which says, God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Worship him in spirit is referring to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. But I would like, for a moment, to focus on worshiping God in truth. What exactly does that mean?

There is a common phrase in Christianity, “majoring on the minors”. I have seen Christian content creators on the internet unilaterally declare someone a false teacher and a liar for simply offering an interpretation of a bible verse that was different from that of the content creator’s.

The height of that content creator’s arrogance to suggest that anyone with an opinion that differs from his own is a liar and a false teacher.

That being said, however, in order to worship God in truth, which as we just read, is God’s will, we must be in agreement on the majors (i.e. “majoring on the majors”).

God requires that we worship him in truth. For example, mother nature is not God, all roads do not lead to heaven, other religions do not share the same God, Jesus is not the brother of Satan, hell is a real place, and we don’t go into heaven by being a good person, etc, etc…. We can not worship God according to falsehoods. We must worship God in truth.

I recall in high-school, when going to my next class, I was walking down the steps, and seeing Christy walking up the steps, I called out, “Hi Sandy”. She immediately stopped in her tracks and yelled “Sandy?!?!”. I had to correct myself and said, “Sorry Christy, I’m supposed to meet Sandy for our science lab project and I must have had her name on my mind.”

Christy was not going to continue a conversation with me calling her by the wrong name. She immediately took issue with my error. In like manner, God is not going to be in relationship with us when we are calling him by the wrong name. Christy and Sandy were not the same person. Likewise, all other gods and Jesus Christ are not the same person.

Verse 3

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love.

Verse 4

I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded us.

Again, let me emphasize that God has commanded us to walk in truth. We can not worship him through falsehoods.

Verses 5-6

And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.

John is urging the lady with whom he is corresponding that she must walk in love and that she must “love one another”.

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Verses 7

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

This is not referring to the antichrist depicted in Revelation, rather, anyone who denies that Jesus is the Messiah is himself acting as an antichrist. Watch out for such people.

Verses 8-11

Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded. Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.

We’ve been focusing herein on truth and love. In verse 11 John is advising that we shouldn’t even greet a person who brings a teaching contrary to the truth.

That might not seem very loving and today much of our modern American culture has fully embraced the notion that in order to show love, we must accept everyone and be tolerant of everything.

But Jesus said above, that the greatest commandment is to Love God. That is number one. The second priority is to love one another. This list is in order of priority. Therefore, to receive a person who brings a false teaching is an act of no longer loving God. You may think you are being accepting and tolerant of the person who is bringing the false doctrine, but what you are actually doing is ceasing to show your love for God by allowing someone who openly rejects the truth of God to teach and lead others astray.

To show your love for God would be to reject that false teacher. To not invite him to teach in your church or in your home and to not even greet him when he knocks on your door. It seems counter intuitive, but remember love for one another is the second commandment. The first commandment, (the higher priority), is to Love God.

John is telling us that we demonstrate our love for God by worshiping him in truth. Furthermore, Jesus said that God commands us to worship him in truth. So, if you allow someone to come into your church or small group and teach falsehoods, you are not loving God.

There was a church whose pastor retired. The four church elders began a search for a new pastor. Eventually they found a young man who had become a Christian only 6 years earlier. He didn’t have any formal seminary training but was very excited about Jesus. They hired him to be the new pastor. His style was to teach topically, rather than verse by verse. Every Sunday he preached uplifting and encouraging sermons about God’s love. But after about a year of preaching, one of the church members approached him privately and asked, “Why do you never preach about sin, or hell or about God’s wrath?” The pastor replied, “Oh, I don’t believe in that.”

There are some pastors who need to be in the pews listening and learning, rather than in the pulpit teaching.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). We must worship God in Truth and in Spirit.

I would like, at this point, to circle back to verse 8 in which John says “so that you do not lose what we have worked for…” notice that the very next words are, “but that you may be fully rewarded.” This verse is not about losing one’s salvation, but is about being rewarded in heaven.

Verse 12

John concludes his letter by saying that he would prefer to explain the truths of God’s word to her face to face rather than by letter.

Verse 13

And lastly either this woman’s nieces and nephews send her greetings, or she has a friend who herself is saved (thus John is referring to her as a sister) and that woman’s children send greetings.

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

Verses 1-2

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Skeptics, scoffers, doubters, atheists, etc… love to claim that Jesus was just an ordinary man. It’s their excuse to dismiss his divinity and thus his spiritual authority. The transfiguration of Jesus, however, demonstrates without question that Jesus is by no means an ordinary man. How many times have you seen an ordinary man’s face become as bright as the sun and his clothing become as white as light? He may be fully man, but he is also fully God.

…Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

Verse 3

Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

For nearly my entire Christian life, I assumed that these were the spirits of Moses and Elijah because at this point Moses had been deceased for a thousand years. However, I recently heard someone suggest that Peter, James and John are seeing Moses and Elijah during the time of their earthly lives. The suggestion was that perhaps God was doing something miraculous with time. Merging three different points in time as well as different geographic locations into one. In the book of Exodus when Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, he was perhaps, at that time, meeting with Jesus during this present time of transfiguration. Likewise, when Elijah went up on Mount Horeb to speak with God, he too may have been conversing with Jesus during this present moment of transfiguration. If this was the case, were Moses and Elijah aware of one another? I don’t think so. The accounts in Exodus and 1st Kings don’t seem to suggest that. Furthermore, I am by no means suggesting that this is the absolute correct interpretation. I am merely speculating. However, because nothing is impossible for God; his ability to manipulate both time and space in a miraculous way is certainly plausible. God resides outside of time and is therefore not bound by time. You can praise God at the realization that he already knows the entire timeline of your life and is already present in your future times of need. When you have problems in this life, don’t think you have to wait for God to show up. He’s already there.

It should be noted here that Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the prophets. Recall from Matthew chapter five that Jesus came to fulfill the law and prophets.

Verse 4

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters —one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

I am not putting forth effort herein to interpret verse 4 because I think Peter is very likely just running his mouth and speaking nonsense. In the next verse we see that God interrupts Peter, and stops him from speaking any further, which is why I’ve concluded that Peter’s words are likely not important.

But if that’s the case, why include them in the Bible? We know that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

So therefore, there must be some sort of significance to what Peter is saying, but what could it be? Mark’s account gives indication that they were scared and that Peter didn’t know what to say.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say. (Mark 9:5-6)

Therefore, I am concluding that the purpose for including Peter’s words is to emphasize to the reader that the holiness of God is terrifying and to stand before the glorified Jesus Christ is something to be feared, especially by those who are unsaved.

In my commentary on Matthew chapter 11 when Jesus was reprimanding the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, Jesus said:

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:21-22)

In my commentary I stated that there appears to be different severities of judgment. Jesus said that it will be more bearable for one on the day of Judgment than for the other.

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 in Matthew chapter 11 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. For one to be more bearable and another less bearable is perhaps comparable to a child having to go before his earthly dad and telling him he spilled some milk vs telling him he burned the house down.

Whatever be the case, I believe the message being conveyed by Peter’s words in this present chapter are that seeing the glorified Jesus Christ is terrifying. Therefore, the take away is that we ought not go to our graves having never put our faith in Jesus Christ, because we will be terrified to stand before Jesus Christ to be judged.

The saved, however, are not judged for their sins; praise God, because Jesus took our sins.

Verses 5-8

While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down in terror. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

A cloud enveloped Jesus, and Moses (the law) and Elijah (the prophets). A voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”. When the disciples next looked up, they saw only Jesus. What is the implication? Recall when Jesus was walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself. (Luke 24:27)

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. God instructs us to Listen to Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Luke 14:15)

By looking up and seeing only Jesus, the disciples (as well as us, the readers of God’s word) are being shown that Jesus is all we need. Again, Jesus is not negating the law and prophets, he is the fulfillment of them.

God said “Listen to Him”. After his resurrection Jesus is going to inform the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18)

The one who has all authority, should be listened to. If the one who has all authority says go, we should go. And if he says “remain where you are”, we should remain. This is why faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26b)

“Listen to Him!” is God’s advice to us. Putting one’s faith in Jesus Christ means that you fully trust Him. That you believe what Jesus said is true.

Remember there are two ways to reject Jesus Christ. The first is to reject his claim of authority. Those who declare that Jesus was an ordinary man (i.e. he is not the savior) are rejecting his authority. People who say that Christianity is not the only path to salvation are rejecting Christ’s authority. The second way to reject Jesus Christ is to not do what he said. A bank robber can claim he has faith in Jesus Christ, but the act of robbing a bank is a rejection of Jesus Christ because Jesus said “you shall not steal” and “Love your neighbor as yourself”. By robbing the bank, he is robbing his neighbors. Furthermore, we presume the bank robber uses a gun while committing his crime. Threatening people with violence is not doing what Jesus said. Thus, the bank robber has rejected Jesus’s instructions. By his actions, the bank robber demonstrates he has rejected Jesus. We can conclude therefore, that there is a big discrepancy between his claim of faith in Christ and that of his present behavior.

Verse 9

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Jesus needed the disciples to remain alive until they could begin the church and begin spreading the gospel. Had they gone about telling everyone in Jerusalem about the transfiguration they had just witnessed, they likely would have been crucified right along side Jesus.

Verses 10-13

Having now seen Moses and Elijah and the transfiguration of Jesus, these disciples are trying to understand the meaning of it all. They ask Jesus, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”

Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

But I don’t think that’s the end of it. Yes, Jesus is saying that John the Baptist was like Elijah and represents him, and the disciples were satisfied with that explanation. However, I want to zero in on verse 11 in which Jesus says “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things.” Notice that Jesus is not speaking in past tense. John the Baptist at this point has already been beheaded and is deceased. But Jesus is using the future tense in his dialogue. He said “Elijah does come” “Elijah will restore”

Let’s review the prophecy that the disciples were inquiring about:

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall. Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.

“Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:1-6)

To me, this is clearly an end times prophesy. This is talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ. So even though John the Baptist represents Elijah, I think Elijah himself is still yet to come. Furthermore, I am concluding that Elijah is one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation chapter eleven.

And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified. For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them. (Revelation 11: 3-12)

Verses 14-20

It appears that Jesus is becoming exasperated when he says “How long must I put up with you?”

I doubt very much that Jesus’s exasperation is directed toward the father who very understandably would be desperate to help his son. But this man, when explaining the situation to Jesus stated that the 9 disciples were unable to cast out the demon. This, despite the fact that Jesus gave them authority to do so (Matthew chapter ten). It can only mean that they are doubting what Jesus said. He gave them authority to cast out demons yet their own doubts and lack of faith prevented them from helping this man’s son. Jesus then promptly casts out the demon and heals the boy.

Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered, “Because you have so little faith.”

Faith in what? Their own abilities to cast out demons? No. The lack of faith that they are displaying is in not believing what Jesus told them. They doubt Jesus. Again, Jesus gave them authority to cast out demons, but by doubting Jesus’s words (i.e. the word of God) they are unable to perform the task.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

Think of your bible (the word) as being a part of God. It is the words that came out of his mouth. It is a record of what God has said. Thus, if you want to put faith in Jesus Christ (which is how we are saved), you must therefore believe that what God said is true. Likewise, if you believe that what God said is true, you will do what he said.

Let it not be that Jesus becomes exasperated with you and I. Instead, let’s walk in faith.

Jesus continues, “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

When I was in elementary school, we lived in Colorado. I recall my parents visiting an elderly woman that lived in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. While at her house I looked out her back door at the mountain rising steeply in front of me. Looking at it, I recalled this Bible verse and wondered if I said to that mountain “Move” would it move.

But remember, the doubt that Jesus is exasperated with is not that the disciples doubted themselves, it was that they were doubting what Jesus had told them. Thus, to properly interpret this verse about moving mountains, we have to conclude that if Jesus sent you to move a mountain, and you had faith that what Jesus said is true, you could then say to the mountain move and it would do so. The emphasis is not upon your will, but God’s. No matter how much faith you put in yourself, you can not move a mountain unless God sends you to move it.

Also, I want to point out that many people have attempted to explain away this verse by suggesting that the mountain is merely an analogy to some type of obstacle one might have in life, but is not referring to an actual mountain. But I must sharply disagree and would be willing to point my finger at such people and say to them, “For how long must He put up with you?” Because nothing is impossible for God. He created the Rocky Mountains by simply speaking to them. If God spoke from heaven and said to you, “Go to the Rocky Mountains, and tell them to move from there to here.” You could actually say to the mountains move, and God would move them according to his will.

Looking at the pictures below, do you believe that God could make the landscape on the left, look like the landscape on the right? If you’re answer is Yes, you have faith the size of a mustard seed. If you said no, keep asking the Lord to help you have more faith.

Verse 21

If you are reading from any of the following Bible translations you might notice that your Bible does not include verse 21 in Matthew chapter seventeen, but rather it skips it.
• Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
• English Standard Version (ESV)
• New International Version (NIV)
• New Living Translation (NLT)
• Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
• New American Standard Bible (NASB) – 2020 Edition

Many people have pointed to this as “Proof” that all of these Bible translations are corrupted. But the reality is quite the opposite. Verse 21 does not appear at all in the oldest and most reliable copies of the Bible that exist. Rather, it was added at some point later. All of the above Bible translations were derived from the oldest and most reliable manuscripts and therefore, do not include verse 21. Each of these Bible translations had over 100 Bible scholars work on them. I am confident in their findings and conclusion that verse 21 does not belong, therefore, I am choosing to skip it in this commentary.

Verses 22-23

When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved.

The Son of Man is of course referring to Jesus and comes from the book of Daniel chapter seven. What he’s describing is the atonement for sin which will save all of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He’s going to be killed on the cross, a sinless perfect sacrifice which takes upon himself all of our sins. By rising again on the third day, Jesus will conquer death on our behalf. Those who put their faith in Jesus will:

1. Have their sins forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)
2. Will enter into eternity to live forever with Christ. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16-17)

This is the reason why Jesus is the only path to salvation. Who else died for your sins? No one. Who else conquered death? No one. Jesus Christ is the only path by which we can enter into eternal life.

Verses 24-27

On being asked if Jesus is going to pay his tax, Jesus says to Peter “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” The implication here is that Jesus is the son of God and that as such he is exempt from taxes. However, Jesus is humble and is not going to announce to the tax collector that he ought to be exempt.

but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7-8)

Jesus then says to peter “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

I enjoy metal detecting on the beach. When a person walks into the water and then gets slammed by a big wave, it can easily knock all their jewelry right off their fingers, wrist, ears and neck. So it’s not uncommon, using a quality metal detector to find gold and silver at the beach.

When reading these verses, I picture the following scenario: a person, perhaps a Roman soldier, went to the beach at the sea of Galilee, and while walking in the water he was struck by a wave and it knocked a four-drachma coin from his pocket. That coin could have laid there in shallow water for a day, a month, or a year, but on this particular day, God sent a fish to go pick it up. With the coin in his mouth, God then sent that fish to go bite Peter’s hook.

This event shows the miraculous ways in which God can provide. Furthermore, the fact that Jesus knew of said coin and fish and accurately predicted that Peter would catch the fish is just another example that Jesus Christ is much more than merely a man.

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.
Continue reading →

Contents:
• Traditions of men
• The heart is evil
• Who not to take spiritual advice from
• Make your prayers persistent
• Jesus feeds four thousand

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

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.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →