Tag: faith

The Parable of the Two Sons – Matthew 21:28-32

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The Parable of the Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

Context

Our passage today from Matthew 21 is the first of three parables that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt while the people declared Him to be the Messiah and King (Matt. 21:8-11). He had purposefully arranged the details carefully to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, thus, proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews (Matt. 21:1-7). Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of those buying and selling there, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mat. 21:13). In so doing, Jesus stood against their hypocrisy and false worship.

Jesus then showed what true faith in God looks like when He healed the blind and lame in the temple and received the praise of children over the objections of the chief priests and scribes (Matt. 21:14-16). Then, He cursed the fig tree as a sign of God’s judgment coming on the Israelites for their lack of fruit and lack of faith.

In Matthew 21:23, the chief priests and elders in the temple pushed back, confronting Jesus in the temple and asking Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” It was an insincere question designed to trap Jesus and accuse Him. But Jesus, knowing their unbelieving hearts, didn’t fall for it. Instead, He turned the tables on them and asked about John’s baptism, was it from heaven or from men? (Matt. 21:25). Jesus said if they answer His question, He would answer theirs (Matt. 21:24). In fact, if they truly answered Jesus’ question, it would answer their own question because John had testified that Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God. But they did not want to recognize Jesus’ authority, so they answered, “We do not know” (Matt. 21:27). Therefore, Jesus would not tell these unbelieving leaders the answer to their question either.

Yet Jesus doesn’t simply drop the matter. Instead, He tells a series of parables and continues to question them in order to highlight the real issue, namely their stubborn refusal to repent and believe. Blomberg says of these three parables, “in sequence they depict God’s indictment, sentence, and execution of the present Jewish leadership.”[1]  Let’s look at this first parable together today.

1. Simple Parable: Two Sons (Matt. 21:28-30)

Jesus begins by asking them, “But what do you think?” (Matt. 21:28). Jesus is compelling these unbelieving religious leaders to think about their own attitudes. In telling this story and asking them to give the judgment, Jesus will force them to indict themselves—much like the prophet Nathan did with King David (2 Sam 12).

The story is really quite simple. Jesus said, “A man had two sons” (Matt. 21:28). He tells each of them to go and work in the vineyard. One says no, but then changes his mind and goes anyways. The other says yes, but then doesn’t go. Working in the vineyard is a picture of doing the Father’s will. The question that Jesus asks the religious leaders about the parable is, “Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matt. 21:31).

The first son is a picture of …

A. Repentant Obedience

We recognize the attitude of this son immediately. At first, he rebelled and disobeyed his father. “He answered and said, ‘I will not,’” (Matt. 21:29a). He didn’t want to submit to his father’s authority. But then something changed in him. Jesus says, “but afterward he regretted it and went” (Matt. 21:29b).

The key word here is the word translated “regretted”. It is the Greek verb metamélomai, which can have one of two senses: 1) It can mean “to have regrets about [something], to be sorry, or to express remorse”; 2) It can mean “to change one’s mind about [something], or have second thoughts” (BAGD3 #4851, BibleWorks).

This word doesn’t always mean repentance in the New Testament unless it leads to a genuine turning of heart and action (metanoia). Judas regretted (metamelomai) betraying Jesus, but he was by no means repentant (Matt. 27:3). Paul demonstrates the difference between regret and repentance in 2 Corinthians 7, writing,

10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” (2 Cor. 7:10-11).”

True repentance is not just being sorry that I got caught, or regretting the consequences of my decisions. It is a change in my mind and heart that results in a change in my attitude and behavior. In the case of this reluctant first son, his regret led to a change in his behavior. So, I believe that the first son indicates the attitude of repentance and conversion. We will see this more fully below in Jesus’ explanation.

If the first son is a picture of repentant obedience, the second son is a picture of…

B. Hypocritical Profession

Jesus said that the father then, “came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.” (Matt. 21:30). One preacher said this second son is the Eddy Haskel of the group.[2] If you remember him from Leave It to Beaver, he was always polite and respectful to adults but always scheming and devious behind their backs. This son’s words and his actions do not line up. Unlike the first son who disrespectfully said, “I will not”, this second son’ words were outwardly respectful and compliant. He addresses his father as “sir”, a word that is often translated, “Lord,” a title of honor and reverence. This son says all the right things. The only problem is that it is all words without actions. And so, the second son is an example of empty profession and hypocrisy.

Jesus then asks the religious leaders: “Which of the two did the will of his father?” (Matt. 21:31). Remember, Jesus asked them at the beginning of the parable, “What do you think?” (Matt. 21:28). Now He asks for their judgment on the two sons. Remember how the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus in His words earlier? Now Jesus is about to trap them in their own words.

The answer is obvious, and the religious leaders are forced to answer, “The first,” that is, the one who changed his mind and actually did what his father told him to do.

Jesus then turns their own judgment into an indictment against themselves. Notice His …

2. Strong Rebuke (Matt. 21:31-32)

Jesus tells them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you” (Matt. 21:31). The words Jesus uses here are even stronger and can carry the sense of, “The tax collectors and prostitutes go instead of you into the kingdom of God.” In other words, they are entering God’s kingdom, and you are not.[3]

It’s hard for us to comprehend just how insulting and offensive this was to the chief priests and elders in the temple. “Tax-collectors”? “Harlots”? To these proud chief priests and elders, those kinds of people were the worst of sinners, the scum of the earth! As far as they were concerned, they were the least likely to enter God’s kingdom. Was Jesus actually saying that such people as that would come enter the kingdom before they would? Yes! These notorious sinners enter the kingdom because these …

A. Sinners Repent and Believe

In Matthew 21:32 Jesus says, “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” Jesus says that John the Baptist came “in the way of righteousness,” that is, he came preaching the righteousness of God and that sinners must repent. Many of the tax collectors and harlots were among those who repented and believed John’s message. They believed what John preached, that the kingdom of God was near, that the Messiah was coming, and that they must repent.

These sinners did not enter the kingdom of heaven because they were more worthy, holy, or deserving. They entered because they did what the first son in the parable did. Jesus even used the same word to describe what the tax-collectors and harlots did that He used to describe what the first son did: they “relented”; that is, they changed their thinking, turned from their sins, and believed what John said concerning Jesus Christ. Luke 7 tells us,

29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. (Luke 7:29-30).

The chief priests and elders who were trying to discredit Jesus and would eventually condemn and execute Him that week, had also rejected John’s baptism. So we see the …

B. Leaders’ Refuse to Repent and Believe

Jesus says that the reason they would be excluded from the kingdom is because they had not obeyed God’s message through John. They did not “relent and believe him” (Matt. 21:32). They had multiple opportunities to repent and believe, but they refused. They had heard the preaching of John the Baptist. They had seen the miraculous works of Jesus. They had heard His teaching. And they had seen the lives of tax collectors and harlots radically changed by repentance and faith in Christ. But they still did not repent and believe!

They were like the second son in the parable. They professed to love God and obey the law of God, but instead, they hated the Son of God and would not believe in Him. Jesus implies that they should have repented and believed. Even as He speaks this parable, He is calling them to repent and believe once again.

What can we learn from this parable? First, entrance into the kingdom of heaven, the way of salvation is only by repenting and believing in Jesus. Religion won’t save you. Empty profession won’t save you. An outward show of righteousness won’t save you. You must repent and believe in Jesus. John the Baptist’s message was, “Repent and believe!” (Mark 1:15). The message of Jesus is the same. Have you repented? Have you had that change of mind and heart that results in a change in direction? Have you believed in Jesus Christ? He is the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners by giving His life on the cross to pay the debt we owed to God for our sin. He was raised from the dead, is alive forevermore, and saves everyone who repents and believes in Him.

You may be like the first son and the tax collectors and harlots. You have lived a life of rebellion and sin. You have disrespected God, broken His law, and spurned His love. Is there hope for you? YES! Jesus said that He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Matt. 18:11). Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). You can never be too sinful that Jesus cannot save you. Ask God to grant to you repentance and faith in Christ Jesus today. He will save you and transform you into a child of God.

Or you may be like the second son and the religious leaders. You think you are right with God because of your outward goodness. But God looks at the heart. He knows your inward rebellion and sin. The remedy for you is the same: repent and believe. Turn from your self-righteousness and trust in the death and resurrection of Christ to save you.

The second lesson is this: Your actions should line up with your words. Jesus isn’t interested in hearing people say that they will follow God. He is interested in those who actually follow God. In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21). Outward profession without inward repentance and faith is worthless.

—————————————————-

[1] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 320.

[2] Rory Mosley, The Authority of Jesus (Matthew 21:23-32), https://fbcspur.org/authority-jesus-matthew-2123-32/.  

[3] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 450.

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Lessons from the Fig Tree

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Lessons from the Fig Tree

Matthew 21:18-22

In Matthew 21, we are following the events of the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before He went to the cross. It began in Matthew 21:1-11 with Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey in fulfillment of scripture. Then we saw Jesus go into the temple and cleanse it of the money changers and those who were buying and selling, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Matt. 21:13). The temple off God was full of hypocrisy, extortion, greed, and deceit. What should have been a house of prayer had become a den of robbers.

Jesus then healed the blind and the lame and received the praise of the children. thus fulfilling prophecies about His true Messiahship. He then left the temple and spent the night in Bethany near the Mount of Olives.

In Matthew 21:18, Jesus is returning to the city of Jerusalem. He will go back into the temple (Matt. 21:23) where the religious leaders will question His authority (Matt. 21:23-27). Then Jesus will teach two parables: the parable of the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), and the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-46). The first is a man who says he will work and then doesn’t. The second is a group of men who say they will produce fruit from the vineyard and then don’t. The last parable is the climax of the section, illustrating that Christ has been rejected by His own fruitless people, and so the kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people who will bear its fruit.

The issue is fruit that comes from genuine faith in God. Jesus is sick and tired of the fruitless hypocrisy of Israel’s religion. He heard their hypocrisy as He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He saw it in the greedy trampling of the temple courts. He will teach parables about their hypocrisy in the temple. And right between these events, Jesus cursed the fig tree. It’s an unusual incident, and, like the cleansing of the temple, one that seems uncharacteristic of Jesus at first. We don’t normally think of Jesus driving people out of temples or cursing fig trees. But Jesus never does anything without a purpose, and His purpose here is to teach His disciples. The cursing of the fig tree is a parable in action, illustrating the fruitless hypocrisy of Israel’s religion.

Our short passage breaks down into two parts: the withering of the fruitless tree and the word about faith in prayer.

1. The Withering of the Fruitless Tree (Matt. 21:18-19)

Matthew tells us that it was in the morning that Jesus and His disciples were making their way back from Bethany to Jerusalem. And “as He returned to the city, He was hungry” (Matt. 5:18). Since they spent the night at Bethany, it would be safe to assume that Jesus and His disciples stayed at the home of His dear friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. And from what we know of Martha, she likely would have made sure everyone was well-fed before they left. But for whatever reason, Jesus was hungry. Perhaps, as He had done so often, He rose early to pray and didn’t eat with the others. Perhaps Jesus’ hunger was intentional, so that He could teach this object lesson to His disciples.

As they journeyed along toward the city, Jesus saw a fig tree by the side of the road (Matt. 21:18). This would not be unusual. Remember, we saw in Matthew 21:1 that near Bethany and the Mount of Olives was the village of Bethpage, meaning house of figs. The original language tells us that it was a “single” fig tree—all alone, which is perhaps what made it so easy to see. And what’s more, Jesus could see from a distance that it bore leaves. And if you were hungry, that was a very good sign. Fig trees in that part of the world produced a sort of early fig in the springtime, a small one that came before the leaves began to grow. They weren’t as big and juicy as the later figs would be, but they were still very tasty.

But Matthew tells us that, when Jesus came to the tree, “He found nothing on it but leaves” (Matt. 21:19). Now leaves on a fig tree without any fruit is very unusual. Usually, the leaves and the fruit develop together. So, there is definitely something wrong with this tree. It had all the promise of fruitfulness—all the appearance of bearing something He desired. But on closer examination, it had only the outward appearance of ‘fruitfulness’. It bore none of the fruit.

But then Jesus does something even more unusual. He curses the fig tree. He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again“; and we’re told that “immediately the fig tree withered away” (Matt. 21:19). Now from what we have seen about the authority and power of Jesus, He could just as easily have told the fig tree, “May you bear fruit right now!”, and the tree would have been filled with figs. But Jesus cursed the fig tree instead, and immediately the tree withered. Mark tells us that it was “dried up from the roots” (Mark 11:20). This was a big, thriving, healthy tree until Jesus cursed it. And when He did, it never bore fruit again.

“Why did Jesus curse the tree like this?” Was it simply because He was hangry? Was He in a bad mood that morning? Of course not! Jesus is never just impulsive or out of control. Everything He does, He does on purpose. So, what we need to ask is, “What’s His purpose in cursing the fig tree?”

First, let’s find out some things about fig trees in the Bible. In the Old Testament, fig trees were pleasurable things. The fruit of the fig tree was good and sweet. Fig trees were symbolic of prosperity (Deut. 8:8; Hab. 3:17; Hag. 2:19), pleasure (Judges 9:11), and security (1 Kings 4:25; 2 Kings 18:31; Isaiah 36:16; Joel 2:22; Nah. 3:12) in the land of Israel. When the people of Israel would see the fig-trees putting forth the early “green figs”, they looked at it warm-heartedly as a sign that springtime had come (Song 2:13).

It’s not surprising, then, that the Bible uses the fruit of the fig-tree as a symbol of Israel. In Hosea, the LORD says, “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its season” (Hosea 9:8). God gave the prophet Jeremiah a vision of the remnant people of Judah as a basket of either good ripe figs, or figs so rotten they couldn’t be eaten (Jer. 24:1-10).

And so, when God warns through His prophets that He is going to strike the fruit of the fig tree, it is a sign of judgment on His people Israel. In Jeremiah 8:13, He says, “‘I will surely consume them’ says the LORD. ‘No grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass away from them’” (Jer. 8:13; cf. Joel 1:11-12).

I believe that Jesus, when He cursed the fig tree, was illustrating a prophetic word of judgment.  Through the prophet Micah, The LORD indicated what He expected from His people:

With what shall I come before the LORD,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8).

But when the LORD examined His people closely, the prophet writes,

Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires (Micah 7:1).

Think about what Jesus had just done. He came to His temple, expecting to find genuine fruits of faith from His people. Instead, He was greeted with unbelief, opposition, and the abuse of His Father’s house. There were religious practices all over the place—offerings being made, Scriptures being recited, and lots of animals being purchased for sacrifice. It was very, very religious. But all their religion was nothing more than the mere outward “promise” of fruitfulness and nothing more. There was no real spiritual “fruit”. It was all “fig leaves”; but no “figs”.

In his Gospel, Luke doesn’t record this incident. But in Luke 13, after Jesus says to the Jewish people, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree:

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 “Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 “But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 ‘And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ “ (Luke 13:6-9).

Think about it. Jesus came to the temple and instead of finding the fruit of faith, He was greeted by the religious leaders with opposition and unbelief. Jesus had been among them for more than three years ministering to them. For three years, Jesus had been patient. For three years, Jesus had sought fruit from the Jewish people. His patience was long. Yet finally, there reached a point when His patience would run out. I believe that the cursing of this fig tree was a living parable to indicate that the time for judgment had come.

This is the theme of the rest of the chapter: Israel lacks fruit. Here, the Messiah is entering Jerusalem. The Jewish people ought to receive Him. But, rather than doing so, they reject Him. In verse 23, they question Jesus’ authority. Beginning in Matthew 21:28, Jesus will tell a story of two sons. The first promised his father that he would work in the vineyard. Yet, when it came time to do so, he didn’t go. The second said that he wouldn’t work. But later, he repented and did go to work. The son of empty promises is like the nation of Israel. There is outward talk of righteousness, but no fruit of righteousness. They had leaves, but there were no figs. Beginning in Matthew 21:33, Jesus will talk about the vine-growers who hated the owner of the vineyard. Their hatred reached such a point that they would kill the son of the owner. Jesus made it very clear that the religious leaders were like the vine-growers. They hate the Son and have rejected the chief cornerstone. Israel missed their Messiah! They didn’t believe in Him. Their religion was all show. Their religion was all cultural and external—all leaves and no fruit. In Matthew 21:43, Jesus tells them, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”

So, on one level it’s a story about Israel, but it is also a story about us. It is an acted parable with an intended meaning. Just as Jesus went to the fig tree looking for fruit, God comes looking for fruit in our lives. The prophet Isaiah in sang a parable in song about fruit. We read in Isaiah 5:

1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. … 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Isa 5:1-2, 7).

God looks for fruit in our lives, and not just fruit – He is looking for good fruit, not bad fruit. He is looking for real spiritual fruit of righteousness, not merely the leaves of external religion. Mere religiosity without genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may look good before men, but it greatly displeases the Lord. When God comes looking for fruit in your life, what will he find? Will he find the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)? Will he find the fruit of righteousness and holiness (Heb. 12:11)? Will He find the fruit of good works that please Him (Col. 1:10)? Will he find the fruit of witnessing as you share with others about Jesus and the gospel (1 Cor. 3:5-6)? Will he find the fruit of praise upon your lips (Heb. 13:15)?

And that leads us to the reaction of the disciples to what they saw; and to the next lesson we’re to learn …

2. The Word about Faith in Prayer (Matt. 21:20-22).

The disciples had a hard time learning the lessons of dependency upon the Lord. They had seen Him perform many miracles. But when they saw Him curse a fig tree, and then saw the fig tree wither and die afterwards, they marveled; saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” (Matt. 5:20).

It’s interesting that He didn’t answer their question directly. Instead, it seems to me that the Lord told them something that they weren’t expecting.

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:21-22).

Jesus told the disciples something similar back in Matthew 17:20 when He answered their question about why they could not help the man with the demon possessed son. There He said: “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”  

Remember that these two verses are not just a random insertion by Matthew about faith and prayer. They come in the context of the cursing of the fig tree, directly in answer to Jesus’ disciple’s question about it, and the in the larger context of conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. They come in the context of the fruitlessness of the religious leaders and the Lord’s desire for good fruit.

So let me ask you, based upon what Jesus teaches here, how does one live a fruitful life before God? The answer: FAITH. The problem of no fruit is the problem of no faith. Jesus says “if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done” (Matt. 21:21). Jesus is using hyperbole here to show that there is nothing that faith in Him cannot do.  We can’t make fig trees wither or cause mountains to throw themselves into the sea. But nothing is impossible for God. Faith lays hold of God’s power to do things that are impossible for us to do.

And then Jesus goes on to tell us that God answers the prayer of faith. He says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:22) That is an amazing verse. It is a breath-taking promise that God will answer your prayers when you pray in faith believing.

Now I don’t believe that Jesus is giving us some kind of “blank check” to do whatever we want independently from His Lordship. Did you notice that He specifies, “if you have faith and do not doubt . . .”? Who is it we’re to have faith in? Obviously, we’re to have faith in Him! What is it we’re not to doubt? We’re not to doubt His will expressed clearly in His word. It’s all about Jesus—not about what we want. The promise He makes in this passage is NEVER something we’re to try to claim in any other way than with complete, heartfelt, sincere, dependent faith on Him and in obedient trust in His word.

Jesus shows that a lack of fruit is a result of a lack of faith in Him. And a lack of faith in Him is revealed by a lack of prayer to Him. A person who doesn’t pray is a person who wreaks of self-sufficiency. They are a person who is all leaves and no fruit. They are a person who is doing things on their own and in their own strength. And when you do things on your own and in your own strength, do you know what happens? NOTHING. In John 15, Jesus said,

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.“ (John 15:4-8).

The kind of faith our Lord wants from us is characterized by “abiding” in Him. It’s the kind of faith in the Lord Jesus that recognizes that we draw our very life from Him, and cannot do anything apart from Him. And it involves an understanding of His revealed will through the holy Scriptures; and a commitment be completely yielded to that will without doubt or without wavering.

So, here’s two lessons our Lord wants us to learn from the fig tree—and both lessons have to do with a vital faith in Jesus Christ. First, the tree that is covered with leaves but is barren of fruit teaches us the barrenness of mere religion on the outside when there’s unbelief in Jesus on the inside. Is your religion just an outward show, or is it bearing the fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17)?

Second, the promise of the Savior to the disciples teaches us that real fruitfulness is a product of genuine, living, personal, dependency upon Jesus Christ in faith. Such faith in Jesus brings glory to the Father. When your life is full of fruit, your prayers will be filled with faith, and God will accomplish His purposes through your life and in our church. Is your faith demonstrated by believing prayer?

 

 

 

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A Question of Faith

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A Question of Faith

Matthew 17:14-21

Faith is so vital to the Christian life that Scripture tells us that, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The Bible tells us that salvation is the gift of God through faith (Eph. 2:8–9). Paul writes that in the gospel,  “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17). In other words, we are not only saved by faith, we live our whole Christian life from beginning to end “from faith to faith.” From day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, the righteous live by faith. Whether we are brand-new followers of Christ or seasoned, mature believers who have walked with the Lord for many years, we must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power—the power of the gospel—to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter.

In our passage today, Christ told His disciples that, with just a tiny measure of faith, the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains and “nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20).  That word “impossible” means literally “not to have strength, power, or ability.”[1] The root word is the verb δύναμαι (dynamai) meaning “to be able, have power.”[2] We get the English word “dynamic” from this Greek word. Matthew uses this word in Matthew 17:16 when the father of the boy literally says that the disciples “were not able” or “had no power” to heal his son. In Matthew 17:19, the disciples then literally ask Jesus “Why were we not able to cast it out?” using this same verb.[3]

Matthew’s repetition of this word underscores the theme of “ability” or “power” to do something or the lack of it. And Jesus says the difference between being able and being unable is faith. I believe that this is the great lesson this passage is meant to teach us. We are unable to do anything for Jesus apart from an utterly dependent faith in Jesus.

This lesson in faith occurs right after the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13). Jesus had taken three of His closest apostles—Peter, James, and John—and led them up a high mountain. There, they got a glimpse of Christ’s glory, a preview of the majesty of the Son of God when He comes again in power to consummate His kingdom. They saw “His face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17:2). Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus, and God the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt. 17:5).

The disciples had confessed their faith in who Jesus is (Matt. 16:16), but they also needed to believe what He said—especially when He told them, “… the Son of Man is also about to suffer …” (Matt. 17:12) and that “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). We most often learn the best lessons on faith in times of suffering, weakness, and even failure. That is exactly where we find the other nine disciples when Jesus and the three descend the Mount of Transfiguration. They are in the midst of a multitude of people and it’s not going well. The first thing we encounter in our text is …

1. A Father’s Request (Matt. 17:14-16)

14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.” (Matt. 17:14-15).

Here was a desperate father, whose son was sick and needed healing. The New King James translation says, “he is an epileptic and suffers severely” (Matt. 17:15). The Greek word translated “epileptic” is more literally “lunatic” or “moon struck”. Many ancient societies believed that that madness was caused by the influence of the moon. So, this term means that the boy was stricken with something that had driven him insane. His condition was quite dangerous, “for he often falls into the fire and often into the water” (Matt. 17:15). In Matthew 17:18 we see that his disorder was not just mental or physical, it was also spiritual. It was caused by a demon who was afflicting him. Not all sickness is caused by demons, but there are several examples in Scripture of demon possession manifesting as mental or physical affliction.

Mark’s Gospel gives us more details about the boy’s suffering saying, “And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid” (Mark 9:18). The symptoms of seizures like this are similar to epilepsy, and that is probably why the translators used that word to describe it. Clearly, not only was the boy suffering, but the father was also himself suffering unspeakably in anxiety over his precious son. You can feel the father’s desperation and helplessness when he says in Matthew 17:16, “So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

We know from Matthew 10, when Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the message of the kingdom, that He gave them authority to heal the sick and cast out demons (Matt. 10:8). Mark records that the disciples had “cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13). So the disciples were not inexperienced in healing and casting out demons. They expected that they could do it because they had done it before. But now, for some reason, as they tried to cure this boy, they failed. Why? What was the problem?

You can imagine that the disciples, along with the boy’s father, were very frustrated by all of this. And they’re not the only ones who were frustrated. We see that in . . .

2. Jesus’ Response (Matt. 17:17-18)

Jesus Himself is clearly exasperated. Matthew 17:17 says, “Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’”  The word “generation” is the general term for the people living in a specific time and in a specific situation. It probably refers to the Jewish people as a whole who could actually see Jesus’ demonstrations of power and authority but for the most part did not believe.

He describes them as “faithless” or unbelieving and “perverse,” meaning twisted, turned away, or distorted. The attitude of unbelief prevailed among many in that generation who witnessed the coming of Christ, saw His power, and heard His teaching. They twisted what Jesus said and distorted what He did. Jesus expressed His frustration with them saying, “how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” They should have believed in Him already.

Is our generation any better? Probably not. Praise God there are many believers today. Praise God we have many fine examples of faith, but we also live in a generation that is mostly characterized by unbelief. Think of the privileges that we have. We have the whole revelation of the word of God in our Bibles. We have churches everywhere. We have access to more teaching, books, and resources than any generation before us. We also have clouds of faithful witnesses from previous generations. And yet unbelief prevails. And how it grieves the Lord.

How about the disciples? Were the faithless multitudes having an effect on them too? Were Jesus’ disciples somehow faithless? Is that why they could not help the boy? They were believers. Hadn’t the disciples believed and confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God? Hadn’t they left everything to follow Him? Yet, they demonstrated unbelief when they tried to do Jesus’ work without depending on Jesus Himself.

Finally, Jesus tells the disciples to do what they should have done all along. He says, “Bring him here to Me.” Matthew 17:18 tells us that, once they did, “… Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.” What the disciples had failed to do, Jesus appeared to do with little effort. With a word, this unclean spirit obeyed Jesus and left the boy (cf. Mark 1:27). How many problems in life would be solved if we first brought them to Jesus? Faith comes to Jesus first, not just when we have exhausted our own efforts.

Finally, we come to the main point of this passage…

3. Faith’s Lesson (Matt. 17:19-21)

What follows the healing of this boy is a discussion between Jesus and His disciples about faith. The discussion is a little confusing at first, because Jesus seems to be saying two things at once. First, He tells them the problem is they have “unbelief” or “little faith.” But then He tells them that if they have faith as small as a mustard seed, they can move mountains. And that’s confusing, because the solution seems to be the same as the problem!

Look at the discussion. Matthew 17:19 tells us, “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’” When we fail, it is best to do what the disciples did here—get alone with Jesus and ask, “Lord, why did I fail?”

They came to Him, and He showed them where they went wrong. “So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief’”—or, other manuscripts read, because of your “little faith”. It was not just that their faith was small. It was because their lack of faith was misplaced, and therefore it was more like unbelief. Jesus shows them that they had been acting in their own strength and not with a conviction of their dependence upon the Lord. They had faith in their ability to use Jesus’ authority and power apart from an utter dependency upon Him. They had faith that they could do it without Jesus. They had forgotten that it was His power and that their only access to that power was by a living confidence in a present Lord, in an active dependence upon what He and He alone could do. That is faith, and in that moment, that is what they lacked.

And isn’t it the same way with us sometimes? We believe, we really do. But far too many times we think, speak, and act as if we do not believe, not really. We find ourselves simply going through the motions of the Christian faith and life, content with an outward conformity, but not living in the active conviction of the Lord’s presence, not looking to Jesus, personally, for life, godliness, and fruitfulness. C.S. Lewis admitted how often he struggled with precisely that failure, writing,

The trouble with me is lack of faith.  I have no rational ground for going back on the arguments that convinced me of God’s existence: but the irrational deadweight of my own skeptical habits, and the spirit of this age, and the cares of the day, steal away all my lively feeling of the truth, and often when I pray I wonder if I am not posting letters to a non-existent address. Mind you, I don’t think so – the whole of my reasonable mind is convinced: but I often feel so.”[4]

Luther said, “Faith is nothing else but a sure and steadfast looking to Christ,”[5] How often during a typical day do you look to Christ? Probably, most of us would have to admit, not often enough. Perhaps that is why God allows us to get into frustrating circumstances and afflictions. Because it is in these times that we come to the end of ourselves, stop depending on our strength, and begin to really trust the Lord. Faith is looking to Christ.

Look carefully at what Jesus goes on to say. “… for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20). The mustard seed was the smallest seed that the Jewish people of that culture could know about. It was proverbially the smallest seed planted. It represents a very “small” quantity of faith, but with it they can move mountains. In other words, it is not the amount of faith that is significant, it is the object of faith. If their faith is in the right One, if they have an utter confidence in the power and authority of Jesus; and if the operate in utter dependency upon Him, then how much faith they have doesn’t matter. If Jesus commands us to order a mountain to be moved and we act in dependence on Him, it will move!

We often think about faith as an intellectual conviction or spiritual commitment, and, yes, it is that. The disciples had that. But faith is also and always must be a daily, hourly dependence on Christ, reliance upon Him, looking to Him, living in Him. When we fail to do that, we are people of little faith. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

Before we close this lesson, look carefully at Matthew 17:21 where Jesus says, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Some translations put this verse in a footnote because many of the early manuscripts do not include it. Mark’s account does have it in Mark 9:29. So, it definitely represents what Jesus said about casting our this demon. And it emphasizes the point Jesus has made about faith, doesn’t it? What is “prayer” but a matter of turning to God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with utter dependency upon Him? What is “fasting” but a matter of turning away from a reliance upon ourselves? There is a connection between prayer and faith. Faith drives us to pray, and prayer builds faith. Do you want to be a person of great faith? Pray to our great God. Call on our great Savior. Do you want to be a person of prayer? Believe in Jesus. Trust in Him. Depend on Him for everything. Do you see how faith and prayer go hand-in-hand?

Why do we not see mountains move or people set free from spiritual bondage? Because of our lack of faith exercised by prayer. It reminds me of the great hymn by Joseph Scriven,

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Praying is to actions of faith what exercising is to an athlete, what studying is to a student, what training is to a soldier, or what practicing is to a musician. True prayer expresses our utter dependence on the Lord. Prayer fits us for the spiritual battle. It equips us to do what Christ commands. Faith is a gift from God, but it is those who pray who receive what God gives. Listen, I know the difficulty with prayer and fasting. Prayer takes time. Fasting gives me headaches. It’s not easy. Of all the things that I do as a pastor each week, I find that my time spent in prayer to be as difficult as anything that I do.

Which brings me back to our main point: we are only able to do anything for Jesus when we have an utterly dependent faith in Jesus.

How’s your faith this morning? Is it weak and feeble? I exhort: pray. Faith doesn’t simply happen. It comes through your constant pleading to God for faith. God will give you faith if you ask. Do you ask? In Mark’s account of this story, there was a point where the boy’s father says, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Is this your prayer?

This is how we put our faith in Jesus. He is the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised to life again. It is only in His name, by faith in His name, that we can be saved (Acts 3:16; 4:12). It is only in His name, by faith in His name, that we can do anything—anything that matters for eternity. Have you believed in Jesus?

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[1] Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g101/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[2] Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1410/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[3] Greg Allen, Bring Him Here to Me, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2007/081907.htm. Allen pointed out this key word and its significance in his sermon.

[4] C. S. Lewis, Letters to Arthur Greeves, 398-399. Quoted by Robert Rayburn, A Puzzling Saying, Matthew 17:14-23, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/a-puzzling-saying.

[5] Martin Luther, Cited in Whyte, Bunyan Characters, iv, 238. Quoted by Robert Rayburn, A Puzzling Saying, Matthew 17:14-23, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/a-puzzling-saying.

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A Picture of Great Faith

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

A Picture of Great Faith

Matthew 15:21-28

In Matthew 15, we are in a section of Matthew where Jesus, having given evidence that He is the Son of God, the Messiah-King, and having taught His disciples about the Kingdom of God, He is now training His disciples in kingdom ministry. The lessons Jesus teaches them in these narratives are about faith—faith in Him.

In the story of the feeding of the 5000, Jesus gave them a lesson in trusting Him and depending on Him to work through them (Matt. 14:13-21). Then, we saw Peter who had “little faith,” yet was able to do the impossible–walk on water to be with Jesus (Matt. 14:22-33). We saw the multitudes bringing their sick to Jesus and believing He would heal them (Matt. 14:34-36). Then we saw the flawed faith of the scribes and Pharisees who trusted in their traditions rather than Jesus and the word of God (Matt. 15:1-20).

These are faith lessons, training us to trust Jesus Christ and His word. They are lessons about saving faith and also about serving faith. We must believe in Jesus to enter His kingdom, and we must believe in Jesus to do kingdom ministry. As Paul writes in Romans 1, our salvation is “from faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17)—that is, it is by faith from beginning to end.

So, today we get another lesson in faith, but not just any faith—this lesson is about “great faith.” It is “great”, not in the sense that it is large in size, but because it was remarkable and exceptional. Today we see the extraordinary faith of a gentile woman, an outsider, not one of the lost sheep of Israel. And we will find it is the kind of saving faith that characterizes all who truly trust in Christ.

Let’s look at this woman’s example of great faith. First, we see…

1. Faith’s Petition (Matt. 15:21-22)

Matthew 15:21 says, “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.” Tyre and Sidon were on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon. Tyre is about fifty miles south of modern Beirut, and Sidon was halfway between the two. In Jesus’ time, as now, the cities were outside the Jewish area of Israel. They were largely Gentile cities. Now this is unusual for Jesus. He spent most of His time ministering in the Israeli areas of Galilee and Judea.

If you remember the last couple of chapters in Matthew, Jesus tried to withdraw from the crowds to spend time alone with His disciples, but the multitudes kept following and finding Him. He is also fresh off a confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, perhaps He wanted to let the conflict settle a bit because it was not yet time for that conflict to result in His death. So, He has gone to a territory where the Jews would not normally be looking for Him. In his account of this episode, Mark records that Jesus “entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden” (Mark 7:24). Even in this place, we find those who are seeking Jesus.

Matthew introduces the seeker in Matthew 15:22, “And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’” The first thing Matthew tells us about her is that she is “a woman of Canaan.” Mark gives the detail that she “was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth” (Mark 7:26). She is not in the land of Israel, and she is not a Jewish woman. The religious history of Canaan consisted of the worship of idols and false gods. In the Old Testament, the Canaanites worshipped Baal, Asherah, and other deities, though by Jesus’ time, many of those gods would have been replaced by the Greek and Roman pantheon. She most likely had a heritage of paganism.

This woman’s daughter was “severely demon-possessed.” Some evil spiritual force had taken ruthless dominion over her. What could she do? Where could she go? How could she hope to set her daughter free from something so beyond the help of men or idols? Imagine worshipping gods who do not hear and have no power to help. No wonder she came to Jesus, the miracle-working prophet from Nazareth.

How would she have known about Jesus? We saw in Matthew 4:24 that Jesus’ “fame went throughout all Syria” and that “they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.” As she heard these stories, perhaps a conviction began to grow in her that this Man could help her daughter. And now that He was in her neck of the woods, rumors began to be spread around that Jesus was in a house not far away.

So, in desperation, she came to Jesus. She came, crying out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!” Notice, she called Jesus “Lord” three times in this passage. To call Him “Lord” can, of course, mean that she simply spoke respectfully to Him, as if to call Him “Sir”. But clearly, the context shows that she regarded Jesus in a much higher way than that. She obviously had heard the stories about Him, and was coming to Him for a miracle for her daughter. And so, calling Him “Lord” was her way of recognizing His divine authority and power.

Then she called Him “Son of David.” This is a loaded term. Matthew has shown us from the very beginning of his Gospel that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. He is the prophesied “Son of David,” the King who inherits the throne of Israel. Two blind men in Matthew 9 had cried out something similar, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matt. 9:27). And after Jesus healed a demon-possessed blind and mute man in Matthew 12, the amazed crowd asked, “Could this be the Son of David?” (Matt. 12:23). But what a remarkable thing for this Gentile woman to say! Here is a non-Jewish woman, coming to a Jewish miracle worker, calling Him Lord, recognizing Him as the Jewish Messiah-King, and begging Him to free her daughter from demon possession. Although she probably does not understand the full meaning of His lordship or messiahship, she comes with a sense of awe and wonder at His power and goodness. What a contrast between her and the scribes and Pharisees who refused to recognize who Jesus was! By faith, she saw what the blind religious leaders could not see.

And she says, “Have mercy on me.” She did not come demanding something of Jesus, she just came pleading for mercy because her daughter was in a desperate state. She saw Jesus as her only hope.

So in her, we see faith’s petition. Next we see…

2. Faith’s Persistence (Matt. 15:23-27)

So far, this story is not particularly unique. Many desperate people came to Jesus and begged for His mercy and healing power for their loved ones. But at this point, this story goes in a totally unexpected direction, because rather than immediately helping her, Jesus proves her faith with a series of barriers. These obstacles will prove the quality of her faith. She had a faith that persevered through the …

A. Obstacles of Faith

First, she faces the obstacle of Jesus’ silence. Matthew 15:23 says, “But He answered her not a word.” She came to Jesus crying out for mercy, and He didn’t even acknowledge her. This seems so uncharacteristic of Jesus. Jesus usually welcomed needy people; He picked up little children; He ate with outcasts; and He touched the unclean lepers. But here, He seemed to ignore her cries. He didn’t say a word to her.  What is going on?

What we have to remember in this story is that Jesus does nothing without a divine purpose. And Jesus does nothing unloving. He is proving this woman’s faith. He puts up these barriers, not to drive her away, but to draw her closer.

I suspect that there may be someone here today who desperately needs the encouragement of this woman’s faith. Perhaps you have a deep need. You have cried out to the Lord, but you feel as if the Lord is not answering. This woman’s encounter with Jesus can teach us much about the mercy of the Lord and the faith that lays hold of it. This woman endures the obstacle of silence.

Next, she faces the obstacle of Jesus’ followers. Matthew 15:23 goes on to say, “And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” To the disciples, she was just a bother, a nuisance, someone to get rid of. The phrase “send her away” means to relieve or release. Perhaps they were urging Jesus to give her what she wanted so she would leave them alone. They weren’t exactly driven by the highest and most noble of motives. The disciples are not so unlike us, are they? How many of us get annoyed with problem people? Like the disciples, perhaps we wish that Jesus would just fix their problem so they will stop being a bother. But remember, Jesus is also teaching them a lesson in faith. He wants them to see the difference between superficial belief and genuine faith. The disciples’ attitude was an obstacle.

Then, the woman faced an even bigger obstacle. Jesus says, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” (Matt. 15:24). Jesus says that His mission is to the lost sheep of Israel. This reminds us of what Jesus had said to His disciples when He sent them out to preach the Kingdom. He told them in Matthew 10, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 10:5-6). Jesus emphasizes that His mission, while He was on the earth, was to the lost sheep of Israel.

We that this was not an absolute rule. There were exceptions. Already in Matthew 8, we saw Jesus respond to the faith of a Roman centurion and heal his servant (Matt. 8:5-13). In John 4 and Luke 17, Jesus also reaches out to Samaritans. We also know from the rest of the New Testament that this was only a temporary limit on Jesus’ mission. After His death and resurrection Jesus will send His apostles out to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). It has to do with timing and priority. As John writes in His Gospel about Jesus, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him,” (John 1:11). Paul wrote in Romans 1:16 that “the gospel of Christ… is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Jesus came to the Jews first, in order to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for all people from all nations everywhere.

Look at the phrase, “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This does not mean there were a just few lost sheep in Israel, but that all Israel was lost. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” All Israel, in fact, all people need a Savior who dies for their sins. All people need Jesus.

But as Jesus says this in answer to her request, it’s an obstacleIt looks like Jesus is rejecting her. He seems to be refusing this woman because she is not Jewish. We might look at this and think Jesus doesn’t care. But that’s not how the woman looked at it. Matthew 15:25 says, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” She was not put off by Jesus’ silence, the disciples’ annoyance, or the Lord’s seeming denial. Despite the obstacles, despite the fact that Jesus’ mission is to lost Israelites and she is a Canaanite, she doesn’t react with bitterness or resentment because she still believes that Jesus is her only hope. Rather than turn away dejected or bitter, she came to Jesus. She bowed down before Him in worship. She saw Jesus for who He was: a gracious and compassionate Savior, who was able (and hopefully willing) to extend mercy to her, and to her daughter.[i]

Amazingly, yet again, Jesus puts up another obstacle. But even what appeared to be our Lord’s harshest words do not put her off. In Matthew 15:26 Jesus answered her saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” It is obvious from this statement that Jesus is connecting the house of Israel with the children and this Gentile woman with the dogs. Why is He calling her a dog? It appears to be a great insult. The woman undoubtedly had heard Jews insult Gentiles by calling dogs before. But why would Jesus, who we know to be kind and compassionate, speak this way?

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:6? “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” One thing you might not have noticed is that Jesus did not use the same term for dogs in talking to this woman that He did in this teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:6, the word used for “dogs” refers to dogs in a negative sense, like a vicious wild dog. Figuratively, the word is used in the New Testament to describe evil men and workers of iniquity (Phi. 3:2; 2 Pet. 2:22; Rev. 22:15). But in Matthew 15:26 (and the parallels in Mark and Luke), Jesus uses a different word that means “little dogs,” puppies, or pet dogs.

The woman listened well to Jesus, even to His choice of words. Did Jesus refer to her as a “little dog,” a household pet? Good! She seized on this word, and made this the basis for her appeal. She answered in Matthew, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Far from being offended by Jesus, she was inspired by Him to ask for what she desired. She was, in truth, a little dog, not worthy to sit at the masters or eat the children’s food. So, she asked for the crumbs that a dog might reasonably expect from its master.

Every time she faced obstacles to faith, she turned them into …

B. Opportunities of Faith

No matter what, she would not take “no” for an answer. She would not be put off. Like Jacob, wrestling with the Lord at Peniel (Gen. 32:26), she would not let Him go until He blessed her. She passed every test the Lord had placed on her faith. And when it was all over, she still looked to Him to answer. She persevered in faith. She saw the obstacles as opportunities from God. She believed that Jesus is the Son of David, the Jewish Messiah, sent to save His people from their sins. But she still believed that Jesus was her Savior as well.

She had proven herself to have great faith in Him. She kept asking until she received, kept seeking until she found, and kept knocking until it was opened to her (Matt. 7:7). Of course, Jesus knew she would pass the test, as God knew Abraham would pass the test when God commanded him to offer his son Isaac on an altar (Gen. 22). So, what may at first seem cruel on the surface in both accounts is actually compassionate and wise and loving. God used tests not to destroy them but to validate and cultivate their deep and abiding faith.

So, we have seen faith’s petition and faith’s persistence. Finally we see …

3. Faith’s Prize (Matt. 15:28)

Matthew 15:28 says, “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” How she must have delighted in our Lord’s response! Jesus commended her faith in a way that no Jew was ever commended. Why does Jesus commend her? Because she showed remarkable understanding of Jesus’ mission, remarkable faith in Jesus’ power, remarkable trust in Jesus’ compassion, and remarkable perseverance to keep asking Jesus in the face of obstacles.

When Peter sank after walking on the water, Jesus said he had “little faith,” but this woman had great faith. Only two people in the Gospels are told by Jesus that they have great faith—and they are both Gentiles. The first was the centurion in Matthew 8 of whom Jesus said, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matt. 8:10). The second is this woman of Canaan. Jesus said to her, “‘O woman, great is your faith!”

She had great faith because her faith had the right object. She had faith in Jesus, the Messiah-King and Savior of all. She had great faith because her faith was humble. She knew she didn’t deserve anything, so she begged for mercy. Her faith was reverent. She called Jesus Lord and worshipped Him. And her faith was persistent—it withstood the test and clung to Jesus. What a picture of true faith!

This is the faith that saves and the faith that serves. We come into the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus and we do kingdom ministry by faith in Jesus. Do you have great faith in the great Savior?

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[i] Bob Deffinbaugh, https://bible.org/seriespage/23-lesson-hermeneutics-matthew-1521-39

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Walking on Water

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Walking on Water

Matthew 14:22-33

Today, We come to another familiar story in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus walking on the water. Which would be so utterly amazing to us, had we not heard the story many times over. This episode in the life of Jesus has left its impression on the mind of the world.  Still today, we describe someone who is very gifted or successful as “able to walk on water.”  But we mean the phrase only metaphorically.  No one can literally walk on water. But Jesus did. And the point of the whole episode comes at the end when the disciples worship Jesus saying, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33).

We said last time that this section of the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 14-17, focuses on Jesus training His disciples for kingdom ministry. Jesus does many miracles in this section, but these miracles have less to do with proving Himself to the crowds, and far more to do with Jesus teaching the twelve. We saw this last time as Jesus fed the five thousand. Jesus wants to do kingdom ministry through His disciples. So He pressed them to the end of themselves and their resources to reveal that kingdom ministry must be done according to His will and in His power.

Now, Jesus gives His disciples another hands-on ministry learning session. This lesson also will bring the twelve to the end of themselves. They find themselves tormented by the waves and the wind against them (Matt. 14:24). The Gospel of Mark tells us that when Jesus finally joined them in the boat, “… they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:51-52).

They didn’t learn the lesson Jesus was trying to teach them when He fed the five thousand. So now, He is teaching them again. Jesus wants to grow their faith in Him. And one of the ways Jesus grows our faith is through difficult circumstances. In those trials, we learn things about God’s love and power that we would never understand in any other way. Sometimes, the Lord puts us in difficult situations so we will learn to trust Him more.

So first we see…

1. The disciple’s problem (Matt. 14:22-24)

Here’s the setting. It’s late in the day (Matt. 14:14). Jesus has just performed the great miracle of feeding the multitude—5000 men, plus women and children—with five loaves and two fish (Matt. 14:13-21). The Gospel of John tells us that the crowd was so enthralled by this miracle that “they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king” (John 6:15). But Jesus, knowing that their enthusiasm is shallow, refuses them. The Lord knew that their motives were not spiritual and that their purposes were out of God’s will. Instead, Matthew 14:22 tells us, “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.” When it says Jesus made them get into the boat, the verb means He compelled or drove the disciples. Jesus got them out of there forcefully and quickly. If the disciples had stayed, they would likely have fallen in with the plans of the crowd for a popular uprising. But that was not Jesus’ plan.

He sent them “to the other side” of the lake away from the crowds and their superficial enthusiasm. Matthew 14:23 tells us, “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.”  Jesus went up alone into the mountain on the eastern side of the lake to pray, to commune with His Father. The masses were wild with enthusiasm and the disciples misunderstood Him. The Father alone was what Jesus longed for at this time.

Meanwhile, what are the twelve doing? They are in a boat on the lake, and Matthew 14:24 says, “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” It should have been a short boat ride across the northwestern corner of the lake. They started in the evening, perhaps hoping to get to their destination before it got too dark. But now, they are “in the middle of the sea”, a long way from land, and not at all where they intended to be. Their little fishing boat was “tossed by the waves” because the wind had kicked up and was against them. Imagine trying to row against the wind on a storm-tossed sea in the middle of the night! They have been straining at the oars for hours (Mark 6:48).

And the worst part? Jesus is not with them. Back in Matthew 8, they had also been on the in a boat in a storm on the sea. The boat was being covered by the waves and the disciples thought they were about to perish. But Jesus was with them, asleep in the boat. When they woke Him, desperately calling out, “Lord, save us!”, Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm (Matt. 8:23-27). But this time, they are alone. Maybe they are thinking, “if only Jesus were here, He could rebuke the wind and calm the sea!” But there they are, alone, blown off course, exhausted, and buffeted by the waves on the sea.

And why are they there? Jesus sent them there. No doubt, Jesus knew a storm was brewing. He knew the torment they would face on the sea. They were in this storm because they were obedient to Jesus. As we read our Bibles, we discover that two kinds of storms: storms of correction, when God disciplines us; and storms of perfection, when God helps us to grow. Jonah was in a storm because he disobeyed God and had to be corrected. The disciples were in a storm because they obeyed Christ and had to be perfected. MacArthur writes, “Jesus knew of their situation long before it happened, and He did not have to rush away from prayer in order to be on time to help. The storm and the disciples were equally in His hands, and He knew in advance exactly what He would do with both.”[1]

They are in Jesus’ spiritual boot camp. He is training them in faith. Adrian Rodgers says, “Jesus is an unusual teacher. He gives the test first and the lesson afterward.”[2] Jesus sat upon the mountain in prayer for hours—perhaps occasionally looking up to see how, off in the distance, the disciples were rowing frantically and fighting against the winds; and yet, did nothing to change the winds in their favor. Matthew tells us that it grew to be the fourth watch of the night (Matt. 14:25), which would have made it about three or four in the morning.

Jesus deliberately sent them off on a journey that He knew would prove very frustrating to them, and that would drain them of all their own personal resources. Why did He not come to them sooner? Jesus’ seeming delay was not due to indifference or inability. As remarkable as it may seem, I believe it was because Jesus wanted them to first exhaust themselves of every resource of their own. He did this so He could then illustrate to them—and to us—that He is far above those things that frustrate us. That He is with us and in control of all things even when we cannot see Him. He wants to build our faith in Him.

Which brings us to point 2…

2. Jesus’ presence (Matt. 14:25-27)

Matthew 14:25 says, “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.” What a wonderful statement! “Jesus went to them.” He knew their need and He came. Spurgeon wrote, “Jesus is sure to come. The night wears on and the darkness thickens … He comes in the teeth of the wind, and on the face of the wave. Never fear that He will fail to reach the storm-tossed [boat]: His love will find the way. Whither it be to a single disciple, or to the church as a whole, Jesus will appear in His own chosen hour, and His time is sure to be the most timely.”

Jesus comes, “walking on the sea”, demonstrating His power over nature and His own true nature as the Son of God. In the Old Testament only God walked on the water and had power over the sea. Job 9:8 says of God: “He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea.” And so by this miracle Jesus was showing that he is truly God. Later on, the disciples will acknowledge this when they worship Him in the boat saying: “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matt. 14:33).

Why did Jesus walk on the water? To show His disciples who He is and what He can do with them when they trust Him. I believe that’s what Jesus was doing with the disciples. And I believe that’s what He often does with us. In order to teach us about His own sufficiency in our lives, He will often send us off in a direction that He knows will frustrate us—into a situation that will take us to the end of ourselves and leave us feeling as if we’re getting nowhere. And then, Jesus comes, walking above it all. He sends us into the storm because He loves us and knows how bad it is for us to rely on our own strength and resources. He wants to wean us of our trust in ourselves, and to learn to trust Him alone.

But in their struggling faith, the disciples don’t recognize Jesus right away. Matthew 14:26 says, “And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear.” Matthew tells us that they were “troubled”; but I suspect that was something of an understatement. It didn’t register to them that it was Jesus walking toward them. Rather, as Matthew tells us, they were saying, “It’s a phantasma”—a ghost; some unearthly, inhuman apparition. No man could do what they were seeing. And if it isn’t a man, what is it? Matthew tells us that “they cried out for fear”.

Why did they not recognize Jesus? The answer is they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him instantly. Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that His appearance was that of a ghost. The point is this: fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear frequently blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.[3]

Notice the contrast. The disciples are terrified. Jesus is calm. I don’t know what that scene looked like, but I don’t picture Jesus walking upon the water with great difficulty—as if He were struggling to keep His balance. I doubt He was leaping from wave to wave like a broad-jumper. No, He was just walking, calmly walking. As the wind was blowing and the waves were raging all around Him, He walked in the midst of it all with perfect calmness and peace. When He detected the fear in His disciples over the sight of Him coming, He immediately spoke to them and said, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matt. 14:27).

First, He says, “Be of good cheer”—that is, take courage. We can take courage and be of good cheer—no matter what the troubling circumstances—because of what He says next: “It is I”. Literally, this is the Greek version of God telling Moses in Exodus 3:14 that His name is “I AM.” Jesus identifies Himself with the God who in the Old Testament miraculously delivered His people again and again. It’s not just that Jesus is saying, “Don’t worry. It’s me. I’m not a ghost.” It’s His way of saying, “I am the Lord God of the universe. I created the wind and the waves and I sent the storm.” We could never be of good cheer if it wasn’t Him. but because He is God and is always near, we can always be of good cheer—even in the most fearful of circumstances. And finally, He commands us, “Do not be afraid.” We can truly abandon all fear. We can truly be at peace. The circumstances are all in His mighty hands.

Now when Mark and John wrote about this in their Gospels, the Holy Spirit led them to end the story with Jesus entering the boat. But Matthew goes on to tell us about something else that happened before then. 

Which brings us to…

3. Jesus’ provision (Matt. 14:28-32)

Matthew tells us that Peter said, “Lord, if it is You . . .”. Isn’t that interesting? Was Peter unsure? Perhaps he was unsure. He was seeing a man walking on the water, after all. But I suspect that Peter thought there was one way to be sure it was Jesus; and that was by walking on water to Him at His command. And so, he said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (Matt. 14:28).

Peter was not putting Jesus to the test, something we are told not to do (Matt. 4:7). Instead, he was the only one in the boat who reacted in faith. His impulsive request led him to experience an unusual demonstration of God’s power. Jesus’ presence in the storm caused Peter to exercise a fearless faith. Peter overcame his fear and attempted the impossible. But notice that he did so only with Jesus’ command to come. Notice also that he asked only to do what Jesus was doing.

Peter had spent a lot of time in boats out at sea. He may not have known too many things, but he knew better than to try stepping out of the boat unless Jesus commanded him to do so! And so, the Lord said, “Come”; and Peter threw one leg over and on to the water, then the other, and soon he was walking on the water toward Jesus. We may be tempted to criticize Peter a bit for his lack of faith in this story; but it’s important to point out that—at least—he got out of the boat while the others stayed in! That took more faith than most of us would exercise. Most of us would stay in the boat and wait for Jesus to come to us!

Now, as long as Peter’s eyes were fixed on Jesus, he did fine. He walked on water. But the fact is that Peter turned his gaze from Jesus. Matthew 14:30 says, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” The moment he began to focus instead on the wind that was blowing, and on the waves that were thrashing around him—in other words, the moment he focused on the circumstances rather than on Him who walked above them all—Peter began to sink.

He prayed a simple prayer, but a great prayer: “Lord, save me!” And Matthew writes, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”” (Matt. 14:31). “You of little faith” comes out to four words. But in the Greek Jesus only used one word: “Little-faith.” It’s a title or a nickname. Jesus called Peter “Little-Faith.” “Little-faith, why did you doubt?” He was not rebuking Peter for attempting too much, but for trusting too little.

And one of the details that I love the most about this story is found in the fact that Matthew tells us that “they” got back to the boat (Matt. 14:32). Jesus didn’t just leave Peter in the water, nor did Jesus walk back to the boat, dragging Peter under the water behind Him. I believe that Jesus raised Peter up and they walked together. As soon as our Lord and Peter got back into the boat, “the wind ceased” (Matt. 14:32). Once again, Jesus confirmed to them who He is—that He is the Lord who has authority over even the winds and the waves.

Ray Fowler points out some lessons we can learn from Peter here.[4] First, there is the lesson of faith. When you trust Jesus, God can do through you the most amazing and marvelous things. Then, there is the lesson of focus. Faith is keeping your eyes on Jesus. Don’t lose your focus! Keep your eyes on Jesus, not on your problems. And then thirdly, there is the lesson of forgiveness. God loves and forgives you even when you fail. Even when you lose faith, even when you lose focus, you just need to call out: “Lord, save me!”, and Jesus is right there to help you back into the boat.

The main point of the whole episode comes now at the end …

4. The disciple’s praise (Matt. 14:33)

Matthew 14:33 says, “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly, You are the Son of God’” Matthew DOESN’T say “They thanked Him saying, “We would have died without You.” Matthew says they “worshiped Him.” Though they had a long way to go in their spiritual understanding, the disciples were growing in their faith in the Lord. And so, for the first time in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ disciples confess that He is the Son of God. Their worship is joined to their confession.

Jesus is the promised Messiah and the disciples recognize and declare His deity. There is no other way possible that Jesus could have done what He did, because it was more than just a demonstration of His divine power, but also of His divine love and care for the disciples. The proper response to Jesus is to worship Him.

Let’s remember who Jesus is and worship Him. Let’s remember that, in our times of frustration, in our times of fear, and even in our times of weak faith, He is the Son of God. He is in control of all of life’s circumstances. He comes to us walking on the water. Let’s listen to His voice, lovingly, compassionately calling out to us in those tough times—in the times of frustration, or fear, or weak faith—and saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I: do not be afraid.” Let’s be very sure that we keep our focus on this One who walks above it all.

As we do, we will be ‘walking on the water’ with Him.

I wonder, have you believed that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you worship Him? Has He saved you from your sin and yourself? Are you walking by faith with Jesus? Here’s what Jesus says to you, “Come!”

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[1] John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary-Matthew, Moody Publishers, p. 439.

[2] Adrian Rodgers, quoted on https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-14-commentary#14:24

[3] Got Questions, What was the meaning of Jesus walking on water?, https://www.gotquestions.org/walking-on-water.html

[4] Ray Fowler, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/when-the-going-gets-tough/

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Opened Eyes and Closed Hearts

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Opened Eyes and Closed Hearts

Matthew 9:27-34

In his Gospel, Matthew has been building his case that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Particularly, in Matthew 8 and 9 Matthew shows that Jesus has the authority to do what only God Himself can do—heal the sick, cleanse the leper, control nature, cast out demons, forgive sins, and even raise the dead. Together, these miracles showed that Jesus has power over sin because He systematically reversed the effects of sin.

Not only has Matthew stressed the authority of Jesus over sin and its consequences, but he has also emphasized the various responses to Jesus. Some, like the centurion, the paralytic and his friends, and the hemorrhaging woman, responded in faith, believing Jesus. Matthew himself responded by following Jesus.

But other responses were not so positive. We have the two would-be disciples who could not accept the cost of following Jesus; the Gadarene townspeople who begged Jesus to leave; the scribes who thought Jesus guilty of blasphemy; the Pharisees who thought they were righteous and didn’t understand God’s compassion on sinners; the disciples of John complaining that Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast; and the mourners at Jairus’ house who ridiculed Jesus.

Jesus, as the Gospels present Him, forces everyone who encounters Him to respond in some way.[1] Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” The things that Jesus did and the things that He claimed about Himself are so unique and amazing that they must not be ignored. The response that the Gospel calls for is to believe in Him, follow Him, and worship Him. But not everyone does. Some people marvel at Jesus but come short of believing in Him. And others reject Jesus out of hand. In the end, we must either bow to Jesus, or we will oppose Him. We must either believe in Him, or we will reject Him.

We now come to the last two miracles in this series—giving sight to the blind and causing the mute to speak. Typical of Matthew’s style, the accounts are short and to the point. He demonstrates Jesus’ authority to open the eyes of the blind and cause a demonized mute to speak. Again, these miracles give proof that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. And again, these miracles highlight the different responses to Jesus. Some believed and their lives were eternally changed. Others were amazed, but no change seemed to take place in their lives. Still others rejected Jesus and blasphemed Him.

The reason why these responses to Jesus’ miracles are so important is that the power of Jesus to work miracles also proves His power to save from sin. They portray our spiritual condition—we are all unclean, isolated, hopeless, desperate, blind, and even dead in our sins. And they show that to be saved from sin we need the powerful, forgiving, saving grace of God, which is to be found in Jesus Christ alone.[2]

The ways that people responded to Jesus then are the same ways that people respond to the Savior today.

The first response that Matthew highlights for us is[3] …

1. The Blind Men Believe – Matthew 9:27-31

Jesus had just raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead and He was going to His house in Capernaum when two blind men became aware that Jesus was passing by, and they started following Him. Matthew 9:27 says, “When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”” The text does not say why they were blind. Blindness was a serious problem in the East in that day and could have been caused by disease, exposure to the sun, dust, injury, or a birth condition. The Gospels record that Jesus healed at least six blind men—one of His most common miracles.[4]

As the blind men follow Jesus they are “crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”” (Matt. 9:27). The word for “crying out” means to “croak or cry with a loud voice”[5]. Their request is a simple sentence, but it is full of deep meaning. “Son of David, have mercy on us!” The mercy they seek is for Jesus to cure their blindness. A request for mercy implies that they knew they did not deserve what they were requesting. They are depending on His kindness, not any merit of their own.[6] Since the common understanding in that culture was that something as debilitating as blindness was a judgment of God for sin, they were probably very keenly aware of their unworthiness.

This is the first time anyone in the Gospel calls Jesus “Son of David” (Matt 9:27) and there can be no doubt that the blind men were confessing Jesus as Messiah. “Son of David” was a title for the Messiah (Matt. 1:1; 22:42). The Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah, when He came, would be a descendant of David (2 Samuel 7:12, 16) and an heir to his throne. Matthew has already plainly stated that Jesus is the messianic Son of David in Jesus’ genealogy. In Matthew 1:1, he wrote, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” This title will be used of Jesus seven more times in the Gospel of Matthew.

In Israel, in the time of Jesus, there was an intense Messianic expectation.  According to the Old Testament one of the signs of the Messiah is that he would work miracles, including giving sight to the blind. Isaiah 35:5-6 says,

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. (Isa 35:5-6; cf. Isaiah 29:17-19; 42:5-7; Psalm 146:8).

There are no records of any blind person being healed in the Old Testament. And so, when you have two blind men following Jesus calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” that is a clear indication they believed that Jesus was the Messiah. These men did not just believe that Jesus was a miracle worker or one of the prophets. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah Himself. These men may have been physically blind, but they really “saw” better than many others.[7]

Although it seems that Jesus initially did not respond to their cries, they continued to follow Him all the way into the house. Matthew 9:28 says, “And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.” They were persistent. Why did Jesus delay instead of healing the men in public as He had other people? It would appear from what is said later in this text that Jesus wanted to minimize public attention that He was the Messiah. He waited to heal them in private.

Once the blind men are in the house, “Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’” (Matt. 9:28). At this point we should think it was obvious what they believed. They had already demonstrated their faith in Jesus by the fact that they were following Him and crying out to Him for mercy. Yet, Jesus asks about their faith anyway. Jesus tests their faith, giving them the opportunity to verbally confess their belief that Jesus had the power to heal them. They say, “Yes, Lord.” Although the term “Lord” was often used out of simple respect, similar to our use of the term, “sir,” it is obvious that they called Jesus, “Lord,” in recognition of His Lordship as Son of David, the Messiah. They believed in Jesus as the Christ.

Matthew 9:29 recounts Jesus’ response, “29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ 30 And their eyes were opened.” This has been a common theme throughout this section on miracles. Jesus responds to faith – the faith of the leper, the faith of the centurion, the faith of the paralytic, the faith of the ruler, the faith of the woman with bleeding. And notice that it is not just faith in God but faith in Jesus specifically. Jesus doesn’t ask them, “Do you believe that I can ask God and He will heal you?” No, he asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“According to your faith” does not mean “in proportion to your faith” (as in, so much faith, so much sight).[8] Faith does not merit Jesus’ favor. Rather, faith claims His favor.[9] Faith is simply the open hand that receives the unmerited gift of God’s mercy and grace.  

Jesus didn’t always require faith from people in order to heal them. Jesus’ power is not dependent on our faith. When Jesus asks about the faith of those whom He will heal, He does it because He wants not only to heal them physically but to save them spiritually. Salvation is always by God’s grace and received by faith in Jesus Christ. These men picture salvation.

After opening their eyes, Jesus instructs them. Matthew 9:30 says, “And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.”” This was certainly not a command that they should keep hidden the fact that they could see, for that would have been impossible and nonsensical. It would be very obvious to all that knew them that something radical had occurred since they could now see. Jesus’ charge is related to the same reason He delayed His response to their cry for mercy. Jesus did not want people to be proclaiming that He was Messiah prematurely. The religious leaders were already growing in opposition to Him, and it was not yet time to aggravate that.

Though the command was strong and clear, the two previously blind men were not able to keep quiet – Matthew 9:31, “But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.” This was disobedience and therefore wrong, yet it was disobedience born out of overwhelming joy.

Unlike these formerly blind men, all believers today have been charged by the Lord to proclaim Him to others. Yet how many of us are so eager to spread the news about Jesus to everyone? There is nothing greater to talk about than the Lord Jesus Christ and all that He is and all that He has done, and our joy in Him should overwhelm us so that we cannot contain our praise.

The response of the blind men was to believe in Jesus. But not everyone responds this way. Next, we see…

2. The Multitude Marvels – Matthew 9:32-33

Here we find the second and more common response to Jesus’ ministry. It comes from the crowd after Jesus performs another miracle. Matthew 9:32 describes the scene, “As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.”

There are many things that can cause an inability to speak, but the cause in this case is clearly stated. The man is demonized. While there is a difference between sicknesses and demonic workings (Matt. 10:8), the demons do have the power to cause physical afflictions. In this case, the demon made the man mute.[10] We might wonder why Matthew includes the healing of a demon-possessed man at this point, especially since he already showed the power of Jesus over the demonic when He cast demons out of the two Gadarene demoniacs (Matt. 8:28–34). The point that Matthew makes here is not just the miracle, but the response to the miracle.

Matthew 9:33 says, “And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.” Simply and effortlessly, Jesus cast out the demon, released the man from bondage to evil, and the man immediately regained his ability to speak. Those who have been set free by Jesus, speak for Jesus, which is exactly what Jesus commissions His disciples to do in Matthew 10.

But the focus of the story is not so much the response of the healed man as the response of the crowd: “And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”” (Matt. 9:33). Here, Matthew summarizes the general effect produced upon the people. This is how the multitudes responded, not just to this miracle, but to all that Jesus had done. The people are speaking of all that they have witnessed and heard from other witnesses. In the entire history of Israel, nothing has ever appeared that compares to all that Jesus has just done.[11]

Did the multitudes believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Did they come to Him for salvation? Did they follow Him as disciples? Not most of them. They marveled, but their amazement did not turn into personal faith in Jesus. Several times Jesus rebukes the crowd for seeking the miracles and not Him. For example, after Jesus fed the 5000, He says in John 6:26, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” They followed Jesus for the free food and the entertainment of the miracles. Free stuff and entertainment can attract a crowd but don’t expect that to produce faith in Christ. That only happens as the Holy Spirit works to convict people of their sin and need for a Savior through the faithful proclamation of God’s word.

Many people today believe that Jesus was a good person and they marvel at what He said and did. Yet they do not believe Him to be the Messiah. They reject the fact that He is God in human flesh Who has come to save mankind from their sins by being a substitutionary sin offering. They marvel at Jesus’ teachings and His life, but they do not want to follow Him. They pick and choose which of Jesus’ teachings they like. They throw out the rest of the truth about Jesus to justify their sin. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Luke 11:23). The multitude marveled. They were amazed, but that was all.

Then we come to the third response to Jesus:

3. The Pharisees Blaspheme Jesus – Matthew 9:34

The third response to Jesus’ ministry is by those who are openly against Him as seen in Matthew 9:34, “But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”” Given all that Jesus had done, it should have been clear who Jesus was—especially to the Pharisees, who were so learned in the prophetic scriptures. And yet, when someone brought a man to Jesus who couldn’t speak because of a demon that was afflicting Him – and when Jesus cast the demon out, and the man began to speak – the Pharisees refused to believe.

Since they could not refute what had happened, they denied the means by which it occurred. They couldn’t deny the miracles, but they could still deny Christ. The Pharisees charged that Jesus was in league with Satan whom they call “the ruler of the demons.” They proclaimed the good that Jesus performed to be from evil. Later, in Matthew 12, Jesus will elaborate further on this attitude, and He will relate it to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, a sin that will not be forgiven.

Some people have so hardened their hearts towards God that they want nothing to do with God or Christ. They may even blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing Christ’s power to Satan rather than God. They have crossed a line of no return with God where they can no longer be forgiven.

The committed unbeliever will not believe regardless of any facts or reason no matter how obvious and convincing. You cannot debate someone into the kingdom simply because a person who is dedicated to darkness refuses to see the light regardless of the intensity of the light. The only hope of such a person is that their spiritual blindness would be lifted, they would see their sinfulness, repent, and turn to Jesus. Otherwise, they are doomed for all eternity in their sin.

How can we tell when this has happened to someone? We can’t. We don’t know people’s hearts, and so we can’t know for sure when someone has completely rejected Christ. Our mission continues to be to pray for them to come to Christ and proclaim the gospel of Christ because only God knows when someone has truly crossed that line.

There are three responses to Jesus and only one leads to eternal life. The two blind men exemplify salvation. They knew their need and believed Jesus could rescue them. They cried out for His mercy and received it by faith.

The opposite response is the open criticism and rejection of the Pharisees. They condemned themselves in their unbelief.

The crowds were amazed, but their hearts were not turned. If their amazement does not turn to faith in Jesus Christ, they remain just as condemned in unbelief as those who reject and blaspheme Christ.

Matthew has shown us the great authority and power of Jesus Christ in all these miracles. Each of them shows us who Jesus is and how He can save us from sin. How will you respond to Jesus today? I urge you. Believe in Jesus Christ—that He is the Messiah, the King, the Son of God. Believe that He died on the cross so that your sins could be forgiven and you could be justified, made right with God in Christ. Turn from your sin and yourself. Turn to Christ.

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[1] Greg Allen, No ‘Neutrality’ About Jesus! https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/110505.htm

[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 158.

[3] Scott Harris, Three Responses to Jesus – Matthew 9:27-34. https://www.gracebibleny.org/three-responses-to-jesus-matthew-927-34. I adapted Harris’ outline and drew from some of his points.

[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 36.

[5] Larry Pierce, The Outline of Biblical Usage. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2896/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[6] Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 9:27–29.

[7] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 233.

[8] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 233.

[9] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 403.

[10] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 36.

[11] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 380.

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Authority to Forgive Sins

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Authority to Forgive Sins

Matthew 9:1-8

 

 

All three synoptic gospels record this event that we have in Matthew 9:1-8. As Matthew does with some other events, he shortens the account, leaving out several of the details that Mark and Luke include. Matthew, instead, focuses on the central point that Jesus has the authority and power to forgive sins.[1] There is nothing more needed in our lives than forgiveness.

John MacArthur correctly states that,

“the most distinctive thing that Christianity has to proclaim is the reality that sin can be forgiven. That is the heart and the very lifeblood of the Christian message. Although the Christian faith has many values, many virtues, and has a myriad of endless applications, the most essential message that God ever gave to man is that man, a sinner, can know the fullness of forgiveness for sin. That is the heart of the message of Christianity.”[2]

That is the message of Matthew 9:1-8. The structure of the passage follows a clear pattern. Jesus meets a paralytic and speaks to him; the scribes react by speaking to themselves; Jesus replies to their thoughts; and then Jesus speaks again to the paralytic, healing him. I have divided it into three sections: Jesus’ declaration of forgiveness, His defense of His authority, and His demonstration of forgiveness.[3]

1. Jesus declares forgiveness of sins (Matthew 9:1-2)

Matthew closes the last story and begins this one by telling us, “So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.” Jesus had been in the region of the Gadarenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. On the way over to that side, Jesus had calmed the storm on the sea (Matt. 8:23-27), which taught us that Jesus has authority over the natural realm. He rebuked the wind and the waves, and they obeyed Him. While Jesus was on the shore of the Gadarenes, He cast demons out of two demonized men (Matt. 8:28-32), which taught us that Jesus also has authority over the supernatural realm. He commands even the evil spirits, and they must obey Him. Jesus exercises divine authority.

Now, as Jesus enters the boat once again to cross over the Sea of Galilee and comes to Capernaum, “His own city”, Matthew shows that Jesus exercises divine authority in yet another area, the forgiveness of sins.[4] The other Gospels give us the details of the setting. According to Mark, Jesus was in a house (perhaps Peter’s house) in Capernaum (Mark 2:1). There, Jesus was teaching (Luke 5:17), speaking the word to them (Mark 2:2). So many were gathered in the house and outside it, that there was no more room, not even by the door (Mark 2:2).

Matthew 9:2 says, “Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.” Mark informs us that the “they” was four men (Mark 2:3), and that “when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” (Mark 2:4). With the words “Then behold,” Matthew captures the surprise that must have overcome those in the house listening to Jesus teach when these men dug through the roof and lowered their friend right in front of Jesus.

But Jesus does not seem concerned about the roof—what He notices is their faith. Matthew says, “When Jesus saw their faith…”—that is, the faith of the paralytic and his friends who brought him to Jesus. These were not just faithful friends, they were friends who were full of faith—faith in Jesus. They had the strong conviction that Jesus could heal their friend. Jesus perceived the faith of the paralytic and his friends.

How did Jesus respond to their faith? He spoke to the man saying, “Son, be of good cheer …” (Matt. 9:2). Jesus calls him “Son” which is the Greek teknon, a word which speaks not only of Jesus’ authority (as of a parent to a child) but especially of His tenderness towards the paralyzed man.[5] Jesus wants this young man to be encouraged, not afraid or distressed. When you’re paralyzed and lying on a mat and you’ve been brought to a healer, and he tells you to be of good cheer, you know that something good is coming. And you would probably expect that something good to be a healing.

Then Jesus said something that no one expected. He confidently and tenderly said to this poor, helpless, paralyzed man, “… your sins are forgiven you.” To forgive means to let go, send away, or remove. Forgiveness is not just diminishing the guilt of sin but removing it completely.

During Jesus’ day, it was common thought, that if you had a sickness or a disease, you had a double problem—sickness and sin. Even as far back as the Book of Job, it is obvious that people equated suffering with sinfulness. Job’s friends thought he was suffering because of some secret sin. They didn’t believe that the righteous would suffer. Eliphaz told Job, “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off? Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same.” (Job 4:7-8). Eliphaz thought that pain and wounds were a direct punishment for a person’s sin. This mindset had carried into the New Testament. In John 9 Jesus’ disciples question Him about a man born blind saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). Later, Jesus healed the blind man, and the Pharisees got angry, because he defended Jesus. So, they say to the formerly blind man (John 9:34), “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

Does that mean the man was paralyzed because he had sinned? In Matthew 8, we saw in our lesson about the leper that sickness and sin are connected in this world, but not always directly. Sickness or disease is a general result of sin in the world. That’s why we see a connection between healing and forgiveness in such passages as Psalm 103: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” (Psalm 103:2-3). Matthew showed a connection between healing and forgiveness in Matthew 8:17 when he quoted Isaiah 53:4, “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” We saw that sickness or disease are a general result of living in a sinful world, but we cannot necessarily blame a specific sickness or disease on a specific sin. Jesus provides for healing through His atonement, but not always in this life. Jesus’ healings were a foretaste of the ultimate healing that believers will have in the day of resurrection.

Was the man’s physical condition the result of his sin? We do not know. But we do know that Jesus dealt with the sin problem first, for this is always the greatest need.[6] Jesus knew what this man needed most. From this very passage, we see that Jesus knows the thoughts of those around Him—He knew what the scribes were thinking (Matt. 9:4). And I’m sure He also knew the thoughts of the paralyzed man. Deep down in his soul, forgiveness of sins was what he needed most of all. And Jesus declared his sins forgiven.

Forgiveness of sins is the greatest need for every person. In a lot of ways, this poor man’s physical condition is a picture of our spiritual condition. We are helpless. We can’t heal ourselves. We are completely at the mercy of God who alone can forgive our sins. Paul describes our sin-sick condition in Romans 5:6: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” The term “without strength” means feeble, helpless, or powerless. The whole reason Christ died for our sins is because we were powerless to save ourselves.

No one but Jesus and the man on the bed himself could have known what happened in his heart when he heard Jesus speak those words and the burden of his debt to God rolled away! I’m sure that had something to do with Jesus’ words, “Son, be of good cheer . . .” Jesus encouraged this man that his fears were gone because his sins were forgiven. I love the way that Keith Getty writes about Christ redeeming us from our sin in the hymn “In Christ Alone”:

No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breathe, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.
‘Til He returns, or calls me home, here in the power of Christ, I’ll stand.

This is what Matthew is showing us. Jesus performed the miracle of forgiveness of sins and the man’s guilt and fear were removed.

But next, we see that not everyone was cheerful about this. In fact, Jesus’ words sent some people through the roof in the other direction! So, next, we see that . . .

2. Jesus defends His authority to forgive sins (Matthew 9:3-5)

Matthew tells us (Matt. 9:3), “And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This man blasphemes!” The Gospel of Mark explains their concern when it has them saying, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).

Think about who it was that said this. In his Gospel, Luke tells us who these critics were, writing, “Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.” (Luke 5:17). These were men who came from all over the region to investigate Jesus. They were scribes, teachers of the law of God in the Old Testament scriptures. They were reasoning within themselves that no one but God can forgive the sins that are committed against God. It would be blasphemous for a mere man to presume to do what God alone had the right to do. Therefore, they conclude that what Jesus said was horribly blasphemous!

They were correct in thinking that only God could forgive sin. On this, the scripture is clear. In Isaiah 43:25, the Lord God says, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” And again in Isaiah 44:22, “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” It is against God that men commit sin (Psalm 51:4). We can only forgive people for what they have done against us. We cannot forgive people for what they have done against others, and we certainly cannot forgive people for what they have done against God. Only God can forgive sin. They had this right.

Their error was in their belief that Jesus was a mere man. It was the discernment of the Scribes that was lacking. The Son of God incarnate was in front of them, and they couldn’t see Him. Jesus had been proving over and over that He was not just a mere man. His works had been testifying that He had authority to heal diseases and infirmities. He had authority over the wind and the waves. Even the evil spirits obeyed His command, crying out and calling Him “Son of God”. His whole life, as we’ve been studying it together from Matthew, has been showing that Jesus was not just a mere man, but is the Son of God in human flesh.

So, Jesus sets out to defend His authority to forgive sin. Notice again, that Jesus knows their thoughts (Matt. 9:4), “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts…” Jesus had seen the faith of the paralytic and his friends, now He saw the thoughts of these scribes. And notice how Jesus characterized their thoughts. He said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” They thought that their thoughts of Him were reasonable. But He said that they were “evil” thoughts. They were thoughts of sinful unbelief. He had been showing them who He was, but they still wouldn’t believe. This was the beginning of the religious leaders’ opposition to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Next, in Matthew 9 we will see them grumble that Jesus associates with sinners (Matt. 9:11) and later they say, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” (Matt. 9:34). What they were thinking was untrue, unbelieving, and blind to what was being revealed before their eyes.[7] Either Jesus was a blasphemer assuming to Himself the right to forgive sin, or He was God. But they refused to entertain that possibility for a moment, even though no other man had ever spoken as He spoke or performed miracles as He did.[8] It was not Jesus who blasphemed, it was the scribes who blasphemed by having evil thoughts toward the Son of God.

Jesus turned to those who had evil thoughts about Him and said, “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?” (Matt. 9:5). Jesus may have paused for a moment to let that question sink in. Notice He doesn’t ask them which is easier to do, rather, which is easier to say. Both of them are equally impossible for men to do.

But which is easier to say? To be honest, it’s a very easy thing to simply ‘say’ the words, “Your sins are forgiven you.” Anyone in this room could say those words. But there would be no way for others to know if we actually could forgive sins. We can’t look into someone’s heart and mind to see if they are forgiven. No one would be able to tell if the debt of sin had been removed. Even if the person felt relief from the feeling of guilt, who is to say that the real guilt of their sin against God was removed? Who could prove that the sin debt they owed God had been canceled? To say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” would be a very easy thing to say but a very hard thing for others to verify.

But if someone were to tell the man to get up and walk away; now, that’s not such an easy thing to say because it could be immediately proven whether or not it was true. All that would need to happen to prove it would be that he got up and walked home! To order him to get up, then, is not such an easy thing to say because none of us can make it happen. It is humanly impossible.

Now think about what we’ve seen so far. We’ve seen that Jesus has forgiven sins and that the scribes challenged His authority to forgive sin. This leads us to our third point; that . . .

3. Jesus demonstrates His authority to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6-8)

So, Jesus and the teachers of the law are at a standstill. How do we know if Jesus actually forgave this man’s sins? How could anyone know? There is nothing visible about forgiveness. It is an act that takes place in the spiritual realm. Anyone can say, “Your sins are forgiven.” But how do you know if they really have the authority to forgive?

So how do we know? Jesus demonstrated His authority to forgive by healing the paralytic. Look at what Jesus does. He speaks to the doubting scribes and says (Matt. 9:6), “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” This is the second time in the gospel of Matthew that Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man. The first time was back in Matthew 8:20. Remember we learned then that the Son of Man not only refers to Jesus’ humanity but also His deity. It is the title given to the divine figure in Daniel 7 who is given an eternal kingdom and who is worshipped by all. Jesus began his ministry preaching that the kingdom of God was near, and He demonstrated that He was bringing the kingdom through His miracles.

The word, “power” in Matthew 9:6 (ἐξουσια, exousia) may mean either the ability and strength one has or the authority one holds. Jesus is claiming both. He has the ability to forgive sin and the authority to forgive sin. Then, turning to the man on the bed, “He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’”

When Jesus commands the paralytic to rise, in front of everyone, salvation hangs in the balance. If the man rises, Jesus is Lord and has the power to forgive sins. If not, Jesus is a blasphemer and deserves the full punishment of the law.[9] Matthew doesn’t leave us in suspense. He tells us (Matt. 9:7), “And he arose and departed to his house.“

What does this mean? Jesus has the authority to forgive sins! He offered unmistakable proof that He forgives sin. Jesus is Lord. He is Immanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). This is why He was given the name Jesus, “for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21).

What that means for us, is that when we come to Jesus in true repentance and faith, then we can be confident that our sins are indeed forgiven. Paul writes in Colossians 2, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Col. 2:13-14). And in Ephesians 1:7 he writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, He has canceled our debt. He has removed our condemnation. All our sin was nailed to the cross as Jesus died. He has the power and authority to forgive.

And notice the reaction of the people who saw this. Matthew tells us (Matt. 9:8), “Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.” The word that Matthew uses to describe their reaction isn’t one that simply describes a mild amazement at what occurred. It’s one that means that they were “terrified” or “frightened”. They became afraid just as the disciples in the boat were afraid when He commanded the winds and the sea and just as the people of the Gergesenes were afraid when He commanded the evil spirits to be cast out of the two men. The people who saw the paralyzed man get up were moved with a sense of holy fear because they knew that they were in the presence of One who possessed divine authority, and who exercised the right to do what only God can do—to forgive sins.

And they also glorified God. But you’ll notice that their reaction still came up somewhat short. They glorified God for giving such power “to men“. It may be that they had a reverential fear of what they saw in Jesus but they still seemed to think of Him as a great man among men. They didn’t yet understand, it would seem, that He forgave sins committed against God because He was, in fact, the Son of God in human flesh.

Those of us who know the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the World—we should worship Him, giving glory to God. Worship Him for the forgiveness He provides through His death and resurrection.  We couldn’t earn forgiveness. We couldn’t afford to pay our sin debt. We didn’t deserve to be forgiven. We could never perfectly live up to it. But praise be to Jesus—He has given it to us and we will never be without it.

Those of us who are in Christ have not only been forgiven, we have also been given the privilege of announcing Christ’s forgiveness to others. The Risen Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23). As His church, we proclaim to all who repent and believe in Jesus that their sins are forgiven through His blood shed on the cross.  

This morning, let me offer this forgiveness of sins to you. The Son of God became a man in Jesus Christ (John 1:14). He lived a perfectly sinless life (Heb. 4:15). He then was crucified for sins He did not commit (1 Pet. 3:18). And His blood became an acceptable offering to God on behalf of all who will trust in Christ (Heb. 9:12). God raised Him from the dead for your justification (Rom. 4:25). He lives today at the right hand of the Father in Heaven to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Heb. 7:25). If you will repent of your sin, and believe in Jesus Christ, He will forgive you of all your sin and make you righteous before God (Acts 2:28; 3:19). God’s Spirit is calling you to embrace Jesus Christ as the Son of God who alone can forgive you of your sins. If you have not done that, do it today. Do it now. Who knows but this may be the last time you will hear the gospel?

This morning, before we come to the Lord’s Table, let me also say that if you have turned from your sin, and trusted in Christ, there is no reason for you to live in fear or guilt anymore. We “have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 2:1-2). “For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus says to you what He said to the paralytic, “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

 

———————————————–

 

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 146.

[2] John MacArthur, Jesus’ Power Over Sin, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2262/jesus-power-over-sin

[3] Allen Ross, 12. The Authority To Forgive Sins (Matthew 9:1-8). https://bible.org/seriespage/12-authority-forgive-sins-matthew-91-8#P35_10367

[4] Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 122.

[5] Bruce Hurt, Matthew 9 Commentary. https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-9-commentary#9:2

[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 34–35.

[7] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 222.

[8] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 9:4b–5.

[9] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 373.

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Amazing Faith

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Amazing Faith

Matthew 8:5-13

Today, as we come to another healing miracle of Jesus in Matthew 8, I want you to notice how Matthew carefully links Jesus’ miracles to the coming of the kingdom. Right before Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” (Matt. 4:23). Matthew repeats this statement at the end of the series of miracles that starts in Matthew 8 (Matt. 9:35). By bracketing Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry with these words, Matthew invites us to see the connection between Jesus’ teachings and His miracles. Both proclaim that Christ is king. His words and His works both bear His authority.[1]

Last time, we saw Jesus’ authority as He cleansed a leper with His word and His touch and we were reminded that Jesus’ power over sin is just as great as His power over leprosy. Jesus is willing and able to cleanse the unclean. Today, we see Jesus’ authority to heal a centurion’s servant. Both the leper and the centurion were outsiders from the traditional Jewish society and religion. The unclean leper was outside the camp; the Gentile centurion was outside the covenant. What grace and compassion! that the Lord responded to both.[2]

This miracle takes place in Capernaum, a town on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Being fishermen, some of Jesus’ disciples lived and worked in Capernaum. Jesus adopted Capernaum as His new hometown and the center of His ministry in Galilee. It was a trading city that stood at a crossroads, so it was logical for the Romans to have a tax station there and to support it with a garrison of imperial troops.

The leader of the garrison would be a centurion, literally, “commander of a hundred”. Centurions commanded the basic fighting units of the Roman army. The most talented soldiers rose from the ranks to become centurions. They were the backbone of the army, maintained discipline, and gave orders.[3]

By the way, did you know that every centurion in the New Testament is mentioned favorably? And what’s more, they are often involved in important events in the Bible’s story. It was a centurion who stood by the cross as Jesus died and confessed, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54). A centurion confirmed Jesus’ death to Pilate (Mark 15:44-45). The Lord sent Peter to Caesarea to preach the gospel to the Gentile, Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment (Acts 10:1). And centurions were often involved in key events in the ministry of the apostle Paul (Acts 21:32; 22:25; 23:17, 23; 24:23; 27:43; 28:16). They play a crucial role they in the New Testament.

Matthew doesn’t tell us any details about this centurion, but Luke does in his account of this same miracle (Luke 7:1-10). In Matthew, it appears as if the centurion spoke directly to the Lord; and as if the Lord spoke directly to him. But in Luke’s account, the centurion never appeared to Jesus at all. Rather, it was the Jewish elders who came on his behalf to Jesus and pleaded that He heal the servant. And when Jesus was on His way, Luke tells us that friends of the centurion stopped Him and suggested that He not even come under the roof of the centurion’s home. Even though the centurion, according to Luke, says that he didn’t feel worthy to come to Jesus (Luke 7:7), the Jews tell Jesus that he is deserving “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” (Luke 7:5). Clearly God was already at work in this centurion’s heart.

The differences between the accounts in Matthew and Luke do not mean they conflict with each other, they simply emphasize different details of the story. Luke is probably more literal at this point and Matthew more dramatic.[4] Luke wrote primarily to Gentiles, and perhaps he wanted to emphasize the respect the Jews had for this Gentile centurion who believed. Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish people and wanted to show that even a Gentile would be honored if He had faith in Christ.

The situation with this centurion was that he had a very important and precious servant who became dreadfully sick. When Luke tells us this story, he refers to the young man as a “servant” using the Greek word doulos, meaning slave (Luke 7:2, 3, 7, 8, 10). But the word that Matthew uses to describe this “servant” is pais and it basically means “child” or “boy”. Perhaps, he was a young servant that the centurion had come to love like a son. Luke tells us that his servant “was dear to him” (Luke 7:2).

The servant had become paralyzed and it was apparently a particularly desperate situation because, as Matthew tells us, he was “dreadfully tormented” (Matt. 8:6). And as Doctor Luke tells us, the boy was “ready to die” (Luke 7:2). And this is, perhaps, another indication of how God had already been working in the heart of this centurion. He clearly loved and cared deeply for this “boy” who was his “servant”. He was willing to go out of his way to save his beloved servant’s life. Although it is the servant who needs healing, the emphasis in the story is Jesus’ interaction with the centurion.

Matthew wants us to appreciate the faith of this Roman centurion, and to see his great faith that amazed our Lord. His amazing faith stands out because it was placed confidently and completely in Jesus’ authority as the Son of God.[5]

So, the first thing that I would like you to notice about this centurion’s amazing faith in Jesus is that it is,

1. A Faith in Jesus’ Authority (Matt. 8:5-7).

Matthew emphasizes the centurion’s faith in Jesus’ authority. Matthew 8:5 says, “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him.” The centurion sought Jesus out and came to Him. He does not come commanding Jesus or demanding Jesus to come. Instead, the centurion seeks Jesus out on behalf of his sick servant, “pleading with Him.” The word “pleading” (parakaleo) means literally to call alongside, to call someone to oneself, to “call upon” in such a way as to urgently request or entreat or beg. The centurion was appealing to Jesus in supplication, begging Him, asking Him earnestly. I believe he did this not just because of the urgent need, but because he recognized Jesus’ superior authority.

Then notice what he calls Jesus (Matt. 8:6), “saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He calls him “Lord”. In fact, he calls Him this twice in this passage—here in Matthew 8:6 and again in Matthew 8:8. I hope you can appreciate what a significant thing that is for a Roman centurion to say to a Jew! The Greek word is kurios, it is a term of respect that can be translated as “Sir”, “Master”, or “Lord”. It’s remarkable enough that a Roman centurion would have called a Jew “Sir” or “Master”. But keep in mind what this centurion is hoping Jesus will do—heal his poor paralyzed servant. Is that something you would expect a mere man to be able to do? Clearly, this centurion recognized Jesus’ authority as more than just a great rabbi. He saw Jesus as One who had the power to heal a paralytic (Matt. 4:24). Even though the centurion may not have fully grasped Who Jesus was yet, he was definitely recognizing His divine authority referring to Him as Lord.

Then notice also the way that he presented the need. He simply said, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” He simply presented the situation to the Lord and left it at that. He didn’t even ask for Jesus to heal the servant. Perhaps he had a hard time daring to think that the Jewish Messiah would give the time of day to a Roman commander; and he could only hope that, if he presented the need to Jesus, our Lord might condescend to do something for the servant.

The centurion recognized the superior authority of Jesus who could heal his servant. And what a marvel of Jesus’ grace that He said, “I will come and heal him.” In the original language, Jesus speaks emphatically; “I – even I, coming, will heal him.” Jesus shows no hesitation to go to the house of a Gentile. And Jesus shows complete assurance. He did not say, “I’ll come and see what I can do.” He said, “I will come and heal him.”[6]

So the centurion had a faith in Jesus’ authority. We see it in the way he approached Jesus. He came; not called for. He pleaded, not demanded. He addressed Him as “Lord”. And he simply stated the facts and left it to the Lord to choose what to do.

A second thing we should notice about the centurion’s amazing faith in the Lord Jesus is that it was . . .

2. A Humble Faith (Matt. 87-8a).

When Jesus condescended to go to the centurion’s house, the centurion sought to stop Him. Matthew 8:8 — “The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.’“

Not only did the centurion recognize Jesus’ superiority over him, he also recognized his own inferiority before Jesus. He says, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.”

There was a tradition in Judaism taught by the rabbis that a Jew would become ceremonially defiled if he were to enter the home of a Gentile. We can see this tradition hinted at during Jesus’ trial. The Jews led Jesus into the Roman Praetorium to stand before the Roman governor Pilate; but they themselves wouldn’t go in, “lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover” (John 18:28). In Acts 10, as Peter goes to the house of the centurion Cornelius, he says, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation” (Acts 10:28; also Acts 11:3). This was not commanded in the Old Testament law, but it was strictly followed by most Jews.

So, when the centurion sought to dissuade Jesus from coming into his house he may have been thinking of that tradition. But I think there is more to it than that. The man repeats the title “Lord.” He emphatically positions the word “my” in the Greek sentence to emphasize his subordination.[7]

The word “unworthy” here means “sufficient, enough”. It is the same word used in Matthew 3:11 when John the Baptist says about Jesus, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.” The centurion stresses his unworthiness in the face of Jesus’ divine authority. He knows Jesus owes him nothing, yet He has the power to give Him everything. He knows he is not enough, but Jesus is more than enough. He is asking for a blessing that first belongs to God’s people, not to him.[8]

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The poor in spirit are those who know and confess their need for God. To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy before God, your complete lack of spiritual resources, and your complete dependency on God.

And that’s what the centurion does here. That’s what the man with leprosy did. Neither the leper nor the centurion considered themselves worthy. Neither of them presumed upon Jesus to do what they asked.

The truth is none of us are worthy. No one has a claim on God to help them. Jesus is not here to do our will. We are here to do God’s will.

These are important parts of a faith that is distinguished in the sight of the Lord. But there’s one more aspect of it that, I believe, caught the Lord’s attention the most. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus “marveled” at the man’s faith. We see this in the fact that the man’s faith in Jesus was . . .

3. A Faith in the Word of Christ (Matt. 8:8b-13).

The centurion felt unworthy of having Jesus come to his house to heal the servant. But he had such a faith in the authority of Jesus that he didn’t see that as a problem. He said to Him (Matt. 8b-9), “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

This centurion is a Roman officer. He knows how authority works. He says that he himself is a man under authority, and he himself is an authority over others. As one in command, he simply spoke a word, and what he said was done. He was used to giving orders, and he knew that when the command was given, it must be obeyed.

As a Roman soldier, he knew that all military authority ultimately rested in the Roman Emperor. The centurion’s own authority was derived from the emperor’s authority. When he gave a command, people obeyed him; because to not do so would be the same as refusing to obey the emperor!

But in making this statement, the centurion also recognized that Jesus is One who possessed an authority greater than even the emperor! Here was a Man who clearly had authority over diseases, illnesses, and leprosy. Here was a man who was vested a power and authority like no other man.

And so, this centurion recognized that as a subordinate authority, his own mere command got results, how much more, then, would this be true of Jesus who possessed ultimate authority! If all the centurion had to do was simply speak the word and it was done, how much more can Jesus simply speak a word and heal his servant! D. A. Carson comments, “This analogy, though not perfect, reveals an astonishing faith that recognizes that Jesus needed neither ritual, magic, nor any other help; his authority was God’s authority, and His word was effective because it was God’s word.”[9]

This was enough to cause the Son of God to marvel! Did you know that the New Testament records only two times for us that Jesus “marveled”? One was at the amazing faith of this centurion. And the other was at the remarkable lack of faith of His own townspeople in Nazareth. Mark 6:5-6 tells us, “Now He could do no mighty works there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.” Jesus is astonished by faith in those who shouldn’t have it and by the lack of faith in those who should.

When Jesus heard this expression of the faith that the centurion had in Him, a faith so great that he trusted Jesus to simply say the word and his servant would be healed, the Lord turned to those who followed and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” This centurion’s faith in Him was greater than any faith He had ever seen, even from among His own people. The implication is that Jesus had again and again found great faith “in Israel,” among the Jews who had been prepared for His coming. But this Gentile’s faith was greater still.[10]

The greatness of his faith did not rest in the mere fact that he believed Jesus could heal from a distance but in the degree to which he had penetrated the secret of Jesus’ authority.[11] He understood that Jesus spoke with God’s authority.

This Gentile’s amazing faith leads Jesus to utter a prophecy concerning the hosts of future Gentile believers who will come to his kingdom.[12] Jesus says (Matt. 8:11), “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” The Old Testament often prophesied that the Gentiles would come to God. Indeed, from the beginning, God told Abraham, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3). Isaiah predicted a feast for all people when God would remove the shroud that covered the nations. He would remove the darkness and disgrace that covered the earth:

… The LORD of hosts will make for all people
A feast of choice pieces,
A feast of wines on the lees.

… And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread over all nations..…

And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isa. 25:6–9; cf. 43:5; 56:3–8; Ps. 107:3)[13]

Jesus says that a multitude of Gentiles, those who would come from “east” and “west”, who will have the privilege of feasting in heavenly glory in His kingdom. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs to whom the promises of Israel were given.

Isn’t this a description of what God has done for us through faith in Christ? Paul wrote; “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:11-13).

But Jesus then goes on to say (Matt. 8:12), “But the sons of the kingdom” Who are these? Jesus means the Jewish people, those who expected salvation based on their descent from Abraham (Matt. 3:9). The Jews thought that Gentiles were children of Gehinnom, who could not possibly share in the feast with the Messiah. They thought only Jews were children of the kingdom. What does Jesus say about them? “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This is a horrible picture of the judgment of hell: “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It’s an expression that Jesus frequently used to describe that destiny (cf. Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:20; Luke 13:28). In order to describe the unusually intense nature of eternal suffering, He uses the definite article: “THE weeping, and THE gnashing of teeth.” It will be sorrow and anguish like no other!

Those are harsh words, but Jesus speaks them to us because He loves us. True love is willing to say harsh things to us, so that we can be warned in advance, and not suffer eternal loss.

Jesus has seen amazing faith in this centurion—and it is this kind of faith that is found in those who are in the kingdom of heaven. It is saving faith. The New Testament makes it clear that it is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves, not simply being a Jew in the line of Abraham or trying to follow the Old Testament law. Paul writes in Romans 4,

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. … Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Rom. 4:13, 16).

And again in Romans 9, Paul writes,

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Rom. 9:30-33).

In Galatians 3, Paul writes,

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:26-29).

What is Jesus saying here? You are saved by faith, not by your bloodline, your family heritage, law-keeping, or religious works. The children of Abraham are those who believe. Those who feast in the kingdom of heaven have faith like this centurion. Faith alone saves.

In response to the centurion’s faith, Jesus said to him, “Go your way; and as you have believed so let it be done for you ” – that is as if to say, “. . . as you have believed Me to have the authority from My Father over all things; and as you have trusted that I can simply speak the word, and your servant will be healed – it will be done” And we’re told, “And his servant was healed that same hour.”

Here, at the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, a Roman centurion teaches us how to believe in the authority of Jesus. He teaches us to have a faith in Him that recognizes His authority, that is humble before His person, and that trusts in His word. This centurion demonstrates the saving faith of those in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His power and His word. May God help us to have the faith in Jesus of this believing centurion!

——————————————————————————————

[1] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 323.

[2] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 8:5–7.

[3] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 324.

[4] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 141.

[5] Greg Allen, The Faith that Amazed the Lord, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/071705.htm#f3. I adapted Allen’s outline and drew from some of his points in this sermon.

[6] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 8:5–7.

[7] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 141.

[8] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 326.

[9] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 201–202.

[10] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 328.

[11] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 202.

[12] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 329.

[13] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 329.

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Walking by Faith

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Walking by Faith

Genesis 13:5-18

In our verse-by-verse study of Genesis we are currently following the faith life of Abraham (or Abram). Remember the journey that Abram has traveled as come to Genesis 13. The Lord’s call to Abram came as a command to “Get out” of his country (Ur of the Chaldeans) and from his father’s household (which he left in Haran) to a land God would show him—the land of Canaan (Gen 12:1, 5). The Lord’s call to Abram included great promises from God: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great” (Gen. 12:2). These blessings came with an obligation: “And you shall be a blessing.” Abram was to be a channel of God’s blessing to others. The Lord then gives three more promises along with this obligation: “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God called and blessed Abram for the purpose of blessing all the families of the earth. That is God’s plan for the whole world.

Abram displayed exemplary obedience and made some remarkable sacrifices in obeying God’s call. By faith Abram heard God’s word; by faith he acted on God’s command; by faith he lived as a pilgrim in the land of promise; and by faith he worshiped the Lord God in the midst of a hostile pagan world.

Then his faith was tested by the hardship of famine. Instead of seeking counsel from God, he fled to Egypt where his decisions of expediency and his half-truths exposed himself and his wife Sarai to great peril. However, God was faithful and graciously rescued Sarai and Abram. Abram returned to the land of Canaan, back to the altar where he called on the name of the Lord. The Lord restored Abram to fellowship and worship. Genesis 13 begins and ends with worship. It opens with Abram returning to the altar at Bethel; it closes with Abram building an altar at Hebron. In this chapter, “Abram’s knee remained bent to God” (R. Kent Hughes, Genesis, 198).

Now Abram’s faith is going to be tested again. But this time the test comes from prosperity, not scarcity. Abram’s great wealth will bring conflict between him and his nephew Lot. How will Abram and Lot respond? Will they walk by sight or will they walk by faith? Decisions have consequences. Abram and Lot make different decisions that will set the course for their future walk with God.

Listen to our text, Genesis 13:

1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.  2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are–northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” 18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.

The question that our text brings today is: Are you going to live your life walking by faith in the promises of God or walking by sight?

In our text today, the time for Lot and Abram to separate had come. In their parting we find a contrast between these two men in their motives and actions. One walks by faith, the other by sight. The story begins with…

1. Conflict between Abram and Lot (Gen 13:5-7)

We read in Genesis 13:2 that “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” Remember that when Abram was in Egypt, Pharoah had treated him well for Sarai’s sake and “He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels” (Gen. 12:16). Now we learn that “Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents” (Gen. 13:5).

Lot had been traveling with Abram since they left Ur many years before. Now their companionship is about to be tested. “Lot had piggy-backed on Abram’s wealth so that both men were rich” (Hughes, 199). Great wealth can often be a source of great contention in families. Here we see both Abram and lot blessed by the Lord with an abundance of possessions, but far from solving all of their problems, it led to strife in their relationship.

Where did we ever get the idea that wealth will solve our problems? The truth is that “wealth does not always solve problems; sometimes it causes them.” (Parunak). We need to pay serious attention to the biblical warnings about wealth. As Jesus watched the rich young ruler walk away, he said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24). Paul writes to Timothy, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). Lot will illustrate that principle as we follow his story in the coming chapters.

There is a clear progression in this story. First, both Lot and Abram have increased wealth (Gen. 13:2, 5-6). Their increased wealth lead to increased strife because there simply wasn’t enough land for each of them, “Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock” (Gen. 13:6-7).

Each man’s herdsmen sought water and the best pasture for the animals of their master. This competition inevitably led to conflict between the herdsmen of Lot and Abram. Like a range war in the old Western movies – who is going to have the rights to the precious and scarce pasture land and water?

This problem is further complicated because as Moses reminds us, “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land” (Gen. 13:7). Remember that none of the land of Canaan as yet belonged to either Abram or Lot. When Abram and Lot separate in this chapter, they part paths; they do not divide real estate. They are both living in a land which is occupied by the Canaanites and Perrizites. Abram and Lot not only had to share pasture between themselves, but they were at the mercy of those who had prior claim to the land.

The increased strife led to increased responsibility for choices. Lot wasn’t just deciding for himself. His family and many servants and their families would be affected by his decision. The increased responsibility for choices led to either increased wickedness (in Lot’s case, choosing Sodom) or increased blessing (in Abram’s case, choosing Canaan).

2. The choices of Abram and Lot

A. Abram chose generosity – Walking by Faith (Gen. 13:8-9)

“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’”

Abram took the initiative in resolving the conflict. Abram had a right to choose whatever land he wanted and let Lot take the leftovers. He was the older, the chief of the clan. God had promised the land to Abram, not to Lot. But Abram graciously yielded his rights and trusted God to give him his portion. What mattered to Abram was, “We are brethren.” He valued his relationship with Lot over his right to choose the best land.

So much strife could be avoided in the family and in the church if we would put a premium on our relationships, set aside our rights, and let the Lord take care of us. The next time you are about to quarrel with someone (and quarrelling is a choice we make!), stop and think about whether the quarrel is rooted in godly principle or in selfishness. Paul instructed the Romans, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Rom. 14:19). Abram acted as a peace maker.

But this is a unity that can only be maintained by separation – interesting

This Abram is very different from the Abram who, when going down to Egypt, acted according to human cunning as he attempted to manipulate and control the situation by his own strength. Here Abram is found walking by faith. He knows the promises of God. He is not afraid, therefore, to humbly and self sacrificially give Lot first pick of the land. He simply trusted that LORD would keep His promises. The land would belong to his descendants. How this would come about, he did not know. Here he is found walking by faith and not by sight.

Abram is exhibiting godly qualities that will be like his ultimate seed and heir, the Lord Jesus Christ, who did nothing out of selfish ambition, but esteemed others before Himself; who did not look out only for His own interests, but also for the interests of others; who did not grasp for what was rightfully His, but humbled Himself in obedience to His Father (Philippians 2:3-8).

Walking by faith, Abram chose generosity. Contrast that with …

B. Lot chose selfishness – Walking by Sight (Gen. 13:10-13)

“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.   13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.”

What value system did Lot use to make his life-changing decision? Lot, instead of walking by faith in the promises of God, seems to have been driven by a lust for prosperity. When Abram gave Lot the first pick of the land we are told that “Lot lifted his eyes and saw”. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with looking with your eyes. But the whole narrative suggests that Lot made his choice, not in light of the promises of God, and not out of concern to remain closely allied with Abram, the man blessed by the Lord, but based upon worldly appearances.

The images Moses uses to describe Lot’s choice sound an ominous note.  “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.” It looked like the garden of the Lord, that is, the garden of Eden. Although that garden was perfect and bountiful, it was there that Eve lifted her eyes and saw that the forbidden tree was pleasing to the eye. The Jordan valley looked good, but it was filled with dangerous temptation.

Lot also saw that the plain of Jordan was “like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.” It reminded Lot of Egypt where they had just traveled to escape the famine in Canaan. But again, Egypt had not only been a prosperous place, it had also been a dangerous place.

Note Genesis 13:11, “Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.” East again sounds ominous. It reminds us of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden, of Cain’s moving eastward to Nod from the presence of the Lord, and of men moving east to the plain of Shinar where they built the tower of Babel. Moses stresses the danger of Lot’s choice by reminding us that the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because, “… the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD” (Gen. 13:13). Lot had considered very carefully the economic factors of his decision, but he totally neglected the spiritual dimensions.

Again, there was nothing particularly evil about Lot moving away from Abram for the sake of their livestock and for the sake of their peace. But the story about Lot is concerning. It gives the impression that Lot was walking, not by faith, but by sight — that he was being driven by his lust for worldly things, not by faithfulness to God.

So their two different choices led to two different destinations. “Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom” (Gen. 13:12).

Bob Deffinbaugh comments,

“The decisions reached by Abram and Lot are the same as those which confront every Christian. We must decide whether to trust in the sovereignty of God or in our own schemes and devices. We must determine whether to trust in the ‘uncertainty of riches’ or in the God Who ‘richly supplies us’ (I Timothy 6:17). We must decide whether to invest in the ‘passing pleasures of sin’ or the future ‘reward’ which is promised by God (Hebrews 11:25-26).”

By faith, Abram had already renounced everything visible and opted for the unseen promises of God. So he had no need, as Lot did, to choose by sight. There is a deliberate contrast between verses 10 and 14. In verse 10, Lot lifted up his eyes and chose the land which looked the best to him. He took off for the good life and left Abram literally in the dust, in dusty Canaan, where there had just been a severe famine. But there, the Lord speaks to Abram again.

3. The promise of faith and the response of worship (Gen. 13:14-18).

And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are–northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

The Lord reminded Abram of His promises and expanded on them. He tells him to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. All the land he can see will be his. Both men lifted up their eyes to look, but Lot looked with natural eyes only.  Abram, by the grace of God, looked with eyes of faith.

This is now the second time that the promises originally made to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 have been repeated. The promise is still the same, but here the Lord is more specific. He tells Abram that all this land he sees will be his and his descendants’ “forever.” Abram had already been told that he would become a great nation, but here the LORD said, “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth.” This was quite a promise for the Lord to make to an old man with no children married to a wife who was barren. But Abram lived by faith in the promises of God. He lived by the word of God.

“Lot chose by sight and ended up spiritually and financially bankrupt. He escaped Sodom with the clothes on his back and fades out living in a cave. The things he saw and got didn’t bring him the lasting happiness he expected. Abram chose by faith, not by sight, and ended up spiritually and financially blessed, seeing and possessing by faith the whole land of Canaan, although he died owning only a burial plot. Lot lived for greed and came up empty. Abram lived for God and came up full.” (Cole).

The Lord Jesus taught us not to seek after the things of this world. He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). Paul wrote,

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

After getting assurance of God’s promises from the Lord, Genesis 13:18 says, “Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.” We see again the two things that marked Abram’s life of obedient faith, the tent and the altar: Abram the pilgrim, just passing through; and, Abram the worshiper, bearing witness to a pagan world.

We tend to think about salvation as a one-time faith decision to forsake sin and follow Christ. There is a sense in which that is true. We must repent of our sin and believe on the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ to save us. Faith recognizes our sinfulness and trusts in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary for eternal security.

But hadn’t Lot done that? Hadn’t he left his family and friends in Ur to go with Abram to the promised land? In the New Testament Peter writes that Lot was righteous. He was justified by faith. Lot’s problem, like many Christians today, was in following through, walking step by step in dependence upon the Lord, saying no to the things of this world based on faith in the promises of God. Steven Cole writes,

Someone has said that we tend to think of commitment to Christ like laying a $1,000 bill on the table: “Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.” But the reality is that God sends most of us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there, in small deeds of faithfulness and obedience. But it’s right there, in those little 25 cent choices, that our lives take their direction.

This is walking by faith. It is not just a once-upon-a-time faith, it is an every-day-living faith. It is a faith that: seeks the kingdom of God over the temporary kingdoms of man; priorities relationships over rights; desires godliness over greed; values fellowship with God over friendship with the world; and, lives by faith in God’s promises over the immediate pleasure of compromise. Because if you have God and His promises, you have everything. So seek Him first, and everything else is yours.

Are you walking in faith?

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Faithful God, Faithless Abram

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Faithful God, Faithless Abram

Genesis 12:10-13:4

 

Today we will take up again our verse-by-verse study of Genesis. We have begun to examine the life of the great patriarch of the faith, Abraham (or Abram as he was originally named). In our previous studies I pointed out that many have well said that Genesis 12:1-3, is the center point in the history of the biblical promises. Everything that leads up to Genesis 12:1-3, is in preparation for it. Everything that comes after in the Bible is in fulfillment of it. This is the beginning of God’s covenant with Abraham of which we will learn more details in the coming chapters.

The Lord God called Abram with a command saying, “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Along with this command the Lord gave Abram certain promises: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you; And make your name great” (Gen. 12:2). These promises were outstanding blessings for Abram, but they were not to be kept for himself alone. These blessings also carried with them an obligation, “… And you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). Abram is to be a conduit, not a cul-de-sac, of God’s blessing. The Lord called Abram for a purpose, saying to him “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). This is at the very heart of what God has planned for the world. The Lord promised to bless all the people of the earth through Abram.

Abram came from a pagan background, but by faith he obeyed the Lord’s call. In Genesis 12:4-9 we saw the obedience of faith in the life of Abram. By faith Abram heard God’s word; by faith he acted on God’s command; by faith he lived as a pilgrim in the land of promise; and by faith he worshiped the Lord God in the midst of a hostile pagan world.

We pick up Abram’s story in Genesis 12:10-13:4:

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”

14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, “She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.

1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

This text brings up some interesting questions. How can a 65-year-old woman be considered so beautiful? How can a righteous man like Abraham lower himself to deception in claiming that Sarah is his sister? Why does a similar wife-sister account occur three times in the book of Genesis? Why does Pharoah let Abram leave with all his possessions? And most importantly, what should we be learning from this passage?

So far in Genesis 12, the Lord has appeared to Abraham and promised him blessing, land, and offspring. But now two problems present themselves: (1) famine forces Abraham to move his family to Egypt and (2) Sarah’s beauty causes her to be abducted into Pharaoh’s harem. From a human perspective it appears that God’s promises are hanging by a thread.

But shining through the whole story is God’s faithfulness. Even though Abram’s faith faltered, God was faithful. A recurring theme begins here and runs throughout Genesis (and really the whole Bible), where God’s promise to Abram (Gen. 12:1-3) is threatened by circumstances or sin. But in every case, God providentially works through circumstances and even overrules man’s failure to bring about His sovereign purpose, to show us that God’s promises and purpose do not depend on fickle man, but on the faithful God (see John Sailhamer, Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Zondervan], 2:116, quoted by Steven Cole).

There are some obvious parallels between this incident in Abram’s life and the nation Israel to whom Moses was writing. Both Abram and the nation Israel went down to Egypt because of a famine in the land (Gen. 12:10; 47:13, 27). Abram feared that he would be killed and Sarai would be spared (Gen. 12:12); in Moses’ day, Pharaoh ordered the male babies killed and the females spared (Exo. 1:22). God sent plagues on Pharaoh to deliver both Abram and Israel (Gen. 12:17; Exod. 7:14-11:10). Abram received many possessions from the Egyptians (Gen. 12:16); Israel took spoil from the Egyptians during the Exodus (Exod. 12:35-36). God delivered both Abram and the nation Israel, and they journeyed north toward the Negev (Gen. 12:19, 13:1; Exod. 15, Num. 13:17, 22). (Alan Ross, The Bible Knowledge Commentary [Victor Books, 1985], 2:49.)

The experience of Abram and Sarai was typical. It established a pattern that would be repeated throughout the history of redemption. Therefore, the event had a prophetic quality about it. And the message for future generations was clear: the Lord God is able to keep His promises. He is able to preserve His people as they sojourn in foreign places. He is the sovereign king, not only over Abram and Israel, but over all the nations of the earth. Surely the Lord would be faithful to bring about the promises He made to Abram at the start. 

In Genesis 12:10-16 we see the famine and Abram’s faltering faith; in Genesis 12:17-20 we see the Lord’s faithfulness in delivering Abram and Sarai; and, in Genesis 13:1-4, We see Abram’s return to the land of Canaan and to faith in the Lord’s purpose.

1. Famine and Fear (Gen. 12:10-16)

After being told of Abram’s faith and obedience in Genesis 12:4-9, in Genesis 12:10 we read, “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.” This declaration concerning a famine in the land is intended to suprise the reader. The Lord had just promised to bless Abram and to give him this land. And the reader probably assumed that God would always bless Abram — that life would be always easy for him — and that he would  immediately fulfill his promises to him concerning the possession of the land. But the words, “now there was a famine in the land” make it clear that this is not so. Though Abram was ultimately blessed of God, that did not mean he would be spared from the trials and tribulations of this life. And although Abram’s descendants would ultimately inherit the land, that did not mean he would possess it immediately.

Again, the experience of Abram is typical for all of God’s people who live in this world. Those of us who belong to God through faith in Christ are truly blessed, but this does not mean that we will live without trouble. The scriptures speak plainly concerning the difficulties that those who are blessed in Christ Jesus will experience in this world. Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples saying, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

In Acts 14 after Paul and Barnabas had preached the gospel and made many disciples on their first missionary journey, they returned to the churches they had started, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Peter wrote: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12–13).

There is no question about whether we will face trouble and trials in this world. The question is, “How will you respond in your trial?” Abram’s response does not seem to be from faith, but from fear.

I’m not sure if we should criticize Abram for going down to Egypt. The word, “dwell” is the Hebrew verb gûr (גּוּר) meaning to “sojourn, be a stranger.” Perhaps he went down to Egypt trusting that the Lord world also provide an opportunity for him to return to the land that the Lord had promised to him. But on the other hand, it is a bit unsettling to learn that Abram was willing to so quickly leave the land promised to him and to sojourn in Egypt as a foreigner.

What I am sure of is that Abram acted out of fear by telling a half-truth concerning his relationship to Sarai, in order to deceive the Egyptians. Genesis 12:11-13:

11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”

Abram was afraid that because his wife was very beautiful the Egyptians would kill him in order to take her as one of their wives. It is never good to live your life being driven by fear. We are to walk by faith, not by fear. But Abram was afraid, and his faith was weak. So, Abram concocted a plan to tell the Egyptians that Sarai was his sister. According to Genesis 20:12, this was a half truth, for Sarai was his half sister. But it was also a lie, for she was in fact his wife.

Now, there was probably a method to Abram’s madness. In that culture brothers had a lot power, especially if the parents were no longer around. They were the ones to give their sisters away in marriage. And perhaps Abram reasoned that if Sarai was to be noticed and pursued, he, as her brother, would be able to delay or even refuse to give her up, and in so doing both he and she would be protected from harm. He probably even reasoned to himself that in this way he would be helping the plan of God along. After all, what good would the promises of God be concerning a great nation being produced through him if he was dead!

What Abram probably didn’t expect is that Sarai would be noticed by Pharaoh himself. Abram’s scheme backfired when Pharaoh took an interest in Sarai. You don’t stall or bargain when Pharaoh wants your sister in his harem. The Pharaoh will get his way. And that is what happened. Sarai was noticed by Pharaoh, and she was taken into the his harem. Genesis 12:14-15:

14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.

There is no indication that Pharaoh violated Sarai. God protected her from adultery. But she was separated from Abram, living in Pharaoh’s harem, awaiting the wedding day. The scheme nearly cost Abram his wife, and with her, the promised blessing of God to make Abram’s descendants into a great nation.

Some of us might wonder how Sarai could have been so good looking, since she was about 65 years old here, and yet at 90 she was considered old (compare Gen. 17:17 with 12:4). Kidner sees the key to this quandary in the patriarchal life-span which is about double our own (Kidner, Genesis, p. 117). Abram lived to 175, Sarah to 127. Sarai here would be comparable to our thirties, and thus could still be considered beautiful by the Egyptians. By 90 she would be comparable to our late forties, thus past her childbearing years, although still attractive. In chapter 20, when Abimelech wants to marry Sarah, there is no mention of her beauty. He may have wanted her for the favorable alliance with the prosperous Abraham. Of course, this is speculation, and we don’t know for sure. But we do know that both Abraham and the Egyptians saw her as beautiful.

So Abram faced the trial of a famine that led him to act on his own, without seeking God. This got him into another situation where he stooped to deception to protect himself. That got him, and especially Sarai, into deeper trouble. Oh, part of the plan worked. In Genesis 12:16 we read of Phaorah that, “He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” Abram got what he wanted, well, partially anyway. But it cost him dearly.

But let’s not just talk about Abram’s fear and weak faith. What about you? Have you ever done something similar to what Abram did? Did you act from fear rather than from faith when tough times came? We all face things like famine when the journey gets tough and you can’t see the way out. Did you stoop to telling half-truths? Did you salve your conscience by saying  something like, “I’m making more money than ever before. Isn’t that an indication of God’s blessing?” No—material blessings are not always an indicator of righteousness with God.

Instead, when we face trials we ought to ask ourselves, “Am I trusting God in this situation?” “In what ways am I being tempted to live to according to the world rather than in obedience to the commands of Christ?” “Am I responding from faith or from fear?”  

2. God is Faithful (Gen. 12:17-20).

Despite Abram’s fear and faithlessness, God is faithful to keep His promises. Genesis 12:17 says, “But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” How many times do we read in the scriptures, “But the LORD” or “But God …” The Lord stepped in. God intervened by striking Pharaoh and his household with some sort of unspecified plagues.

Somehow the Egyptians figured out that things started going badly from the Pharoah took Sarai into his harem. And somehow Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram’s wife. Genesis 12:18-19, “And Pharaoh called Abram and said, ‘What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, “She is my sister”? I might have taken her as my wife.’” Pharaoh is angry. He blames Abraham for not telling him the essential truth—that Sarah is Abram’s wife—rather than just his sister. Because Pharaoh senses that he is being judged for taking Sarah, he doesn’t punish either Abraham or Sarah, but instead sends them out of Egypt to fend for themselves in what may be a still-famished land saying, “Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” Pharaoh’s command to Abram to take his wife and go (Gen. 12:19) echoes God’s call to Abram to go forth from his country (Gen. 12:1). God uses a pagan king’s rebuke to get Abram back to the promised land.

It’s always embarrassing for a believer to be rightly corrected by an unbeliever. It’s tough to bear witness in those situations! Remember Jonah, fleeing from the Lord on the ship headed for Tarshish? When the storm arose, they cast lots to figure out whose fault it was. The lot fell on Jonah. They ask him about himself and he has to tell them that he’s a Hebrew, who fears the Lord God who made the heaven and the sea and the dry land. And he tells them that he is fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Even though they’re pagans, they answer, “How could you do this?” (Jonah 1:8-10). They could see Jonah’s inconsistency. So here Pharaoh calls Abram to account and Abram doesn’t say a word in reply.

Genesis 12:20 concludes, “So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.” The incident shows God’s faithfulness in spite of Abram’s fear and faithlessness. God is sovereign and will keep His promises—in spite of us, if need be. The Lord has made a covenant with Abraham and will allow nothing to prevent its fulfillment. The Apostle Paul summed it up well in this saying, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

Moses included this incident here to show Israel that just as God had delivered Abram from Egypt in spite of his weakness, so He had delivered Israel in spite of her weakness. It didn’t depend on their faith, but on God’s faithfulness.

God’s grace will preserve us in spite of our failures. But that should never be a reason for us to think, “I got off easy the last time, so I can do it again.” If we do that, we are courting God’s severe discipline (Gal. 6:7). In this case, God’s faithfulness and grace led Abram back.

3. Abram Returns (Gen. 13:1-4).

1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Gen. 13:1-4).

Abram headed back to Bethel, “to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, … to the place of the altar which he had made there at first.” Abram returns to where he started in the land with the Lord. Remember in our last lesson from Genesis 12:4-9 we learned that two things marked Abram’s life of obedient faith: the tent and the altar. The tent showed Abram to be a pilgrim, one just passing through on the way to another destination. The altar showed Abram to be a worshiper of the living God. So Abram returns to his life of faith, to Bethel (“the house of God”), “And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”

Do you need to return to your first walk with God? Was there a time when you loved the Lord more than you do now? We show our love for the Lord by our obedience. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). The Lord Jesus says to the church at Ephesus because they had left their first love, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev. 2:5). Remember, repent, return. Go back to the beginning place with the Lord; go back to the cross. Bow there and remember the great price the Lord paid for your forgiveness. Call on His name. If you have strayed from the Lord, if you are living by fear rather than by faith, He invites you to come back to the cross and be restored to fellowship with Him.

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