Tag: Jesus Christ

The Last Will Be First

parables-of-the-kingdom

The Last Will Be First

Matthew 20:1-16

Christianity is supremely a religion of grace. We sing about God’s amazing grace, grace greater than our sin. Paul’s epistles are saturated with the concept of God’s grace. But, even so, I think that God’s grace is often not well understood and sometimes not really believed. In his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” Phillip Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself.[1] Grace shocks us in what it offers. Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it. In grace, God does for others what we would never do for them. By grace God saves what we think are the not-so-bad people and also the very worst of sinners. In fact, no one is saved apart from God’s grace.

Today we are looking at Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. Although our text does not use the word “grace”, it powerfully illustrates it.  

Think about the context in which Jesus taught this parable. Jesus is on His final journey to Jerusalem with His disciples (Matt. 19:1). The conflict between Jesus and His adversaries began to intensify, and the time for our Lord’s sacrificial death was drawing near. In Matthew 19, when some parents brought their little children to Jesus for Him to bless them, the disciples tried to prevent them. But Jesus rebuked His disciples saying, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). The scribes and Pharisees didn’t see it that way. They thought that heaven belonged to them, because of their religious efforts, and because of their positions.

Then a man came up to Jesus and wanted to know what he needed to do in order to have eternal life. He was young, rich, powerful, and moral—a success by this world’s standards. And yet, he knew that he didn’t have eternal life. Since this man felt that he had fully kept the law from his youth, Jesus had to show him how far he came from measuring up to God’s standards. So, Jesus told this “rich young ruler” to sell all that he owned, give the proceeds to the poor, and come follow Him. That was too high a price to pay, and so sadly, the rich young ruler went away without Jesus and without eternal life.

Jesus then turned to his disciples and pointed out how hard it is for the rich who trust in their wealth to enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus said that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:24), the disciples were shocked. Jesus highlighted God’s grace when He said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26).

Then Peter looked at himself and the other disciples. They certainly weren’t powerful and successful like that rich, young, ruler. And yet, they had done what he could not do. And so, speaking behalf of the others, Peter said to the Lord, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” (Matt. 19:27). Jesus told them,

28 Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (Matt. 19:28-29).

Jesus assures them that following Him would certainly be worth it in the end. They would have the very thing that the rich young ruler could not earn for himself—eternal life. But lest any of His followers should think of themselves as “greatest in the kingdom” because they sacrificed more, or followed longer—or, on the other hand, lest any of them should be discouraged and think that they would never amount to much in His kingdom—Jesus then teaches: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matt. 19:30).

And to help explain this proverbial statement, Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard, showing that our rewards for salvation and service will not be on the basis of human merit but rather on the principle of “grace”. Our Lord evaluates His servants in a far different way than the people of this world do. He loves to shower His grace on those who are the most unworthy in this world’s eyes. When it comes to the work of His kingdom, “many who are first will be last, and the last first“.

I have divided Jesus’ parable into three parts for our study today: the hiring of the workers (Matt. 20:1-7); the unusual payment of the workers (Matt. 20:8-13); and the owners explanation (Matt. 20:14-15). Then Jesus concludes His teaching by repeating what He said at the beginning, “So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matt. 20:16).

1. The Hiring of the Workers (Matt. 20:1-7).

Jesus begins by saying, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard” (Matt. 20:1). Like most of Jesus’ parables, the subject is “the kingdom of heaven.” In our context, that means salvation and eternal life. What is the kingdom of heaven like? It is “like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”

In those days, a normal day was numbered in twelve hours from sunrise to sunset. So, “early in the morning” was probably the beginning of the work day around 6:00 am at sunrise. It was probably time to harvest, and the landowner needed workers to pick his grapes. So he went to the place where the day laborers gathered to seek work. These were unskilled workers near the bottom of the social-economic scale. Many lived at a level not far above beggars. They worked from job to job, many of which lasted no more than a day. So, they would gather in the market place, the local labor pool, before dawn to be available for hiring.

Jesus goes on to say, “Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” (Matt. 20:2). A “denarius” was the standard wage for a Roman soldier. It was a generous wage for a day laborer. And so, that agreement being settled, off they went to work.

But as Jesus tells the story, clearly the landowner needed more laborers than those he had just hired. So Jesus says,

3 “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'” (Matt. 20:3-7).

The third hour would be about 9:00 am. As the owner goes to the marketplace again, he finds more unemployed men and hires them as well. This time, saying “‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you” (Matt. 20:4). Even though the owner did not promise them a particular wage, these workers obviously trusted him to pay them what was fair. The owner then goes back again “about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise” (Matt. 20:5)—that is, about noon and 3:00 in the afternoon he hired more workers. Finally, “about the eleventh hour,” just an hour before the work day concluded at sunset, “he went out and found others.” They were not “standing here idle all day” because they were lazy but because “no one hired” them yet. The fact that they were still there at the eleventh hour shows just how desperately they needed the job. Even getting paid for one hours work would help in their hopeless situation.

So the workers are hired. The first went to work after the promise of a certain wage. The rest, including the last, went to work trusting the goodness of the master.  

Next in the parable Jesus tells about …

2. The Unusual Payment of the Workers (Matt. 20:8-13).

In Matthew 20:8 Jesus tells us how this took place, “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’” The landowner’s steward must have lined up all of the workers. The first in line were those who had agreed to begin working last, at the eleventh hour. To the shock of everyone, we read, “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.” (Matt. 20:9). What a pleasant surprise for those men who were late in getting hired! They had expected fair payment for the one hour they worked. What they got was extremely generous compensation, a whole day’s wage—much more than they deserved! I’m sure that they went away rejoicing. They had wasted most of the day standing idle in the marketplace with nothing to show for it. But, then, this kind landowner came along and paid them a full day’s wage! What looked like the worst work day ever just an hour ago has suddenly turned into the best day ever!

I’m sure that as the others watched, they were pretty excited. They began calculating in their mind what might possibly take place. “If these guys who worked only an hour received a full denarius, I wonder what is in it for us? Certainly, we will receive even more because we worked more.” Then the twist in the story comes in Matthew 20:10, “But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.” Does that seem fair? They didn’t think so. Jesus tells their response, “And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’” (Matt. 20:11-12). In their minds, this was really unthinkable and totally unfair. So, they grumbled and complained because even though they worked longer and harder in the heat of the day, they all received the same amount no matter how long they had worked.

That brings us to …

3. The Explanation by the Vineyard Owner (Matt. 20:13-15).

The landowner said to one of these complaining, grumbling workers, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?” (Matt. 20:13). The laborers who signed up at the beginning of the day agreed to work in the vineyard for a denarius. They worked all day. They received their denarius. The contract was fulfilled. There ought to have been no complaint. Therefore, the landowner tells the complainer, “Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.” (Matt. 20:14).

Now remember, this parable is about the kingdom of heaven. It is about salvation and eternal life. The landowner clearly represents the Lord. He calls men into His kingdom and compensates them for their service to Him. So what does this teach us about God and salvation?

Three lessons:

A. God will keep His promises (Matt. 20:13).

The landowner kept his promise to pay the first workers what they agree to work for. He did not cheat them. And even though they did the most work, they only had the opportunity to work at all because the owner graciously agreed to hire them.

We should never forget that it is a privilege to be called to serve the Lord in His kingdom. It is an unspeakably great honor to serve the Lord.  Have you been called to teach a Sunday School class? Have you been called to provide some repair or maintenance work in the house of God? Have you been called to visit someone who is sick? Have you been called to provide transportation or meals to someone? Have you been called to share your faith in some particular setting? Do you see something in the work of the kingdom that needs to be done that you have the unique capacity to do; and are you feeling God’s call to get to work?

It doesn’t matter God called you to salvation and service early in life or in your twilight years. If He has called you, He has work for you to do. Whenever He called you into His service, don’t question the fact that He called you when He called you! Go to the vineyard and work—knowing that He knows what He has planned for you to do, and that He will reward you rightfully for your faithful service.

If the Lord has called you into the service of His kingdom in any capacity, Rejoice in it; and rise up immediately and get to work! Give yourself fully to that thing the Lord has given you to do. Don’t hold back, waiting for something better to do. Don’t put it off, looking for some other time. Do what He has called you to do now for His kingdom’s sake!

Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Matt. 19:29). God will keep His promises.

B. God will be sovereign (Matt. 20:14-15)

The landowner said to the complainer, “I wish to give to this last man the same as to you,” and then asked him the rhetorical question, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?”  God is free to do what He desires with each of us. After all, it is His universe. He created it all, including us, for His own purposes. We belong to Him. He can do as He pleases. God calls whoever He wants to salvation and service and He does it whenever He wants. He is God.

We must understand that our salvation and our service to God is all a matter of grace—from beginning to end. It what God does—not at all what we do. We could not be saved apart from the gracious work of God and we could not serve except for the grace of God. If we don’t keep that in mind, we won’t have the right attitude about our service or about others whom He calls into His service.

On the one hand, we think that because we’ve come to believe on Him too late in life, or that we’ve spent too many years in sin, we couldn’t possibly do anything of significance for the kingdom. Or we may fear that we’re too unskilled or untalented to do anything that would really count for much to Him. And this parable lets us know that, because He operates on the principle of grace rather than human merit, we can give ourselves faithfully to His service in whatever area He has called us—knowing that we work for a Master who does not measure the value of His laborers as the world does.

But on the other hand, if we forget it is by grace, we may begin to feel that we deserve a higher place of honor in His kingdom because we have walked with Him longer, or because we believed sooner, or because we have labored more diligently, or that our efforts were more valuable than others. And this parable reminds us that, because our Lord operates on the principle of grace, we must be humble and not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, nor look down on others.

Our Lord is sovereign in who and how and when He calls people to salvation and service.

C. God will be gracious (Matt. 20:15-16)

When the landowner gave those hired last a full day’s pay, he was not being unfair, he was being gracious. It was an act of mercy and kindness because the owner was good. Knowing that they had not been able to work a whole day because no one had hired them, he nevertheless gave them what they did not deserve. He gave them the means to provide for their families. He didn’t reward them on the basis of human merit; but rather on the basis of grace. Just as God always gives what He promises, He also gives more than we deserve.

When I think the great grace that was shown to these last worker, it reminds me of the story of the thief on the cross next to our Lord. Luke tells us that, as Jesus hung on the cross, one of the criminals who hung next to Him blasphemed Him; saying, “If You are the Christ, save yourself and us” (Luke 23:39). Mark, in his Gospel, even lets us know that the other criminal had chimed in and was blaspheming the Lord almost to the very end (Mark 15:32).

But something had happened in the heart of one of those dying criminals. He eventually turned to the other criminal and said, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” We’re told that he then said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom“, and that Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:40-43).

What grace! There was no time for this criminal to do any good deeds in order to make himself worthy. He didn’t have any time to reform his life. All that he had time to do was to repent and believe in Jesus saying, “Remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” He was literally called at the eleventh hour of his life. And yet, Jesus promised that he would be that very day with Himself in Paradise! And his single act of service to the kingdom—giving us an example of how to be saved—has done more for the service of the kingdom than any human being could estimate! Truly, the last shall be first! Our Lord will be gracious!

God’s rewards in the kingdom of heaven are not according to the merit system. They are according to grace. Salvation is the gift of God. It is not by works, lest any should boast (Eph. 2:9).

Aren’t you glad that God is more than just? Aren’t you glad that God is generous? Or as the landowner said, “Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Matt. 20:15). Be careful that you do not despise the grace of God. God is not unfair to you when He is generous to someone else. The first workers complained to the landowner, “You made them equal to us!” That’s right. We are all equal in God’s kingdom – equally sinners, equally loved, equally redeemed. That is how the last are first and the first are last—because we all finish equal. We al receive far more than we deserve. How do the last become first? By grace. By God’s grace. By God’s grace alone.

Some of have sinned a little. Some of us have sinned a lot. Some of us come to Jesus early in life. Some of us come to Jesus much later in life. Some of us serve God in many ways. Some of us serve God in very few ways. But everyone who puts their faith in Jesus receives eternal life.

You are never too old to come to Christ. You are never too sinful to come to Christ. Come to Christ now, even in the eleventh hour, and he will gladly welcome you into his kingdom. Our God is a good and gracious and generous God. The more you feel your need for grace, the better candidate you are to receive it. Hold out your empty hands and ask God for His grace. You will not be turned away. It’s never too late. Though your sins are as scarlet, God says they will be white as snow. Here is good news for sinners. Free Grace! Free Grace! Free Grace! Shout it, sing it, tell it, and share it. And above all else, believe it, for in believing, you will be saved.

When we get to the kingdom of heaven, there will be no contest to see who is most deserving, because none of us deserve heaven. There will be no contest to see who has earned more rewards because God rewards according to grace, not merit. Maybe the only contest will be to see how truly grateful we are when we sing Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

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[1] Phillip Yancy, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Quoted by Brian Bill in his sermon, The Scandal Of Grace, https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-scandal-of-grace-brian-bill-sermon-on-salvation-57664

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Let the Little Children Come

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Let the Little Children Come

Matthew 19:13-15

Today, we come to a short and simple text in the middle of Matthew 19. It tells the heart-warming story about Jesus blessing the little children. This same story is included in the gospel of Mark (10:13-15) and the gospel of Luke (18:15-17). And in each of these accounts, the story is almost exactly the same. It begins with some parents bringing their children to Jesus. They wanted Jesus to place His hands upon the children, bless them, and pray for them. But the disciples attempt to turn the parents away. Jesus was displeased by His disciples’ response. He told them to allow and not forbid the children to come to Him. Jesus took them into His arms, blessed them, and prayed for them.

We’re glad to read about this little, tiny slice-of-life incident in Jesus’ earthly ministry. We’re thankful for a Savior who took the time from His busy ministry activities to welcome children, take them in His arms, and pray for them. We are enamored with our Lord, who genuinely loved humanity—even the insignificant and “least of these” who had no accomplishments or great abilities to their credit.

Even though this story is brief and uncomplicated, it is not undemanding. Like the disciples, we too can easily miss the heart of the Lord and need correction from Him when it comes to our attitudes toward children. What this passage teaches us is so important because it is crucial for the advance of the kingdom of God. As a church, if we ignore the lessons of this passage, we do so at the cost of our church’s future and at the risk of receiving the Lord’s rebuke.

This is not the first time Jesus has spoken about little children. You may remember that in Matthew 18, when His disciples came to Him asking who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus took a small child to Himself, set him in their midst, and said,

Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. (Matthew 18:3-5).

Although these two passages are similar, there’s an important difference between them. In Matthew 18, Jesus spoke about the “little ones” because the disciples were valuing themselves to highly—arguing over which of them was the greatest. But in Matthew 19, Jesus spoke about the “little ones” because the disciples were failing to value the children highly enough. Far from receiving or welcoming little children, in our text the disciples rebuke those who bring them and try to prevent their coming to Jesus. It seems that the disciples have not learned the lesson and they need a remedial course. They needed their attitudes changed. And I would ask each of us here today: do we need to have our attitudes changed to line up with Jesus’ heart for the little children?

Our text has three parts. In Matthew 19:13, we have the situation where children are brought to Jesus and the disciples rebuke them. In Matthew 19:14, we have Jesus’ invitation to the children and their kingdom significance. Finally, in Matthew 19:15, we have Jesus’ blessing and His departure.[1]

1. The Controversy over the Children (Matt. 19:13)

Matthew 19:13 begins, “Then little children were brought to Him.” Let me point out two things from this opening statement. First, the word translated as “little children” refers to very small children who needed to be taught and disciplined. When Luke tells this same story, he uses the word that is translated “infants”. These are little children, even babies, who are brought to Jesus. Second, the verb “brought” is passive. That is, the children did not bring themselves, they were brought by others—most likely their parents or grandparents.

And they brought them for a purpose. Matthew makes the reason clear for us, “… that He might put His hands on them and pray.” This implies both something about those who brought their children to Jesus.  Those who brought their children to Jesus had likely heard of what great things that Jesus had done. They knew of the miraculous power that He possessed, as He healed people with His tender touch. Jesus touched the leper, and he was instantly cleansed (Matt. 8:3). Jesus touched the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law, and the fever instantly left her (Matt. 8:14). Jesus touched the eyes of blind men, and they received their sight (Matt. 9:29). These parents wanted to have their children receive a blessing from this mighty rabbi and healer, Jesus. Jewish children in Jesus’ day were often brought to rabbis and elders to be blessed, customarily by placing hands on them.[2] Perhaps you remember when Jacob placed his hands on his grandchildren and blessed them (Gen. 48:8-20).

Perhaps many of these parents had grown to have significant convictions about who Jesus was. Was this an expression of faith in Jesus to bring their little ones to Him?

Matthew sets these parents as a positive example. They brought their children to Jesus for a blessing. One of the greatest responsibilities we have as members of the Body of Christ is to bring little ones to Jesus Christ. If God has entrusted you with the care of children or grandchildren, you have the spiritual duty to actively bring them to Jesus! When they are tiny, and you hold them in your arms, you must whisper to them about the God who made them. You must take them on walks or let them look out the window; and tell them about the God who made the world around them. As they learn about God’s love for them, you must tell them about His Son, Jesus Christ. When they disobey, you must tell them about the reality of sin; and about how Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. And you must tell them about the eternal home Jesus is preparing in heaven for those who trust Him.[3] Bring them to Him!

Just before the people of Israel were about to enter the promised land, Moses, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said to them,

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

In other words, in the everyday activities of your family life, bring your children to know the Lord. Do you see how vital it is that word of God be passed down from generation to generation? Do you see how important “children” are in the plan of God? Let’s not break the chain of “faith” that runs from one generation to another. Let’s make it our commitment to follow the example set for us in this passage; and actively bring the little ones to Jesus!

We read about these people bringing children to Jesus and we say, “Of course! We should want children to come to Jesus.” But do we really? Or are we sometimes l more like Jesus disciples? Matthew 19:13 ends by telling us, “but the disciples rebuked them.”

Why did they rebuke the people who brought their children to Jesus? Perhaps the disciples were annoyed that Jesus was being delayed on his journey (Carson). Perhaps they were being interrupted in their important discussion with Jesus (Carson). Perhaps they were trying to protect Jesus from the nuisance that these children might be to Him, especially as He appeared to be tired and filled with tension while He thought about approaching Jerusalem (Barclay). Perhaps they thought that it would somehow dishonor Jesus to do such a lowly task of praying for children (Spurgeon). Perhaps they thought that children were lower class citizens, and not worthy of sharing the stage with Jesus. Perhaps they thought that “children were to be seen, but not heard.” We don’t know the exact reason, but we do know that their attitude was very wrong.[4] In Mark’s Gospel, we’re told that Jesus was “greatly displeased” with His disciples for trying to send them away (Mark 10:14).

So next, Jesus corrects their wrong perspective of children…

2. Jesus Welcomes the Children (Matt. 19:14)

The Lord gave His disciples a command in two parts. First, He said, “Let the little children come to Me” (Matt. 19:14a). This is the positive part of the command. And isn’t it interesting that He didn’t say, “Let the parents bring the little children to Me“? Notice that He focused on the children—”Let the little children come to Me”. The children were no burden to Jesus. He could see that even these tiny ones wanted to be near Him, and He Himself welcomed them to come.

Notice how joyfully Jesus accepted these children. You get the sense that He was eager to receive these children into His arms. He eagerly wanted to pray for them and to bless them. Jesus took these children into His arms because they were welcome to enter the kingdom. The song is true, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Yes, it’s also true that even the smallest of children are born as members of fallen humanity. None of us are born into the human family innocent, or without the taint of sin upon us. Even in a small child—given time—the flesh will begin to rebel against the grace of God. But it seems to me that when tiny children learn of who Jesus is, they are not so easily inclined to withdraw from Him as they would prove to be in later years—out of arrogant pride, or a love for sin. It’s a prime time for them to draw near to the Savior and learn of Him.

So, parents, bring your children to Jesus – raise them in the church and in the Lord. Grandparents, bring your grandchildren to Jesus – pray for your grandkids and be a loving and godly example to them. Churches, bring the little children to Jesus – pray for the children in your church; pray for the children’s ministry in your church; give and volunteer where you can.

The negative part of the command is “and do not forbid them.” The present imperative is telling them to stop forbidding or hindering them from coming. This is what the disciples were presently doing. In effect, Jesus says, “Stop it!” But before we wag our fingers at the disciples, let’s ask ourselves if we are ever a hindrance to children coming to Jesus. We can hinder them by allowing the things of this world to crowd out their vision of Him—filling out lives and theirs with so many activities that we forget the priority of worshiping and serving the Lord. We can hinder them by treating their budding love for Jesus as if it were something that didn’t matter. We can hinder them by not living a consistent Christian life at home before them—playing the hypocrite. We can hinder them by leading them into unbelief and sin. Think about Jesus’ words of warning from Matthew 18:5-7,

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:5-7).

May we never do anything to hinder little ones who are drawn to Jesus! Jesus rebuked His disciples for trying to stop the children from coming to Him. Would He rebuke you?

Jesus says that reason that we must let the little children come and we must not hinder them from coming is “for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). The kingdom of heaven is characterized by children such as these. Again, remember what Jesus said in Matthew 18,

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3-4).

These children are a picture of the humility, dependence, and trust of those of any age who enter His kingdom.[5] These are the things that make children such an example for all of us. These are the sorts of characteristics that those in the kingdom possess. And the kingdom belongs to those who are like this. Jesus said in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Who are the poor in spirit? They are those who recognize that they have nothing to bring to God but their sin and who gladly receive the free gift of salvation from His hand. They are those who have humbled themselves and become like little children.

If we understood true greatness in Jesus’ kingdom as He taught us, we’d never again be irritated by the presence of children who truly love Him and believe on Him. Rather, we’d be honored. As a church, children ought to be important to us. We ought to eagerly receive them. We ought to do what we can to help them, to teach them, to nurture them, and to train them.

Finally we see that …

3. Jesus Blesses the Children and Departs (Matt. 19:15)

Matthew 19:15 says, “And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.” Laying His hands on the children implies that He prayed over them and blessed them just as those who brought them wanted Him to. How very important this was to Jesus is indicated by the last phrase, “and departed from there.” Where was Jesus’ journey taking Him? We find out in the next chapter, Matthew 20:17, where it says that Jesus was “going up to Jerusalem.” That is why He crossed over to Judea beyond the Jordan in Matthew 19:1. It was His final journey to Jerusalem. And what was it that He was going up to Jerusalem to do? In Matthew 20:18-19 Jesus tells His disciples,

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again” (Matthew 20:18-19).

Could there be any more pressing matter than that? Was there any higher priority for Jesus than going to the cross to die for our sins? And yet, even as Jesus is bound for Jerusalem to finish this dreadful mission that the Father set before Him, nevertheless, Jesus prioritized the time to welcome the little children, to take them in His arms, to place His tender hands on them, blessing them, and praying over them.

Listen, if, in that context, Jesus prioritized giving His time and energy to the care and ministry of little children, then as a church of His followers we’d better do the same! So, let’s be sure that we do those things Jesus teaches us to do in this passage: that we actively seek to bring little ones to Him; that we earnestly seek His blessing upon them; that we do nothing to hinder them in drawing near to Him; that we humbly recognize the great value He places on them; and that we place as high a priority in ministering to them as He does.[6]

To minister to the little ones who believe on Jesus is to do the work of His kingdom!

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[1] Grant Osborne, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 710.

[2] 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), 420.

[3] Greg Allen, Let the Little Children Come!, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2007/120207.htm

[4] Steve Brandon, Let the Little Children Come, https://sermons.rvbc.cc/sermons/2004-035

[5] John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew, Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL, p. 181.

[6] Greg Allen, ibid.

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Care for the Little Ones

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Care for the Little Ones

Matthew 18:10-14

I want to begin today by reading a passage from 1 Peter 5. Like our passage in Matthew 18, the apostle Peter wrote to the church about humility and care for the flock of God:

1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1Pe 5:1-7).

Peter learned from the Lord Jesus that some Christians need to be humbled because they have too exalted an opinion of themselves. Others need constant encouragement because they tend to dwell too much upon their own inadequacies. So, he wrote to the elders of the church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to feed God’s flock in such a way that would convict the proud without utterly discouraging the weak. He encouraged Christians to humble themselves and cast all their cares upon God, quoting the proverb, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (1Peter 5:5; Pro. 3:34). I am sure that there are some of us here today who need to be humbled because we think too highly of ourselves, and others who need the encouragement that God cares for the lowest and weakest believer.

This is what Jesus does so masterfully in Matthew 18. Our Savior, using a little child as an object lesson, very effectively humbled the self-seeking disciples. Yet, at the same time, He showed weak, lowly believers that they were precious in God’s sight. He told the Twelve that they needed to become like that little child—ever realizing their personal inadequacy and their complete dependency upon Him, not coming on their own merit or achievements. If they failed to do so, they would not be fit to take their places in His kingdom.

And our Lord also pointed out that every single little Christian, no matter how obscure and unimportant in the eyes of man, is still precious to God. To receive these lowly ones is to receive the Savior (Matt. 18:5). To harm them or cause them to stumble in sin, incurs Jesus’ stern warning of judgment (Matt 18:6-9).

Throughout the first fourteen verses of Matthew 18, something that strikes me is the repeated emphasis Jesus places on the word “one“. In Matthew 18:5, Jesus said, “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.” You see it again in Matthew 18:6: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin.” Then in Matthew 18:10, Jesus says “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones.” In Matthew 18:12-13, He emphasizes the great value of just that “one” straying sheep over the ninety-nine that didn’t. In Matthew 18:14, He concludes, “Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” Jesus wants us to know that each and every single “little one” who trusts in Jesus is invaluable to His Father. He views each one as uniquely precious. When it comes to those who come to Jesus in simple, humble, child-like faith, He makes it very clear that He places a particularly special value on each one. And we had better be sure to do the same![1]

In Matthew 18:10-14, Jesus teaches us how to care for these little ones. First, Jesus teaches us …

1. Do not despise the little ones (Matt. 18:10).

Jesus says in Matthew 18:10, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus issues a command here to “Take heed” or ‘see to it’ that we “do not despise” His little ones, even the weakest and lowest believer. To “despise” literally means to “think down on” or “think little of” someone. When we despise someone, we hold them in contempt or scorn because we think they are too far below us—they are insignificant, inferior, and therefore unimportant. Jesus is saying, “don’t look down on any of God’s children.” Don’t put yourself above them and look at them as if they were below you, as if they were useless or worthless, not worth your consideration.

How easy is it to copy the way of the world by undervaluing or discounting little children, or, for that matter, other believers who are weak and fragile in their faith.

How could we be guilty of despising God’s little ones? Just in Matthew 18, Jesus shows that we could despise other believers through pride, thinking ourselves greater or that our contributions and achievements are superior to them. We saw that in Matthew 18:1-4. We could despise the little ones by not receiving or welcoming them in the name of Jesus (Matt. 18:5). We despise them by offending them and causing them to stumble into sin (Matt. 18:6-9). We could despise them by failing to seek after them when they go astray (Matt. 18:12-14). We despise them when we fail to try to restore a brother who has fallen into sin (Matt. 18:15-20). We despise each other when we do not forgive one another from the heart (Matt. 18:21-35).

Do you ever find yourself looking down at other believers? Do you find them inconvenient and irritating? Do you criticize them for their lack progress in the faith? Do you ever think, ‘Why can’t they just grow up and be more like me?’ Then Jesus has a word for you this morning. He says, “Don’t think that way.” We all come to Christ as little children. We all need to grow in our Christian faith. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

Why is it so important that we not look down on even one little believer in Christ? Jesus says, “for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 18:10). Some people have taken this verse to say that each child has a guardian angel assigned to them at birth who follows them around and takes care of them. I suppose that’s possible, but the Bible never really says that we each have one specific angel assigned to us. In fact, it says something better. We have multiple angels watching over us and serving us as God’s children.

Psalm 91 says about those who have made the Lord their refuge and their dwelling place (Ps. 91:9), “11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Psa. 91:11-12). Hebrews 1:14 says about the angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”

So, believers in Christ have something much better than a single guardian angel. All of God’s angels are entrusted with the task of watching over believers and serving us.

Jesus says these angels always see the face of His Father in heaven. This expression tells us that God is constantly watching over His little ones. God has assigned His angels to minister to His children, and those angels are in constant communication with God the Father in heaven.[2] Therefore, Jesus says, don’t look down on any of God’s children, because God is always watching over them. They are precious to Him.

In our church life, in our individual homes, in our social relations, in whatever context we may meet with those who are Christ’s little ones by faith—whether they be one year old, or one-hundred years old—let’s be very sure that we “take heed” not to despise even a single one of them. For they are clearly very highly esteemed in the courts of heaven and before the face of our heavenly Father.

Second Jesus teaches us …

2. Diligently seek the wandering ones (Matt. 18:11-13)

Matthew 18:11 has Jesus saying, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which is lost.” Some Bible translations put this verse in a footnote or brackets because many reliable ancient manuscripts do not contain it. It may have been added by a copyist who saw its clear connection to what Jesus taught here. Nevertheless, what it says is true. Jesus said these very words in Luke 19 when the despised chief tax collector Zacchaeus came to salvation, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10).

To illustrate God’s care for His little ones, Jesus then tells the brief parable of the lost sheep:

12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.” (Matt. 18:12-13).

This is such a precious parable. The shepherd doesn’t leave the one lost sheep to fend for itself. He keeps looking for it and doesn’t stop. Jesus also taught with this parable in Luke 15. There, Jesus was being confronted by the Pharisees and scribes because He allowed all sorts of sinful people to draw near to Him (Luke 15:1). He even “received” some of the most notorious sinners of society; and even went so far as to “eat” with them! (Luke 15:2). So Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees to illustrate His passion for saving lost sinners and the need for them to also repent.

But in the case of our passage this morning, Jesus was speaking to the disciples—those who already believe on Him and have accepted His forgiveness; and was teaching them that every single “little one” in His flock—no matter how “insignificant” they may seem on a merely “human” level—is so important to Him that He would have every possible effort extended to retrieve them when they wander away.

Some people wonder about the ninety-nine that the shepherd leaves on the hills. Doesn’t he care about them as well? Of course, he does. There is no indication from the parable that the ninety-nine are in any danger. We can assume that the shepherd has left them in a safe place or perhaps under the care of other shepherds. It’s not that the shepherd cares more for the lost sheep than the rest of the flock. He cares for the whole flock, but part of the flock is missing. The other sheep are okay for now, but this lost sheep needs finding. If any of the ninety-nine wandered away, he would go looking for them, too, and when he found them, he would rejoice over them in the exact same way.

Think of what He’s saying. A good shepherd would be so committed to the needs of his sheep that he would leave the remaining ninety-nine, go to the treacherous places where the lost sheep had wandered, and search for it. For a good shepherd, there would be “no sheep left behind”. And once he found the lost sheep, the shepherd would actually rejoice more over the one that was found than he would over the ninety-nine that never went astray. A good shepherd has that much of a heart for each one of the individual sheep entrusted to his care.

Jesus Himself is the Great Shepherd of the flock (Heb. 13:20). In the Gospel of John, He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11), “… and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (John 10:14), and “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).

This is the way that Jesus cares for each little sheep in His flock. If Jesus care for them this much, how could we ever despise any of them? How can we know that He was willing to lay down His life for His sheep, but then not even lift a finger to draw them back into the fold when they wander? How can we know that He knows each one by name; but then ourselves not even notice when they’re gone?

Christ’s love for His people is personal, relentless, and joyful. This passage reminds us that no one is beyond His reach or care. As believers, we are called to imitate God’s heart by valuing, pursuing, and celebrating the restoration of those who have gone astray.

Finally, Jesus concludes teaching us to …

3. Discern the will of God for His little ones (Matt. 18:14).

In Matthew 18:14, Jesus says, “Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” The word that Jesus uses for “perish” is a particularly strong word that means “to destroy, lose, ruin, or render useless”. It is not the Father’s will that even one of His little ones should perish in any way. The Lord does not want any of His children spiritually damaged even for a brief time.

This speaks to the security of the believer in Christ. In John 6, Jesus said, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40).

God seeks sheep that has gone astray and will make sure that His little ones do not perish. We read in James 5: “19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Jesus teaches us this: Never look down on anyone. Never give up on anyone. Never write someone off. God seeks the one who has gone astray, and so should we. We should seek them even when the stray is someone who has hurt or offended you, which is what we will look at in next week’s passage. May the Lord Jesus find us faithful in our care for His “little ones”!

And if you are a lost or wandering sheep today, there is nothing preventing you from coming back to God. There is no reason to waste any more time in the wilderness. Jesus Christ is the good shepherd of the sheep who seeks after His wandering sheep, brings them home, and rejoices at their return. Do you feel the Holy Spirit of God tugging at your heart even now? What could keep you from coming back to Him today? Christ has done everything necessary to save you. He died for your sins and was raised for your justification. Repent—let Christ change your heart and mind. Come to Him now. Believe in Him. He will save you. He will restore you if you have strayed. He loves you. As Peter wrote, “humble [yourself] under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

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[1] Greg Allen, Respect the Little Ones, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2007/101407.htm

[2] Ray Fowler, Hope for Wanderers, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/hope-for-wanderers/

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Protecting Little Ones

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Protecting Little Ones from Stumbling

Matthew 18:5-9

Last time we began to study Matthew 18 which contains the fourth great section of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel of Matthew. Here, Jesus is teaching us as believing children how to relate to God and one another in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’ disciples prompted this teaching when they asked, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matt. 18:1). The disciples were jockeying for position in Jesus’ kingdom, each desiring to be the greatest, the most honored disciple.

In response, Jesus called a small child, set him right in the middle of them all, and told them, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). In their pride and self-seeking, the disciples thought they merited greatness in the kingdom. But Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of heaven is not about our merit at all. That minor child had the least accomplishments, wisdom, and abilities of anyone in the room. In the eyes of the disciples, he was insignificant. Yet, he is the epitome of greatness in the kingdom. In fact, no one can even enter the kingdom unless they turn away from self-merit and humbly come to Jesus as a little child.

No one gets into the kingdom of heaven on their own merit. We don’t deserve the kingdom and we could never earn a place in the kingdom. Like a child, We must enter by faith in the merits of Jesus Christ. The only people who are in the kingdom of heaven are those who have come humbly, without merit, trusting in Jesus Christ alone to save them from sin and give them eternal life. It is only by God’s mercy and grace shown to us in Christ that we get in.

Since everyone enters the kingdom the same way, then how could we ever think that we are greater than anyone else in the kingdom? How could we ever think that someone else is lower than us? Do you see how incompatible that attitude is with Christ’s kingdom? A true Christian attitude is “I am the least important person here, and I come, not to see how good I can be treated, but I come to serve you because you are so important to Christ.” This attitude of humility forms the foundation of all kingdom relationships that Jesus teaches about in the rest of Matthew 18.

The disciples needed to learn the attitude of humility because they were stumbling and tripping over each other to be named the greatest. They were being an offense to each other.

That leads us to today’s passage because the key word in Matthew 18:5-9 is “offenses”. You see it three times in Matthew 18:7, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” The Greek word is σκάνδαλον (skandalon), meaning a trap, snare, or stumbling block. It pictures something that trips up and causes someone to stumble and fall—thus something that offends or causes sin. Jesus used this noun in Matthew 13 in the parable of the wheat and tares concluding, “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 13:41-42). Jesus also used it when Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him for saying that the Son of Man must suffer and be killed (Matt. 16:21-22).  Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt. 16:23). Peter was being used by Satan as a stumbling block to hinder Christ from going to the cross to die for our sins.

The verb form of this word, σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō), is also used three times in our passage. You see it in Matthew 18:6 translated, “cause … to sin”. Literally, the verse reads “But whoever shall offend (or cause to stumble) one of these little ones who believe in Me…” The same verb is in Matthew 18:8,9 where Jesus says that if your hand, foot, or eye “causes you to sin” cut it off or pluck it out. Again, the idea is that it offends or causes you to stumble and fall.

So, an offense is a stumbling block that trips up or hinders people from coming to Christ and believing in Him. How do we keep from stumbling and help keep others from stumbling?

First, Jesus teaches us a…

1. Condition: Receive believers in Christ (Matt. 18:5)

In Matthew 18:5 Jesus says, “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.” Remember—Jesus has a little child with Him. The child pictured the lowliness and humility of those who come to Jesus without any merit, accomplishments, or ability of their own. Jesus is talking not just about receiving and welcoming children—that is certainly important to Jesus as we see in Matthew 19—but He is really talking about receiving believers. In Matthew 18:6, He calls them “these little ones who believe in Me.” So this applies to anyone who by grace believes in Jesus with humble childlike faith—no matter their age.

To “receive” means to accept with open arms, minds, and hearts, welcoming someone with gracious hospitality. The term was often used of receiving honored guests and meeting their needs with special attention and kindness. We are to receive other believers in Christ like they are honored guests. Why? Because we receive them “in His name”. That is, we receive them not based on their merits, not based on what they can do for us in the church, not based on their ability or accomplishments, but simply because they belong to Christ. We receive one another the same way we entered the kingdom, on the merits of Christ.

It is such a temptation for us to assign value to people based on how they look, what they do, how much money they have, and what they can do for us. Jesus says that none of that matters in the kingdom. None of us is more important than anyone else in the kingdom. Therefore, we receive each other based on the merits of Christ alone. We accept each other and treat each other with loving kindness for one reason only—because we all belong to Christ by grace.

Jesus identifies with each lowly and insignificant believer. When we receive each other, we are receiving Christ Himself because Christ Jesus is in every true believer. Jesus values each and every one of those who trust in Him with humble faith, and He watches carefully to see that they are treated rightly by others. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10?

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. (Matt. 10:40-42).

To keep from causing others to stumble, we must receive other believers the same way that Christ received us. We welcome others on the basis of the merits of Christ alone. He has loved them, accepted them, saved them, and qualified them just as He did us.

This brings us to our second point where Jesus gives a stern …

2. Caution: Refuse to cause others to stumble (Matt. 18:6-7)

Matthew 18:6 says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Literally, Jesus speaks here of an upper-millstone—a stone that was used in the grinding of grain on a mill. It was so large and heavy that it had to be harnessed to a donkey by a large beam, so that the stone could be turned by brute force. It was so big that, if it were tied to a man’s neck and he were thrown into the sea, he’d sink directly to the bottom and not come up. What’s more, Jesus speaks of throwing such a man into the depth of the sea—a punishment that is severe and permanent.

The warning is even stronger than the picture Jesus gives. Notice that Jesus isn’t simply saying that someone who harms one of His little ones should have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea. He is saying that such a person would be better off if that were done for them than what will happen to them. Jesus is warning that an unspeakably worse destiny awaits such a person than anything that could be done with a millstone and the sea! He speaks in Matthew 18:8,9 of being ‘cast into the everlasting fire‘ (v. 8), or of being ‘cast into hell-fire‘ (v. 9). It is better to drown in the waters of the ocean than to burn in the fires of hell.

The Judge of all the earth is putting the people of this world on notice never to mess with any of His little believing ones. No one had better ever interfere with their faith, or hinder them from coming to Him. And once they come, no one had better ever cause them to stumble in their faith or tempt them into falling away! Obviously our Lord is serious about not causing our brothers to stumble. You would be better off to tie yourself to the ocean floor than to have Jesus catch you offending His little ones.

Now, Jesus understands the fallen world in which we live. He says, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” (Matt. 18:7). A “woe” here is an expression of sorrow as well as a pronouncement of judgment. Jesus pronounces “Woe!” on the world because of its offenses. We live in a world that is full of snares, traps, stumbling blocks, and offenses. John writes in his first epistle,

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17).

John said watch out for the world, don’t love it, it’s a trap, it causes people to stumble. It will drag you into things that will lead you into judgment. Our world advertises sin in almost every commercial. The world takes pride in immorality, greed, and deception. There is no way to live in this world and not be confronted by its stumbling blocks. The devil has devised them to keep people from believing in Jesus and finding life in His name. Jesus said, “offenses must come,” stumbling blocks are inevitable. But listen—they may be inevitable, but He did not say they are acceptable. The second “woe” that Jesus pronounces is on those who put them there, “but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” (Matt. 18:7). We are responsible before God not only for our own sins, but for our part in causing others to stumble as well.

There are a number of examples of causing others to sin in the scriptures. For example, Jeroboam was the first king of the northern ten tribes of Israel that broke away from Judah after the reign of Solomon. King Jeroboam set up high places of idolatrous worship to rival the temple in Jerusalem. His name became a byword for idolatry. The prophet Ahijah says about Jerobaom that God “will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin” (1 Kings 14:16). The evil kings who came after Jeroboam “walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin” (1 Kings 15:26,30,34; 16:19,26; 21:22; 22:52).  

Greg Allen applies what Jesus warns this way:

Woe to that man or woman who keeps ‘little ones’ from coming to Jesus. Woe to them when they undercut a growing faith in Him; or when they deliberately keep those little ones from church; or when they deliberately mix the pure gospel message up with the philosophies and religions of this world in order to confuse them or hide its truth from them. Woe to the teacher or college professor who mocks and belittles the faith of Jesus’ little ones; or who makes it their aim to destroy the faith of those unfortunate believers who end up in their classroom. Woe to those who recruit Jesus’ little ones to cults and false religions though the pretense of professing the truths of the Christian faith; thus embittering their poor victims from the pure claims of His word. Woe to anyone who would dare to lead one of Jesus’ little ones into sin in order to justify their own sinful inclinations. And especially, woe to those who ever dare to lay a hand on any of Jesus’ precious little ones as an object of their own vile lusts![1]

Jesus doesn’t pronounce the woe on the sinner who stumbles, but on the one who caused them to stumble. You don’t want to be the one to hinder others from coming to Christ or walking with Christ. The point is: Refuse to be the cause of others’ stumbling.

Warren Wiersbe says about these verses: “The truly humble person helps to build up others, not to tear them down. He is a stepping-stone, not a stumbling block.”[2]

To keep from offending others in Christ, we must receive them on the merits of Christ and refuse to be the cause of other believers stumbling.

Third, Jesus gives a …

3. Correction: Reject enticements to stumble (Matt. 18:8-9)

Jesus says in Matthew 18:8-9,

8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. (Matt. 18:8-9)

If you want to avoid causing other people in stumble, you must first take care of the stumbling blocks in your own life. And so, Jesus tells you to get rid of anything in your life that causes you to sin. If there is anything in your life that would lead you to cause one of His little ones to stumble and fall into sin, it would be better for you to take whatever drastic measures are necessary to sever yourself from it.

Jesus uses very graphic imagery – cutting off your hand or foot, gouging out your eye. Jesus gave similar instructions back in Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount. There he was talking about the sin of adultery and how we should avoid even looking lustfully at another person with our eyes. Jesus is using hyperbole. I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that you should actually physically cut off your hand or foot, and dig out your eye—because, as Jesus taught, sin comes from the heart, not the hands or eyes. Mutilating yourself on the outside will not cure the disease of sin on the inside. Only Jesus can do that.

Sin takes people to hell (Rev. 21:8), and that makes sin something to avoid at all costs. Jesus says that whatever is causing you to sin, take drastic measures to get that thing out of your life. The point Jesus is making is that sin is so horrible that we should go to any extreme to reject it. He is saying that if there is anything in your life that would cause you to harm the faith of even a single one of His little ones who believe in Him—even if it were your hand, or your foot, or your eye—you’re much better off going through life without it.

In other words, you need to get rid of everything in your life that pulls you and other people away from Jesus. Just as it’s better to lose a leg than to lose your life, it’s better to lose things that cause sin than to lose your eternal life. Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures, and nothing is more urgent or extreme than our need to avoid sin and causing others to sin. Nothing is more urgent than believing in Jesus and helping others believe in Him. Anything that hinders that is expendable.

If you tolerate adultery in your own life, it will cause others to stumble. If you tolerate drunkenness in your own life, it will cause others to stumble. If you tolerate crudeness, or gossip, or jealousy, or strife, or lust, or any other sin in your own life it will cause others to stumble. The point is to reject anything that causes us or others to sin.

Charles Spurgeon commented on these verses: “Two hands, two feet, and two eyes will be of small advantage if cast into everlasting fire.” (Charles Spurgeon. The Gospel of the Kingdom: An Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew.) Or as someone else put it: “It is better to go limping into heaven than leaping into hell.” (Frederick Bruner, Matthew Volume 2, p. 640) No sacrifice is too great. No matter what you must do to get rid of sin in this life, it is worth it.[3]

God is holy. We are sinful. Life is short. Eternity is long. We are responsible to God not only for our own sins but for all the ways we cause others to stumble and fall. God is fiercely protective of His children—so should we be. Therefore, receive others in Christ. When you receive them, you receive Him. Refuse to be the cause of others’ stumbling. And reject all enticements to sin in your own life.

Listen—the gospel message is this: Jesus took the millstone from your neck and put it on His own. He died for your sin. He paid the debt you owed. When you believe in Jesus who died for you and was raised again, God accounts all your sin to Christ and accounts His righteousness to you. You get in on the merits of Christ. Let us give Him all the glory and honor. Jude writes, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25).

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[1] Greg Allen, Jesus and the Little Ones, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2007/093007.htm

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 65.

[3] Quoted by Ray Fowler, Causing Sin, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/causing-sin/

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The Greatest in the Kingdom

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

The Greatest in the Kingdom

Matthew 18:1-4

As we begin a new year today, we also begin a new chapter in our study of the Gospel of Matthew. You should remember that Matthew is the Gospel of the King and His Kingdom. Matthew wants us to see that Jesus is the promised and prophesied Messiah-King who will save His people from their sins. Jesus has taught about the Kingdom of Heaven and demonstrated His authority and power as the King through His compassion and miracles.

Remember that Matthew has structured his Gospel to highlight five major teaching sections alternating with narrative sections. In Matthew 14-17 we have been studying the narrative section that focuses on miracles, controversy, suffering, and glory. The central passage in this section was Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:18), and Jesus then promised to build His church. Jesus’ church is His assembly of called-out believers who form the community of His Kingdom presence in this age. Jesus then began to inform His disciples what it meant for Him to be the Christ—rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection. And what’s more, Jesus’ disciples must also be those who deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him in the way of suffering.

Then in Matthew 17, Jesus showed three of His disciples a glimpse of the glory of His Kingdom on the Mount of Transfiguration. And again, Jesus predicted His betrayal, death, and resurrection. The disciples do not comprehend what Jesus says and react by denying, disbelieving, and despairing. Matthew 17 ended with the coin in the fish to pay the temple tax. Thus, Jesus showed His humility while acknowledging that He was the very Son of God.

Now, turning the page to Matthew 18, Matthew presents the fourth of Jesus’ major teaching sections—this one prompted by a question from the disciples. The key words in this chapter are “little child” (Matt. 18:2,3,4,5) and “little ones” (Matt. 18:6,10,14)—descriptions of Jesus’ followers in their relationship to God and to one another. Jesus teaches how God’s Kingdom kids must relate to Him and each other. Jesus first teaches that everyone must enter the Kingdom of Heaven in humility like a little child (Matt. 18:1-4). Then He teaches that Kingdom people must receive one another as children (Matt. 18:5-9), care for each other as children (Matt. 18:10-14), reconcile with one another as children (Matt. 18:15-20), and forgive one another as children of the Kingdom (Matt. 18:21-35).[1] This chapter is essential for us because here Jesus teaches us how to relate to one another in His church (Matt. 18:17).

Today we will look at just the first four verses where Jesus where Jesus teaches that greatness in the Kingdom looks like the humility of a little child. Our passage begins when Jesus’ disciples ask Him a question.

1. The Disciple’s Question: Who is the Greatest? (Matt. 18:1)

Matthew 18:1 says, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’” Mark and Luke both make more explicit what Matthew implies here: the disciples are jockeying for position here.  Luke tells us that somewhere along the way in their travels “a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest” (Luke 9:46). Apparently, the disciples had kept this argument to themselves. But, as always, Jesus knew their thoughts. Mark’s Gospel tells us that when they all got into the house at Capernaum, Jesus asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” (Mark 9:33)? The Gospels record that this was a recurring dispute among the disciples. It will come up again in Matthew 20 when the mother of James and John asks that her sons might sit at His right and left hand in His kingdom.

Here in Matthew 18, even though the disciples are probably embarrassed about the argument (Mark 9:34 reports that “they kept silent”), they are still filled with enough pride and self-seeking to ask the question, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Ironically, while Jesus spoke of His personal humiliation and suffering, they argued about their personal exaltation and glory.

The fact that they ask that question shows that they still do not know what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. Even though Jesus taught about the attitudes of the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, … those who mourn, … the meek, … the hungry and thirsty, … the merciful, … the pure in heart, … the peacemakers, and … the persecuted, … for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3-10). Even though Jesus taught them that they “will be hated by all for My name’s sake … and a disciple is not above his master” (Matt. 10:22,24). Even though He taught, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 10:39). Even though He taught, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 17:24). They should have understood by now that selfish pride and personal advancement are the opposite of a kingdom mindset.

How does Jesus respond to their misguided question?

2. Jesus’ Response: Be Converted and Humble (Matt. 18:2-4)

In response to their question, we read, “Then Jesus called a little child to Him,” and “set him in the midst of them,” (Matt. 18:2). Apparently, the little boy was already there in the house. And apparently, he was old enough to come to Jesus when He called him. But the word that the original language uses means just what our translation says—a little child anywhere from an infant on up. The word stresses the immaturity of the child and the need to be under direction or instruction.[2]

Children always seemed to be comfortable around Jesus and He always welcomed them gladly. We will see this again in Matthew 19. Jesus placed this tiny, humble little boy in their plain view as an object lesson to them. Then He dropped the bombshell on them all. Jesus arrests their attention with the words, “Assuredly, I say to you,” indicating the gravity of what He is about to say. Then, using the strongest negations that could be stated, He says, “unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3-4).

The disciples were asking about who is the greatest in the kingdom, but Jesus says that the real question is not who is great in the kingdom, but who can enter the kingdom. Jesus says that two things must happen to enter the Kingdom of Heaven: 1) be converted and 2) become as little children.

Be Converted

First, He says that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven “unless you are converted” (Matt. 18:3). The word He uses means “to turn around”.[3] It means that we recognize that we’re going the wrong way and that we must turn around and go the opposite way. It’s very much the same idea expressed by the word “repent” in the Old Testament (שׁוּב, shûwb, meaning to turn back[4]). The disciples were seeking greatness in the kingdom, but they were going in the wrong direction to get there. They were preoccupied with “one-ups-man-ship” and elevating themselves. They needed to repent of that mindset, turn away from it, and go the opposite way.

Do you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus says you must change. Jesus says you cannot remain the way you are if you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. You need to turn away from self-promotion. You need to repent. Change your mindset. Turn from self to God. But notice that Jesus states this requirement in the passive voice, you “are converted.” This change, this turning around and repenting, is not something you do to yourself. It is something that is done in you by God. Only God has the power to convert a soul. It requires both a personal response by the sinner and the power of God to save. No one comes into the Kingdom of Heaven any other way. Unless you are turned around and converted, “you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).

Become as little children

Second, Jesus tells them that, along with being “converted”, they must also “become as little children”. And there, before them, stood a living example. What does Jesus mean that we must “become as little children”? We can sure that it doesn’t mean that we should become “childish”. In Matthew 11, Jesus denounced that generation for being childish in wanting their own way in the kingdom (Matt. 11:16-17). Here, the disciples were being childishly selfish. That’s why the Lord needed to correct them. The Bible also indicates that we must not become “children” in our understanding of God’s word, but are to be “mature” (1 Cor. 14:20; Eph. 4:14-15; Heb. 5:13).

Jesus says that the quality He want us to become as little children is humility. He explains in Matthew 18:4, “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” D A Carson points out that “The child is held up as an ideal, not of innocence, purity, or faith, but of humility and unconcern for social status.”[5] The little boy is the opposite of the attitude of the disciples. They were seeking status. This little child had none. In Jewish society, children were considered to be of no importance and were not to taken seriously except as a responsibility, one to be looked after, certainly not one to be looked up to.[6]

What does a child-like attitude look like? We began our worship service today by reading Psalm 131. There, King David gives us a good picture of being child-like:

1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever (Psalm 131).

David teaches us in this psalm that to become like a little child means that we cease from being “haughty” or “proud”. It means that we cease from raising our eyes in a “lofty” or “arrogant” way. It means that we humbly accept that there are things that we cannot understand about the greatness of God’s plan. It means that we are meek and humble before God and His word.

Second, it means that we become content in God’s love. Like a weaned child, we don’t fret and worry but become like a little child resting comfortably and satisfied in mother’s arms. It means that we become calm within our soul because of the Father’s good care for us. We are content in God’s loving provision.

And finally, it means that we hope in God. We don’t look to our own resources. We don’t imagine that it’s all up to us. Instead, we trust in God knowing that He loves us. We are confident in God’s power. Jesus says to humble yourself like a little child, that is, to acknowledge your weakness before God and look to Him as your strength.

Do you want to be great? Then make yourself small! Come to Jesus in dependent, trusting, childlike faith. Humble yourself like a little child. This is greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Think about it. Who humbled Himself more than anyone else in history? Jesus. He left the glory of heaven, laid aside His privilege and prominence, humbled Himself, lived as a servant, and became obedient to His Father even to the point of dying on the cross. Jesus is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven because He humbled Himself the most.

And why did He serve and give His life on the cross? As a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). He humbled Himself to suffer and die on the cross for sinners. He is the atoning sacrifice that makes us right with God. He took our sin upon Himself so that we could receive His righteousness. And how do we receive this salvation from sin? By faith in Christ. By simply humbling ourselves like little children to come desperately needy, empty-handed, trusting only in His death and resurrection to save us. Have you come to Jesus that way? Let God turn you around today, be converted, be changed, believe in Jesus, trust only in Him. He will save you, make you a child of God, and you will enter His kingdom.

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[1] John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew, Moody Publishers, Chicago, p. 94.

[2] William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study Series: Matthew Vol. 2, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, p. 175.

[3] Blue Letter Bible, Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4762/nkjv/tr/0-1/.

[4] Blue Letter Bible, Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7725/nkjv/wlc/0-1/.

[5] 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), 397.

[6] R.T. France, Matthew, an Introduction, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. P. 274.

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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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The Transfiguration

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

The Transfiguration

Matthew 16:28 – 17:9

In Matthew 17, we have what is called the transfiguration. The account records three disciples seeing Jesus’ appearance changed into His glorified form right before their very eyes. Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus and the voice of God the Father sounds forth. It was a momentous event in Jesus’ life as well as in the lives of Peter, James, and John. All three synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—record this amazing occurrence (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:1-8; Luke 9:28-36). Peter himself refers to it in his second letter (2 Peter 1:16-18). John doesn’t record the incident in his Gospel, but he does allude to it when he writes, “we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Plus, John describes his vision of the risen, glorified, and transfigured Christ later in the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:13-16).

We must not let the chapter division get in the way of the context. Remember that after Peter confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16) and Jesus promised to build His church (Matt. 16:18-20), the Lord began to explain the necessity of His suffering, death, and resurrection (Matt. 16:21). Stunned by this ominous image, Peter reacted by taking Jesus aside and rebuking Him (Matt. 16:22). But Jesus, determined to fulfill the Father’s purpose, rebuked Peter (Matt. 16:23).

Jesus then taught His disciples the necessity of the cross for them as well, saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24). I’m sure this also puzzled the disciples who still envisioned the kingdom arriving with earthly grandeur. So, Jesus pointed to the certainty of future glory in His kingdom, saying, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matt. 16:27). The whole New Testament confirms that Jesus will come again in glory to judge men and consummate His kingdom.

Putting this all together, here is Jesus—affirmed to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” God in human flesh, destined to be revealed as the glorious King of kings and Lord of lords. But He also must first suffer for sinners, die on the cross, and be raised on the third day. And He insists that anyone who would come after Him must follow Him to suffering and death—to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. They are to be willing to do this, trusting that the Son of Man will come to earth again one day, in the glory of His Father, and will reward each according to their works.

That brings us up to today’s passage. It’s important that we remember the context, so we begin with Matthew 16:28, which I spoke about briefly at the end of our last lesson. But we need to take a closer look at it today because it ties together what Jesus just said in Matthew 16 with what Jesus does in Matthew 17. Everything in this passage is there to show the disciples, and us, who Jesus is and what He has come to do. First, I want us to …

1. Consider Christ’s Kingdom (Matt. 16:28).

After Jesus spoke to His disciples about following Him in His suffering and assured them of His coming glory and judgment, then Jesus made another startling statement in Matthew 16:28, “Assuredly,” or literally, “Amen,” “I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” This verse has created quite the controversy over the years because Jesus had just made a statement, a prophecy, about His second coming. He said that He “will come in the glory of His Father with His angels” and that He will come as the judge to “reward each according to his works” (Matt. 16:27). Therefore, if Matthew 16:28 is talking about the same event, Jesus seems to be saying that some of the disciples who were with Him when He said this will still be alive when He returns.

The problem is that, obviously, everyone who was with Christ on that day has died many centuries ago, and Christ has not returned in glory to judge the world. So, what did Jesus mean when He said, “there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom”? Some have foolishly claimed that Jesus was mistaken. Others think that Jesus was referring to His resurrection, or His ascension, or His giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, or His judging the nation of Israel in the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., or even the expansion of the church in this age. Certainly in all these interpretations (except the one that says Jesus made a mistake), Christ’s kingdom was manifested in powerful ways in those events.

However, I think the answer is much simpler and is indicated by the context. In each of the synoptic Gospels, the next event immediately after Jesus gives this promise is the transfiguration. Look at Matthew 17:1, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves.” (cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27). Jesus takes “some standing” there (three of them in particular), and they “see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” This promise from our Lord was fulfilled only six days after He gave it. Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of the glorified Christ in His royal majesty. In fact, the word “kingdom” can be translated “kingship or royal power”[i] These disciples saw a vision of Jesus’ kingly majesty. It was a preview of Christ’s majestic glory and royal splendor that all will see when Jesus comes again.

Many years after this event, Peter writes about their experience on that mountain in 2 Peter 1. To urge his fellow Christians to keep following Jesus even through suffering and death, Peter reminds them that he saw the power, glory, and majesty of Christ—the same majesty that will be His when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Listen to what Peter testifies:

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. (2 Pet. 1:16-18).

Jesus’ transfiguration assured Peter that Jesus’ glorious kingdom is not just wishful thinking. It is real. Jesus Christ is king. Yes, there would be suffering and death for Jesus and for His followers, but there will also be the glory that will follow. His kingdom is glorious. His majesty is unmatched. Christ will come again in the consummation of His kingdom and glory. And we who are His will behold His coming kingdom in its fullness. Peter, James, and John saw a preview of Christ’s kingdom, a glimpse of His glory. And by the inspired word of God, we can see it as well.

So this event was given for us to consider Christ’s kingdom. Second, the transfiguration allows us to …

2. Glimpse Christ’s Glory (Matt. 17:1-3).

Look at Matthew 17:1 again. It says, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves.” Jesus separated Peter, James, and John from the rest of the disciples. These three seemed to form an inner circle of disciples who were privileged to witness things the other disciples did not. Only these three of the disciples were in the room when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mark 5:37,40; Luke 8:51). Jesus would ask these same three to stay and watch with Him as He prayed in the garden on the night He was betrayed. The Scriptures say, “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matt. 18:16; Deut. 19:15). These three would become powerful witnesses of Christ and His glory.

Matthew says that Jesus “led them up on a high mountain.” None of the Gospels name the mountain. The traditional location is Mount Tabor in Galilee, but many scholars think Mount Hermon is a more likely choice. It rises some 9,200 feet above sea level near Caesarea-Philippi where Jesus has been with His disciples. What we do know is that, in the Bible, high mountains are often significant places. It was on a mountain called Moriah that God manifested His grace to Abraham when he willingly offered up his son Isaac (Gen. 22). It was on Mount Sinai that God handed down His Law to Moses (Exo. 19). It was on Mount Carmel that God demonstrated His power to Israel through Elijah (1 Kings 18). It was on Mount Horeb that God ministered peace to the troubled heart of Elijah (1 Kings 19). It was on Mount Calvary that Jesus died for our sins on the cross (John 19). It was from the Mount of Olives that Jesus ascended back into His heavenly glory (Acts 1:9-11). And it will be that same mountain that will greet His feet when He returns in glory (Zech. 14:4).

And on this mountain, the disciples get a glimpse of Christ’s glory. Matthew 17:2 describes what happened, “and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”

The verb “transfigured” means “to change into another form”[ii]. We get our English word metamorphosis from this word. For over thirty years, since the time of His conception in the womb of the virgin Mary, Jesus had been in the form of a man. Philippians 2 says that although Christ existed “in the form of God”, being “equal with God” (Phi. 2:6), He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phi. 2:7). Before the Son of God came in the likeness of men, He lived in dazzling glory in heaven. In John 17, looking toward His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus prays, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5). From eternity past, Jesus existed in the form of God with all the glory of God.

But the Lord emptied Himself of that glory to come “in the likeness of men”.  He allowed His glory and majesty to be veiled in the womb of a virgin, and then in the body of a baby, and then in the quiet life of a carpenter from Nazareth. Isaiah prophesied about God’s servant humbling Himself saying,

He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isa. 53:2-3).

When Jesus lived and walked among us, all that most people ever saw with their eyes was His humanity. And it was nothing special. It was not stately, or majestic, or attractive. Jesus’ deity was hidden beneath the veil of His humanity. They saw Jesus demonstrate the wisdom of God in His teaching and the power of God by His miracles, but they never saw His true essence as the Son of God.

But on this day, on this mountain, the veil was pulled back and these three men witnessed the true glory and majesty of the Son of God. Matthew tells us “His face shone like the sun” (Matt. 17:2). Jesus’ face radiated—not from being in the presence of God, but because He truly was God. His was not a mere reflected light such as the moon, but it was like the sun itself in its brightness and strength. And we’re also told that our Lord’s “clothes became as white as the light.” Mark, in his Gospel account, tells us that His garments became “exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them” (Mark 9:3). This is the same glory that the prophet Daniel saw centuries before when he had a vision of God: “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire.” (Daniel 7:9). It’s hard to imagine how magnificent and resplendent this sight must have been.

Yet, that’s not all they saw. Matthew 17:3 tells us, “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” What a sight! Moses and Elijah appeared out of nowhere. Think about this. Moses was the great Old Testament giver of the law. And Elijah was among the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. But Moses had died about fourteen hundred years earlier, and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot about eight hundred years earlier. And now, they both suddenly appear alive and are talking with Jesus. As Jesus later says to the Sadducees, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” After His resurrection Jesus will say, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, testify to the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

These two men also represent the two ways that people meet the Lord when He returns. Moses died and was buried (Deut. 34:5-6). Elijah was taken up in a fiery chariot into Heaven (2 Kings 2:11). Like Moses, many believers die and are buried—they are “absent from the body” and “present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). When the Lord comes again, they will be raised to life and appear with Jesus. And like Elijah, some will be taken up alive to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thes. 4:16-18). Regardless of how you leave this world, if you know the Lord, you will be with Him in glory when He returns! This is our blessed hope—the “glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13).

Luke, in his Gospel, tells us what they were talking about—that Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). His “decease” is the word “exodos” meaning departure. They were speaking about Jesus’ coming death—the same thing Jesus had just told His disciples in Matthew 16. Now Moses and Elijah, the representatives of the Law and the Prophets, spoke with our Lord concerning the death for us that He was about to accomplish on the cross! 

Even though the veil is temporarily removed and Jesus’ glory is displayed, Jesus is still looking to the cross. And it is obvious from Moses and Elijah that heaven anticipates its accomplishment with Him.

So in this passage, we are called to consider Christ’s kingdom, to glimpse His glory, and third to …

3. Hear Christ’s Honor (Matt. 17:4-9).

How would you react if you saw what Peter, James, and John saw that day? As Peter beheld the glory of the Lord Jesus on display, and as he saw Moses and Elijah in talking with Him, Peter was overwhelmed. He said to Jesus; “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matt. 17:4). When Luke told this story, he added that Peter said these things, “. . . not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33).

Why would Peter suggest building tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah? Luke tells us that Peter said this as Moses and Elijah “were parting from Him” (Luke 9:33). Perhaps Peter sensed that this great moment was closing, and he wished to preserve it—to just stay and enjoy it longer. Perhaps, seeing the royal splendor of Jesus accompanied by Moses and Elijah, Peter thinks that Jesus is now going to establish His world-wide reign as the Messianic King. The prophet Zechariah prophesied that “the day of the LORD is coming …” (Zech 14:1) when “the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with Him” (Zech. 14:5), and “the LORD shall be King over all the earth” (Zech 14:9). And then “it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zech 14:16).

Peter could have easily thought that what he saw could be the beginning of the kingdom reign of Christ. He could think of nothing better than celebrating the feast of Tabernacles there on that Mountain with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But Peter was wrong. The kingdom was coming, but not in the way that he envisioned it. Moses and Elijah left, and Jesus was still going to Jerusalem to die.

Peter wanted to honor all three—Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But the three are by no means equal in status. Moses and Elijah were great messengers of God, but their message was about Christ. And it’s Jesus Christ who must be honored and worshiped. This point is made clear by what happened next. Matthew 17:5 says, “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!””

This was no ordinary cloud. It was a “bright cloud“; and it seemed to encompass them—as if to silence them and place a holy veil over the things that they were then seeing. God often appeared in a cloud in the Old Testament. The cloud enveloped Mount Sinai in Exodus 19 at the giving of the law (Ex. 19:16,18); in Exodus 40, the cloud covered the Tabernacle of Meeting filling it with the glory of the Lord (Ex. 40:34-35); later, in 1 Kings 8, the cloud of the glory of the Lord filled the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10-12). And now, as the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ—God in human flesh, the true temple of the LORD—is being revealed, this cloud once again comes as a covering.

The voice of the Father rumbled from within this cloud to the three trembling disciples, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt. 17:5). This is the second time in the Gospel of Matthew that the voice of the Father spoke. The first time was at Jesus’ baptism when the Father said essentially the same thing: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Remember that “This is My beloved Son” links to Psalm 2 and Christ as the King, while “in whom I am well pleased” links to Isaiah 42 and Christ as the suffering servant. Here, the Father stresses the command to the disciples, “Hear Him!“

What did they need to hear from Jesus? Exactly what He had begun to tell them in Matthew 16:21, “…that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Jesus had been trying to teach His disciples this, but they misunderstood and resisted His words. God the Father reinforces Christ’s message, “Hear Him!” The road to glory leads through the cross.

Then Matthew records, “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (Matt. 17:6-8). The transfiguration was over. Jesus has done just what He said in Matthew 16:28. They saw “the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:28). They witnessed His royal majesty. They saw what He intended for them to see and heard what He needed them to hear. Now, Moses was gone. Elijah was gone. The cloud was gone. The voice of the Father was gone. All they saw was Jesus—with the words of the Father, “Hear Him!“, still echoing in their ears.

Matthew 17:9 says, “Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”” The reason Jesus commanded them to tell no one until after His resurrection was the same reason He commanded them to keep silent about Him after they affirmed Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:20). His divine destiny—His purpose from the Father—remained the same. He still must go to Jerusalem, must be rejected, suffer, and die on the cross for our sins.

Which is exactly what we learn next. We must …

4. Contemplate Christ’s Suffering (Matt. 17:10-13).

As Jesus and the disciples descend the mountain, they ask Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” (Matt. 17:10). They probably ask this because they just saw Elijah with Jesus on the mountain. All their lives, as Jewish men, they had been brought up to believe that the great Old Testament prophet Elijah would arrive into this world before the Messiah and prepare His people for His coming. In fact, in the very last two verses of the last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi, God says,

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Mal 4:5-6 NKJV)

The disciples just saw Jesus in His glory accompanied by Elijah. But perhaps they are wondering: Where is ‘the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children, and of the children to their fathers’? Where is “the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD“? Why did the glory of the Lord shine—and then suddenly disappear? Why did Elijah come—and then suddenly leave? Why is it that, instead of the conquest and victory of the kingdom, they hear Jesus speak of ‘the cross’, and of ‘suffering’?

Jesus graciously answered their question. First, notice that Jesus said, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first“—or, as the New International Version has it, “To be sure, Elijah comes”—”and will restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). In other words, the expectation that the scribes taught was correct. Elijah truly comes into this world, and truly performs a ministry of restoration as the forerunner to the Messiah—just as they said.

But then comes the shocker. They were still looking for Elijah’s coming to yet occur. And Jesus tells them, “But I say to you that Elijah has come already . . .” (Matt. 17:12a). Can you imagine what a surprise that must have been to the disciples? “What?”, they would have said to themselves; “Did we miss something? Elijah already came and we didn’t know it? When? Where?”

Jesus drops another bombshell on them and tells them that Elijah came to those to whom he was sent; “. . . and they did not know him but did whatever they wished” (Matt. 17:12b). The word “know” means that they did not “recognize him” in the sense of acknowledging him and accepting him for who he is. And when Jesus says “did whatever they wished“, He implies that he suffered mistreatment and abuse. And Jesus says, “Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands” (Matt. 17:12).

Matthew 17:13 says, “Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.” Perhaps then, the disciples remembered what Jesus said about John the Baptist back in Matthew 11:

… “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.” (Matt. 11:7-14).

John was once asked, early in his ministry, if he was Elijah; and he plainly told those who asked, “I am not” (John 1:21). But he did affirm “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,”‘ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23). He was not Elijah in the literal sense; but he was the “Elijah” in the sense that he fulfilled the role of the forerunner-prophet who would prepare the way for the Lord’s coming—just as was promised in Isaiah 40 and Malachi 4.

And the point Jesus stresses is that just as John was unrecognized, rejected, and killed, “Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands” (Matt. 17:12). John fulfilled his ministry through suffering and death. Jesus must also, but in an even great way: “He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matt. 16:21).

The cross was not an obstruction to the kingdom of God, it was the plan of God for the fulfillment of His kingdom. The message of the cross is the only gospel that saves from sin. Believing in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sin is the only way into the kingdom of heaven. The transfiguration was a preview of the glory of Christ and His kingdom that will be fulfilled when He returns. The transfiguration was an affirmation of Christ’s Sonship and a preview of His second coming. Christ will return in power and glory, and then we will share in the glorious resurrection to come. Our God is the God of the living who will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like Christ’s glorious body. Jesus is God’s Son. Listen to Him.

Are you ready for Christ’s return? If Christ were to come back this afternoon, would you be ready? The first step to being ready is to turn from your sin and trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you haven’t done that, you are definitely not ready!

So, if you do not know Christ as your Savior this morning, let me encourage you to put your faith in Him. God has never turned away anyone who has come to Him through Jesus His Son. If you come to God believing in Christ, He will save you. He will forgive your sins, and He will welcome you into His kingdom.

——————————————

[i] Outline of Biblical Usage, Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g932/nkjv/tr/0-1/  

[ii] Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3339/nkjv/tr/0-1/

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The Necessity of the Cross, Part 2

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

The Necessity of the Cross, Part 2

Matthew 16:24-27

We come today to the end of Matthew 16. This chapter records a truly pivotal point in the account of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Simon Peter had declared the fundamental truth about the identity of Jesus, confessing, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Jesus confirmed his confession, saying, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). This led to Jesus declaring to Simon, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” Matt. 16:18). Thus we saw in Matthew 16:18-20 the church’s foundation, builder, victory, and authority.

Matthew then tells us that Jesus gave His disciples the most shocking news: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” (Matt. 16:21). Jesus taught that the cross was a divine necessity. He “must” suffer, be killed, and rise again. It was the Father’s set purpose for Him.

Yet, due to their mistaken expectations, the disciples struggled to understand this truth. Peter even found the idea so intolerable that he dared to pull Jesus aside to rebuke Him. Like the devil, Peter offered Christ the crown without the cross, success without sacrifice, promises without pain. But Jesus rejected the devil’s way and man’s way, and He chose instead God’s way (Matt. 16:23)—the way of the cross. The cross was necessary because it was the will of the Father. It was necessary to save sinners. It was necessary to build His church. It was necessary to purify His bride. It was necessary for the fulfillment of the kingdom of heaven. It was necessary for the glory of God. Thus, Jesus was laser-focused on going to the cross.

And it was then that Jesus turned to His bewildered disciples and called them to do the same, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). If they wanted to follow Him, they also would need to go the way of the cross. The way of the cross was necessary for Jesus, and it is necessary for His disciples. And His disciples include not just the twelve. It is “anyone desires to come after” Jesus. “Not only is Jesus Himself determined to go forward in a path which leads to suffering and death, undeterred by Peter’s remonstrance, and not only must His twelve disciples be willing to follow in such a path, but this holds true of any and every one who wishes to be his follower at all.”[1]

What does it look like to come after Him—to follow Him? What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? That is what Jesus teaches us in this passage today. Jesus is not so much teaching us the conditions of salvation, but the consequences of salvation. He is telling us the cost that comes when you are a disciple of Jesus. We know that the whole New Testament declares that we are saved by God’s grace through believing in Jesus. Christ has paid in full the debt of our sins on the cross, and He is alive today to give forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who believe in Him. Salvation is the gift of God. Redemption is free to us because Christ paid for it with His own blood on the cross. In that sense, being a disciple of Jesus costs us nothing. We do not deserve it, and we cannot earn it. We simply receive it as a gift by the open hand of faith. But in another sense, being a disciple costs us everything. We receive it freely, but it comes with consequences.

Have you ever talked with unbelievers about Christ, explained the gospel message, and urged them to trust Christ to receive God’s gift of salvation—only to have them turn it down? And in their case, it wasn’t because they didn’t understand the truth of the gospel message. It wasn’t because they had some intellectual questions or doubts. It wasn’t because they experienced bad things from the church. No. For them, they didn’t believe in Christ because they knew where following Christ would lead, and they didn’t want to go there. They knew that if they believed in Jesus Christ—because Jesus is Lord, and He is Holy—He would lead them to give up things in their life that they wanted to keep, to change in ways they wouldn’t want to, or to suffer things they wished to avoid. And therefore, they considered the cost too great. Like the rich young ruler, they walked away from the treasure of Christ to hold onto the trinkets of this world.

In this morning’s passage, Jesus confronts us with the cost of being His disciple. Those who wish to follow Him must follow Him by way of the cross. Jesus teaches us of the necessity of the cross. The way of discipleship is the way of the cross. In Matthew 16:24 we will see three demands of discipleship, what it will cost to come after Jesus. Then in Matthew 16:25-27 we will see three reasons for discipleship, why it will be worth it to follow Jesus.

First, we see …

1. The Demands of Discipleship (Matt. 16:24)

Having rebuked Peter for trying to dissuade Him from the cross, in Matthew 16:24, Jesus turned and spoke to all the disciples, saying, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The demands of discipleship are for “anyone” who “desires to come after Me.” The word “desires” means more than is wishful. It is determined and constant exercise of the will.[2] The following demands of discipleship are not optional for disciples. They are for all who are willing to come and follow Jesus.

The first demand is …

A. Deny Yourself

Jesus says, ““If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matt. 16:24). The word “deny” is a very strong one. It means to completely renounce or utterly disown. It’s the same word that describes Peter denying that he even knew Jesus after His arrest (Matt. 26:34,75). When Jesus says that we must deny ourselves, He isn’t simply speaking of a minor act of denying ourselves something that we want—like a bowl of ice-cream after dinner.[3] Nor is He saying to merely deny some portion, fault, habit, desire, or outward practice.[4] He is speaking of nothing less than utterly to deny and renounce our very “selves”.

To deny yourself means that you are done with yourself. You are done with your ways and your wants. Your thoughts, your ambitions, and your feelings all take second place to Jesus. You have surrendered your will to Jesus. What matters now is not yourself, because you have denied yourself. What matters now is the One whom you follow.[5]

This demand from Jesus is completely opposite to the ideology that our modern culture promotes. The progressive philosophy is that the “self” is the highest possible authority—higher than science, logic, social benefit, and even God. People insist they can determine their own reality and if you hinder them, or even disagree, they condemn you for violating their “self”. Self-worship is the wellspring of the immorality, corruption, and decadence that plague our world.

In a world dominated by self-preservation, self-esteem, self-congratulation, and self-promotion, Jesus demands that we deny ourselves. The world says, “Affirm yourself”, but Jesus says, “Deny yourself”. You can either affirm yourself and deny Jesus, or you can affirm Jesus and deny yourself.[6]      

The first demand of discipleship is to deny yourself. The second is …

B. Take Up Your Cross

Jesus said, “let him … take up his cross.” (Matt 16:24). When a person took up a cross in Jesus’ day, that meant only one thing. It meant that person was going to their death. Crucifixion was a common form of capital punishment in the Roman empire. Many Jews had seen hundreds of people crucified. The condemned were, in an act of public humiliation, made to carry their own cross to the place of execution. Many times, people verbally abused and assaulted the cross-bearers along the way. Jesus started out carrying His cross to Golgotha (John 19:17).

So what does Jesus mean when He says to take up your cross? To take up your cross is to go to your death. It means you are like a condemned man on his way to execution. You are willing to suffer every humiliation, insult, and abuse for the name of Jesus Christ. It would means we deny ourselves even to the point of death—just as Jesus did for us. Peter later writes about suffering for Christ, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21). To take up your cross means, as Paul wrote, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). For he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20).

Sometimes, when you hear people say, “This is my cross to bear,” they are talking about their health, their spouse, their children, or some kind burden they face. These things may be real challenges in a Christian’s life, but they are not crosses. One pastor writes, “Circumstances may be painful like a cross, and they may be a burden like a cross, but they themselves are not crosses, for a cross is something that is to be picked up willingly. A cross is something that requires us to deny our way of doing things and to choose God’s way of doing things. It is saying no to our stubborn will and surrendering to God’s sovereign will. Tough circumstances provide plenty of opportunities to pick up our cross, but the circumstance itself is not a cross, it’s only an opportunity to choose one.”[7]

Dr. P.P. Job (1945-2012) was known as the “Billy Graham of India.” He faced severe persecution for preaching Christ. Hindu militants in India failed in an attempt on Job’s life in 1999, but in June of that year they killed his 21-year old son, Michael, by running him down with a car near the medical school where he was studying to become a doctor. In his book, Why God, Why?, Dr. Job tells this story of taking up the cross:

About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales, England.  As a result of this, many missionaries came from England to northeast India to spread the Gospel.  The region was known as Assam and comprised hundreds of tribes.  The tribal communities were quite primitive and aggressive.  The tribesmen were also called head-hunters because of a social custom which required the male members of the community to collect as many heads as possible.  A man’s strength and ability to protect his wife was assessed by the number of heads he had collected.  Therefore, a youth of marriageable age would try and collect as many heads as possible and hang them on the walls of his house.  The more heads a man had, the more eligible he was considered.  Into this hostile and aggressive community, came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace, and hope of Jesus Christ.  Naturally, they were not welcomed.  One Welsh missionary finally succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children.  This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity.  Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers.  He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution.  Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man sung his reply, “I have decided to follow Jesus.  No turning back.”

     Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children.  As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith?  You have lost both your children.  You will lose your wife too.”

     But the man replied, again singing, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.  No turning back.”

     The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down.  In a moment she joined her two children in death.  Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.”

     In the face of death the man sung, “The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back.  No turning back.”[8]

This is the demand of discipleship. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and …

C. Follow Jesus

To come after Jesus, to be His disciple means following Him. This means that we must imitate Him. We must go where He goes, and act as He acts, and walk as He walked. It means that we must obey His commands, and keep faithful to His instructions. If Jesus is your Lord, you do what He says.

Disciples of Jesus follow Jesus. And where is Jesus going? The way of the cross. The way of self-denial, suffering, and death. You cannot follow Jesus without going the way of the cross. Paul wrote, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12). Discipleship demands that you deny yourself and be willing even to die for the sake of obedience to Christ.

Obviously, that means that if the day comes that you must suffer or die for Christ, you need not think something went wrong but know that it is the way of following Christ. We need to remove from our thinking the idea that if we are obeying Christ, everything will go smoothly. Following Christ comes with cost.

At this point you might be thinking, “Wow! Those are some pretty strong demands of discipleship. If this is what it means to be a follower of Jesus, why would anyone want to?”

So next, Jesus tells us why being His disciple is worth denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Him. 

2. The Reasons for Discipleship (Matt. 16:25-27)

In the next three verses, Jesus gives us three reasons why you should accept these demands and follow Him on the way of the cross. You can recognize these reasons in the text because they all start with the word “for”. The first reason is …

A. Your life depends on it (Matt. 16:25)

Jesus says in Matthew 16:25, “For whoever desires to save his life will loose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” The contrast here is between your temporary life on this earth and your eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. If you try to save your life by living for yourself and for your own goals or desires, you will end up losing it in eternity. But if you lose your life for Jesus, if you deny yourself and follow Christ, you will find it in eternity.

The bible give us many examples of this spiritual principle. In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lived for Himself upon the earth. He “was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day” (Luke 16:19). Though he had an abundance, he was wicked and ignored the poor, sick beggar at his gate. And where did it land him? It landed him in torment in Hades (Luke 16:23). Contrast him with another rich man in Luke 19 named Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2). When Jesus came to his house, Zacchaeus was transformed by faith in Christ, saying, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” (Luke 19:8). He lost his life. And Jesus said about him, “Today salvation has come to this house … for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10).

The rich young ruler came to Jesus, seeking eternal life. When Jesus told him that it would cost him his life and his riches to follow him, “he went away sorrowful” and refused to follow Jesus (Matt. 19:22). For all we know, he saved his life upon the earth, with earthly goods and treasures, but he lost it in eternity. Contrast this with Moses. Hebrews 11 says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Heb. 11:24-26). Moses lost his life upon the earth, but he gained his life in eternity. In Matthew 17, at the transfiguration, we find that Moses is alive and with Jesus.

Why should you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus? First, because your life depends on it. Second, because …

B. Your soul is precious (Matt. 16:26)

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).

These are rhetorical questions. They are left unanswered because the answers are so obvious. What good is it if you gain the whole world and yet forfeit your soul? The answer is, “No good at all!” You could gain everything, you could have more money, wealth and power than any other human being who has ever lived, and it means absolutely nothing if you lose your life or your soul in the process. And then, what can you give in exchange for your soul? Nothing! Nothing is as valuable as your soul.

Think about King Solomon as he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. He was extremely rich. He was very intelligent. Nothing ever got in the way of his pursuits. He pursued every pleasure (Ecc. 2:1-2), alcohol (Ecc. 2:3), material wealth (Ecc. 2:4-8a), entertainment (Ecc. 2:8b), and sexual pleasure (Ecc. 2:8c). He said, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (Ecc. 2:10). And in the end, he concluded, “indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.” (Ecc. 2:11). This is what Jesus is saying. The whole world is not enough to exchange for your soul.

Why should you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus? First, because your life depends on it. Second, because your soul is precious. And third, because …

C. The reward is priceless (Matt. 16:27)

“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” (Matt. 16:27). When Christ returns, there will be a judgment. He will reward each person according to what he has done. You will be judged on how you lived your life, whether you lived for self or lived for God.

When Christ returns, the time of suffering for His followers will be over. All those who followed Christ in the way of the cross will now follow Him into glory. In this life, they carried their cross. In eternity, they wear a crown. Colossians 3 says,

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

Yes, obedience to Christ may cost you everything, even your own life, but on the day of judgment, you will have no regrets. Throughout eternity, you’ll never regret having joyfully taken up your cross to follow Christ. Every ounce of suffering will be well worth it and more.

Jesus even gives Peter, James, and John a glimpse of that glory six days later in the transfiguration, letting them see clearly that all of His promises are true. I believe that’s what Jesus means when He says in Matthew 16:28, “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Jesus is real. He really came. He really died for sinners. He really rose again. He really is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He really will come again to judge the world. Every knee will bow before Him. And this same Jesus gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. The bible says we have all sinned and rebelled against our Maker, and consequently, we stand condemned before God. But Christ paid our sin debt in full at the cross. Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead on the third day? God will credit Christ’s perfect righteousness to you. His death will atone for your sins. You will be forgiven, redeemed, adopted, and born-again as a child of God and heir of eternal life. That is a glorious invitation.

Come to Jesus for eternal life. You can receive it freely by faith. Come to Jesus because your life depends on it, your soul is most precious, and the reward is priceless. Come, realizing it will demand from you everything, even your own life. Yet with Christ, it is worth it all. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Cor. 4:17). Jesus said, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matt. 5:12).

————————————————-

[1] John A. Broadus, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, American Commentary on the New Testament (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1886), 365.

[2] Vincent and Vines Word Studies quoted on Precept Austin Matthew Commentary, https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-16-commentary#16:24

[3] Greg Allen, Come Along – and Don’t Forget Your Cross!, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2007/070807.htm

[4] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961), 643.

[5] Steve Brandon, You Must Take Up Your Cross, https://sermons.rvbc.cc/sermons/2004-016

[6] Ray Fowler, True Discipleship, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/true-discipleship/

[7] Josh Black, Salvation and Abundant Life Through Cross-Bearing,  https://www.firstfreewichita.org/download/455

[8] Leon Stier, Hymns, https://emailmeditations.com/2014/08/23/499-the-story-behind-the-song-i-have-decided-to-follow-jesus/

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The Necessity of the Cross, Part 1

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

The Necessity of the Cross, Part 1

Matthew 16:20-23

Over the last few weeks we have been taking a close look at a central passage in Matthew 16. Jesus took His disciples away from the Jewish crowds in Galilee to the mostly Gentile area of Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13). There Jesus questioned them about His identity, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). Simon Peter spoke up for the group and confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). That Jesus is “the Christ” means He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior, an anointed King in the line of David who would reign forever. That Jesus is “the Son of God” means that He is divine, having the very nature and essence of God Himself. Jesus blessed Peter and his confession, saying “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17).

Then Jesus told Simon, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” Matt. 16:18). And we spent three weeks examining the church that Jesus builds—its foundation, builder, victory, and authority. Peter and the other apostles believed that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. And based on the reality of Jesus’ identity—the truth that God revealed and they confessed—Jesus will build His victorious and powerful church.

But as great and true as that confession was, Jesus’ disciples did not really know what all that meant. They understood that Jesus was the Christ, but they did not understand what it meant for Him to be the Christ. They knew His identity but they did not know His mission.

Matthew 16:20 says, “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” Why did Jesus tell His disciples not to tell anyone? Well, for one, the disciples were not ready. They did not understand all they needed to about Jesus Christ and His mission to save sinners. That would not become clear to them until after Jesus’ resurrection. In our text, Peter, who had just confessed that Jesus is the Christ, would rebuke the Lord as He predicted His suffering and death. And later, when Jesus is arrested, Peter will deny the Lord.

They were not ready because they did not understand the gospel message was about Christ saving sinner through His death and resurrection. And they were not ready because the Holy Spirit had not been given to empower them to be His witnesses. So it was not yet the time to widely proclaim the Jesus is the Christ.

Secondly, it was not yet time to proclaim Jesus is the Christ because the people held to unrealistic and unbiblical expectations about Christ. The Jews expected the Messiah immediately to be a conquering ruler. They expected Him to save the nation of Israel from their oppressors. After Jesus fed the five thousand, the people tried to take Him by force to make Him king (John 6:15). If Jesus had played into these popular expectations it would have been an obstacle to the one thing He came to do: to save His people from their sins by dying on the cross.

Expectations affect what you hear. Peter and the other apostles, like most of the Jews, had a certain expectation of the Messiah. In the words of the prophets:

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jer. 23:5-6).

“He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked” (Isa. 11:4).

“Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isa. 9:7).

“He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust.” (Psa. 72:8-9).

These are all true prophecies of the Messiah. They speak of Christ’s second coming and the consummation of His kingdom, not His first coming and the commencement of His kingdom. But this is what they expected from the Christ. So, when Jesus says that Peter is right and He is God’s promised Messiah, Peter hears, “I’m about to bring down Caesar, overthrow Rome, and establish my own throne with the twelve of you at my side.” Rather than hearing what Jesus said about Himself, Peter heard what he expected Jesus to say.

Because of these misunderstandings and wrong expectations, the time was not right to tell everyone that Jesus is the Christ. It’s altogether different for us. We live on the other side of the cross. We have a risen Savior. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to be His witnesses. Jesus has commissioned His church to preach the gospel to all nations. Before the cross, the disciples were to tell no one. After the cross, we must tell everyone.

So, Jesus now teaches His disciples the necessity of the cross.

1. The Necessity of Christ’s Cross (Matt. 16:20-21)

In our passage, Jesus for the first time tells His disciples plainly what awaited Him in Jerusalem. Matthew tells us that, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matt. 16:21). Here, Jesus speaks plainly about His suffering, death, and resurrection. The fact that Jesus mentions the three groups of the elders, chief priests, and scribes is quite intentional. These three groups made up a court who would declare Jesus guilty of blasphemy and hand Him over to Rome with the charge of treason. So, Jesus wasn’t simply suggesting some kind of violent mob attack but a judicial rejection where they would find Him guilty and sentenced Him to death.

We have seen Jesus hint at His death before in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew 9:15, when asked why His disciples didn’t fast, He said, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” It was a veiled allusion to His death. In Matthew 12, when the Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus, He says, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:39-40). He told them the same thing in Matthew 16:4.

The difference now is that Jesus speaks about these things clearly and “openly” (Mark 8:32) to the disciples. From this point on, Jesus will teach these things repeatedly to His disciples (Matt. 17:9, 22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2, 12,31). He is preparing them for these things by teaching them the necessity of the cross.

Jesus teaches that “He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matt. 16:21). The word “must” (dei) shows that what Jesus describes was a necessity. It absolutely had to happen, for it was the very reason He had come to earth as a Man (Matt. 1:21; 20:28; Mark 10:45; Luke 19:10). There was a divinely-appointed inevitability about the things that Jesus had said were about to occur to Himself. Jesus’ rejection, suffering, and death occurred “by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). How we should praise our Father for such a faithful Savior! Jesus suffered these things because, in the wise decree of the Father, and in His mercy toward us, they “must” happen. They must happen to save sinners.

Jesus knew the necessity of the cross. It was the Father’s divinely appointed purpose for Him. Because of this, Jesus also shunned anything that would dare to divert Him from that divine purpose. As we see in our text, Peter tried to deter Jesus from the cross.

So next we see…   

2. The Misunderstanding of Christ’s Cross (Matt. 16:22-23)

Matthew 16:22 says, “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”” Why did Peter take it upon himself to rebuke the Lord? Peter had no doubt been thinking himself very important since the Lord had just given him a great word of blessing for the confession he had just made. Jesus had called him Peter, the rock, saying “on this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Jesus had just said He would give Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:19). Now Peter heard Jesus talking about suffering and death. To him, it didn’t compute. It made no sense. And so, he dared to take the Lord aside as if to privately correct Him. He told Him, “Far be it from You, Lord . . .”; or more literally, “God have mercy to You, Lord!” Peter thought that it could not have possibly been God’s will for Jesus to die. And then, he used the strongest negative possible in the original language so as to say, “In no way shall such a thing be to You!“

In Peter’s mind, what Jesus said was incompatible with Him being the Christ. In Peter’s understanding, the Messiah doesn’t suffer and die but lives and conquers. Death doesn’t fit Peter’s expectation of the Messiah. Peter and the other disciples were following Jesus, believing Him to be the promised Messiah who would conquer, judge, and reign. I’m sure Peter thought it would be glorious, and as His closest followers, they would share in His glory. So, when Jesus announces His own death, what does that mean for Peter? What will become of those who follow Jesus? Think about it. Whenever someone proclaims himself as a rival king and then is killed by the reigning king or government, they typically don’t say to that dead leader’s followers, “Now you go about your way and be happy. We know you weren’t responsible for that man’s rebellion against the king.” No, they kill his followers too.

And maybe that’s why Peter and the other disciples missed what Jesus said about the resurrection. Again, it did not compute in their minds. Mark 9:10 tells us that another time, after Jesus mentioned to them that He would rise from the dead, the disciples “kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.” You see, people rising from the dead wasn’t more common in the first century than it is today. So, when they heard Jesus say he would rise from the dead, they didn’t just say, “Right. Of course.” Rather, they thought, “He obviously doesn’t mean that in any literal way. What does he mean by that?” And they didn’t bring it up. So Peter dismissed Jesus’ predicted death, missed His predicted resurrection, and probably feared for his own life.

Look at how Jesus responded to Peter’s rebuke. Matthew 16:23 says, “But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” I can’t imagine what a horrifying blow that must have been to poor Peter. To have heard such powerful words of rebuke from His beloved Lord—especially after he had just been told that he spoke a confession about Jesus that was the very revelation from the Father! I don’t believe that Jesus meant to say that Peter was Satan. But I do believe that Jesus knew Peter was being used by Satan at that moment. And Jesus spoke directly and sharply to the one who was seeking to tempt Him through Peter.

The devil had tempted Jesus in a similar way in Matthew 4. There, the devil took Jesus up to an exceedingly high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and—in the most outrageous act of blasphemy imaginable—said to his own divine Creator, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me” (Matt. 4:8-9). It was an offer of “instant kingship”—”instant Messianic rule”. The devil was offering Jesus all the kingdoms of the world without ever having to go to the cross—if He would just bow down and worship the devil. Satan’s temptation, in short, was: get the crown without going the way of the cross.

And do you remember our Lord’s response to the tempter at that time? He said, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10; marginal reading). He told the devil to get out of His way and take his proper place out behind Him. And now, as Peter strongly suggests to the Lord that these things would never happen to Him, Jesus turns and says the same words to Peter: “Get behind Me, Satan!” Peter understood that Jesus was the Messiah. But he did not yet understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was. Jesus did not come as a political Messiah to deliver the Jews from their bondage to Rome. No, Jesus came as a suffering Messiah to deliver us from our bondage to sin.

Jesus put His finger on the motives that drove Peter as well saying, “You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Peter had put his agenda before Jesus’ agenda. He didn’t have the thoughts of God, but the thoughts of men. At this moment, Peter was more concerned about his own comfort and plans than he was God’s plan of redemption. To unredeemed men, the message of the cross is utter foolishness. It doesn’t make sense that the King of kings would come to suffer and die. And yet, Jesus here shows His devotion to the Father by the fact that the devil’s alternatives to the cross are an “offense” to Him.

The devil is still using this same tactic today. He still peddles his falsehoods in Christ’s church. He seeks to downplay the seriousness of sin, telling people that it is your right to just be yourself and to “love” whom you desire, calling murder reproductive healthcare, destroying God-ordained gender roles, and telling many other lies. He tries to get Christians to soften the offense of the cross, to abandon the doctrine of Christ’s substitutionary atonement, and to doubt God’s inspired word.

Jesus was committed to the divine necessity of the cross. He shunned the world’s praise to die on the cross being despised and rejected by men. He utterly rejected the devil’s alternatives to the cross. He set Himself resolutely to go to Jerusalem and to death on the cross. Jesus, “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2). Jesus rejected the devil’s way and man’s way, and He chose instead God’s way—the way of the cross. And it was then that He turned to His followers and called them to do the same, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). We will look at this verse and those that follow it more closely next time. But let me just remind you, the way of the cross was necessary for Jesus, and it is necessary for us.

That is why we come to the Lord’s Table today. By it, we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins on the cross. His body was broken, His blood poured out. He suffered and died in our place for our sin. Jesus came to save sinners. He came to give His life as a ransom for us—for all who believe in Him. Do you believe today that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Do you believe that He died as a sinless lamb on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin? Do you believe that He rose from the dead on the third day and lives forever to save those who believe in Him?

When we eat the bread representing His body and drink the cup representing His blood, we do so, remembering Him and believing these things. We do so, knowing that by faith we are united to Him in His death and resurrection, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Rom. 6:6). “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” (Rom. 6:10). So, as we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we “reckon [ourselves] to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 611).  

 

 

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I Will Build My Church Part 2

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

I Will Build My Church Part 2

Matthew 16:18-20

In our verse-by-verse study of the Gospel of Matthew, we have come to a passage at the very heart of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew 16 is the hinge on which the Gospel turns. Everything that comes before in the first part of Matthew leads up to it and what comes after has its basis in it.

In Matthew 16:13, Jesus took His disciples away from the Jewish crowds in Galilee and Judea to a mostly Gentile area around Caesarea Philippi. There, He gave His disciples their midterm exam. First, He asked them, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13). They answered that the people generally thought that Jesus was one of the prophets who was possibly come back from the dead.

Then Jesus asked the most important question. He specifically addressed the disciples themselves, and asked, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). Simon Peter, speaking for the group, confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16). First, he affirmed that Jesus is the “Christ,” the promised Anointed One, the prophesied Messiah-King who would save His people and reign over them forever. Even more, he confessed that Jesus is “the Son of the living God,” meaning Jesus Christ is of the very nature and essence of God.

Jesus then responded to this confession by telling Simon Peter that he was blessed, “for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt 16:17). Simon did not figure this out on his own or learn it from others. He confessed the truth about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, because the Father revealed that truth to him.  

Then Jesus went on to say to Simon, “And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church …” (Matt. 16:18). We said that the key phrase in this passage is when Jesus states, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). Everything Jesus says in these verses relates to Jesus building His church.

Last time we looked at the first of four major points about the church that Jesus builds …

1. The Church’s Foundation

Jesus said He would build His church on “this rock” and I explained four primary views about what Jesus meant. If you missed that teaching, my sermon notes are posted on our website and the videos on our YouTube channel. Is Peter “this rock” on which Christ promised to build His church? Is it Peter’s confession or his faith? Is it the truth revealed by the Father? Or is “this rock” Jesus Himself? And as I showed last time, there is a sense in which all of those—Peter and the other apostles, his confession of faith, God’s revealed truth, and Christ Himself—all of them are foundational for the church. But I concluded that Jesus Himself is ultimately the rock on which His church is built. All the other views are derived from the truth that Jesus is the foundation stone. Peter is only the rock when he builds on Jesus Christ. His confession of faith is only the rock when it is faith in Jesus. The God-revealed truth of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, is only the rock because of who Jesus is.

That is the church’s foundation. The apostle Paul affirmed, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11).

Next, look at …

2. The Church’s Builder

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Every word is important here. When Jesus says “I” He indicates that He Himself is the builder. The church is Christ’s doing. One of the great mistakes we make as believers is to think that the building of the church on earth is up to us. It is not! Christ may use us however He chooses to do His work, but the work is ultimately His, not ours. In Acts 2:47, the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” That statement is as true today as it was on the day of Pentecost. The Lord builds His church. It is His most important work on this earth. Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote this about the significance of Christ’ work:

For the preserving of the true church, the laws of nature have oftentimes been suspended. For the good of that church, all the providential dealings of God in this world are ordered and arranged. For the elect’s sake, wars are brought to an end, and peace is given to a nation. Statesmen, rulers, emperors, kings, presidents, heads of governments, have their schemes and plans, and think them of vast importance. But there is another work going on of infinitely greater moment, for which they are only the ‘axes and saws’ in God’s hands (Isa. 10:15). That work is the erection of Christ’s spiritual temple, the gathering in of living stones into the one true church.[1]

Think about that! The most eternally significant thing that happens today, this week, this year, is what Christ is doing in building His church. It’s when the Lord adds believers to His church and matures them as disciples and sends them as missionaries. It’s not what happens in the November election or in the war in the Middle East. It’s not what happens in corporate board rooms or in the United Nations. It’s what Christ is doing by His Holy Spirit and His word in the hearts and lives of the people of God, His church. The most significant things that will happen today will take place in the church of Jesus Christ.

Can there be any greater basis for confidence in the building of Christ’s church on earth than the fact that He Himself—the almighty Son of God, who has “all authority”—testifies, “I will build My church”?

Notice also that Jesus says that He “will build” His church. This verb is in the future tense. As Jesus spoke, His church was not yet a reality, He “will build” it. Now we know that the church is not a building. It’s a people, with or without a building. So when and how will Jesus build it? Through His death and resurrection. Jesus will build His church, but first He must go to the cross, suffer and die, be raise the third day, ascend into heaven, and send the Holy Spirit to give birth to and empower His church. In fact, that is what Jesus goes on to explain to His disciples in Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” (Matt. 16:21). Although Jesus’ disciples believed Him to be the Christ, they did not yet understand all that meant.

Jesus will build His church after He provides redemption through His death and resurrection. He will build His church after He explains His kingdom more fully to His disciples. He will build His church after He send the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower believers. We are living in a time when all those things have already taken place. Jesus is currently building His church.

Then notice that Jesus says He will build “My church.” The church belongs to Christ. The church does not belong to the pastor, or the deacons, or the members, or those who have the most money, or even the people who have been at the church the longest. No, the church belongs to Jesus. It is His church. Every true born-again believer belongs to Christ no matter what local church they attend. His church spans all languages, cultures, and ethnicities and includes all believers of all the ages. We belong to Christ. The church is His body (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12) “purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Now, of course, we call New Covenant Baptist “our” church in the sense that it is the local church to which we belong, where we attend and serve, and that we support. And it’s good for us take “ownership” of the church in the sense that we are committed to this particular body of believers and that we take responsibility for our role in the church. But we should never take ownership in the sense that we act like we own the church, that we get to make all the decisions for the church, or that what we want takes precedence over what others in the church may want.[2]

Colossians 1:18 says about Jesus Christ, “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” The church belongs to Jesus. He is the head of the church. He alone is supreme and worthy worship.

We have seen the church’s foundation and the church’s builder. Next, we see …

3. The Church’s Victory

Jesus says that He will build His church, “…and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The phrase, “gates of Hades”, symbolizes death. In the Old Testament Hades is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word sheol meaning the grave, the pit, or the place of the dead. Job speaks about death using this metaphor, saying, “Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?” (Job 17:16). Isaiah 38:10 also uses this phrase as a symbol of death. After King Hezekiah had been sick unto death, he wrote, “In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”

In the New Testament, Hades still refers to the place of death, but increasingly it refers especially to a place of punishment for dead unbelievers. It can mean the opposite of heaven. Rebuking the unrepentant unbelievers of Galilee, Jesus said in Matthew 11:23, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.” In Luke 16:23, Jesus described the dead rich man “being in torments in Hades.” The “gates of Hades” refers to the entry to the grave or the power of hell, in other words, death.

Death is the ultimate weapon of Satan. But it has no power over Christ and His church. Hebrews 2:14-15 says,

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Heb 2:14-15).

When Jesus promised, “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” Jesus was telling His disciples that death would not prevent His work of building His church. Death will not stop Jesus. He was anticipating His victory over death through His resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul proves that since Christ has been raised from the dead, we who believe in Him will also be raised from the dead when He returns. He writes, “…then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:55-57). In Revelation 1:18, Jesus says, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

The gates of Hades will never prevail against the church because the risen Christ has conquered death. Death itself cannot stop the mission, progress, and victory of the church. This is the sure hope we have in Christ. I have been the pastor of this church for fifteen years. In those few years, I have done funerals for 38 people, many of whom were members of this church. Over the last few years, physical death has claimed our brothers and sisters, moms and dads, sons and daughters, friends and fellow servants of the Lord. But Jesus says that death is not the final word. The gates of Hades will not prevail against His church. Those who belong to Jesus Christ are safe in His presence. And on that great day of resurrection, we will join them and be with the Lord forever in the kingdom of heaven. Countless generations of faithful believers have passed from this earth, but the church of Jesus Christ is still being built. Souls are being saved from sin and hell.

The gates of Hades will not prevail against the church. In this life, the powers of hell will array themselves against Christ and His church. Christians will suffer persecution for their witness for Christ. It may cost some of them their lives. But the gates of Hades will not prevail. For the believer, death is not final. Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). His kingdom is forever. In Christ, we have a hope that transcends sin, death, and the devil. Adrian Rogers says it better than I can:

When Samson was armed with strength, he carried away the city gates of Gaza. But when Jesus went into the tomb, He carried the gates of hell. My dear friend, through the Lord Jesus Christ we have an answer. Thank God hell has no dominion, sin has no power, death has no hold, that Jesus, through the gospel, cannot break. The gospel of Jesus Christ goes through the dominion of hell like a white-hot cannonball through a crate of eggs.[3]

The gates of Hades shall not prevail against His church. This is the church’s victory.

Finally, we see …

4. The Church’s Authority

Jesus says to Peter in Matthew 16:19, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” What are the keys of the kingdom? Keys are used to lock or unlock, to open what is closed or close what is open.

In the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah, for example, God promises to remove an evil high priest named Shebna from service to the Jewish temple and to replace him with a good, godly, faithful priest named Eliakim. God speaks to that wicked high priest concerning his replacement—and of the authority and responsibility God would entrust to him—when He says,

“I will clothe him with your robe
And strengthen him with your belt;
I will commit your responsibility into his hand.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And to the house of Judah.
The key of the house of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open” (Isaiah 22:21-22).

One who has the keys controls access. Keys indicate the authority to open and close. Christ builds His church with kingdom authority.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus, our great High Priest of the new covenant, claimed that same kind of authority regarding the kingdom of heaven. Jesus wrote to the church at Philadelphia, “These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”” (Rev. 3:7). When Jesus says He has the key of David, He claims all authority in the kingdom of God. After His resurrection Jesus said to His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). The keys are His to give.

In Matthew 16:18, the keys that Jesus gives are the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord tells Peter, who is the church’s representative ‘confessor’ and ‘testifier’ of Christ, that He entrusts to him the keys. Jesus gives to His church the authority of opening and closing the kingdom of heaven.

What has the power to open the kingdom of heaven? The gospel message. Paul writes in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” The gospel is the truth that Jesus Christ has died for our sins on the cross, been raised from the dead, and imputes forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who believe in Him. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul also writes to the Corinthians,

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:18-24).

The gospel is the power of God. It is the authority of God, the keys that grant entry into the kingdom of heaven.

How do we use the keys of the kingdom? By proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we preach Christ crucified and risen from the dead, the Holy Spirit of God works through the word of God to bring new life to a dead sinner. When we believe in Christ, we are born again as children of God (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26) and become citizens of the kingdom of heaven (Eph. 2:19; Phl. 3:20). So, faithful gospel proclamation is the key to the kingdom.

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus is specifically addressing Peter, so it is significant that, in the book of Acts, Peter figures prominently in the “opening of doors” to three different groups of people so they can enter the Kingdom. In Acts 2, Peter preaches in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and about three thousand Jewish people believe that day. When Peter preached Jesus Christ, he “unlocked the door” of heaven for the Jews. Later, in Acts 8, the Samaritans believe the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit. Again, Peter was present for this event. Peter confirmed that God had “unlocked the door” for the Samaritans to enter the Kingdom. Then, in Acts 10, Peter brings the gospel to a Roman centurion’s household, and they, too, receive the Holy Spirit. Peter told them that Jesus Christ is Lord of all Who is ordained by God to be the Judge of all (Acts 10:36, 42). And then he proceeded to tell them that “whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43; cf. 15:7,14). Peter’s preaching of the gospel “unlocked the door” for the Gentiles. The “keys” that Jesus gave him worked in each case.[4]

Of course, keys can be used to lock doors as well as open them. Without faith in Christ, the door to heaven is shut and barred. John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” As the apostles preached the gospel, those who responded in faith and repentance were granted access to the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet those who continued to harden their hearts and reject the gospel of God’s saving grace were shut out of the Kingdom (Acts 8:23).

Jesus explains this further by saying, “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). A more literal rendering of what Jesus said is, “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”[5] It’s not that the apostles were given the privilege of changing God’s mind, as if whatever they decided on earth would be duplicated in heaven. Rather, they were encouraged that, as they moved forward in their apostolic duties, they would be fulfilling God’s plan in heaven. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Jesus did not say that God would obey what they did on earth, but that they should do on earth whatever God had already willed. The church does not get man’s will done in heaven; it obeys God’s will on earth.”[6] Jesus said the same thing in other words in John 20:23 after symbolically commanding them to 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.” Again, what Jesus is saying is that when the church proclaims forgiveness through the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, it does so based on what God has already declared. Only God can forgive sins. We only declare the forgiveness that God has provided in the death and resurrection of Christ.

How does that work? Like this: If a person rejects the Lord Jesus Christ, we can say with the absolute authority of God’s word that that person is bound in sin and condemned to hell. If on the other hand, a person truly believes on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we can say with authority that their sins are forgiven, they are loosed—set free from the bondage of sin—and they will enter the kingdom of heaven. When believers are in agreement with God’s word, God is in agreement with them.[7] This is what Jesus meant when He said, “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19).

Here Jesus said it in the context of salvation, of those who enter the kingdom or are kept out of the kingdom. In Matthew 18 Jesus says the same thing to all the apostles in the context of church discipline. We will look at that in more detail when we get to Matthew 18. But this is the authority of the church to bind and loose what has been bound and loosed in heaven.  

The church is unlike any other organization in the world. It is not a social club. It is not a religious association. It is not a group of volunteers. The church is the company of believers in Jesus Christ who are redeemed by His blood, forgiven of their sins, adopted into God’s family, united together by the Holy Spirit and growing in their faith. Only Jesus Christ can build something like that. Jesus is both the foundation and builder of His church. The church belongs to Jesus. It is his church, and only He can build it. We have been given the keys of the kingdom, the gospel message to proclaim to a lost world. We enter God’s kingdom through faith in Christ alone.

Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Then He asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” It is one of the most important questions you will ever answer. Who do you say Jesus is? Can you say it with me: “Jesus, I believe that You are the Christ. I believe that You are the Son of the living God. I believe that you are the Savior of the world. I believe You died for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead. I believe You are Lord with all authority. I believe you are head of Your church.” That what God has revealed and that is what we confess. That is how Christ builds His church.

——————————————————————————-

[1] J.C. Ryle, Holiness (Welwyn, Hertfordshire: Evangelical Press, 1979), p. 214.

[2] Ray Fowler, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/how-to-build-a-church/

[3] Adrian Rogers, The Church of Jesus Christ, https://www.lwf.org/pdfs/01_Matthew.pdf

[4] Keys of the Kingdom, article on https://www.gotquestions.org/keys-of-the-kingdom.html

[5] 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), 373. The verbs “will be bound” and “will be loosed” are periphrastic future perfects indicating a future perfectly completed past action.

[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 59.

[7] John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary: Matthew, Moody Publishers , Chicago 1988. p. 34.

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