Tag: Worship

God and Caesar — Matthew 22:15-22

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

God and Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

In this section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has just rebuked the religious leaders in Jerusalem for their unbelief through a series of three parables. And Matthew 21:45-46 tells us their attitude when Jesus taught these parables:

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. (Matthew 21:45-46).

Now they retaliate by trying to ensnare Jesus with trick questions. They plot together to confront our Lord—all with the intention of trapping Him in His words. They bring three challenges to Him in here in Matthew 22. They first ask about paying taxes to Caesar, then about the resurrection, and thirdly about the greatest commandment. Each of these question were calculated to damage the popularity of Jesus and to find a reason to condemn Him. In all three attempts, Jesus answers them in such a way as to make them marvel, and to leave them with nothing more they can say.

The first thing we see in our text today is…

1. The Ensnaring Question (Matt. 22:15-17)

Matthew tells us, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk” (Matt. 22:15). This was a calculated attack. Matthew says they “went and plotted.” We have heard that word before, all the way back in Matthew 12:14 when “… the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” We will hear it again when they plot to put Jesus to death in Matthew 27:1 and when they plot to cover up the resurrection by paying off the guards in Matthew 28:12.

Their plot this time was to “entangle” Jesus in His words. They intended to trap Jesus, to ensnare by what He said. They had huddled together in order to set the trap by asking the perfect question that would catch Jesus saying something that would discredit Him before the people or accuse Him before the Roman authorities.

When Luke tells this same story in his Gospel, he gives us more details about their evil intent; “So they watched Him and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor” (Luke 20:20). Their intention was to “catch Him in His words in the presence of the people” (Luke 20:26). That was their motive.

Notice, then, who they sent to ask the question. The Pharisees didn’t go themselves. They sent their ‘students’, whom, as Luke tells us, they had put to work as “spies”. Matthew 22:16 says, “And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians“.

It’s hard to imagine two political groups more opposed to one another than the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Pharisees were devoted students of the laws and instructions of Judaism. They were proud of their Jewish heritage and deeply resented the rule of the Roman Empire over them. They expected the Messiah to come and rid them of their Roman oppressors.

The Herodians, on the other hand, were Jews who were sympathetic with Roman occupancy through the rule of the successors of Herod. The Herodians sought to fit in with Roman government because their cooperation brought them money and power. They encouraged the people to pay taxes to the Romans. I believe that the Pharisees invited the Herodians to be there in case Jesus sided with the Jews in the matter of this poll tax. These Herodians could then go back to Pilate and testify that Jesus was a traitor to Rome.

What could bring such opposite political and religious groups together? It was their opposition to a common enemy—the Lord Jesus Christ. They came to the Lord—these students of the Pharisees, and these Herodians, together—under the pretense of seeking His wisdom and advice concerning a matter of debate between them. But their purpose was to trap Jesus.

So, they bait the trap with flattery. They say things to Him that are accurate in and of themselves, but that they didn’t really believe: “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men” (Matt. 22:16).

If they had really believed that Jesus was “true“, and that He taught “the way of God in truth“, and that He didn’t “regard the person of men”, then they would have bowed down to Him and received Him as Lord—because that’s who Jesus taught that He was. But they had no intention of bowing to Him. They were seeking to destroy Him!

Let me stop here for a moment and make a point of application. Be on your guard against flattery. It’s one of the devil’s greatest tools. Proverbs says, “A man who flatters his neighbor Spreads a net for his feet” (Pro. 29:5). It says, “24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; 25 When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart; … 28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.” (Pro. 26:24-25, 28). Don’t use empty flattery and beware of those who bait their trap with flattery.

The words of praise that they spoke to Jesus were just a set-up. These phonies hoped that they could lull the Lord into a place where He’d relax His guard, so that they could trap Him with His own words. That’s the bait.

Now, notice the trap they set for Him. It’s a question about taxes. They said, “Tell us, therefore, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (Matt. 22:17).

Obviously, the Pharisees would have answered “no”. They deeply resented paying taxes to the Gentile overlords. Every time they paid the required tax to the Roman government, it was a vivid reminder that they were not a free people or their own sovereign nation. They believed that they were God’s special people. But here they were, under the thumb pagan rulers.

On the other hand, the Herodians would have answered “yes” to the question about paying taxes. By paying the tax to the Romans, they continued to enjoy the benefits of their rule.

The Pharisees crafted this clever question and enlisted the Herodians to discredit Jesus before all the people. If He said yes—that it was legal to pay taxes to Caesar—then the Pharisees could accuse Him before the people, and say that He was not the conquering Messiah they expected. And if He said no—that it was not legal to pay taxes to Caesar—then the Herodians could immediately reported Him to the Roman governor. Either way Jesus answers, He loses.

But as we’ve read about our Lord in the Gospel, one of the things we have seen about the Him is that He rarely gave “yes” and “no” answers. And so, look next at . . .

2. The Exposing Response (Matt. 22:18-22)

Matthew 22:18 says, “But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?’” The Lord blew the cover right off their plot. He saw right through their flattery and trickery. They had put forth the false appearance of virtue, but their hearts were full of wickedness. In Matthew 23 Jesus will repeatedly condemn their hypocrisy.

I love how Jesus puts the question back to them. He says, “Show Me the tax money” (Matt. 22:19). So, someone “brought Him a denarius.” The denarius was a Roman coin that bore the graven image of Emperor Tiberius. At the time of Jesus, most coins would have had the following inscription: “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” and “Pontifux maximus”, meaning highest priest. No wonder the Pharisees hated paying it! And Jesus held it up and asked, “Whose image and inscription is this?” (Matt. 22:20).

Jesus masterfully causes them to answer their own question by answering his. When they said the obvious—that the image and inscription on the coin were “Caesar’s”, then Jesus simply replied, “Render, therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s . . .” It’s Caesar’s coin. Give it back to him.

And that brings us to our final point. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus gives us …

3. The Enlightening Principle (Matt. 22:21)

Jesus didn’t fall into their trap of saying yes or no to the question of paying taxes. Instead, by using a brilliant but simple illustration, He helps us understand the right relationship between God and government. We often struggle to find the right relationship between religion and politics, between God and government.

Jesus’ enlightening principle regarding God and government is: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). The principle is straight forward. The word “render” literally means to “give back” or return. It is the verb for paying a bill or settling a debt. In their question, the Pharisees asked if they should “give” the tax to Caesar. Jesus says to give it back, implying a debt that is owed. By admitting that it was Caesar’s coin, they acknowledged their subjection to his government and their obligation to pay what they owed.

The Bible consistently teaches the rightful domain of government and our obligation to it. Romans 13:1-7, for example, says;

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor (Romans 13:1-7).

Fulfilling our God-appointed obligations to the government, as good citizens, is a matter of obedience to our Lord Himself. I am, first, a citizen of My Father’s kingdom. And because I am a citizen of His eternal kingdom first, I am therefore obligated to be a good and faithful citizen of the temporal kingdom in which He has placed me. This is why I pay my taxes, obey the laws, and fulfill my duty to vote.

But I believe the greatest emphasis in Jesus’ principle is not on that first part of our Lord’s answer, it is on the second part. We are to render “to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21).

That second obligation, it seems to me, is what really brought the conviction down on those who were seeking to trap Him with their question. Matthew tells us “When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.” Luke tells us, that “they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people” (Luke 20:26). If they had given to God what first belonged to God, they would not only render to Caesar what was Caesar’s, but they would have also bowed down before the Lord Jesus Christ and pledged their first allegiance to Him.

Jesus’ statement implies that just as the Roman coin had Caesar’s image stamped on it and thus rightfully fell under his jurisdiction, so every person has God’s image stamped on him or her and thus rightfully belongs to God. Genesis 1 declares that God made mankind, male and female, in His own image. We owe God our very existence. We rightfully belong to Him. Everything we have belongs to Him.

If we are not yielding ourselves completely to God’s sovereign lordship, we are disobeying the supreme authority of the universe! By challenging Jesus, these Pharisees and Herodians were guilty of not rendering to God the things that are God’s. They came to Jesus, not to obey Him, but to trap Him. They acted as if they were sincerely interested in His opinion about a moral issue, but they had no intention of obeying what He said.

Listen, the only way you can come to Christ is to come honestly, repenting of your sins, believing in Him, being willing to obey Him. If you come to contend with the Lord in order to get your own way, beware! He knows the secret motives of your heart! One day every knee will bow before Him. So the overarching principle is that we must submit all of our lives to the absolute sovereignty of God, the supreme ruler of the universe.[i]

How careful are we to render to God the things that we owe to Him? This is a greater obligation than all others. How are we doing in terms of keeping it?

Do you make the worship of God a priority? Spend time reading God’s word and praying. Worship God in your homes with your families. Be faithful in your attendance at church. It’s rendering to God the things that are God’s. You owe your worship to the Lord because He is worthy. Jesus died for you that you might live for Him. Therefore, you owe Him your life. You owe Him your love and your worship. You Him your loyalty and your obedience. You owe Him your humble confession of sin and your desire to please and glorify and honor Him first in your life. Everything you have comes from God. Therefore, you owe God everything.

Hymnwriter Frances Havergal wrote:

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Dear brothers and sisters, it’s our duty to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But let’s be even more sure that we do the greater duty—to faithfully render to God what is God’s.

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[i] Steven Cole, Lesson 92: Guile, Government, and God (Luke 20:20-26), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-92-guile-government-and-god-luke-2020-26

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Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

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Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

At our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have started to look at Psalms 120 – 134, the “songs of ascents”. Another name for them might be “songs for going up” or “songs for the journey”. In ancient Israel, they were probably sung by travelers making their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Jerusalem was a high point in the land of Palestine, and as they journeyed, they were literally “ascending”. And these songs we intended to help them also ascend spiritually as they joined together in song and prepared their hearts to worship the Lord.

I intended to share some thoughts about Psalm 122 on Wednesday, but didn’t make it back in time due to some car trouble As I read this psalm and you follow along, I want you to see if you can pick out a key word or idea in this psalm. The very first verse captures some of the excitement, the anticipation, of the psalmist preparing for the journey. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1).

Psalm 122

1 A song of Ascents. Of David.
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

2 Our feet have been standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem is built
As a city that is compact together,

4 Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
To the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5 For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.

7 Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”

8 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

9 Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.

This psalm is all about a special place—the holy city of Jerusalem. That makes sense. Jerusalem played an incredibly important role in the life of the ancient Israelites. The David and the other kings of Judah had their thrones in Jerusalem. The temple of the Lord was there. It was where the tribes of Israel gathered for the required feasts to worship.

But it is a bit tricky for us to listen to a psalm all about Jerusalem, because we are not ancient Jews. Most of us have never been there. Jerusalem doesn’t mean the same thing to us as it did to them. In the Old Testament, God chose a place to dwell. After the first temple was built, we read about God’s presence filling the temple. 1 Kings 8:10-11 says,

And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

For ancient Jews, Jerusalem was the place where God chose to dwell in a unique and powerful way. The temple in Jerusalem was the center of their worship. When we read of the Psalmist going up, should we also buy our plane tickets to Jerusalem and go there with gladness?

In a sense, we too are a people on our way to a city, and we should be full of joyful anticipation as we look forward to the day when we will gather in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city of God (Rev. 21-22). But what about today? Are we not to worship the Lord even now? Where do we do that? Do we have a Jerusalem, a specific place where we go to worship God?

Because places are so important to us, we might be tempted to take the reference to Jerusalem and substitute a different city or place where we gather for worship. People sometimes talk about going to the “house of the Lord” in that way, and by that, they usually mean the physical building that they go to as Christians in order to worship. But is this how we are to apply this psalm as new covenant believers in Christ?

I believe we are living in the time that Jesus spoke about in John 4 when Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well,

“Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)

When Jesus died, the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two (Matt. 27:51). And fifty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the glory of God once again descended and chose to make God’s presence uniquely real. But this time The Lord didn’t just indwell a place. Instead, He indwelt a people. Acts 2:1-4a reads,

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit …

So now, we don’t have a place where God’s presence is uniquely manifest. Now we have a people. Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). That people in whom God dwells is the church of Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 2 Paul says about us in the church,

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Someone has said, “The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people.” What Jerusalem was to ancient Jews, the church is to us.

But the church isn’t a place and it isn’t an event. It’s a people. You don’t “go to church.” You are the church. The church is a community of God’s people. So, as we look at Psalm 122, and we hear the psalmist talking about Jerusalem I believe we can apply this to the church. And we’ll see that this psalm is an incredibly powerful description of who the church is and how the church worships.

1. The Pilgrim’s Passion for the City of God (Ps. 122:1–2)

How should we come to worship?

We come with Joy (Psalm 122:1-2).

You know that feeling when you finally get somewhere after a long road trip? That’s where the psalmist starts. This psalm begins with the incredible feeling of standing within the gates of the city enjoying the experience.

David rejoiced to enter Jerusalem. It’s clear that he loved Jerusalem. But why? It is because there is “the house of the LORD.” He loves the city of Jerusalem because he loves the LORD who dwells there with His people. Listen, a joyful worship experience is not found by pursuing joy in worship. Joy is found in pursuing and knowing God Himself. Peter wrote to the New Testament saints about their relationship with Christ Jesus, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,” (1 Pet. 1:8). Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ expressed in love for Him.

Does it bring you joy to gather with other Christians to express your love for Christ? Put simply, do you enjoy church? And remember, I don’t mean the event of a church service. I mean the people. Do you enjoy the people of God, gathered to honor the Lord?

Each Sunday when we gather for worship we are anticipating and rehearsing for our arrival in the city of God – and we should have joy as we come together.

2. The Pilgrim’s Praise for the City of God (Ps. 122:3–5)

What makes worship with God’s people so special? (Psalm 122:3-5)

If we are going to worship together and enjoy the Lord together, we need to know how to be God’s people. What made Jerusalem so special?

There are three things that the author praises about Jerusalem. The way it’s constructed, the way the tribes go up to it every year, and the fact that the thrones of the house of David are there. So, what do these things mean?

First, he talks about the way the city is built. It is …

Built for Safety: “Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together,” (Psalm 122:3). What that probably refers to is the security and safety of the city. The compact arrangement of the city gives an added advantage in defending the city. So, Jerusalem is safe. It also could mean it is “solidly united” (CSB), where the people are closely held together. It’s a place of refuge—a place where the people of God come together and find unity, comfort, and safety.

Is our church like that? Are we like a city that is compact together? The church should be a community of people where you feel safe, where we can talk without fear about our lives and our relationship with God. There are so few places in our world where it is safe to let down your guard. We must be a safe place of love, peace, and unity in the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-3).

Second, Jerusalem gives a …

Sense of Identity: The second point the psalmist makes is that this city is where the tribes come regularly. “Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD.” (Psalm 122:4). Jerusalem gives the people a sense of identity. All of Israel is supposed to travel there regularly—all the tribes converge there. It gives them a sense of belonging.

Is the church community where we find our identity? We belong together because we each belong to Christ. First and foremost, we are followers of Jesus Christ. The world divides people by nations, languages, ethnicities, gender, and social and economic status. In Christ, all those barriers are removed.

And finally, Jerusalem …

Promotes Justice:, the thrones of the house of David are there. “For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.” (Psalm 122:5). He says he’s talking about the thrones of judgment. So, when you come to Jerusalem, you find justice because the King is there.  The church cares about justice inside and justice outside.

The psalmist praises Jerusalem for its safety, the identity it creates, and the justice it promotes. As those who belong to Christ, with His Spirit inside of us, our gathering should be a foretaste of the refuge, worship, and justice we will experience in the heavenly New Jerusalem (Hebrews 10:23-25). The church needs to be a safe place. The church should give us our identity. The church needs to love justice and equality.

3. The Pilgrim’s Petition (Ps. 122:6–9)

How do we pray for God’s people? (Psalm 122:6-9)

We’ve seen the psalmist respond to being in Jerusalem. First, he arrives in the city and talks about the joy he has for visiting it. Then he praises the city. Finally, the psalmist concludes by offering prayers for the city. Here’s what the psalmist prays for in verses 6-9.

There is one overall theme of what the psalmist prays for: peace. That’s the Hebrew word shalom and it’s one of the richest and most meaningful words in all of Hebrew. Peace is repeated three times in these four verses.

First he prays for the peace of the city and upon those who love the city. Then he prays for peace within the walls and the security of the city. Then he prays “for the sake of my brothers” that there is peace within the city. Finally, he prays “for the sake of the house of the LORD our God.”

God is Here.

So, the psalmist prays for the city and for its people, and he builds in intensity as he moves toward the center. At the center is God’s presence. It’s the goodness of that presence that creates the peace of the city. The heart of the city is the presence of God.

And as we’ve been reflecting on the church, this is our final observation about the church as well. It may sound like an obvious thing to say. It may not even need saying. Except that it does. The heart of the church is the presence of God. We are where God dwells. God is here. Not in this building, but in this people.

At the heart of Jerusalem is “the house of the LORD our God.” At the heart of the church is the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Jerusalem wasn’t just a city. God lived dwelt with His people there. We aren’t just social group. God lives here.

Conclusion

So here we are. We are standing with each other. Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Because God lives here.

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Cleansing the Temple – Matthew 21:12-17

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Cleansing the Temple

Matthew 21:12-17

In our study of Matthew’s Gospel, we’ve come to the great events of that last, holy week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It began with our Lord’s ‘triumphal entry’ into the city of Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11 and will end in Matthew 27 with Jesus’ crucifixion. If you’ve ever wondered, how do you get from Palm Sunday when everyone was cheering Jesus to Good Friday when Jesus hung on the cross, the answer is what happened between Sunday and Friday during this final week of Jesus’ life. Of course, we have seen opposition to Jesus from the religious authorities mounting throughout the Gospel of Matthew. But in the plan of God, the hostility toward Jesus comes to a head during this week and will culminate in His execution on the cross.

Luke records that the Pharisees were upset by Jesus’ triumphal entry, and told Jesus to rebuke His disciples who were praising Him as the King (Luke 19:39). Matthew told us that the whole city was shaken by that event (Matt. 21:10). But if that day offended the religious leaders, just wait until you see what happens next. Nothing infuriated the Pharisees and the chief priests more than disrupting their religion. And that is exactly what Jesus does next. Jesus performs two prophetic acts of judgment: the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree. The first deals with false worship, and the second with false profession. Israel’s worship was corrupted. They performed religious rituals to God in their worship, but without a true relationship with God. They professed a desire for God’s Messiah, but rejected Him when He came. And for that, they would be judged.

Matthew 21:12-17 tells us the story of the Son of God’s entry into the temple—into His Father’s house. The Old Testament prophesied that when the Messiah came, He would come to the temple and clean house. We read in Malachi 3:

1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:1-3).

Jesus came to the temple in fulfillment of prophecy, and He came to clean house. The worship in the temple was corrupted. And in an act of judgment, Jesus cleansed it. Matthew’s brief account tells us what Jesus immediately drove out of the temple, what He welcomed into it, and what He received and enjoyed in the midst of it. And in doing so, he teaches us three important truths about worship and God’s house. God’s house is to be a place of prayer, healing, and praise.

1. Jesus Drove the Market Out (Matt. 21:12-13)

Matthew 21:12 tells us, “Then Jesus went into the temple of God.” Let me give you a picture of what He saw. First, He saw a huge crowd of people. It was Passover week. Jews from all over came to Jerusalem, and the temple was the focal point of everything that week. All of these people had come up to Jerusalem to offer up sacrifices, according to the law of God (Exodus 12). These sacrifices were performed at the temple. Now certainly, what Jesus wanted to find in the temple were sincere worshipers of God.

In addition to the crowds in the temple, Jesus saw the market. The temple complex consisted not only of the temple building itself, which housed the inner holy place and the holy of holies, but also the several courtyards and colonnades that surrounded the temple building. So when Jesus entered the temple, it was not the temple building itself, but the outer court of the temple called the court of the Gentiles. There, He saw the market.

MacArthur gives some background on the business in the Temple. The business enterprises in the Court of the Gentiles came to be known as the “Bazaar of Annas,” whose chief priests and other associates oversaw the Temple franchises. Merchants would buy rights to a concession for selling sacrificial animals, wine, oil, or salt, or for exchanging money into the proper currency and denominations used in Temple offerings. They provided a necessary service for those traveling from far away. When you arrived in Jerusalem, you could purchase what you needed rather than having to bring it all with you.

So, if these were necessary services, what is the problem here? Well, there are a couple of problems here. One is the location. They’re doing all this in the temple! That’s not what the temple is for. They could have done all this business outside the temple gates. And the other problem is they are taking advantage of the people. There is extortion and price gouging going on. In addition to the franchise fees the operators would often be required to pay a certain percentage of their profits to Annas. According to Levitical law, any animal approved by the priests could be offered in the Temple. But the chief priests often made certain that animals not bought in one of their franchises would be judged unacceptable. A person would often have to pay as much as ten times what an animal normally cost. As if that extortion were not enough, those who needed to have foreign currency exchanged or who had to have their money converted into the exact amount for an offering were charged a processing fee.[1]

You can imagine what this did to the temple. It turned it into a marketplace. There would be buyers and sellers dashing back and forth. There would be lines of impatient people, and crowds pressing at tables. There would be haggling for the best price, and very likely would have been the kind of language filling the air that characterizes the trading of goods and money even today. And of course, there would be profits being made. In short, the temple was being used in selfish pursuit of business, rather than to offer sincere worship to a holy God.

That’s what Jesus found when He came into His Father’s house. And He drove it out. Matthew 21:12 tells us that Jesus “… drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” Jesus put an end to the selfish abuse of God’s house.

And notice how Jesus justified His actions. He quoted Scripture. Jesus didn’t just act out of His own passions. He always did what He did in accordance with the written word of God. Matthew 21:13 says, “And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “” Jesus is quoting here from two prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).

In context, the prophecy from Isaiah reads,

1 Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the LORD Speak, saying, “The LORD has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” 4 For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants–Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant– 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isa 56:1-7 NKJV)

That was the intention of the Father for His house. It was to be a house of prayer—a holy place. It was even to be a house of prayer “for all nations”—so that the Gentiles who sought the God of Israel could freely come within its courts and pray to Him. Yet what Jesus found was that the very court of the Gentiles, where the nations were supposed to come and pray, had been turned into a bazaar.

Even worse, Jesus says, “you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus spoke the words of Jeremiah 7, where God sent His prophet to stand at the gate of the old temple and speak to the people entering it (Jer. 7:1-2), saying,

3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’ 5 For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 8 Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD. (Jer. 7:3-11).

The people in Jeremiah’s day felt as long as they had the temple, it was proof that they were God’s people and would be safe from their enemies. They thought they could live as they pleased and still come to the temple to worship and pray. Jeremiah spoke of thieves, murderers, liars, and idolaters (Jer. 7:9).  These were wicked, sinful people who came into the temple, saying “we are delivered!”

People sometimes do the same today. They go to church on Sundays, and then do whatever they want the rest of the week. But that is not what church is all about. Just as the temple was God’s house in the Old Testament, the people of Christ’s church are God’s house in the New Testament. Here’s the bottom line. You cannot live in sin all week long, and then come to church on Sundays as though none of that matters.

When you put together these prophecies from Isaiah and Jeremiah as Jesus did, the thrust of His message was that the worship that was being offered in the temple of God was corrupt, sinful, and evil. God calls their worship an abomination.

The marketplace in the temple made me think of the multitudes of times I’ve turned the television to a religious channel, and saw an 800 number and a credit card symbol on the bottom of the screen. It made me think of all the churches that adjust their schedules and reshape their style to reach a particular “target audience” from a higher economic level. It made me think of all the things of the world that churches are bringing into the holy house of God in a desperate effort to appear “relevant” and “tolerable” to the world. It made me think of how many churches and pastors are becoming increasingly hesitant to preach God’s word out of a fear of turning people away, and are preaching instead a market-driven message that the people of this world will find more acceptable.[2]

God’s house is a house of prayer. That doesn’t mean the only thing we do is pray. Rather, it means everything we do is done in an attitude of prayer. We come with a heart dependent on the Lord and seeking His face. That’s the first thing we learn from our passage today. God’s house is a place of prayer, not profit – a place of holiness, not a place for sin, selfish gain, or abuse.[3] This is why Jesus drove the market out.

Next, we see that …

2. Jesus Welcomed the Needy In (Matt. 21:14)

Matthew 21:14 says, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” It’s interesting to notice that when Jesus came into His temple, He not only drove out what the Jewish leaders had allowed to come in. He also brought in what they sought to keep out.

Under the Old Testament law, members of the priestly family who had the sad misfortune to suffer a defect were not permitted to serve in the temple. “‘For“, as the law says, “any man who has a defect shall not approach“; and specifically, “a man blind or lame” (Leviticus 21:18). The law even prohibited making an offering of any animal that was “blind or broken or maimed” (Leviticus 22:22). The Jews had misapplied these scriptures, leading to the unmerciful belief that the blind and the lame would defile the temple, and that they should be forbidden from coming into the temple area.

Who should be allowed to come into God’s temple more than those who need His mercy most? And what characterized the merciful ministry of the promised Messiah more than the prophecies of the Old Testament, that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped“, or that “the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing” (Isaiah35:5-6)? Jesus excluded no one from His holy presence, or held anyone off from approaching Him, who truly sought His mercy. Those who most know their need for Him always find themselves loved and welcomed by Him. And so, here, we see that He doesn’t simply walk outside the temple area in order to heal the blind and the lame. He clearly expresses His heart for needy people by permitting them to come into His Father’s very house; and by healing them in the very court of the temple.

What a lesson for us as a church! All are welcome in God’s house. The church is a place where people of all races, backgrounds, and social status can join together to worship and serve the one, true and living God. The church is not a social club. It is the family of God, and all who come truly seeking God are welcome. It is a place where healing happens. Whatever your background, whatever your past, whatever sins you are currently struggling with, you are welcomed by Jesus.

One of the wonderful things about church is you don’t have to fix up your life before you come. Church is not a place for holy people who have it all together. It is a place for sinners to be healed. We come to church as broken, hurting, sinful people. We put our trust in Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. He heals our sin-sick souls and transforms us into children of God who walk according to His word.

So we see the Jesus welcomed the needy. Finally, we see that …

3. Jesus Received the Praise of Children (Matt. 21:15-17)

By this point, you would have thought that the high priests and scribes would have readily recognized Jesus for who He is. He had ridden into the city on a humble foal of a donkey as the prophet Zechariah had promised. He had entered into the temple and boldly cleansed it as had been predicted by the prophet Malachi. He had ministered before their very eyes as the Book of Isaiah promised the Messiah would do; healing the blind and the lame.

And now, they’re given one more sign. Matthew writes,

15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (Matt. 21:14-16).

These were small children, and they were probably shouting, inside the temple, the same sort of words that they heard the crowds shout about Jesus as He approached the city (Matt. 21:9). The chief priests and teachers of the law were not happy about all this. The temple was their area, and Jesus was invading their territory. And so, when they see Jesus healing the sick and all the children shouting Jesus’ praises—in their temple! Instead of joining in with the praises, they begin to protest instead.

They asked Jesus if He heard what these noisy little children were saying—no doubt expecting that Jesus should share their indignation, and command the children to be quiet. And I love Jesus’ answer to their question. “Yes.” It’s a simple, straight-forward, bold answer, as if He was saying “Yes! I of course I hear the children. And I have no intention of stopping them. I gladly receive their praise.”

Instead of hushing the children, Jesus silenced His critics by asking them, “Have you never read …” Again, Jesus appealed to the authority of God’s written word. Surely they had read Psalm 8! There, in front of them, they were seeing prophecy fulfilled—if they had only had the eyes to see it. Out of the mouths of these little ones, Jesus was receiving the praise in the temple that the high priests and the scribes were refusing to give.

Jesus quotes Psalm 8 in this manner: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise” (Matt. 21:16b; Psalm 8:2). The word that is here translated “perfected” is a term that refers to the repairing and knitting of a thing together so that it is united and complete. The NASB translates it “prepared”. The NIV translates it “ordained”.

The point is that it was through the praises of the little children that praise to our Lord was “perfected” and made “complete”. It was ordained by God that way. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19? “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Pure, unadulterated praise, like that of little children, is what God desires.

I believe that Jesus wants God’s house to be a place where the meekest, the smallest, and the seemingly most insignificant are welcomed, respected, and well-received in their praises to Him. He does not consider His praise to be complete unless it comes from little mouths.[4]

And notice that Jesus is the rightful recipient of our praise. He is the Son of God, the divine second person of the triune God. He receives worship rightly because He is worthy. We read in Philippians 2: “… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi. 2:10-11).

The worship of Jesus is where the continental divide of all religions takes place. All religions either worship Jesus as the only true God or they don’t worship Jesus as the only true God. And those that refuse to worship Jesus are false religions. When the chief priests and scribes refused to worship Him and sought to hinder those who were, they demonstrated themselves to be false. They hated Jesus. They wanted to destroy Jesus. Perhaps this is why we read in Matthew 21:17, “Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.” He didn’t find what He had a right to expect in the temple in Jerusalem; and so He went out from them and left them. They had refused to worship Jesus. They had attempted to stop the worship of Jesus. As we will see next time in the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus leaving them was an act of judgment on their false worship because they did not believe in Him.

What we learn about Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem we can apply to ourselves as the people of God. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15, “… I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” What does the Son of God want to find in His Father’s house? This passage shows us three things: 1) that His church is a holy place for all who seek Him; 2) that those who most need His mercy are welcomed; and 3) that His praises from the smallest among us are encouraged and respected.

—————————————————————

 

[1] John MacArthur, Macarthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16-23, Moody Publishers, Chicago, p. 268.

[2] Greg Allen, What Jesus Wants to Find in the Church, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2008/030908.htm.

[3] Ray Fowler, God’s House, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/gods-house/.

[4] Allen, ibid.

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Who Is This? Matthew 21:1-11

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Who Is This?

Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21 begins the last week of Jesus’ ministry before He would be crucified. Matthew devotes seven chapters to the events of this week. It is the culmination of Jesus’ mission as the Son of God. From the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew has presented Jesus to us as the promised Messiah and King.

But most Jews in Jesus’ day missed Him as their Messiah and King because they were expecting a different kind of Savior. They thought that Messiah would be a mighty political deliverer, who would lead Israel to military victory over their Roman oppressors. They were not looking for a lowly Savior, riding on the foal of a donkey. They could not conceive of a suffering Savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for sinners. And so, tragically, they missed the coming of their King![1]

Yes, the multitudes rejoiced as Jesus rode that donkey’s colt into Jerusalem. But did they truly understand Who He was and why He came? Our text today calls us to worship Jesus as our King with rejoicing. Yet if our praise is to be more than just empty emotion, we must understand correctly who Jesus is and what He came to do. In Matthew 21:10, the people were shaken when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and they voiced this decisive question, “Who is this?” Who is Jesus? Matthew answers that question for us in this passage (Matthew 21:1-11).

Notice first …

1. The Planned Presentation of the King (Matthew 21:1-5)

Our text begins, “Now when they drew near Jerusalem …” (Matt. 21:1). As we know from our previous studies of Matthew, Jesus had planned His arrival in Jerusalem. On several occasions, Jesus had told His disciples that they were headed to Jerusalem and why. In Matthew 16:21, 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.” He repeated this prediction in Matthew 17, adding that He would be betrayed (Matt. 17:22-23). Then again, in Matthew 20, Jesus told them again in more detail, “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” (Matt. 20:18-19).

Jesus went to Jerusalem for a specific purpose: to suffer at the hands of sinful men, die upon the cross, and rise again. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus told us the purpose of His death, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” His death was a redeeming death, a sacrificial death, a vicarious death, and a saving death. When Jesus died, He paid the debt for our sins.

Everything that Jesus did as He entered Jerusalem and everything that occurred that day was on purpose. Jesus planned it and executed it on purpose. Remember, up to this point, Jesus had not broadcasted the fact that he was the Messiah. Throughout His ministry in Galilee, Jesus often warned those He healed to “tell no one” (Matt. 8:4; 9:30; 12;16). In Matthew 16, after Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” (Matt. 16:16), Matthew writes, “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ” (Matt. 16:20). After Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured before them in His divine, royal splendor, “He commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead’” (Matt. 17:9).

But now, Jesus intentionally goes public. Jesus knew that the hour for His suffering and death was at hand. He will no longer conceal who He is. He is the Christ, the Messiah who has come giving sight to the blind and raising the dead. He is the Davidic King who has come to save His people. But He is not the kind of Messiah and King the people are expecting.

So, look what Jesus does:

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” (Matt. 21:1-3).

Jesus is in control of everything that happens here. First, Jesus sent two disciples to bring His ride to Him. Notice that the disciples didn’t have to look for the animals. He said that, as soon as they came into the village, they would “immediately” find not just a donkey, but a donkey and her colt tied together. Two animals—requiring two disciples to bring them.

Second, we see that they were instantly allowed to take the animals. Jesus told them, “And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them” (Matt. 21:2-3). Luke’s Gospel tells us that’s exactly what happened. When the owners saw the two disciples untying the donkeys, they wanted to know what they were doing. And when the disciples said what the Lord told them to say, they just let them go.

Everything went exactly according to plan. Now, some will say that these things took place just as Jesus had spoken because Jesus had made prior arrangements with the owner of these donkeys. That’s pure speculation, because the scripture doesn’t say that. Since Jesus had clear foreknowledge of the specifics of His crucifixion and resurrection, it’s not a stretch to believe that Jesus simply knew where the donkeys were and how the owners would respond.

Whether Jesus prepared for it supernaturally or not, the point is Jesus was clearly in charge of the events surrounding His death, including the triumphal entry, the betrayal by Judas, and the death plots of the Jewish leaders. None of it took Him by surprise. He is the King of authority who controls all things according to His purpose, even the events of His death (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).[2]

And all of this, Matthew tells us, was in keeping with the promise of the Scriptures, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 21:4). Then Matthew quotes from Zechariah 9:9, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matt. 21:5). The “daughter of Zion” refers to the people of Jerusalem. It’s a prophecy to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

It’s important for us to know that when Matthew quotes the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy, he doesn’t just pull a verse out of thin air. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew is writing his Gospel to Hebrews who know their scripture and the context in which it was written. Zechariah prophesied four centuries before the coming of Christ to the Jewish remnant who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. In the first part of Zechariah 9, God promised to judge the nations surrounding Judah through the coming of a conqueror from Greece. From history, we know him as Alexander the Great. He would strike terror into the hearts of those in his path. He often slaughtered all the men in a city and sold the women and children into slavery. He was a conqueror obsessed with his own power and dominion. The later part of Zechariah 9 then predicts the future prosperity of Judah and how God would then bring judgment on Greece.

However, right between these prophesies of judgment, Zechariah gives a prophecy to Judah about their coming King (Zech. 9:9) who would speak peace to the nations and whose dominion would be to the ends of the earth (Zech 9:10). Here is what the Lord said through Zechariah,

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.'” (Zech. 9:9-10).

Zechariah says that the Messiah King would be “just” or righteous. He will exercise justice perfectly. And Zechariah says this King will come “having salvation”. He will come to save His people. Zechariah says, “He shall speak peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:10).

However, the part of the prophecy that Matthew stresses is the humility of this promised King. In contrast to the proud Alexander on his war horse, Jesus came “Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matt. 21:5). The donkey was a lowly animal, used for peaceable purposes by those who were of no rank or position. By riding the foal of a donkey, Jesus was showing Himself to be the King, in fulfillment of our text, but not the exalted political king and military commander that the people expected. MacArthur shows the contrast, writing,

Alexander the Great inspires fear. Alexander the Great inspires dread. Alexander the Great makes war. But this king in verse 9 and following does not inspire fear and dread, but praise. He doesn’t make war; He makes peace. He’s not a foreign tyrant; He is Israel’s own king. He’s not cruel and oppressive; He’s kind and righteous. He doesn’t slay; He saves. He’s not rich; He’s poor. He’s not proud; He’s meek. He’s not riding a white horse; He’s riding a colt of a beast of burden. Very stark contrast.[3]

Jesus is the gentle King who said, “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). He is the humble King who said, “27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave– 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:27-28). The angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus because, “He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Messiah who offered salvation and peace with God through His death for us on the cross.

God spoke it through His prophet four hundred years before Jesus came. And the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled it perfectly according to God’s word. God sovereignly determined how the Lord Jesus would present Himself as King in Jerusalem. It was a planned presentation.

Who is this? He is Jesus Christ, the King of authority, justice, salvation, peace, and humility.

How did the people respond to Him?

2. The People’s Praise of the King (Matthew 21:6-9)

Matthew tells us, “6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.” (Matt. 21:6-7). Having retrieved the donkey and colt as Jesus instructed them, the disciples then made a saddle using their own cloaks, and Christ sat on this colt as the procession began to wind its way to the city of Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:8 says, “And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road…” Multitudes of pilgrims and disciples joined Jesus on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover. And seeing Jesus riding the donkey’s colt, they did what would have been appropriate for the coming of the long-awaited King. First, they create a royal carpet of sorts by spreading their cloaks on the road before Him. This custom goes back to Old Testament times where the people would spread their cloaks on the ground before the approaching king. One example is with King Jehu, in 2 Kings 9:13: “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, ‘Jehu is king!’” Spreading your cloaks on the ground was a sign of submission and respect. So, when the people spread their cloaks on the ground before Jesus, they are welcoming Him into Jerusalem and symbolically saying they submitted to Him as their King.

Matthew tells us that “others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matt. 21:8). Palm branches were a sign of joy, especially in the occasion of a military victory. And so we begin to understand what kind of king the people expected Jesus to be. If Palm Sunday for Jesus was all about the humility of a donkey, for the people it was all about the pageantry of the palms.[4] They weren’t looking for a gentle and peaceful king. They were looking for a military king who would deliver them from the power of Rome and inaugurate the Jewish kingdom.

The crowds got bigger as they approached Jerusalem, and now there were crowds of people ahead of Jesus as well as crowds of people following, and they are all shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9). “Hosanna” is a cry of salvation from Psalm 118:25. It literally means, “Save us, now!” “Son of David” is a messianic title. The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be a direct descendant of David. The Christ would be a King who would take the throne of His father David and reign forever. So, when the people cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, they are proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.

They also said, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD,” quoting Psalm 118:26 about the coming of the Messiah. And they shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!”, affirming that Jesus’ coming into the city was a cause of praise to God. It echoes the worship of the heavenly host at Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest!”

As Christ entered Jerusalem, the people were singing a prayer that the Son of David might save them. And Jesus truly is the Savior. Only He didn’t bring salvation in the way that the Jews expected. When we read Matthew 21 in the context of everything else that takes place in the rest of the book, we clearly understand that Christ’s kingdom isn’t a political kingdom. He didn’t come to physically reign over Jerusalem that day. Jesus was establishing a spiritual kingdom. He came to save His people from their sins by giving His life a ransom for many.

Who is this? This is Jesus, the Messiah and King who has come to save. He is blessed for He comes in the name of the Lord in fulfillment of God’s word. He is worthy of the highest praise. And as He comes, the people rejoice and praise Him as the King in fulfillment of prophecy.

But did they really understand what kind of King and Savior He would be?

Finally we see …

3. The Perplexing Person of the King (Matthew 21:10-11)

We see the confusion of the crowd as Matthew reports, “10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”” (Matt. 21:10). Imagine this great multitude, as they marched into the city, shouting, celebrating, and singing ‘hosannas’ to the Lord! It caused quite an uproar! The whole city was shaken. Due to all the commotion, the people of Jerusalem were asking, “Who is this?”

So, who is this? We have already seen the people welcome Jesus as their King. We have seen them proclaim Him as Messiah. And now they also identify him as the Prophet. Matthew 21:11 says, “11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”” What did they mean by this? Perhaps some simply meant that Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet sent by God who, like the prophets of the Old Testament spoke the word from God. It was clear from His miraculous power that He was from God. But was He more?

Back in the Old Testament Moses told the people of Israel: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (Deuteronomy 18:15). Now, the people in the city ask, “Who is this?” and the crowds answer, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Jesus was the prophet like Moses whom God raised up in fulfillment of prophecy.

We can view the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in two ways, for it was two things at once.[5] It was a planned presentation of Jesus as King, a public declaration of His Messiahship. By entering Jerusalem this way Jesus threw down of the gauntlet to the religious leadership. He forced the people and their leaders to make a decision about Him. Was He the King and Messiah? Would they accept Him? Or would they carry out their plot to destroy Him (Matt. 12:14)? Jesus came into Jerusalem as a King and dared the religious authorities to do something about it. His hour had come. There was no turning back. Jesus knew that He came to Jerusalem to suffer and die. And when the people hailed Him as Messiah, Prophet and King, it put Him on a direct collision course with the chief priests and teachers of the law, who later that week will condemn Him to death and turn Him over to the Romans to be mocked, beaten, and crucified.

Because, while the triumphal entry presented Jesus as the Messiah and King, it also declared that He was not the Messiah that the people were expecting or what the leaders wanted. He had not come to overthrow the Roman oppressors but to give His life a ransom for their sins. He entered Jerusalem as a king, to be sure, but as a meek and lowly king, riding a donkey. Jesus boldly proceeded into Jerusalem, knowing everything that would happen to Him there. He accepted the praises of the crowd, knowing that everything they proclaimed about Him was true. Jesus stirred up the city, knowing that this would lead to His final confrontation with the religious leaders.

Who is this and how should we receive Him? Let’s receive Him as the Messiah whose coming was promised by God, and prepared far in advance for our salvation. Let’s recognize Him as the King who comes meek and gentle and lowly—not as our Judge now but as our Savior—and as One who takes our sins upon Himself at the cross, so that we need not experience the fear of judgment for our sins. Let’s celebrate Him as the promised King, who’s coming is the answer to the cry, “Save now, O Lord!” And above all, let’s be sure that we place our trust fully in Him who came into Jerusalem to give His life on the cross for our sins.

Because although Jesus comes to us as the humble, servant King today, He has also promised that He will come again. And at His second coming, Jesus will return as the mighty sovereign to judge and to reign forever. Instead of a donkey, He will ride a white horse. Instead of bringing peace, He will make war. Revelation 1911-16 describes it:

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

What a contrast there is between that first entry into Jerusalem and the second! The first was on a meek and mild donkey—a symbol of gentleness and peace, but the second will be on the white stallion of a warrior. The first was to make atonement for our sins, but the second will be to judge, to make war, and to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Jesus wore no crowns at that first entry; but at His second, He will wear many crowns. At His first entry, the clothes of the happy crowds were thrown before Him, but at His second, He will wear a robe dipped in blood. Crowds of humble people went before Him and behind Him at His first entry, but at His second, He will be accompanied by the white-robed armies of heaven. He came to His own people that first time to be struck down, but He will come the second time to strike the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. When He came that first time into the city, they announced Him as Jesus, the prophet from the humble town of Nazareth of Galilee, but when He comes the second time, He will be called by the name “The Word of God“, and will bear the title “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS“.[6]

Listen, your eternal destiny at the time of Christ’s second entry into Jerusalem is going to depend upon whether or not you have properly responded to His first coming. If we receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior now, we will reign with Him when He comes again. The crucial question today is, “Who is this?”

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[1] Steven Cole, Lesson 12: Rejoice! Your King is Coming! (Zechariah 9:9-10 and Matthew 21:1-11), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-12-rejoice-your-king-coming-zechariah-99-10-and-matthew-211-11

[2] Cole, ibid.

[3] John MacArthur, The Humble Coronation of King Jesus, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-42/the-humble-coronation-of-king-jesus.

[4] Ray Fowler, Destination Jerusalem, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/destination-jerusalem/.

[5] Robert Rayburn, The Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/the-triumphal-entry.  

[6] Greg Allen, “Jesus’ ‘First’ Triumphal Entry”, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2008/030208.htm.

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A Lesson in Compassion

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A Lesson in Compassion

Matthew 15:29-39

It is a joy to come together again on the Lord’s Day, to open our Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew and hear God’s word for His church. Matthew is the gospel of the King and His kingdom. Matthew demonstrates that Jesus is the promised King and Messiah. Jesus Christ fulfills the prophesies of scripture. He has the authority of God the Father in His words and His works. He does what only God can do. He possesses the attributes of Almighty God.

In Matthew 14-17, we are in a section of Matthew where Jesus is training His disciples in kingdom ministry. Every narrative not only teaches us about who Jesus is and what He came to do, but also about who Jesus calls His disciples to be and what He calls them to do. We saw Jesus feed the 5000 through His disciples, teaching them the priority of kingdom ministry and God’s provision for it. We saw Jesus walk on water teaching them the power of faith over fear. Then, when the scribes and Pharisees confronted Jesus and His disciples about washings, Jesus taught them the purpose of kingdom ministry, God’s cleansing of the heart. Last time, we saw Jesus interact with a woman of Canaan and we saw the perseverance of faith in kingdom ministry.

Today, we learn another lesson: the passion of kingdom ministry. Our text today shows that compassion is a driving force in Jesus’ ministry. We have seen Jesus’ compassion driving His ministry before. Matthew 9:36 said, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” And Matthew 14:14 said, “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”

The Bible repeats the refrain that “The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psa. 103:8; 145:8). We know God is compassionate. Jesus has the same mercy, grace, and compassion as the Father. And the lesson for us is not only does God show compassion toward us, but He also calls us to join Him in His compassionate work.

1. The Context (Matt. 15:29-31)

Last time, we saw how Jesus had left the Jewish region of Galilee, where He had done most of His ministry, and traveled to the Gentile regions of Tyre an Sidon. While there, He had encountered a Gentile woman of Canaan who exhibited great faith in Him. He responded to her faith by graciously healing her daughter from demon possession (Matt. 15:21-28). We do not know how long Jesus was in the area of Tyre and Sidon or what else He did there, but now Matthew 15:29 tells us, “Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.”  Mark gives us a little more information saying that Jesus came through the region of Decapolis (Mark 7:31). Apparently, from Tyre and Sidon, Jesus had headed east through Phoenicia, skirted around the North side of the Sea of Galilee, and traveled through the region east of the lake known as the Decapolis, or “Ten Cities” which would be in present day Jordan. Like Tyre and Sidon, this area was largely Gentile.

The importance of Jesus’ location is that it speaks to the make-up of the multitudes He ministers to. We have seen that Jesus had been trying to get His disciples alone to teach them in relative peace. So He has gone to these largely Gentile areas away from the crowds of Jewish enthusiasts that surrounded Him. But even here, Jesus’ reputation proceeds Him. The people in this area had also heard about Jesus and His miracles. Remember back in Matthew 8 Jesus had cast our demons in the country of the Gadarenes and Mark 5:20 tells us that the formerly demon-possessed man “departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.”

So, you can just imagine how people must have welcomed Jesus when they heard He was passing through this region. We’re not sure how long He spent there, but apparently, He was there long enough for multitudes of people to hear that He was there and come to see Him. Matthew 15:30 says, “Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.”

I love the picture that Matthew gives us of Jesus’ mercy to the multitudes that came to Him. He says that they brought people to Him who had all sorts of needs that were beyond human remedy—some who were lame, some who were blind, some who were mute, and many others. They laid these needy people at Jesus’ feet; and Matthew tells us that He healed them. There wasn’t a single need placed before Jesus that He wasn’t able to graciously and completely meet.

Matthew 15:31 says, “So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.” The goal of kingdom ministry is ultimately that people would worship the Lord. As Christ’s followers, we are called to minister not only to people’s physical and temporal needs but to lead them to glorify God. Jesus has immeasurable compassion to heal their broken bodies, but He has infinitely more compassion on them for the sake of their eternal soul. Jesus came to save us from sin, death, and eternal condemnation. He came to deliver us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of light. He came that God would be glorified by people who have been redeemed by His precious blood shed on the cross.

Notice the significant, unusual phrase at the end of that verse, “and they glorified the God of Israel.” These Gentiles were marveling at Jesus. And when they marveled at Him, they truly were glorifying “the God of Israel.” “God of Israel” is used over two hundred times in the Old Testament, but only twice in the New Testament (the other time is Zechariah’s prophecy at the birth of John the Baptist, Luke 1:68). If these people were Jews, would they simply not praise God, as did the people who witnessed the healing of the paralytic in Matthew 9:8?  The inference is clear, both from the context (Matt. 15:21; Mark 7:31) and from the statement, “they glorified the God of Israel” (Matt. 15:31) that these people are Gentiles, not Jews. Jesus is still in Gentile territory.

This is important because it was to this very same crowd of Gentiles that Jesus demonstrates His great compassion by feeding them just as He had done the Jewish crowd in Matthew 14.

So we see…

2. Jesus has Compassion on the Crowd (Matt. 15:32)

Our remaining verses today deal with Jesus feeding the four thousand. Matthew 15:32 says, “Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.””

This sounds very familiar doesn’t it? We saw a similar situation in Matthew 14 when Jesus fed a multitude of five thousand men plus women and children. The two accounts are very similar. Both times a great crowd gathers, Jesus teaches them and heals their sick, they are hungry and far from home, Jesus has compassion on them, he talks with the disciples about feeding them, they only have a small amount of food, Jesus instructs the crowd to sit down, he gives thanks for the food, he has the disciples distribute the food, everyone eats and is satisfied, and there is food left over.

But the feedings also have some significant differences. The location here is on the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee in Decapolis, not Bethsaida. Here, they sat on the ground, not on the grass. Here we find the 4,000+ are fed after they had been with Jesus three days rather than 5,000+ who were fed after one day. Here, seven loaves of bread and a few fish are available rather than five loaves and two fish. Here seven large baskets–hampers–are taken up rather than twelve regular baskets. So on a basic level, Jesus does this miracle twice because there was a need twice. There were hungry people who needed to be fed.

But another question is, “Why does Matthew include this story in his Gospel?” We’ve already seen Jesus do something greater. We know that the Gospel writers were very selective in what they included in their accounts. As John wrote about his Gospel, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25).

In addition to what we learned from the first feeding, this miracle points out two things. First, Jesus is not only able to perform a mighty work, but He can repeat it according to His own desire. Second, this miracle demonstrates Jesus had compassion on those outside of Israel’s covenant as well as those within it.[i]

At the same time, Jesus was also trying build the faith of the disciples. He is training them in kingdom ministry. Jesus does not ask them what they think they should do, and He does not immediately tell them what to do. He presents the dilemma to them. This is an opportunity for the disciples to apply the lessons they have already been taught. Jesus said, “I care about these people and sure would like to feed them.” Then left it for the disciples to ponder. Will they show God’s compassion to all people, not just the Jews like them?

So we see, again, that …

3. Jesus Challenges His Disciples (Matt. 15:33-34)

Jesus calls his disciples together. He explains the problem to them just as before, and they answer: “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” (Matt. 15:33). Have the disciples forgotten what Jesus did in Bethsaida when He fed the five thousand? I don’t think they forgot what Jesus did, but I also think that they have not fully learned the lesson Jesus taught them through it. We shouldn’t be too hard on the disciples here. How many times has God provided for us in the past, and we still have trouble trusting Him for whatever we are going through in the present?

To their credit, the disciples don’t ask Jesus to send the crowd away like they did last time. They recognized Jesus’ compassion for these people. Their reply to Jesus emphasized that they knew the Lord could satisfy such a multitude but that they could not. He had no less power than before, and they had no more. They knew that Jesus could feed the people if He chose to. The question is, will He? This was a Gentile crowd. Jesus had forbidden them to go in the way of the Gentiles and had instructed them to preach to the Jews only (Matt. 10:5-6). Jesus had delayed in granting the request of the Canaanite woman and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). Perhaps they wondered if Jesus would want to feed this Gentile crowd.

So, like last time, the disciples point out the obvious lack of resources. And like last time, “Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.’” (Matt. 15:34). Notice this—the crowd is smaller than before, and yet their resources are greater. Oh, they are still largely insufficient. Apart from Jesus’ miraculous intervention, they are no more able to feed this crowd than the last one. So, they await Jesus’ direction on what He wants them to do to fulfill His request.

4. Jesus Completes the Miracle Feeding (Matt. 15:35-38)

35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. (Matt. 15:35-38).

The feeding of this multitude is carried out in the same manner as the first feeding of a multitude. Yes, they have more food and fewer people to feed, but it is as impossible for 4,000 to be fed with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish as it is to feed 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. The task cannot be completed unless God intervenes, and He does. Jesus gives thanks (Matt. 15:36) and begins giving the food to the disciples who serve it to the people. Jesus was teaching the disciples about compassion. He didn’t give the food to the people, He gave it to the disciples so they could give it to the people. He made sure that they showed compassion to this Gentile crowd.

Everyone is satisfied—four thousand men besides women and children. And they took up seven baskets of leftovers. Once again, the provision was more than sufficient. When Jesus fed the 5,000 Matthew said there were twelve baskets left over, but the word Matthew used there was kophinos, a small Jewish container, a private basket for personal use similar to a lunch box. But the word Matthew uses here for these seven baskets is spuridas, a large Gentile basket. It’s the size of the basket that Luke says was used to lower the Apostle Paul outside the wall of Damascus in Acts 9. The baskets the disciples filled here were big enough to hold a man.

Why is that important? Because Jesus is teaching His disciples about compassion. No matter how much you give to help others, God has more than enough not only for them but for you also.

This lesson is preparing the disciples for the Great Commission, at the end of the Book of Matthew (28:18-20). While Jesus sent His disciples only to the Jews in Matthew 10, He will send them into “all the nations” in Matthew 28. We have a glimpse of this in our text.  

What do we learn from today’s passage? We see, again, Jesus’ divine compassion and power. He healed people physically and He healed them spiritually. He fed them with bread and fish and fed them the word of God. He did these things because He is the Son of God. He is God with us (Matt. 1:23), God in human flesh (John 1:14). He is not only the God of Israel, He is the God of all the nations. He has compassion for all. He has power for all. Not only does He have compassion for our spiritual needs and our serious physical needs, but even for our daily needs. And He has compassion not only on Israel, but on the world.[ii]

If you have not yet come to Christ for salvation, Jesus says to you, and to all sinners in need of salvation, “I have compassion…” And He not only feels that compassion for you, but He also acted on it. Jesus offered His life up for you. He paid the debt of sin that you owed. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” (1 Pet. 3:18). In compassion, He suffered and died in your place so that your sins could be forgiven and you could become a child of God. So He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28). Look to Jesus who loves you and died for you. Believe in Him. Trust His saving blood. This is the loving, saving compassion of Jesus.

What about us? If we are His disciples, children of God by faith in Christ, heirs of the kingdom of heaven, those in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells by faith, then that same compassion should be felt and shown by us. Do you see the needs of people like Jesus did? Does your heart go out to the harassed and helpless, the sick and sinful? Do you believe that Jesus is willing and able to help them, to save them? Do you believe that He wants to use you to show His compassion to them? God loves people. He cares about people. And He has sent us into the world to care about them too.

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[i] Scott Harris, Compassion for People – Matthew 15:29-39, https://www.gracebibleny.org/compassion_for_people_matthew_15_29_39

[ii] John MacArthur, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2314/compassion-for-the-outsiders

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Truth vs. Tradition

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Truth vs. Tradition

Matthew 15:1-20

Tradition! There are all sorts of traditions in life. We have family traditions, holiday traditions, community traditions, national traditions, and church traditions. Some traditions are a good thing. They serve a useful function giving us a sense of community with others and continuity with our past. But when it comes to a relationship with God, traditions can often do more harm than good—especially when we put our traditions above the clear commands of the word of God.

Today, we come to a new chapter in our study of the Gospel of Matthew. It begins with a controversy over tradition, a confrontation between the scribes and Pharisees and Jesus. But this is not the first time we have seen Jesus in conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. Recall that in Matthew 9, when Jesus forgives the sin of a paralytic, the scribes accused Jesus of blasphemy (Matt. 9:3). Then, when He ate at Matthew’s house, they were appalled that Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matt. 9:11). Next, when Jesus cast a demon from a mute man, the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons” (Matt. 9:34).

In Matthew 12, the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of violating the Sabbath (Matt. 12:2). When Jesus claimed He was Lord of the Sabbath and proved it by the scriptures and by healing a man with a withered hand, they “went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Matt. 12:14). Again, when Jesus healed a blind and mute demon-possessed man, they accused Him of working in the power of the devil (Matt. 12:24). He utterly disproved their accusation, and said they were a “brood of vipers” who, being evil, were incapable of speaking good things. When they sought to discredit Him by demanding a miraculous sign from Him, He told them that the only sign they would receive would be “the sign of the prophet Jonah”—that is, the sign of His own resurrection after being “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40). And He said they had a greater condemnation than the sinful, wicked, pagan nations of the past that repented at the teaching of God (Matt. 12:41-42).

So, you can be certain, that when the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem come to question Jesus in Matthew 15, they come with hostile intentions. They did not come to hear Him teach, wonder at His miracles, or believe in Him as the Son of God. They came to accuse and discredit Him. Matthew 15:1-20 can be outlined this way: 1) The scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus about tradition and Jesus confronts them about God’s law (Matt. 15:1-9); then, 2) Jesus taught the crowd a principle about true defilement (Matt. 15:10-11); Finally, 3) Jesus explains this further to His disciples (Matt. 15:12-20).

This passage teaches us that religious ‘traditions’ can easily become sinful ‘transgressions’, especially when they cause us to set aside the clear commands of God’s word and become a substitute for a true relationship with God by faith.[1]

So first we see…

1. The Confrontation (Matt. 15:1-9)

A. Pharisees confront Jesus about tradition (15:1-2)

Matthew 15:1-2 says, “Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ‘Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’”

It is important to understand what the Pharisees are talking about here. They accuse Jesus’ disciples of transgressing “the tradition of the elders.” The word “tradition” (παράδοσις, paradosis) literally means “giving over” or “delivering” something. Metaphorically, it came to refer to the body of precepts handed down by the scribes and rabbis. Thus, “the tradition of the elders” was a set of oral interpretations of the law passed down from one generation to the next.

Historically, from the time of Ezra and the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity, the Jewish leaders and scholars developed a detailed set of rules and regulations related to the law of God. These traditions were not scripture, but they were intended to help God’s people conform to God’s commandments. The trouble was, that by the time of Jesus, these traditions they taught about the law of God became more important than the law itself. The scribes and Pharisees were experts in ‘the traditions of the elders’ and strictly devoted themselves to keeping them. Many of these traditions were later codified in the Jewish Talmud and are still observed in orthodox Judaism today.

The area of the tradition that the Pharisees were concerned about on this day was the washing of hands before eating. Their concern was not so much a matter of “personal hygiene” as it was “ceremonial cleanliness”. They took this ceremonial washing very seriously. You can understand how the Jews felt about washings from what they later wrote in the Talmud. One wrote, “Whoever eats bread without first washing his hands is as though he had sinned with a harlot. Whoever makes light of the washing of his hands will be uprooted from the world. Whoever eats bread without scouring his hands is as though he eats unclean bread” (Sot. 4b).[2] Another wrote, “A person who despises the washing of the hands before a meal is to be excommunicated” (Ber. 19a).[3]

It is important to understand that these traditions were not Scripture. There is no requirement for ceremonial washings before meals in the law of Moses. The only washings prescribed by God were for the priests in their temple service (Exodus 30:17-21, 40:12; 2 Chronicles 4:6). But the traditions of the elders went far beyond the requirements of the law of God. These were religious rules and regulations created by men, not by God.

Even though this tradition is foreign to us, the Jews in Jesus’ day knew all these rules and believed they were binding. In his parallel account, Mark explains,

3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. (Mark 7:3-4).

So, it was especially offensive to the Pharisees that this upstart rabbi, Jesus, had not taught His disciples to keep those traditions and observe them carefully. This was the issue that the Pharisees used to try to discredit Jesus.

How did Jesus respond?

B. Jesus confronts the Pharisees about God’s law (15:3-9)

Jesus answered their question in the same way He often answered accusatory questions—by asking them a question in return. He said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” (Matt. 15:3).

Never in the Gospels do we find Jesus basing His actions on the “traditions of the elders”. He never appealed to their traditions, advocated for them, or held them to be authoritative. Instead, Jesus always appealed to the authority of scripture or His own authority as the Son of God. Jesus had no problem breaking with their traditions when they were not prescribed by the word of God. That’s why He would heal people on the Sabbath and allow His disciples to pluck grain and eat it on the Sabbath even though it was against the traditions of the elders. Jesus violated their tradition but always obeyed the word of God.

Which should be more important: the tradition of the elders or God’s commandments? The Pharisees accused Jesus and His disciples of transgressing the traditions. Jesus accused them of transgressing God’s commandments. When you hold your tradition as sacred, you are in danger of putting your tradition above God’s word. That is exactly what the Pharisees did.

In Matthew 15:4-6, Jesus gives them an example of how they put their tradition before God’s word. He first told them, “For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’” (Matt. 15:4), quoting the fifth commandment (Exo. 20:12; Deut. 5:16). Then, He added the Scripture’s warning about the punishment prescribed by the law for the breaking the fifth commandment, “. . . and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death’” (Exo. 21:17; cf. Deut. 27:16; Pro. 20:20; 30:7). This is God’s word, straight from the ten commandments given by God to Moses and the people of Israel.

Then Jesus contrasted God’s clear commandment with their man-made tradition. “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God’” (Matt. 15:5). Notice the contrast here between “God commanded” and “you say”. The first is the word of God, the second is a tradition of men.

This particular tradition taught that if someone pledged money or other material resources to the temple for the service of God, then the money had to be turned over to the temple upon their death and could not be given to anyone else. The person who made the pledge could still use the money, but they were forbidden from giving it to anyone else because it was now “Corban”—that is, a gift set apart for God (Mark 7:11). It had the appearance of being an act of great devotion to God. But practically, that’s not how it worked out. They didn’t actually give their money to God, they only pledged it to God. That way, they could keep it and use it for themselves, but they didn’t have to use it to help anyone else.

Jesus indicates the problem of this tradition, saying in Matthew 15:6, “‘then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.” If a man made this kind of vow and then found out that his aging parents were in financial need, their tradition forbade him from giving anything to them (cf. Mark 7:11-12). Jesus says that by their tradition, they have transgressed the commandment of God (Matt. 15:3). They have nullified or voided the word of God by their tradition (Matt. 15:6). They followed a tradition of vowing their money, and they broke God’s commandment to honor their parents.

When a tradition is treated as a greater authority than the clear word of God, it is in danger of becoming sinful. When it actually makes you transgress the clear commandment of Scripture, then it is sinful. The Pharisees were allowing people to put their possessions under “Corban” as a way of shirking their responsibility to their parents. So, Jesus gave an example where their tradition was in direct contradiction to the commandment of God, but the Pharisees kept the tradition rather than the word of God.

They said they were followers of God, but in reality, they were just followers of tradition. What does that make them? Mathew 15:7, Jesus calls them, “Hypocrites!”

A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something they are not. By holding to their traditions, they could display an outward piety while in their hearts they transgressed God’s law.

Jesus explains their sinful condition by quoting from the prophet Isaiah:

7 “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ “ (Matt. 15:7-9).

The danger of resting on religious traditions is that they become a substitute for a true relationship with God. Jesus said they “draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips.” Oh, they knew how to spout their love for God. They knew how to pray in public. They pledged their money to God, but it was all just empty words. They were all talk and outward show. Jesus said, “But their heart is far from Me.” Following religious traditions can never substitute for a true relationship with God. We may fool others with our pious words and legalistic rules, but we cannot fool God. He knows our hearts.

And not only do those traditions give us a false sense of “relationship”; but they also give us a false experience of “worship”. Jesus quotes Isaiah, “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” When we put traditions above the word of God, our worship is in vain. Our worship means nothing. It is empty ritual that does not move our hearts and cannot please God. God doesn’t want you just to go through the motions. He wants your heartfelt worship, repentance, prayer, and obedience.

One commentator said this about tradition,

Satan has no greater allies than hypocrites who go under the guise of God’s people. And hypocrites have no greater ally than tradition, because tradition can be followed mechanically and thoughtlessly, without conviction, sincerity, or purity of heart. Because traditions are made by men, they can be accomplished by men. They require no faith, no trust, no dependence on God . . . they appeal to the flesh by feeding pride and self-righteousness . . . that is why ritual, ceremony, and other religious traditions are more likely to take worshipers further from God than bring them closer. And the further a person is from God, the more vain his worship becomes.[4]

Not all tradition is bad in and of itself. Tradition can connect us with the generations past who served God faithfully. Some traditions may actually help us to know and worship God. But traditions that replace the Word of God, are not just worthless, they are evil. The word of God is our authority not the doctrines of men. We must test everything we do by the word of God. Have we allowed following tradition to become a substitute for a true relationship with God and obedience to His word?

Next week we will look at the rest of this passage, Matthew 15:10-20, as Jesus will teach a universal principle and apply it to His disciples. But what have we learned so far?

This passage teaches us that we should not judge other people by our traditions, they are not sacred. God’s commands always come before our traditions. Listen, nothing that we do in church is sacred except the worship of God according to the word of God. The type of music; the number of services; the times we start and end; the order of service; using a hymnal or a screen; pews or chairs; piano, organ, or band; how we dress; when we stand or sit; how we give our offerings; how often we observe the Lord’s Supper; and many more traditions—none of them is sacred. Worship can look and feel different in different churches and cultures as long as we are worshiping in Spirit and truth according to the word of God. God’s commands always come before man-made rules, regulations, and rituals.

God is not impressed with empty worship traditions. Listen to what the Lord said to His people in Jerusalem in Isaiah 1,

11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?”
Says the LORD.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.

12 “When you come to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?

13 Bring no more futile sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.

16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:11-17).

How many times do we follow religious traditions in worship that we think God is pleased with, or that we think bring us into His favor, when in reality, the Lord can’t endure them because we observe them with sinful hearts and filthy hands that have never been washed cleaned by the blood of Jesus?

Isaiah goes on to write words from the Lord inviting His people to salvation,

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.

19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 1:18-20).

 The only way for your sins to be washed away is by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you. Jesus saves—nothing else. John writes in Revelation that “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth …” has “… loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:5-6).

The old hymn asks,

Have you come to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?

The church cannot save you. Religious ceremonies cannot save you. Tradition cannot save you. Trying hard to be good cannot save you. Your sins have separated you from the Holy God who loves you. Your debt to God is greater than you could ever pay. The wages of sin is death. But Jesus Christ came to save. He paid your debt in full with His precious blood. Come to Jesus. Believe He is Lord, that He died for your sins and was raised for your justification. He will save you, justify you, cleanse you, and make you His own.

——————————————————————————–

[1] Greg Allen, Traditions and Transgressions, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2007/032507.htm

[2] Cited in A. Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud, New American Edition (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1949), p. 241.

[3] Ibid.

[4] John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary: Matthew, Moody Publishers, Chicago, 1987, p. 455.

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Walking on Water, Part 2

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Walking on Water, Part 2

Matthew 14:22-36

Matthew’s theme is that Jesus is the Messiah-King. As He walked this earth, our Lord’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The subject of Jesus’ teaching was the kingdom of God. And in all of His preaching, He clearly showed Himself to be the long-awaited Messiah-King who fulfilled the prophecies of scripture. He had sent His apostles out to proclaim that same message of the kingdom and confirmed the gospel with miracles, signs, and wonders. He had compassion on the people, healed their diseases, and freed many from demonic possession. And yet, He had to rebuke the very places where He had taught and worked (Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum), because they would not repent at His teaching (Matt. 11:20-24). The religious leaders of the day resisted His teaching, demanded signs from Him (Matt. 12:38), and sought to kill Him (Matt. 12:14). Even His own family (Matt. 12:46-50) and the people of His hometown resisted and rejected Him (Matt. 13:53-58). King Herod reacted to news about Jesus with misunderstanding and superstition (Matt. 14:1-2). The multitudes that He fed misunderstood His mission—forcing Him to separate Himself from them because they sought to make Him into their earthly provider (John 6:15). Even Jesus’ own disciples failed to recognize Him as He walked out to them on the sea—fearing that He was a ghost (Matt. 14:26).

Remember, in this section of Matthew, that Jesus, having taught about the kingdom of heaven, is now concentrating on training His disciples in kingdom ministry. In the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus taught them that He is the Lord, the Messiah-King, who is able to work through them to do kingdom ministry when they trust in Him. But did they learn the lesson? Immediately after Jesus used them to feed the multitude, He sent them across the lake against a windstorm. And so, in our last lesson, we saw …

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

They found themselves at their wits’ end without Jesus. Jesus deliberately sent them off on a journey that He knew would prove very frustrating to them, which would drain them of all their own personal resources. He did this so He could then illustrate to them—and to us—that He is far above those things that frustrate us. Jesus is building their faith in Him.

Then we saw…

2. Jesus’ presence (Matt. 14:25-27)

Finally, after they strained at the oars for hours against the wind, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water. The disciples are terrified. They think Jesus is a ghost, But Jesus comes saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I: do not be afraid.” (Matt. 14:27), revealing Himself to be Lord and Savior, the One who is above all their frustrations and fears. “What a profound lesson about God’s protecting love, when without human resource, when there is no way, He makes the storm His path to save His own.”[1]

Now when Mark and John wrote about this in their Gospels, the Holy Spirit led them to end the story with Jesus entering the boat and the disciples’ amazement. But Matthew goes on to tell us about something else that happened before then because the disciples need to learn what God can do through them when they trust in Jesus.

Which brings us to…

3. Jesus’ provision (Matt. 14:28-32)

Matthew tells us that Peter said, “Lord, if it is You . . .” What was Peter doing here? Was Peter doubtful? He and the rest of the disciples were certainly terrified. They were seeing a man walking on the water, after all. He looked like the Lord, He spoke like the Lord. Maybe, Peter thought, there was one way to be sure it was Jesus, and that was by walking on water to Him at His command. And so, Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (Matt. 14:28).

Peter certainly was impulsive, but I believe it was an impulse prompted by faith in Jesus. Peter was not putting Jesus to the test, something we are told not to do (Matt. 4:7). Jesus’ presence in the storm emboldened Peter to exercise a fearless faith. Peter overcame his fear and attempted the impossible.

As a commercial fisherman, Peter had spent a lot of time in boats out at sea. He knew how impossible it was to walk on the sea. I’m sure he knew better than to try stepping out of the boat unless Jesus commanded him to do so! And so, the Lord said, “Come” (Matt. 14:29), and Peter threw one leg over and onto the water, then the other, and soon he was walking on the water toward Jesus. Can you imagine the faith it took for Peter to step out of the boat? Can you imagine what he must have been thinking when he first touched his foot to the water and then put the rest of his weight onto it?

We may be tempted to criticize Peter a bit for his lack of faith as we see what happens next, but it’s important to point out that at least he got out of the boat! That took more faith than most of us would exercise. Most of us would stay in the boat and wait for Jesus to come to us! When Jesus says, “Come,” you’d better come. In Peter’s case, he was safer out on the water with Jesus than in the boat without Him.

Peter is an encouragement to me because we often find him saying or doing big, bold things for Jesus, and then immediately messing up right after. Peter walks on water with Jesus, then he sinks and needs to be saved. Peter makes the great confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16). Then when Jesus explained His impending suffering and death, Peter rebuked the Lord, speaking the words of Satan, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matt. 16:22). At the last supper, Peter pledged to Jesus, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matt. 26:35). And we all know how that ended—with Peter in bitter tears after denying three times that he even knew Jesus (Matt. 26:75). Peter is a great encouragement for imperfect believers like you and me who sincerely want to follow Jesus but who are constantly falling flat on our faces. God used Peter. He can use us as well.

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

And so, he does the only thing he can do. He prayed a simple prayer, but a great prayer. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” And Jesus does! “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him,” before he sank down beneath the surface of the waves. Then Jesus said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31). “You of little faith” is only one word in the Greek: “Little-faith.” It’s like a nickname. Jesus called Peter “Little-Faith.” “Little-faith, why did you doubt?” He was not rebuking Peter for attempting too much, but for trusting too little.

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

Ray Fowler points out some lessons we can learn from Peter here.[2] First, there is the lesson of faith. When you trust Jesus, God can do through you the most amazing and marvelous things. Then, there is the lesson of focus. Faith is keeping your eyes on Jesus. It’s not easy to keep your eyes on Jesus in the middle of the night, when the raging storm of fear threatens to overwhelm you. But don’t lose your focus! Keep your eyes on Jesus, not on your problems. And then thirdly, there is the lesson of forgiveness. God loves and forgives you even when you fail. Even when you lose faith, even when you lose focus, you just need to call out: “Lord, save me!”, and Jesus is right there to help you back into the boat.

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

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

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

Jesus is the promised Messiah-King and the disciples recognize and declare His deity. There is no other way possible that Jesus could have done what He did—walking on the sea, saving Peter, and calming the storm. It was not only a demonstration of His divine power, but also of His divine love and care for the disciples. The proper response to Jesus is to worship Him.

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

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

Finally, Matthew concludes this section with a summary Jesus’ …

5. Ministry to the people (Matt. 14:34-36)

34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. (Matt. 14:34-36).

Jesus has just taught His disciples a lesson about His divine nature, His awesome power, and His saving love. He is training them to trust Him. Now He teaches them another faith lesson. He demonstrates, again, His kingdom ministry to which He calls them. These verses not only give us the assurance that Jesus lovingly and graciously rewards any expression of faith that is placed on Him, but it also teach us what we who have placed our faith in Him for salvation should do to draw others to Him as Savior.

The people of Gennesaret took four simple actions that become a pattern for us in kingdom ministry.[3] First, they recognized Jesus. They recognized Him and His power to transform lives. Kingdom ministry begins with recognizing Jesus for who He is. Do we truly believe that Jesus is the only hope for men and women who are broken and ruined by sin?

Second, they sent out the word about Jesus. Once the men of Gennesaret recognized that it was this miracle-working Jesus who had stepped onto their shore, “they sent out into all that surrounding region” with the news of His arrival (Matt. 14:35). They spread the news. Nobody had to compel them to spread the word. It is the natural response of those who believe in the power of Jesus.

Then third, they brought needy people to Jesus. The people of Gennesaret sent out into all that surrounding region, and “brought to Him all who were sick” (Matt. 14:35). In other words, they sought out and brought those to Jesus who could not have brought themselves to Him—those who “had it bad”. It was a tremendous act of love and mercy for them to bring the needy. And as a result, Jesus graciously gave them what they needed.

The people of Gennesaret recognized Jesus when He came, spread the news about Him throughout the surrounding region, and then took the initiative to bring helpless people to Him.

Then finally, they plead with Jesus. Matthew tells us that those who brought the needy to Jesus “begged Him that they [that is, the people in need] might only touch the hem of His garment.” They probably got that idea from when Jesus healed the woman with the flow of blood who touched His garment in Matthew 9. Jesus told her, “your faith has made you well” (Matt. 9:22). Jesus didn’t have a magic robe that healed people when they touched it. Jesus responded to their faith with His mercy and compassion and made them perfectly well. He saved them thoroughly.

This highlights one of the most important things we can do for the needy people we bring to Jesus—to plead with Jesus on their behalf. Are you praying to Jesus, pleading with Him to save that family member or friend who is sick with sin? Recognize the power and compassion of Jesus to save them. Spread the news about Jesus. Bring the needy to Him. And plead with Jesus on their behalf. What a lesson in kingdom ministry!

Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, who walks on the sea above all our frustrations, fears, and failures. Have you come to Him for salvation? Do you worship Him? Are you bringing others to Him?

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[1] John MacArthur, Worship the Son of God, Part 2, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2310/worshiping-the-son-of-god-part-2

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

[3] Greg Allen, Bringing People to Jesus, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2007/031107.htm

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Psalm 21 – Victory In Jesus

Fifth Sunday

Psalm 21 – Victory In Jesus

Psalm 21:1-13

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.

4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him–
Length of days forever and ever.

5 His glory is great in Your salvation;
Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.

6 For You have made him most blessed forever;
You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.

7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8 Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.

9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.

10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from among the sons of men.

11 For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.

12 Therefore You will make them turn their back;
You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.

13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.

On our Fifth Sunday Sings I often love to bring to you a portion from the book of Psalms. Psalms is the songbook, the hymnal, of the Bible. These songs were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God as scripture, were sung by Israel in their worship, and are given to us for teaching and admonishing one another (Col. 3:16). We are to sing them with grace in our hearts to the Lord. In their praise, we worship the Lord. In their theology, we meet God. In their prayers, we learn to pray.

Today, I want us to look briefly at Psalm 21. David, king of Israel, composed this Psalm as a song of praise and thanks to Yahweh, the Lord God, in the aftermath of victory. It is a companion to Psalm 20 which is a prayer for going into battle. In Psalm 21, David rejoices in the great victory that the Lord had won. It’s all about what God has done. A quick reading of the Psalm brings that easily to light.

(1) “The king shall have joy in YOUR strength, O LORD”
(1) “in YOUR salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!”
(2) “YOU have given him his heart’s desire”
(3) “YOU meet him with the blessings of goodness”
(3) “YOU set a crown of pure gold upon his head”
(4) “YOU gave it [life] to him”
(5) “Honor and majesty YOU have placed upon him”
(6) “YOU have made him most blessed forever”
(6) “YOU have made him exceedingly glad”
(8) “YOUR hand”
(8) “YOUR right hand”
(9) “YOU shall make”
(9) “The LORD shall swallow”
(10) “YOU shall destroy”
(12) “YOU will make them turn their back”
(12) “YOU will make ready YOUR arrows”
(13) “Be exalted, O LORD, in YOUR own strength!”

It’s clear, isn’t it? King David has returned from battle victorious, but he’s not taking credit for a single aspect of the victory. The Lord delivered him, and David is honoring God and rejoicing in the Lord. David knew that every victory he experienced was from the Lord. And like David, we could sing this song giving credit to God for every spiritual blessing and victory.

But I want you to notice something else about this psalm. Rather than writing in the first person using “I” and “me”, David writes it in the third person, using “he” and “him”.  This could be because David wanted the congregation to sing about the victories God gave him. But I think there is more to it than that.

Notice that in Psalm 21:1-6, David looks back with gratitude for the victory that God gave, but in verse 7-12, he looks forward with confidence and hope. I believe that David wrote the psalm this way because he wanted us to see the greater King in the future. This is a psalm ultimately about the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. Like many of the psalms do, it speaks about David but looks past David to fulfillment in Christ Jesus. It is a prophetic picture of the certain victory which God will grant His Messiah-King. David praised God not only for the blessings and victory that were his, he praised God for the blessings and victory that belong to Christ. David rejoices in these blessings. He sings praise to the Lord God.

So, if these blessings and victory belong to Christ, what do they mean to us today? Here is where our union with Christ comes in. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” If I am in Christ, and Christ receives all these blessings, so do I! This is why we sing and rejoice.

What are these blessings that belong to Christ?

  1. Salvation – Psalm 21:1 says, “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” The Lord saved David from his enemies. God delivered him and gave him life and victory. Jesus Christ was delivered from death and received the victory over sin when God raised Him from the dead. This is what we sing about—Christ’s resurrection, Christ’s victory. After writing a whole chapter in 1 Corinthians on the resurrection, Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57). Because Christ has been delivered from death, we who are in Christ have been delivered from sin. Salvation is ours in Christ.

Christ is blessed with salvation, and second, Christ is blessed with …

  1. Answered Prayer – “You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips.” (Psa. 21:2). The Lord answered David’s prayer for victory in battle. But even more, God always answered Jesus’ prayers. At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me…” (John 11:41-42). David rejoices that God answers the prayer of His anointed, namely Christ. And because we are in Christ and we pray in the name of Christ, we can also rejoice in answered prayer.

David rejoiced in answered prayer through Christ, and third, Christ is blessed with …

  1. Eternal Life – “He asked life from You, and You gave it to him–Length of days forever and ever.” (Psa. 21:4). David looked ahead to Christ and rejoiced in the eternal life that is His through His resurrection. Eternal life is knowing Christ. Rejoice that you know Him!

David rejoiced in eternal life in Christ, fourth, Christ is blessed with …

  1. Glory and Honor – “His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.” (Psa. 21:5). God placed upon Christ the highest glory and the highest honor. Rejoice that we who are in Christ will be glorified in Him. This glory is Christ’s and ours in His presence. “For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.” (Psa. 21:6). Rejoice in the blessing of God’s presence through Christ.

These blessings are Christ’s because He trusts in God the Father. “For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.” (Psa. 21:7). David knew these blessings because He trusted in Christ, and that is how we know them as well—by faith, by trusting in Christ. It’s through the mercy of the Most High. It’s by God’s grace showered on us in Christ.

The first seven verses describe the blessings Christ in His victory over sin and death through His resurrection. The rest of the psalm is about the future victory of Christ at His second coming. Christ will have the …

  1. Victory – In Psalm 21:8-12 we see that all of Christ’s enemies will be exposed (Ps. 21:8), they will be destroyed (Ps. 21:9-10), and completely defeated (Ps. 21:11-12).

And so David concludes the psalm, “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.” (Psa. 21:13). When we look at Christ and see all that God has done through Him and for Him, we rejoice and sing praise! God has delivered Him, answered His prayers, given Him eternal life, glory, and honor in His presence, and total victory.

These spiritual blessings in Christ also belonged to David because he trusted in the Lord. And they are ours when we are in Christ. Rejoice in the blessings Christ has received! In Him, those are your blessings as well!

 

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Worship the Risen King

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Worship the Risen King

Matthew 28

This morning we have just read the Resurrection story as it comes to us from the Gospel of Matthew, and I want to briefly walk our way through it this morning to center our thoughts on the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

John Piper says, “The last chapter of Matthew is a window that opens onto the sunrise glory of the risen Christ.”[1] Here, Matthew calls us to worship the risen King, Jesus Christ. As we read the passage, you probably noticed that Matthew shows us two resurrection appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are, in the Gospels, Acts, and 1 Corinthians, at least ten resurrection appearances of Jesus before He ascended to the Father.[2] Matthew records two of these. First, He appears to the women who came to the tomb on that Sunday morning (Matt. 28:9-10). Then later, Jesus appears to the eleven disciples and possibly others on a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-20).

One thing that these appearances have in common is that, in both of them, those who see Jesus worship Him. Look at it again:

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. … 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:9, 16-17).

The word for worship in these verses is προσκυνέω (proskynéō) which literally means to kiss the hand towards in a gesture of reverence. It is used in the New Testament when people kneel or fall prostrate to do homage to express respect or make supplication. For instance, Matthew uses this word when Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:26 saying that the servant fell down and paid respect to his master to whom he owed an enormous debt.

At other times in the New Testament, προσκυνέω means to worship a deity. Recall how the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness three years earlier. In Matthew 4:8, “the devil took [Jesus] up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” Then he said to Jesus, ” All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Was Satan just asking for Jesus to show him a little respect? No, Matthew 4:10 makes it clear that the temptation was worship—because Jesus countered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” The LORD God, Yahweh Elohim, He is the only One who shall be worshiped. Jesus believes and lives this truth.

Now, do you see what this implies when we see that Jesus receives the worship of His people in Matthew 28? When He rises from the dead, men and women bow at His feet and worship Him, and He receives it without a word of rebuke. Godly men and angels always rebuke men if they try to bow down to worship them (Peter, Acts 10:25-26; Paul and Barnabas, Acts 14:14-15; the angel, Rev. 19:10; 22:9). But Jesus never does that. He welcomes worship.

What I found this week as I studied Matthew 28 is that worship is a theme in Matthew’s Gospel. This becomes evident when we compare the Gospel of Matthew with the other Synoptic Gospels (Mark and Luke). The term προσκυνέω is used eighteen times in the Synoptics Gospels. Thirteen of those are in Matthew.[3] Matthew emphasizes people worshiping Jesus. Matthew begins and ends his Gospel with the worship of Jesus. After Jesus is born in Bethlehem, the magi come to worship Him (Matt. 2:2). They “fell down and worshiped Him,” giving Jesus gifts fit for a king (Matt. 2:11). Then Matthew ends his Gospel with the disciples worshiping Jesus as He gives the Great Commission (Matt. 28:17). Four times in Matthew we find προσκυνέω used to describe people who fall down before Jesus in supplication, asking Jesus for healing or favor (a leper, Matt. 8:2; a synagogue ruler whose daughter had died, 9:18; a Canaanite woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, 15:25; the mother of James and John, 20:20).

The other significant occurrence is in Matthew 14 when Jesus walks on the water. After Jesus saves Peter from sinking, they are back in the boat, and the wind has stopped, the disciples, “worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’” (Matt. 14:33). The disciples are doing more than showing simple respect to one who is their superior. They were clearly amazed, marveling (Mark 6:51), and full of fear (Matt. 14:26-27). They worshiped Jesus as the “Son of God.”  

Piper writes,

Therefore, when Matthew calls us to worship the risen Christ, do not shrink back saying, “God only should be worshipped.” For Christ is God, one in essence with the Father and the Spirit. That’s why Matthew brings his book to a close in verse 19 by saying that disciples should be baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These three persons are one God, and when we worship the one, we worship them all.

Let’s walk through Matthew 28 to see why we should worship Jesus Christ, the risen King.

First we see,

1. The Miracle – Matthew 28:1-4[4]

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. (Matt. 28:1-4)

It was nearing Sunrise on the first day of the week, which would be our Sunday. Jesus had now been in the grave for three days. Remember that any part of a day was counted as a day in that culture. Friday afternoon is day 1. Saturday is day 2. Sunday morning is day 3.

Mary Magdalene had a supreme devotion to Jesus ever since Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. The ‘other Mary’ in this story was the mother of James and Joses (Matt. 27:56). These two had been at the tomb when Jesus’ dead body was laid there on Friday (Matt. 27:61).

Matthew says that these women came to the garden to look at the grave. Luke informs us that they came with more burial spices (Luke 24:1). They came to the grave of Jesus not to see if He was resurrected, but to anoint His body with more burial spices as a beautiful act of their devotion to Him. Mark’s account records that as they had walked to the sepulcher they had been wondering who would roll the stone away that blocked the entrance to the tomb (Mark 16:3). Their concern about getting the stone rolled away was short-lived. Matthew tells us,

2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. (Matt. 28:2).

Matthew is the only one that mentions the great earthquake. The earthquake displayed the power of God and made sure that everyone was wide awake to see what was happening. The angel was the divine answer to the women’s earlier concern. Why have the Angel roll the stone away? It would not have been to let Jesus out. Jesus was already raised. He was not there. It was to let the witnesses in.

3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. (Matt. 28:3-4).

His appearance was dazzling and the mighty Roman guards shook for fear and fell down like they were dead. What is the meaning of this? It demonstrates the power of the Risen Christ. Angels stand in the service of the risen Christ.[5] The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 97:7 about the worship of Christ, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” At the beginning of our worship service today we read Revelation 5 which showed all the heavenly hosts worshiping Jesus, the Lamb of God. 1 Peter 3:22 says that Jesus Christ “… has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” Paul writes about the working of God’s mighty power,

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (Eph. 1:20-22).

Again, Piper comments,

When the angel in Matthew 28 descends with the power of an earthquake and the appearance of lightning to announce the resurrection of the Son of God, the meaning is this: all authority in heaven has been given to the risen Christ, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of indestructible angels obey his every word.[6]

We worship the risen Jesus Christ because of His Power.   

Next, we see,

2. The Message – Matthew 28:5-8

Here in our text, we find that the angel now reveals himself and seeks to bring comfort to the women,

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. (Matt. 28:5-8)

The tomb had been opened so that they could see for themselves that what the angel was telling them was true. Jesus was no longer there. He had risen just as He had said. God’s grace had come to mankind in a new and powerful way. The women were not rebuked for their unbelief but comforted and encouraged that what they had not dared to believe was now true. Jesus had conquered death.

Why do we worship Jesus? The message of the angel shows us that we worship Jesus for His Promise. “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” Jesus kept His promise to rise from the dead. And this is the assurance that all of His promises are true. They would see Him just as He said. He would meet them in Galilee just as He said. Their sins would be forgiven just as He said. He would eat and drink with them in His Father’s kingdom just as He said. This was not news they were to keep to themselves. They were to tell the others. Did you notice the imperatives in the angel’s message? Come and see. Go and tell. This is our commission as well.

We worship Jesus for His power and for His promise.

Next we see,

3. The Master – Matthew 28:9-10

Great joy was present because of what they had been told by the angel, but their joy would increase even more, for as they are returning, Jesus Himself appears to them!

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matt. 28:9-10)

Jesus greeted them with a common greeting of the day, Χαίρετε (chairete), which we can translate as, “rejoice,” “be glad,” or “greetings.” It is related to the word χάρις (charis), meaning grace. Jesus tells them not to be afraid, but to rejoice. Why did Jesus meet them here? He didn’t tell them anything new—He just repeated the message of the angel. They were already following the angel’s instructions. Why did Jesus stop them? Grace. “An unnecessary bonus from the big heart of the risen Christ.”[7]

Where else do we see the grace of Jesus? Notice how Jesus referred to His disciples. He called them “My brethren.” Imagine what the disciples might be thinking when they heard the message from the women. If Jesus is really risen with all authority on earth and is ready now (as they probably thought) to establish the worldwide reign of the Messiah, what might He do to us, His turncoat disciples who denied and deserted Him in His hour of greatest trial? But the risen Christ is not only powerful; He is gracious beyond human measure. With one word he stilled their fears, “brethren.” He calls them brothers.

So we worship Jesus for His power, for His promise, and for His Grace.

Next, in this chapter we see,

4. The Myth – Matthew 28:11-15

Here the guards regain consciousness and some of them return to report. Matthew 27:6 records that these Roman guards had been put under the authority of the chief priests, so it was proper for them to give their first report to them. They simply told the truth of what happened. That would have included the earthquake, the angel and the missing body of Jesus.

The chief priests and elders do not question the guard’s report. They had been told the truth. But blinded by their own sin, they bribe the soldiers to tell a lie. But even their lies testify to the truth. The account of the bribe to lie was found out and reported and so the very attempt to cover up the truth became another testimony to it. Besides, it was a bad lie. If the guards were asleep, how did they know the disciples took the body? If the disciples had actually stolen the body it should not have been that hard for them to arrest the disciples and find the body, but the chief priests knew the truth and did not even bother to look for the disciples. Jesus was no longer dead, so there was no body to find.

So we worship Jesus for His Truth. He is not dead. He is risen as He said.

We worship Jesus for His power, His promise, His grace, and His truth.

Finally in this chapter, we have,

5. The Mandate – Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew now jumps ahead to the disciples’ meeting with Jesus in Galilee where they had been instructed to meet Him. It was there that Jesus gave them further instructions and gave them their commission for what they were to do for the remainder of their lives after He had ascended to heaven. And Matthew records that they too worshiped Jesus, “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him;” (Matt. 28:17). They worship the risen Christ. And Matthew gives us a true-to-life account when he records, “but some doubted.” The word “doubted” means to hesitate in the sense of being uncertain about taking a particular course of action. The only other time it appears in the New Testament is in Matthew 14:31. That’s where Peter had gotten out of the boat and walked on the water to the Lord. But he hesitated, he wavered when he looked at the wind and the waves. And when the Lord reached out and grabbed him and pulled him up out of the water, He said, “O you of little faith; why did you doubt?” Or, we might translate it, “Why did you hesitate? Why did you waver?”

We’re not told what the exact reason is that “some doubted”. But I love it that we’re told that—with them all there worshiping Him, and some doubting—”Jesus came and spoke to them . . .” (Matt. 28:18). He took the initiative, and met them in their time of doubt. He then assured them that He, who was about to commission them for the greatest task the world has ever seen had been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And as we know, they went on to change the world.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, made disciples, baptized, and taught them. Now Jesus gives that mission to His followers. The great commission shows that the risen Christ has a purpose. He is the King and He knows why He reigns. He spoke to them saying,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matt. 28:18-20)

The purpose of the risen Christ is to empower His church to make His authority known in every culture on earth. He wouldn’t have said, “Lo, I am with you always,” unless our mission was His mission. Wherever people bow the knee to Christ through our witness, it is because He is with us. He aims to fill his kingdom with worshipers. We worship Jesus for His Purpose.

The reason we obey the mandate Jesus gave is that we want Jesus to be worshiped. We want Him to be glorified. We want to see people from all nations joining us in saying,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12)

We want to see every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. We want to hear them say,

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Rev. 5:13).

Are you a worshiper of King Jesus? Listen, He is worthy of worship. He is the Son of God who came and lived a perfect sinless life among us. He willingly died on the cross so that your sin could be forgiven. He was raised on the third day and lives forever as King. He is able to save you from sin and death. Turn to Him now. Don’t wait until that day when every knee will have to bow and every tongue will have to confess Jesus is Lord—do it now. Receive the forgiveness of sins. Receive the gift of eternal life. Bow to Jesus the King. Worship Him. This is your whole purpose.

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[1] John Piper, Worship the Risen Christ, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/worship-the-risen-christ  

[2] These ten appearances were (1) to the women (Matthew 28:9-10); (2) to Mary (Mark 16:9; John 20:11-17); (3) to Simon Peter (Luke 24:34; 2 Corinthians 15:5); (4) to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-35); (5) to the apostles without Thomas present (Mark 16:14-18; Luke 26:34-43; John 20:19-23); (6) to the apostles with Thomas present one week later (John 20:24-29; 1 Corinthians 15:5); (7) to the seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14ff); (8) to the apostles and possibly the 500 brethren on the Galilean mountain (Matthew 28:16-20; 1 Corinthians 5:6); (9) to James (1 Corinthians 15:7); and (10) to the apostles at the ascension at the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:4-7). Appearances 1-5 all occurred on the same day as our Lord’s resurrection.

[3] Hak Chol Kim, The Worship of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, Biblica, Vol. 93, No. 2 (2012), pp. 227-241. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42615100.  It is used two times in the Gospel of Mark (5:6; 15:19) and three times in the Gospel of Luke (4:7-8; 24:52).

[4] Jonathan Klimek, Worship Jesus: He Is the Risen King, https://lsbc-media.s3.af-south-1.amazonaws.com/production/Living-Stone-Bible-Church—Manuscript-2021-04-04.pdf. I borrowed Klimek’s alliterative outline of the chapter.

[5] Piper, ibid.

[6] Piper, ibid.

[7] Piper, ibid.

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Come For Worship Today

Psalm 95

Come For Worship Today

Psalm 95

Welcome to our 5th Sunday Sing. In this special worship service we invite you to worship our great God and Savior Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth. I want to begin our worship today with a brief look at Psalm 95. This Psalm is about worship. There’s nothing more important in the Christian life than worship. God has created us to be worshipping creatures. And Christ has redeemed us to be a worshipping people. Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24). There’s nothing more important that we do than worship.

Ligon Duncan gives a very helpful outline of Psalm 95 in four words: “Come – For – Worship – Today.”[1]

“COME” – Psalm 95:1-2 give us a call to worship. “Come FOR….” – Psalm 95:3-5 give us the reasons why we are to worship God. “Come for WORSHIP…” – Psalm 95:6-7a gives us what we do when we worship God. “Come for worship TODAY…” – Finally Psalm 95:7b-11 give us a warning about neglecting worship through unbelief.

Keeping those words in mind, let’s listen to God’s word and let it teach us to worship. Psalm 95

1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 

2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 

3 For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods. 

4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also. 

5 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land. 

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: 

8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, 
As in the day of trial in the wilderness, 

9 When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work. 

10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’ 

11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

1. Come – our invitation to worship

The first half of this Psalm is framed by two calls to worship, both with the inviting word, COME. Psalm 95:1—Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation; and Psalm 95:6—Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

“Come” is a command in both of these verses although they are two different words in the Hebrew. “Come” in Psalm 95:1 is literally to walk or carry yourselves. “Come” in Psalm 95:6 is to enter in. Both are in the plural. Do you see the picture? The psalmist is saying, “stop what you’re doing, leave what you’re doing behind, and come to God.” This is a call for us to come together with the people of God, to bring ourselves and enter into the presence of God. Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before His presence.” “Come” in this verse means to meet. Meet with God. Praise Him. Thank Him. Fellowship with Him. Commune with Him. Stop what you’re doing and leave it behind, and come.  

How do we come?

With joyful thanksgiving! “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!” There is no room in this verse for apathetically mumbling through a few songs while your mind is elsewhere! “Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.” In this psalm, which refers to Israel in the wilderness, the rock that literally saved the nation was the rock that Moses struck, which then flowed with water (Exod. 17:1-7). Paul tells us that that rock was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). This is a gospel call. Come to Christ for salvation, for forgiveness of sins.

If Christ is the rock of your salvation, who has given you living water for your soul, shouldn’t you come before Him with great joy and thanks?[2] “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” (Ps. 95:2).

Then in Psalm 95:3-5 we see why we ought to come to worship:

2. For – why we ought to come

Psalm 95:3 begins with that word “For”: “For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods.” Why should we come to worship?

God is sovereign. His majesty is over all. He’s greater than any claimed god, any false god.

Psalm 95:4-5: 

4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also. 

5 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land. 

God is the creator. He created everything and He rules the world. But even more importantly Psalm 95:6 urges us to “kneel before the LORD our Maker.” He not only made the world, He made me. And Psalm 95:7 says, “For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.” God cares for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep.

Why should I worship God? Because He’s sovereign over all, because He made the whole universe, because He made me, and because He cares for me.

“Come” – our invitation to worship.

“For” – our reason for worship.

3. Worship – what we are to do when we come

What is it exactly that we’re called to do? What does it mean to worship God?

In Psalm 95:6 you see three similar verbs that tell us how we are to come. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.” The command in this verse is “come,” enter into the presence of God. The other three verbs, “worship,” “bow down,” and “kneel” describe what it looks like to come into the presence of God. All three convey the picture of us humbling ourselves before God. “Worship” means to fall flat before God. “Bow down” means to bend low or crouch down before God. “Kneel” means get down on your knees to give blessing to God.

The point is that our God is so mighty, so awesome, that we need to acknowledge that by joyfully, thankfully, humbly bowing down before Him. Worship…bow down with joy before your mighty Maker and your tender Shepherd.

4. Today – A warning for worshippers

So far this has been an uplifting Psalm encouraging us to come in humble worship to our great God. Then suddenly the mood changes in the middle of Psalm 95:7 and the psalmist warns “Today, if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts.” What’s going on here?

The psalmist is referring to Israel’s experience in the wilderness when they tested the Lord in Exodus 17 at the waters of Meribah (rebellion, Ps. 95:8), and it refers to Moses’ own unfaithfulness at the waters of Massah (trial, Ps. 95:8) in Numbers 20. God’s people were not joyfully singing to Him, or thanking him, or worshipping Him! Just the opposite! They grumbled, complained, and quarreled. And you remember what happened as a result of their unbelief. Neither the generation of the children of Israel from Meribah nor Moses entered into the Promised Land.

The New Testament author of Hebrews cites this whole second part of Psalm 95 (7b-11) in Hebrews 3:7-11. He again quotes Psalm 95:11 in Hebrews 4:3, and verse 7b in Hebrews 4:7. Derek Kidner comments that the New Testament “forbids us to confine its thrust to Israel.” He adds, “The ‘Today’ of which it speaks is this very moment; the ‘you’ is none other than ourselves, and the promised ‘rest’ is not Canaan but salvation.”[3]

The message is you cannot worship God with an unbelieving heart. You cannot worship God if you do not take Him at His word. You cannot worship God if you do not believe on Christ, the Rock of our Salvation, as He is offered in the gospel. True worship is by faith, and unbelief is inconsistent with it.

We cannot live between Sundays unbelieving in God’s word, untrusting of Jesus Christ, unresponsive to the gospel of grace, and then come in and manufacture worship. It cannot happen. Worship must be by the Spirit, by grace, by faith in Jesus Christ, believing in God’s word, submitting our will to Him and following Christ as Lord. All of this is a part of true worship.

Come For Worship Today.

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[1] Duncan, Ligon. Come, Let Us Worship, https://ligonduncan.com/come-let-us-worship-716/. Duncan’s gives an excellent treatment of this psalm and I relied heavily on his outline and exposition.

[2] Cole, Steven. Psalm 95: Worship—or Else!. https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-95-worship%E2%80%94or-else

[3] Kidner, Derek. (Psalms 73-150 [IVP], p. 343). Quoted by Cole.

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