Pastor Billington's Blog

Matthew 21

We should once again be amazed at the depth of Matthew’s understanding of the Old Testament. Gleason Archer identifies approximately 60 Old Testament quotations in Matthew, and we find four of them here! An understanding of the entire Bible is important for a mature faith, but we must always remember the New Testament is the key to unlocking the Old.

Here the crowd seems to recognize that Jesus is a king, based upon the cloaks on the road (2 Kings 9:13) and the branches (John 12:13). Matthew helps us to understand that this is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 62:11, Zechariah 9:9). Although the crowd is correct, they misunderstand Jesus’ mission. He is not going to set up an earthly kingdom at this time. That comes later! He is coming to set up a spiritual kingdom and to rule in people’s hearts.

There appear to be two cleansings of the temple. John records one at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and Matthew (as well as Mark and Luke) record the one at the end. This is one of the events during “holy week” that propels the religious authorities to move against Him. There seem to be two problems Jesus is addressing. First, there was a marketplace atmosphere for pilgrims who were coming to worship. Second, the fact that people needed the right kind of currency and proper animals to sacrifice was being abused and they were being cheated. As you can imagine, ordinary people rejoiced at what He was doing, but the religious leadership was not amused. I imagine that God is still upset by these kinds of things today.

Matthew condenses the account of the fig tree from two days into one. Although it speaks directly to the nation of Israel and the coming judgment for their fruitlessness, it can also serve as a warning for us. We should fear divine discipline if we aren’t living for God. His disciples are amazed by what happens, and Jesus uses it as an illustration for prayer. But here is where knowing and understanding the rest of the Bible is important. We are warned in other places that there are things in our lives that hinder prayer, and we are also warned that we are to pray with the right attitude (Psalm 66:18; James 4:3). What we have here is an encouragement to believe in both the goodness of God and the power of prayer. This is not a blanket statement that we get whatever we want! There is only one way to get what we want, and that is to align our prayers with what God wants.

Up until this point Jesus has been trying to keep the religious leadership somewhat at bay for His “hour had not yet come” (a favorite expression of John). That explains why He is somewhat secretive and doesn’t always want others to talk about His miracles. But that has all changed. His time has now come! He is publicly proclaimed as a king with the triumphal entry. He cleanses the temple. He defends His authority. He proclaims that the tax collectors and prostitutes are more righteous than the religious authorities. And finally, He proclaims God’s judgment on the nation for their past refusal to listen to God’s prophets and their present refusal to listen to God’s Son. Is it any wonder that they want to arrest Him?!?!?!?

And it’s the last parable that prompts Jesus to make His ultimate point. Since the majority of Israel’s people and leadership reject their Messiah, the kingdom will be taken from them as a nation and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Jesus is referring to the bringing of the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews) and their inclusion in God’s kingdom. But that doesn’t mean that God completely rejects the Jewish people. The church is made up of both Jew and Gentile, with God accepting all who are willing to believe in Jesus!

Thought for the day: God’s amazing grace is for all people!

Romans 9:23-26 (WEB) “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, “You are not My people,” there they shall be called sons of the living God.’ “

Matthew 20

I remember living in NYC and seeing day laborers hanging around outside small neighborhood grocery stores. If someone didn’t pick them up early in the day for a job, they would stick around hoping someone would come by later. But you can bet that the ones who got picked up later got paid less than the ones who left earlier!

Not so in our parable. Here Jesus, on the heels of the incident with the rich young man and the ensuing discussion, teaches his disciples that rewards are Gods to give out. They need to be thankful for what they receive, and not jealous of what anyone else gets. If they are serving for rewards they’ll find themselves last, and others who serve with humble hearts will find themselves first. So we shouldn’t be jealous of what other believers receive in this life or the next. We should trust that God is righteous, generous, and gracious in His dealings with us.

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus reminds them of what is going to happen to Him when they arrive there. There’s an important reason that Matthew includes it here. It becomes the basis for this entire section that shows Jesus as the perfect example of humility and service. He teaches that “Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,” and that service ultimately leads to the cross. Jesus also models service and compassion in our passage by healing the blind men by the road. The point being made is that all of Jesus’ followers are called to mimic His example in their lives.

James and John become an important part of this teaching. Mark 10:37 says they come and ask Jesus if they can have the most honored spots in His kingdom, but here it says their mom asks for them. Is this an error? No, it’s just editorial license. It seems that their mom was with them and asked the question on their behalf. Mark doesn’t see the point in bringing their mom into it since it seems it was their idea! Jesus uses this as a teaching moment. The disciples aren’t supposed to be concerned about glory. They are to be concerned about service: “whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” But there is an interesting sidebar here. Jesus asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They think they are, and Jesus agrees. The Bible shows us that they did: James became the first apostolic martyr (Acts 12:2), and John suffered persecution and exile (Revelation 1:9).

Thought for the day: Humility is one of the hallmarks of our Christian service.

Philippians 2:5-8 (WEB) “Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross.”

Matthew 19

Rabbis seemed to fall into one of two camps: divorce for any reason or divorce for a cause. Sexual immorality was one cause. Abandonment and abuse were other causes. Was Jesus suggesting that sexual immorality was the only cause? Or is he using it as an example from the contrary party? I think that he was using it as an example, and that he was stressing that there needed to be a legitimate reason for divorcing someone, not just burning a meal (as the divorce for any reason camp taught). When Jesus explained the problem with breaking your vows for just any reason the disciples saw it as a discouragement for marriage. Jesus’ response seems to indicate two things: that it’s natural to marry, but that singleness is a good option if you can keep yourself from sexual immorality.

The disciples try to stop parents from bringing their children to Jesus for prayer, but Jesus rebukes them, and uses the children as an example. We can only enter the kingdom of heaven by becoming like them!

Finally, Jesus teaches us something about riches. A man comes to him and wants to know how to inherit eternal life. He calls Jesus good, and Jesus confronts him about it. He could be trying to butter Jesus up, or he could be sincere. Either way, Jesus encourages him to think about what he just said! The man most likely thinks that he is already righteous precisely because of his wealth. After all, if God is blessing him with wealth, he must be okay. Jesus tells him to get rid of his wealth because he needs to trust in God instead. The disciples are flabbergasted. If wealth isn’t a measure of righteousness, then who can go to heaven?!?!? Jesus replies that it can’t be a result of human effort. It has to be done by God!

Peter’s question may indicate pride or uncertainty. He could be saying, “If the rich can’t make it, how can we?” Jesus assures them that they have a special reward, indicates that all who follow Him will inherit eternal life, and that they will be rewarded for their sacrifices. The rewards could be heavenly or temporal. In truth, when we believe we enter into a family of mutual caring and support and have so much more than we had before!

The final sentence teaches us to not prioritize earthly things. Instead, believers should look at those things with disdain and reap the blessings of the kingdom: “But many will be last who are first, and first who are last.”

Thought for the day: What does it mean that we need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of God? I believe that it means we must understand that we can’t do it on our own. Instead, we need to trust in and rely on our heavenly Father!

Ephesians 2:8-9 (WEB) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Matthew 18

I believe that Jesus is using an extended metaphor here. In other words, by comparing disciples to children initially, it probably means that the “little ones” he is talking about later are actually disciples. When you think about it that way, Jesus gives us some pretty important guidelines for discipleship.

1. Disciples turn to God in trust and humility. He saves us. He provides for us. He guides us. He loves us. It’s all about Him, not us. We aren’t great, He is! (1-4)
2. Disciples minister to other disciples. (5)
3. As a part of that ministry, disciples guard against engaging in sin or encouraging sin because they don’t want to be a bad example to others. The world encourages sin already, and that’s enough of a test/temptation. In fact, the consequences for leading someone else into sin are dire. Don’t do it! (6-9)
4. Disciples recognize how much God cares for His children. It seems that He cares so much that His angels watch over them and report back to Him. But isn’t God omniscient? Yes, but He still gives out jobs, even to us! This is also a very poetic way of saying that God knows what is going on. Even though some of His children may be caught in sin, He still cares, seeks, brings back, and rejoices. Shouldn’t we do the same? (10-14)

Church discipline is a topic that nobody wants to talk about! But, in truth, it should never get to that point. A believer, caught in sin and confronted (and I believe it would be a significant sin based on 1 Corinthians 5:1-3), should repent! But if he/she doesn’t, then it becomes more complicated. That’s when you take someone with you to witness your confrontation, so that you can report back to the church if restoration was attempted but refused. And the context here is instructive. The phrases “if two of you will agree” and “where two or three are gathered” refer to the judgment of the church body, and to use them in any other way is problematic.

We’re also reminded here that forgiveness is huge. Peter thinks he’s being magnanimous and that forgiving someone (after repentance, which is made clear in Luke 17:4) seven times is a lot. He’s expecting praise! But Jesus says that you should be ready to forgive 77 times, and goes on to teach a parable about it.

A man owed an unbelievable amount to his lord – $6 billion! He is forgiven. But then he holds someone accountable for a $12,000 debt and has him thrown into prison. Others weren’t happy about it and let the lord know what had happened. The lord then throws him into debtor’s prison. The lord believed that he should have been forgiving since he had been forgiven of so much.

The lesson is clear. We owed a massive debt to God that we couldn’t repay. God forgives us of that debt when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. Since we have been forgiven of so much, how can we possibly refuse to forgive others? And if we do refuse, it has massive implications for our lives: “So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.” What could that mean? A loss of the sense of his presence. A loss of peace, hope, and joy. Barriers between us and God. Frustration. Futility. Anger. Bitterness. Do we really want to live that way?

Thought for the day: Reconciliation of relationships should be one of our primary goals as believers.

Matthew 5:23-24 (WEB) “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Matthew 17

Jesus brings his “inner circle” up on a mountain with Him, He is transformed, and Moses and Elijah appear with Him. Peter is so overcome by what he sees that he suggests that they should stay! Is that the problem, or is it that he seems to be putting Moses and Elijah on par with Jesus? God reminds the disciples (and us) that Jesus is absolutely unique and the one who should be listened to!

Jesus warns them not to say anything about what they saw, and they ask if the scribes are wrong concerning their prediction that Elijah would come first.

Malachi 4:5-6 (WEB) “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

While we believe that another forerunner will come before Jesus returns (Revelation 11:3), Jesus shows us that John the Baptist functioned in that role when he came the first time.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus asked them not to say anything until he had risen from the dead. It seemed to go right past them!

While they were gone, the rest of the disciples tried to cure a man’s son but couldn’t. Verse 21 is missing in some translations. Many scholars believe that it shouldn’t be there because it’s missing in a few manuscripts, but it’s actually in the majority! It says, “but this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.” I believe the verse describes the faith that the disciples are supposed to have. Not just a “I can call on miracles whenever I want” faith, but the kind that has a deep and abiding relationship with God that they can rely on when a particular moment comes. The disciples wanted to turn on the lamp, but it was unplugged, and that’s why Jesus called them faithless and unbelieving. Do we live that way too?

The final event involves the payment of the temple tax. Jesus implies that they don’t have to pay it, but has Peter pay it anyway! There are some very important words for us to live our lives by here: “lest we cause them to stumble.” Living by God’s law is offensive enough to a world that doesn’t believe, so we should do what we can to not offend when it comes to the laws of the land.

Thought for the day: Matthew records Jesus predicting his death, and the disciples are sorrowful. Does the truth of God’s Word ever distress you? It should if you are being challenged by it!

Hebrews 4:12 (WEB) “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Matthew 16

Our generation is looking for a sign too, but we receive the same sign of Jonah that they did. The resurrection!

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (WEB) “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.”

The disciples are being dense again, and Jesus challenges them about it. “How could you think that I was talking about literal bread? Don’t you think based on what happened before that I could take care of that?!?!” They finally realize that he is talking to them about the false teaching of the religious leadership, and it reminds us to be on our guard as well.

Jesus asks them a question about His identity and Peter makes a remarkable statement! Did he fully understand what he was saying? At the very least he understands that Jesus is the Messiah and that He has a special relationship with God. Jesus acknowledges Peter’s understanding and goes on to say that it will be the bedrock the church is built on. He also gives Peter the “keys” to the kingdom, but those “keys” were also given to the other disciples (Matthew 18:18). By declaring the confession that Jesus is the Messiah they open the door to heaven. They forbid (bind) or allow (release) entrance based on the divine decree that only those who believe can get in (will have been bound/released in heaven). The same is true of us. We present the gospel, we provide the key to a right relationship with God, and if others believe they will be saved!

But as we carry on the mission, we’re reminded that pain is a part of discipleship, and Jesus is our example. Life isn’t perfect, and we have to endure hardship. We take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. Although rebuked here, Peter learned his lesson.

1 Peter 2:21 (WEB) “For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps.”

Finally, how would some of them see Jesus coming in His kingdom? I think that it’s significant that the next thing Matthew records is the transfiguration!

Thought for the day: Sometimes we read something in the Bible, or experience something in life that makes us want to rebuke God too. Don’t do it!

Isaiah 55:8-9 (WEB) ” ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,’ says Yahweh. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ “

Matthew 15

It’s always a challenge to determine if we do what we do because we’ve always done it that way before, or we’re doing it because we’re obeying God’s Word. The Christian church has always struggled with that, and the Pharisees did too. Here Jesus chastises them because they are concerned about keeping their traditions to the point that they ignore what the Bible says. They claimed that if someone dedicated their resources to God they didn’t have to use them to help out their parents.  In actuality, Scripture is very clear that we should honor our parents.

Jesus continues with a parable that the Pharisees believe is about them, and they’re right! Their tradition teaches that eating with unwashed hands is wrong, but Jesus says that it won’t defile them. What defiles comes out of the heart: evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander. If their hearts were in the right place, they’d understand and teach that. He flat out says that the Pharisees are blind guides that shouldn’t be listened to! And that’s one of our takeaways from the passage. How do we guard our hearts and keep from sin? We don’t listen to blind guides! We listen to teachers who are true to the Word of God.

“But He answered her not a word.” Scary words. Worrisome words. But they describe a phenomenon that many Christians have experienced throughout history: the dark night of the soul. Maybe you’ve experienced it too. You cry out, you plead, you are desperate, but the gates of heaven seem closed. That peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) evades you. Could it be that God is doing this deliberately? He does here! By not responding immediately and by challenging her, Jesus tests her faith to see if she’ll persevere. As a result, He elicits a greater testimony from her. So, when we find something similar happening in our lives, we can rest assured that God has a purpose in mind.

Didn’t we just read about a miraculous feeding? We did, and it seems that the disciples didn’t learn anything from the first one! Why does Matthew include two? Well, it does remind us that Jesus can provide. But, more than that, I think that he records the disciples being dense for a reason. It gives us hope! When we’re slow to learn important spiritual lessons in our lives, God gives us the opportunity again. And perhaps we do see some progress here. They go from, “send the crowds away,” to “where can we get enough bread.” But note that Jesus prompts them for that – they don’t come to Him because of their own compassion for the crowd. That’s why I think that they are being dense, but at least we see some maturity in their response.

Thought for the day: Are you being dense in any areas of your own life? Does God keep trying to teach you the same lessons over and over?

1 Corinthians 14:20 (WEB) “Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.”

Matthew 14

Herod the tetrarch is Herod Antipas, one of Herod the Great’s sons. He ruled Galilee and Perea after his fathers death. He can function as a warning for us. Steeped in worldliness and sensuality, he ends up killing someone he seems to grudgingly respect because of a hasty promise. And it haunts him. He hears about Jesus, and his thoughts immediately go to John the Baptist, the man he had killed! So, how are our lives? Are they steeped in regret from bad decisions we’ve made? Are we trying to live our lives to bring glory to God, or do worldliness and sensuality control us?

The feeding of the 5000 shows us Jesus’ compassion but it also teaches us an important lesson about ministry. The disciples are overwhelmed with the need and only see the lack of resources. Jesus understands the greatness of God’s resources and the wonder of His grace. We need to see and understand things the way Jesus does! And Jesus fully understands that He needs to nurture His relationship with God. He frequently went off by Himself to commune with the Father. If He needed to do it, how much more do we?

Many focus on Peter’s lack of faith when he saw the wind and the waves, and rightly so, because Jesus rebukes him for it. It reminds us that we shouldn’t allow difficult circumstances in our lives to cause us to doubt God’s goodness, purpose, or love. But at least Peter knew exactly what to do when he felt overwhelmed. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” In effect, we see those at Gennesaret understanding the same thing. They came in droves because they believed that Jesus could help them. What a difference from how those in His hometown behaved!

Thought for the day: Do you go to God first or last when you need help? Is He only a last resort, or is He your first priority?

John 15:5 (WEB) “I [Jesus] am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus Begins His Ministry
“How Much More?”
Mark 1:14-39

I) Jesus shows us our biggest ___________ in life

     A) His ministry was  _______________

     B) His message calls us to _____________

     C) We are to carry that same ____________

II) Jesus calls us to ________________

     A) There is a reason these disciples are _____________

     B) John serves as their first introduction to ___________

     C) And they ___________ for good here

     D) It can take some time to embrace ____________

     E) And discipleship is a _____________ task

     F) Not everyone is called to service as a ________

     G) But we are all called to fulltime _____________

III) Jesus reveals his victory over the ______________

     A) The demonic is ___________

     B) It seems to ____________ at certain times

     C) One day they will all be ______________

IV) Jesus reveals our ultimate victory over _____________

     A) Not everyone is ____________

     B) Some are blessed in this __________

     C) All believers are blessed in the ___________

V) Jesus reveals where our __________ comes from

     A) People want to see ____________

     B) But He’s  _________!

     C) His ____________ don’t understand

     D) He needs to be with ___________

     E) Which means ______ need to be with God!