Motley Crew Matthew Bible Study

December 9, 2009

 

The Questions

 

Read Matthew 9:9-13

 

1. Why would Matthew leave his business to go follow Jesus?

 

2. Why were the tax collectors so despised?

 

3. Wasn't this tax collection issue the main cause of this experiment called America?

 

4. What do you think about Jesus mingling with sinners?

 

5. Who did the Pharisees talk to?

 

6. Do you think Matthew 9:4 is still in their mind?

 

7. How are we to apply verses 12 and 13 in the Church today?

 

Read Matthew 9:14-17

 

8. When did verse 15 come true?

 

9. What is fasting and who should do it?

 

10, What is Jesus teaching us with all this talk about wine and wine skins?

 

 

Motley Crew Matthew Bible Study

December 9, 2009

 

Some Answers

 

Read Matthew 9:9-13

 

The Calling of Matthew

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' [a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 9:13 Hosea 6:6. “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, 
           and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”

 

Calling of Matthew

Matthew 9:09

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

Mark 2:13-14

 13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Luke 5:27-28

 27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, 28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

Matthew 9:10-17

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

 12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Mark 2:15-22

15While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

 17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Luke 5:29-39

 29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

 31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

 

This was a recent Advent reading that echoes the message of Hosea 6:6:

Malachi 3:2-4. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. [Emphasis added.]

 

1. Why would Matthew leave his business to go follow Jesus?

Matthew had obviously heard about Jesus and I believe he was ready for a “richer” way of life.

He might also have been dissatisfied being a tax collector.

He was touched by the Holy Spirit, and called to a life with Christ.

He was ready for a richer way of life.

It is interesting that Matthew did not hesitate for a moment when Christ called him. His response was instantaneous.

R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Gospel of St. Matthew, p. 362:

“Although his call meant everything to him personally, he records only the simple facts. Jesus saw him and said only the one word, “Be following me!” He responded immediately; Luke 5:27 adds, “he forsook all.” He got right up (άυάσράς) and “did follow him,” the [form of the word in Greek] indicating that he did this permanently. … The call to attach himself to Jesus permanently involved financial loss, yet it replaced that loss with infinite spiritual gain.”

 

 

2. Why were the tax collectors so despised?

They served the Romans. Although educated, they had to be of low moral character to take the job – a job that allowed them to take more than even the Romans required so that they could become rich themselves.

The Romans didn't care how much was collected, so long as they got their cut. The collectors regularly charged more than they needed to, and they had the benefit of a Roman garrison to back them up in case anyone complained.

The tax collectors were not honest people, and they extorted more than the amount of the tax.

R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Gospel of St. Matthew, p. 362:

“These collectors were hated and despised by the Jews, both because they served the Roman oppressors and thus lacked all patriotism, and because of their greedy exactions, for they usually demanded all they could get in order to enrich themselves.”

“The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Matthew (also named Levi [see Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.” The NET Bible.

 

 

3. Wasn't this tax collection issue the main cause of this experiment called America?

Something like … no taxation without representation.

Also, the freedom to worship freely. This involves both the freedom of worship, and the freedom from worship (as dictated by the State Church, the penalties for failure to do so could be very severe).

 

 

4. What do you think about Jesus mingling with sinners?

We should all do more of it. As Reggie McNeal pointed out in his life – it is these sinners that actually lead you closer to Jesus.

We see here that God is approachable, and that we won't automatically be stricken by a bolt of lightning because we are sinners.

The fact that we are sinners won't keep God from “mingling” with us.

A Church is a hospital for sinners, and that all sinners are welcome here..

Maybe we need a sign: “Only sinners allowed; the perfect need not apply.”

Sinners are often hungry and searching … and this leads us more closely to God. Indeed, the giving is often more rewarding.

One smart alack observed “this gives me some hope.” {You gotta know who it probably was.}

“Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.” The NET Bible.

 

 

5. Who did the Pharisees talk to?

The disciples – not Jesus.

 

 

6. Do you think Matthew 9:4 is still in their mind?

They knew Jesus was superior to them in every way, which made them want to kill Him even more.

They were perhaps motivated by pride, or by ego, or by the fear that Jesus would tell them the truth about themselves, again.

When they asked the disciples why Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees were making a veiled accusation. The NET Bible notes “The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.”

 

 

7. How are we to apply verses 12 and 13 in the Church today?

This is a vital passage for the life of the church. After a few years of existence, most churches forgot that they do not exist for themselves. This is hard for us, but it is Biblical truth and the churches that don't get back to it – die. I think it means we give great nourishment to the people who are healthy – that that they are able to become missionary doctors in their neighborhoods and the world. For those who say we must take care of those inside the church, I have been saying for several years now that any individual Christian is going to be stronger and more healthy when they are doing something for somebody else than when we just sit in the pew and consume. See Acts 20:34-35. A welfare mentality will kill a country, a city, or a church.

“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:34-35 (NIV)

 

 

Read Matthew 9:14-17

 

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

14 Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

15 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Gospel of Matthew, Chap. 9

14Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

 15Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

 16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Gospel of Mark, Chapter 2

 18Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"

 19Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

 21"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."

Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 3

 33They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking."

 34Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast."

 36He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' "

 

 

8. When did verse 15 come true?

When Jesus was taken from them and was in the tomb.

Good Friday through Easter Sunday.

 

 

9. What is fasting and who should do it?

Since we are not under the law, fasting is certainly a part of our Christian liberty. For me, it has been giving up food for a set period to time. I believe it can be giving up anything for a set period of time that will help us focus our heart and mind and soul on Jesus. I have been blessed with God's guiding whisper in days of fasting that I know I would not have heard otherwise.

That giving of up of “anything” could include not just food, but TV, movies, or anything else that pulls us away from Christ. Use that free time to study the Word or in prayer.

There are a few who fast throughout Lent, and report that it is an amazing spiritual experience.

People with certain medical conditions should consult a physician before beginning a fast.

“Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.” The NET Bible.

 

 

10. What is Jesus teaching us with all this talk about wine and wine skins?

That wine was an important part of their society. But most of all that we dare not mix the teaching of the Pharisees with Christ. Put on the full righteousness of God.

Jesus again uses language that is plainly understood by the Jews in that society when he talks about putting new wine into new skins, and sewing a patch of unshrunk cloth onto an old garment. These were everyday events that were easily recognized.

Jesus is the new wine and the new garment. He is the new message, not to be confused with the old law.

“Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins. The meaning of the saying new wine into new wineskins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God.” The NET Bible.

“... the "new wine" seems plainly to be the evangelical freedom which Christ was introducing; and the old, the opposite spirit of Judaism: ...” Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.

 

An Additional Note.

The Advent devotion from the Lutheran Hour, December 10, 2009:

"UNCLEAN!"

Luke17:11-13 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 90 miles. It would take at least three days, perhaps more, if Mary was not feeling well. As Joseph and Mary made their journey they may well have passed by some who Jesus would encounter in his ministry. Among them might well have been some lepers.

"Unclean! Unclean!" That is what the lepers might well have called out as they saw this strong, gentle man leading his donkey with his very pregnant wife, It was required that they call out. But they might have done it anyway. Who would want to spread this dread disease?

Little did they know the baby this young mother was to bear would one day not be put off by their "Unclean!" He would approach them; He would touch them; He would heal them.

There is little chance we will come across any physical lepers on our journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. But we will pass by many who are afflicted with the leprosy of sin. We know this is true, because we ourselves have the disease.

The good news is that the One who healed those with physical leprosy, has also healed us who have the leprosy of sin! He did it by His suffering, death, and resurrection. Though we might well have needed to call out "unclean!" He has made us clean.

The question is, what will those who observe us on our journey to Bethlehem see?

THE PRAYER: May we, afflicted with the leprosy of sin, know and share the healing made possible by Jesus, the Christ!

 

Some Additional Sources: