The Motley Crew Matthew Bible Study

January 27, 2010

Suggested Questions

1. I do want to revisit Matthew 10:32-33 because I agree with the final acknowledgment, or not, will happen on Judgment Day as you talked about last week. But when and where does the first acknowledgment, or not, occur?

Read Matthew 10:34-42

2. If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, how can He say these Words?

3. Is Jesus saying to love your mother or father less in verse 37?

4. What does Jesus mean by take up your cross?

5. Are you willing to lose your life for His sake?

6. How can a cup of cold water be worth so much?

Read Matthew 11:1-19

7. How does verse 1 fit with Ephesians 4:11-13?

8. What do you think of John's question?

9. What do you think of Jesus' answer?

10 What did quoting an Old Testament prophet do for Jesus' and John's cause?

11. How can John the Baptist be the greatest and the least at the same time?

12. What do we make of the dilemma Jesus describes in verses 16-19?

The Motley Crew Matthew Bible Study

January 27, 2010

Suggested Answers

We began with praises, prayers of intercession, and petitions.

Read Matthew 10:32-33

³² "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

1. I do want to revisit Matthew 10:32-33 because I agree with the final acknowledgment, or not, will happen on Judgment Day as you talked about last week. But when and where does the first acknowledgment, or not, occur?

The first acknowledgment by Christ will occur when we make our first acknowledgment of our faith, which for Lutheran Christians usually happens publicly at the conclusion of Confirmation Classes. At Baptism, we are marked as one of God's children; at Confirmation, there is the public acknowledgment and profession.

I use this at the Confirmation class for the profession of faith, which is not a single action, but the beginning of a process. Luther talks about this in the context of Baptism, as well, in that the Baptism is not a single, isolated action, but the beginning of a life-long coming to God through Christ, culminating in our acceptance into the Church Eternal at our earthly death.

Read Matthew 10:34-42

³⁴ "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
³⁶ a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

³⁷ "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰ "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth [“Amen, Amen I say to you”], he will certainly not lose his reward."

2. If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, how can He say these Words?

This is a spiritual battle, not a battle in the worldly sense. See Ephesians 6:10-12, and it will be bad.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (New International Version)

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Note also verse 17: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” These protections are sometimes needed by Christians today, when shunned by families and entire communities after converting to Christ, even to the point of a “funeral” for that person.

Also, in some parts of the world when a person receives Christ it brings stark division in their family. One of the class members shared a friend that was given a funeral by their family when they became Christian.

3. Is Jesus saying to love your mother or father less in verse 37?

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;...”

No. We will not love them more than Jesus, but if anything, our love for our families will increase when we fix our eyes on Jesus. In Christ our love for both will greatly increase. Again, we see the Old Testament in the New:

Micah 7:6 (New International Version)

For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man's enemies are the members of his own household.

4. What does Jesus mean by “take up your cross”?

He means that we lay down everything so that He can carry us through the power of His cross.

In terms of giving everything a pig and a chicken were past a church one day when they saw a sign on the church advertising a bacon and egg breakfast. The chicken said let’s go in and see if we can help. The pig said that easy for you to say – it will only take a donation from you but it will take a full commitment from me!

Verse 38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me--a saying which our Lord once and again emphatically reiterates (Mt 16:24; Lu 9:23; 14:27). We have become so accustomed to this expression--"taking up one's cross"--in the sense of "being prepared for trials in general for Christ's sake," that we are apt to lose sight of its primary and proper sense here--"a preparedness to go forth even to crucifixion," as when our Lord had to bear His own cross on His way to Calvary--a saying the more remarkable as our Lord had not as yet given a hint that He would die this death, nor was crucifixion a Jewish mode of capital punishment. Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.

Verse 38. It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection. The NET Bible.

5. Are you willing to lose your life for His sake?

Yes, I think.

Yes, I pray so, with the help of God

6. How can a cup of cold water be worth so much?

In the right hands and in the right place, this gift can be of immeasurable value. In the same manner, gifts of love can quite literally make all the difference in the world to one who is “on the edge.” All these little things that we can do for each other, this is what Jesus is asking us to do (a hug, a pat on the back, a prayer). Any prayer for the gift of faith for another is an acknowledgment of our faith in God and the redemption of Christ.

Culturally, a cup of water was the least possible thing that one could do for another. And that it was done to “one of the least of these” – that is to one who was poor, who was sick, who was imprisoned … in short, an outcast in that society – makes the gift even more significant.

The poor here are not merely those who were poor with respect to the world and thus the least of then-Jewish society, but also those were spiritually poor, a class to whom we all belong until we hear and receive the message of Christ.

Read Matthew 11:1-19

¹ After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

Jesus and John the Baptist

² When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

⁴ Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy [a] are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:
" 'I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.'[b] ¹¹ I tell you the truth [“Amen I tell you”]: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears, let him hear.

¹⁶ "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
¹⁷ " 'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge
and you did not mourn.' ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 11:5 The Greek word was used for various diseases affecting the skin—not necessarily leprosy.

2. Matthew 11:10 Mal. 3:1: “'See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,' says the LORD Almighty.”

Also Malachi 4:5 (NIV). "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.

There is a parallel account in Luke 7. Both are reproduced below.

7. How does verse 1 fit with Ephesians 4:11-13?

Matthew 11:1 (NIV): “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.”

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV): ¹¹ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The Greek word diaconos (διακονος)means worker in ministry. Jesus was equipping His apostles, disciples, evangelists, pastors, teachers, and believers – us! – with the tools that they/we needed to build the Kingdom on earth. He only had two or three years to do so, and wasted no time.

It was correctly pointed out that Verse 1 in Chapter 11 should have been the last verse in Chapter 10.

8. What do you think of John's question?

John was in prison, and facing a bleak future. His questions show he was human; cut off from the world in prison, he had doubts and was seeking reassurance. This reassurance was both for him and for us.

John had now been a year in prison, to which he had been sent by Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, because he had rebuked his adulterous marriage with his brother Philip's wife.

According to First Century historian Josephus, John was imprisoned in Machærus, a castle or fortress situated on the southern border of Peræa, near the Dear Sea and not far from Livias, a town in which Herod had a residence. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 5, Paragraph 2 (see below). Concerning Herod and Jesus, see Matt. 14: 1, 2, 6-12; Mark 6:14-16, 21-29; and Luke 9:7-9.

John could not be ignorant of this, who had seen the Spirit of God descending on him at his baptism, heard a voice from heaven, declaring him the Son of God; and had so often pointed him out to others, and had borne frequent testimonies that he was the Lamb of God, and bridegroom of his church: wherefore this question was put, not upon his own account, but his disciples, that they might have from the mouth of Christ a full and satisfactory answer, which would remove all their doubts and scruples, and attach them to Christ, now he was about to die, and leave them, than which nothing was more desirable to him. John Gill's Exposition of the Bible.

At this point we must stop and consider the question: "Was John in doubt or was it his disciples?" Modern interpreters, including Lenski, Hendriksen and many others, think John was in doubt. But Jerome, Chrysostom, Luther and his contemporaries, Ylvisaker, Fahling, Stoeckhardt and Kretzmann think that John' disciples, not John, were in doubt. ... When all is said and done, there is far more information elsewhere in the Gospel to cause one to think that it was John's disciples who were in doubt. Read John 3:25-30. Dr. Harold H. Buls Sermon Notes.

As such, John's sending of two of his disciples operated as a final gift to them, pointing them from his prophecy of Jesus to the fullness of the Kingdom which had now come.

It was also pointed out that many then .. and now … were looking for a different kind of Messiah, one who would literally raise up a sword and an army and drive the Romans out of Israel.

John and many others may have been expecting a political Messiah, and some were trying to pressure Jesus into the leadership of a worldly/military movement. Halley's Bible Handbook (Revised Edition, 1965), p. 437.

9. What do you think of Jesus' answer?

Jesus was reassuring John that He was indeed the Messiah, pointing to what he had already done. This reassurance is for us, too.

Verses 4-5: “Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'”

Isaiah 29:18 (NIV)
In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.

Isaiah 35:5-6 (NIV)
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

The poor have the gospel preached to them. It adds to the force of this testimony that the poor had always been overlooked by Pharisees and the Jewish doctors. The ancient philosophers and theologians had no gospel for those who could not pay for it. The climax is preaching the gospel to the poor. Jesus answers John by pointing to his works. They were a more convincing answer than words. What he has done for mankind is still a most convincing demonstration. B. W. Johnson's Bible Commentary.

It is interesting how this relates to David during the conquest of Jerusalem:

2 Samuel 5:6-10:
The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies. " That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."

David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.

10. What did quoting an Old Testament prophet do for Jesus' and John's cause?

Validates. Again, the prophesies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament.

Mal. 3:1: “'See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,' says the LORD Almighty.”

John is the spiritual Elijah prophesied in Malachi. We who are members of the Kingdom established by Jesus are the beneficiaries of John's pathfinding in the desert. His asceticism allowed us to savor the wedding feast at Cana.

11. How can John the Baptist be the greatest and the least at the same time?

John was the last, and greatest, of the Old Covenant. As such, he was worthy of praise. However, with the coming of the New Covenant, John became less than any of those believers.

Jerry asked if this was the original “Grandfather Clause” in that those in the Old Covenant who believed without seeing became saved when the Messiah who had been prophesied came to Israel.

"Least" refers to the disciples in the New Covenant Church. John belongs to the era of the fulfillment and he may, therefore, have a more unclouded understanding about Jesus. This does not mean that we are greater as to our person, but implies that the greatest thing that has happened to us is that Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies. … Not to be overlooked is the marvelous, pastoral, evangelical attitude of both the Baptist and Jesus. When his disciples were prone to reject Jesus, John sent them to Jesus Himself. When they came to Jesus, He pointed to prophecy and fulfillment with reference to His miracles and preaching. When they left, Jesus, by a series of questions, pointed out the greatness of the Baptist, both in prophecy and fulfillment. That's the way to deal with wavering Christians. Dr. Harold H. Buls Sermon Notes.

Mary was the most blessed among women. The Baptist was the greatest of the prophets. The least of Christians is greater than the Baptist. In each case it's not because of their person but because of the person and work of Jesus. Dr. Harold H. Buls Sermon Notes.

John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The quotation ... from Mal 3:1 with pronouns from Exodus 23:20 … [shows John as] the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert. The NET Bible.

After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era. The NET Bible.

12. What do we make of the dilemma Jesus describes in verses 16-19?

People are fickle … maybe even crazy at times!

Verse 14 points to this (“And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.”). The tension – dance or lament – shows their error, which was that these people wanted God on their terms, and not on the terms that God was offering Himself, through Christ.

‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 18-19) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s. The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture. The NET Bible.

We closed with prayer.

Habakkuk 2:3 (New International Version)
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.

Psalm 37:7 (New International Version)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him

Parallel accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (NIV).

Additional Note.

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 5, Paragraph 2.

“Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him.”

Source: Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, from “Early Jewish Writings” <http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/ant18.html >; quoted from William Whiston, trans., The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus. Vol. 4. (New York: Wm. Borradaile, 1824), pp. 75-76.

For Additional Study:

Online Resources

Book of Concord in PDF Format, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod <http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/TrigBOC.pdf> (2MB file)

These texts are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed freely. The source of these translations is Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).

A number of other Lutheran texts can be found in the Belief and Practice section of the website of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=112

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. <http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/gill/matthew11.htm>

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary.
http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/mh/matthew11.htm

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary <http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/mhc/matthew11.htm>

Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. <http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/jfb/matthew11.htm>

B. W. Johnson's Bible Commentary <http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/matthew/johnson/matthew11.htm >

Greek Interlinear Bible, http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm

Based on NA26/27. A word-by-word translation of the Greek New Testament.

The NET Bible. <http://bible.org/netbible/> A completely new translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators’ notes. It was completed by more than 25 scholars – experts in the original biblical languages – who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Excellent notes, citing both the Greek and Hebrew, as needed. Greek and Hebrew fonts available without cost.

Harold H. Buls - Sermon Notes <http://www.pericope.org/buls-notes/index.html> and a second collection, Sermon Notes of Dr. Harold H. Buls <http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-bul.html>. Adapted from Exegetical Notes, Series A, Festival Season Sundays, Gospel Texts, by Harold H. Buls, Concordia Theological Seminary Press: Ft Wayne IN, 1980, pp.9-12.

W. Robertson Nicoll, The Greek Expositor's Testament. Vol. 1. (New York: George H. Doran Co., ca. 1910). Five volumes containing excellent notes on the Greek text and summaries of commentators. Available at Google Books (www.books.google.com) and the Internet Archive (www.archive.org; easier to find here than at Google Books).

Other Additional Resources:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/SPLC/Motley%20Crew%20Research%20Resources.html

Other Resources

Barker, Kenneth L., ed., TNIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006)

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Readers Edition. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006)

Davies, Benjamin, ed., Baker's Pocket Harmony of the Gospels (Baker Book House, 1975). Formerly printed as Harmony of the Four Gospels.

Green, Jay P., ed., The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Vol. IV. Second Edition. (Hendrickson Publishers, 1985)

Halley, Henry H., Halley's Bible Handbook. New Revised Edition (24^th Edition). (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965)

The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009).

Nave, Orville J., ed., Nave's Topical Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1979)

New Bible Dictionary. Second Edition. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1962)

NIV Archeological Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005)

Strong, James, ed., The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)