Life Project Blog

Matthew 11:1-19

A new section of the book opens in 11:1; a section that continues through chapter 14 in which Jesus’ ministry is viewed in light of the rejection of certain groups of Jews. We begin with the change of scene in verse 1 in which Matthew tells us that after giving the disciples their instruction, Jesus went out to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. His activities here are much the same as they had been before, when some of John the Baptist’s disciples bring Him a question from John, who is in prison:  “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus gives them an interesting reply to convey to John: Go and tell him what you have seen… and then He adds something else: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” (10:6). John was the one who was called to prepare the way for Jesus; he must not stumble now that he is in prison. Could it be that John, like so many others, had expected a Messiah who would come to settle old scores and rise up a new, earthly and political Israel?

After giving His answer, Jesus continued addressing the crowd, now speaking of John. In verses 7-10, He confirms both His own identity and John’s by recounting just exactly who John was, and the fact that he was sent to prepare Jesus’ way onto the scene, quoting from the prophet Malachi. In 11 ff. Jesus continues:

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (11:11-15)

With these words, 2 things are clear: First, yes, John was the real messenger of God, and second, something is amiss, for their Messiah and God’s Kingdom are under attack by the forces of darkness. He continues:

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

“‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 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 deeds.” (11:16-19)

Jesus goes on in these verses to compare the people of that generation to children who are playing their games and complaining about everything. One group complains that nobody is dancing, the other group that nobody is mourning; neither is happy. They complained about John’s austerity, they complain about Jesus’ festivity…

Why are they really complaining?

So they can deflect attention and avoid making a choice to either follow or reject the message they are hearing, but what they are overlooking is that their avoidance is indeed their decision, and their fate is already sealed.

Sound familiar to anyone?

“There is nothing new under the sun.”

Matthew 10:32-42

As Jesus wraps up His instructions to His disciples before sending them on their mission to bring in the harvest, He moves into some disturbing territory. Remember that He has just told them of the opposition they will face, and given them some comfort using the lowly sparrow as an example; now He sums up the point He has made:

Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (10:32-33)

I have a suspicion that these words were ringing in Peter’s head on that fateful night when He denied knowing Jesus not once, but three times, as they might ring in our minds from time to time. The disciples are being sent out to preach the Kingdom and Jesus; there will be pressure to keep quiet, and perhaps even to renounce Him.

The Kingdom of Heaven is a powerful thing, for it brings with it the power to unite people together to do God’s will on the earth, but even as it unites some, it also brings about a different sort of response in others. The response of those others, is not always entirely rational, even though it may appear rational at first, for the Kingdom of Heaven coming to the earth is the worst nightmare of the Enemy who seeks to usurp God’s Creation for himself. The result is an earthly manifestation of a spiritual war that few can even begin to comprehend, let alone acknowledge:

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 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—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (10:34-36)

This is the part of the “Christmas Story” that you probably will not hear about on Christmas Eve as we talk about “Peace on earth” and “Goodwill toward men” leaving out the rest of the verse “in whom his favor rests”. To put it in military terms, when Jesus came to the earth, God was mounting an invasion of enemy held territory, and the enemy has been returning fire the entire time; this is what Jesus is referring to in these verses.

I remember when I blogged through Revelation, I received an email from a very dear brother who expressed some level of frustration with the study; there was so much in it that deals with spiritual warfare. His thought was along the lines of: “OK, I get it, there is persecution and some will get hurt, why go over this so many times?” The obvious answer is that John went over it so many times, but the real and important reason is that we really don’t get it yet. Spiritual warfare isn’t a metaphor or an academic concept and it certainly is not a child’s ghost story; it is as real as the morning news, and it is going on all around us whether we want to admit it or not.

Jesus put it in very personal terms for His disciples in this passage, as He quoted from Micah 7:6. He went on to say:

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (10:37-39)

His last remark about losing and finding life is the key: The everyday lives we lead here in this world are not life at all, if they are apart from Him, for they will soon come to an end, one way or another. The life we should concern ourselves with is that life which is eternal; part of the eternal purpose of God.

The final three verses of the discourse take a more pleasant tone:

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (10:40-42)

No human who hears the message of the Kingdom needs to perish, but all who hear it must decide what to do with it. Some will accept, and some will reject, and the battle lines will be drawn. For those who accept, eternity is secure; for those who reject… they will also reap their reward.

The problem with going through entire books of the Bible is that we don’t get to pick out the fun parts and move past the hard parts; this is a hard part. It isn’t hard because it’s difficult to understand, it just isn’t “pleasant” as most of us would like. Yet it reveals much about our lives today, about what is going on in our world, and how we should respond to it. It also helps us to look forward to the day when pain, suffering and tears are but distant memories, and all evil is gone from the earth.

“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:24-31

As Jesus prepares His disciples to be sent out to the harvest, He now takes the discussion, made up of instructions and warnings so far, and relates it to the relationship He has with the disciples. You will recall that in 9:34, after Jesus drove out a demon and restored speech to the afflicted man, some Pharisees said that He had done so by the power of the “prince of demons”, He is now telling the disciples that when they go out to proclaim the Kingdom, their opponents will say the same things about them. His rationale for this is simple; they are His servants, and the servant will be treated the same way as their master. Since Jesus is (and will be) encountering opposition, so will we.

Oh, and now you know the name of the “prince of demons”.

The disciples need not fear their oppressors; they need not worry that their evil deeds will go unnoticed or that they will get away with anything, for the disciples are under the Father’s protection, and anyone who harms them will be called to account; there is no getting around that fact. Rather than be concerned with their own safety in doing God’s will, they would do better to worry about what might happen if they should work to hinder His will.

Jesus wraps up this thought with the example of a sparrow. Who watches out for sparrows? Actually, we could ask something like: Who cares at all about sparrows?

Jesus gives us an answer: His Father in heaven cares about each and every single insignificant sparrow on the planet, and nothing happens to a single little sparrow that He doesn’t know about.

That is a staggering thought…

So then, if you or I, as God’s servants, on “Official Business” are harmed by a servant of the Enemy, can that happen without note being taken on high?

I really doubt it.

This discussion runs much deeper than the short journey the Twelve were sent on, for it runs through this entire age, from Pentecost until Jesus returns, and Jesus is speaking here to us, just as much as He was speaking to them. They went out and conducted their business will we?

Next time, we will see even more of Jesus’ comments… see you then.

Matthew 10:16-23

Jesus is about to send His disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom and He has given them unprecedented authority. Yet He has insisted that they take nothing along to help them, no money, no food or supplies, and He told them they are to be depending on the generosity of strangers for their sustenance. That may sound a little rough to us, but now He tells them the hardships they are likely to encounter, and in doing so, He speaks of an age to come, an age of battles and violence… the age we live in. As He tells the disciples of the hardships they will face, He might even remind us of the book of Revelation.

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (10:16)

The disciples will encounter more than just those who reject their message- they will also encounter violent opponents. Jesus likens the situation to sheep among wolves, for they will be without defenses. How should they respond to such dire circumstances? They must be as shrewd as snakes. This is an allusion to Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.” In crisis, the disciple must be clear-headed and carefully think through his actions; not rash or impulsive. They must also be as “innocent as doves”, meaning that they must be entirely pure in motivation, seeking only to do what is right. As Jesus would later demonstrate, this purity would often silence His opponents.

Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. (10:17-18)

These things did indeed take place later as Jesus predicted here. Notice that not only will the disciples be badly treated, but their treatment will bring them opportunity to proclaim the Kingdom to the Gentile authorities, and as we know, this is what they would one day do.

But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (10:19-20)

Along with this dire message is a message of hope and God’s provision, for God will speak His message in and through you, and thus you will know who is ultimately in control of events, even in the middle of spiritual warfare with a powerful foe. The disciples, soldiers in the front lines of spiritual warfare are assured of their ultimate victory by this; their futures are very bright indeed, even though this world may view them as weak.

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (10:21-23)

Persecution is even more ominous in these verses as families are torn apart by the combination of the Kingdom message and the violent reaction of this world, as the spiritual warfare of the heavens is manifested on earth. Yes, this is what will happen in our age- it is what began in Acts. Honestly, this is a message we need to understand today, for it is unfolding all around us in this world of ours; it is as fresh as the morning news, sad to say. Yet the day of the Son of Man is coming… One can only wonder what was going through their minds as Jesus spoke to them; what had they gotten themselves into? Yet, Jesus isn’t quite finished just yet; there is more to come next time.

Matthew 10:1-15

In the prior section, Jesus told His disciples to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send workers; now He informs His disciples that they are the workers the Lord of the Harvest has sent. The text doesn’t really say how the disciples felt about this, but if you have ever prayed that God would send someone to meet a need, and then realized that He sent you, you will have an idea.

In verses 5-15, Jesus gives them a series of imperatives, 16 in all, which serve as a set of “ground rules” for their adventure. First, He tells them to go to the lost sheep of Israel, and not to either Gentiles of Samaritans. Next, He tells them they are to proclaim the Kingdom as He has been doing, and with their authority to heal and so forth, they are to perform miracles as Jesus has done, accepting no payment. They are not to take any cash or supplies with them; they will find people along their way to take them in. They should give a welcoming house their greeting, and if deserving, their peace and if no one will welcome them and listen to their message, they are to leave that town to its fate.

It always strikes me that this set of instructions is a paradox: On one hand the disciples have been given unprecedented authority. They bear with them the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the ability to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, drive our demons; the whole package that Jesus has used, and essentially, they are taking His place on this road trip. Yet they are completely vulnerable having no money and no provisions. They may not accept payment for healings done miraculously, and they must depend on strangers for the necessities of life; who travels like that?

We need to grasp this picture: They have with them all of the authority of Jesus, and at the same time, they must depend entirely upon God for their sustenance.

In this way, they are just like us, for we have His authority to proclaim the Kingdom and bring healing to those who will listen, and to the extent that we will place our full faith and trust in God, we will build His Kingdom. As was the case with the disciples, the only thing that remains to be seen is our level of trust in God.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9:35-38

In these verses, we have a summary of the events in the early Galilean ministry of Jesus that connect several chapters together. In 4:18-22, we saw Jesus call disciples, in 4:22-25, we saw a summary of His activities. Then in 5:1-7:29, we had Jesus’ ministry in words, followed by His ministry in deeds in 8:1-9:34. Now, in 9:35 we have a summary of those deeds and words; this will be followed by action in 9:36-11:1 as the disciples are sent out to replicate what Jesus has been doing.

In order for us to make sense of this series of events, we need to recognize two things: First, Jesus Himself IS the Kingdom in a body, thus wherever He went, the Kingdom went with Him. Second, we must realize that the disciples were not simply along for the ride, they were being taught to become the Kingdom themselves, even though I doubt they understood this at the time. Ultimately, however, they became the embodiments of the Kingdom by the indwelling of the Spirit at Pentecost.

Matthew summarizes the action in verse 35, and then shares what Jesus was seeing in those crowds; a harvest. He had compassion for the people, not condemnation; He loved them and knew that in spite of the constant presence of their religious leaders, nobody was there who could show them the way to God, and so they were helpless and adrift in a harsh world. So there Jesus was; He could make speeches, and He could form relationships with some, but there were simply too many people who needed Him; there simply were not enough hours in the day for Him to heal everyone who needed Him.

That is where His disciples come into the picture. As He tells them to pray to the “Lord of the Harvest” for more workers, little did they know that they were going to be those workers.

Here’s a question to ponder: When we look out at those people “out there”, do we see helpless people who need a loving shepherd, or do we just see the “wicked”?