Matthew (Written)

Wednesday, 21 January 2026

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed. Matthew 16:4

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and a sign – not it will be given it – if not the sign of Jonah the prophet. And having left them, He departed” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted those who could tell the day would be one of inclemency because of a morning red sky. He then called the Pharisees and Sadducees hypocrites because they knew how to discern the face of the heaven, but the signs of the seasons they could not discern. Having said that, He continues with, “Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and a sign – not it will be given it – if not the sign of Jonah the prophet.”

The words are identical to Matthew 12:39 except that in some manuscripts, the words “the prophet” are not included. To understand the meaning, refer to that commentary. In short, however, the sign of Jonah is the proclamation of Jonah to the Ninevites, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Jesus equated those forty days to Israel’s offering of Jesus, a day for a year. In their rejection of Him, the temple was destroyed, and the people were exiled in 70AD. To confirm that this is what He was referring to, Peter said this in Acts –

“And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’” Acts 2:40

The same generation, wicked and adulterous, was described by Peter as skolias, warped, and thus perverse. Peter implored the people to come to Jesus and be saved from what would come upon them. As for Jesus’ words to the Pharisees and Sadducees, once He stated them, it says, “And having left them, He departed.”

The meaning is that He got into a boat and left their area.

Life application: The preaching of Jonah is a part of the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus’ words concerning this sign are something that can be read and then compared to literal history.

Though there is debate about the exact timing of Christ’s ministry, it is generally accepted that it encompasses the year 30AD. Seeing that the temple was destroyed in 70AD, as any competent scholar will testify, it is a certainty that Jesus’ words were a prophecy that can be attested to as true and reliable.

This was to be the sign for the Jews that they missed what was plainly there in front of them. To this day, they fall under the same descriptions given two thousand years ago by Jesus and then Peter.

To become a righteous generation, then, they must repair the breach that they caused. The only way to do this is to receive Jesus as their long-rejected Messiah.

This happens in individual Jews anytime they turn to Christ, but it is the nation, as a whole, that must acknowledge Jesus before they can enter into the New Covenant. Today, it is common for Christians to cite Genesis 12:3 and claim that when Christians do not support Israel, they fall under a curse.

In fact, Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, did this when speaking to a group of pastors in early December 2025. There is a problem with this thinking. Actually, several. First, the promise was to Abraham. Paul demonstrates in Galatians 3 that only those of faith are counted as the seed of Abraham.

Second is the fact that Israel rejected Jesus. When they did, they were cut off from this fountain of blessing, instead falling under the curses of the law. God cannot spiritually bless those who are under His curse. They must first come out from under the source of that curse, meaning the Law of Moses (see Galatians 3:10).

Third, Christians are saved through faith in Christ, not through accepting or rejecting Israel’s place in the world.

It is doctrinally correct that Christians should support Israel and the plan for them, which Scripture lays out concerning their future. However, it is incorrect and a misuse of Scripture to cite verses out of their intended context in order to motivate that support.

Rather, scholars, professors, pastors, preachers, and teachers should properly handle the issue of Israel because it is a type and a picture of individual salvation as much as it is an ongoing and, so far, stormy relationship between God and the people of Israel.

Would it be appropriate to say that we must support a person’s present wayward walk because we know that they will someday be saved? The thought is unimaginable. Rather, we should speak against whatever wickedness they hold to and evangelize them in hopes of that day of salvation arriving.

The same is true with Israel. To blindly support a nation that is at odds with God’s plan for them, as Jesus has clearly presented in the gospels and as is painstakingly explained in the epistles and Revelation, can only harm, not help, the situation.

Unfortunately, the modern Christian Zionist movement is doing exactly that. So what are we to do? The answer is to stand up boldly and support Israel because God has a plan in motion to bring them back to Himself. However, we are to include in that stand that Israel as a nation is currently unrighteous and at odds with God, and to convey the explicit idea that it is Jesus who will make restoration and righteousness possible.

Anything else, such as supporting Israel’s building of another temple and going back to national law observance, is to directly and unambiguously challenge the cross of Jesus Christ as a means to restoration with God. May we never have such a purpose for these people who so desperately need Jesus. Jesus! Israel needs Jesus.

Lord God Almighty, You have set forth a plan for Israel’s restoration. You have carefully laid out what is necessary for that to come about. You have given innumerable examples of it in typology and prophecy in their Scriptures. Help us to show them what they need and how to obtain it. Jesus! Help us to show them Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Matthew 16:3

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And early, ‘This day… inclemency!’, for glowering, the heaven, it reddens. Hypocrites! Indeed, you know to discern the face of the heaven, and the seasons’ signs, not you can” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees that they can tell when the weather is good simply by noticing the red sky at night. He continues, saying, “And early, ‘This day… inclemency!’”

Two new words are seen here. The first is the adverb prói, early. It signifies the time of dawn. The second word is used, cheimón, the rainy season or foul weather. In essence, the person looks out and understands that a stormy day is ahead. As such, the noun inclemency suits perfectly. From the earliest moments of the day, people can walk outside and tell if it will be a stormy day. Jesus gives the reason for this, saying, “for glowering, the heaven, it reddens.”

Another new word, stugnazó, to glower, is seen. The idea is rendering something gloomy. When the sky is red in the morning, it is as if the sky is glowering down on the people, ready to drop rain, hail, etc., rendering their day as gloomy as it appears.

Jesus’ words in both verses are pretty much universally understood. The old saying, “Red at night, sailor’s delight, red in the morning, sailor’s take warning,” has been used in one form or another throughout the people groups of the world.

Each has its own nuances, but it is common for people to speak of the sky in such simple, understandable ways. Because of this, Jesus says, “Hypocrites! Indeed, you know to discern the face of the heaven, and the seasons’ signs, not you can.”

The point of His words is that the messianic signs He had performed, along with everything else that pointed to Him in prophecy, were as evident as the color of the sky in telling what was going on.

John the Baptist was prophesied to come as the forerunner of the Messiah. The prophetic timeline in Daniel, of which they would have detailed knowledge, pointed to the coming of the Messiah. The star of Bethlehem was a clear herald of the coming of the Messiah, as evidenced by “the chief priests and scribes” being brought before Herod to confirm the location where He would be born.

Everything in the land was swirling with the hope of the Messiah and the surety of His having come because of the confirming signs and wonders He was accomplishing. And yet, despite this, and much more evidence as well, these men had come to Jesus asking for a sign from heaven.

The only possible meaning of this is that they were willfully ignoring these things, as well as their own Scriptures, to challenge Jesus as they were doing.

Life application: The same attitude found in Israel at the time of Jesus is on full display among the religious elite today. How many Christian scholars, teachers, pastors, and priests see the people of Israel back in the land, exactly as Scripture prophesies, and ignore what is going on?

Many deny that it is the same group of people. Others claim that the church has replaced them, and there is no more plan or purpose for them. Some simply call the situation an aberration that will eventually be dealt with by their enemies, removing all trace of this disobedient nation in the process.

And yet, these same people will gleefully acknowledge that Israel received its just punishment under the law when they were exiled and scattered among the nations. But those prophecies don’t end with permanent destruction. Rather, they end with restoration.

Even the epistles proclaim restoration for Israel. But somehow, the mental disconnect severs these deniers from accepting that God could possibly be gracious to them once again. The problem is one found in the heart. No wonder so many teach that grace requires works as proof of salvation! No wonder so many teach that salvation can be lost.

If God can withhold His grace from the people He covenanted with at Sinai, then He can do so with those He covenanted with in Jesus as well. One misunderstanding in God’s nature will inexorably lead to more. The world is swimming in a pool of bad theology because we cannot understand the simple word “grace.”

Grace cannot be earned. It is unmerited favor. God’s grace comes through faith in Christ for salvation. It comes from God’s faithfulness to His covenant-keeping for Israel. We can trust God’s grace. It is unconditional, and it will never expire.

Lord God, thank You for the grace that is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Monday, 19 January 2026

He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; Matthew 16:2

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And answering, He said to them, ‘Evening having come, you say, “Good weather!”, for the heaven, it is red’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the Pharisees and Sadducees approached Jesus, asking for a sign from heaven. He now responds to their request, saying, “And answering, He said to them, ‘Evening having come, you say, “Good weather!”

A unique word is seen here, eudia, good weather. It is derived from eu, well or good, and the alternate of Zeus, Dia (the accusative case), the god of the weather. Jesus remarks to them that in the evening, it is normal for people, including the scribes and Pharisees, to walk outside and deduce that good weather is ahead.

The words are colloquial. One might walk out with a wife, a friend, or, when his neighbor is outside, look up and simply say, “Good weather!” That is next followed by Jesus’ explanation, as He says, “for the heaven, it is red.”

The clause contains another new word, purrazó, to be red or, intransitively, to redden. The word is only found in this verse and the next. It is derived from purrhos, fire-like, and thus red. Jesus’ words are axiomatic. People observe the sky and understand its regular patterns.

Life application: In Florida, when the wind may start racing from the south during winter, there is a ton of moisture and heat being drawn up from the tropics. This warm (or even hot) muggy air tells the locals that a cold front is on its way.

As the front nears, the wind turns to a west breeze. For those who surf, they start waxing their surfboards. Eventually, the wind switches to the north, and a line of often very heavy rain will come rushing through.

That is the same moisture that was being drawn up from the south. It is now being returned to the people, often with violent thunder, lightning accompanying it as the cold air meets the tropical air.

Very quickly, the temperatures begin to drop, the waves build, the surfers surf, and the bays that are along the Gulf Coast between the islands and the mainland will drop many feet in level, sometimes so much that fish are left lying on the bay’s bed, flopping around, waiting to be picked up by the thousands.

People know these things will come about, and they anticipate the changes coming simply because they understand the obvious nature of what is occurring. At such times, the bays can be so drained that one could walk across them without it getting more than knee deep.

This can all happen in a few hours. It is how the Red Sea passage is described in Exodus 14, where a strong east wind blew all that night.

Anyone who thinks the story is implausible has never seen the events in Florida at times as described above. Wind can be a strong force in drying out deep bodies of water.

Believe the Bible. It is reliable.

Lord God, we know that You can do all things, including drying out the sea for Israel to pass through it on foot. You even told us how You did it. Help us in our times of unbelief about things that we don’t have an explanation for. Be with us in our times of weakness and doubt. Amen.

Sunday, 18 January 2026

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. Matthew 16:1

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having approached, the Pharisees and Sadducees, testing, they queried Him to show them a sign from heaven” (CG).

The previous verse closed out Chapter 15. Matthew 16 begins with, “And having approached, the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

It is similar to the two groups who approached Jesus to open Matthew 15 –

“Then they came to Jesus from Jerusalem, scribes and Pharisees, saying…”

“And having approached, the Pharisees and Sadducees…”

Their presence is consistently presented as antagonistic and challenging. Each time they show up, it is certain that a dispute of some sort is ahead. Jesus, understanding this, is always ready to stand against their challenges. This time, they have come “testing.”

In other words, they may have just heard of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the four thousand and are suspicious about how He did it. They may suppose He had gone to the area a few days earlier and dug underground bunkers, filling them with enough bread to feed an army. How else could such a thing have transpired?

As such, they are testing Him, looking for a validation that He can really make the miraculous come about. Therefore, “they queried Him to display to them a sign from heaven.”

A new word is seen here, epideiknumi, to display. It is derived from epi, upon, and deiknumi, to show. Thus, it literally would be to “upon-show.” The word is found only seven times. Reading the context of those seven uses, one can see that “display” gives the proper sense.

Unfortunately, pretty much every translation punts and says “show,” the same translation as deiknumi. Thus, the reader will never know that a more poignant thought is being conveyed. They are asking for an actual display of a sign, as if Jesus could hold it in His hands, put it on like a garment, or set it before them as a piece of heavenly evidence.

This is the second time they have asked for something like this –

“Then, they answered, some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Teacher, we desire to see a sign from You.” Matthew 12:38

“And having approached the Pharisees and Sadducees, testing, they queried Him to show them a sign from heaven.” Matthew 16:1

Apparently, Jesus doing a sign has been elevated to Jesus displaying a sign from heaven. If their request is, in fact, based on having heard about the feeding of the multitudes, they have gone from wanting a miraculous sign from Jesus to a magnitude greater, demanding one from heaven.

Elisha had multiplied bread in 2 Kings 4. Being an account in their Scriptures, it was considered a divinely sourced miracle. As such, and as the claim is that Jesus did this, they now want something greater, perhaps fire from heaven.

Life application: People want more than the written word. It is as if the masses have an insatiable hunger to have proof that God is God and that He is as He claims. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 1 –

“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. ²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Corinthians 1:20-25

Perfectly understanding the question of the Pharisees and Sadducees, because he was a Pharisee, Paul says that Jews request a sign. Having lived and evangelized among the nations, Paul also fully understood the Greek mind, always seeking after wisdom.

Such people want proof of what they have been told. There is nothing wrong with thinking things through, but it is an entirely different level when God says XX, and we demand that He prove XX. Who are we to question God?

Rather, if we read the Bible and understand that it answers to the needs of humanity, we should then, by faith, accept God’s word and, by faith, acknowledge what it says about Jesus, the gospel, and our eternal hope.

To many people, videos about dreams, books about coming back from the dead, and attending churches with supposed miraculous events are what life in Christ is about. But those things are opposed to life in Christ.

God is pleased with faith in His faithless people. So even a little bit will do. Have faith and be pleasing to God.

O God, may Your word be enough to guide our hearts and minds. Help us to faithfully follow You and trust in Your word and the promises found in it. May we not seek or demand that which is contrary to faith. Help us to have this attitude, O God. Amen.

Saturday, 17 January 2026

And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. Matthew 15:39

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube, (Click Here to listen), and part II (Click Here to listen).

or at Rumble (Click Here to listen), and part II (Click Here to listen).

To read the CG translation of Matthew 15, scrolling with music, on YouTube (Click Here to listen), or on Rumble (Click Here to listen).

An extra bonus from Daniel Higgins at “Bible in Ten” podcast. His input on links between Ezra and Matthew 15. (Click here to listen).

“And having dismissed the crowds, He in-stepped into the boat, and He came to the borders of Magdala” (CG).

In the previous verse, it was noted that there were four thousand men, besides women and children, who comprised the multitudes Jesus fed. With that portion of the narrative complete, and to close out the chapter, Matthew next notes, “And having dismissed the crowds, He in-stepped into the boat.”

They have been on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. With this cycle of attending to a Gentile woman in the allotments of Tyre and Sidon noted, followed by a time in the Gentile-led eastern regions near the Decapolis completed, He got into a boat, “and He came to the borders of Magdala.”

This is a location not named this way anywhere else in Scripture. Some manuscripts note the location as Magadan, meaning Megiddo, but that is incorrect based on Matthew 16:5, which notes they are still in the region of the lake. Rather, the town Magdala in Hebrew is Migdal-el, Tower of God, a city of Naphtali recorded in Joshua 19:38.

This is also known as Al-Majdal (Mejdel) on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, north of Tiberias. Mark 8:10 notes that when they got in the boat, they came to the allotments of Dalmanutha. Saying it this way, there is no contradiction to be found. Just as Jesus went to the “allotments” of Tyre and Sidon, meaning the surrounding areas, in Matthew 15:21, so they went to Magdala in the allotments, meaning the surrounding areas, of Dalmanutha.

Life application: Chapter 15 of Matthew gives a picture of what is going on in the world from the time Jesus fulfilled the law until the rapture. The verses, though literally occurring at the time of Jesus, point to truths after the completion of Jesus’ ministry. The New Covenant is now what God is doing in the world. Israel as a whole, however, rejected that.

Though they no longer observe the Law of Moses, they remain bound to it. During this dispensation, they are spiritually led by rabbis, both in their writings in the Talmud as well as in their cultural and religious life.

These are reflected by the scribes and Pharisees who came from Jerusalem (verse 1) to challenge Jesus. Paul explains in Galatians 4:21-31 that the earthly Jerusalem reflects them and their teaching. The main point for now says –

“But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴ which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵ for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶ but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Galatians 4:23-26

In verses 2-9, Jesus explains the state of Israel at this time, living by the laws of men rather than by the law of God. After the introduction of the New Covenant, the law of God is not the Law of Moses. Rather, that is fulfilled.

At this time, religious Israel draws near to the Lord with their lips, but their hearts, because of their rejection of Jesus, are far away from Him.

In verse 11, Jesus stated that what goes into the mouth does not defile. Rather, what comes out of it does. Though that was a truth concerning the traditions of these elders, it is a truth that is spiritually seen in Israel to this day. They refuse to proclaim Jesus.

This is their defilement. But what does Paul say concerning this? In Romans 10, he says –

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:8-13

The only thing that can cleanse a person from sin is Jesus. Anything else, meaning any other proclamation, defiles that person. As such, Jesus says in verse 14 to let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind, and both will fall into a pit.

In verse 15, Jesus reexplained to dull Peter (later, the Apostle to the Jews) the matter of the heart and what it is that causes defilement. While Israel remains in their state of defilement because of their oral proclamations, something else takes place. This is seen in verse 21, where Jesus “went out from there,” meaning from the Jewish people to the allotments of Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile area.

Tyre (Hebrew: Tsor) signifies Rock. While Israel abandoned their Rock, the Gentiles received Him. That this is speaking of Christ is seen, for example, in Deuteronomy 32:32, where it says, “For their rock is not like our Rock.” There are those who are confident in their rock (tsur), and yet their rock is not the Lord who is the Rock (tsur).

Sidon (Hebrew: Tsidon) signifies Fishery. It is a place for catching fish. Everyone is like a fish. When Jesus said to Simon and Andrew that they would be fishers of men, He meant that men are like fish to be caught.

While in this area (verse 22), a Canaanite woman came to Jesus and begged for compassion for her demon-possessed daughter. Canaan signifies Humbled, Humiliated, or even Subdued. She pictures those of faith who have humbled themselves before the word of Christ.

The issue is the daughter. In Scripture, a son or a daughter is representative of the state of something. A “son of death,” for example, is a person deserving of death. That is his state. A daughter, in this case, is the state of a group of people, such as “daughter of Jerusalem,” “daughter of Tarshish,” etc. What is the state of the Daughter of the Humbled who are also Gentiles?

Jesus said in verse 24 that He had come “if not to the sheep, the ‘having been lost’ – House Israel.” Despite there being a New Covenant, with whom was that covenant made? The answer is found in both Jeremiah and Hebrews –

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” Jeremiah 31:31

The early church did not understand that the word was to go to the Gentiles. That is a major subject found in Acts. It is representative of the disciples’ comments found previously in verse 23 when they told Jesus to dismiss her.

It literally took an act of God to get them to see that the New Covenant included Gentiles, first with the Ethiopian eunuch and then the house of Cornelius. Jesus’ calling, though, to redeem the House of Judah and Israel, is inclusive of the Gentiles of faith, as seen in this account. It is something prophesied in Isaiah 49:6, but which is revealed in typology here.

The woman was told that it wasn’t “good to take the children’s bread and cast to the puppies.” In the Bible, dogs represent Gentiles. That is seen in the Caleb series of sermons. Caleb, kalev, is from kelev, dog. It is also seen in the account of Gideon and his men, who lapped like dogs, a typological picture dealing with the Gentiles.

The woman didn’t argue Jesus’ point. Instead, she noted that “even the puppies – he eats from the crumbs, the ‘falling from their master’s table.” Jesus thus remarked concerning her great faith, something evidenced in the Gentile world. At that time, it noted the child was cured. Salvation, in fact, is also directed to the Gentiles. They are brought into the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12).

From there, verse 29 said of Jesus that “He went near the Sea of the Galilee, and having ascended to the mountain, He sat there.” The Galilee has previously been explained as “the Liberty.” It is a picture of freedom from sin. As sin stems from a violation of law, it ultimately signifies freedom from law.

A mountain in the Bible represents a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Though it is only stated in Mark, the last area noted was the Decapolis, a Gentile controlled area.

Thus, this is typologically referring to a large but centralized group (meaning under Jesus) of Gentile people. The Canaanite woman already established that, but this is an extension of the thought, explaining the result of the dispensation of the Gentiles. In other words, “What will happen in the world once it is established that Gentiles are to be included in the New Covenant?”

In verses 30 and 31, multitudes came to Jesus for healing, so many that they were strewn about Him. It is reflective of the broken Gentile world coming to Christ for healing and salvation. As many came, He healed them so that “they glorified the God of Israel.”

As noted at that time, the term is unique in the New Testament. It suggested the presence of Gentiles on the mountain, but it typologically asserts this fact. Paul’s ministry literally shouts out the parallel to this thought in Matthew –

“Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” Acts 19:11, 12

Was the God of Israel glorified through this? The answer is found in Romans –

“Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ⁹ and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:
‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.’” Romans 15:8, 9

And…

“For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient— ¹⁹ in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Romans 15:18, 19

In verses 32-38, the feeding of the four thousand is recorded. Jesus said they had been with Him three days. In Scripture, three “stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. … Hence the number three points us to what is real, essential, perfect, substantial, complete, and Divine.” Bullinger

The time these people have been with Jesus speaks of a divine fullness, something reflected in Romans 11:25, “that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” It goes right back to the state of Israel, noted in Matthew 15:14, where the blind are leading the blind.

While Israel is blinded, the blind of the Gentiles (Matthew 15:31) are brought to sight. The miracle of the bread (think of Jesus, the Bread of Life) and fish (a word which signifies “increase” in Hebrew) speaks of the immense harvest. There were seven loaves, the number of spiritual perfection, and a few tiddlers. However, they were enough to feed the multitude of four thousand. The number is a product of four and tens.

Four is the number of material creation, the world number. It speaks of the entirety of the world hearing the gospel, just as Jesus said it would. Ten is the number where nothing is wanting, and the whole cycle is complete. The entire world of the Gentiles will be evangelized before the end comes.

To demonstrate the immense harvest that will be realized in the church age, the baskets of fragments were collected, totaling seven large baskets. Notice the difference from the feeding of the five thousand –

“And they ate all, and they gorged, and they lifted the superabounding pieces – twelve handbaskets full. ²¹And those eating, they were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

“And they ate all, and they gorged, and the superabounding of the fragments they lifted – seven hampers full. ³⁸And those eating, they were four thousand men, besides women and children.”

Whereas a remnant of the twelve tribes of Israel represented by the twelve small handbaskets (Greek: kophinos) was collected, there will be an immense harvest of the seven churches (as defined in Revelation 2 & 3), represented by the seven large hampers (Greek: spuris).

The chapter ended with a location only mentioned here in Scripture, saying of Jesus, “And having dismissed the crowds, He in-stepped into the boat, and He came to the borders of Magdala.”

The town Magdala in Hebrew is Migdal-el, Tower of God, a city of Naphtali recorded in Joshua 19:38. Migdal El is contrasted to the tower of man, meaning Babel and all that accompanies her. Thus, this is implicitly a picture of the ending of the church age, where believers are delivered from the Babylon of the end times recorded in Revelation.

To understand why these conclusions have been made, one should refer to the descriptions of these locations found in the Old Testament sermons given by the Superior Word. Each location, number, or other reference has been drawn from the information already recorded there. Thus, the typology is not new. It has already been seen and has been reused without change, confirming that this analysis of Matthew 15 is sound.

Lord God, Your word is beyond amazing. It is a lifeline for the soul caught in despair. It is a treasure for the seeker of riches. It is a guide for the path of our lives. And Lord, it is so much more. It is so glorious to enter into its pages and find rest for our souls in the Person of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thank You for this precious word. Amen.

Matthew 15 (CG)

1Then they came to Jesus from Jerusalem, scribes and Pharisees, saying, ²“Through what – Your disciples, they sidestep the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they may eat bread.”

³And answering, He said, to them, “Through what – also you, you sidestep the ‘God’s commandment’ through your tradition? ⁴For God, He enjoined, saying, ‘You honor your father and your mother,’ and the ‘disparaging father or mother,’ death – he expires!’ ⁵And you, you say, ‘Whoever, he should say to father or mother, “Gift – whatever if from me you should benefit.”’ ⁶And no, not he should honor his father or his mother. And you invalidated God’s commandment through your tradition. ⁷Hypocrites! Well, Isaiah, he prophesied concerning you, saying,

⁸‘He neared Me, this people – the mouth,
And the lips – he honors Me,
And their heart, it distances far from Me.
⁹And vainly they revere Me,
Teaching instructions – men’s injunctions.’”

¹⁰And having summoned the crowd, He said to them, “You hear and comprehend! ¹¹Not the ‘entering into the mouth’ it profanes the man, but the ‘proceeding from the mouth,’ this, it profanes the man.”

¹²Then His disciples, having come near, they said to Him, “You have known that the Pharisees, having heard the saying, they stumbled!” ¹³And having answered, He said, “Every planting that not He planted, My heavenly Father, it will be uprooted. ¹⁴You leave them! They are blind, blind-conductors. And blind, if they should conduct, both – they will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵And Peter, having answered, he said to Him, “You expound to us this parable.”

¹⁶And Jesus, He said, “And yet, you, you are unintelligent! ¹⁷Not yet you grasp that all, the ‘entering into the mouth,’ into the stomach it contains, and into the john it ejects? ¹⁸And those proceeding from the mouth, it comes from the heart, and those, it commonizes the man. ¹⁹For from the heart, they come: evil meanderings, murders, adulteries, harlotries, thefts, false-witnessings, blasphemies. ²⁰These, they are, the ‘defiling the man,’ but to eat with unwashed hands, not it defiles the man.”

²¹And having departed thence, Jesus, He withdrew to the allotments – Tyre and Sidon. ²²And you behold! A Canaanite woman from those same borders, having come, she cried to Him, saying, “You compassionate me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter, she is demon possessed-badly.”

²³And He answered not a word.

And having approached, His disciples, they entreated Him, saying, “You dismiss her! For she cries after us.”

²⁴And answering, He said, “Not, I was sent, if not to the sheep, the ‘having been lost’ – House Israel.”

²⁵And having come, she worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, You rush-relieve me!”

²⁶And answering, He said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and cast to the puppies.”

²⁷And she said, “Yes, Lord. And even the puppies – he eats from the crumbs, the ‘falling from their master’s table.’”

²⁸Then, Jesus answering, He said to her, “O! Woman, your faith is great! It become to you as you determine.” And she’s cured, her daughter, from that hour.

²⁹And having departed thence, Jesus, He went near the Sea of the Galilee, and having ascended to the mountain, He sat there. ³⁰And they came to Him, great crowds, having with them lame, cripples, blind, mutes, and others – many, and they strewed them near Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. ³¹So too, the crowds marveled, seeing mutes speaking, cripples healthy, lame walking, and blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.

³²And Jesus, having summoned His disciples, He said, “I gut-wrench upon the crowd because already three days they bivouac with Me, and naught they have that they may eat. And I wish not to dismiss them unfed, not lest they should collapse in the way.”

³³And the disciples, they say to Him, “Whence to us in solitude – loaves so many as to gorge a crowd so vast?”

³⁴And He says to them, Jesus, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few tiddlers.”

³⁵And He ordered the crowds to sit upon the ground. ³⁶And having taken the seven loaves and the fish, and having thanked, He broke, and He gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the crowd. ³⁷And they ate, all, and they gorged, and the superabounding of the fragments they lifted – seven hampers full. ³⁸And those eating, they were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹And having dismissed the crowds, He in-stepped into the boat, and He came to the borders of Magdala.