Matthew (Written)

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Matthew 7:10

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “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 if fish he may ask, not serpent he will give him?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus questioned His disciples, asking what man would give his son a stone when he had asked for bread. He now repeats the sentiment to emphasize His words, saying, “And if fish he may ask, not serpent he will give him?”

Both creatures are introduced into the New Testament. The first is the ichthus (or ichthys), fish. For several of the disciples, this would be a personal example because they were fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. The second is the ophis, snake. It is derived from optanomai, to appear or gaze. The connection is the idea of sharpness of vision.

The snake is used not only to describe the creature but also sly or cunning people, such as in Matthew 23:33, and of the devil (Satan) as in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and elsewhere.

The thought Jesus presents is similar to the first concerning sly or cunning people because, depending on the fish, it can somewhat resemble a snake. It would be a close but mocking response to the request. Further, a snake is unclean according to the Mosaic law. Therefore, if this is all he had to eat, it would cause the son to purposefully violate the dietary prescriptions found in Leviticus 11:42 –

“Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.”

Life application: The word translated as fish, ichthus (ichthys), eventually became the symbol of Christianity. Today, the “Jesus fish” is seen on the back of cars and other conspicuous places as displayed by Christians.

The fish had a prominent role in Jesus’ ministry because He had called some of His disciples out of their boats as they fished, asking them to follow Him. He used fish in the multiplication of food when feeding the five thousand and then the four thousand. In fact, the two things Jesus uses in His example in Matthew 7, loaves of bread and fish, are the two things He used in the feeding of these masses.

Jesus also used the fish to teach Peter a lesson concerning who He is in Matthew 17:27. His miracles, where an abundance of fish was gathered in the nets of the disciples, are taken as a metaphor for the abundance of souls that would be saved through Him. It is because of these things that the fish became the symbol of Christianity.

But along with that, the word ichthys was turned into an acrostic to refer to Jesus –

Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour.”

Hence, this is the reason why there are often Greek letters inside of the ichthus fish on the back of cars and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, variations of the Jesus Fish, such as the Darwin Fish, have arisen in modern times to mock Christianity. Despite this, displaying the Jesus Fish is something we can do to let the world know that we are Christians.

Lastly, the Roman Catholic tradition of not eating meat (Catholics 14 and older) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as Fridays during Lent, and other Fridays, and instead eating only fish, is nonsense. It is unscriptural and has nothing to do with faith in Jesus Christ –

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” Romans 14:5, 6

We are so grateful to You, O God, for the freedom we have in Jesus. We are not bound to the Law of Moses, and we are not subject to the inane doctrines of aberrant sects and denominations that refuse to accept the grace and freedoms revealed in Your word. Thank You that through Christ Jesus we can live for You and worship You in spirit and truth. Amen.

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Matthew 7:9

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “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).

“Or what man, he is, from you, whom his son if he may ask him bread, not stone he will give him?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that those who ask, seek, and find will get what they have pursued. Now, He continues with, “Or what man, he is, from you.”

Jesus begins a question, but He does so by addressing a single person out of the whole. People generally like to be considered a part of a group, and so to single out one from the group is to highlight them as exceptional, either in a positive or negative way.

The words beg for the audience to listen carefully because if one is being identified in a positive way, he will get satisfaction from being separated from the others. If in a negative way, he will shy away from drawing such attention to himself and being separated from others as offensive.

As such, the words call for heeding the rest of the question to know how to respond. Next, Jesus says, “whom his son if he may ask him bread.”

It is the most common of events between the closest of family. The father/son relationship is normally one which is based on love, respect, trust, etc. The response of the father to a request for bread is almost universally expected to be a positive one.

Unless there was a famine or some other reason that the request could not be favorably responded to, the answer to the request would be to grant it without hesitation. However, now comes the reason why the single is highlighted from the whole with the words, “not stone he will give him?”

The word mé, not, is used here as an interrogative. The question is essentially, “What man is there among you who would do this?” At this point, anyone listening would immediately shake his head and deny he would do such a thing, knowing that his inclusion in the group would suddenly be in jeopardy.

Bread comes from the ground as grain. It is then formed into bread and used for eating. However, it generally has the appearance of a stone which also comes from the ground. If it is flatbread, there are lots of flat stones in the area. If it is round bread, there would be lots of those too. If it was a slice of bread, there would even be stones that look like that.

But stones can’t be eaten. Instead of filling the stomach, they will break the teeth. The act would be rude, heartless, and deceitful, and the son would henceforth lack trust in his father.

Even without going further, the words are already indicating where Jesus is going with the question. He has spoken about asking, seeking, and knocking. With the father/son concept introduced, He is preparing His hearers to understand the nature of God who created humans in His image.

Life application: God has said in His word that the creation took place in six days. If evolution is true, then it is as if God has given us a stone in place of bread. The word, though seemingly reliable in one area, cannot be trusted in another area. Therefore, the whole loses integrity.

And yet, with evolution being considered the answer by the scientific elite as to how creation has developed, the manner in which Jesus’ question has been formed could be applied to the Bible as well. The Bible presents Jesus as the Bread of life. And yet, the Bible has handed us a stone from our heavenly Father.

How can He be trusted any longer if He would laughingly deceive us in such a manner? In such an instance, either the scientific model is true, and we have misread the presentation of the bread presented in Scripture, or our evaluation of Scripture concerning a literal six-day creation is true, and the scientific model is faulty.

In such an instance, we must fall back on the words of verses 7 and 8. If God is God and the knowledge of what and how He has done things is attainable, then we need to ask, seek, and knock. And this is just what creation scientists have done.

In using this process, they have formed models of creation that align with Scripture and respond to evolutionists with brilliant insights that call the evolutionary model into question.

God formed man, not the other way around. If we can trust that our fathers will provide for our needs in a physical manner, we can trust that God will provide for our spiritual understanding. In the end, it may at first take a step of faith to accept creation, but it also can take a step of faith to bite into bread. However, the more in tune we are with the Giver, the more we can trust His gifts.

Glorious Lord God, help us to read the words of Scripture with understanding and the insight needed to form a bond of trust between us. If we have made wrong conclusions, open our minds to what is right. May our pursuit of You be proper and pleasing to You. Amen.

Monday, 3 February 2025

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:8

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “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).

“For all ‘the asking’ he receives, and ‘the seeking’ he finds, and ‘the knocking’ he will have opened” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said, “You ask, and it will be given you. You seek, and you will find. You knock, and it will be opened to you.” Now, He explains why this should be done, beginning with, “For all ‘the asking’ he receives.”

The words of this verse, as with the words of the previous verse, must be taken as conditional and the context must be considered. It would be presumptuous to assume that God is going to just hand out everything that people ask for. It must be that the requests are in accord with His word, His nature, and His will.

However, the one asking is assured that God will give what is asked for if it meets these and any other necessary requirements. Jesus next says, “and ‘the seeking’ he finds.”

The person has prayed for the discernment and wisdom necessary to be in accord with God’s will. From there, he seeks out what he is looking for. After that Jesus says, “and ‘the knocking’ he will have opened.”

The process is complete in this. The first step, that of acknowledging through prayer that God’s hand in a matter is needed. The second step is to acknowledge that with God’s hand, we will put in our effort to seek out what is necessary for the goal to be accomplished. The third step is to have opened (as implied by knocking for access) to us what has been set forth and then searched out.

Life application: Jesus’ words cannot be taken as a carte blanche approval by God of getting everything one wants. As noted above, requests must be in accord with His word, His nature, and His will.

If a man were to request God to allow him to find a husband, that would not be in accord with any of the three. If he were to ask for a wife, that would be acceptable according to the first two, but maybe not in accord with His will for that person.

If someone were to ask for a particular wife, it would be illogical to assume he would be given her if another person asked to marry the same woman and God had already set the plans for that in motion.

As can be seen from just these few basic examples, what Jesus says in these verses is not what they appear to say on the surface. And yet, it is not uncommon for people to use what Jesus says almost as a talisman for good fortune at every turn.

The problem with holding such a position, or someone teaching such things, is that dissatisfaction will inevitably set in and a feeling that the word cannot be trusted will also arise. And this results because people are not willing to think through what is said, much less check the greater context of whatever is being conveyed.

Jesus is speaking of spiritual matters and issues that involve interactions between others and between people and God. To go beyond that is to expect something that is not what is being referred to. Be sure to remember the context before you form a pretext.

Lord God, thank You that we can come to You and lay our petitions before You. We know that You hear and respond to prayer when it is in accord with Your word. Therefore, may our prayers reflect Your will so that they will not be hindered when we bring them before You. Amen.

Sunday, 2 February 2025

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “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).

“You ask, and it will be given you. You seek, and you will find. You knock, and it will be opened to you” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said that what is holy is not to be given to dogs, and pearls are not to be cast before swine. In doing so, He spoke of the negative consequences that would result. Now, He continues His teaching, seemingly transitioning to a new thought.

If these words are logically connected to the previous thought, it must be in relation to discernment. Jesus spoke about not judging, but that didn’t mean not judging at all. Rather, it is to be based on the attitude in which one judges. This is obvious because He then told them how and when to make judgments.

As this is a difficult and sensitive matter, His words now – unless a completely new thought, which seems unlikely – are given in the sense of asking for the wisdom and discernment necessary to judge appropriately. This certainly seems likely based on what He will say in verse 12. Notice the similarity between verses 7:2 and 7:12 –

7:2 “For in what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and in what measure you measure, it will be remeasured to you” (CG).

7:12 “Therefore, all as what you may determine that men, they should do to you, thus also you, you do to them. For this, it is, the Law and the Prophets” (CG).

Because of this similarity, Jesus appears to be using verses 7 to 11 to answer the question of how they can apply His teaching according to the law. In fact, it may be that one of the disciples asked Him and this is Jesus’ answer to the unrecorded question. Understanding this, Jesus begins this thought with, “You ask, and it will be given you.”

Assuming this is asking about wisdom and discernment in how to handle such things, which seems likely, we can see how James took Jesus’ words and expressed them in his own epistle –

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

It is certain that Jesus’ words are not a blanket statement of getting what you ask for under any circumstances and for any desire. Therefore, wisdom and discernment are the most likely things He is basing His words upon. Next, He says, “You seek, and you will find.”

This elevates the force from prayer to personal action. One asks for wisdom, but there has to be a synergistic working on the part of the individual. God is not going to inject wisdom directly into one’s head while he lays on his pillow.

Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. It does not end there. Once a person prays for it, demonstrating his fear of the Lord, he is to then read the word, heed instruction on the word, contemplate what it means to apply Jesus’ words, etc. Such things are a personal act of seeking. From there, Jesus next says, “You knock, and it will be opened to you.”

The word krouó, to knock, is introduced here. Knocking implies a request for permission to enter. Again, the force of the action is elevated. The disciple prays, he seeks, and then he knocks at the place he has found. Notice that it doesn’t say he opens the door by himself. When the knock is made, the door will be opened.

One may come to a faulty conclusion in his seeking. And so, in order to ensure his search for understanding has been properly conducted, he is to then knock. In essence, “Lord, if this is how you are leading, and if my search has been correct, open this door. If not, keep me from error by keeping me from pursuing this incorrect path.”

There is an implied approval of the searching, however, in Jesus’ words. In other words, the person prayed and then searched. Jesus says that when the knock is made, the door will be opened. Therefore, it must be that He is speaking of a proper search to begin with. Someone intentionally knocking on the wrong door would make no sense.

Therefore, Jesus’ words do assume that a proper search prior to the knock has been made for the door to actually be opened. This shows that the path to obtaining wisdom in how to deal with others and how to make right judgments is something that has to be conducted through a proper search. This is what Scripture is intended to do.

Life application: As noted above, one cannot use the contents of this verse as a standalone set of words to indicate that whatever we ask for will be given to us. Unfortunately, this is how many in the church treat them. This is especially so in charismatic churches where people claim prosperity, health, abundance, etc. as if they have a right to those things based on what Jesus says here.

Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He is doing so under the law. They are of the nation of Israel. The passage, though containing spiritual truths that may extend beyond Israel, must be evaluated in the proper context. Verse 12, cited above, clearly shows this. Only Israel was given the law and the prophets.

Gentiles who come to Christ come to Him after His having fulfilled the law. Therefore, it cannot be that Jesus is telling the church to claim things and they will be parceled out based on their claims. Further, the context isn’t just Israel under the law, but seeking out how to treat others, judging appropriately, etc.

Keep things in their intended context. In so doing, your doctrine will be sound, and your walk with the Lord will be agreeable.

Lord God, may we be careful to evaluate Your word in the manner that is intended based on the context. Help us to consider the context and then evaluate what we are reading based on that. Give us wisdom in Your word and then the diligent desire to search it out. Yes, Lord, may it be so to Your glory. Amen.

Saturday, 1 February 2025

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. Matthew 7:6

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “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).

“You give not the holy to the dogs, nor you shall cast your pearls before the pigs, lest they ever will tread them in their feet and, having turned, they shall dissever you” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples that one should first remove the plank from his own eye. In so doing, he can see clearly to remove the speck from the eye of his brother. Jesus next instructs them that they are to, in fact, render judgments. He does that beginning with the words, “You give not the holy to the dogs.”

How can one know what is holy unless he has determined it is so? And how can one identify a dog, meaning an impure or contemptuous person, unless he has made a judgment about his character? As for the dog, it is the Greek word kuón.

To this day, many cultures in the Middle East despise dogs. They scavenge, eat unclean food, they are predators that feed off of others, and so forth. HELPS Word Studies says in biblical times they were “viewed as a ‘mooch pooch’ that ran about as a scavenger.”

In both the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 23:18) and the New (Revelation 22:15), male homosexuals are equated to dogs because of the position they take when engaging in their abhorrent, perverse, and deviant sexual practices.

Despite this, one of the most trustworthy and steadfast figures in the Old Testament, Caleb, is named after the Hebrew word kelev, dog. In typology, he anticipates the Gentiles as being steadfast, trustworthy, and accepted by God despite their impurity before the law. Next Jesus instructs His disciples concerning more discerning judgments to be rendered, saying, “nor you shall cast your pearls before the pigs.”

As before, how can one identify a pig, meaning an unclean and morally offensive person, unless he renders a judgment concerning such a person? One can see that in Matthew 7:1, Jesus is not making an absolute prohibition on judging. Rather, it is the attitude in which one judges. Only after instructing His disciples concerning removing the beam from their eyes does He now instruct them concerning making right judgments.

As for the word translated as pearl, it is margarités. One can see the etymological root of several women’s names, such as Margaret, Margarite, Margarita, etc. The pearl is given as representative of that which is precious and valuable. In this case, Jesus is metaphorically equating them to precious doctrines.

The word translated as swine is choiros. The swine is one of the animals that was considered unclean according to the dietary restrictions found in the Law of Moses. (Thank goodness the dietary restrictions of Israel are not binding upon the church today!)

The Hebrew word for pig, khazir, comes from a root signifying “to enclose,” as if penned up. Pigs divide the hoof, but they do not chew the cud. They represent those who know the word and divide it properly (the split hoof), but they do not meditate on it and dwell on it (chewing the cud).

The pig thus represents the scholarly types who pour over ancient manuscripts, the professors who teem with sound doctrine, the preachers in the pulpit who give the finest of sermons, etc., but at the same time, they are often unwilling to apply that knowledge to themselves. They are penned up in their minds concerning doctrine without having a love for the One who gave the doctrine in the first place.

As for why the disciples are instructed not to do these things, Jesus continues with, “lest they ever will tread them in their feet and, having turned, they shall dissever you.”

Imagine giving something holy to someone who is perverse. He will laugh at it, mock it, and treat it contemptuously. If one were to give something of great value to a perverse or arrogant person, he would take it and ruin it. In the process, he will also turn around and eviscerate the one who gave it in the first place.

In this clause is another new word, rhégnumi. It gives the sense of breaking, wrecking, cracking, etc. However, along with that is the sense of sundering it. Therefore, the word dissever fits it well. One can think of a dog’s teeth or the pig’s fang being used to slice and dice its foe. This is the sense of how someone who fails to discern the dog or the pig will be treated. He will have wasted his efforts and been eviscerated in the process.

Life application: In general, people are set and unchanging in their ways. If you give something of true value to someone who lives in the projects, a rosewood table for example, they will not treat it any differently than a cheap plastic table. Both will wind up in the dumpster in no time at all.

If you give the same person $100 in the morning, the chances are it will be spent by the afternoon on something completely worthless, maybe drugs or something else that has no lasting value.

On the other hand, if you give that same $100 to a Chinese immigrant who is fresh off the boat and looking to start again in your country, the chances are that he will take that $100 and turn it into a business. In a year, his business will be thriving and he will have a house, a car, and extra money in the bank.

Jesus’ point is that we must make judgments about the precious things we possess. To hand out money to indolent people who have spent their lives on the government dole is to waste the resources we have at our disposal.

It is not cruel, biased, racist, or bigoted to withhold helping those who are unwilling to help themselves. Rather, it is harmful and wasteful to give them something they are unprepared to properly handle. We must judge, but we are to do it without the beam in our eye. If we have a beam of woke ideology in our eye, we will never discern what is right concerning people who are actually bad actors.

This is exactly why crime is so high in liberal-run cities. The leadership, attorneys, judges, and government workers ignore the fact that they are serving dogs and pigs and continue to cater to those who should be incarcerated or otherwise punished. They should promote industry and self-help, not indolence and lethargy in those they are elected or appointed to assist. This is the lesson we are to learn from Jesus’ words.

“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

Glorious God, when we render judgments, may we do so in accord with the moral principles set forth in Your word. Help us to be good to others, but to be discerning in how we ultimately help them so that our resources and time will not have been wasted. Amen.