Daily Writing

Thursday, 6 November 2025

For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Matthew 14:3

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).

“For Herod, having seized John, he bound him, and he placed in prison for Herodias, his brother Phillip’s wife” (CG).

In the previous verse, Herod exclaimed his belief that John the Immerser had risen from the dead, which is why he had the miracle powers working in him. The narrative will now explain what led to John’s imprisonment. That begins with the words, “For Herod, having seized John.”

Herod himself was behind the arrest of John. One can already sense that his conscience was nagging at him as the narrative begins. Something about John’s death came about because of Herod. Understanding this, the narrative continues, saying, “he bound him, and he placed in prison.”

Cambridge notes the location of this prison –

“At Machærus, in Peræa, on the eastern side of the Dead Sea, near the southern frontier of the tetrarchy. Here Antipas had a palace and a prison under one roof, as was common in the East. Cp. Nehemiah 3:25, ‘The tower which lieth out from the king’s high house that was by the court of the prison.’ It was the ordinary arrangement in feudal castles.”

The reason Herod put him in prison is stated as, “for Herodias, his brother Phillip’s wife.”

To understand the abbreviated thought, and in anticipation of the words of the next verse, Albert Barnes states –

This Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great. She was first married to Herod Philip, by whom she had a daughter, Salome, probably the one that danced and pleased Herod. Josephus says that this marriage of Herod Antipas with Herodias took place while he was on a journey to Rome. He stopped at his brother’s; fell in love with his wife; agreed to put away his own wife, the daughter of Aretas, King of Petraea; and Herodias agreed to leave her own husband and live with him. They were living, therefore, in adultery; and John, in faithfulness, though at the risk of his life, had reproved them for their crimes. Herod was guilty of two crimes in this act:

1. Of “adultery,” since she was the wife of another man.
2. Of “incest,” since she was a near relation, and such marriages were expressly forbidden, Leviticus 18:16.

John was the last prophet under the Law of Moses. His duty was to call the people to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Instead of the king turning and accepting his wrongdoing like David, he doubled down in his sin like so many of the biblical kings under the law had done.

And like so many of those kings, he acted against the Lord’s prophet, attempting to silence him from publicly exposing his deeds.

Life application: Under the New Covenant, there is no Law of Moses for believers to condemn people with by living it out for them to see. However, there is the truth, like during the time of Noah, that the world is accountable to God for its actions.

Paul says, “because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression” Romans 4:15. And yet, he speaks elsewhere about the law of conscience –

“…for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ¹⁶ in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Romans 2:14-16

Because of conscience, especially since the coming of Christ and His fulfillment of the Law of Moses, it is still right for believers to call out wrongdoing in others, particularly those in positions of authority.

In the world, this has been a dicey thing to do at times. It is becoming that way again in much of the world. Like in the times of Noah, the whole world is marching towards ungodliness and actively pursuing wickedness. Despite this, believers need to stand fast on what is wholesome and morally proper.

Numerous denominations and churches have caved to the inappropriate and ungodly mores of fallen humanity. This only makes it more important for Christians to be ready to speak out concerning what is proper.

Not only are we tasked to evangelize the masses within society, but we need to do so with those who are supposedly members of the church. Let us continue to be beacons of light, even if the whole world is clamoring to be rid of us. This is right and proper, and it is what the ancients are remembered for –

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. ¹⁵ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13-16

Lord God, despite the trouble it is bound to bring us, help us to stand firm on Your word, openly living out what is expected of us for others to see. When the chance comes for us to defend Your word or to speak against the immorality around us, may we boldly do so, knowing that there is a reward ahead for the stand we take. Amen.

Wednesday, 5 November 2025

and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” Matthew 14:2

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 he said to his servants, ‘This, he is John the Immerser! He, he is aroused from the dead, and through this the miracles work in him!’” (CG).

In the previous verse, it said that Herod the tetrarch heard the words about Jesus. Now, that continues, saying, “and he said to his servants, ‘This, he is John the Immerser!’”

Both Matthew 16 and Luke 9 show that there was speculation about who Jesus was. Among them, there were three predominant views –

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’
¹⁴ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’” Matthew 16:13, 14

The reason Herod was certain that Jesus was actually John the Baptist will be the subject of the coming verses. Through verse 12, it will explain Herod’s interactions with John and members of his household that led him to a seemingly neurotic state concerning John. Of this deduction made by Herod, he emphatically continues, saying, “He, he is aroused from the dead.”

The word dead is plural. In English, “dead” is normally a cumulative word, especially when preceded by a definite article. Herod is stating that John was among those who had been dead, but he had somehow been raised from among them. The emphatic nature of his words shows that he was certain this was the case. As a result of this, he continues, saying, “and through this the miracles work in him!”

Herod ties the power of working miracles as the result of being raised from the dead. This confirms the words concerning John recorded in John’s gospel –

“Then many came to Him and said, ‘John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.’”  John 10:41

In his life, John didn’t perform any signs. However, Herod says, “through this,” meaning through the resurrection, he was now able to perform signs. If one thinks this through, it shows the ridiculous stupidity of his thought process.

If John were raised from the dead, after losing his head, that itself would be the greatest miracle, not any of the others instead. And more, it shows without any ambiguity at all that Herod thought that the dead could be raised.

Life application: Have you ever talked to someone about Jesus and been told that he didn’t believe it is possible for the dead to rise? It is not uncommon for people to hold this view.

And yet, the same type of people accept that the universe exploded itself into existence and then put itself together in such a way as to create the precision of life on planet Earth. Along with that, it planned the placement of the sun, moon, and earth, so that eclipses can take place with absolute predictability and precision, the seasons are perfectly marked to support life and return at the exact time necessary for the cycle to continue, etc.

Others claim that life is sacred and killing a person, even if he has committed the most horrendous of crimes, is wrong. And yet the same people claim that killing the unborn or euthanizing the physically or mentally defective and elderly is perfectly acceptable.

Still others believe that ghosts exist, demons can live within people, various gods have control over events in nature, or things coincide within the span of time in order to have certain objectives met according to predetermined plans (things understood by divination, for example).

People can accept the most ridiculous propositions, including people rising from the dead (like Herod’s belief about John the Baptist), but they turn around and deny that the dead can actually rise when presented with the evidence concerning Jesus.

It is as if we have a default setting in us that says, “If the true God is involved in the process, it cannot be true.” However, we will accept the exact same type of evidence without reservation once the true God is taken out of the picture.

God created and made everything perfect for man to inhabit the earth. “No, it cannot be!” God says that life is sacred and that when someone violates that principle, he must be executed. Jesus came to die for the sins of all people, including murderers. He died for them and rose again. “No, it cannot be!”

Jesus rose again, proving there is more than the material realm that is working in the world around us. “No, it cannot be!”

If you encounter such unclear thinking, as frustrating as it is, you can use their unclear reasoning (if they are willing to consider your thoughts) to show them that they already believe what they deny, and that what they need to do is to reconsider the source of their belief, going from a non-God centered reality to a God-centered reality.

It is not always easy, but if you have the time to work with people by learning what they accept or do not accept, you can then help them understand the hypocritical thoughts going on in their head, assisting them to realign their thinking to what is sound and reasonable.

Lord God, You have changed our hearts and minds to go from a state of unbelief to one of accepting the proposition concerning the good news of Jesus. Help us to now work with others to think clearly about what we believe, demonstrating to them why our thoughts are reasonable. We know the truth of Your word, so help us to present it to others so that they can see it as well. Amen.

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus Matthew 14:1

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).

“In that time, Herod the tetrarch, he heard the ‘Jesus hearing’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Chapter 13 ended with words concerning Jesus’ not doing many miracles in Nazareth due to their faithlessness. Chapter 14 now begins with, “In that time, Herod the tetrarch.”

A new word is seen, tetrarchés. It signifies the ruler of the one-fourth part of a country or region. In other words, he is not a ruler of a country with three other rulers. Instead, his rule covers one-fourth of the area of a county.

Thayer’s Lexicon notes that “the word lost its strict etymological force, and came to denote ‘the governor of a third part or half of a country, or even the ruler of an entire country or district provided it were of comparatively narrow limits; a petty prince.’”

Of this particular Herod, Charles Ellicott provides the following description –

“The son of Herod the Great by Malthace. Under his father’s will he succeeded to the government of Galilee and Peræa, with the title of Tetrarch, and as ruler of a fourth part of the Roman province of Syria. His first wife was a daughter of Aretas, an Arabian king or chief, named in 2Corinthians 11:32 as king of the Damascenes. Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip (not the Tetrarch of Trachonitis, Luke 3:1, but son of Herod the Great by Mariamne, and though wealthy, holding no official position as a ruler), was daughter of Aristobulus, the son whom Herod put to death, and was therefore niece to both her husbands. Prompted partly by passion, partly by ambition, she left Philip, and became the wife of Antipas (Jos. Ant. xviii. 5, §4). The marriage, at once adulterous and by the Mosaic law doubly incestuous, shocked the conscience of all the stricter Jews. It involved Antipas in a war with the father of the wife whom he had divorced and dismissed, and it was probably in connection with this war that we read of soldiers on actual duty as coming under the teaching of the Baptist in Luke 3:14. The prophetic spirit of the Baptist, the very spirit of Elijah in his dealings with Ahab and Jezebel, made him the spokesman of the general feeling, and so brought him within the range of the vindictive bitterness of the guilty queen.”

Concerning this Herod, Matthew records, “he heard the ‘Jesus hearing.’” In other words, the news (it is a noun signifying “a hearing”) of Jesus was circulating everywhere. He heard of this exciting news, and it set the stage for what lies ahead. Today, such a hearing might be precipitated by a statement like, “Have you heard the news about the guy from Nazareth, Jesus? He is incredible!”

Such a statement is the hearing. Herod heard it and will react to it.

Life application: Some of the translations of this verse say, the fame of Jesus, the news of Jesus, the report of Jesus, the reports of Jesus, heard about Jesus, the hearing of Jesus, concerning Jesus, etc. Various smaller changes from some of these exist.

Don’t think that because a translation doesn’t exactly match the original that there is an error. The intent is essentially the same. Some versions give a thought-for-thought rendering. Some attempt to give a closer rendering of each word, but amend it to sound more common to the hearing of the audience.

A literal, or close to literal, translation can be extremely unpleasant to listen to and tiring to the mind to read. Trying to make sense of the structure of the original language while also trying to understand the intent in a reasonable way is much more difficult with a direct rendering of each word.

Also, there is the consideration that different people will come up with different words to describe the same original word. Therefore, at times, there are going to be a seemingly infinite number of differences in translations, but they all will carry the same message to some extent.

We should never tolerate purposeful manipulation of the text, something that scholars will search for and highlight. Such manipulations have occurred in the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as some Hebrew Roots Movement translations.

In order to meet their perverse agenda, such manipulations are underhandedly introduced. If you are looking for a new translation to read, be sure to check up on whatever you are leaning towards buying, just in case someone has identified such things.

But be sure to check the source you are reading as well. Some commentaries on Bible translations are biased towards one translation, the KJV, for example. Therefore, they will find all other versions damnable. That is not a healthy way of looking at such things either.

In the end, just keep reading the word. Keep thinking about what God has done in the giving of Jesus. Let the word of God dwell in you richly. It will bring delight to your heart, joy to your day, and contentment to your soul as you consider the eternal blessings that lie ahead for the redeemed of the Lord.

Lord God, thank You for allowing us to enter into the study of another chapter of the book of Matthew. We anticipate a great adventure as we analyze it day by day. Give us the clarity of mind that is needed to properly understand what is being conveyed. Amen.

Monday, 3 November 2025

Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58

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).

You can also read the Chapter 13 translation, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube or Rumble. (Click Here for YT) or (Click Here for Rumble).

“And through their faithlessness He did not, there, many miracles” (CG).

In the previous verse, it was noted that the people were offended at Jesus. Because of this, He said that a prophet is not without honor except in his fatherland and in his house. With that stated, Matthew next records, “And through their faithlessness He did not, there, many miracles.”

A new word, apistia, faithlessness, is seen. It is derived from the negative particle a and pistos, faithful. Therefore, depending on the context, it means not faithful, unfaithful, unbelief, an unbeliever, faithlessness, etc.

The preposition preceding this, dia, through, signifies that the cause of His not doing many miracles was their unbelief. In the parallel account in Mark 6, this is stated more firmly so that it is understood –

“And He could not do any miracles there, if not a few infirm, having laid the hands, He cured.” Mark 6:5 (CG)

This is similar to what Jesus said to the apostles after the transfiguration –

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’
²⁰ So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’” Matthew 17:19-21

In Nazareth, the unbelief of those who resided there kept Jesus from being able to cure them. In the case of the apostles, their faith blocked the healing process. Either way, a lack of faith was a hindrance to what otherwise could have been possible.

Life application: Unfortunately, it is common today for people in charismatic churches, or who carry around the name it and claim it attitude, to accuse those who have health problems, financial problems, etc., of lacking faith.

They strut around like roosters, boasting of the supposed spiritual superiority as if they have access to such things on a whim. This type of attitude laughingly extends to claims of being able to protect homes from tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.

This is neither acceptable nor responsible. We live in a fallen world. People get sick, we have troubles and trials, and people die. Such things are a part of human existence. God is not looking for super spiritual showoffs.

Rather, He is pleased with the simple faith of those who trust in Jesus despite their trials and troubles. Nothing in Scripture ever says that believers will be immune from the woes of this world. In fact, just the opposite is true, both in spiritual and physical matters.

Don’t let the arrogant, boastful, and theologically uninformed rob your joy in Christ through such false claims or accusations. Rather, pity them. Because when their times of trial and woe come upon them, and they will, they will have nothing to fall back on.

Be responsible, read your word, and have faith in God and His promises, despite the trials and catastrophes that come your way. In this, God will be pleased with you.

“Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, ² and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ³ that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. ⁴ For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.” 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4

Lord God, we know that we are ordained for trials and troubles in this life. Despite this, we thank You for the promises You have given us in Christ Jesus. Whatever happens now, no matter how great and troubling it is, we know it is temporary and just a glitch on our path to eternal glory in Your presence. Thank You for the surety we possess in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Matthew 13 (CG)

1 And in that day, Jesus, having departed from the house, He sat by the sea. ² And they gathered to Him, great crowds, so too He, having in-stepped into the boat, sat. And all the crowd, they had stood on the beach. ³ And He spoke to them, many in parables, saying, “You behold! He went out, ‘the sowing to sow.’ ⁴ And in his sowing, some, indeed, it fell near the road, and it came, the birds, and it devoured them. ⁵ And others, it fell upon the rock-like, where it had not much earth, and immediately it out-rose through not having soil depth. ⁶ And sun, having risen, it burned, and through not having root, it desiccated. ⁷ And others, it fell upon the thorns, and they ascended, the thorns, and they choked them. ⁸ And others, it fell upon the good earth, and it gave fruit. Some, indeed, hundred, and some sixty, and some thirty. ⁹ The ‘having ears to hear,’ he – hear!”

¹⁰ And the disciples, having come, they said to Him, “Through what in parables You speak to them?” ¹¹ And having answered, He said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries ‘the kingdom the heavens.’ And to them, not it has been given. ¹² For whoever he has, it will be given him, and he will superabound. And whoever not he has, and what he has, it will be lifted from him. ¹³ Through this I speak to them in parables, because seeing, not they see, and hearing, not they hear nor comprehend. ¹⁴ And it fulfills upon them Isaiah’s prophecy, saying,

‘News you will hear and no, not you might comprehend,

And seeing, you will see and no, not you might see.

¹⁵ For it thickened, the heart of this people

And their ears, heavily they heard,

And their eyes, they shut,

Lest not they should behold – their eyes,

And they should hear – their ears,

And they should comprehend – the heart,

And they should return,

And I will heal them.’

¹⁶ And you, blessed the eyes, because they see, and the ears, because it hears. ¹⁷ Amen! For I say to you that many prophets and righteous, they passioned to see what you see, and not they saw, and to hear what you hear, and not they heard.

¹⁸ You, therefore, you hear the parable, the ‘having sown.’ ¹⁹ Everyone hearing the word of the kingdom and not comprehending, the evil, he comes, and he seizes the ‘having been sown in his heart.’ This, he is, the ‘having been sown near the path.’ ²⁰ And the ‘having been sown upon the rocky places,’ this, he is, the ‘the word hearing and immediately with joy receiving it.’ ²¹ And he has no root in himself, but he is temporary. And having come pressure or persecution through the word, immediately he stumbles. ²² And the ‘into the thorns having been sown’ this is the ‘the word hearing,’ but the care of this age, and the delusion of wealth, it strangles the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ And the ‘upon the good earth having been sown,’ this, it is ‘the word hearing and comprehending’ who surely he fruit-bears and it yields – some indeed hundred, and some sixty, and some thirty.”

²⁴ Another parable He near-set them, saying, “It is likened, the kingdom of the heavens, to a man having sown good seed in his field. ²⁵ And in the ‘sleeps the men,’ he came, his enemy, and he sowed darnel in between the wheat, and he went away. ²⁶ And when it sprouted, the grass, and it yielded fruit, then it appeared, also, the darnel. ²⁷ And having come, the servants of the housemaster, they said to him, ‘Lord, not good seed you sowed in your field? Whence, therefore, it has darnel?’ ²⁸ And he said to them, ‘Enemy! A man did this!’ And the servants, they said to him, ‘You incline, therefore, having gone, we should gather them?’ ²⁹ And he said, ‘No! Not lest gathering the darnel, you should uproot with them the wheat. ³⁰ You allow both to co-grow until the harvest. And in the harvest season, I will say to the harvesters, “You gather first the darnel, and you bind them into bundles to incinerate them, and wheat you collect into my barn.”’”

³¹ Another parable He presented them, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens, it is like a mustard kernel, which a man, having taken, he sowed in his field. ³² Which, indeed, it is least of all seeds. And when it may be grown, it is greater than the tillings, and it becomes a tree, so the birds of the sky come and encamp in its branches.”

³³ Another parable He presented them, “The kingdom of the heavens, it is like leaven which a woman, having taken, she concealed in flour – three measures – until it all, it leavened.”

³⁴ All these, He spoke, Jesus, in parables to the crowds, and besides parable, not He spoke to them. ³⁵ So it should be fulfilled, the ‘having been spoken through the prophet,’ saying,

“I will open My mouth in parables.

I will blurt things having been concealed from foundation – world.”

³⁶ Then Jesus, having dismissed the crowds, He went into the house. And His disciples, they came to Him, saying, “Expound to us the parable of the fields’ darnel.”

³⁷ And answering, He said, “He, the ‘sowing the good seed,’ he is the Son of Man. ³⁸ And the field, it is the world. And the good seed, these, they are the sons of the kingdom. And the weeds, they are the sons of the evil. ³⁹ And the enemy, the ‘having sown them,’ he is the Traducer. And harvest – it is the age’s consummation. And harvesters – they are messengers. ⁴⁰ Therefore, just as it is gathered, the darnel, and fire – it consumed, thus it will be in the age’s consummation. ⁴¹ The Son of Man, He will send His messengers and they will gather from His kingdom all the snares and those doing lawlessness. ⁴² And they will cast them into the furnace of the fire. There it will be the lamentation and the gnash of the teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous, they will irradiate as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The ‘having ears,’ let him hear!

⁴⁴ Again, the kingdom of the heavens, it is like treasure having been concealed in the field, which a man, having found, he concealed, and from the joy of it, he withdraws and all that he has he sells and he buys that field.

⁴⁵ Again, the kingdom of the heavens, it is like a man, a merchant, seeking beautiful pearls, ⁴⁶ who, having found one highly valued pearl, having departed, he has sold all – as many as he had, and he purchased it.

⁴⁷ Again, the kingdom of the heavens, it is like a seine having been cast into the sea, and from every kind having been gathered, ⁴⁸ which, when it was filled, having dragged upon the beach, and having sat, they gathered the good into vessels, and the bad they cast out. ⁴⁹ Thus it will be in the age’s consummation. The messengers, they will go out and they will separate the evil from the righteous’ midst. ⁵⁰ And they will cast them into the furnace of the fire. There, it will be the lamentation and the gnash of the teeth.”

⁵¹ Jesus, He says to them, “These all, you comprehend?”

They say to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

⁵² And He said to them, “Through this, every scribe, having been discipled in the ‘kingdom the heavens,’ he is like a man, a house-master, who – he ejects from his treasure newbies and oldies.”

⁵³ And it was when He finished, Jesus, these parables, He after-lifted thence. ⁵⁴ And having come into His fatherland, He taught them in their synagogue, so they are outstruck and say, “Whence this, this wisdom and the miracles? ⁵⁵ Not this, He is the artificer’s Son? Not His mother, her called Mary? And His brothers James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, not they are all with us? Whence then this – these all?” ⁵⁷ And they stumbled in Him.

And Jesus, He said to them, “Not, he is, a prophet dishonored if not in his fatherland and in his house.” ⁵⁸ And through their faithlessness He did not, there, many miracles.

Sunday, 2 November 2025

So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Matthew 13:57

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 they stumbled in Him. And Jesus, He said to them, ‘A prophet, he is not dishonored if not in his fatherland and in his house.’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the questions about Jesus continued as the people asked about His sisters, wondering how He had obtained His wisdom and mighty working abilities. Because of their confusion, it next says, “And they stumbled in Him.”

The meaning is that they were tripped up. Their mental disconnect would not allow them proper understanding of how someone so common and who was a seemingly normal child among them had grown into such a mighty intellect with the ability to accomplish such great things.

Their assumption, though faulty, is not uncommon. To them, humble beginnings equated to a humble existence henceforth. Instead of looking at Jesus as a prodigy, they probably looked to Him more as a charlatan or an underhanded opportunist. However, Matthew records Jesus’ response to them, “And Jesus, He said to them, ‘A prophet, he is not dishonored.’”

A new word, atimos, is seen. It is derived from the negative particle a and the word timé, value. Thus, it extends to honor, esteem, dignity, etc. Jesus’ beginning words of His response indicate that prophets are normally honored for their prophetic ability.

They stood with kings, were esteemed by the people, and were sought out by all classes of people in times of need. However, there was often a notable exception. Jesus continues with, “if not in his fatherland and in his house.”

A prophet who only became a prophet later in life by the call of the Lord could expect to be ignored by those he grew up with and who once interacted with him regularly. People would not understand how someone they knew and hung around with, just a common Joe, could somehow have a special connection to God.

This is the intent of Jesus’ words, which were probably a proverbial expression concerning such things.

Life application: As noted above, the reasoning of the people is commonly faulty. There are innumerable ways people can suddenly excel who seemed to have no special background, potential, or abilities.

For example, from time to time, someone may get bumped on the head and suddenly have the ability to do incredible feats in math, memory, invention, etc. A prophet or preacher may have a sudden calling on his life that changes the entire course of his existence.

In the case of the latter, faith in God demands that people take stock of such a thing and consider it. Of course, the chances are good that a person is making a false claim about such a religious encounter, but the only way to get to the bottom of that would be to test him, observe his conduct, and check with others who may have intimate knowledge of the situation.

However, others may be in on the scam as well. Joseph Smith claimed he had received the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni. Brigham Young supported him in his false teaching and helped perpetuate and grow Mormonism. So one has to be careful with such things.

There is a great example of the thought presented here right in Scripture –

“And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.” Acts 9:26, 27

Paul resided in Jerusalem. People there knew of his conduct toward those in the church. After his conversion, his change was a hard sell to those who previously knew him. This is to be expected. However, there is a point when such things need to be accepted as true and valid, like Paul’s conversion, or forever rejected, like Joseph Smith’s false claims.

The evidence behind the claims should be sufficient to make such a determination. Pay attention to such things as you interact with others. Your initial assessment may be wrong. Likewise, your lurking suspicions may be borne out when a false narrative is exposed. Be wise and discerning, and as John admonishes, “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1).

O God, we pray for Your hand of protection to surround us from false teachers. At the same time, we pray for discerning minds that can identify them so that we are not led astray by them. There are so many who claim they know the “mysteries” of how things work by You when in fact, they are just making stuff up. Help us to see the truth and keep far from such people. Amen.