Daily Writing

Bromeliad flower.

Monday, 23 September 2024

And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, Matthew 4:13

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 having disregarded Nazareth, having come, He dwelt in Capernaum, the seaside, in borders Zebulun and Naphtali” (CG).

The previous verse noted that when Jesus heard that John was arrested, He withdrew to the Galilee. The narrative next continues with, “And having disregarded Nazareth.”

The Greek spelling of Nazareth here is Nazara. It is only spelled this way here and in Luke 4:16 when the people of the town heard Him speak, were offended by His words, and even tried to cast Him off a cliff. Matthew speaks of a visit to Nazareth in Matthew 13 which seems to parallel Luke’s account. This identical spelling between the two is a clue that the two accounts are, in fact, referring to the same event.

Some people think there were two visits. Others think the visit recorded in Luke 4, Mark 6, and Matthew 13 each refer to the same visit. As noted in the previous commentary, Matthew is not necessarily presenting a chronological narrative, and so the thought that all three visits are the same appears likely. However, pretty much every translation here says “left,” “leaving,” “having left,” etc., as if He was there and then departed from there.

The word, however, is kataleipó. Literally, it means “to leave down.” Thus, it signifies to abandon, forsake, neglect, leave, etc. Thus, here in Matthew 4, it probably means “passed by.” In other words, Jesus was in Nazareth, as recorded in Matthew 2:23. It is where He grew up. In verse 3:13, it noted that Jesus came from the Galilee to John. One would assume that means He left Nazareth, which is in the Galilee, and went to John to begin His ministry.

Now that He is returning to the Galilee (4:12), one would expect Him to return to Nazareth. However, instead of that, He passes by, or disregards, Nazareth, forsaking it as His base and dwells in Capernaum instead. The word is used this way in Acts 21:3 –

“And having sighted Cyprus, and having disregarded it on the left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre. For there the ship was to be unloading the cargo” (CG).

Properly translating the word in this manner resolves the difficulty presented by all translations. Understanding this, it next says, “having come, He dwelt in Capernaum.”

The name is derived from the Hebrew word kaphar, a village, and Nakhum, the Hebrew name of the prophet Nahum. His name comes from nakham, to sigh, meaning to breathe strongly. As such, it is a word signifying to console, comfort, reconsider, etc. Each case is determined by the context.

Thus, his name means something like Compassion, Comfort, or Consolation. Hence, the name of the location is Village of Compassion or something similar. As the base for Jesus’ ministry, it is a beautiful parallel to Him and His work. Of the location, it next says, “the seaside.”

The word is found only here in Scripture, parathalassios. It is derived from para, beside or by the side of, and thalassa, sea. Thus, “seaside” is a literal translation. A search on Wikipedia concerning Capernaum will provide you with a great deal of information in it. In short, it is according to Wikipedia –

…a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500 in the 1st century AD. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other. A house turned into a church by the Byzantines is held by Christian tradition to have been the home of Saint Peter.

The village was inhabited continuously from the 2nd century BC to the 11th century AD, when it was abandoned sometime before the First Crusade. This includes the re-establishment of the village northeast of the earlier location in c. 700, during the Early Islamic period.

It was rediscovered in 1838 but not identified as the same location until later. Of this location, it next says, “in borders Zebulun and Naphtali.”

Zebulun means Glorious Dwelling Place. Naphtali means My Twistings or My Wrestlings. As will be seen, this move to Capernaum in this particular inheritance of the tribes of Israel is made by Jesus to fulfill prophecy.

Life application: Because of the way translations are made, it becomes almost a herd mentality to continue to translate things the same as everyone else. Otherwise, a variation by one translation may seem completely out of place and might even be a source of derision. But if Jesus only made one trip to Nazareth, there must be an explanation as to why He didn’t actually go to Nazareth and then depart from there in Matthew 4.

The word used to explain this, when properly translated, will provide that explanation. So, it is best to not get stuck in the herd mentality but to go where the narrative actually leads. In Matthew 19:5, the same word as used here in Matthew 4:13 is used when citing Genesis 2:24. A man will depart, kataleipó, from his father and mother and be united to his wife.

This does not mean that he has to physically depart from them. In fact, throughout history, such has not been the case. Rather, a man is to depart from them in the sense of his top priority. His primary allegiance to them is disregarded for the sake of the wife. His duties to her are to become the main priority.

Never stop considering what the word is telling you. Don’t reject anything off hand when it may be correct, but also don’t be duped by those who claim to have a new or secret knowledge that nobody else has. Rather, take everything with a grain of salt until you have personally checked things out. This is wise. It is the prudent way of avoiding many pitfalls in your theology and in your walk with the Lord.

Lord God, we could spend the rest of our lives reading, considering, and learning Your word. And so, why don’t we? What is it that we should be doing to fill our time? If we really care about our relationship with You, the answer should be obvious. May we carefully research. Your word each and every day. Amen.

Red bromeliad with a little flower.

Sunday, 22 September 2024

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. Matthew 4:12

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 Jesus, having heard that John – he was surrendered, He withdrew into the Galilee” (CG).

In the previous verse, Matthew noted that the Traducer left Jesus and then messengers came and ministered to Him. With these temptations behind Him, it next says, “And Jesus.”

Some manuscripts, and thus some translations, do not include the name Jesus here. For example, the Berean Literal Bible says, “And having heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee.” As always, there are those who claim one text or another is correct, but the context is completely understandable either way. Jesus is the Subject of the words. Of Him, it next says, “having heard that John – he was surrendered.”

The word is paradidómi. It gives the sense of giving or turning over. Thus, it can be putting someone in prison, entrusting someone with goods, betraying someone, etc. The word simply means to surrender. John was arrested or surrendered to the prison. Of this event, the timeline is not necessarily chronological. Matthew presents things in more of a categorical manner. Charles Ellicott notes the following:

“Between the 11th and 12th verses there is a great break, and it is well to remember what passed in the interval: (1) the return to the Baptist, and the call of the six disciples (John 1:29-51); (2) the marriage at Cana, and the visit to Capernaum (John 2:1-12); (3) the cleansing of the Temple; the interview with Nicodemus, and the last testimony of the Baptist (John 2:13 to John 3:36). At this stage comes in the imprisonment of John (mentioned here, but not narrated till 14:3-5) and the consequent journey through Samaria to Galilee (John 4:1-42). The verse now before us may be noted as implying a ministry in Judæa, which for some reason the writer does not narrate.”

Jesus continued His ministry. Eventually, He heard of John’s imprisonment, and so it next says, “He withdrew.”

The word is anachóreó. It has been seen four times already in Matthew 2. Strong’s notes concerning it, “underlying idea perhaps of taking refuge from danger or of going into retirement.” In other words, Jesus is withdrawing to the Galilee. This would keep His ministry from overexposure in Judea until the right time for His ministry to come to its completion. As for where He withdrew to, it next says, “into the Galilee.”

Most translations do not include the article. Rather, they simply say Galilee. But even in the Hebrew, the location is normally preceded by the definite article. It is a region, the Galilee, first noted in Joshua 20:7. It signifies a circle or circuit. In 1 Kings 9:11, it included twenty cities that were given to Hiram, king of Tyre, by Solomon.

Because it designates an area, “the Circle,” inclusion of the article more appropriately defines the area when it is included in the Greek text.

Life application: Of this verse, the Expositor’s Greek Testament says, “In a few rapid strokes the evangelist describes the opening of the Messianic work of Jesus in Galilee. He has in view the great Sermon on the Mount, and the group of wonderful deeds he means thereafter to report, and he gives first a summary description of Christ’s varied activities by way of introduction.”

This statement is somewhat misleading. As noted above in Ellicott’s commentary, Jesus carried out His ministry for some amount of time in the area of Judea. However, at this point, Matthew’s focus is more categorical than chronological. It is good to remember this when evaluating the gospels in order to avoid theological misunderstandings.

At times, the actual chronology of when Jesus said things can be difficult to determine because of how the gospels present their narratives. Therefore, it is better to have a side-by-side comparison of the content of the gospels before jumping to erroneous conclusions. With such a side-by-side comparison, the events of Jesus’ life make a much fuller and more understandable picture from a chronological perspective.

Such comparisons can be found right online, so when you are trying to sort things out, do a search and you can explore things in that manner.

Lord God, Your word is big, detailed, and complex. Help us to study it carefully and with a view to understanding it more fully. May we not jump to erroneous conclusions about things until we have taken the time to search them out in a complete way. And, Lord, thank You for those people who have already done so much to help us understand this precious word. Amen.

Orange hibuscus.

Saturday, 21 September 2024

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Matthew 4:11

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).

“Then the Traducer, he leaves Him. And behold! Messengers, they came, and they ministered to Him” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told Satan to withdraw from Him, noting that only the Lord God was to be worshiped. Having said that, it next says, “Then the Traducer, he leaves Him.”

Luke’s narrative leaves out the fact that Jesus commanded Satan’s departure and adds in another thought –

“And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘It has been said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”’
¹³ Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

There is no contradiction in this. Jesus commanded Satan to depart, and he did, but he also would look for an opportunity to frustrate Jesus’ ministry. At one point, he will try to do it through Peter –

“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’
²³ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” Matthew 16:21-23

The Traducer was on the lookout for a suitable opportunity to vex the work of the Messiah. For now, however, Jesus proved His ability to overcome the temptations placed before Him. He also proved His authority over Satan by telling him to withdraw. Once gone, it next says, “And behold! Messengers, they came, and they ministered to Him.”

This is the first use of the verb diakoneó in the Bible. It signifies to be an attendant and thus serving. The word is connected to the cognate noun, diakonos, an attendant. That comes from dia (through or thoroughly) and konis, dust. Hence, it is one who scurries through the dust, kicking it up as he attends to others. It is where our modern word deacon is derived from.

As such, these messengers came and served the Lord, meeting His needs, certainly including the food He hungered for in verse 2. Who these messengers are is not stated. A strong possibility, however, is that they are those referred to in Zechariah 4 –

“Then I answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?’ ¹² And I further answered and said to him, ‘What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?’
¹³ Then he answered me and said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’
And I said, ‘No, my lord.’
¹⁴ So he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.’” Zechariah 4:11-14

In that passage, those who stand beside the Lord (Heb: ha’omdim – the standing) are those who serve the Lord. The same term is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to indicate this. These two, then, have been designated to serve the Lord in a particular fashion. As the same terminology (olive trees and lampstands) is used in Revelation 11:4, it is likely they will be the two witnesses noted in Revelation 11.

As such, these are probably not angels who are attending to Jesus in Matthew 4 but rather these two (even though no number of messengers is stated). These two have been selected to serve the Lord (stand beside Him). There being only two people who reasonably fit this description, Enoch and Elijah, it is a good possibility it is them.

Both were taken in Old Testament times and so they qualify for being those in Zechariah 4. They will die in Revelation 11, thus qualifying as humans, not angels (see Luke 20:36). As such, it would explain why these two men were singled out thousands of years ago to serve the Lord, not dying before being carried to be with the Lord.

Of course, this is all speculation, but it fits well with such passages that are seen in many places in Scripture.

Life application: In Albert Barnes’ Commentary on this passage, as he often does, he gives several logical points concerning temptation and how it applies to our lives. The first point contains an error that must be addressed. He says, “That no one is so holy as to be free from temptation, for even the Son of God was sorely tempted.”

This is incorrect. Jesus is so holy that He did not succumb to temptation, but he is not “so holy as to be free from temptation.” In this we must be careful to accurately define what has happened. In His humanity, Jesus could be tempted, but He did not fall prey to its effects. It may seem like semantics, but it is an important point.

We too, through the knowledge of Christ, may be tempted, but we can avoid falling prey to its effects. It takes active consideration and a total reliance on our understanding of who Jesus is to avoid its effects, but it can be done.

As we learn the word, given through God’s Spirit, we can apply it to our lives. Jesus, being the focus of the word, is the One we are to emulate. However, in our fallen human selves, we are also bound to fail from time to time. When we do, we just need to redirect and gather ourselves together for the continued march to glory.

Jesus is with us because He has gone before us. We have the word that testifies to His victory, and so let us press on in His strength. Onward in Christ! Eyes on Jesus!

Lord God, it is often a difficult life filled with many trials and temptations, but we know that even in our human weakness and failings, we can and will ultimately prevail through our faith in Jesus. Thank You for doing what we could not do. Thank You for the glory You have revealed in the giving of Your Son. Amen.

Jasmine.

Friday, 20 September 2024

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:10

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).

“Then Jesus, He says to him, ‘Withdraw, you, Satan! For it has been written, “The Lord your God you shall worship, and Him alone you shall serve”’” (CG).

The previous verse recorded the words of the Traducer saying that he would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if He would fall down and worship him. With that said, Matthew continues with, “Then Jesus, He says to him, ‘Withdraw, you, Satan!’”

The words include a new verb, hupagó. It comes from hypó, under and ágō, lead away. Thus, it gives the sense of to retire or withdraw. HELPS Word Studies notes that it is “to lead away under someone’s authority.” It is clear, then, that Jesus has authority over Satan. He retained that authority and did not cede it to him.

Jesus has been tempted three times, the first was to His fleshly needs, making stone into bread. The second was the pride of life, casting Himself from the winglet of the temple, the third was the lust of the eyes, having seen and been offered every earthly desire that could be imagined.

However, He resisted the temptations, prevailing where Adam failed. Now, in His victory over these things, He instructs Satan to withdraw. This is also the first use of the word Satan in the New Testament. It is derived from the Hebrew word satan, an adversary or opponent. In the Hebrew Old Testament, when the word is preceded by a definite article, it would indicate the archenemy of God, Satan.

Along with His dismissal of Satan, He again cites Scripture, saying, “For it has been written.”

Jesus again relies on the words of Scripture to defend against the temptations levied against Him. This time, He will cite from the Greek translation of Deuteronomy 6:13, saying, “The Lord your God you shall worship, and Him alone you shall serve.”

The Hebrew reads, “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.” Rather than “fear,” the Greek says “worship,” using the same word as Satan said to Jesus in verse 9. However, one Greek text also translates the word as fear.

The word of God clearly stated that obedience in spiritual matters belonged to the Lord God alone. Any worship of or serving another in such ways was to be rejected. In His actions, Jesus prevailed, not falling to the human temptations set before Him.

Life application: The things that Jesus was tempted with are not wrong in and of themselves. There is nothing wrong with bread. Rather, it was the way in which Jesus was tempted to make the bread that was inappropriate.

There is nothing wrong with bungee jumping off a high bridge (although that has led to disaster at times). In Jesus’ case, casting Himself from the highpoint of the temple would have tested God’s promise concerning the Messiah already recorded in Scripture.

And there is nothing wrong with having worldly goods or being a ruler in some capacity in the world. However, Jesus was tempted by those things in a way that would have violated His allegiance to His Father.

Unfortunately, there are people who take things to extremes unintended in Scripture, sequestering themselves away or refraining from particular things because they have misunderstood the context of what is being said in Scripture.

We live in this world, and we are to interact with it and with others in a manner that any human would as long as our devotion to God is maintained. As long as our faith is in Him and our lives are lived in accord with that faith, God will be pleased with how we conduct our affairs.

This is a beautiful world that has been created and structured for man to enjoy. God is glorified through our proper enjoyment of it, meaning when we thank Him for the blessings that come through our conduct as we interact with it.

Glorious God, it is a joy and a delight to live in this world and experience the innumerable things You have set here for us to experience. May we do so with the mind that You are God and that what we participate in is from Your open hand of grace. May we never let anything in creation take our eyes off of You. Instead, may we consider You as we enjoy what You have given us. Amen.

Amazing smelling Jasmine.

Thursday, 19 September 2024

And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9

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).

“And he says to Him, ‘All these I will give You if, having fallen, you will worship me’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the Traducer took Jesus up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. Matthew next records, “And he says to Him, ‘All these I will give You.’”

Though many disagree that he actually possessed the things he now offers, that is incorrect. In Luke, these words are included, “for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”

Whether it is possession of, or simply authority over, is almost a matter of semantics. The Traducer has the right to pass on the authority of those things. As this is so, it means he still actually has the final authority over them. Whoever he decided to give them to would be subject to him.

The temptation is one of “taking the easy path.” Jesus came to regain what was lost for His Father. If He was given these things by the Traducer, who would really be the one in charge? The answer is clear with the next words, “if, having fallen, you will worship me.”

The lesser bows to the greater. This is to be taken as an axiom. The matter of allegiance is what is now under consideration. God Himself united with human flesh in the womb of Mary. Can God be divided? The human temptation of Jesus would mean there was a disconnect between His deity and His humanity.

To give His obeisance to the Traducer would mean His humanity had missed the mark (meaning sinned) against His Father. In sinning, His human life would end, and the grave would be the end for Him. There would be no resurrection, and there would be no true right to reclaim humanity from the power of Hades (Sheol of the Old Testament).

God Himself would have failed in His mission to reclaim the authority over the dead because God was the One who overshadowed Mary. Jesus is the result of that incarnation. The fall of man would be eternally vindicated in the failure of Jesus.

But the fall of man brought about the knowledge of good and evil, something man needed to have a fuller and more personal relationship with God. Rather than vindicating the fall through a permanent state of death in man, Jesus’ prevailing in His mission would vindicate God’s plan of humanity being able to appreciate Him in a way that could never have otherwise been realized.

As for the word translated as “worship,” it is proskuneó, coming from pros (towards) and kuneó (to kiss). It is thus a sign of showing allegiance, such as to a king. In this, a sense of worship can be implied depending on the situation, something which is certainly the case here.

Life application: As we look at the world around us, we may not fully understand the ramifications of the fall. This is certainly so when we see death, war, terrible immorality, hatred, oppression, and so forth. It may seem as if God’s plan is completely out of control.

And yet, as noted, man could not have appreciated God in a meaningful way without the fall. As terrible as the world may be, this is a truth stated in Genesis –

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:15-17

…

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22-24

Death came through Adam’s rebellion, paradise was lost, and man has continued in a fallen world since then. However, man also gained the knowledge of good and evil. In this, we can now appreciate God and what He has done in a way that would not have been possible otherwise.

God knew the outcome, weighed out the costs (metaphorically, that is), and knew that allowing man to fall was still the best path to a personal, eternal relationship with His creatures. In sending Jesus, a right relationship with God is restored. Someday, we will understand those things that we cannot even comprehend at this time.

So, when you see wickedness, sadness, and loss all around you, remind yourself that Jesus has prevailed. Restoration lies ahead for those who trust in the Lord. Hold fast to this thought. It is the reality of God in Christ. The Lamb has prevailed!

Lord God, we are grateful to You for the coming of Christ Jesus. And this will eternally be the case. You are to be exalted and glorified forever and ever because of what You have done for us. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.