Daily Writing

Friday, 14 March 2025

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Matthew 8:18

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 seen many crowds around Him, He ordered to depart to the other side” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus and His actions were shown by Matthew to be the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the healing of the people. With that thought complete, he next records, “And Jesus, having seen many crowds around Him.”

Some later manuscripts have the words in the singular, “And Jesus, having seen a great crowd around Him” (BLB). Either way, the thought is understood. He and His disciples were hemmed in by the thronging masses. They had worked tirelessly, but as noted by the words, the crowds continued to come. Therefore, it next says, “He ordered to depart to the other side.”

Here the word, keleuó, to urge on, is introduced. Strong’s defines its meaning as “to incite by word.” Thus, it gives the sense of commanding, ordering, bidding, instructing, encouraging, etc. Anything that will impel others to get up and accomplish a task is what is suggested.

They are currently located in Capernaum. It is in the very northwest area of the Sea of Galilee. From there, Jesus is instructing them to go to the eastern shore of the sea. One gets the sense that they need a break, as hinted by the statement about the many crowds.

Jesus and His disciples need to redirect things, and so taking a boat will hopefully provide them with the needed separation from those who are currently surrounding them. To walk would allow the crowds to follow them without providing any separation and relief.

Life application: Although it doesn’t explicitly say that Jesus needed rest, it can be deduced from the words concerning the crowds. During the trip, many things will come about, however, that are necessary inclusions in His life to fill up the narrative concerning His messiahship.

Once the trip across the sea is complete, Luke 8:40 says, “So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.” The crowds were there when they departed, and they anticipated His return.

It is not unlike our current state. Jesus fulfilled His messianic ministry, died in fulfillment of the law, and rose again, and then He finished His time here and ascended to heaven. We have been assured He will return for us. Are we eagerly awaiting that day?

The crowds anticipated His coming, knowing He would return. If we can fix our minds on the fact that Jesus is also returning, many of the things that disturb us from day to day will not matter, or they will find their proper place.

There were surely people left sick and troubled with various afflictions in the many crowds, but they knew Jesus would return and they would have their chance to find relief. In the church, there are all kinds of afflictions, griefs, troubles, and personal disasters. But Jesus is coming!

Don’t lose sight of the great and enduring promise we possess. This life is temporary, and it is woe-filled. For some, there are greater woes than others. But for each of us, there should be the eager anticipation that our day of uniting with the Lord will come. So be of good cheer as we wait for it.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Glorious God, we have lots of troubles in this life. They are sufficient to fill our days with greater hope that the promises of Jesus’ return will end them and that we will be in Your presence forever. We know the time is set, but if we can speed it along with our pleas, then we will gladly do so! Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, 13 March 2025

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:17

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).

“That it might be fulfilled, the ‘having been spoken’ through Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘Himself, our infirmities – He took, and these diseases – He bore’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the people came to Jesus in the evening time. At that time, it says that He cast out the spirits and healed all who were brought to Him. Now Matthew states of this, “That it might be fulfilled.”

Matthew again ties the events of Jesus’ ministry to the words of prophecy. He is clearly and unambiguously saying by this that Jesus is the anticipated Messiah of Israel. Understanding that, he next records, “the ‘having been spoken’ through Isaiah the prophet.”

In other words, the Lord is said to be the ultimate Giver of the oracles of God. He spoke through His prophets, Isaiah in this case. This is a confirmation of the words of Peter –

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21

Isaiah didn’t just write things that happened to come true, as if anyone could have fulfilled them in some aspect at some point in time. Rather, the words are breathed out by God the Holy Spirit through chosen prophets. From that point, they anticipated a particular moment when they would be fulfilled. Each prophecy has its own time and aspect of fulfillment.

In saying that Jesus is the One to fulfill these words of Isaiah, Matthew is thus saying that He is the Messiah promised by God. Understanding this, Matthew records his next words, “saying, ‘Himself, our infirmities – He took, and these diseases – He bore.’”

It is a quote from the Hebrew manuscript of Isaiah 53 –

“He is despised, and left of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with sickness, And as one hiding the face from us, He is despised, and we esteemed him not.
⁴ Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains — he hath carried them, And we — we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:3, 4 (YLT)

Of this healing, the Pulpit Commentary says –

“He did not perform miracles by magic (as is commonly asserted of him in the Talmud; cf. Laible, ‘Jesus Christ in Talmud,’ p. 44: Berlin, 1891),nor by the power of God exerted as it were externally on his behalf, nor by his own inherent Divine power, but by himself bearing the sicknesses that he removed. He wrought his miracles at his own expense, and that expense the greatest. The thought is far-reaching, and implies both that he bore the ultimate cause of sickness, the sin of the world (John 1:29), and also that each miracle of healing meant for him a fresh realization of what bearing the sin of the world included. In other words, the passage in Isaiah, as interpreted by St. Matthew, refers, not only to the Passion as such, but also to Christ’s suffering an earnest and a foretaste of it at each miracle.”

Jesus was willing to take on not only the sin of the world but also to taste the consequences of it with each healing. He understood the effects of sin in an absolute sense by the time He went to the cross to eradicate it forever for those who would come to Him by faith for healing.

Life application: Consider what God has done. He united with humanity in the womb of a virgin. He was born under the Law of Moses, the law that He had given to Israel. He felt the pains of walking long distances, losing family members through death, experiencing hunger and tiredness, etc. He also came to understand the effect of sin on humanity: demon-possessings, broken bones, illnesses, plagues of leprosy, fevers, etc.

Each of these would be intimately understood by Him before He went to the cross so that when He went, He would know that His atoning death would bring those who believed in Him to a point of spiritual perfection through sinlessness that they would, at the time of regeneration, allow them to be like Him. He knew this would come about so that when He went to the cross, Hebrews 12 says –

“…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Having experienced the temptations of things the world of sin offers, which includes the consequences of sin in humanity, He willingly accepted the cross, and He looked past the shameful trial He would endure. Instead, He looked to the joy that lay on the other side of the ordeal and prevailed over this world. God did this for each of us so that the joy set before Him includes each person redeemed through His atoning sacrifice. Thank God for Jesus Christ.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1, 2

Lord God, what can we say? You have done it all, and we are the recipients of the greatness of it. Forever and ever, we shall hail Your exalted name through our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, O God, great things You have done. Amen.

Wednesday, 12 March 2025

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, Matthew 8:16

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 become evening, they presented to Him many demon-possessings, and He ejected the spirits – a word. And all those being sickly, He healed” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus touched the hand of Peter’s mother and her fever left her. From there, she arose and served them. Now, the ongoing narrative of events continues with, “And having become evening.”

The word opsios, evening, is introduced here. It signifies late, afternoon, or nightfall, meaning evening. The context will provide an understanding of the proper meaning.

In this case, the reason for these words isn’t stated here in Matthew, but it becomes clear in Mark’s parallel account. In Mark 1:21, it notes that it was the Sabbath. In Mark 1:29-31, Jesus healed Peter’s mother. Only then in Mark 1:32 does it say, “At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.”

The same is true in Luke’s gospel where the sequence of events is confirmed to be on the Sabbath. In his narrative, the account now begins with, “When the sun was setting.” The reason for this is that the new day in Israel begins at evening. Once the sun is setting, the new day begins. So, to avoid any hint of breaking the Sabbath, the people brought their sick to Him only at this time. As it next says, “they presented to Him many demon-possessings.”

It is the same word found in Matthew 4:24, daimonizomai. It is a present participle, thus, “demon-possessings.” These people were brought forward, “and He ejected the spirits – a word.”

As with the healing of the servant, Jesus merely spoke a word, and the demons were ejected. There is no hint of argumentation from the demons, and no difficulty with the process where Jesus had to hold some type of ritual or cast holy water on the people. The thought is similar to that of Acts 16 –

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ ¹⁸ And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.” Acts 16:16-18

One can see how ridiculous the supposed casting out of demons has become in the Roman Catholic Church and elsewhere as people go through long shows, carrying on with rites, rituals, and formulas to supposedly cast out demons. Today, all that is needed for a person to be rid of demons is for them to accept the gospel. When Jesus moves in, all demons must move out.

Next, the narrative says, “And all those being sickly, He healed.” Jesus had a long day of teaching in the synagogue as indicated in the other gospels, and yet, He accommodated those who came by, filling the evening with their needs and desires to be met.

Life application: The reason why it says above that when Jesus moves in, all demons must move out, is because there is nothing in the New Testament epistles to explain demon-possessings nor how to cure them. The narratives in the gospels and Acts are not prescriptive for our time. They simply describe what occurred and are recorded for our understanding concerning Jesus’ work and authority, and concerning the establishment of the church under the authority of Christ.

As there is nothing directive in nature concerning demon-possessings, it tells us that we do not need to worry about them. If we did, it would mean –

• That we have a spiritual event in the church that has no response to and, thus,
• We have a void in our dealing with matters that otherwise would affect the church and the salvation of those who interact with the church.

As this is so, and as God has done everything necessary to bring man to a state of salvation through the completed work of Christ, we can know that receiving Christ is sufficient to overcome any demon. This doesn’t mean that Satan or the demons cannot still afflict believers. The epistles indicate otherwise, but the power of God unto salvation has been realized in any person who has come to Him through Jesus.

These are truths that are evident and certain as detailed in verses of the New Testament epistles. Therefore, all of the hoopla that people display concerning demon-possessings is unnecessary, untrue. It is a distraction from giving a person the gospel and allowing him to choose Jesus and receive the path to salvation.

Lord God, help us to always be about the business of sharing Your word. May we make it a point to be bold in our witness for the gospel. If all we can do in our interactions is leave a tract, may we do so, knowing that it may have an eternity-changing effect in the life of another. Give us the heart and desire to do these things, O God. Amen.

Monday, 10 March 2025

Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. Matthew 8:14

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 come, into the house of Peter, He saw the mother-in-law of him, having been cast and fevering” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus healed the centurion’s servant by simply speaking the word. Now, with that event recorded, Matthew turns to another need for healing, beginning with, “And Jesus, having come, into the house of Peter.”

Peter’s house is located in Capernaum. Archaeologists believe they uncovered it in 1968. Since then, it has been made into a national landmark. Of the house, a Google search says the following:

Discovery:
In 1968, archaeologists found the ruins of a large house in Capernaum
The house was part of a cluster of about a dozen houses from the 1st century AD
The house was simple, with coarse walls and an earth and straw roof
The house had a few small rooms around two open courtyards
Evidence:
The house’s walls were plastered and painted with stylized flowers, pomegranates, figs, geometric figures, and hundreds of crosses
The house’s limestone floor had many fragments of votive lamps
The house’s walls had graffiti in many languages, including “Lord Jesus Christ, Help” and “Christ Have Mercy”

Once Jesus had entered the house, it next says, “He saw the mother-in-law of him.” Here the word penthera, mother-in-law, is introduced. It is a feminine Greek noun derived from pentheros, father-in-law. Of her, the next words say, “having been cast.”

As seen before, the idea of being cast means onto a bed of sickness. Hence, most translations just go with that. As for her state when she had been cast, it says, “and fevering.”

This is another new word, puressó. It is derived from pur or pura, both nouns indicating fire. As such, it is a burning fever. The word will only be used one more time, in Mark 1:30 when it details this same account.

Life application: Catholic tradition, without any substantiation from the Bible, says that Peter was the first “pope.” Not only can this not be gleaned from Scripture, but it also rather argues against it in various ways.

Popes are not supposed to be married. It is a tenet of Roman Catholicism. Priests are to remain celibate and unmarried. To cover up the point about Peter being married, Catholics claim, without any justification at all, that Peter was likely a widower when he became an apostle.

In this passage, it mentions Peter’s mother-in-law but not his wife. Because of this, they claim that she was already dead… Well, obviously! Because the Bible doesn’t say anything about her tending to her mother! This is known as an argument from silence. The Bible is not focusing on Peter’s wife, it is focusing on her sick mother.

In all three synoptic gospels, a boy is healed after the transfiguration. There is no mother mentioned in any of the accounts. Using Roman Catholic logic, it is obvious that this boy had no mother and his father had no wife.

Other Catholics claim that Peter and his wife separated by mutual consent so that he could minister with Jesus. That is called eisegesis, inserting a presupposition into the text. There is nothing to even hint at this.

Catholic doctrine holds that Jesus and Paul both encouraged celibacy in the service of the kingdom of God. It is true that Jesus was never married, however the exact opposite is true with Peter. He refers to marriage and makes no limitations on ministers of the gospel.

Some Catholics claim that Peter was never married. A man would be a blithering idiot to have a mother-in-law and never have a wife. In fact, he would be laughed out of the Galilee. People would still be talking to this day about the numbskull who decided to have a mother-in-law without a wife.

The point of this life application is that Roman Catholicism is a cult. Stay away from this ridiculous expression of Christianity. In doing so, you will do well.

*A man with a mother-in-law who never got married… ha!

Lord God, may we carefully handle Your word, never inserting what isn’t in it and never making idle speculations or even doctrines about what it doesn’t say. An argument from silence is damaging when it is intended to support something already nonsensical. Help us, O God, not to treat Your word the way that Roman Catholicism does. Amen.