Daily Writing

Saturday, 15 March 2025

Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Matthew 8:19

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 come, one scribe, he said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever, if You may go’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus saw many crowds around Him and commanded that He and the disciples depart to the other side. Having said that, Matthew next records, “And having come, one scribe.”

Nothing is said of who this is. It simply notes that he is one of the scribes. It is surmised, and likely so, that this person saw Jesus’ miracles and was impressed enough to follow Him. But the reasoning behind the decision appears to be for personal gain. It was just noted that there were “many crowds.”

Crowds consist of people. Many crowds mean lots of people. Where lots of people gather, money is usually abundant, even among the poor. Like with selling insurance, a little from each quickly adds to a big bank account. It is the rule of multiplication.

Jesus, on the other hand, wasn’t there for “many crowds.” Instead, He was there to accomplish the will of the Father, regardless of the gain He could receive. The scribes were already in a position to have wealth. He says nothing of giving up his current status. Instead, it next says that “he said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever, if You may go.’”

Jesus is set to go to the other side. The scribe may have assumed He was going to increase the number of people he could encounter over there, thus increasing his possible income as well. This is all speculation, but Jesus’ answer to him in the coming verse appears to suggest it is a correct line of reasoning.

Life application: In the church today, like in the church throughout history, there is often the idea of gathering wealth through multiplication. It is normal for a pastor or preacher to want to increase the size and scope of his ministry. This should be expected because he is putting forth a message that he, hopefully, believes is true and is worth getting out to the masses.

However, a ministry can get quickly derailed from that original purpose by receiving exactly what it was looking for. By increasing in size, there is also a need for more space to meet. In making more space, which costs more money, there is then the need to make more in order to pay for the things it has taken on in the form of liabilities.

And so, more people are needed to help pay those incurred liabilities. As such, a ministry expands, gets a certain number of people to give, sees the money coming in, and then wants to expand again. One way this has been handled, which then takes the pressure off the local church, is to form denominations.

The RCC, for example, keeps the original structure of instruction but now places all the liabilities (and ultimate profits) under one main umbrella. That main body can now control the direction of all other churches under it. As more money is needed, it begins to assimilate aberrant teachings into it because it needs to keep the revenue stream going.

This is known as syncretism, the uniting of different beliefs, cultures, schools of thought, etc., as if each belief is acceptable within the larger umbrella. This is the RCC in a nutshell. It has innumerable false teachings at various levels and in various cultures that may not flow up or over, but they keep the local churches happy.

Sometimes, these aberrant teachings get an audience, and the entire church begins to accept them into their religious thinking. Having happy and content worshippers, regardless of the truth, is profitable. Therefore, a general state of apostasy begins to take over.

It has been seen in innumerable denominations over the past centuries. Today’s major denominations have doctrines that are completely at odds with the original teachings that established them. And the reason for this is almost always the same, money. Compromising for the sake of money, along with fame and power, is a hallmark of churches that expand too much or too quickly.

Be on guard concerning where you go and who you listen to. Subtle changes concerning doctrine within churches or denominations may not seem to be a big deal, but within a span of time, the people in the pews have been stewed into a state of complacency that they didn’t even realize had come about.

Only the wise will look around and say, “Things have changed, we need to move out of here before we are stewed along with everyone else.” How do you think abortion has become acceptable within so many denominations? What about homosexuality?

These denominations would never have tolerated such things when they started. But now, they permeate almost all churches within their scope of authority. In some cases, every single church has bowed the knee to such terrible changes in doctrine.

Glorious God Almighty, help us to be set in our doctrine early on. And we know that will not take place unless we are aware of what is proper. And we cannot do that unless we know Your word. Therefore, O God, give us the hunger, desire, and time necessary to know Your precious word. Amen.

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.