Matthew (Written)

Monday, 11 November 2024

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Blessed – those famishing and thirsting righteousness,
For they – they will be filled” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the benignant inheriting the land. Now His words continue with, “Blessed – those famishing and thirsting righteousness.”

Despite most translations simply following one after the other with “hunger and thirst,” the verbs are present participles – “famishing and thirsting.” The word peinaó means to famish. To crave or hunger are only figurative meanings which cannot be the intent here.

Jesus is speaking of those who truly long for righteousness in a situation where it is obviously lacking. There is wickedness from above, and it comes from all sides. There is no place where righteousness is practiced. Like a man in a desert, he may hunger during the first days of his lack, but he eventually famishes over what he desires.

The thought is like that of Noah, who preached to a world of wickedness, longing for it to wake up from its slumber, but it was not realized. He was famished from the lack of it and his soul cried out to God over the state of the world. To supplement this and intensify it, the word dipsaó, to thirst, is added.

When facing hunger, it can be quelled temporarily with swallows of water. But when that is lacking, there is nothing to take away the agony of the human body. Jesus combines the two to show what a truly devout person longs for concerning such things. It is a hungering and thirsting with a fervent intensity.

This is something He was fully aware of, having come out of forty days and forty nights where He was deprived of the needs of the body. As it said after that time, “He was hungry.” However, despite His hunger, He craved righteousness even more than food. He wanted nothing more than to please His heavenly father and to fulfill all righteousness. Of such people, He next says, “For they – they will be filled.”

The word translated as filled, chortazó, is a word that actually signifies “to fodder,” as in grazing animals. It is used with a degree of contempt by Plato. Eventually, it came to generally signify satisfying a hunger. However, the earlier connotation would still exist in the minds of the people.

For example, we might say somewhat contemptuously of a large gathering, “Look at all those people grazing in the dining hall.” However, eventually, the word might be taken with a less sarcastic tone. And yet, we would still know the earlier meaning of what the word conveyed. This would be the thought conveyed with this word.

Jesus is saying that as a cow is fed in the stalls or is taken to the open field to dine, so would the people of God be fed with a continuous supply of righteousness. The lack they faced (again, think of Noah) will someday be replaced with an enormous abundance that will never cease as God leads His people, filling their true desire for His glorification.

The reason for this is that one can only truly hunger and thirst after these things when one has faith that God exists. Without that, any righteousness that fills the mind of the person is one that extends from himself and his idea of what righteousness means.

Life application: Depending on where you are in the world today, you will face varying degrees of unrighteousness. In Islamic countries, those who are not Muslims are forced to adhere to nutty laws that are derived from the Koran to some extent or another.

For those who live in Catholic nations, there is often a great tolerance for the allowance of other religions, and quite often, they synchronize with the Catholic doctrine, forming religions like Santeria. However, the overarching rule of Catholicism will take place. As its fundamental teachings are not in line with Scripture, those who hold to a truly literal interpretation of the Bible are actually outcasts.

In Western countries, moral perversion has almost completely taken over the thoughts of those in power. Those who speak against it are almost considered enemies of their own states. However, in hungering after what God’s word says, and in thirsting after what it proclaims, they will someday be filled to overflowing with the goodness of what God has in store for them. As it says in Revelation. 7:16, “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore.”

Hold on to the Lord and stand fast on His word. The time when wickedness shall be eliminated from this world is coming. Jesus will set all things right on that day.

Lord God, You have promised a better world to Your people. It will be a world where righteousness rules and where You alone will be exalted as the true and glorious leader of mankind. May that day be soon. Amen.

Sunday, 10 November 2024

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

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).

“Blessed – the benignant,
For they – they will inherit the land” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted the poor and that they would be comforted. Continuing now, it says, “Blessed – the benignant.”

Although it is a rare and almost wholly unknown word, the word meek, as almost all translations state, falls short of the intent. The word is praus. It goes beyond what one would think of as meek. HELPS Word Studies says, “This difficult-to-translate root (pra) means more than ‘meek.’ Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. [The English term ‘meek’ often lacks this blend – i.e. of gentleness (reserve) and strength.]”

Of this word, Dictionary.com says, “kind, especially to inferiors; gracious: a benignant sovereign.” Thus, this is the closest English word to the intent of the original. Of such who demonstrate power without undue harshness, it next says, “For they – they will inherit the earth.”

As for the meaning of the word gé, here translated as “land,” the meaning depends on the context. It can mean earth, soil, land, region, country, and so forth. Without having any context, it is difficult to know the exact intent. However, that is only in the sense of Jesus’ words themselves.

There is a context in the broader sense, that He is speaking to Israel under the law. The promise to Abraham was that of the land of Israel. The promise during the Exodus was as well. When facing exile, the promise was a hope of a return to the land of Israel. And even today, it is the hope of the Jews to inherit the land.

For two thousand years, the annual cry has been, “Next year in Jerusalem.” They have resettled in the land, but they do not fully possess the land. Someday, that will change. This was and continues to be the messianic hope of the people of Israel.

They look for their own possession in the land of Israel. And this is what will be portioned out to them in the millennium. Thus, the word “land,” rather than the commonly translated “earth,” appears to make much more sense.

Life application: As has been stated repeatedly already, when presuppositions about Jesus speaking to the church are shoved into the Beatitudes, a faulty idea of what is being said will result.

It is not the hope of the land of Israel or the earth that the church holds. Rather –

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:20, 21

Thus, to cram the church into what Jesus is now saying causes a logical contradiction in one’s theology. If we are to inherit the earth, then why would we suppose we were going to inherit heaven?

Israel was promised a millennial reign where they would dwell in the land and rule the nations. This has always been their promise, and it will be realized someday. Be sure to think through why things are said. If it seems like there is a contradiction in what the Bible says elsewhere, then be sure to consider the context. In doing this, you will be in the sweet spot when it comes to avoiding errors in your theology.

Lord God, thank You for the heavenly hope we possess. We can stand firmly on it when we bury our loved ones. Instead of mourning, we can have great joy. Instead of trials, we can look at our difficulties as ways of molding us. In all things, and in all ways, we can forget the temporary when we look to the hope of the eternal. Thank You, O God, for Jesus, who has made this possible. Amen.

A slice of paradise.

Saturday, 9 November 2024

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

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).

“Blessed – those mourning.
For they will be comforted” (CG).

The previous verse spoke of the poor in spirit. Now, the blessings continue with, “Blessed – those mourning.”

The word translated as mourning, pentheó, speaks of mourning over death, particularly a close relationship. It is the type of grief that takes hold of a person and which cannot be hidden. It also refers to any great mourning on such a level, such as mourning over sin.

The type of mourning is not stated, but it seems unlikely that Jesus would make a general statement that could have applied to anyone at any time who lost a loved one. Rather, He is speaking to Israel, under the law. The first thing it says of Him speaking out in His ministry was in Matthew 4:17, telling the people to repent because the kingdom of heaven was at hand.

As such, it is likely that He is tying His statement about mourning with those who see the error of their ways and grieve over their wrongdoings. This seems more certain because it is His disciples to whom He is specifically speaking. They were to convey the message that the Messiah had come, and that would not be a message lacking a note about turning from their wayward ways.

It is true that the hope of the Messiah was the hope of restoration of life, but that type of mourning would be ended only for those who had turned from their sins and followed the Lord according to the precepts of the law, which included turning to the Messiah as referred to in the law and prophets. As for the blessing upon such, it next says, “For they will be comforted.”

If one sees a problem and corrects it, it can then be expected that God will restore his joy according to his faith. If a person realizes that he is offending God, turning from his offensive ways would mean that he is no longer offending God. In believing that he is doing wrong, by changing his ways, he will then believe that he is doing right.

This alone is enough to comfort a person because he now has the hope that what God says concerning such things is true. What would be the point of turning from wrongdoing if you didn’t believe that you were doing wrong? And what would be the point of turning from wrongdoing if you didn’t believe God cared?

One can see that such mourning directly leads to the comfort of believing what God says when a change is made. This appears to be what Jesus is referring to as He speaks to Israel under the law, and to those who had not been faithful to fulfilling the requirements of the law.

Life application: The Bible says many times, both explicitly and implicitly, that the law is fulfilled and set aside in Christ. Now, in this new arrangement granted by God, men are asked to reconsider who God is and their relationship with Him.

Jesus has fulfilled the law that God set forth for Israel. We no longer need to mourn over not meeting its standards. Instead, Jesus has done that for us. What we need to mourn over is not honoring God by honoring the Son. When we realize how we have offended God by not living for Jesus, we should mourn over this and come to Jesus.

To not do so leaves us out of the promises of God, because only in Jesus are the requirements of God fulfilled. When we see those in the church not living according to the standards of God set forth in the New Testament epistles, we should mourn over that, knowing that such conduct can affect others. Eventually, the body will suffer from the immorality displayed by those who are disobedient.

In correcting such deficiencies, we will be comforted in our hope and in our knowing that we are conducting our affairs in a right manner before God. Such things always come back to belief in who God is, in what He has directed, and how we should respond to Him and to what He expects.

Lord God Almighty, thank You for the hope we possess. We were once alienated from You, but now we are Your children because of faith in what Jesus has done. We realized we were heading in the wrong direction, and by faith, we reached out to You through Him. Now, we have the comfort of faith in what this means for our eternal souls. Thank You for the hope of Jesus! Amen.

Ocrhid.

Friday, 8 November 2024

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

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).

“Blessed the poor of the spirit.
For the kingdom of the heavens, it is theirs” (CG).

In the previous verse, it noted that Jesus opened His mouth and taught the disciples. Now, the words of Jesus are recorded by Matthew, beginning with, “Blessed the poor of the spirit.”

This is the first use of the word makarios, blessed, in the New Testament. It is a prolonged form of the poetical makar, meaning happy. As such, it extends the meaning to mean blessed, fortunate, etc. It is the state “when God extends His benefits” (HELPS Word Studies).

The word is different than another word translated as bless or blessed, eulogeó. The first speaks of the state of being blessed, while the other speaks of the act of blessing or the reception of a blessing by another. The latter will first be seen in Matthew 5:44. Of the word now being used, Vincent’s Word Studies says –

“Its root is supposed to be a word meaning great, and its earlier meaning appears to be limited to outward prosperity; so that it is used at times as synonymous with rich.”

As such, and if this meaning was understood in its usage by the audience, they would be hearing what would seem to be a contradiction, “Rich are the poor…” Luke 6:20 translates it without the extra words “of the spirit” and says only “Blessed are you poor.”

The reason for such a state of blessing is that in being rich, there are the usual problems that arise with that state. People who are rich tend to have trust in their things. They are often built up with pride and arrogance. People who are poor in spirit have no such ideas about themselves. There are no worries about robbers coming to steal, there are no worries about if their wealth will be lost in a fire, etc.

In such a state, they are blessed because as a general rule, they acknowledge their dependence on providence, on God, on the help of others, etc. Because Jesus is speaking to the people of Israel, it would be understood that the poverty of those He was speaking to would draw them closer to a relationship with the Lord.

On the other hand, those with great wealth would be concerned about the affairs and things of this life. A state of God’s blessedness would normally not exist in such people.

The idea of being poor in spirit could extend even beyond riches to indicate what occurs with being poor, which is the state of humility. Therefore, even a rich person – if he was a humble soul – could be considered blessed. Although this would be a more difficult state to exist in. Therefore, the words of Luke 6:24 are given to show the normal way things are, which contrast to those who are poor of the spirit. There He says, “But woe to you who are rich.”

Of those in this verse, however, He next says, “For the kingdom of the heavens, it is theirs.” Those who placed their trust in the Lord, not in wealth or riches, were those who were more likely to receive what God offers. This is a precept found throughout Scripture –

“Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” Psalm 125:1

The words that contrast this in Luke 6:24 must be taken in a general sense. In Matthew 19 it will say –

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’
²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’
²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthews 19:23-26

Jesus makes access to the kingdom of God possible, even for the rich. But this applies to those who are not trusting in themselves or their riches but in the work of the Lord.

Life application: Throughout the ages, there have been those who have taught or lived in a manner not intended by the words of Jesus in this verse. They have walked away from wealth, fearing they would not enter the kingdom of God. They have lived in monasteries, taken vows of poverty, and so forth.

The problem with such things is that this is not what the Bible teaches about salvation. Someone who does this may not be trusting in the Lord at all. He may be trusting in himself, through his vow of poverty, to merit God’s promises. If he is trusting in his own deeds, he is not trusting in Jesus.

Everything in context! To obtain our doctrine concerning salvation, we need to read the epistles that come after Christ’s completed work. It is these letters that reveal the knowledge needed to understand how to be saved. These letters never tell us to renounce worldly wealth. For example, Paul says –

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. ¹⁸ Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Paul doesn’t command the rich to become poor. Rather, he tells them not to trust in such things. Be sure to keep things in their proper context, and be sure to not take every statement as an all-encompassing proclamation. There are those who are poor and who are at complete odds with God. There are some who are rich who walk closely with Him all their days.

Lord God, whatever we possess in this world is temporary and can be lost or stolen. May we not set our hearts upon such things. Rather, may we lean on You at all times and understand that our only hope of salvation is through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. In Him alone is our true peace with You to be found. Amen.

Red headed woodpecker on cedar.

Thursday, 7 November 2024

Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: Matthew 5:2

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 opened His mouth, He taught them, saying,” (CG).

In the previous verse, it noted that Jesus, seeing the great throng of people, ascended a mountain where He then sat and His disciples came to Him. The narrative continues with, “And having opened His mouth.”

It is an idiom indicating that a purposeful oration is about to follow. An excellent example is found in Psalm 78 –

“Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
² I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
³ Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
⁴ We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.” Psalm 78:1-4

The words of this Psalm are ascribed to Christ in Matthew 13:35, thus showing that the Psalm is messianic in nature, anticipating Him and His ministry. Other examples of this idiom are found in Scripture. Next, it says, “He taught them, saying.”

The words of Jesus here are called a teaching. Though this is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, it is not simply a life application sermon, but an oration concerning learning which is to be considered and acted upon by His disciples. It is important to remember the context of Jesus’ words, however.

He is speaking to the people of Israel while they are still under the law of Moses. There are words taken from this teaching that are often misunderstood or misapplied because the context is not properly considered.

Life application: There are a seemingly innumerable number of idioms to be found in the Bible alone. If rightly considered, they can help us get a fuller understanding of what the intent behind the words is.

Someone, or a group of people, may be called stiff-necked, or it may be said that a person stiffened his neck. The psalmist says he turned his feet to the Lord’s testimonies. At times, someone will raise his eyes or open his mouth.

Sometimes, idioms are obscured through the translation. In Acts 17:18, Paul is called a seed-picker, although most translations don’t use that term. When something is said to have been done ten times, it means a multitude of times. On and on, the idioms are found for the person who carefully considers what is being presented.

Getting a literal translation of the Bible will help, but even they will ignore the most literal translation at times. But they will generally help to discover real treats found in the word of God.

Take time to enjoy your time through the Bible. Don’t rush as you read. Instead, consider the words and think of why they are stated as they are. Your time in Scripture will be quite rewarding if you take the time and allow it to fill your thoughts and contemplations.

Glorious God, what a treat Your word is. We thank You for it and pray that You will open our eyes to see wonderful things in it as we read and study it. Thank You, O God, for Your precious and wonderful word. Amen.