Matthew (Written)

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.

Kind of hard to see, but Wax Plant blooms.

Wednesday, 18 September 2024

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Matthew 4:8

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).

“Again, the Traducer, he takes Him to a mountain – exceedingly high – and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus shut down the second temptation of the Traducer by citing Scripture in the proper context. Now, still determined to retain his kingdom, uninterrupted by the ministry of the Messiah, it next says, “Again, the Traducer, he takes Him to a mountain.”

The debate about what mountain this is or even where its location is fails to take into consideration that no such mountain as is being described actually exists. Thus, the mountain is being used as a descriptor for something else.

Throughout Scripture, the mountain carries a particular typological meaning, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. This is seen in typology throughout the Old Testament. As Matthew is writing his account to a Jewish audience based on Jesus’ ministry being the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets, that view must be taken into consideration.

As such, this mountain is typological of the gentile nations of the world. Even though as individual nations, they are not centralized, they actually are centralized under one head, as will be seen in the next verse, and even more especially in Luke 4:6. For now, this mountain is said to be “exceedingly high.”

In other words, it is a large but centralized group of people that is immense in population and power. This mountain would not include Israel because Israel has been redeemed by God as His own. What He chooses to do with Israel during times of disobedience does not negate that they are His people, purchased from among the nations.

As for the view from this mountain that He was taken to by the Traducer, it next says, “and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world.”

The word translated as “world” is kosmos. It is a word that is variously translated and understood. Context will determine what is being referred to. For example, in John 3:16, it mentions God’s love for the world. In that case, it refers to the people of the world.

HELPS Word Studies says of this word, “properly, an ‘ordered system’ (like the universe, creation); the world.” It is where our term cosmos is derived from which refers to the universe. It is also the root of cosmetics, a substance that treats the face as a whole in which women, in particular, apply stuff to it for various reasons, many of which men may or may not fully understand.

Strong’s defines the word as, “Decoration; by implication, the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively (morally).” As for this presentation of the world to Jesus, Luke’s gospel continues by saying it is “in a moment of time.”

In other words, a view of all of the nations was brought before Jesus in an instant. Again, this shows us that what is being seen is something supernatural in nature. This doesn’t mean it is not real, but it is on a level that transcends our normal understanding of how things work.

The book of Acts shows various dreams and visions of people, such as Peter, Paul, Cornelius, and Ananias. These things are not normal, and yet they actually occurred. Thus, there is a realm of understanding that the spiritual word contains and which can be revealed to man at times and for various reasons. As for these kingdoms, it next says, “and the glory of them.”

The temptation would be immense for any human. Israel was a tiny sliver of land, very barren and dry in many parts of it. There was subjugation by Romans, there were limited traditions, a set amount of wealth and diversity, and so forth.

Seeing all the peoples of the world, the immense palaces, harems filled with the choicest women, heaping amounts of various types of wealth, the adornments of cities and streets in an almost unlimited number of ways, etc., would be a tantalizing and unimaginable temptation to someone raised in Israel and who had hardly peeked beyond its border except when looking to the surrounding lands on clear days.

Life application: Jesus was given the chance to appease His natural cravings, something we all face in innumerable ways. He was given the chance to exalt Himself and be exalted by others. He was given the opportunity to receive all of the nations of the world without going through the tedium of an ongoing human life. And more, He could avoid the inevitable terrifying ordeal of the week of the Passion, culminating in the cross.

And yet, He was willing to go through those things rather than to enjoy the pleasures of this life in a way that would fail to honor His Father. We, too, must make many choices in our lives when temptations arise. Will we hold fast to what is good in God’s eyes, meaning what is morally correct, or will we compromise or fall to our weaknesses?

Let us endeavor to glorify God in all ways. When we fail, let us return our minds to the Lord, reconsider our ways, and live for Him through His strength and in His wisdom. This is the right and proper path. May it be so for each of us as we live in the presence of our great and glorious Creator throughout all our days.

Lord God, thank You that Jesus prevailed for us. He has done what we could never do. But now, in our times of weakness, we can trust that His strength will carry us through. Thank You for the promise of eternal life because of Jesus. Yes, O God. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.