Matthew (Written)

Sunday, 17 November 2024

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12

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).

“You – rejoice and cavort, for your recompense – great in the heavens, for thus they pursued the prophets before you” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that His disciples were blessed when they were pursued for righteousness, and when all kinds of evil was spoken against them for Jesus’ sake. Now, He continues, saying, “You – rejoice and cavort.”

The word translated as cavort is a new and fun word, agalliaó. The literal meaning is “leap much,” coming from agan, much and hallomai, to gush, leap, or spring up. The single word in English that conveys the same meaning is cavort. Jesus tells his disciples that this should be their attitude when they are pursued for righteousness and defamed for His sake. Next, He says, “for your recompense – great in the heavens.”

The meaning is the future life when people are raised and rewarded according to their lives and actions. Jesus will repay every deed done in faith for His name. Nothing will go unrecompensed, and all accounts will be minutely settled according to the goodness of His grace. Understanding that, He closes the verse with, “for thus they pursued the prophets before you.”

The thought, naturally, that goes through people’s minds is one of comparison. “Billy Graham was such a great man of God. He will receive a great reward for what he did in his life.” So too, the people of Israel would have read the Book of Jeremiah and said, “Just look at all Jeremiah went through! He will receive a great reward at the resurrection.”

This is natural. The prophets of the past were hounded, pursued, and killed for their faithful adherence to the word of the Lord. And so, people would compare themselves and strive to be more like them in their minds and actions. Jesus comforted these disciples in advance, telling them that what was in store for them would likewise be rewarded when they were so hounded.

Life application: What Jesus said was to His disciples under the law and in anticipation of the coming dispensation of grace. However, it follows that the truth stated in His words would apply to anyone in this dispensation as well. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 3 where he details the rewards and losses that can be expected from the deeds of this life.

He also speaks of rewards several other times. God is carefully watching the things we do, and He will reward us according to our faith. Any deed, no matter how small it is, will receive its reward if it is done in faith. If it is not, no matter how big and grand it is, it will receive no reward.

Live your days for Jesus, be filled with the Spirit, and let your life be in close harmony with God at all times. When the opportunity arises, even in the smallest deed, do it in faith that your act will receive its just reward. It is for sure that you will.

Lord God, may our lives be dedicated to You at all times. Help us to remember to do what is right and to carry through with it, knowing that our labors here will not be in vain. Rather, You are watching, and You will reward according to Your great goodness. Thank You that we know for certain this is true. Amen.

Saturday, 16 November 2024

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Matthew 5:11

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).

“Blessed are you when they shall defame you, and they shall pursue, and they shall lay forth all evil utterance, falsifying because of Me” (CG).

The previous verse noted those pursued for righteousness’ sake, saying that theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Jesus’ words continue now with, “Blessed are you when they shall defame you.”

The word oneidizó, to defame, is introduced here. HELP Word Studies says, “properly, to disgrace (insult), reproach; mock (curse); insult, cast blame (create shame) – viewing someone (something) as culpably guilty and therefore deserving punishment.”

The reason for this defaming is not yet given, and so to continue, Jesus next says, “and they shall pursue.”

It is the same word introduced into the New Testament in the last verse and which is often translated as “persecute.” It is as if these people continually chase after you, never allowing you to rest and defaming you with every chance they can in the process. And yet, Jesus continues, saying, “and they shall lay forth all evil utterance.”

Most newer translations, based on a different source text, leave off the word rhéma, “utterance.” For example –

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” NIV

Either way, the thought is that of being constantly spoken against as evil in various ways. One can think of Paul in the Book of Acts, who was constantly hounded by the Jews who opposed him. They lied and manipulated in order to silence his message. This type of evil speaking actually cost Stephen his life in Acts 7. With that noted, Jesus next explains the context of these persecutions, while expanding on the previous clause, saying, “falsifying because of Me.”

It is another new word, pseudomai, to lie or speak falsely. These are direct attacks against an individual intended to cause harm to him. In fact, such accusations could bring charges and severe penalties depending on the situation.

Peter, in his first epistle, and maybe thinking of these words of Matthew, wrote similar words for his audience as well –

“If you are reproached [oneidizó] for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” 1 Peter 4:14

Life application: All of these things came upon Jesus, and so it is expected that they would come upon His followers as well. In the Christian Western world, there has been a large bubble of protection over believers as even governments supported the Christian cause.

Most of the dissensions didn’t come from outside but from within, such as the Protestant-Catholic wars and upheavals throughout the years. However, the tide has turned. Christians are now openly targeted by the ungodly, rabid left. They are accused of being the haters and usurpers of what is right.

This will not decrease. The persecution will grow to a fevered pitch if the Lord doesn’t return first. Churches will be targeted, pastors will be arrested for minor charges, and congregants will have their faith tested. It is no longer a question of “if” but of “when and to what degree.”

Folks need to be ready to either stand up for their faith or to walk away and hide cowardly from those who will no longer tolerate lights of righteousness in an ever-darkening world of wickedness.

Glorious God, we can see and read the writing on the wall. It is not unknown, and we don’t need a prophet to explain it to us. Rather, we can look around and clearly see that the world is becoming less tolerant of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Give us strength and wisdom to stand in this hour and boldly proclaim the word in a world that so desperately needs to hear it. Amen.

Friday, 15 November 2024

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

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).

“Blessed – those having been pursued for righteousness,
For theirs, it is, the kingdom of the heavens” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted the blessing of the pacificatory. Now, He continues with, “Blessed – those having been pursued for righteousness.”

The word translated as pursued, diókó, is introduced here. It signifies to put to flight, pursue, and so forth. For example, this is how it is used in Luke 17 –

“Then He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ And they will say to you, “Look here!” or “Look there!” Do not go after them or follow [diókó] them. ²⁴ For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.’” Luke 17:22-24

When one pursues another, it means he intends harm, embarrassment, etc. Think of the Pharisees pursuing Jesus from town to town to harm His ministry. Thus, it is a type of persecution. In this case, this is the only time the word is used in the perfect tense. The perfect tense signifies an action completed in the past but which has ongoing effects. They had persecuted, and the effects continue unabated.

The idea is that the person is willing to continue to undergo persecution even after his first ordeal. He doesn’t just proclaim righteousness and then quit when tough times come, but he continues on, slugging it out in his pursuit of what is right. Jesus says of this type, “For theirs, it is, the kingdom of the heavens.”

One must consider the context. There is right and there is right. Just because someone pursues a cause that is right in his eyes, women’s rights or the abolition of slavery, for example, doesn’t mean they will inherit the kingdoms of the heavens. Though noble in societies’ eyes, such a pursuit does not merit restoration with God.

If it did, it would mean that salvation was of self-works that came by self-motivation. But this is what liberal churches have taught for eons. Someone fights a noble cause, and his picture is hung up in a church as a hero of the Christian faith. Rather, what Jesus is referring to is someone like Noah or Lot –

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— ⁹ then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” 2 Peter 2:4-9

These men saw wickedness, knew that it was against the moral code of God, and they strove to set things in a proper way. Both are rewarded for their struggle against ungodliness. The people around them reveled in doing what was contrary to human morality as described in Romans 1. This is what the Lord is referring to. These were people of faith who proclaimed their faith, even when being pursued for it.

Life application: We need to make sure our moral compass is one that is properly aligned with Scripture. At the time this commentary is written, a presidential debate is going on in the United States.

People on the left say it is a noble cause to abort children, even until the moment of birth. They say it is a noble cause to have open borders and to give money to those coming in, while withholding money due to their own citizens. They say it is right and acceptable for society to pay for gender-changing surgeries on young children while denying the parents the right to protest. Are these morally in line with Scripture?

People on the right have made concessions to get more votes on many of these issues, but they are doing their best to keep the nation from devolving into the complete chaos that the other party would bring. The narrative of Genesis 6, which Jesus refers to in His own speeches, is coming.

The job of those who are pursued for righteousness is to vote for the most suitable party and then to work within that party, if elected, to continue to calm the uproar of wickedness from the inside. It is not to sit on one’s hands and say, “My vote doesn’t matter anyway.”

That is an easy copout, but as Billy Graham said, “Bad politicians are elected by good people who don’t vote.” If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. All must stand before God and explain why they did not pursue righteousness. It is true this is not an easy battle. Ground may be lost, but it can also be gained again.

Lord God, help us to understand our position in regard to moral issues. If we are not speaking against them, we are implicitly condoning them. May we not be afraid to stand up for what we believe when there is a clear violation of what You have set forth. Give us wisdom and fortitude in these things. Amen.

Thursday, 14 November 2024

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

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).

“Blessed – the pacificatory,
For they – sons of God – they will be called” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus referred to the pure of heart. Now He next says, “Blessed – the pacificatory.”

The word is found only here in Scripture, eirénopoios. It is an adjective coming from two words meaning “to make peace.” No translations, even the most literal, however, properly use an adjective form in their translation. However, the word pacificatory is such an adjective.

The word pacificatory signifies something that tends to promote peace or is conciliatory. It was first used in the late Middle Ages, somewhere around the late 1500s. It comes from the Latin word pācificātōrius.

The words of Jesus are taken to unintended and unhealthy extremes by liberal churches. This is not speaking of battle or intensely correcting wrongdoing. Jesus has done or will do both. He vigorously rebuked those who mistreated God’s word. He went into a tirade of sorts when He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and merchants in His Father’s house. He will return again and destroy vast armies coming against Israel.

This is not an all-out call for “peace, brother” like the hippies. It is exactly what the word means, to promote peace or make conciliation. Those who work to bring peace between God and man are the particular focus. There is a state of enmity between the two. Without that being restored through a right relationship with Him, there can be no peace.

Under the Old Covenant, Malachi gives a marvelous example of this. After rebuking the priests for their unholy conduct in the presence of the Lord, he says –

“He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And urge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3

Only after there is proper mediation between God and man can the offerings of righteousness be brought before the Lord. Jesus has done this in its fullest sense through the New Covenant. Now, those who work to reconcile others through the word concerning Jesus are the truly pacificatory. They are the peacemakers that are bringing about the kingdom, one soul at a time.

Of such, Jesus next says, “For they – sons of God – they will be called.” The term “sons of God” first goes back to Genesis 6 –

“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.” Genesis 6:1, 2

This is not referring to giants walking around with knurled brows and clubbed feet. It is a reference to the godly line of Seth which is then noted repeatedly through the rest of Scripture. It is those who live by faith in what God has done for His people. Job (Job 1:6 & 2:1) is called such a son.

Those who expend themselves in making peace, through reconciling men to God will, indeed, be called sons of God.

Life application: The sons of God in Genesis 6 is one of the many highly abused descriptors in Scripture. The reason for this comes down to a single word, sensationalism. And that leads to another matter, popularity and prosperity. By mishandling the word of God through sensationalism, people are thought of as great teachers because they have an ear-tingling message.

But there is nothing sensational about mishandling the word of God. Rather, we should pay attention to the surrounding context, understand the type and form of literature being presented, and then make our evaluations based on that. Such teachings are unpopular because they require hard work and diligent study, but they will show us the heart of God as we continue through the pages of Scripture.

If you want to know more about the sons of God, two sermons in particular from the Superior Word should be viewed: Genesis 6:1-4 (The Nephilim) and Deuteronomy 14:1, 2 (Sons of the Lord God).

Be sure to rightly handle the word of God, and also be sure to be pacificatory in your walk with the Lord. Tell others about the goodness of God in Christ Jesus.

Lord God, may it be our desire and yearning to pursue You through Your word properly at all times. Help us to maintain context, and to evaluate carefully the things that we are looking into. May this be to Your Glory. Amen.

Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

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).

“Blessed – the pure of heart,
For they – God they will see” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus referred to the compassionate, noting that they will be compassionated. Next, He turns to the first verse I ever memorized. It was on a refrigerator magnate, and I was probably about five. It begins with, “Blessed – the pure of heart.”

Jesus is probably referring to a Psalm of David where this thought is presented as ascending to the temple –

“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.” Psalm 24:3, 4

However, the psalm doesn’t explain how the heart is pure. Nor does Jesus address it now in the Beatitudes. This is the first use of kardia, heart, in the New Testament. One can immediately see the etymological root of our modern words such as cardiology, cardiac arrest, etc. But what is this referring to? HELPS Word Studies is a big help for our understanding –

“kardía – heart; ‘the affective center of our being’ and the capacity of moral preference … ‘desire-producer that makes us tick’ … i.e. our ‘desire-decisions’ that establish who we really are. … [it] is mentioned over 800 times in Scripture, but never referring to the literal physical pump that drives the blood. That is, ‘heart’ is only used figuratively (both in the OT and NT.]”

Moral preferences, then, give us a sense of the meaning. Are we morally geared towards the things of God or toward the things of the world? With that understood, how does one actually have his heart purified? The answer is, “To adjust our moral self to match what God expects of us.” However, more directly, the New Testament answer is, “Through faith.” That is seen several times in various ways –

“So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ⁹ and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:8, 9

“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8

In the last example, James is speaking to sinners. To become considered a non-sinner, one must come to God by faith. Only in Him is sin not imputed (2 Corinthians 5:19). When this occurs, our sins are no longer counted against us. Of those who have come to God by faith through Christ, Jesus next says, “For they – God they will see.”

God is Spirit. We will never actually “see” God. To see God in His fullness is not possible because He is infinite. The meaning of Jesus’ words, however, is clearly defined by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4 –

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

To behold Jesus is to behold God as He ceaselessly and eternally reveals Himself to us through Him. In Christ, Paul says elsewhere –

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19 20

To see Jesus is to see the fullness of who God is because in Him dwells the fullness of God. Jesus is the means by which we can see, know, and more fully understand the Creator.

Life application: A couple of days before typing this commentary, the “pope” claimed that all religions are a path back to God. He does not ask any to come to Christ, he tells them that following their path to destruction is ok, and he makes a mockery of what Jesus endured to reconcile us to God.

Don’t be led astray by false teachers and false prophets. If one person could come to God apart from Christ, it would render the purpose of the cross null and void. Jorge Mario Bergoglio will most likely have to stand before God at the Great White Throne, give an account for his faithlessness, and then be eternally consigned to the Lake of Fire because he lacks the faith to have his wicked heart purified.

Status, wealth, position, or fame will not get you to heaven. Only faith in Jesus Christ and His accomplished work will do so.

Lord God, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord who makes access to heaven possible through His shed blood. We glorify You for what You have done through the giving of Your Son. Now, with hearts purified, we may see You because we see His face. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.