Matthew 16 - 20
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MatthewSurvey of the New Testament: The Gospels & ActsWinter 2005 |
A transition takes place in chapter 16 [1]. The disciples are asked by Jesus who people say he is. Peter responds, “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God (16:16).” Jesus acknowledges this, and from here on Jesus begins to show his disciples He is the messiah-king, and what that means.
( Matthew 16:21 NASB ) From that time Jesus began to show 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 up on the third day
Now that the disciples know who he is and what his purpose is for the kingdom, He reveals more and more of his kingly state, promising in 16:28 that some would live to see him coming in His kingdom. This fulfilled in chapter 17, at the transfiguration when Peter , James and John see Jesus in his glory talking with Moses and Elijah . They had now seen the King in all His glory. The disciples were certain that the kingdom was certainly at hand (although not in the form they had expected). But Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about this until after He is risen from the dead. While the disciples were to see Jesus in His glory, it was not yet time to reveal Himself fully to the people, for he still had to suffer and die.
The disciples ask about Elijah , who was predicted in he Old Testament to precede the coming kingdom. While Jesus explains that John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah (17:12-13), more intriguing is that Jesus states that Elijah is also still to come. In this “Second Coming,” Elijah will restore all things. This matches with the concept of the “harvest” with the wheat and the tares, and the sorting of the fish with the great dragnet. But it also means that everything is not going to be restored with the first advent, and that the wheat and the tares are going to coexist for awhile longer in the kingdom.
The disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus responds in the fourth of five discourses in the book of Matthew . In this discourse, Jesus reveals that it is not the disciples or the religious leaders who will be the greatest, but those who are as humble as a child. The Father has such concern for children that anyone who causes a child to stumble will be condemned. Jesus illustrates this concern through the parable of the lost sheep, illustrating that God does not desire that any child become lost.
Jesus has just illustrated to the disciples the deep concern that God has for those who are lost and have gone astray. Then Jesus outlines the role that the disciples are to play for those who are caught in sin. Jesus outlines a three-step process in confronting others:
If a fellow believer has sinned, go and tell him, Jesus commands us to go by yourself, in a one on one discussion. There are two thoughts behind this one on one discussion. First, Jesus is telling us to be proactive. It means we take the initiative to deal with the issue. Secondly, Jesus is telling us to keep it private. If we keep the offense private, one on one, then if the person repents and says I'm sorry, the conflict is over.
Jesus states that if the person doesn't respond to the one-on-one, then go back, but this time bring some others with you. It is still not a public matter, however, and if the person repents, then those two or three people can be a witness to the change of heart and the matter is cleaned up.
If the person does not repent after the bringing witnesses, then the matter goes before the church. At that point, if there is no repentance, then Jesus says that the church should treat the offending party like a heathen. But this is the last stage. Long before we get to that stage, we need to be proactive about addressing sin when we see it in one another. We need to be private so that repentance and reconciliation can happen as easily as possible.
Right after Jesus outlines that process of confrontation, Peter asks Jesus a question.
( Matthew 18:21-22 NASB ) Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
It seems Peter isn't really asking a question, but is trying to demonstrate to Jesus that he is a truly forgiving person. The Pharisees taught that you only had to forgive three times. But Jesus response was amazing. It was beyond what Peter expected. Jesus says to forgive not merely three times like the religious leaders, nor merely seven times as suggested by Peter . Rather, Jesus says we are to forgive seventy times seven. Jesus is using this exaggeration to say to Peter and us that, we should forgive without limits, without counting, over and over and over.
To emphasize this teaching, Jesus tells a parable of man who had been forgiven much, but then refused to forgive one who had committed a minor offense. In a reminder of the Sermon on the Mount, it is the merciful who find God's mercy. The more we recognize the depths of our spiritual poverty and the heights of God's grace, the easier it is for us to forgive those around us.
This lesson regarding privilege in the kingdom didn't seem to get through to the disciples, and He again and again must remind them that the greatest in the kingdom is the least on the earth. He shows them first in 19:13-15 that it is the little children who belong to the kingdom of heaven.
In chapter 19:16ff, a rich young man asks Jesus what He must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus responds that He must sell all He has and give it to the poor. This is too difficult for the young man to do, leading to Jesus conclusion that “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 .” (19:24)
Peter responds to this by reminding Jesus that the disciples have indeed given up everything to follow Him (19:27). Jesus recognizes this sacrifice and tells them that in the coming kingdom, when Jesus is sitting on the throne, the disciples will sit upon thrones ruling over Israel , and that others who forsake all to follow Him would also gain a great reward. But it will probably surprise us as to who those people will be for “many who are first will be last, and the last shall be first.”
In other words, the people we expect to be the rulers in the kingdom will not be, and the lowly and disadvantaged will be. Humility seems to be the key to becoming great in the coming kingdom.
Jesus illustrates this in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. A landowner hires people to work all day in the field. Later in the day he hires more people to work so as to finish the task, including some hired in the 11 th hour. Yet when it comes time to pay the wages, those who work all day and those who work for just an hour all receive the same wages. This upsets those who had been working all day. But the landowner says he has been fair, for they earned what they had agreed to up front, and it is of no concern as to what he pays the others.
In the kingdom of heaven there will be those who are great in the kingdom who come to enter the kingdom late in the game. In the context of the book of Matthew , this is likely referring to the entrance of the Gentiles into the kingdom. The Jews always saw the kingdom belonging first to them, but Matthew has been building the case that due to the Jews rejection of the Messiah, the Gentiles now will gain an equal share in the coming kingdom.
But this same principle can apply to Christians today. We often are resentful of new people entering the church, gaining privilege and authority at our expense. There is a temptation for those who have been here since the beginning of time to expect that they should have more say and more influence. But that is not how the kingdom operates. Authority and influence belong to the humble, not those who think they deserve it. In the kingdom, the first shall be last and the last shall be first, and so it should be also in our churches.
Being first in the kingdom is not all its cracked up to be. When Jesus says the last shall be first, he is not just referring to a humble attitude, but as we have seen he is referring to those who are willing to give up all in order to follow Him.
Indeed, Jesus himself, who will be the very first in the coming kingdom, must also give up all to be first. Jesus shows this to his disciples in 20:17-19 when He predicts his arrest, death, and also resurrection.
So when the mother of James and John asks Jesus in 20:20ff that He would allow her sons to sit beside Him in the kingdom, He responds, “you do not know what you are asking.” To sit in glory next to Jesus requires the same sort of suffering and sacrifice that Jesus would face. To be great in the kingdom requires that you become a servant of all, just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve all through death on a cross (20:27).
This is the new leadership paradigm in Christ 's kingdom. Those who wish to be great are those who serve. Those who expect to be served will be those who are least in the kingdom. This is different than they way the world operates. This is a crucial element to understand regarding leadership in the church. If you wish to be a leader in the church, it begins by being a servant. If you are already a leader in the church, are you expecting others to serve you, or do you expect to be serving others. Within the kingdom, rank does not have its privileges, except the privilege of serving others.
Jesus has been careful to keep his identity as the king under wraps until chapter 21. Often when performing miracles, he would warn people not to spread the news of the miracle (8:4, 9:30). After Peter 's confession in chapter 16, Jesus warns the disciples not to tell anyone his true identity.
But now in chapter 21, Jesus approaches Jerusalem , and He is ready to reveal to the whole town that he is the King. He rides into the city on a donkey with the crowd shouting “Hosanna!” According to Matthew , this is the fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9:
( Matthew 21:5 NASB ) “'SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION , 'BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT , THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'”
After Jesus entered the temple, He arrived at the temple, only to find that the outer courtyard of the temple had been turned into a marketplace. This outer courtyard was the place reserved for the Gentiles and the children to worship, and their place had been invaded by these greedy moneychangers. Jesus clears out the temple and restores it to its original purpose.
Jesus is defending the rights of the Gentiles and the children. Is there any question why children were shouting in the temple “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (21:15). Jesus had restored their place of worship.
Needless to say, this enraged the chief priests. They had not only allowed the moneychangers into the temple, but were very likely given a cut of the profits. So they approach Jesus and ask him what gave him the right to enter the temple and toss out the moneychangers (21:23). Jesus turns this on them and asks them where John the Baptist received their authority. This was a trap, of course, and the chief priests can't answer.
Jesus uses this occasion to confront the religious leaders by telling three parables illustrating the Israel 's rejection of the Messiah.
A man asked his two sons to work in the vineyard. One refused, but then later regretted it and went to work in the vineyard. The second agreed to go, but then never went. Which one did the will of his father. The former represents the tax gatherers and the prostitutes who believe in John the Baptist, while the latter represents the religious leaders. Jesus ' point is:
( Matthew 21:31b) The tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.
A landowner prepares his vineyard and then hires a manager to care for it. At harvest time the owner sends his slaves to help with the harvest, but the manager killed the slaves. So the landowner sends his son, but the manager killed the son as well. Jesus asks what the landowner will do to the manager when he comes. His audience responded that the landowner will bring the manager to a “wretched end,” and give the vineyard to others. Jesus point is:
( Matthew 21:43) The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.
A king gave a wedding feast for his son. He sent out and invitation, but those who were invited refused to come. So the king sends out his servants to invite anyone of the street to come, both the evil and the good. However when one of the guests came without proper wedding attire. But how could a guest who came off the street be expected to be wearing proper attire? Such ones would have been given proper attire by the host, yet this one refused to wear the garment.
Jesus seem to be referring to Isaiah 61:10 [2]:
(Isaiah 61:10 NASB ) I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Jesus point is that the religious leaders have been invited to the wedding, but they refused to participate. So now the feast has been opened to the tax collectors, prostitutes, and the Gentiles
All three of these parables illustrate the religious leaders rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. All of this is in fulfillment of Psalm 18:22-23, which speaks of a stone rejected by the builders, that, to the amazement of all ends up become the cornerstone of God's work. Jesus has clearly communicated to his audience that because they have not accepted Him as the Messiah, that God would be removing them from the kingdom and giving it to the undesirables of the world.
The chief priests and Pharisees clearly understood Jesus meaning, and they sought to seize Him (21:45). However, they could not do so in front of the crowds, for they believed in Him. However, they did then seek to set traps for him so they could accuse Jesus of some wrong doing (22:15). However this strategy failed (22:46). However, they continued to plot as to how to seize Him when the crowds were not around so as to not start some public disturbance (26:3-5). Finally their break came when Judas Iscariot agreed to betray Jesus at the right opportunity (26:14-16).
In chapter 23 Jesus then lets all the stops out and He bluntly and publicly condemns the Pharisees and religious leaders for their hypocrisy, and their leading the nation astray. The condemnation comes in a group of eight “woes.” He concludes with the condemnation of the nation because of there rejection of the kingdom, stating that this judgment would come upon this very generation (23:36). However, Jesus does not delight in the condemnation, but regrets it. He longs for the nation to accept Him and for Him to gather them under His wings (23:37). But that is not to be, for Israel has rejected her King.
In chapter 24, Jesus and the disciples are admiring the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem . However, Jesus told them that it would not be long before the temple would be destroyed. That destruction would come as a result of the rejection of the King by the Jews. Later that day, at the Mount of Olives , the disciples ask Jesus two questions:
In the mind of the disciples, these are the same question. They are asking when will the fullness of the kingdom will come. Jesus has already alluded to a time when the wheat and tares would be harvested and the dragnet would separate the good fish from the bad. The disciples have discerned that at a yet future time the Messiah would return to usher in the full kingdom and would reign over the entire earth.
Jesus answer is the fifth of five of Matthew 's discourses [3], known as the Olivet Discourse. However, Jesus ' answer reveals to us that the disciples question has two separate answers. That is, the time of the temples destruction will not be the same as time as the end of the age [4].
When looking at the Olivet Discourse, one must recognize that Jesus is not giving us a full systematic theology of the end times. The study of the Olivet discourse is a study of biblical theology , as opposed to systematic theology .
Systematic theology tries to determine what the entire bible teaches on a particular subject area. To do this, we would have to compare the Olivet discourse to the Old Testament prophets such as Daniel and Ezekiel, Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 2 Thessalonians 2, and of course the book of Revelation.
Biblical theology looks only at what one biblical author says regarding a particular subject. For this study, we are looking only at Matthew 's eschatology. This is limited to Jesus answer to the specific questions asked of Him by the disciples: “when will the temple be torn down and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”
Jesus begins with a warning not to be misled. There will be many false signs. These false signs include:
These things will always take place and must not be seen as signs of the end of the age. Jesus is warning us against the danger of end time hysteria, which tends to paralyze the church from its primary mission. He reminds us that we must be about spreading the gospel of the kingdom to the entire world, for the end of the age will not come until that time. This is looking forward to the fulfillment of Jesus final command in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations, and reminds Matthew 's readers of the necessity of including the Gentiles in the church.
Jesus explains that the destruction of the temple will follow the abomination of desolation. The prophet Daniel ( Daniel 9:27) predicted the desecration of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes during the time of the Maccabean revolt. Jesus is saying that there will be a similar desecration prior to its destruction.
When this happens, Jesus warns the Jews to flee to the wilderness, for there would be a time of great tribulation for the Jews which surrounds the destruction of the temple. There will also be many false Messiah's rising up to lead the Jews against the Romans. But Jesus warns his listeners that these will indeed be false Messiah who will also be destroyed. These things are more imminent than the disciples might imagine, for Jesus warns them that this generation will not pass away until these things take place (vs. 34).
This is exactly what happens. Within 40 years of Jesus message, the Roman empire quashes a Jewish rebellion in what the historian Josephus calls “the Jewish War.” The Romans laid siege to Jerusalem , starving out the people. Then they entered the city, and desecrating and destroying the temple and abolishing the priesthood and the temple sacrifices. Many Jews fled to the wilderness, including some to the fortress of Masada , where the last remnants of the Jewish army committed suicide rather than be captured by the Romans.
Truly this was a time of tremendous tribulation for the Jews, and was a direct result of their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. But was this a time of “great tribulation” such as the world had never seen? Some see this “great tribulation” referring to the entire age between the temple's destruction and the second coming. Others believe that Jesus is “fast-forwarding” from the tribulation which surrounded the temple's destruction to a yet-future Great Tribulation corresponding to Revelation [5].
In either case Jesus seems to be making a transition to answering the disciples second question: what will be the sign of the end of the age? The answer to this question is, according to Blomberg, “'Don't worry, when it comes you won't miss it! [6]'”
When the Son of Man returns it will be readily apparent to all. It will be appear in the sky (24:30) and will be able to be seen by all, like lightening (24:27). There will be great astronomical events and the sun, moon will be darkened (24:29). Then he will appear in the sky, coming with power and might (24:30). The nations will tremble at his coming (24:30), for this time the Messiah comes to bring judgment. But He will also send forth his angels and gather his elect from the four corners of the earth (24:31).
But as to the exact timing of this event, no one knows, not even the Son of Man (vs. 37). He will come when he is least expected (vs. 44). Jesus then tells two parables with a single point. Because you do not know exactly when the end will come, you must be ready.
In the first parable there were 10 virgins awaiting the bridegroom. Five brought sufficient oil to keep their lamps lit all night. Five ran out of oil in their lamps, so they left to purchase more oil. The bridegroom came while the five were gone, and missed the wedding feast. (25:1-13)
( Matthew 25:13 NIV) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
In the second parable a master gave three of his slaves 5, 2, and 1 talents before leaving on a journey. The first two doubled their money before the master came back. The servant with 1 talent buried his talent in the ground. The master rewarded the first two, but he threw out the other servant.
When the kingdom comes, the King will separate the people like one separates the sheep from the goats. The criteria for judging the people will be the way they treated the poor and destitute.
( Matthew 25:40 NASB ) And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
This matches the concept of the harvest of the wheat and the tares and the great dragnet mentioned in chapter 13. Through these concepts, Matthew is explaining to the skeptical Jew that the messiah-king's first mission on the earth was not to establish an earthly kingdom. That will take place in the second coming of the messiah.
But if that is the case, then what was the first mission of the messiah-king? That is answered in the trial, death, and resurrection of the King.
As we enter the trial scenes with Jesus , we see his crime explained by Matthew as his very claim to the messiah kingship. In the first trial with Caiaphas and the Jewish elders, Caiaphas asks him flat out, “…tell us whether You are the Christ , the Son of God.” Jesus , in the plainest response culminates his manifestation and states, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven (16:63-64).”
As the Jews deliver him up to Pilate , the Roman governor, the same question is asked of him by Pilate : “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus responds again, “It is as you say (27:11).” Even when Pilate is looking for a way to release Jesus , the option he gives the crowd is between Barabbas or “ Jesus who is called Christ . (27:17)” While Pilate saw no real reason for ordering his crucifixion, he knew it was the envy of the Jewish leaders. So almost in spite, the crime listed above Jesus head on the cross states that his crime was “King of the Jews (27:37).” Jesus was finally recognized as the King, but in a manner no one had expected.
On the Sunday after His death, two women go to the tomb to finish the preparation of Jesus body. The body had to be hastily placed in the tomb on Friday, for the Sabbath was rapidly approaching. Now that the Sabbath was over, the women were going to finish preparing the body for burial. However, when they arrive an angels tells them the body is gone, for He is risen! They are told that Jesus was going ahead of them to Galilee , and that they must tell the disciples to meet them there. Later that day, Jesus appeared in Jerusalem to the disciples and told them to leave for Galilee where they would see Him again.
When they had arrived in Galilee , Jesus gave the disciples their final mission. Jesus had all authority now, and he could have ushered in the fullness of His kingdom at that point. But there was one final mission for the disciples: they were to make disciples of all the nations.
This is Matthew 's final explanation for why the King came, but the kingdom didn't come in its fullness. This is Matthew 's final apologetic for the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church. Because the coming of the full kingdom means judgment, Jesus is not yet ready for that. Instead, he desires first for all the nations to come to Him. Then, when that mission is accomplished, the kingdom will come.
Matthew writes to a Jewish audience, laying out his case that Jesus is the long promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. In proving this case, however, Matthew must also answer the question, “if Jesus is the King, where is the kingdom?” For the Jews had expected the Messiah would usher in a new and glorious kingdom, throwing of the oppression of other nations, establishing Israel as the dominant empire in the world, and ruling over a time of great peace and prosperity for not only Israel, but the entire world. If Jesus was the King, why was Israel still suffering under the rule of the Romans?
Matthew ahs answered this question by editing the words and deeds of Jesus into a comprehensive description of Jesus ' kingdom. What we discover about this kingdom surprised the Jewish believes of Matthew 's day and still surprises us to this day.
Jesus ' kingdom belongs not to the rich, powerful, religious or learned, but to the poor, weak, unrighteous and common people.
I struggle with that, for I am the former. I am an upper-middle class man, a college graduate, seminary trained, a leader in my church and in the business world, and a fairly moral person. But Jesus says this is not the type of person who will be great in His kingdom, and indeed, may not even make not even find entrance into the kingdom!
As a church, we should struggle with that, for we are a relatively wealthy church, with an above average education level, and we can tend to look at the world around us and become disgusted at the world's unrighteous lifestyle while ignoring our own lack of compassion.
Jesus tells us the drug-addicted, the homosexuals, and the homeless may actually be closer to the kingdom of heaven than the SUV-driving, Republican voting, church-attending, tithing conservative evangelical Christian. For the former is more likely to recognize their hopeless state, their inherent sinfulness and their desperate need for a savior.
What does it mean for us individually and as a church that the first shall be last and the last shall be first? What does it mean for us that it is the poor in spirit who will inherit the kingdom of heaven? What does it mean for us that those who offend us should be forgiven, over and over and over? What does it mean that the kingdom belongs to the children, the tax gatherers, the prostitutes, the sinners, and the Gentiles?
“Blessed is the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
May God grant to all of us such a humility that we might all become great in His kingdom.
