Matthew: Protest of the King
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MatthewSurvey of the New Testament: The Gospels & ActsWinter 2005 |
[Previous: Proclaimation of the King] [Next: Preparaton by the King]
The ministry of Jesus has been to travel through all the cities and villages and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to heal people of their sicknesses. However, his ministry was limited, for he was only one man. When Jesus looked at the scope of His ministry and the great need, out of His compassion, He knew he would need to expand his ministry and to bring the gospel to the multitudes.
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:37-38)
Jesus gives the twelve disciples the authority to carry on the same ministry he had. They were to travel to all the cities and villages, proclaim the gospel and heal the people.
Matthew uses this occasion to introduce us to the names of the twelve disciples. We have already seen the call of the fishermen Peter , Andrew , James and John (4:18-22), and the call of Matthew himself (9:9), but now the remaining seven disciples are disclosed. The New Testament does not tell us much about any of these men. Only Peter and John have any significant role in the New Testament narrative after Christ 's ascension. Even though the disciples carry great authority, their ministry is clearly the ministry of Jesus, not their own.
Jesus tells the disciples to restrict their ministry to only the Jews. As the chosen people, Israel was to be afforded the first opportunity to hear and respond to the coming kingdom. This would not have been a surprising restriction for the disciples, and very likely they would have avoided and the Samaritan and Gentile cities anyway due to the prejudice of most Jews of that day.
Jesus also instructs them to travel light. They are to depend on the hospitality of others. This was intended so they could move more rapidly and minister in more cities. There is a sense of urgency in this command. If a city is not responding, they were to not waste their time, but to move on to another city.
Beginning in verse 16, it becomes apparent that Jesus is no longer speaking specifically of the immediate mission of the disciples, but is speaking of the larger mission which his disciples would pick up after his death, resurrection and ascension. Jesus begins speaking of persecution that the disciples would face where they would be handed over to Gentile governors and kings so that their ministry might expand to the Gentiles. We have no evidence that the disciples ever faced the kind of persecution which is predicted here. While certainly the disciples did not realize this at the time, Jesus is speaking about their ministry after his death, resurrection and ascension.
In the time between Christ 's ascension and the writing of Matthew , there arose such persecution by the Jewish religious leaders that most of the Jewish Christians had fled Jerusalem and had been scattered throughout Judea, Samaria and beyond. Furthermore, the persecution by the Roman Emperor Nero was just beginning at the time of Matthew 's writing. Matthew 's inclusion of Jesus prediction of the rejection of the gospel message would have been extremely relevant to Matthew 's readers. Likewise they have applicability to even modern disciples of Christ and provide a lesson for us today on what to expect as we continue to spread the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.
Whereas the immediate ministry of the disciples was to be limited to Israel , after His ascension, the ministry will expand to the Gentiles (10:18). While the ministry has expanded to the Gentiles, the mission to the Jews will not have ended (10:23).
The disciples will face rejection and persecution. This is inevitable because Jesus himself will be rejected, and “a disciples is not above his teacher” (10:24-25). Jesus instructs his disciples to draw a balance between being wary and on guard (10:17) and not worrying (10:19), for it is the Holy Spirit who will guide them (10:29).
Even though His disciples will face persecution and rejection, Jesus assures them that it is worth the price. True disciples of Jesus need not fear man, for they can only kill the body and not the soul. In words which would have been a great comfort to the Christians of the time of Matthew 's writing, even in the midst of hostility, God cares and values His disciples. When facing the hostility, the proper reaction of a disciple is not to fear man but to trust in the compassion of God.
But why would Jesus ministry bring such a strong reaction? Because the gospel is a polarizing message. While the gospel might bring peace to the individual, it will not bring peace to society. In fact, the gospel will split families (10:34-39).
But Jesus assures them, that even in the midst of the persecution they would face, discipleship is worth it due to the rewards of a accepting Christ and proclaiming His gospel (10:40-42).
Up to this point in the book of Matthew Jesus and His disciples have not faced the persecution he predicts. But it doesn't take long for the rejection to enter into full swing. It begins in chapter 11 with the arrest of the forerunner of Jesus , John the Baptist.
Evidently John the Baptist has entertained doubts about Jesus being the Messiah. If Jesus was indeed the Messiah, how could have the Messiah allowed him to be arrested? Why hadn't Jesus demonstrated his authority by breaking John out of prison? [3] Jesus tells John 's disciples that proof that He is the Messiah would not come from a jail break, but comes through the ministry of healing (11:5-6).
Jesus then gives high praise to John the Baptist, declaring that he is the greatest person who has been born (11:11). But not all have accepted the message of John the Baptist. Many rejected his ministry, for he was kind of a strange prophet, living an ascetic life in the wilderness. Yet these same people who reject John because of his austere life would also be the people who reject Jesus for his eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners. For this reason Jesus likens this generation to fickle children who can't make up their minds as to what they want (11:16-19).
We discover now that not every city has been accepting of Jesus ministry (11:20). Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum have all been witness to the miracles of Jesus , but they had not repented. They have had the chance to accept Jesus as the King, but they have rejected him. They have been given ample proof and more signs of his Kingship. Jesus declares that if the most famous evil Gentiles (i.e. Tyre , Sidon , & Sodom ) in history had seen these signs, they would have repented (11:20-24)
Jesus , then, in a prayer to His father, praises God that the gospel of the kingdom would be understood by the simple and the infants. However, those who in their arrogance believe themselves to be wise and intelligent will have the truth of the gospel hidden from them (11:25). It is not that God is purposefully hiding the gospel from the wise, but their arrogance itself will blind them.
Jesus message of forgiveness is not burdensome like the legalistic message of the Pharisees (11:28-30). For those who humbly accept the message of Jesus , they will find rest.
It is these arrogant, intelligent, self-righteous men who will lead the rejection of Jesus ministry. It begins by condemning Jesus for breaking, not the Mosaic law, but their legalistic interpretation and application of the law.
The Pharisees charge Jesus and his disciples of breaking the Sabbath, for they have been casually picking off heads of grain in the field and eating it on a Sabbath day (12:1-2). This would have been interpreted as “working” on the Sabbath and therefore violating their oral traditions.
Jesus answers the charge, first through his words and then through his actions. Jesus uses the Old Testament to show how allowances are made for working on the Sabbath day, for even the priests are allowed to work on the Sabbath in order to accomplish something greater, that is, the giving of temple sacrifices on the Sabbath (12:5-6). If the sacrifices are more important than the Sabbath regulations, then certainly showing compassion is more important than Sabbath regulations, for the Old Testament says, “I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice” (12:7).
Jesus then illustrates this point by going into the synagogue and finding a man with a withered hand. Jesus then blatantly “breaks” the Sabbath by healing the man. Jesus is demonstrating His point that compassion should always be the driving force in our life, not blind adherence to regulations.
This message does not go over well with the Pharisees, who from this point decide to plot Jesus destruction (12:14). The Pharisees have rejected Jesus as the Messiah for He does not subscribe to their brand of religion. He is a Sabbath-breaker who blatantly disregards their interpretation of the Law. Obviously this could not be the Messiah! The Jewish religious leaders had rejected their own King.
Because Israel had rejected their king, in fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah, the kingdom would now be withdrawn from Israel alone and opened up to the Gentiles (12:17-21). Matthew is using this incident to explain to his readers why the Christian church was being infiltrated by so many Gentiles. By AD 60, the Jewish influence in the church was waning as more and more Gentiles joined the faith. This was cause for great concern among the Jewish Christians who would be Matthew 's primary audience. Matthew points out that it was the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by Israel which opened the door to the kingdom to the Gentiles, and that this should be seen as an exciting event long ago predicted by the prophets.
Jesus would not only be rejected as King, but furthermore He would be accused of being Satan himself. As what seemed to be a routine event, Jesus miraculously casts out a demon who had caused a man to become blind and mute (12:22). The Pharisees state that the only reason Jesus has the power to cast out demons is because he is Beelzebub (another name for Satan ) and is therefore the ruler of the demons.
Jesus answers the charge by showing the illogic of such an argument. Why would the ruler of demons cast out demons? A house divided against itself can not stand, so why would Satan fight against his own demons?
This is the ultimate rejection of Jesus . The Pharisees have turned their back on Jesus , rejecting Him as their king and instead perceiving Him as being the very antithesis of everything good. For Jesus this is the ultimate sin. This, in fact is blasphemy to the Holy Spirit who leads people into truth, and to blaspheme the Spirit is unforgivable.
Too much has been made of trying to identify the “unforgivable sin.” From the context it is clear. The rejection of Jesus as Messiah and the accusation that He is not of God but of Satan is the unforgivable sin. One can not be forgiven if they rejected the forgiver. One can not be saved if they reject the savior.
The Pharisees have been shown miraculous evidence that Jesus is the Messiah-King, and because Jesus didn't fit their idea of what the Messiah should be, they have reinterpreted the evidence and rejected Him. Jesus states that the Gentile city of Nineveh and the Gentile Queen of Sheba repented and followed God without any miracles or proof (12:39-42). However, the miraculous proof He offered was rejected by the very nation who should have recognized Him.
Matthew then inserts an incident into the narrative where Jesus ' family is trying to see Him (12:46-50). Jesus responds by saying that His family consists not of the people related to Him by blood, but all those who accept Him as the Messiah. Jesus is not rejecting His family. Rather he is stating that the kingdom is not made up of people related by blood. Being a Jew is not sufficient to enter the kingdom. Entrance into the kingdom comes by acceptance of and obedience to the King. Jesus is opening the gospel to all who believe, both the Jew and the Gentile.
By now the followers of Jesus must be wondering what kind of kingdom Jesus is planning on ushering in. This kingdom is nothing like what they had imagined. This kingdom will not include the religious leaders but the spiritually bankrupt. This kingdom will not be an exclusively Jewish kingdom, but will include Gentiles. Furthermore Jesus doesn't seem to be interested in a military or political reign, for he hasn't made any plans to rescue his cousin and chief promoter, John the Baptist from prison.
Therefore Matthew explains to his readers the nature of Jesus kingdom in chapter 13 by including Jesus ' kingdom parables. These parables are designed to answer the question Matthew 's Jewish audience must be asking: if Jesus is the King, where's the kingdom. The parables will answer this question by defining the nature and make-up of the kingdom.
However, Jesus is no longer teaching plainly about the kingdom. Because of the rejection of the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus is now primarily teaching his disciples through the use of parables.
When the disciples ask Jesus why He is now speaking in parables, Jesus states it is so the disciples will be able to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, while the multitudes won't. However, it is not the parables themselves which conceal the truth, for Jesus ' opponents often understand the meaning of His parables ( Matthew 21:45-46). Rather, Jesus understands that parables are a form of rhetoric which polarizes the response. The point of a parable boils down the lesson to the point where one can only accept or reject Jesus statements. Indeed, the hearing and understanding of the kingdom which Jesus is referring to in 13:33-34, then, are not an intellectual understanding, but an acceptance of that mystery by the will. [4]
The first parable is an explanation of why Jesus is speaking in parables. The gospel of the kingdom will create different responses in different people. There are four basic responses to the gospel:
Contrary to what the disciples may have been expecting, the Messianic kingdom will not be attractive to everyone. Not everyone will necessarily believe. Jesus is likening the seed thrown on hard ground to the Pharisees who have blatantly rejected the message of the kingdom due to their hard hearts. But Jesus is also warning the disciples that when persecution hits or the demands of the kingdom become to great, many of the multitude which are now eagerly following Jesus will fall away.
But for the few who accept the kingdom, they will result in a great harvest of up to a hundred fold. The kingdom will start with a few, but will soon grow far beyond what should be expected of such a modest start.
The sons of the kingdom will coexist with the “tares” for a time. At the harvest they will be separated. Those who reject the kingdom will live in the midst of those who accept it, and it may not even be easy to tell those who are in and those who are out of the kingdom.
This would be in contrast to the belief the messianic kingdom would eliminate all evil. Jesus is telling them that there will be a time period within this kingdom where this coexistence takes place. However later, a “harvest” will come that will separate the tares from the wheat and “the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.”
Jesus is introducing an important concept about His kingdom: His kingdom will arrive in stages. His kingdom is here now, but His kingdom also has not yet completely come. The kingdom is indeed at hand but, in the initial stage the wheat and tares are going to be side by side. A second stage of the kingdom will come later, with the tares being destroyed while the righteous will “shine forth as the sun.”
The kingdom will start small. It will not be a great political and social movement that quickly overcomes. Rather, it will be a small beginning, barely even noticeable. This is in contrast to the belief that the messianic kingdom would be a great political/military/social uprising that would defeat through great power. But in time this small start would grow large and have a large influence in the world.
There will be a cost to being part of this kingdom. But those who understand the value of the kingdom, they will be willing to pay the cost. Two primary principles are taught about the kingdom here: 1) the kingdom is a great treasure, but 2) there will be a cost to the kingdom.
Like the parable of the wheat and the tares, Jesus is emphasizing that good and evil persons will coexist in this kingdom, and that in the end they will be separated. In this parable, however, Jesus does not mention the “now” portion of the kingdom where the wheat and tears dwell together.
When Jesus finished with the kingdom parables, he returned to his hometown of Nazareth to teach. The people there are amazed at Jesus , for they remember him as Joseph the carpenter's son, and became offended. As result of their rejection Jesus refused to do any miracles in Nazareth .
After Nazareth , the opposition to the kingdom of heaven reaches a new low as John the Baptist is killed as a result of an ill advised promise by King Herod to his wife's daughter. When Jesus was informed of John 's death, he clearly becomes troubled and seeks to find seclusion by traveling by boat.
While the kingdom has met a significant set back, the work of the kingdom must go on. While clearly Jesus was seeking some seclusion and a chance to grieve the loss of John , when he arrives he discovers that the crowds have followed Him and are waiting for Him to minister to them when He gets off the boat.
In chapter 12, when Jesus was condemned by the Pharisees for breaking the Sabbath, he countered their accusation by stating that compassion was more important than the Sabbath. Now, at a time when Jesus clearly needs a Sabbath rest, He is tested to see if indeed He will abide by that value. Of course, Jesus takes compassion n the people and heals their sick, delaying his time of rest.
Even in the midst of great opposition, Jesus does not allow the rejection and hardship interfere with His primary ministry of compassion. Matthew 's audience would have understood the opposition Jesus faced, having very likely dealt with the execution of friends and fellow believers. Matthew 's example of Jesus reminds his readers and us that ministry does not stop when opposition comes, for compassion for the lost is paramount in kingdom living.
Nonetheless the opposition of Jesus only intensifies. In chapter 15 the Pharisees object when the disciples do not keep the tradition of hand washing before they eat. This is not a concern for the disciples hygiene, but rather a condemnation of Jesus and his disciples unwillingness to abide by their understanding of the law.
Jesus rebukes them for using their traditions to ignore the greater things of the law. He condemns those Pharisees who pledge money to God and then refuse to take care of their aged parents. While such religious actions might make them appear righteous, their disregard for their parents is blatant disobedience to God's law. Jesus then states the principle that it is not the food we eat or the manners we use which defile us, but what comes from the heart. If our heart is right, the outward actions will take care of itself. But if we concentrate on external matters without a change of heart, we become as hypocritical as these Pharisees.
The disciples stand amazed that Jesus would be so blunt with the Pharisees. Surely he didn't realize that what he was saying would not go over well. So the disciples tell Him later, “do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement.”
The Pharisees again have demonstrated their rejection of Jesus as the King. As a result, we see Jesus begin to shift His ministry away from the nation of Israel to the Gentiles.
We have already seen Jesus perform miracles for a Gentile. In fact, not just any Gentile, but Jesus has performed a miracle for a Roman centurion. This most hated of Gentiles was a commander in the occupying army. There were very few people hated by the Jews as much as a Roman solider.
So it is with great shock that Jesus states that He has not found anyone in Israel with the Centurion's level of faith. With this statement of Gentile faith, Jesus proclaims that many Gentiles will be part of the kingdom, and that many Jews will not! (8:10-13).
Back in chapter 15, Jesus moves his ministry to the Gentiles, traveling out of Israel to Tyre and Sidon . Here a Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Jesus proclaims that He was sent to Israel , not to the Gentiles. But this woman understands that Israel 's responsibility was to be a kingdom of priests to the world, and that, as part of the Abrahamic covenant, all the world would be blessed through Israel . So she responds, “even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table.” Jesus is impressed by her faith and heals her daughter.
Jesus then travels to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee , to a Gentile region. There he continued to heal the sick. The Gentile crowds were amazed at His miracles. The Jews saw Jesus perform the same type of miracles, and they chose to attribute those miracles to Satan . The Gentiles observe the miracles, and Matthew tells us that they “glorified the God of Israel.”
Matthew is again showing how the spreading of the gospel to the Gentiles was a large part of Jesus ministry. Secondly, it is only because Israel rejected their King that Jesus took His ministry to the Gentiles. The Jewish Christians in Matthew 's day were struggling with the increasing influence of Gentiles in the church. But Matthew is illustrating that it is only because Israel failed to recognize Jesus that the Gentiles were being included in the kingdom. But since Israel gave up on the kingdom as Jesus described it, Jesus was offering the kingdom to the Gentiles.
The Gentiles opportunity for the kingdom was a long term ramification of the Jewish leadership's rejection of Jesus as king. Nonetheless, there were also immediate ramifications to the nature of Jesus ministry as a result of this rejection.
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