ResponsiveReiding

rom Matthew 5:31-32 / Divorce – Divorce is ugly. Always. And while not everyone who is divorced has sinned in doing so, there is no such thing as divorce without sin on behalf of one or both parties. Some absolutize a passage like Malachi 2:16 where God says “I hate divorce” (NASB) to such a degree, that they virtually create a new unpardonable sin. In the process, they fail to recognize passages like Jeremiah 3:8 where God declares that He Himself sent Israel away with a decree of divorce. And certainly He did not sin in doing so. Divorce is ultimately a complex issue in the Scriptures, and it is not meant to be easy on any account. The debates about divorce and remarriage in Jesus’ day were hot, and raged mainly between 2 schools. One side argued that divorce was always wrong. Period. The other, said divorce was legitimate given certain grounds – like adultery. Sadly, the second group also had a contingent that allowed a man to divorce his wife and remarry for almost any grounds at all. In the end, divorce always includes one or both parties acting faithlessly against the covenant of marriage itself. As for this portion, questions arise over the statement that one who divorces a wife who has committed no sexual immorality makes her commit adultery. 2 main explanations are that exemplified by Lenski where he argues that the man who divorces his wife un-lawfully makes it look like she is an adultress – he stigmatizes her horribly. It becomes a false witness. John Holland in the NIGCT poses that by virtue of his having divorced her without Biblical warrant, they are in effect still married and so she is unwillingly drawn into his adultery (in a new marriage) and a partaker of adultery herself. Like splashed by a passing car through no fault of one’s own – one is still soiled, tho not culpable. In any event, divorce always includes this element: one or both parties breaking the marriage covenant, and acting unfaithfully. And why is that so heinous? Because as marriage is meant to display the relationship between Christ and His Church, he is ever faithful. Always faithful. He is a God, who never breaks His covenant promises. He always and ever remains true. And that is why every Believer can trust Him to keep every promise and remain ever faithful to us no matter what. Divorce makes it look like He may be unfaithful too. And that, is a slander upon our God and Christ. God’s divorce of Israel was due to her unfaithfulness, not His. What He hates, is unfaithfulness. For in His image bearers, unfaithfulness lies about Him.

From Matthew 5:27-30 / The Problem with Sin – The lead in to the six statements of vss. 21-48 – each one headed by “you have heard it said” or its equivalent – is Jesus’ words in vs. 20 that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. It is then end capped by vs. 48 – that the bottom line is that to be accepted by God based upon our own righteousness – it would take being as perfect as God Himself. All along Jesus is showing the impossibility of the necessary standard. And thus He also exposes the hypocrisy of any who imagine themselves righteous enough to be approved by God, in and of themselves. While in the first example, Jesus’ shows that the root of murder – hatred – is the real issue, not mere behavioral and mechanical obedience, this second case moves it even further. As J.C. Ryle notes: [Jesus] “shows us that the law, as expounded by Him, was a far more spiritual and heart-searching rule than most of the Jews supposed.” And let me borrow from Ryle here a set of important and useful takeaways from all of it.

1st., this entire section “teaches us the exceeding holiness of God.”

2nd., “It teaches us the exceeding ignorance of man in spiritual things.”

3rd., “It teaches us our exceeding need of the Lord Jesus Christ’s atoning blood to save us.”

4th., “this passage teaches us the exceeding importance of avoiding all occasions of sin.”

I cannot agree more. Over the years I’ve heard many proclaim that the way to live is to follow the Sermon on The Mount – but I’ve been left wondering if they have ever really understood it. If they did, they would realize how it is Christ expounds a standard of righteousness and holiness so beyond our grasp, that nothing short of the supernatural work of the triune God in sending Jesus Christ as our sin-bearer, to be received by faith, and the imputation of HIS righteousness to us can suffice to reconcile us to God. As Proverbs 27:22 reminds us, you can crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle, but his folly can’t be separated out. Our sin is so systemic and endemic, so native to us, only the miraculous saving work of Jesus can make the fundamental change in our nature necessary. Sin is so all pervasive and inbred. But praise God, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” What a wonderful Savior!

From Matthew 5:21-26 / Exceeding Righteousness – Having just told us that the righteousness we must have needs to exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus then goes to explain what He means by it. It is not be found in following the mere letter of God’s Law. It must go into the very heart of man at the deepest level, and call out of Him the very righteousness of God, which can come only from God Himself. Even the simplest, most normal of human reactions and responses must be weighed by God’s standard. Nothing will be overlooked. Hence He shows that the kind of name-calling He is addressing is that which comes out of personal animus. It is not that we cannot call out foolishness and fools when we see them, but those judgments must come from personal disinterest. When it is human aggression and a personal attack, it is sin. In today’s social media and internet climate, scorning others has become a way of life. We walk around perpetually angry with others, flinging insults and invectives everywhere we go and denominating everyone a fool who does not agree with us on anything. Father, deliver us! And I have to say, I’ve not let this well inform my own soul in terms of how it emphasizes the dignity of all mankind as made in the image of God. How quick I am to disparage those who do foolish and stupid things. How quick I am to disdain them inwardly, even if I restrain myself outwardly. It is a sin. It is a failure to grasp just how precious all souls are in the mind of God. And how I need to regard them as such, value them as such and grieve at how the Fall may have damaged them, considering afresh how it has damaged me. Father, forgive me. There is nothing wrong with calling out error and saying “you’re wrong.” There is something wrong with defaulting to things like “you’re and idiot”, or a “moron” or a “fool.” Especially in terms of personal anger. Those too, are made in the image of God. And so we consider how He treats us in our foolishness. With infinite restraint. Thank you Jesus.

From Matthew 5:17-20 / Something Old, Something New – Verse 17 is an astounding statement Jesus; one which is of vital importance. He is at one and the same time showing that there is no disconnect between His ministry and the Old Covenant revelation- but also, that it is not a mere continuation of it. Indeed, later, Jesus Himself will inaugurate the New Covenant in the Last Supper. But there is a radical TRANSITION which must be reckoned with. What is evident is that something in His teaching this way is so radically different from what they already knew, that He has to qualify what is being said by this statement. It is in defining the precise nature of the relationship between the two which is at the heart of so much confusion and division within the Church. How did Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets? In at least these 3 ways. 1. He obeyed all on our behalf – out of pure, holy desire. He fulfilled its REQUIREMENTS. 2. He fulfilled all that it typed and foreshadowed. He fulfilled all of its PROPHECIES. 3. He fulfilled its punishments on our behalf. He suffered in our place on the cross. He fulfilled all of its PENALTIES. In other words, all that was and is foreshadowed in the OC constructs, must be entirely fulfilled and completed in Christ. Every aspect down to the tiniest particle must be fulfilled (for they were not the substance but the shadow) and all in Him and Him alone. Therefore, the Old cannot simply be thrown away; instead we must see it, understand it and teach it as it relates to Christ. If we fail in this, we miss everything. We don’t teach the Old Covenant as mere precepts in themselves, but as revelations of Jesus. To do any less (i.e. to teach them as mere precepts) will bring us into judgment. Only as this leads us to and opens Christ to us, can our righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees. For they are experts in mechanical obedience. And something far greater is needed – infinitely greater has come. Anywhere we reduce the Law’s demands, we make less of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. But praise God, He had indeed fulfilled all for us!

From Matthew 5:13-16 / Salt and Light – We must connect these verses with those which come directly before. In that context, in order to be salt and light – one must uncompromisingly live as those who know their blessedness does not come from this world – but rests in their being citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. Note that salt loses its “saltiness” in only one way – mixture with other things. Salt crystals never lose their essential property. But when salt becomes mixed with other substances, the salt no longer can do its work. The question is, what are we mixing with our devotion to Christ? Politics? Pleasure? Success? When we value what the world values; when we fear what the world fears; when we reason the way the world reasons – we lose our saltiness. We no longer cleanse and preserve. Note secondly that God is light and life. All things left to themselves are decay and darkness. As His, Christians bring His light and life-giving presence into this world. We are this way because He is this way. He alone stands contrary to sin’s entropy. He alone brings light. Apart from Him – all is darkness and deconstructing chaos. We cannot bring light into the world apart from exposing Christ for who and what He is, His work and His purposes. We must be ever about the business of making Him known in the proclamation of His person and work, and in living by the power of the Holy Spirit so that His life is manifested through us. What a high and precious calling He has granted those who are His by faith. Heavenly Father, fill us afresh today that we might know Jesus, and make Him known. Amy we, in all we say, think and do, preach Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

From Matthew 5:1-11 / The Beatitudes – 3 things to note: a. The eschatological nature of the blessedness in each case here: “shall” is the underlying reality of the Kingdom. I am blessed now, as I look forward to what “shall be” in the fullness of the Kingdom. Keep looking forward and fixing your hope there – not here. b. Jesus did NOT say (as is commonly taught by some) that the poor in spirit, or those who mourn are blessed BECAUSE they are in such condition – but rather that such conditions are not antithetical to the true blessedness which comes from being a citizen of the Kingdom. This flew in the face of a theological tradition which positively equated external blessings with assurance of God’s favor (spiritually) and external hardships as evidence of sin and divine disfavor. The Law of Moses did indeed promise external blessings as a fruit of obedience. But as Israel’s history shows and the prophets constantly revealed – God was never pleased with mere external obedience, rewarding it with Pavlovian treats. When their hearts were far from Him, irrespective of their ceremonial scrupulousness, He rebuked them. God’s external blessings were often poured out and sustained in the very face of Israel’s gross disobedience. Such mercy is meant to lead to repentance (Rom. 2:4) – to the revelation that God does not anger easily and favors very quickly. Here in this sermon, Jesus clears up the mystery once and for all. Blessedness itself is not located in the external. Externals sometimes reflect chastening (when negative), but more often than not – mercy and grace. There is not a one-for-one inverse correspondence which allows us to automatically read external blessings as God being pleased with us – or hardships as His necessarily being displeased, on a personal scale. Other dynamics are at work. Daniel was in captivity not due to his own sins primarily (he was not perfect), but those of his nation and forefathers. He suffered with them as part of them, though not a partaker in their deviance from God. We are to locate our sense of blessedness in being Christ’s. Being reconciled to God by His blood. Being washed from our sins and guilt – forgiven. In the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In anticipation of the fullness of the Kingdom. In this light, blessed are we – no matter what we may be enduring. c. Note too how the character of God in Christ is so wonderfully revealed here:

1. There is no ego in God. Jesus did not think His equality with the Father as something to be latched on to. He was poor in spirit.

2. God mourns our sinfulness. Yes there is anger. Yes there is holy judgment. But oh how there is a grief over our sin and what it has done to us.

3. Who is more meek and humble than Jesus, totally surrendered to the Father’s will, and never thrusting Himself forward to be over others?

4. Note the sole appetite in God for holiness. He has no taste for sin, and yearns for it in us.

5. How He is compassionate toward us in our suffering the results of our own sin. Merciful!

6. He is absolutely pure in heart. There is no darkness in Him at all.

7. He makes peace with Himself for us, at the immeasurable cost of His Son.

8. There is none so falsely accused, misunderstood and blamed as the truthful, radiant, ever sinless God. He has been persecuted for righteousness since the Fall, the apex of which is found in the cross.

From Matthew 5:1-7:29 The Sermon on The Mount – Jesus’ exposition of The Father.

While we could take each individual portion and expand upon them endlessly, let me try to give you a digest of the sermon in one take, as it would be meant to be heard on one occasion. In this view, I contend the sermon can be seen as an exposition of God the Father in His glory by The Son. Christian, this is His goal in all He saves, that we might once again bear this image, so perfectly shone forth in Jesus Christ. Christian – what a blessed call! So He begins:

5:1-12 / Be BLESSED – God is a BLESSING God. Repeated 9x’s over just at the beginning!

5:13-16 / Be EFFECTIVE – God is LIFE and LIGHT in the face of DARKNESS and DEATH.

5:17-20 / Be HOLY – God is HOLY, not without perfect conformity to His own nature. He is not arbitrary. Know His nature and you will know His ways. He is what He is – without defect or discord or imbalance (nothing missing or overstressed) or shadow.

5:21-48 / Be PERFECT (Loving) – God is PERFECT in love toward us.

Murder: God is not a God of hatred – God is love.

Adultery: He is not driven but controlled and purposeful.

Divorce: He is not unfaithful in any way.

Oaths: God cannot lie. He IS truth.

Retribution: He is not personally retributive only JUST.

Enemies: He loves His enemies. How much more His children?

6:1-24 / Be the Slave of only ONE Master – God is not torn, He serves His holy nature ALONE.

Alms: He is anonymously providing for the masses at all times in Providential beneficence.

Prayer: He is the rewarder of those who seek Him and delights in intimacy with Him.

Forgiving: He is a forgiving God. Easily and repeatedly.

Fasting: He willingly denies Himself certain rights for our good.

Treasure: He treasures us – not things.

Judgment: He is never skewed in His dealings with us – but wholly pure, merciful, sympathetic and gentle.

Dogs: He is not indiscriminate or promiscuous. He gives Himself to His own, but not to everyone the same.

Ask: He delights to give – and that, most – Himself.

Golden rule: He treats us with dignity and justice and compassion and generosity and goodness. Seeking us out even in our sin.

Gate: He provides a way to Himself, distinguishable from all the world.

Fruit: He is all sustaining and refreshing and satisfying.

Lord, Lord: He cannot be fooled.

Rock: He makes His truth known for our good.

So –

6:25-34 / Be CONFIDENT in the Father’s love

7:1-5 / Be full of MERCY

7:6 / Be DISCERNING

7:7-12 / Be LOVING

7:13-23 / Be ENTERING

7:24-27 / Be HEARING

From Matthew 4:23-25 / Jesus’ Ministry – 2 things are of note here in this brief description of Jesus’ ministry. First, it was 3-fold in nature. a. He focused upon Teaching: People need not only declaration, they need instruction and demonstration. How to rightly apply and implement the Word of God in our lives is as essential as hearing the Word itself. b. Preaching. People need not only good instruction, they need to be called upon to respond rightly to the authority of God’s Word. They need to be exhorted. And in this case, the preaching of Jesus centered on the declaration of His coming Kingdom. That it had burst in upon them and was now in process. There is no salvation apart from treason against this present world system and the serving of self – in order to serve Christ the King and His purposes. c. Healing: People need to know the truth of God’s Word, to be called upon to follow Him with authority and to see the Spirit of God in action within us – through us. They need to experience the mercy, compassion and goodness of God as a foretaste of the coming Kingdom. Jesus had power to manifest a glorious taste of what His kingdom would be like when it arrives in full. And in that day, every last vestige of sin’s effects will be once and for all eradicated. Come quickly Lord Jesus! Secondly, contrary to many representations of Jesus, He was NOT anti-establishment. He did not plant churches, nor abandon the one that was so broken. He preached and taught within the synagogue, as well as privately and in the open. He taught openly in the Temple. It has been popular at times to cast Jesus as a revolutionary and a firebrand after a political sort. But the facts do not support such a notion. He remained within the Judaism of His day, while manifesting the true religion and service of God at the same time. He was fulfilling what ought to have been. But when Judaism at last expelled Christ and Christianity, the worship of God in Spirit and in Truth, the “Church” made up of believing Jews and Gentiles rose as birthed out of the dead carcass of the Judaism of old.

From Matthew 4:18-22 / Finding the Ordinary – It can be a bit trite and unfair when we hear some give their testimony saying something like “I found the Lord” – and we pedantically correct them with something like: “He wasn’t lost, you were, so He found you!” Technically that’s correct. Paul’s citation of Isa. that “no man seeks after God, no not one” is true enough as it stands. Though it can be cited in such a way as to ignore that since the advent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, He has been in the world working in men’s hearts to indeed seek the Lord. There are genuine seekers out there. Not of their fallenness, but out of the glorious grace of God secretly at work. Nevertheless, in the final analysis, like Jesus seeking out and calling the disciples in this passage, or the woman at the well of Samaria and others – He is a seeking Christ. He Himself tells us, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” What I find delight in here is the simple reality of where He finds any of us. Nowhere else but doing what we do, because of who and what we are. It is one more reminder that when all was said and done, these men, were not special men in and of themselves. He did not seek out pre-existing and pre-qualified “disciples”. He made them disciples. He calls ordinary people in ordinary circumstance with ordinary backgrounds, ordinary skills, ordinary families, ordinary life experiences (good and bad), wrestling with ordinary sins, ordinary thoughts, feelings, faults, brains and bodies. Out of the same lump of fallen humanity, He pinches off some pieces of soiled clay, and forms them into vessels for honor and service in His household. He neither rejects us nor accepts us because of our ordinariness. He receives us and forms us out of love, uninfluenced by us. If He did not save the ordinary and the lost, He would save no one. For there is nothing in any of us to commend us to Him. In a day where everyone wishes to establish their personal exceptionalism – Christ still saves the unexceptional. Indeed, only the unexceptional. Come to Him. He calls to you even now. Come and be His disciple. Even your best nets are full of holes and need continual mending. He calls you right where you are, to follow Him.

From Matthew 4:12-18 / A Great Light! – Because Matthew is always aiming on proving Jesus’ Messiah-ship, more than the other Gospel writers, he demonstrates how Jesus’ life and works fulfill prophecy. This passage contains the 7th out of nearly 20 direct references in Matthew to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. And here he cites that famous chapter where we also find the words: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Isa. 9:6-7) Note that this “great light” is nothing more and nothing less than Jesus’ presence among them, and His preaching the message of the Kingdom. ‎The light was not IN them, though it was among them and they could see it. As is often said by Mark Ward, “edification requires intelligibility”and so it is even with the Son of Man. Jesus simply dwelling among them in this dark region brought no saving light, apart from His preaching to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. And while in our day, preaching is often looked down upon as a poor means of communication, it is the means the Master appropriated for Himself, sent His disciples out to do, and is still His appointed means to bring light into darkness. Mere symbols cannot do it. If one were to present a cross to the native tribes of an un-reached people group – it could have no effect upon them unless the meaning behind the Cross is explained. We cannot merely “live” Christ, we must preach Him; make His person and work known. Declare His deity, proclaim His perfections, make the case for His substitutionary atonement, and call men to repent of their sins – especially of self-righteousness, self-sufficiency and rebellion against His right to rule and reign over them. As was the watchword of Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle: “We preach Christ, and Him crucified.” And when we keep to that, those who dwell in darkness, will indeed see a great light.