The Menace of Murmuring

Awesome on The Menace of Murmuring by Dr. Jim Schettler.

Modern Trends and Biblical Truth, Part 1

This is a very good message by Dr. Paul Chappell, President of West Coast Baptist College.

Matthew - Behold! My Servant.

Matthew - Healing on the Sabbath

In today's study from Matthew 12:9-15, we see our Lord healing the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath Day and the sad response of the religious leaders who were even more determined to destroy him.

The Withered Hand

vv.9-10 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:  (10)  And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

To further prove His point, he went into the synagogue and healed a man with a withered hand. It’s almost like he was purposely pushing them to make his point. Of course, the Pharisees were there as well. Notice their question, “If it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” Notice their motive, “that they might accuse Him.” They were still not getting it. They did not hear a word he had just said previously about the rest that he came to offer them because they had already rejected him for the most part.

Jesus’ Response

vv.11-12 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?  (12)   How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Like our Lord was accustomed to do, he answers their question with one of His own. He is trying to move them from physical to spiritual. He is trying to move them from the “letter of the Law” to the “spirit of the Law.” Mark 3:1-6 gives us more details as to exactly what happened and what was said. Jesus was grieved at the hardness of their hearts.

The Pharisees Were Hypocrites

In actuality, the only ones breaking the Law was the Pharisees. The Lord caught them red handed right before His crucifixion when He went into the temple and they were buying and selling on the Sabbath. We see this in Matthew 21:12-15 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  13  And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a 'DEN OF THIEVES.'"  14  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  15  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant Israel was told not to do this in Lev 23:3 “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places. We even see that they were guilty of the same with Nehemiah in Neh 10:28-31 Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding—  29  these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:  30  We would not give our daughters as wives to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;  31  if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and we would forego the seventh year's produce and the exacting of every debt.

Good vs. Evil

vv.13-14 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.  (14)  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

I think of two things when I read these verses. First, I think of the goodness of God. Even though the Lord knew the trouble that He was going to cause; He still healed the man. Second, I think of the evilness of man. It seems like man is never happy. We tend to thrive on finding fault in another individual. Why? I believe it’s because finding a fault in another makes us feel better about ourselves

That is a sad reality. In psychology, it is called meta-hypocrisy which is hypocrisy about one's own hypocrisy. Nothing makes us feel better than to put others down to lift ourselves up.  This ought not to be brethren.

The Emotion of Rejection

v.15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 

After twenty-five years of ministry, I can honestly say that I know exactly what Jesus was experiencing: rejection. Our Lord said in Joh 15:22-25 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’  Just think about it, our Lord had lived and walked among these people his entire “human” life and they were still rejecting him. The human side of the Lord felt and was hurt by the finality of rejection. Some of the sadist passages in the Bible is Joh 1:1-11 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2  He was in the beginning with God.  3  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  4  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  5  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  7  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  9  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  10  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  11  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

Matthew - Lord of the Sabbath

In today's study from Matthew 12:1-8, we see the religious leaders beginning to turn on him and his message, and he begins to demonstrate that he is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law.

Breaking of the Sabbath

vv.1-2 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.  (2)  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

It is important to note that this was done on the Sabbath. Here come the accusations! They were now seeking to find fault and put him to death. He was clearly their enemy now.

Sign of the Covenant

The word “Sabbath” means “cessation or rest.” It was given to Israel as a sign of Israel’s covenant relationship with God (Ex. 31:16-17).

Capital Offense

Those who violated the Sabbath were put to death (Ex 31:14-15).

Examples from Scripture

An example is found in Ex 35:1-3 and Num 15:32-36

Jesus’ Response

vv.3-5 But he said unto them,  Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;  (4)   How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?  (5)  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

Jesus responded by giving them two examples from the Old Testament where the Law was violated and God permitted it. These were times of necessity, service to God, and acts of mercy. He is reaffirming that God made the Sabbath for man’s benefit and His glory, but never intended it to be a yoke of bondage. Our Lord said in Mar 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

David and the Shewbread

The first was when David ate the shewbread which was for the priests only when he was fleeing from King Saul (1Sa 21:1-6).

It’s also interesting that Jesus chose this comparison to David because David was also being rejected as king when he did this while fleeing from Saul.

The Priests and Work

And the second was the violation of the priests each Sabbath when they offered the lambs for a burnt offering. What does it mean that the priests “profane the Sabbath”? It means that while everyone wasn’t lifting a finger in Israel to keep the Sabbath, the priests where working twice as hard to keep up with the “double sacrifices” that were required on that day (Num 28:9-10).

The Point

Jesus is saying that the priests broke the “Law” in order to comply with a greater law in that the Law expressly forbad the making of fire on the Sabbath and the butchering of animals and yet that is exactly what the priests were doing! He is beginning to build his case that he is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law. In him would come the rest that God truly wanted for his people if they would accept it.

Prophet Priest and King

vv.6-7 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.  (7)  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

Two things to notice here: First, Jesus quotes from Hosea 6:6 where it says, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Second, in Jesus argument to defend himself and his disciples, he points to a prophet (Hosea who declared God loves mercy more than sacrifice), to a priest (who worked on the Sabbath as he was) and to a king (who was David who was initially rejected)! He is proclaiming Himself to be Prophet, Priest and King!

Jesus is the Sabbath

v.8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

What is our Lord Jesus saying? Barnes says, “Here the Saviour refers to himself, and to his own dignity and power. In essence he is saying, “I have power over the laws because I made them.  Thus, I have the right to change them or set them aside if only for a moment if I want to” Furthermore, he is declaring that he is the ultimate fulfillment of the Sabbath in that he offers permanent and not temporal rest (Mat 11:28-30).

Matthew - Kingdom Rejected

In today's study from Matthew 11:20-30, we see a change in the tone of our Lord as the message of the kingdom is being rejected.

Message Changing

v.20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

From this point forward, Jesus’ message begins to change because the Kingdom is being rejected. The kingdom had been preached by John, the apostles and the Lord Himself, but they still refused to accept it.

Now Comes Judgment

vv.21-24 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  (22)  But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.  (23)  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  (24)  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Now He begins to predict judgment! Of course, the final rejection was after the Triumphal Entry, the Cleansing of the Temple and the Cursing of the Fig Tree (Matthew 21:1-20). This event was followed by his trial and subsequent crucifixion.

The Kingdom Hidden

v.25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Now, our Lord begins to shift his attention from the rebellious to the faithful. The expression “thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent is tongue in cheek. It seems that only the simple can understand it! Truth be known, it was hidden because they had been blinded by the god of this world. Paul told the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Mark records that

they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  14  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  15  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. (Mar 10:13-15)."

Delivered Unto Me

vv.26-27 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.  (27)  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Now Jesus is making it clear that to reject him is to reject the Father. Notice, “All things are delivered unto me…” What things? - Everything including salvation. The message is narrowing. Our Lord said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Another Shift

vv.28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

There it is again! It’s a noticeable shift in the Lord’s teaching and message. The kingdom is being rejected and he is now beginning to focus on the ones who would receive it. Again, the message is narrowing in that he is no longer speaking to the nation but to the individual. He is in essence saying, “Come into my Kingdom where the burdens and yokes are still there but easier.” Barnes says that he was offering freedom to those who “groaned under the weight of their ceremonial laws and the traditions of the elders.”

Didn’t Get It

It’s amazing that the disciples did not get this shift in Jesus’ message. They would still argue who would be greatest in the Kingdom (Mar 9:34). They would still be expecting the Kingdom to immediately appear upon arrival in Jerusalem (Luk 19:11). Even after the resurrection, they didn’t get it (Acts 1:6).

Matthew - John the Baptist

In today's study from Matthew 11:12-19, we take a look at the ministry of John the Baptist.

Prophet & Messenger

vv.9-11 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  (10)  For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  (11)  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

They went out to hear a prophet of God. Jesus goes on to say that he was more than just a prophet. He was the “messenger” that was foretold at the very close of the Old Testament Scriptures in Malachi 3:1 where it says,  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”

I also find it interesting that this verse is quoted of John the Baptist at least three times in the New Testament. However, never is the second part quoted (Mal. 3:1b). Why? - Because they were not seeking the Lord and rejected him so that he could not “come into his temple.” John the Baptist could have ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven had they responded appropriately. Instead, they killed the messenger and the King.

Final thought, I am amazed to see that Jesus said all of these great things about John just after he doubted him. 2 Tim 2:11-13 “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

As a matter of fact, who went on to say of John that “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”, of course, referring to John. Why is the least in the Kingdom of Heaven greater than John the Baptist? He will be greater because he will know that he knows (unlike John) that the Lord Jesus is indeed to Messiah and there is no need to look for another! There will be no doubts as to who Jesus is because he will be ruling right before their eyes. Unfortunately, John did not get to see that.

Suffering Violence

v.12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

This could mean a couple of things. It could mean that the kingdom of heaven is being attacked by violent men. They were going to kill John the Baptist, they had already killed thousands of babies at the command of Herod in attempt to kill our Lord, eventually, they did kill Him, his apostles, and his followers for centuries to come. So, it could be that this verse is speaking of the violence that would abound as the kingdom emerged. Or, it could mean that the kingdom of heaven can only be taken by those who aggressively, enthusiastically press in and lay hold of it. Both of these meanings are appropriate.

Last Old Testament Prophet

v.13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

This verse is telling us that John marked the end of the Old Testament. Luke 16:16 “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” So, the Old Testament did not end with Malachi, but with John.

John Rejected

vv.14-15 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.  (15)   He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Again, if they had accepted John’s preaching of the kingdom of heaven, the Lord Jesus would have fulfilled the prophecy concerning the necessity of Elijah to come before the Lord sets up his throne in the earth. John’s mission was to minister in the capacity of Elijah as the transitional figure that would take the Jews from the Old Testament to their Messiah. Luk 1:17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Mat 17:10-13 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  11  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  12  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  13  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

But, since they didn’t accept the witness of John, Elijah must now come. Guess what? He will come in the book of Revelation, and guess what, they will reject him as well (Revelation 11:1-10)

Of course, God in His omniscience knew that John would be rejected. Maybe John knew as well. John 1:21 “And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Could he have known?

Determined Rejection

vv.16-19 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,  (17)  And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.  (18)  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.  (19)  The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

He is simply saying that they were determined to reject him regardless. He is saying that they are looking for any excuse. This reminds me of people who come to church and don’t want to be there.  So, they make excuses.  “the music’s too loud, too soft, the pastor’s too loud, too soft, too long, too mean, too direct, etc. This reminds me of a song written by the Kingsmen Quartet many years ago called, “Excuses”.

  

Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
In the summer it's too hot. And, in the winter, it's too cold.
In the springtime when the weather's just right, you find someplace else to go. Well, it's up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend. Or, to just stay home and kinda relax and hope that some of the kinfolks will start dropping in.

Well, the church benches are too hard. And, that choir sings way too loud. Boy, you know how nervous you get when you're sitting in a great big crowd. The doctor told you, "Now, you better watch them crowds. They'll set you back." But, you go to that old ball game because you say "it helps you to relax." Well, a headache Sunday morning and a backache Sunday night. But by worktime Monday morning, you're feeling quite alright. While one of the children has a cold, "Pneumonia, do you suppose?" Why the whole family had to stay home, just to blow that poor kid's nose.

Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.

Well, the preacher he's too young. And, maybe he's too old. The sermons they're not hard enough. And, maybe they're too bold. His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud. He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he's way too proud.

Well, the sermons they're too long. And, maybe they're too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of "stomp and snort." Well, that preacher we've got must be "the world's most stuck up man." Well, one of the lady's told me the other day, "Well, he didn't even shake my hand."

Matthew - Rewards and Promises

In today's study from Matthew 10:40-11:11, our Lord wraps up his commissioning of the Twelve by telling them their reward for taking the message of the kingdom, the reward of those who received their message, and his response to John the Baptist about him truly being the one that was promised to come.

Receiving the Lord Jesus

v.40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Now Jesus promises them that whoever receives them, it was the equivalent of receiving Him. In other words, anyone that receives a disciple of the Lord receives the Lord Himself.

Promise for Those Who Receive Them

vv.41-42 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  (42)  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

There are three rewards that are mentioned for those who received one of the Lord’s disciples.

1. Prophet’s Reward

The Shunammite in 2 Kings 4:8-17 cared for the prophet Elijah and was rewarded with a baby. The Widow in 1 Kings 17:8-16 helped Elijah and her life was saved from starvation.

2. Righteous Man’s Reward

In 2 Sam. 17:27-29, Barzilai received David in exile and was rewarded with the offer to live with him for the rest of his life (2 Sam 19:33). Rahab received righteous men and survived the fall of Jericho.

3. Disciples Reward

This reward is for those who took care of the disciples (cf. Mat 25:34-40).

Chapter 11

John the Baptist

vv.1-3 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. (2) Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, (3) And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

We know that John had been imprisoned by Herod (Matt. 14:1-5).

Doubting

Now, he is doubting if it was all worth it. He had grave concerns as to whether the Lord Jesus was who he believed He was. That’s hard to believe because he was the one who had introduced the Lord Jesus and baptized Him. But, after a little time in prison, John began to doubt whether Jesus was really the Messiah. So, he sent two of his disciples to make sure.

Doubts Dispelled

vv.4-5 Jesus answered and said unto them,  Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: (5) The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

To dispel John’s doubts, Jesus sent word back pointing to the miracles as proof of who he actually was. He did this by referring to Old Testament Scriptures that he knew John also knew.

Isa 35:5-6 “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. (6) Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.”

I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t just say, “Trust me”, instead he pointed to the Scriptures. We too need to go to the Scriptures like the Bereans did in Act 17:11 where it is said of them Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Offended

v.6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Notice that the Lord encouraged John to not be offended because of Him. Why would John have been offended at Him? The word “offended” literally means “displeased”. It would have been very easy for John to have said, “Hey, if you can heal the blind, why can’t you get me out of jail!” We too get offended at the Lord because he does not do what we expect as well.

The Lord’s Questions

v.7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

Now Jesus asks the multitude a question, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see; a reed shaken in the wind? Now, bear in mind, that this is a rhetorical question. Jesus often use this as a means of soliciting a response. He was asking the questions to get them to think!

The answer was obviously that they went out to hear his powerful preaching. They didn’t go out to hear a “reed shaking in the wind” instead they went out to see the “wind that was shaking the reed!” John’s preaching was very pointed a powerful.

In the house of John Knox, in Edinburgh, there is a sentence of his hung upon the walls, which speaks so well of the steady strength of that hero's life, and reveals also the source where he got his strength. "From Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other inspired writers, I have learned to call a spade a spade, and a fig a fig." This is why King Herod and his new wife had an issue with him. So, much so that she asked for his head on a platter. He spoke the truth. So, too, we need to be people that speak the truth.

Sadly, we live in a culture that so afraid of the truth that they have redefined it to mean anything that they want it to. That’s garbage. Jesus said that he was the way, the truth, and the life. One of the biggest schemes that he Devil has perpetrated on modern society is the denial of absolute truth.

I had a young college kid tell me one time that he didn’t believe there was such a thing as absolute truth anymore. I asked him if he was absolutely sure of that!

Soft Raiment

v.8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

Jesus asks another question, “Did you go out to see a man in soft clothing?” Barnes says that “the kind of raiment here denoted was the light, thin clothing worn by effeminate persons.  The kind of clothing that was emblematic of riches, splendor, effeminacy, feebleness of character.” No.  Jesus is saying that they knew full well who they were going out to see. John was man! He was all man. He wore camel’s hair and gnawed on grasshoppers. He was telling them that they did not go out to hear a “wuss” in the wilderness, but a man who spoke truth.

Prophet & Messenger

vv.9-11 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  (10)  For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  (11)  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

They went out to hear a prophet of God. Jesus goes on to say that he was more than just a prophet. He was the “messenger” that was foretold at the very close of the Old Testament Scriptures in Malachi 3:1 where it says,  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”

I also find it interesting that this verse is quoted of John the Baptist at least three times in the New Testament. However, never is the second part quoted (Mal. 3:1b). Why?  - Because they were not seeking the Lord and rejected him so that he could not “come into his temple.” John the Baptist could have ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven had they responded appropriately. Instead, they killed the messenger and the King.

Matthew - Division Will Come

In today's study from Matthew 10:34-39, our Lord continues to encourage the disciples that they were to take up their crosses because theirs would be a message that will cause division and come at a personal cost.

Christ Brings Division

vv.34-37 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  (35)  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  (36)  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.  (37)   He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

This quote came from the Old Testament. Mic 7:6 “For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own household.” This verse does not mean that Jesus purposely came to bring about discord and contention, but that the message of the gospel would cause it. Jesus told the Jews in Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. The message that Jesus brought was divisive.

It still is. You can talk about Buddha, Allah, or anyone else, but say the name of Jesus and watch them coil up. Why do you think? Because Jesus, unlike the others, declared that he was the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father but through him! When you mention the name “Jesus”, you have drawn a proverbial line in the sand that the world hates.

Personally, my greatest fear is not the world. Wolves are wolves. It is the ones wearing the sheep skin that bother me. Jesus warned us in Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. In my opinion, the world is not the biggest enemy of the church, it is the enemy within. Paul told the church in Acts, For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.  30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears (Acts 20:29-31).

No doubt, sometimes they obvious like John mentioned in 1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Unfortunately, though many times they are not. My encouragement to you is simple, it you are involved in a church that is not teaching the Bible, get out now! If a man will twist the Scriptures in one place, he will twist them in another place. Get out!

Take Up the Cross

vv.38-39 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  (39)   He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Bear in mind, that our Lord is still sending them out to preach the gospel fo the Kingdom. He is still asking them to count the cost. He would become the perfect example of this in his own death. Jesus could have saved Himself from the cross anytime that He wanted to. However, He knew the cross was the only way to bring salvation to you and me. Paul said in Php 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

In the same way, the disciples needed to understand that their cross was just as necessary. Mat 20:22-23 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.  23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Christian Application

So, we too according to Gal 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” The bottom line is that the Christian life is a life of daily dying to oneself.