True Evangelism

Mark 5:18-19
(18)  As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
(19)  And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

(18)  καὶ ἐμβαίνοντος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πλοῖον παρεκάλει αὐτὸν ὁ δαιμονισθεὶς ἵνα μετ' αὐτοῦ ᾖ. 

(19)  καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου πρὸς τοὺς σούς, καὶ ἀπάγγειλον αὐτοῖς ὅσα ὁ κύριός σοι πεποίηκεν καὶ ἠλέησέν σε.

This is an extremely convicting passage for me.  The demoniac rightly wanted to follow Jesus.  Jesus had just set him free from unspeakable terrors.  I think back to my bondage to pornography as well as to gluttony and laziness, but neither really holds a candle to this.  This man was living in tombs and was clearly out of his mind.  In our society he would be continually jacked up with thorazine and kept in a locked facility.  Jesus set him free from all that.

His reaction was pretty sensible.  Jesus gave him everything, so he was ready to give everything to Jesus.  I can guess that Jesus appreciated the offer, but he commanded something much more useful.  He told the man to go and tell his family all that the Lord had done for him.  The word σοι is in the dative, so you could read it very woodenly as "to you."  

Why does this convict me?  The prospect of telling others (such as you, dear reader) about my past is easier than telling my family.  My immediate family knows my story of course.  However, it is discouraging to see so little immediate fruit from it.  I haven't seen my story lead to any lives that are obviously sold-out for following Jesus.

I guess I shouldn't be too convicted because I have obeyed this verse.  I just have a sense that there is more for me to do.  Maybe I should do more with my coworkers.  Maybe I should actually make some non-Christian friends and tell them about what the Lord has done to me, though I've done that a little bit too.  

I realize that it is my job to sow and God's job to create a harvest.  Yet I still read this passage wondering what else I need to do.  Am I bold enough?  Am I faithful enough?  What if anything needs to change?

Blind Squirrels

Mark 2:7
(7)  "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

(7)  Τί οὗτος οὕτως λαλεῖ; βλασφημεῖ· τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεόσ;

There's an old expression that "sometimes even a blind squirrel finds an acorn."  Or if you prefer, "even a broken clock is right twice a day."  We usually use this when someone stumbles into something that is typically beyond them.  A good sports example would be when Anderson Varejao hit a 3 pointer with the shot clock running out. That was his first made 3 out of 19 attempts in his career.  These things happen sometimes.

My point is that the scribes and Pharisees are not always wrong.  In this case, the scribes got it right.  Who can forgive sins but God alone?  The answer is no one.  Yet that is just what Jesus did.  He had authority to forgive sins because He was the one that was sinned against.  

A very wooden translation of the final clause in this verse would be, "except one who is God."  We know that God is one.  Therefore, Jesus is part of that oneness that is God.  He is clearly not God the Father, but He is exercising authority as God.

I don't claim to have my mind wrapped completely around this.  But I cannot escape from what the text clearly teaches about this.  Jesus is worthy of our worship because He is God.

Holy Party

Mark 1:10-11
(10)  And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
(11)  And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

(10)  καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος εἶδεν σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὡς περιστερὰν καταβαῖνον εἰς αὐτόν· 

(11)  καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα.

There are a couple of striking things about this passage.  First, note the phrase  καὶ εὐθὺς.  That is Mark's calling card.  We see this as he transitions from one part of the narrative to another.  Taken most literally, this means "and immediately."  There is a sense of urgency and action to this.  I kind of picture the last 10 minutes of an episode of "24" in a way.  You get the image of Jesus hurrying from one activity to another.  This is also why Mark 1:35 stands out so starkly to me.

More importantly from a doctrinal perspective, this is one of the passages where you see all three members of the Trinity in the same place at the same time.  You have God the Son coming out of the water, God the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove, and God the Father speaking from heaven.  I would not take this passage by itself as an ironclad proof for the doctrine of the Trinity, but it is very compelling to me and certainly complements other such passages.

Is the Trinity mysterious?  Absolutely.  However, I would also submit that if we can completely understand God then He is not much of a God.

He is Risen!

Matthew 28:6
(6)  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

(6)  οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἠγέρθη γὰρ καθὼς εἶπεν· δεῦτε ἴδετε τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἔκειτο.

It seems a bit odd to talk about this in the middle of winter.  This is of course a great Easter passage.  Yet this is where I find myself in my reading today.  

What a great truth to meditate upon!  This is what Christianity is all about.  All other faiths either worship or revere someone who is dead.  Christians worship someone who is still alive.  Jesus claimed to be God and then proved it by being raised from the dead (i.e. the sign of Jonah).  

The word ἠγέρθη is in the aorist passive indicative.  I don't want to make too big of a deal out of the aorist, but the passive suggests that this is something that happened to Him.  I'm not quite sure what to make of this theologically, but I do find it kind of interesting.  The point is that He is risen indeed and that is something about which those who follow Him can rejoice.

What does this truth do for you?  Do you realize that the resurrection is historical fact that must be reckoned with?  We cannot ignore it and pretend it didn't happen.  The evidence is simply too compelling to ignore.  I cannot prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, but I do believe that it is the best explanation for the facts.  The point of this truth is that the Christian faith is based on truth, not feelings.  It is not about what it does for us.  It is not about how it makes us feel.  Those are important elements to living the Christian life, but ultimately the faith is based on the truth of the resurrection.  A miracle occurred on that first Easter morning.  How firm a foundation that gives us!

Prepare to Prepare

Matthew 27:61
(61)  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

(61)  ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ Μαριὰμ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία καθήμεναι ἀπέναντι τοῦ τάφου.

This verse struck me this morning as a reminder about the detail of Scripture.  In an effort to discount any supernatural explanation for the empty tomb on Easter morning some have guessed that maybe they went to the wrong tomb.  However, this verse makes that extremely unlikely.  It is certainly possible in the same sense that it is possible that a bunch of men came into my house last night, walked around, took nothing, and left without a trace.  It may have happened, but it is extremely unlikely.  Steven Wright had a joke that someone broke into his house, stole everything, and replaced it with an exact replica.  It's funny because of the improbability of it.

This verse also tells us that Mary and Martha were thinking ahead to Easter morning.  They were going to prepare the body with spices.  They had to know where the body was so they could do that.  While the eleven faithful disciples fled they were at least clear-headed enough to think about preparing the body.

I know that I tend to overlook this verse as I read through Matthew.  Today it bolsters my faith in the historical truth of the physical resurrection of Jesus' body.  What does it do for you, if anything?

The Silent Lamb

Matthew 27:11-12
(11)  Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so."
(12)  But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.

(11)  Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐστάθη ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ἡγεμόνος· καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτὸν ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγων, Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἔφη, Σὺ λέγεις. 

(12)  καὶ ἐν τῷ κατηγορεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο.

We're getting to the rough patch of Matthew's gospel.  I never like reading the passion accounts.  Of course, it fills me with hope to know that Jesus went through all of this.  It had to happen to satisfy God's righteous wrath.  However, I still don't enjoy reading it.

I find it interesting in verse 11 that it reads, "ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἔφη, Σὺ λέγεις".  Throughout the Gospel whenever Jesus responded to people we had a very common structure like, "ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς" in Mat 24:2.  The literal translation of that structure is something like, "he answered and said."  Here instead of εἶπεν we find ἔφη.  The latter word can also mean "to declare."  I've got to think that there was more than a stylistic reason to change this structure.  It could have just as easily been "Jesus answered and said."

You will notice that the ESV translates this as "Jesus said."  That is certainly valid.  However, I also wonder if maybe there is a bit more here.  Maybe it's more than simply "saying" and should in fact have more of a sense of "declaring."  Of course, given the situation I don't picture Jesus being particularly bombastic about this.  After all, He had just finished with the Jews' mockery of a trial.  He sat through that, so why would we suddenly get all dramatic now?  Or, to look at it another way, why not get all dramatic and make some bold statements?

Jesus always had the OT prophecies in mind.  In this case:

Isaiah 53:7

(7)  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

This would be very hard to take were we not to have Revelation to look at.  We see how it is all going to end up.  Jesus was certainly meek and mild in His humiliation and death.  Given that He was willing to go through that, what do you do with Him?  Do you ignore this and just use His ministry as a good example to follow?  Or do you realize the depth of your sin and the vital need for this sacrifice to atone for it?  My prayer is the latter.

Dinner Reservations

Matthew 26:17-18
(17)  Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
(18)  He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'"

(17)  Τῇ δὲ πρώτῃ τῶν ἀζύμων προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγοντες, Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα; 

(18)  ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ὑπάγετε εἰς τὴν πόλιν πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα καὶ εἴπατε αὐτῷ, Ὁ διδάσκαλος λέγει, Ὁ καιρός μου ἐγγύς ἐστιν· πρὸς σὲ ποιῶ τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν μου.

I don't have any profound exegetical insights from this passage, but am writing about it because it has always fascinated me.  I have wondered if Jesus had spoken to this man long before.  Or maybe Jesus knew Him to be a faithful man who would be all too happy to have Jesus keep the Passover at his house.

What I do know is that this is one more piece of evidence for the absolute sovereignty of God.  For Jesus to say something like this indicates certainty on His part.  He knew that it would work out.  He wasn't showing up to the best restaurant in town at 7:00 PM on a Friday evening and hoping to get in with a date.  He knew that this was going to happen.

This is the Lord I serve.  What an awesome privilege to know Him!

Eternal Life

Matthew 25:46
(46)  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

(46)  καὶ ἀπελεύσονται οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον, οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

This verse comes at the end of Jesus' discourse about giving water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, shelter to the homeless, etc.  He is explaining that those who are truly His disciples will take care of folks who have need.  The result is that those who truly are His disciples (the righteous) will enjoy eternal life, or ζωὴν αἰώνιον.  Conversely, those who are not His disciples will suffer from eternal punishment, or κόλασιν αἰώνιον.

The definition in Thayer for this word is:

κόλασις

kolasis

Thayer Definition:

1) correction, punishment, penalty

This tells me that there is a real chance of eternal punishment or eternal reward.  I'm not sure their textual rationale, but the NWT of the Jehovah's Witnesses translates this as:

And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off, but the righteous ones into everlasting life.

The three dictionaries to which I have easy access (Strongs, Thayer, and the New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance) all have the glosses of "correction" or "punishment" for this word.  If anyone is interested, I can look this up in BDAG as well.  

This exercise shows me that there is value in being able to read the original languages, particularly when debating doctrine with those who have some drastically different readings in their own Bibles.  It is true that sometimes glosses are chosen based on theology; however, they should also be rooted in phonology as well.


EDIT: I looked and there are no textual variants for this verse either.  That was something I thought about after I wrote this so I looked it up in the interest of integrity.  There aren't any according to the UBS4, though perhaps the NA26 lists some.

What are You Up To?

Matthew 24:45-46
(45)  "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
(46)  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

(45)  Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς δοῦλος καὶ φρόνιμος ὃν κατέστησεν ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκετείας αὐτοῦ τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς τὴν τροφὴν ἐν καιρῷ;

(46)  μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει οὕτως ποιοῦντα·

It may be a trite way to get kids to behave, but I think that it is fair to ask the question of whether you would be OK if Jesus came back right now.  Obviously if you're reading a blog post about the Bible you're probably feeling pretty good about this moment.  How about other times online?  How about when you're in your car?  How about when you're at the office?  What about when no one else is looking?  Would you be prepared to have Jesus show up at that moment?

The question is, what are you ποιοῦντα?  That is to say, what are you in the present state of doing?  Are you doing God's will?  Are you obeying His Word?  Or are you living for yourself and your own lusts?

I don't think that the point of this verse is to scare us into legalism.  I think the point is for us to examine our lives and see how we live them.  Our lives will indicate our devotion to our Master.  The solution is not to try harder to do better, but to work on the affections of our hearts.  This is why I think that Desiring God and subsequent books from John Piper are so important.  They show us that the best desire is for God.  If we desire Him above all else then we don't need to worry about this verse because then we will automatically be living in obedience to His Word.

Anyone can work on behavior modification.  It takes the Holy Spirit to change the heart.  Has He changed yours?

God of the Living

Matthew 22:32
(32)  'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living."

(32)  Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ; οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων.

There are a couple of small exegetical points I would make about this.  First, the phrase "Ἐγώ εἰμι" takes the reader back to Exodus 3:14 where YHWH reveals Himself to Moses as "I am."  The pronoun is unnecessary in Greek, so it would still be accurate to write only "ειμι," which also means "I am."  However, adding the pronoun εγω adds emphasis to this.  Plus, it is a direct quote.  This should also remind the reader of John 8:58, where Jesus uses the same construction.  Jesus is as much the "I am" as YHWH.

The other point is the use of the participle.  A very wooden translation would be, "He is not the God of those who are dead, but of those who are living."  This tells two things.  One is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are very much alive right now.  There is hope for eternal life through faith.  This is the simple saving faith that saved the Patriarchs long before there was a Law for the Jews to follow.  The covenant is by faith (see the book of Galatians).

The other thing this tells us that God "is."  This is a present state.  He is always.  Normally we need an object to an intransitive verb like "is," but not in the case of God.  He simply is.  He defines reality.  He is the God who is.  Period.

Fighting Through Rebuke

Matthew 20:31
(31)  The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

(31)  ὁ δὲ ὄχλος ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σιωπήσωσιν· οἱ δὲ μεῖζον ἔκραξαν λέγοντες, Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, κύριε, υἱὸς Δαυίδ.

This is an encounter that two blind men on the street had with Jesus.  They were crying out for His mercy and others tried to keep them quiet.  However, they were so desperate for mercy that they would not be silenced.  In fact, they use an imperative in Ἐλέησον as they ask Jesus to have mercy on them.

Of course, in His mercy Jesus does heal them.  How could He not given their persistence?  This begs a question for our own lives.  How desperate are we for mercy?  Do we realize that we even need it?  Or do we think that we are basically OK and can just tack Jesus on as an addition to our lives?

My prayer is that you would realize your deep need for His mercy.  Cry out to Him.  He will take care of you. 

Counting the Cost

Matthew 19:21-22
(21)  Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
(22)  When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

(21)  ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δὸς τοῖσ πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι. 

(22)  ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ νεανίσκος τὸν λόγον ἀπῆλθεν λυπούμενος, ἦν γὰρ ἔχων κτήματα πολλά.

The word τέλειος fascinates me here.  Here is its entry in Thayer:

τέλειος

teleios

Thayer Definition:

1) brought to its end, finished

2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness

3) perfect

4) that which is perfect

4a) consummate human integrity and virtue

4b) of men

4b1) full grown, adult, of full age, mature

As you can see, there are many glosses for it, but the overall idea is completeness or maturity.  Basically, Jesus is asking the rich young man if he desires completeness or maturity.  It is clear that the young man lacks something in his following of the Law.  I am not absolutely sure about this, but I suspect that this has the same idea as the Hebrew word transliterated "shalom."  

So what do we do with this passage?  Is Jesus saying that we need to sell all we have and give it to the poor? Maybe.  Here in America most of us are in the top 1% of wealth in the world.  Even those who make only $30,000/year are in the top 7.16% of wealth in the world according to this site.  I've heard it said that we define "rich" as anyone who has more money than we do.  Most of us do not consider us to be rich, but just about everyone in the world would consider anyone able to read this as being rich.

That all notwithstanding, I don't think that Jesus is giving a universal absolute that all of his followers must sell all they have.  I think what He is doing is telling the rich young ruler that he needs to forfeit his god if he is going to worship the God who is.  He cannot worship both God and money.  Similarly, we cannot worship both God and sex.  We cannot worship God and money either.  We cannot worship God and prestige.  And so on.  

There is a cost that comes from following Jesus.  Do you want to be τέλειος?  If so, you need to let go of your functional savior and embrace the true Savior in Christ.

Do Not Fear

Matthew 17:6-7
(6)  When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
(7)  But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear."

(6)  καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα. 

(7)  καὶ προσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἁψάμενος αὐτῶν εἶπεν, Ἐγέρθητε καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε.

I have no great exegetical insight today.  However, I do think that this passage bears mention.  Whenever I read the account of the Mount of Transfiguration I try to put myself in the scene.  Peter, James, and John were chosen to go up on this mountain with Jesus.  They had been walking with Jesus for some time and had seen some pretty amazing things.  They had seen Him feed multitudes, heal the sick, and even calm a storm.  They knew that Jesus was special.

This experience blew them away.  It's hard for us to imagine what it would be like for a first-century Jew to stand in the presence of Moses, Elijah, and Messiah.  Then on top of it they got to hear the voice of YHWH speak from heaven.  It is clear that this experience overwhelmed them.  Encounters with greatness will do that.  Yet after it all Jesus commands them to rise and not fear.  The words  Ἐγέρθητε and φοβεῖσθε are both imperatives.

Where are you with this?  If you've never found yourself on your knees in fear then I'm not sure you really know God.  We can't get to "rise up and do not fear" unless we are first prostrate before a holy God.  Have you fallen on your face before Him?  Do you realize the problem for all of us apart from the grace Jesus extends in His command to "rise up and do not fear?"  My prayer is that you do.

The Gates of Hell

Matthew 16:17-18
(17)  And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
(18)  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

(17)  ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων Βαριωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέν σοι ἀλλ' ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. 

(18)  κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.

I am not a big fan of word studies as a general rule.  I think that the scholars who translated our English texts are very good at capturing the semantic meaning of various words that we have in Scripture.  However, there are times when the English construction of a passage may be accurate, but does not quite capture the sense of the Greek.  I think that this may be one of them given some of the confusion over this passage.

Here is the Thayer entry:

κατισχύω

katischuō

Thayer Definition:

1) to be strong to another’s detriment, to prevail against

2) to be superior in strength

3) to overcome

4) to prevail

You can see that the ESV translators chose this first definition.  But note that it has something of a passive sense.  This passage is sometimes mistakenly read as the church having to withstand the assault of hell.  However, gates are defensive rather than offensive.  Rather, this passage is saying that hell cannot stand the assault of the church.

How are you living your life?  If you are part of the church (I mean that with a little "c" as I am not Roman Catholic) what are you doing to storm the gates of hell?  We all have seasons of offense and defense with sin. In fact, there is always an element of defense involved.  But going beyond sin what are you doing?  Are you sharing the good news with people?  Are you serving God's people?  Are you serving those who do not know God?  Are you serving your spouse if you have one?  If you're living at home are you honoring your father and mother? 

As I consider these I am fairly convicted.  I'm not sure that the gates of hell have a lot to worry about with me sometimes.  How about you?

Why the Healing?

Matthew 15:30-31
(30)  And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them,
(31)  so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.


(30)  καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἔχοντες μεθ' ἑαυτῶν χωλούς, τυφλούς, κυλλούς, κωφούς, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλούς, καὶ ἔρριψαν αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς·
(31)  ὥστε τὸν ὄχλον θαυμάσαι βλέποντας κωφοὺς λαλοῦντας, κυλλοὺς ὑγιεῖς, καὶ χωλοὺς περιπατοῦντας καὶ τυφλοὺς βλέποντας· καὶ ἐδόξασαν τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραήλ.

The word ὥστε introduces result.  It answers the question "what was the result of what was just written?"  Here we see that the crowds brought people who needed Jesus' healing touch and put them at His feet.  He did what Jesus does -- He healed them.

What was the result of this?  The crowd marveled at this.  Ultimately it led to them giving glory to the God of Israel.

We need to remember this when we look at what Jesus does in lives today.  Jesus died to set the sinner free.  I am living proof of that right now.  We need to remember the goal in this salvation is God's glory.  Christianity is not just about what "works" for people.  It is not just about having "your best life now" for your own sake.  It is for God's glory.  Ultimately justification and sanctification are so that God may be glorified.

This is why I am not bashful about sharing my story.  I want God to be glorified in my changed life.  I want Him to be glorified when I love and desire my wife instead of porn.  I want Him to be glorified when I put my family ahead of my own needs.  I want Him to be glorified when I go running or lift weights.  The reason He can be glorified is that I could not have done those things apart from His grace.  Sure, I could have sometimes got it right, but my heart would have been held back by my own selfishness and sin.  Instead, I can be part of bringing Him glory by showing the world how He changed my life.

I Am

Matthew 14:27-28
(27)  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."
(28)  And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

(27) εὐθὺς δὲ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦσ αὐτοῖς λέγων, Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε. 

(28) ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν, Κύριε, εἰ σὺ εἶ, κέλευσόν με ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα·

There may be something idiomatic here that I don't know about, but I found this passage somewhat striking.  If we translate this dialog literally we get, "Take heart; I am.  Do not be afraid."  Peter's response is, "Lord, if you are, command me to come to you on the water."

I may be reading too much into this, but I find it striking whenever Jesus uses the phrase ἐγώ εἰμι because it takes me to John 8:58, which is where we will be in a few months.  As Peter is trying to wrap his mind around who this Jesus is, he hears something that would likely take his mind to Exodus 3:14.  Jesus is telling Peter that he has nothing to be afraid of because "I am" is with you.

This is a time when I wished I had a good exegetical commentary handy.  If I have time at school tomorrow I'm going to look this one up in Baker.  It's definitely something to think about.

Incredulous

Matthew 12:22-23
(22)  Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.
(23)  And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

(23) καὶ ἐξίσταντο πάντες οἱ ὄχλοι καὶ ἔλεγον, Μήτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς Δαυίδ;

This is one of those places where it helps to know Greek.  Whenever I've read this in English I've pictured the crowd as somewhat hopeful.  After all, they've been looking for Messiah for a long time.  They had an idea of what to look for and of course were watching intently for Him.  In English it sounds like they are hoping that Jesus was indeed Messiah.

The problem is that in Greek when a question starts with μητι it means that they are expecting a negative answer.  A very literal translation of their question would be, "This isn't the Son of David, is it?"  Maybe they were at least a little bit hopeful.  But the phrasing of their question indicates that they didn't really think that Jesus was indeed Messiah.

The good news is that we know that they were wrong.  Jesus is indeed Messiah.  He is the seed promised to Abraham.  He is the hope of Israel and of all nations.  You can't find that kind of genuine hope anywhere else.  I don't think I'm going to create the same waves that Britt Hume did, but I think he was spot-on.

What do you Do?

Matthew 11:11-12
(11)  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
(12)  From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

(12) ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν

I'm not sure where we get the name "John the Baptist" from.  I once saw a panel of various church leaders (it may have been T4G) and they were discussing modes of baptism.  This panel included both credo- and paedo-baptists.  RC Sproul jokingly referred to John as "John the Presbyterian."  It was a great joke.

The point is that we need to be careful not to read our culture into Scripture.  Most literally, John would be called "John, the one who baptizes," or "John the baptizer."  John was not a member of the SBC.

All that notwithstanding, verse 11 is quite powerful, isn't it?  John the Baptizer was the greatest man born naturally and yet those in the kingdom of heaven are greater than he.  I think that gives us some perspective on what it means to be a child of the living God.  If you're not one of His children I hope that this little passage gives you some food for thought.  Why wouldn't you want to be greater than the greatest man born of woman?

How do you Feel?

Matthew 9:12-13
(12)  But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
(13)  Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

(12) ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας εἶπεν, Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.

This is some more fun with participles.  The most wooden translation would be something like "Those who are continually well do not need a physician, but those who are having sickness.  This may be a little bit of an over-translation, but I do like to notice participles.

The point is that Jesus did not come for those who were basically well.  He cannot help you if you think that you're basically doing fine.  He can only help you if you realize that you are spiritually sick.  You don't necessarily need to understand the totality of your sickness, but you do need to know that you are sick.  Otherwise He can do nothing for you.

I'm talking to you religious people out there.  Do you think that you're basically righteous?  Are you adding Jesus as a little seasoning to what is otherwise a good life?  Or do you realize that you desperately need someone to reconcile you with a holy God?

A Great Calm

Matthew 8:26
(26)  And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

(26) καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Τί δειλοί ἐστε, ὀλιγόπιστοι; τότε ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη.

The phrase at the end of this verse struck me as I read through this today.  The word μεγάλη is where we get the prefix mega- from.  We use that all the time to describe the largeness or greatness of something.  For example, a megaphone makes voices (φωνη) loud.

It struck me as a bit odd to see that word modify γαλήνη.  Normally we don't think of calm or stillness as being "great."  It just kind of is there.  We think of waves or storms as being big.  We think of sounds being big.  However, outside of poetry we would generally not speak of a "great silence" or a "great stillness."

However, this comes in contrast to the storm that they dealt with that we meet in verse 24 (σεισμὸς μέγας).  It was indeed great.  I've had two experiences with storms while sailing and that was only on our little local lake and, frankly, it wasn't anything like what was described here.  I can remember windy days in the Tampa Bay area where there were whitecaps on the bay.  That was pretty crazy.  I can also remember a time we stayed at the Outer Banks and it was so stormy that the surf came all the way up to the sand dunes.

Now go from that to a glassy calm on the lake.  I wonder if the water even really settled. Normally after a disturbance the water sort of evens itself out slowly.  My take on this passage is that the lake went from being so choppy that these experienced fishermen were terrified to complete glass.

What does this tell us?  I don't think that this is recorded to tell us that Jesus can handle the storms in our lives, though that is true.  I think that this passage shows us the power of God as sovereign over nature.  It shows us that our days are numbered by God, not by anyone else.  When a storm comes in God certainly could rebuke it with a word.  Sometimes He diverts storms and sometimes He doesn't.  What this passage shows me is that He can do whatever He wants with nature.

This is pretty terrifying (read on through the chapter to see how folks reacted to Jesus displaying His power in casting out demons).  The good news is that we can have fellowship with God because of the atoning death of Jesus on cross.  My prayer is that you would know Him.

Keep on Knocking

Matthew 7:7-8
(7)  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
(8)  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

(8) πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται.

This is another case where participles can give us a little more meaning than what we would get from just our English text.  These are present active participles.  There is a sense here of "the one who is in a continual state of asking receives and the one who is in a continual state of seeking finds and to the one who is in a continual state of knocking it will be opened."  The last participle is in the dative, so that is where we get "to the one" instead of just "the one."  I don't think that there is anything particularly significant there.

While this may be interesting, I'm sure it also leads to the inevitable "so what?"  What difference does this make?  I think that this dovetails nicely with Paul's exhortation to pray without ceasing.  Jesus is telling us that a relationship with Him is not just about using Him as some sort of cosmic craigslist.  We don't just put out "wanted" classifieds and hope that He will respond.

As this passage continues we see that the Father wants to give good gifts to His children.  I am vehemently opposed to the Prosperity Gospel and I do not think that is what this passage is about.  Instead, I think that this says that as we continually seek the Lord's face we will get great gifts from Him.  We may not get the worldly success that we crave, but ultimately we will get what will bring us true and lasting joy.

How much knocking are you doing?

The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13
(9)  Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
(10)  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
(11)  Give us this day our daily bread,
(12)  and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
(13)  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

(13) καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.

Most folks are familiar with this prayer at some level.  Those who come from Catholic or more mainline Protestant backgrounds say this prayer at least once/week when they attend their weekly worship.  It's the template that Jesus gave the Apostles to pray.  In fact, I've heard this also called the "Apostles' Prayer" instead because they are the ones who were told to pray this way.

I want to bring something up in verse 13.  When I read this prayer I tend to think of it more as "deliver us from the evil one," rather than from "evil" in general.  Both are perfectly valid translations grammatically.  I think that the article on τοῦ πονηροῦ lends credence to the idea that it should be translated.  But translating it as "from the evil" doesn't make a lot of sense.  Therefore, we get "from the evil one."

I wouldn't be dogmatic about this, but it is something to consider.  I think it changes the focus slightly.  I also think that it puts Satan in his proper place.  He is the tempter and he wants to throw us off.  However, God is bigger than Satan and can deliver us from Him.  Note also James 4:7.

Hungry?

Matthew 5:6
(6)  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

(6) μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται.

This is one of those verses that I must have read a million times.  Well, figuratively anyway.  I've sung it in songs. I've thought about what it means.  Our innermost desire must be to hunger and thirst for righteousness.  If we do that then we will find satisfaction in Christ.

The Greek doesn't contradict that at all, but it does intensify it a bit.  These are present active participles.  To overtranslate this a bit would be to say something like, "Blessed are those who are regularly in a state of hungering and thirsting for righteousness."

In other words, this is one of those things that we should be doing continually.  How are you with this?  I know that I have times where I hunger and thirst after other things besides righteousness.  My prayer is that we would take this verse to heart and enjoy the blessings that follow.