Lecture #5 - The Sermon on the Mount - Oct.14th

We often think of biblical law as something restrictive, and it is.  It restricts us from committing sedition against the King.  But we don’t often see the positive side of the law. “If you love me keep my commandments (Jn. 14:15).  Love fulfills the law (John 15:10, Romans 3:31, 1 John 5:3, Prov. 29:18). God is love, and Jesus is God.  Jesus is the law of God incarnate.  He himself is what the law was talking about. The Old Testament law was given for many reasons, but one of them was so that the Israelites would not miss the law when it was incarnate and walking among them.

 The law can not give life because the law is a description of life.  The law is a description of Jesus. And it is a description of the life of those that have the life of Jesus living in them because they are united to Christ.  When Jesus stands upon this mountain as a new Moses and gives us the new law, he is giving us grace and blessing, because without it we would not know how to love Him. The Sermon on the Mount is, among other things, a description of the character of Jesus over against the character of the Israelites (in particular the scribes and Pharisees) in the first century. The Sermon on the Mount is a description of Jesus’ life, since he lived what he commanded. It is also a call to be Jesus’ disciple in a particular way. By following him, being like him, and having the same type of effect in the world that he has had.  

Matt. 4:25-5:2   
25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Jesus gathers this multitude at the bottom of a mountain and goes up and turns around and opens his mouth.  This should remind us of Moses with his multitude gathered at the bottom of Sinai. Jesus even fasted the same number of days as Moses in order to cement the implications (Deuteronomy 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:). Jesus is reenacting this scene and placing himself in the role of Moses and his followers in the role of the Israelites of the exodus, Herod in the role of Pharaoh and the scribes and Pharisee in the role of the hard driving taskmasters.  Jesus has come as the new Moses to offer freedom from slave drivers (including the Devil), rest for weary laborers, a land in which to worship God in spirit and truth, and a new kingdom law.


Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are a sort of Ten Commandments of the New Testament.  The Sermon on the Mount is a correction. Not a correction of the Old Testament Law.  Instead it is a correction of how the Israelites in Jesus’ day are misunderstanding the Old Testament Law.  He has picked out specific places that 1st century Jews, and in particular the scribes and Pharisees, were misconstruing and misunderstanding the law in such a way that caused them to miss out on who Jesus was.  The OT law was a perfect description of Jesus. The Israelites without faith were misunderstanding the law, so they were missing Jesus.  

How is the Sermon on the Mount a description of Jesus?

v.3 Jesus, by joining himself to the church, by completely identifying himself with the sinful people whom he was redeeming became poor in spirit even to the point of death on a cross.  The Jews had no category for a Messiah that identified and ate with sinners and tax collectors, they wanted a messiah concerned with the purity laws that separated people, not a messiah that identified with sinners, even to the point of dying for them.

v. 4 Jesus came and mourned over Jerusalem, mourned before the cross, mourned at the death of his friend Lazarus; Jesus came mourning, though the Israelites expected a triumphant king to charge in with an army, not a king who wore a crown of thorns.

v. 5 Jesus is meek.  The Pharisees expected to inherit the earth through force and “cleanliness” or forced cleanliness, but Jesus was going to inherit the earth through obedience to the Father, (aka. meekness)

v. 6 Jesus hungered and thirsted after righteousness where the scribes and Pharisees wanted a bureaucratic, outward righteousness, they were just white washed tombs.  The did not have the inward life that desires to do right (i.e. righteousness).

v. 7 Jesus was merciful.  The Pharisees thought that if they showed mercy that they were keeping Israel in exile.  They thought that they needed to be as strict as they could in keeping everyone else in line and then God would rescue them from exile.

v. 8 Jesus was pure in heart; he had no guile in him.  He only sought justice and mercy and peace.  The Pharisees were so interested in “keeping the law” that they forgot to love their neighbor, which of course meant that they weren’t in the least bit interested in keeping the law, which told them to love their neighbor.

v. 9 Jesus came to bring peace, he did not come to bring war the way that the Pharisees thought the messiah would.  Jesus said that whoever seeks to live by the sword will die by the sword.  The Pharisees/zealots sought to bring life back to Israel by the sword, and they died by the sword.

v. 10 -12 – a man hung from a tree was a man under a curse.  The Israelites thought that their Savior-King (Messiah) was going to be a physically triumphant king that would charge in and kick out the Romans because they did not realize that their real problem was Sin, Death, and the Devil.  Jesus came and was persecuted when it looked the fate of Jesus looked the bleakest to Israelites and they thought that he was destroyed, he was actually coming into his kingdom.  John and James asked to sit on his right and left hand when he came into his kingdom, but God put two thieves on his right hand and on his left.  

v. 13 -18 – where the Israelites refused to be a kingdom of priests, Jesus was the perfect high priest.  Where the Israelites refused to bring the light to world and be salt for the nations, Jesus gave himself for illumination and preservation of the whole world.  Where the Israelites refused to stand between the world and its God and seek their reconciliation, Jesus stood between God and the nations and died of the cross to bring them together.  This would have of course made some think that he was destroying the law (v. 17), because they misunderstood what the law was teaching, that was why they were missing Jesus.  Instead, Jesus was fulfilling what the law had always been about, which was the final reconciliation of the whole world by means of the nation of Israel.  God became the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not to exclude the world, like the Pharisees thought, but to eventually be reconciled with the whole world through Abraham’s seed, the nation of Israel and through Jesus.

v. 19 -20 – and anyone who will not do these eighteen previous verses will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  If you continue to refuse this law, like the Pharisees won’t (v. 20) then you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (which is not heaven, but is the rule of earth by Jesus)

Jesus verses the Pharisees

Jesus is explicitly teaching in opposition to the common teaching of his day.  The “traditional” interpretation was not actually the traditional interpretation.  Jesus was a reformer of doctrine.  The particular doctrines are ones that was confusing the population on his identity.  So these are the particular laws that the population was misunderstanding that were causing them to not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.  

v. 21 – 26 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time . . . but I say unto you – As long as I don’t kill anyone I won’t be in danger of judgment, but Jesus says that if you get angry and curse at your brother you are in danger of the fires of hell.  The Pharisees taught  that the spirit of the law was to not murder, But Jesus taught that the spirit of the law was the unity of the brethren.  This is a description of what Jesus was like, he did not just refrain from murdering, but came unifying enemies and bringing peace

v. 27 – 32 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time . . . but I say unto you Even some of the Romans were astounded and sickened by the prevalence of sexual immorality.  The Pharisees tried to solve the problem by stopping the adultery. We see, with the woman caught in adultery, when the one who has not committed adultery is invited to throw the first stone, that you were hard pressed to find someone who hadn’t committed adultery.  There was one sect of Pharisees that were called the Bleeding Pharisees because they were so intent on avoiding lust that they walked with theirs eyes down and covered.  But Jesus is saying that the spirit of the law is

v. 33 – 37  Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time . . . but I say unto you The third commandment, to not take the Lord’s name in vain, Jesus takes and explicates the Spirit of the law.  It means be a truth-teller.  Be trustworthy with the facts.  Let your communications be Yea, yea or nay, nay.  And what did Jesus do?  His communication was Verily, verily… He did not come swearing and making oaths that what he said was true, He would merely say verily, verily  

v. 38 – 42 Ye have heard that it hath been said . . . But I say unto you Eye for an eye, which is a law that is meant to limit the governments rights in terms of the maximum allowable punishment for a crime, had been turned into a justification for personal revenge.  Jesus says that the law instead insists on giving up yourself and your “rights” for the good of others.  Jesus gave up all the rights and privileges of being the only begotten and eternal son of God for the good of others. They compelled him and he went the extra mile carrying his own cross. Jesus was anything but stingy even with His own person. He gave himself away for the good of others.

v. 43 – 47  Ye have heard that it hath been said . . . But I say unto you the Pharisees taught that you needed to love your Israelites, but you could hate the Romans.  They were continuing to turn the light that God had given them in on themselves, but Jesus said no, you must love your enemies.  And Jesus loved his enemies.  When we were still sinners Jesus died for us.  

Lecture #4 - Jesus the New Moses - Sept. 30th

Matthew 2 – The Dangerous Baby
The second chapter of Matthew is when Jesus and Israel begin to clash.  The wise men (astrologers who are perhaps descendants of Noah?) follow a star (angel) who sends them to the new king of the Jews.  Naturally they go to Jerusalem and ask Herod where the new king is.  Herod asks his scholars where the Messiah is going to be born.  They answer Bethlehem. He send the wise men on and tells them to come back and let him know where he is.  

True biblical religion is primarily historical.  The nature and substance of the gospel is a story about what God has done on this planet.  Jesus took on flesh, removing everything from the realm of abstract questioning (like Philosophy) to the realm of history.  We know who God is by what He has done in History.  Jesus said that you will know a tree by its fruit.  Being precedes doing.  Our actions are determined by our nature.  Because of this we can be confident that when we look at what God has done, we can know who God is.  So Gospel preaching is authoritative storytelling.  Theology ought to be summaries of the story of the Gospel because that is how God has revealed himself to us.  History ought to be seen as the working out of the covenant(s) that God has made with the world. With Adam as the would-be governor of the world who failed his covenant test and gave up his dominion to the Devil. And the new Adam (Jesus) who succeeded in his covenant test and destroyed the dominion of the Devil.  These two mankinds, (one being dead and loving death, one being alive and loving life) have been at odds throughout history. But the new humanity, as it rules in humility and reverence for God, is prevailing by the power of the Holy Ghost to plunder the army of the dead, converting them to the army of life.  Studying the Gospel according to Matthew, then, is studying the personal History of Jesus Christ as the climax of the wrestling of these two nations and the older will serve the younger, (even though it appears that Jesus loses the wrestling match) because God prefers the younger, His only begotten Son who waits patiently for His Father to fulfill all that He promise to His Son.

Vs 1-2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judah (David’s City) about eight miles from Jerusalem, wise Asians (i.e. Astrologers) came to Jerusalem, (perhaps there were three, the text doesn’t say), and asked Herod (the unlawful king because he was not of the line of David) “Where is the new king of the Jews, our star chart has predicted that he was just born. And a Star/Angel has explained that he is the King of the Jews, so we came to Jerusalem to see him.  We have brought gifts with which to worship him.”  
These astrologers are the first Gentiles to come and worship Jesus and are a foreshadowing of the gentiles that are going to stream in. Isaiah (60:1-6) predicted that darkness would cover the earth and gross darkness would cover the people, but the glory of Yahweh would rise and his glory would be seen. Then gentiles, specifically kings, would come to the light, and the sons and daughters of God’s people would return from exile. The abundance of the sea of gentiles would be converted and eastern kings would bring gold and incense (like frankincense and myrrh).  Baalam (who had the talking donkey) prophesied in his second prophecy (in Num. 24:17-19) that a star (symbolic of a king) will rise out of Israel, and that a scepter (symbolic of a ruler’s power to judge) will rise out of Israel and he will possess his enemies.  “Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.”

Vs 3-6 Herod the king was troubled and so was the rest of Jerusalem, who did not want anything to do with Jesus (revealing that Herod was the proper representative), so he gathered together the chief priests and scribes of the people to ask where the messiah would be born and they told him that the King of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem.  The Prophecy from Micah (5:1-4) is that a governor will rise from the least city of Judah and rule Israel.  The exile is going to end when the woman in labor has brought her child the remnant will return “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.” This prophecy is another instance of the spiritual law that the least is the greatest.  Humility leads to exaltation.  This is not some sort of natural law that works “on its own,” instead it is a promise of how God will act toward us. As in Rev. 2:26-27  26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.  The one that keeps the covenant (keeps my works) will receive power over the nations.  Just as Jesus received this power over the nations From his Father after the cross resurrection and ascension (which is described in detail in Dan 7:9-14).

Vs. 7-8 Herod, in the true fashion of a stupid hypocrite, believes the first half of the verse, where the king will be born, but not the second half of the verse, that he will be King.  So he sends the wise men to Bethlehem with the sly plan to have the astrologers find the Christ and then they could tell him (Herod) then he could go kill the baby (like a big strong man) and keep being king. (This also is the first hinting that Herod was a pawn of the Devil, which Jesus does more than just hint at later).

Vs. 9-12 We learn that the Star (angel) apparently had left them after telling them that the King was going to be born in Israel, which is probably why they went to Jerusalem, the capital city.  The star now returns to them (probably from its position in the heavens) and it caused them to rejoice greatly.  The star then leads them to Bethlehem, and then to the particular house (v.11) where Jesus was.  Since Jesus was born in a manger, this was not on the night Jesus was born.  It was probably after Joseph and the family (the Davidsons) went to Jerusalem to offer the gift at the Temple for a new baby boy, which was after Jesus’ circumcision.  But Also, Jesus was less than three, since Herod is about to have the children under three killed.  When they arrived, Mary was holding Jesus and the asian men worshiped Jesus, giving him gifts of gold and incense, which, of course, was prophesied in Isaiah 60:6.  God then warned them in a dream that they should not return to Herod. So they went around Jerusalem on the return journey.

Vs. 13-15 When Joseph takes his wife and the young child Jesus and leaves Israel because of a dream, they are fulfilling the prophecy that God’s son will be called out of Egypt.  Matthew is arguing throughout this section that Israel is the new Egypt.  “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son”(Hosea 11:1).  Matthew is beginning to argue that Israel is the new Egypt. This line of argumentation continues throughout the book.  The other Gospels and the book of Revelation also pick up this theme of Jesus’ preaching and teaching and do everything that they can to make sure that we do not miss the point, so we, of course, miss the point.  Not only is Jesus the son of a dreaming Joseph, like the one that brought Israel into salvation in Egypt, but Jesus is being called out of Egypt/Israel because Herod is about to pull a Pharaoh and kill all the children.

Vs. 16-18 Herod now pulls a Pharaoh and kills all the children under three, but God makes provision to save Jesus the same way he made provision to save Moses.  This also was prophesied by Jeremiah (31:15) right in the middle of one of the high points of the Old Covenant Promises (Jer. 21:10-37:21).  This is the promise of a new covenant, which is a recreation of heaven and earth and the glorification and proliferation of all that God has done for the people of God.  God will redeem Israel from a stronger foe, establishing blessings and banishing sorrow. “Then shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. 14 I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness”, says the LORD.  But first there will be great weeping, but don’t mourn, because it is a sign that the exile has ended.  
God will put a yoke on his people and turn them and because he has turned them with the yoke, they will repent.  Israel, Yahweh’s son will go off into a distant land, but God the Father will watch the highway ready to show mercy.  Yahweh will bring them out of captivity and give them rest for their weary souls.  “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD”.  This new covenant will be greater than the old covenant, for the law will not be written on stone, but on flesh, the flesh of our heart.  The whole creation will be effectively destroyed and Israel will cease from being called a nation forever.  And what was all the sign that this was at hand; Herod killing a bunch of babies in Bethlehem.  This is why we must see by faith.

Vs. 19-23 After Herod’s death, Joseph gets another dream telling him to return to Israel, so they went.  Archelus, Herod’s son, was now reigning and Joseph was afraid.  His fear was confirmed by a dream, so they settled in Nazareth, which was prophesied.  It was written that he would be called a Nazarene.

Matthew 3 - John the Baptizer

John the Baptist holds an incredibly important place if the life and work of Jesus are to be understood.  Jesus self consciously begins his own ministry by aligning himself with John’s ministry, essentially saying that He has come to finish what John has started.  Jesus begins his ministry in the pattern and style of John, baptizing (John 4:1) and preaching repentance (Matt. 4:17).  Jesus’ own ministry was so similar to John’s that people thought that Jesus was John resurrected.  But what had John started?    

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, - First off, John was gathering a multitude in the Jordan wilderness at a river calling them to come out from among the people of Israel. Circa 20AD John began preaching in the Judean wilderness gathering people in a new exodus.  Israel (we learned in chapter 2) is Egypt and John in calling people to cross the red sea in baptism (1 Cor. 10:2) out of Israel.

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. – The call to repent here is more than just a call to feel sorry for your sins.  Repentance is a call to a change of allegiances.  Give up your former allegiances, in this case, to the “physical” Israel, to your trust in your DNA (vs 9), and join the true Israel.  He is preaching a new way to be Israel that involved a new exodus.  Matthew just told us that Spiritually, Israel was Egypt and now John gathers a multitude in the Judean wilderness and teaching a new way to be Israel. This is much more than a renewal movement in the wilderness, this is the gathering of the true Israel, the one that Yahweh is truly going to vindicate and justify.  
There is a reason that some people thought that John might himself be the messiah (Luke 3:15).  His claim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand is an “eschatological” claim.  It is a claim that Yahweh is about to come, that the Son of Adam (son of man) is about to establish a kingdom and authority that have no end.  It is a claim that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is about to prove to the rest of the world that those that believed God’s promises were right to do so.  The kingdom of heaven is the earthly rule of God through the coming son of David.  It is a claim that the old order of always looking forward to what God was going to do someday, was about to become a thing of the past.  God was about to reconstitute Israel, bring her out of Egypt, bring her home from Babylon.  God’s son, who was sent up the road to the heathens, is coming home.  This is a spiritual and political message.  This is why John was being silenced by Herod

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. – this is a quote from the 40th chapter of (Isaiah 40:1-7)

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
Here we learn that John is dressed to look like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) so apparently he knew that he was going forth in the Spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17) and since he was Jesus’ cousin also apparently knew his mission.  We also learn that he is keeping the purity laws while living in the dessert.

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. - John (a legitimate priest’s son) was calling Israel to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, offering forgiveness apart from the temple.  He is, in principle, setting aside the current institution of forgiveness, the temple, and replacing it with water baptism.  

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: - We are also told why the temple needs to be laid aside, because the devil has taken up residence there.  A generation of vipers, is the equivalent of saying “children of the devil” because serpents are beget by serpents.  John also lumps in with the sadduccees the contemporary attempts at restoration (Phariseeism and the synagogue).

9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. – The temptation of the day (like the temptation of every day) is to claim justification based on anything besides God’s mercy.  The Jews were basing it on physical descent.  We are justified because we are not gentiles.  Paul spilled an enormous amount of ink to combat this problem.  The laws that separated Jews from Gentiles were never given as a ladder to heaven.  To attempt to use it that way is not only an illegal use of the law, it is to make the law unrighteousness.  The Jews are indicted over and over by Jesus for not being a light to the gentiles.  They used the law as an excuse to break the law, which is unlawful.  Their problem was never that they tried too hard to keep the law.  It is that they refused to keep the law and tried (to no avail) to use the law as the excuse for why they did not keep the law.  Paul, however, argues that the gentiles can be brought in without becoming Jews because the law was never meant to justify.  Justification (in both the broad and narrow sense and in every other sense) has always been by faith.

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. This is a spiritual and political message.  There is a reason that John was being silenced by Herod.  Herod, most likely, had been the topic of John’s invectives.  John's claim is that Israel, because it is not producing the fruit that it was told to produce (gentile believers; the keeping of the law by faith; mercy and compassion; the honoring of Fathers and Mothers; the honoring of wives; meekness; peace), that Jerusalem  is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire (a common theme of the book of Matthew).  Herod didn’t like that idea much, not even when Jesus preaches it later in the book, but John’s call to repent before it happens was not heeded.  His basic claim is that the devil has taken up residence in Jerusalem because of her sin.  Repent or Jerusalem will be destroyed.  It the mean time, all of you who believe my message, join me in the exodus out of Egypt, before the curses wreak havoc.

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Fire baptism and/or refining and purging by fire baptism is prophesied (Is. 4:4, 44:3, Mal. 3:1-3, 4:1).  This is not a new idea, this is the kind of idea that John would get reading his Old Testament’s messianic promises.

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This is the point at which Jesus begin’s his ministry.  This is when he step’s into the role of covenant representative of Israel (making the old into new by a process of purging)   The Holy Spirit resting upon Jesus was prophesied (Is. 11:1-11, Is. 42:1-6) as the first sign that salvation has come to the gentiles and that peace on earth is here.  And one last thing that is of utmost importance, Jesus here begins recreating the world (The Spirit again hovers over the water [like Noah’s dove], with the Father speaking and the Word creating, and of course v. 4:16-17 tells us that then there was light)

But Jesus’ baptism is also the new Moses passing through the red sea.  In the exodus, Israel went down into the water, there was a shout from the skies (Ps. 77:17), and the purpose of the passover and exodus was to show that Israel was God’s son (Ex. 4:22-23).  Jesus’ baptism, besides just looking similar (going down into the water at the edge of the new Egypt) God the father shouts from the sky (3:17a) that Jesus is His Son (3:17b).  Paul also makes the connection in Corinthians (1 Cor. 10:2).  Then Jesus, just like Moses, passes through the water to head out into the wilderness for 40 days of temptation, which, of course corresponds to the forty years of testing in the wilderness.  But, so that we don’t miss it, the three instances of temptation that Matthew reports to us correspond to three temptation that Israel faced and failed to overcome while in the wilderness.

Matthew 4 - The Wilderness Temptation

1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. – Jesus, having been anointed with the Holy Spirit, Goes to battle the enemy

3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The devil is tempting Jesus in the same way that Israel was tempted concerning the Manna.  Israel forgot that they were God’s son and that God would take care of them.  Jesus did not forget. (see Deut. 8:1-3).  Jesus answered the temptation the way that the Israelites should have answered.

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy again (6:16) In Massah they tempted or tested God because they complained that they had no water. Jesus is also tempted to not trust in God’s provision and protection.

8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus quotes Deut. 6:13 and 10:20, both passages about Egypt. Jesus was tempted to gain all of the kingdoms of the earth by worshipping the devil which is a temptation to worship the gods of the nations round about Israel, the Israelites where overcome by this temptation. (Deut. 6: 12-14)

Then the devil leaves Jesus and angels come and minister unto him, just like when the Israelites leave the wilderness, angels come to Joshua.  

Jesus begins his preaching ministry which is the plundering of the new Egypt by binding the strong man.

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. -

Jesus moves to Galilee and begins preaching the gospel of the kingdom, which is his coming rule of earth, and Matthew points out that this was what the Messiah was going to do, live in Galilee and preach a recreating word (where there was great darkness covering the face of the deep, Jesus spoke and then there was light.) and begins his healing ministry and in the process gathers a great multitude.

25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
So Jesus gathers this multitude at the bottom of a mountain and goes up and turns around and opens his mouth.  Does this remind you of anything?  Moses had a multitude gathered at the bottom of Sinai, he went up and from the mountain God delivered the law.  Jesus is reenacting this scene and placing himself in the role of Moses and his followers in the role of the Israelites of the exodus, Herod in the role of Pharaoh and The scribes and Pharisee in the role of the hard driving taskmasters.  Jesus has come as the new Moses to offer freedom from slave drivers (including the Devil), rest for weary laborers, a land in which to worship God in spirit and truth, and a new kingdom law.

Lecture #3 - Matthew’s Genealogy of Jesus - The Promise of a Return

Introduction to the Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Matthew is an extended argument that the covenant has come to the pinnacle of all its promises.  All of the promises of the old covenant came and walked the earth in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham of seed and a land, the promise through Moses of a new law and law giver, the promise to David of the great King and Messiah, the promise to Malachi of a new prophetic ministry like Elijah and Elisha, the promise through Jeremiah of a great return from exile, the promise to Hosea of a new exodus, the promise through Isaiah of forgiveness of sins and rest and of a new creation, the promise through David and Ezekiel of a new temple sacrifice and priesthood (melkezidichian).  Matthew is arguing that all of these things have come in the person of Jesus, Yahweh incarnate, and that by his preaching, life, death, resurrection, and ascension/installation, the exile is ended, the slavery is over, the heavy burdens can be laid aside and (of all things) the time of the gentiles salvation has come.  Matthew lays out, among other things, a legal case against the Pharisees/Synagogues, the temple/Sadducees, and (beginning here in the genealogy) the Herods.  He also gives an argument for selling your temple front property in Jerusalem and preparing to go to the gentiles (which we see happening in the book of acts).  And he spends a great deal of time establishing Jesus a the great “judge” (savior/prophet, as in the book of judges) of the earth.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations (Matt. 1:17).

The melodic line of Matthew is a harmony of two melodies which together form the turning point of history.  As the seventeenth verse of the first chapter of Matthew tells us, Jesus is the beginning of the fourth fourteen, or the first generation of the seventh seven since Abraham.  He is also the beginning of the fourth fourteen, which means that he is the beginning of the Sabbath of weeks of generations.  He is also the becomes the legitimate heir of the throne of David by being the first born of Joseph, the “SON OF DAVID.”  Jesus is the summation of all that has come before him and in him the old will be done away with and the new will be established.

Chapter 1
The point of the genealogy is to stress Jesus’ Israelitishness and that Jesus is history’s climax.  This is going to become very important when Matthew argues that Jesus is the federal representitive of Israel.  This genealogy also stresses Jesus’ right as the first born in the household of Joseph (husband of Mary). Joseph is the firstborn in the Davidic line and is therefore the rightful king of Israel.  Jesus inherits the birthright as King legally.  It also stresses the many whores redeemed in Jesus’ lineage.

Vs. 1-2 “Jesus Christ the Son of David” is one name with two titles, indicating the same thing.  Jesus is King by the appointing of the Holy Spirit by God the Father (baptism, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost) and by lineage- son of David, which is about to proved by this genealogy.  It also sets Jesus forward as the hope of the Jews, the promised son of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3; 132:11; Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:14-18; Ezekiel 34:23-24).
“The son of Abraham”  denotes Jesus’ ethnic descent from Abraham which is important because Jesus is the seed promised to Abraham (Gen 17:1-7).  But as Dr. Leithart pointed out in an advent sermon, Matthew is going to be making the point that Jesus is the greater Isaac, the seed in whom all the promises given to Abraham will be fulfilled.  All the nations of the earth will be blessed in Jesus (Gen. 22:18; 26:4), and through him, Abrahams’ seed will inherit the land (Gen. 12:7).

This is also important because Jesus is the antitype of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (whom I realize is not mentioned in this text, but he was not a patriarch because he was rejected by his brothers when God informed them of his status as the next patriarch [Gen. 37:1-11]).  

As the new Abraham, Jesus is the patriarch, the father of a new nation and the the new federal head of the saved family of God.  Abraham lived his life as a pilgrim with the land of Canaan in his possession by the promise of God but only actually owning his tomb, Jesus lived his life as a pilgrim with the entire earth in His possession by the promise of God but only actually owning his tomb which was given Him after his death (he may have owned a home we’re never told explicitly).  Isaac, the child of promise, came into the world late in his Father’s life, about forty years after his older brother, and was preferred above Ishmael, who was nevertheless established by God with a heavenly deed of his own, (His post-Jethro descendants gave up the rights by their lack of faith displayed by their wickedness).  

Isaac was the son offered on the altar (with a ram being exchanged at the last minute).  Abraham, acting with faith in the particular promises of god that the whole earth would be his through this child (who was not an infant and probably had enough faith to sit still while being tied) thought that God would raise Isaac from the dead which was a type of resurrection (Heb. 11:17-20).  Jesus was offered up by His Father willingly (Heb. 12:2) and was the anti-type (fulfillment) of this symbolic action.  Isaac’s father sent his servant Eleazar (which means comforter in the Hebrew) to a far country to find, beautify and prepare a bride for him.  Jesus’ father also sent his servant the Holy Spirit (who is the comforter of the Hebrews) to a far country (Earth) to find, beautify and prepare a bride for Him (Eph. 5:26-27).   

Jacob, by faith, did not grasp after the patriarchy promised to him by God (Gen. 25:23-25) but waited for the Lord to give it to him, which he did when Esau sold it to him for a bowl of red soup.  Jesus did not grasp after the authority that God the Father had promised to Him, even when it was laid out to Him for exchange for His sin.  Instead Jesus waited until the Devil, who did not realize what he was doing, despised his authority and sold it for the blood of the Son of God.  The patriarchy was overturned when God gave it into the hands of Joseph and his brothers rebelled against the God given preference of Joseph.  When God (through prophetic dreams) and Jacob (by word and clothing him in a king/priest garment) told them to yield all of their authority to Joseph, they threw him down a well and killed a goat in his place, then pulled him out and sent him down to Egypt where he became the ruler of Egypt.  Jesus came to Israel and God (through declaration and clothing Him with the Holy Ghost) told the Israelites to yield themselves to Jesus they killed Him as a scapegoat and threw Him into Sheol.  God then pulled Him out by the power of the Holy Ghost and exalted Him to the right hand of the Father, where he became the ruler of the whole earth.

vs. 3 “Judes begat Pharez and Zaroh of Tamar.”  Zara is set aside by God and eventually his line is wiped out (Gen 38:27, Josh 7:1-24).  Pharez is made to be the line of Promise by God, which is established in salmon’s marriage to Rahab and later in Ruth.

Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,  (19)  And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,  (20)  And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,  (21)  And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,  (22)  And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David (Ruth 4:18-22).

The entire book of Ruth is a historical argument that David is the rightful heir of Judah. God had promised that the line of Judah would be royal and eventually messianic (Gen. 49:8-12). The first born of Judah would carry this promise. He married Tamar and then died, His brother Onan was supposed to raise up a Son for his older brother, but because his brothers unfruitfulness would mean him inheriting that promise, the bible tells us that he went in unto Tamar but he spilled his seed in the dust. Then he died, the next brother was too young, so Judah said, live here until he is old enough, but then Judah defrauded Tamar, so when Judah’s wife had died, and Judah went on a business trip, Tamar pretended to be a Canaanite prostitute and was hired by Judah and Tamar got pregnant with twins. When she went into labor, the first born began to be born, his hand came out and the midwife tied a scarlet cord around his wrist, but then he pulled his hand back in and his younger brother was born first.  The older was named Zerah and the younger was named Pharez, so Zerah inherited the Royal and messianic promise (Gen. 38).

But later, a descendant of Zerah named Achan (Achan the Son of Zerah in Josh 22:20) sinned during the conquest and Zerah’s royal line was wiped out). So the royal line of Judah would then fall on the descendants of Pharez. The prince of the line of Pharez in Achan’s day was Salmon the Father of Boaz. Salmon had married Rahab the Canaanite prostitute who had saved her family in Jericho by rescuing the Israelite spies and then hanging a scarlet cord in her window. So then, by bringing the scarlet cord of Rahab, God appears to be confirming the descendants of Salmon son of Pharez (whose older brother had a scarlet cord tied around his wrist at birth to verify that he was the first born) as the true royal descendants of Judah, who now carried the promise. So when Ruth gives David’s genealogy in this way, the author if Ruth is arguing that David is of the Royal line of Judah and that the messianic promises have fallen in his line.

vs. 5 Rahab, the prostitute, bringing the scarlet thread with her, marries into the lineage of Pharez, and proves yet again that the younger was preferred to the older and that the child of Promise is set apart by God’s mercy.  Her son Boaz marries the righteous gentile Ruth who does not live above reproach in the eyes of her neighbor, who, never the less, is a righteous woman.

Vs 6 David, by the wife of Uriah, whom he murdered after stealing his wife, who is not exactly a queen of modesty, has Solomon.

Vs 16 Joseph, the rightful King (son of David, v 20), the husband of Mary, (who was pregnant out of wedlock) now has a first son, Jesus.

Vs 17 Here, the four stages of the Abrahamic covenant are separated in the genealogy by 14 generations.  In each stage we can see many similarities.  The covenant is reestablished in the world, a new covenant word is given, a great historical salvation is accomplished, greater revelation and salvation are promised, and Eden is reestablished (symbolically) as the meeting place of heaven and earth, and a prophet priest and king are established.  The previous three stages, which are laid out here hint that the one that Matthew is about to relate is the greatest one of them all; that he is about to tell the story of the fulfillment and climax of Abraham’s promise.  That all of this is going to be rolled up into the person of Jesus the messiah.  Israel has been renewed, vindicated, and reconstituted as the people of God because the covenant head of Israel died on a Roman cross, spent three days in the ground and then rose from the dead.  Abraham was right in believing God, Moses was right in believing God, David was right in believing God, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, Noah, John the baptizer and the eleven were right in believing God.  Also, Jesus is beginning the seventh set of seven, which, in terms of creation imagery would be the Sabbath day of generations of the Abrahamic covenant

The anonymous preacher (who is an early church commentator) points out that the three sections of the genealogy correspond to shifts in the socio-religious organization of Israel. From Abraham to David, Israel was under judges; from David to exile, under kings; from exile on, under the high priest. Jesus fulfills all three of these, as the judge, king, and priest.

Vs 18 before they were married, Mary was pregnant by the Holy Ghost.  Mary appears to have committed adultery, but we just were reminded of 4 women in the lineage of Jesus with real or perceived whoredoms of whom God made great women of faith, so this sort of thing is not new, but it also should not come as a surprise because Isaiah prophesied it.  (see v. 23) Joseph, however, needed the persuading presence of an angel of the Lord appearing to him in a dream.

Vs 19-20  Joseph was opposed to sexual impurity and to vindictive, self-seeking “justice,” so when his misunderstanding was made plain, because putting her away silently was an act of faith without knowledge, marrying her was his faith acting with knowledge, he married her but did not have intercourse until after Jesus was born.  Then they did and there were other children born into Jesus earthly family (Mark 3:32).

Vs 23 This all fulfills the prophecy given by Isaiah to Ahaz when Ahaz is invited by God to ask the highest or lowest sign that he can think of.  Ahaz elects to not test God so god tells Ahaz what the sign will be, and when it will happen (Is. 7:10-16), and then what will happen because of Yahweh’s action (Is. 7:17-25).  The gentiles will come to the land, the hired servant will be shaved (for disgrace) and the land will produce an abundance of butter and honey, and the land will become rich and filled with briars and thorns.  So Isaiah is talking about the Israel within an Israel distinction (The true Israel, who has spoiled the old Israel and survives the destruction of the old Israel by coming out from among the wicked).

Lecture #2- Dating the Gospels - Sept. 16th

Dating the Gospels 


Let’s work backwards

Before 70AD
We know that the whole Bible is completed before AD70. The Church Fathers often mention the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in AD70 in defense of Jesus as a prophet. The New Testament predicts and assumes the coming destruction of the Temple but never mentions it.

After 30AD
Jesus was crucified in 30-31AD

Between 30-62AD
2 Tim. 3:15-17  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  (16)  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  (17)  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Timothy has been taught the scriptures and learned to trust in Jesus. It Paul is writing in the 50’s and 60’s (Paul was killed in AD 62) then Timothy was born around the time of Jesus’ ministry. And he had been studying the scriptures that make one wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus since childhood.

Paul and Peter are known to be writing Scripture
Paul’s writings are already considered scripture:
2 Pet. 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Peter considers his own testimony concerning the mount of transfiguration evidence that he writes as a prophet.
2 Pet. 1:16-21  For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  (17)  For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  (18)  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.  (19)  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:  (20)  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  (21)  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.


Dating the Gospels
Matthew - Most likely took notes while studying under his ‘rabbi’ Jesus. It is written during the persecution that followed the martyrdom of Stephen, 30

Mark - Mark and Peter were together in Rome from AD 42-44

Luke - Paul’s Trial and Death in Rome (AD 62) and James’ death in Rome (AD 62 are not mentioned in Acts, nor are there any hints of a Roman persecution (AD 63). So Acts, which is written after Luke, is complete in AD 61-62 at the latest. Origen, Eusebius, Ephrem, Chrysostom, and Jerome all say that 2 Cor. 8:18 (2Co 8:18  And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches) is a reference to Luke and his Gospel (AD 56). His Gospel had already spread. Therefore Luke’s Latest possible date is AD 54

John - John is written in conjunction with the book of Revelation. John is in Patmos in 61-62AD.