Sharing Bread Matthew 12:38-42

SHARING BREAD

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”

³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.”

Matt 12:38-42 (NIV)

Our passage for today reminds me of our Lord’s lament found later in Matthew where He longed over Jerusalem’s – which represented the entire nation - willing refusal to turn to Him.  Their time of opportunity had passed.  They were responsible to make a choice – as we all are – and their choice brought them condemnation.  This grieved His holy soul.  When one gazes into God’s heart of love for mankind it will transform forever.  Condemnation and consequences are not His idea of a good time:

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate.”   Matt 23:37-38 (NIV)

“God loves you as though you are the only person in the world, and He loves everyone the way He loves you.”     Augustine

Jesus had just miraculously healed a demon possessed blind mute yet these feigned religious characters desired more still.  Their request implying they rejected the many signs already given them. They demanded more proof.   Jesus did not come to be a circus act nor did He arrive to amuse audiences or cater to their every whim.  Our Lord did not gratify corrupt lusts and humors.  He knew their hearts and no amount of the miraculous would have changed them.  None are as incurably blind as those who staunchly refuse to see.  They were a generation unwilling to be reformed.  Signs were not necessary for faith though He did them to point to the reality of His Words.

 

The generation He addressed in these verses had had an unusual privilege afforded to them which no previous generation had been allowed yet they remained firmly unbelieving.  On the other hand, those in Nineveh prevented their ruin, Jesus states – under the witnessing of the Prophet Jonah - as pitiful as his message appeared to be – they repented.  Indeed, God gave Jonah only eight simple words of warning to get the people of Nineveh to turn:

 

He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." Jonah 3:4 (NIV)

Does not sound too wooing does it?  Seriously, this was a dead culture yet turn they did.  From the king all the way to the least in the kingdom they fasted and prayed and covered themselves with sackcloth.  They humbled themselves and turned from their evil ways and their violence and God was merciful and relented calamity.  Sort of sounds like Abraham, who believed God and God credited his belief as righteousness:

 

²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.   James 2:23 (NIV)

 

This is why Paul is so adamant about us not missing our time of opportunity when the gospel is presented.  There is no present like the Present.  He writes in 2 Corinthians:

 

¹ As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. ² For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.   2 Cor 6:1-2 (NIV)

 

The Ninevites shamed this generation (and ours) for not repenting while the Queen of Sheba for not believing.  The Queen came from a far distance to hear the wisdom of King Solomon – a mere man - yet people refused to be persuaded to come and hear the wisdom of the Lord Jesus.  She had had neither invitation nor promise that she would be welcomed yet they were invited by Christ to come and sit at His feet and hear His word – just as Mary did who was commended by Jesus in doing this:

 

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" ⁴¹ "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."   Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

 

“Luther was right: the root behind all other manifestations of sin is compulsive unbelief—our voluntary darkness concerning God, ourselves, his relationship to the fallen world and his redemption purpose… If the fall occurred through embracing lies, the recovery process of salvation must center on faith in truth, reversing this condition.”   Richard Lovelace

 

What I glean from this:

 

·       God loves me.

·       It is a frightening thing to reject the Truth of God’s Word.

·       My time of opportunity is now.

 

 

 

 

Sharing Bread Matthew 12:33-37

SHARING BREAD

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matt 12:33-37 (NIV)

Make no mistake about it; we should not expect regenerate behavior from an unregenerate.  The unsaved live totally void of spiritual life and ability - the product of corruption reigns in their hearts and flows through their veins.  Also, a believer in the Lord Jesus - who indulges and gives way to his sinful nature – sadly, behaves as the unsaved.  Not a very good witness for the Lord Jesus to be sure!  I am reminded of the words Paul penned in Romans 8:

⁷ the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.   Romans 8:7-8 (NIV)

 

If the heart of one is sanctified it will appear in the words they speak.  The heart is the root and the language the fruit.  It is the fountain from which the streams of our words flow.  In our verses for today our Lord clearly states:  “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”  A person’s words reveal from whence they hail – the Lord’s or the adversary’s.  Unless the heart is transformed the life will never be thoroughly reformed.  Evil words are the natural and genuine product of an evil, sinful heart present from birth on.  The salting of grace into this corrupt flowing fountain is the only cure to purify corrupt conversation.  Jesus calls these Pharisees a “brood of vipers” – snakes which were poisonous and malignant as well as camouflaged to appear as sticks to trick the unobservant into a deadly bite.  Is that not like Satan?  When we are not on our toes or not paying attention or wrongly thinking we stand secure, unlikely to fall or unable to be tempted is the very time the adversary likes to strike – catching us off guard and taking us down.  It happens far too often. 

“The most important thing in life isn’t what we think about ourselves or what others think about us, but what God thinks about us. He is the final Judge. When He examines and evaluates our motives, words, and actions, are we commended, as was Abel, or are we condemned, as was his brother Cain? ‘The Lord does not look at the things man looks at,’ God told the prophet Samuel. ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7).”   Warren Wiersbe

We are told over and over again in Scripture that one will be recognized by the fruit they produce and we are called to be on our guard against those who would lead us astray.  They often appear to us as sheep - donning cloaks of righteousness - but in reality, inwardly, they are ferocious wolves.  Earlier in Matthew Jesus addresses this subject as well: 

 

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”   Matt 7:15-20 (NIV)

 

 “It should be more our care to be good really, than to seem good outwardly.”   Matthew Henry

 

So what are the good things Jesus refers to that a good man is to store up in his heart?  Our hearts are to be a treasury of all His graces – encouragements, comforts, exhortations, love and Truth.  Our minds and hearts should be in constant preparation for “spiritual exertion”.  The Word of God is to be stored in the heart – divine Truths that dwell and rule there – prepared and readied, valuable and suitable - as the occasions arise – a rich storehouse of treasure indeed kept safe and ready for use!  Preparation and implementation is essential for the Christian for the “night is coming”- day is our allotted time to do God’s will.  Whatever we are going to do for Christ we had better do now.  We are all called to make an impact for Jesus in the unique circle of influence in which He has placed us.  Also, Jesus states, we are held accountable for the words that flow freely from our mouths.  This should cause us to want to wear a muzzle!   

 

⁴ “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”   John 9:4 (NIV)

 

¹ Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming.  It is close at hand--  Joel 2:1 (NIV)

 

³² And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; Joel 2:32 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

 

·       I cannot expect regenerate behavior from an unregenerate.  The sinful mind cannot submit to God’s law.

·       My heart is the root and my language the fruit.

·       I am to prepare my heart to be readied and valuable to myself and to others.  I prepare it by storing the Truth of God’s Word within it and setting my heart and mind on things above not on earthly things.  What we value we dwell upon.

 

 

Sharing Bread Matthew 12:30-32

SHARING BREAD

³⁰ “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Matt 12:30-32 (NIV)

Have you ever noticed how Jesus does not leave us any room to be in the middle of the road regarding our walk with Him?  We are either for Him or against Him.  He calls for a clear decision.  He calls for action.  The stakes are high – we are either in or out.  There is a holy war going on between Christ and the adversary – Satan – a war which does not permit our neutrality.  A war in which the Victor has already been proclaimed – how silly it is for us to choose to side with the adversary.  In minor differences among Christians we are to seek peace by counting those not against us to be for us – rejoicing that the power of God is being made manifest by others as well.  It has never been about us and our petty differences rather it is all about the Lord Jesus and His mission.  We discover His Words to His disciples in Luke:

⁴⁹ "Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us." ⁵⁰ "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."    Luke 9:49-50 (NIV)

However, in the great quarrel between Jesus and Satan no peace is to be sought.  Satan is our adversary.  When we remain detached to Jesus’ cause we are as His enemies – we are to ever remain on Christ’s side, serving Him only.  He tells us in Matthew:

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”   Matt 6:24 (NIV)

 

“If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything.  They who do not like Christ on these terms, may leave him at their peril.  Whatever we part with for this pearl of price, we may comfort ourselves with this belief, that it is well worth what we give for it.  The terms are, that we prefer Christ.”   Matthew Henry

 

Prior to our Lord’s statement today, He had healed a blind and mute demoniac.  The Pharisees stated that it was only by the devil’s power that Jesus had made this man clean.  In fact, in Mark’s account of this incident, it is recorded that they state our Lord was possessed by Beelzebub – blaspheming both Jesus and the Holy Spirit – big mistake:

 

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."   Mark 3:22 (NIV)

 

Jesus will graciously forgive a repentant one if a word is spoken against Him yet our Lord states that guilt will always remain on the person who does not recognize the Holy Spirit as being the power behind the miraculous works of Christ.  Mercy will be extended to all sins – even to blasphemy – a sin directly affecting the honor of God, even shown for words spoken against Christ – all sins that is excepting the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit which Jesus stated here as the only unpardonable sin.  This sin inevitably leaves the sinner in unfaithfulness and impenitence.  Those fearing they have committed such a sin show a good sign that they have not.  The Holy Spirit was the source of power which our Lord possessed.  By denying this power these Pharisees were guilty of a sin in which there was no forgiveness.  The heart was at the root of their words.  They possessed such a stronghold of unbelief that could never be beaten out – unpardonable because it hides the need for repentance from the sinner’s eyes.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and there is no one righteous – not even one – every soul is in need of the mercy of God. 

 

²⁸ “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”  Mark 3:28-29 (NIV)

 

¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.   Luke 12:10 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

·       Jesus does not leave us any room to be in the middle of the road regarding our walk with Him.  ³⁷ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”   Matt 10:37-39 (NIV)

·       There is a great spiritual war raging between Jesus and Satan.  As a follower of Christ I am to gather with Him not scatter against Him.

·       Mercy is extended to all sins excepting the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  

 

 

  

Sharing Bread Matthew 12:22-29

    

SHARING BREAD

²² Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. ²³ All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹ Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.”

Matt 12:22-29 (NIV)

My husband always tells me you can’t make sense out of nonsense unless - of course - you are aware of the motive lurking behind the words or actions.  Our Lord knew the thoughts of His adversaries.  He was cognizant of their devious schemes – ever looking for ways to trap Him and to convince those following Him that He was up to folly.  In our verses for today, Jesus took the Pharisees nonsensical accusations and showed them for the foolishness that they truly were.

“Ability is what you are capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”       Lou Holtz

Jesus had graciously just performed a God sized miracle – a miracle too hard for man to accomplish – restoring sight and sound to the blind mute.  The man’s case was a sad one indeed – demonic possession had left him in a miserable state – unable to help himself or even speak to others for help.  Satan has a way of making every life miserable he comes into contact with.  In mercy, Jesus heals.  The viewers of the miraculous were overwhelmed – quite literally beside themselves with amazement and wonder.  They knew healings like this had to be the handiwork of God.  And so the crowds began to question:  "Could this be the Son of David?"  In other words:  “Is this not the promised Messiah and Savior of the world?”  The common people could not miss it.  Surely, this had to send these religious leaders into a terrific tizzy.  Their pride-fullness had prevented their embracing the Prince of Peace.  Therefore, they immediately jumped on trumped up accusations against the Lord as their thoughts were the product of a deep rooted malignity.  They should have remembered the Proverb:

³⁰ Do not accuse a man for no reason--when he has done you no harm.   Prov 3:30 (NIV)

The Pharisees who loved the praise of men could not bear to hear the applause of the people towards another – particularly the likes of the Lord Jesus.  Their pride could not handle favorable words spoken yet not to them.  It sent them reeling.  Pride is such an insidious monster.  They scornfully and blasphemously speak against His miracles which they could not deny.  There was no mistaking the demon possessed blind mute was healed.  It was a matter of fact – plain as the nose on their faces.  And they did not like it one little bit.  Pride always looks foolish fleshed out.

¹³ To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.   Prov 8:13 (NIV)

 

¹⁰ Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.   Prov 13:10 (NIV)

 

³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.   Dan 4:37 (NIV)

 

(Nebuchadnezzar should know – he was still getting the grass out of his teeth when he said this!) 

 

"We make our choices and then our choices make us. Our everyday choices reveal what we really desire. The essence of sin is pride. The heart of sin is independence and the core of sin is demanding my own way instead of God's."  Pat Singleterry

“Don’t slack off seeking, striving, and praying for the very same things that we exhort unconverted people to strive for, and a degree of which you have had in conversion. Thus pray that your eyes may be opened, that you may receive sight, that you may know your self and be brought to God’s feet, and that you may see the glory of God and Christ, may be raised from the dead, and have the love of Christ shed abroad in your heart. Those that have most of these things still need to pray for them; for there so much blindness and hardness and pride and death remaining that they still need to have that work of God upon them, further to enlighten and enliven them. This will be a further bringing out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, and a kind of new conversion…”  Jonathan Edwards, Advice to Young Converts.

 

Jesus begins to counter their accusations with Truth – wisdom is proved right by her actions.  Our Lord makes the obvious point that kingdoms cannot stand which are divided against themselves.  The common end to divisions is desolation.  How silly for them to assume Satan would cast his own out and stand with Christ!  Also, there were some Jews at this time that drove out evil spirits by calling on the Name of the Most High God.  These Pharisees did not condemn them rather imputed what they did to the Spirit of God yet because of envy and spite towards Jesus, they suggest He was in cahoots with Beelzebub.  Judgments done in envy are not made by reason rather prejudice.

 

What I glean from this:

 

·       Jesus graciously performed the miraculous to confirm He was sent by God.

·       Pride will blind me to reason.

·       The essence of sin is pride.

  
  

Sharing Bread Matthew 12:15-21

SHARING BREAD

¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, ¹⁶ warning them not to tell who he was. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁸ “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
²⁰ A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
²¹ In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Matt 12:15-21 (NIV)

Twelve times in his Gospel Matthew reminded his readers of prophecy presented in the Old Testament and now a coming reality in the New.  The particular Old Testament passage Matthew is quoting from is found in Isaiah Chapter 42:1-4.  Clearly, this proves to be a powerful testimony to the Divine origin of Scripture as well as its accuracy in even the minutest of details.  The passage he brings forth today summarizes our Lord’s quiet ministry as well as a ministry which ushers in justice and hope to the nations ending in covering the whole earth with songs of praise and joy – Hallelujah!

The Pharisees were hot on our Lord’s trail with murder looming in their minds.  Totally aware of their malicious thoughts, Jesus withdraws from that place.  Still, the crowds kept flowing, seeking and pushing forward towards a healing touch from the Master who never broke a “bruised reed”.  Mark records they flocked in not only from Galilee but also Judea, Jerusalem, and Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the region of Tyre and Sidon.  In a day where travel was done by foot it is impressive that such large numbers of people would come bringing their sick from over 100 miles around – north, south, east and west – for healing.  And, Scripture states, Jesus healed them all.

Such compassion and kindness Jesus shows to the helpless and hurting - mending the broken lives in His sphere.  Always willing to rise to show compassion, Jesus was and is the broken life mender – just read the testimony of the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery.  Sickness does not always have to be a physical condition it can even include those of collateral damage – damage done incidental to the intended target - damage that can take place in our families when we have been hurt by something or someone else even long ago.  Shattered trust or being unloved or negative words in the past can cause collateral damage in the here and now increasing the wake of the sin.  Jesus is able to fully heal our pasts.  I am reminded of Isaiah’s words:

¹⁸ Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!   Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

 

He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
¹¹ I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. ¹² See, they will come from afar-- some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan." ¹³ Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.   Isaiah 49:10-13 (NIV)

 

“It is rare that Christians earnestly seek the Lord’s face when things are going swimmingly, when material blessings abound and we seem to be protected from the vicissitudes faced by others.  But in the blackness of discouragement, when we are harassed and downcast, we may indeed turn to the Lord and acknowledge our helplessness apart from his grace; we may do so knowing that God is a compassionate God and that Jesus’ compassion was particularly directed toward the harassed and the helpless.”  D A Carson

“Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art.”  Charles Wesley

We also discover Jesus withdrawing from His enemies – those “smoldering wicks” He did not come to snuff out at this Advent – those who rejected God’s purpose for themselves.  On His second coming our Lord’s enemies will not fare so well – to say the least.  I am reminded of our Lord’s Word to His disciples: 

²⁶ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.   Luke 9:26 (NIV)

 

⁴ “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”   Luke 12:4-5 (NIV)

 

What I glean from this:

 

·       The Bible is Truth.  ⁶ And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.   Psalms 12:6 (NIV)

·       Jesus was and is the broken life mender.

·       On His Second Advent Jesus will make all things right, ruling in righteousness.