Thursday
Evening Bible Study
October 5,
2006
Matthew 3
:1-12 John’s ministry
Matthew now zooms forward in time about thirty years.
:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
John – Ioannes – “Yahweh
is gracious”
Baptist – he baptized people, he dunked them in the river.
It’s interesting that Matthew mentions the Nazarite (Mat. 2:23) and then talks about one who seems to
have been a Nazarite, John the Baptist (Luke 1:15).
wilderness of Judea – this was the
wastelands on the western shore of the Dead Sea.
:2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
Repent – turn around, turn from your sins. “Get ready to meet God”
:3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.'"
Matthew quotes from Is. 40:3
In the ancient cultures, highway workers would be sent ahead of the king’s
traveling entourage to make sure the roads were smooth for the king. John’s
ministry was to prepare people’s hearts for the coming King.
:4 And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around
his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
He seemed to play the part of a wild man. He also just happened to be
dressing similarly to the prophet Elijah (2King 1:8).
locusts – this was “kosher”, legal for a good Jew to eat.
(Lev 11:22
NKJV) 'These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust
after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
:5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea,
and all the region around the Jordan
went out to him
:6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan,
confessing their sins.
The people were responding to John’s ministry.
Baptism was a ritual practiced in Judaism by those who were Gentiles
converting to Judaism. They would also have to be circumcised as well.
John’s baptism wasn’t into Judaism, the people he baptized were already
Jews. His baptism was in a sense a statement that the people were adopting
something new, they were moving away from their sins toward righteousness.
:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his
baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the
wrath to come?
Pharisees – the strictest sect within Judaism. They were the
“orthodox” believers. They held strictly to the Law. They believed in miracles.
They believed in the work of the Holy Spirit. They believed in angels and the
resurrection from the dead. They believed that the entire Old Testament was the
Word of God. They weren’t a lot unlike us. Except that for the most part they
rejected Jesus. They were religious on the outside, but not on the inside.
Sadduccees – These were the liberals among Judaism. The priests were
also mainly made up of Sadduccees. They only believed the first five books (the
Torah) to be inspired. They didn’t believe in miracles, angels, or the
resurrection – that’s why they were “sad-you-see” …J
John’s message: This is not a way to make friends.
:8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
Lesson
Talk is cheap
Some people are real good at convincing you with their words. They tell you
they’ve changed, and we often believe them.
The Bible tells us that repentance is more than words or emotions – repentance
involves action.
Paul had rebuked the Corinthian church for some problems they had. They
responded to Paul’s letter with “repentance”
(2 Cor 7:8-11 NKJV) For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I
do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle
made you sorry, though only for a while. {9} Now I rejoice, not that you were
made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in
a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. {10} For godly
sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the
sorrow of the world produces death. {11} For observe this very thing, that you
sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of
yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what
vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
When someone professes to follow Jesus, or they tell you they are sorry for
their actions, that’s good. But it is proper to tell them that they need to
follow through and bring forth the “fruits” of repentance.
:9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our
father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from
these stones.
It was a common teaching among the Jews of that day to feel that because of
their relation to Abraham as his descendants, they shared in some benefits –
their prayers were heard, God would help them in war, their sins were forgiven,
and they would have eternal salvation.
The people would be surprised that both John and Jesus would be preaching
that people needed to repent from their sins and that they couldn’t count on
their ancestors to save them.
:10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore
every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Judgment is coming.
:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is
coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Baptism is a sort of way to “identify” with something. It was a way
of saying that you were joining.
sandals … - John knows that the coming Messiah is far greater than
he is.
It would seem from the other accounts that John doesn’t know who the Messiah
is, not yet.
the Holy Spirit and fire
It would seem these are two different things.
The Holy Spirit would be poured out on the day of Pentecost.
The fire would be the judgment when Jesus returns.
:12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean
out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn
up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
winnowing fan – used to separate the wheat kernels from the chaff. More
like a shovel, the wheat would be tossed into the air at the threshing floor,
where the wind would blow the chaff away and the kernels would drop to the
floor.
Jesus is separating those who are really followers of God from those who just
say they are.
Keep in mind – this is Jesus’ job, not mine. Be careful about how you judge
others (Mat. 7:1; Rom.
14:4)
:13-17 Jesus’ Baptism
:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
From Luke’s account, we believe that Jesus and John were cousins.
:14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by
You, and are You coming to me?"
John realizes who is standing before him.
:15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for
thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed
Him.
Jesus didn’t have any sins to repent from.
His baptism was to set an example for others to follow.
:16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;
and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
Just as Jesus’ baptism in water was an example for us to follow, His
baptism in the Holy Spirit was an example for us as well.
Before we try to step out and serve God, we need the power of His Holy
Spirit.
:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased."
The Spirit of God descending upon Jesus and the voice from heaven made it
clear who this was. Jesus was God’s Son.
Notice all three parts of the Trinity.
The Son is being baptized.
The Holy Spirit descends.
The Father Speaks.
Matthew 4
:1-11 Jesus’ Temptation
:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by
the devil.
led up – anago – to lead
up, to lead or bring into a higher place
to be tempted – peirazo – to
try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, to try
or test one’s faith by enticement to sin; to solicit to sin
I find it instructive that the Holy Spirit, who has just baptized Jesus,
now leads Jesus to a place where He will face a temptation by Satan.
God does not tempt us:
(James 1:13 NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted,
"I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He
Himself tempt anyone.
But God will allow us to face times of testing, and that testing may
involve a temptation from Satan.
God’s purpose in allowing us to face a time of testing is not to have us
give in to the temptation, God’s desire is to teach us how to resist the devil
and flee temptation.
When you face a temptation, don’t tell yourself that the reason the
temptation is there is because God must want you to do this thing. God wants
you to learn to resist temptation.
A fighter doesn’t train with another fighter in order to stand there and get
beaten up, but in order to learn to fight.
Satan had a purpose during this temptation – if he could get Jesus to sin,
then God’s plan for Jesus to be a sinless sacrifice would be stopped.
God had a purpose during this temptation – to show that Jesus was indeed a
sinless sacrifice. And to also let us know that Jesus knows what it’s like when
we’re tempted.
(Heb 4:15-16 NKJV) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin. {16} Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
One last note: Jesus has been baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit,
and tempted.
Don’t be surprised when you greatest spiritual highs are followed by a time
of tempting. It happened to Jesus, it can happen to you.
:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was
hungry.
fasting – we usually think of fasting as a tool for the believer to
use to draw closer to God. Fasting involves the discipline of denying yourself
something. A fast may involve not eating certain foods (Daniel 10:3), or not
eating any food (such as here).
The ironic thing is that Jesus is following a discipline that helps a
person grow closer to God, and He will find himself confronted by the devil,
bringing a temptation that directly comes from his fasting, from his lack of
food.
Don’t be surprised when you pursue godly disciplines and find opposition
from Satan.
They say that when a person fasts for a long period of time, their hunger
goes away. When the hunger comes back, they are on the verge of death.
:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of
God, command that these stones become bread."
Illustration
A little boy always went next door to play even though his mom had warned
him against doing so. This worried the mom so badly that she asked him why he
was so disobedient. He replied that Satan tempted him so bad and he did not
know what to do. The mom then advised him to say ‘get thee behind me Satan’
whenever he was tempted. She then built a fence around the house. This worked
for a week, then one sunny afternoon the mom looked over the window and there
was her son playing on the neighbor’s lawn having cut a hole in the fence.
“John”, she yelled, “Come here!” She then said “did I not tell you to say ‘get
thee behind me Satan’ whenever he tempted you?” “Yes”, the boy replied, “I
said, ‘get thee behind me Satan’, then he went behind me and pushed me through
the hole in the fence.”
It seems that Satan is always there to push us through the hole in the
fence…
:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
word – rhema – though this
word can be used to describe the subject matter of a speech; it seems that the
emphasis is on the actual words that are spoken, the speaking of words, the
words uttered by the living voice.
It’s not just carrying your Bible around that’s important. It’s
understanding your Bible and using your Bible. It’s learning the principles and
learning to “speak” them, to use them in your life.
This wasn’t just any Scripture that Jesus quoted, it was an appropriate Scripture.
The passage is talking about the time when Israel
was wandering in the wilderness, just as Jesus was in the wilderness.
(Deu 8:3 NKJV) "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and
fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He
might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
The principle lesson of the verse was to remind Israel
that more than actual food, they needed to learn to depend upon what God would
give them.
Jesus had learned this principle from the Scriptures and was willing to
trust God to provide bread when He was ready to.
The issue is not whether or not it’s wrong to eat. It’s not whether or not
it’s wrong to meet your needs.
The issue Jesus isolates in the temptation is about who
you go to in order to have your needs met.
Lesson
Submitting my needs to God
Dr. Willard Harley in his book entitled His
Needs, Her Needs points out the priorities of the sexes in the order of
importance:
A man desires:
1. Sexual fulfillment
2. Recreational companionship
3. An attractive spouse
4. Domestic support
5. Admiration of his wife
A woman desires:
1. Affection
2. Conversation
3. Honesty and Openness
4. Financial Support
5. Family Commitment
Do you relate to any of these things? Does any of it ring true?
If these are the top “needs” as men and women see it, the issue is not
whether or not you get these needs met, the question is how do you meet those
needs. The question is who you look to in order to meet those needs.
A man may indeed be looking for sexual fulfillment – but
who does he look to in order to have that need met? Does he look to himself? Does
he look to his wife or girlfriend? Or does he first come to God to ask for
help?
A woman may be looking for affection. But where does she
expect it to come from?
It’s not that we don’t have a part in having any of these needs met in our
lives, but the lesson goes to the heart, the motivation, who you are counting
on to meet those needs.
If you are counting on yourself or on another person to meet those needs,
you’re heading in the wrong direction.
God wants us to learn to look to Him FIRST for these things. He may turn
around and ask us to do something to see that need met, but we need to seek Him
first.
(Mat 6:31-33 NKJV) "Therefore do not worry,
saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
{32} "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly
Father knows that you need all these things. {33} "But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
:5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle
of the temple,
The pinnacle of the temple would have been about 600 feet above the valley
floor below it. It would have been a pretty impressive trick and might have
even gotten some people to follow Him.
:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.
For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their
hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
As the temptations continue, Satan tries to trip Jesus up by quoting
Scripture himself:
(Psa 91:11-12 NKJV) For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways. {12} In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest
you dash your foot against a stone.
Satan doesn’t quote the entire passage. He leaves out a verse.
:7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the
LORD your God.'"
Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:16
(Deu 6:16
NKJV) "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
This is a reference to a situation in Exodus 17, again a time when Israel
was wandering in the wilderness. The people “tempted” or “tested” God’s
patience. Their situation had to do with water, not about flying, but Jesus saw
a principle at work.
Jesus recognized this temptation by Satan as a “testing” of God’s patience.
Jesus applied the principle of God’s Word to His temptation.
Some people say you can make the Bible say anything you want to – and in a
way you can – unless you keep the entire Bible in mind.
:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed
Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
:9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will
fall down and worship me."
Satan wasn’t making an empty offer. He is the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31). It was his to offer.
Illustration
Satan’s temptations often look good on the
outside. It’s once you’ve jumped in that
you realize it wasn’t exactly what you bargained for.
Jesus knows that this is not the way to
become King of the whole earth. He knows
that it will come from His death on the cross, not giving in to Satan.
:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with
you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him
only you shall serve.'"
worship – proskuneo – to
kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence; among the Orientals,
esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the
forehead as an expression of profound reverence; in the NT by kneeling or
prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to
express respect or to make supplication
serve – latreuo – to serve
for hire; to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of
slaves and freemen; in the NT, to render religious service or homage, to
worship; to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the
observance of the rites instituted for his worship
Keep in mind that when Jesus quotes the Old Testament, He quotes the Greek
Translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint.
Quite a few commentaries have suggested that Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy, 6:13
(Deu 6:13
NKJV) "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take
oaths in His name.
But the two Greek words used here in the Septuagint (“fear”, and “serve”)
are not the same words Jesus quoted.
It seems that Jesus is quoting the source of the Deuteronomy passages, the
Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20. The two Greek words for “worship” and
“serve” (proskuneo, latreuo) are found in the first
commandment of the Ten Commandments.
(Exo 20:3-5 NKJV) "You shall have no other gods before Me. {4} "You shall
not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth; {5} you shall not bow down
to them nor serve them. For I, the
LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Again, Jesus knew the principles as well as the actual verses, and applied
them to His situation.
He didn’t just quote a verse, He applied the principle.
Lesson
Learning the Word
I find it fascinating that the principles Jesus applied were principles
learned by the Israelites while they were in the “wilderness”. And Jesus has
just spent the last forty days in the “wilderness”.
He saw the principles in the Scriptures from 1400 years earlier apply
directly to His life
We saw last Sunday (Eph. 6:17)
that God’s Word is part of our armor, it’s the “sword of the Spirit”.
(Heb 4:12
NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
There is a sense in which God’s Word is “alive”. It’s not a bunch of old,
dead words. It works in our hearts.
(2 Tim 3:16-17 NKJV) 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 complete, thoroughly equipped
for every good work.
God’s Word is one of the key ingredients to “growing up” in the Christian
life.
:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
:12-17 Galilean Ministry Starts
:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
Jesus has been in the south, now He heads north.
:13 And leaving Nazareth, He
came and dwelt in Capernaum, which
is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
leaving Nazareth
– Luke tells us (Luke 4:16-30) they
were trying to kill Jesus in Nazareth.
Capernaum – this would
be the city Jesus would spend the most time in, sort of like a “home base”. It
was on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee.
:14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
saying:
:15 "The land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
:16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those
who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."
This is a quote from Isaiah 9:1-2
:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Just like John, Jesus preached the necessity of repentance.
repent – metanoeo – to change
one’s mind, i.e. to repent; to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend
with abhorrence of one’s past sins
:18-22 Calling the Fishers of Men
:18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen.
:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of
men."
We don’t think this was the first time that Jesus met these two brothers. The
first time was after Jesus’ baptism down south in Judea.
Andrew had been one of John the Baptist’s disciples and had heard John the
Baptist call Jesus the “Lamb of God”. Andrew went and got his brother Simon
Peter and they started hanging around Jesus (John 1:35-42).
Now that they’re all back in the north, Andrew and Peter had gone back to work
on their fishing boat. Jesus goes to them and asks them to follow Him.
There is a difference between being “acquainted” with Jesus and being His
disciple.
I’m not trying to make a distinction between “saved” and “unsaved”. But
there are people who follow Jesus when it’s convenient and there are those who
choose to make it their life’s goal to be close to Jesus.
Peter and Andrew will no longer catch fish, but now they will catch men.
:20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
This seems to be a mark of discipleship – not necessarily quitting your
job, but being willing to stop what you’re doing and follow Jesus.
Don’t let anything keep you from following Jesus.
:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending
their nets. He called them,
:22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Two more fishermen.
Note the word “immediately” is used for both sets of brothers.
Discipleship is learning to quickly respond to the call of Jesus.
:23-25 Teaching and Healing
:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all
kinds of disease among the people.
:24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all
sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those
who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
:25 Great multitudes followed Him; from Galilee, and
from Decapolis, Jerusalem,
Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Galilee – the northern part of Israel.
Decapolis – meaning “ten cities”, they were
located southeast of the Sea of Galilee, mainly composed
of Gentiles.
Jerusalem – the capital
city of Israel.
Judea – the southern part of Israel.
beyond the Jordan
– referring to the area on the eastern side of the Jordan river