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JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise You today for Your goodness and mercy, Your gentleness and kindness, Your righteousness and faithfulness: You are the Light of our salvation and the Sustainer of our souls. Lord, we lay down the daily tasks that consume us before You, for we realize we can accomplish nothing without Your grace. We submit to Your will and desire to love You with everything that we are. Truly, this also means loving our neighbors and even our enemies, as Jesus taught us. Renew us and transform us today through Your steadfast love and the washing of the Water of Your Word into the people You desire us to be. For it is in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Introduction: Today, we are beginning a study of Jesus’ second year of ministry. After revealing Himself in Jerusalem by cleansing the temple, Jesus spent most of that first year traveling throughout Galilee, teaching and healing. As we saw through many of Jesus’ interactions, there were only two responses to Jesus: people either accepted Him or rejected Him. Last Sunday, we saw how the Pharisees turned hostile toward Jesus after He broke their Sabbath regulations and declared Himself to be God.

Jesus spent most, if not all, of His second year touring Galilee, teaching and performing signs. Today, and for the next few weeks, we are going to examine into the longest recorded sermon Jesus delivered, the Sermon on the Mount.

After Jesus returned to Galilee (having spent the Passover in Jerusalem), He called His disciples to Him on top of a mountain and chose 12 of them to be named His apostles.

[READ Lk. 6:12-16]

12 Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus named these 12 to be His chosen apostles, His most intimate friends and disciples. They not only witnessed His teaching and ministry, but they also took part in His ministry and received additional teaching and explanations in private. After coming down the mountain with His newly appointed apostles, Jesus rejoined the crowd of followers and those who had come to see Him perform signs, and He began teaching them.

There is an interesting chronology here. The sermon recorded in Luke 6:20-49 shares many similarities to the sermon recorded in Matthew 5 - 7. However, there are some marked differences, like the pronouncement of woes in Luke 6:24-26. Scholars disagree if these are records of the same event or different ones. When considering the contexts of each passage, it seems to make the most sense if these are different events. It is reasonable to expect that Jesus, like most itinerant preachers, would have taught the same basic message more than once throughout His ministry. Matthew records that the Sermon on the Mount occurred just before Jesus healed the leper (Mt. 8:1-4), which would place the sermon during Jesus’ first year of ministry (Lk. 5:12-16; Mk. 1:40-45), before He called Matthew to follow Him (Mt. 9:9-13; Lk. 5:27-32). Luke places the event, which some have labeled the sermon on the plateau, after naming the 12 apostles, which included Matthew, meaning that Matthew was already among His disciples.

For the sake of our lesson today, we will assume Luke records the sermon early in Jesus’ second year of ministry, but because the sermons would have been similar in content, and Matthew’s account is more extensive, we will use the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5 - 7, to study the teachings of Jesus.

I. JESUS CLARIFIES THE LAW (Mt. 5:17-30)

The Sermon on the Mount begins with what many call the Beatitudes and then offers some analogies on the life of a godly person. It is worth noting that the grouping of “blessed are” statements into the Beatitudes is a man-made tradition. The word “beatitude” come from a Latin root (beatus) meaning “blessed.” Rather than a separate teaching, these were opening ideas to frame the attitude of those who were intent on obeying God. In verse 17, Jesus took a turn.

[READ Mt. 5:17-30]

17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

¨ What had Jesus come to do regarding the Law and Prophets? He had come to fulfill those things written, not to abolish them.

¨ How does verse 18 relate to verse 17? Jesus reiterates the enduring nature of the Law and Prophets, noting it will not pass away until all is accomplished.

¨ What does the phrase “not an iota, not a dot” refer to? These were minor marks in writing. Some versions use the phrase “one jot or one tittle.” The jot (yohd) was the smallest Hebrew letter, and the tittle was a flare on the letter like the leg on an R. Because the iota is the smallest Greek letter (i), it is the equivalent of a jot, meaning “the smallest part.” Jesus was affirming that all of the law, even the smallest part, was to be fulfilled and nothing lost or destroyed.

¨ How many commandments do you have to break to be least in the kingdom of heaven? One.

¨ How many commands to you have to keep to be great in the kingdom of heaven? All of them.

¨ How righteous must one be to enter the kingdom according to verse 20? More righteous than the scribes and Pharisees.

¨ Why did Jesus point His hearers to these men as a standard? They would have been seen as the most zealous and righteous people of the day, so the crowd would have seen this as a very high bar to obtain.

¨ What comparison might we make today to make the same point? We might say you have to be better than Mother Teresa or a saint or monk. In reality, these people are outwardly righteous but not necessarily inwardly.

¨ What phrase is common to verses 21 and 27 (as well as 31, 33, 38, and 43)? “You have heard that it was said.” This made reference to what the people had been taught. This phrase stands in contrast to “Have you not read?” (which Jesus often asked the religious leaders) since His listeners may not have had direct access to read the Scriptures for themselves, but had heard teaching from the Scriptures.

¨ What two things had the listeners heard about murder? They had heard (1) you shall not murder and (2) whoever murders will be liable to judgment.

¨ What passages did Jesus point to when He talked about no murdering? “You shall not murder” is a quote from Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17.

¨ What phrase did Jesus use to challenge the understanding of the command in verse 22? “But I say to you” is used here as well as in verses 28, 32, 34, 39, and 44.

¨ How did Jesus redirect their thinking about murder? He stated that being angry with a brother incurs the same judgment as murder.

¨ What two examples did Jesus give of contemptible speech? He said that insulting someone -- the Greek literally speaks of calling someone “Raca” -- or calling someone a fool -- is an offense worthy of judgment. Raca is likely an Aramaic term that means “empty headed,” and fool is moros in Greek, the root of our word “moron.”

Jesus then went on to give two more illustrations of reconciling with those you have offended in verses 23-26 before moving on to another topic.

¨ In verse 27, what command did Jesus point His hearers to? The command to not commit adultery from Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18.

¨ How did Jesus reorient their thinking about adultery? He directed them to think of the law not just as prohibiting the act of adultery but prohibiting even a lustful thought.

¨ Does this command only apply to men since Jesus talked about looking at a woman with lust? He used men as an example, but the same thoughts would be sinful for a woman as both bear the image of God.

¨ How did Jesus drive home the importance of the point to His listeners? He told them to tear out their eyes or cut off their hands if that’s what was causing them to sin.

¨ What connection did Jesus make to punishment in hell? He told them it is better to lose a part of your body and enter heaven than to be cast into hell for continuing in sin.

¨ Did Jesus mean for His hearers to actually cut off body parts to avoid sinning? No, Jesus was using hyperbole to emphasize His point. Even if you could cut off your hand to prevent you from stealing, you could still have covetous thoughts in your heart, which are just as sinful as actually stealing. This is an example of why we shouldn’t read the Bible too literally. We need to interpret the words as Jesus meant them to be understood by His hearers, not with wooden literalism.

You have to be holier than the holiest people you know in order to enter heaven. And it’s not just aboutyour outward actions; the thoughts you have are also being examined by God. Think about it for a minute -- if you call someone a moron or take a second lustful glance at that beautiful woman or man, you have committed murder or adultery in your heart. An abusive insult carries the same level of moral responsibility as actually murdering someone! Just thinking sexual thoughts demands the same punishment from God as actually committing the act! Yelling at that driver who cut you off earns you the same condemnation as ramming them with your car and running them off a cliff. Wow!

¨ If you had been sitting there listening to just this small portion of the sermon, how would you have responded? What would you have been thinking about getting to heaven? Jesus teaching indicates the fact that salvation seems unattainable. It seems that Jesus was setting an impossible standard before His hearers.

And that is the point -- you can’t earn heaven by your good actions because even if your actions are pure, your thoughts aren’t. The sinful nature of humans brings condemnation to all because all have sinned. You have sinned against God in more ways than you can count and in more ways that you have been taught or have read. You are a sinful creature who is deserving of God’s judgment.

¨ What attribute of God is demonstrated in pointing out the exceeding sinfulness of humans? His holiness; God hates all sin in thought, word, or deed.

¨ Without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). When you hear of this impossible standard of holiness and the knowledge of God’s judgment, what should this make you long for? The proclamation of the law and how far short we fall of meeting the standard of perfect righteousness should bring us to our knees, begging God for a remedy to our condition. But God had promised to send a Savior, One who would take away the sins of the people. We should look to that Savior, calling out to God for His mercy in light of our sin.

The bad news is that we have all sinned against God. God is holy and must judge all sin. But the good news is that God is merciful and has sent His Son to be the Savior of those who repent of their sin and turn to Jesus in faith, trusting that He has paid the penalty for sin on the cross. Knowing God’s holiness and our sinfulness, we should cry out for His mercy because He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness through Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:9).

II. A STANDARD OF PERFECTION (Mt. 5:43-48)

Jesus continued to demonstrate this point as He expounded on divorce, oaths, and retaliation, clarifying the intention of the law, rather than its outward expression that the people had been taught. Let’s look at one more section of the sermon to drive this point home.

[READ Mt. 5:43-48]
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same?  47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

¨ What command of men did Jesus reject in this passage? He told them to reject hatred for enemies.

¨ What did Jesus tell the Jews to do instead of hating their enemies? He told them to love their enemies and pray for them.

¨ What would result from these actions? They would be sons of their Father in heaven.

¨ To whom did Jesus compare those who only love their friends? He compared them to tax collectors who do the same.

¨ What types of blessings does God give to all men, whether they’re His children or not? He gives them rain and sunshine.

¨ What standard did Jesus call His hearers to in verse 48? He called them to be perfect.

¨ Whom would they be imitating in their perfection? Their heavenly Father, God the Father.

¨ Is this a standard anyone could meet? No, it is impossible to be perfect as God is perfect in our own strength and apart from the Holy Spirit.

¨ Was this a new standard given by Jesus? No, this is a restatement of commands given to Abraham (Gen. 17:1) and to the Israelites (Lev. 11:44, 19:2; Deut. 18:13). Perfection has always been the standard of holiness.

[READ Jas. 2:8-11]

8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law.

¨ What does James 2:8-11 tell us about the requirements of God’s law? Even if we keep some parts of the law, breaking one point makes us just as guilty as if we had broken it all.

¨ How does this passage reinforce the call to perfection as an impossible standard to achieve on our own? It makes it clear that no one will be able to keep all of the law perfectly since breaking one command brings judgment.

¨ For anyone listening that day to Jesus’ sermon, what hope was there to enter the kingdom of God? It seemed impossible! There surely was no hope in their own abilities or merit; their only hope (as is ours) was to look to God for mercy found in the Savior who was standing before them.

Jesus was hammering home the issue of full and total obedience of heart and mind, calling His hearers to be perfect just as God is perfect. But He knew that they could not achieve this standard on their own -- indeed, they had already failed to meet that standard. But He did this to point them to their insufficiency and sinfulness. He constantly pointed out the hypocrisy of those who claimed to be righteous based on their own actions. He knew that He would obey for them and offer His life as a sacrifice for the sins that they had committed. His call to His hearers was to enter by the narrow gate to find eternal life, calling Him Lord and doing those things He had called them to do. But all of this could only be done in God’s power.

This power was promised by God to Jeremiah and Ezekiel in the institution of the new covenant -- God would take the heart of stone that is hardened and sinful, and He would replace it with a heart of flesh (see Jer. 31:31-33; Ezek. 36:25-27; Heb. 9:7-14). As we look to Christ to obey in our place, we are empowered to live a life of holiness in Christ. We have broken and will break God’s law, but we are seen as holy and perfect because Jesus stands in our place. There is no hope for those who break the law apart from the One who obeyed in their place. The One who calls us to the standard of perfection is merciful and gracious to us. He has obeyed for us.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD IN THE WORD TODAY

We have all sinned in thought, in word, and in deed. Beyond that, we have failed to do the things that we know we should do. Jesus pointed His hearers to the standard of perfection and absolute obedience -- not just outwardly, but also from the heart. But if our hearts are desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9) and as hard as stone (Ezek. 36:26), how can we obey God perfectly? We can’t, and that is the point. We need to have a heart transplant that makes us alive to the things of God, willing and able to obey Him. In Christ, we are new creations with new desires. And when we still fail, we are forgiven in Christ. We can strive to obey, knowing that Jesus has already obeyed for us.

As we turn to Jesus as Savior, our sins are washed away, and His righteousness is given to us. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Let these truths invigorate us to look to Christ, trusting in His sacrifice and righteousness on our behalf, knowing that God sees His perfect obedience when He looks at us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your holiness, mercy, and grace. I pray that when any of us wander from the truth and into sin that Your Holy Spirit will convict us, so that we can repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness. Thank You for sending Your Son to perfectly obey in our stead. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Invitation Hymn # 342: “Just As I Am” (vs. 1,2,3,5)

Benediction: Beloved, may the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Amen. (Ps. 115:14-15)

JESUS TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES
Answers (Lesson 127) - May 12, 2024 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Introduction: Today, and for the next few weeks, we are going to examine into the longest recorded sermon Jesus delivered, the Sermon on the Mount.

After Jesus returned to Galilee (having spent the Passover in Jerusalem), He called His disciples to Him on top of a mountain and chose 12 of them to be named His apostles.

Luke 6:12-16

Jesus named these 12 to be His chosen apostles, His most intimate friends and disciples. They not only witnessed His teaching and ministry, but they also took part in His ministry and received additional teaching and explanations in private. After coming down the mountain with His newly appointed apostles, Jesus rejoined the crowd of followers and those who had come to see Him perform signs, and He began teaching them.

There is an interesting chronology here. The sermon recorded in Luke 6:20-49 shares many similarities to the sermon recorded in Matthew 5 - 7. However, there are some marked differences, like the pronouncement of woes in Luke 6:24-26. It is reasonable to expect that Jesus, like most itinerant preachers, would have taught the same basic message more than once throughout His ministry.

For the sake of our lesson today, we will assume Luke records the sermon early in Jesus’ second year of ministry, but because the sermons would have been similar in content, and Matthew’s account is more extensive, we will use the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5 - 7, to study the teachings of Jesus.

I. JESUS CLARIFIES THE LAW (Mt. 5:17-30)

The Sermon on the Mount begins with what many call the Beatitudes and then offers some analogies on the life of a godly person. The word beatitude come from a Latin root (beatus) meaning “blessed.” Rather than a separate teaching, these were opening ideas to frame the attitude of those who were intent on obeying God.

Matthew 5:17-30

Jesus had come to fulfill the things written in the Law and the Prophets, not to abolish them. In verse 18, He reiterates the enduring nature of the Law and Prophets, noting it will not pass away until all is accomplished. An iota and a dot referred to minor marks in Hebrew writing. Some versions use the phrase “one jot or one tittle.” The jot (yohd) was the smallest Hebrew letter, and the tittle was a flare on a letter like the leg on an R. Because the iota is the smallest Greek letter (i), it is the equivalent of a jot, meaning “the smallest part.” Jesus was affirming that all of the law, even the smallest part, was to be fulfilled and nothing lost or destroyed.

Jesus says something really interesting in verse 20. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven, a person would have to be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees. He pointed His hearers to these men as a standard, because they would have been seen as the most zealous and righteous people of the day. So, the crowd would have seen this as a very high bar to obtain. In reality though, while the scribes and Pharisees might have seemed outwardly righteous, they were not necessarily inwardly righteous.

In verses 21, 27, 31, 33, 38, and 43, we find the repeated phrase, “You have heard that it was said.” This was a reference to what the people had been taught. This phrase stands in contrast to “Have you not read?” (which Jesus often asked the religious leaders). This was since His listeners may not have had direct access to read the Scriptures for themselves, but had heard teaching from the Scriptures. Jesus audience would have heard two things about murder: (1) you shall not murder, and (2) whoever murders will be liable to judgment. In His teaching about murder, Jesus actually quoted the Law and what it said (see Ex. 20:13 and Deut. 5:17). To challenge their understanding of the command, Jesus used the phrase, “But I say to you …” (see vs. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, and 44). Then Jesus redirected their thinking on the subject by explaining that being angry with a brother incurs the same judgment as murder.

Jesus then gave some examples of contemptible speech. He said that insulting someone -- the Greek literally speaks of calling someone “Raca” -- or calling someone a fool -- is an offense worthy of judgment. Raca is likely an Aramaic term that means “empty headed,” and fool is moros in Greek, the root of our word “moron.” Then Jesus went on to give two more illustrations of reconciling with those you have offended in verses 23-26 before moving on to another topic.

In verse 27, Jesus addresses the command to not commit adultery (see Ex. 20:14, Deut. 5:18). He directed them to think of the law not just as prohibiting the act of adultery, but prohibiting even a lustful thought. Though Jesus used men as an example, the same thoughts would be sinful for a woman, as both bear the image of God. He drove home His point to His listeners by telling them to tear out their eyes or cut off their hands if that’s what was causing them to sin. He then explained to them that it is better to lose a part of your body and enter heaven than to be cast into hell for continuing in sin. Obviously, Jesus didn’t mean for His listeners to do bodily harm and actually cut off body parts to avoid sinning. He was using hyperbole to emphasize His point. Even if you could cut off your hand to prevent you from stealing, you could still have covetous thoughts in your heart, which are just as sinful as actually stealing. This is an example of reading the Bible literally, interpreting the words as Jesus meant them to be understood by His hearers, not with wooden literalism.

Jesus teaching indicates the fact that salvation seems unattainable. It seems as though Jesus was setting an impossible standard before His hearers.

You can’t earn heaven by your good actions because even if your actions are pure, your thoughts aren’t. In these passages we see God’s holiness; God hates all sin in thought, word, or deed. The proclamation of the law and how far short we fall of meeting the standard of perfect righteousness should bring us to our knees, begging God for a remedy to our condition. But God had promised to send a Savior, One who would take away the sins of the people. We should look to that Savior, calling out to God for His mercy in light of our sin.

Knowing God’s holiness and our sinfulness, we should cry out for His mercy because He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness through Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:9).

II. A STANDARD OF PERFECTION (Mt. 5:43-48)
Jesus continued to demonstrate this point as He expounded on divorce, oaths, and retaliation, clarifying the intention of the law, rather than its outward expression that the people had been taught. Let’s look at one more section of the sermon to drive this point home.

Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus told His listeners to reject man’s commandment to hate your enemies. Instead, He told them to love their enemies and pray for them, and if they did, they would be sons of their Father in heaven. Jesus compared those who only love their friends to tax collectors who do the same.

Next, we learn that God gives blessings to all men, whether they’re His children or not -- such as rain and sunshine.

Then in verse 48, Jesus calls His hearers to be perfect. In their perfection, they would be imitating God, their heavenly Father. Is this a standard anyone could meet? No, it is impossible to be perfect as God is perfect in our own strength and apart from the Holy Spirit. But this was not a new standard that was instituted by Jesus. Actually, He was restating the commands given to Abraham (Gen. 17:1) and to the Israelites (Lev. 11:44, 19:2; Deut. 18:13). Perfection has always been the standard of holiness. James 2:8-11 tells us about the requirements of God’s law. Even if we keep some parts of the law, breaking one point makes us just as guilty as if we had broken it all. This passage reinforces the call to perfection as an impossible standard to achieve on our own. It makes it clear that no one will be able to keep all of the law perfectly since breaking one command brings judgment. For anyone listening to Jesus, there was no hope in their own abilities or merit; their only hope (as is ours) was to look to God for mercy found in the Savior who was standing before them. Jesus was hammering home the issue of full and total obedience of heart and mind, calling His hearers to be perfect just as God is perfect.

As we look to Christ to obey in our place, we are empowered to live a life of holiness in Christ. We have broken and will break God’s law, but we are seen as holy and perfect because Jesus stands in our place. There is no hope for those who break the law apart from the One who obeyed in their place. The One who calls us to the standard of perfection is merciful and gracious to us. He has obeyed for us.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM THE WORD

We have all sinned in thought, in word, and in deed. We have failed to do the things we know we should do. Jesus pointed His hearers to the standard of perfection and absolute obedience -- not just outwardly, but from the heart.

We must have a heart transplant that makes us alive to the things of God, willing and able to obey Him. In Christ, we are new creations with new desires. When we still fail, we are forgiven by Him, and can strive to obey, knowing that Jesus has already obeyed for us.

As we turn to Jesus as Savior, our sins are washed away, and His righteousness is given to us. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Let these truths invigorate you to look to Christ, trusting in His sacrifice and righteousness on your behalf, knowing that God sees His perfect obedience when He looks at you.

JESUS HEALS ON THE SABBATH

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, the trials and difficulties that surround us, often seem to take up so much of our thoughts and prayers, but Lord I ask You to give us a deeper understanding of how to pray according to Your perfect and eternal will. You have put eternity in our hearts and we desire to pray in unity with Your Spirit and in line with Your will. Teach us Lord, how to focus our prayers on Your wider plan for mankind and all that You have purposed for our world, and give us a deep yearning to join our pleas with Your perfect plans. May we seek first Your millennial kingdom rule on earth and Your eternal kingdom rule in the eternal ages to come. Lord, I pray that Your Spirit would develop in us an increasingly deep desire to carry out Your will and purpose in our lives, and the understanding and discernment to know how to pray and live in obedience to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Introduction: We’ve been talking about Jesus’ first year of ministry in Galilee. Last week, we talked about Matthew’s response to Jesus’ call and the Pharisees’ response to Jesus ministering to sinners.

¨ What have we talked about that you think has been the most interesting part of Jesus’ first year? Allow for answers.

¨ Has there been anything that was surprising to you? Allow for answers.

Through the first year of His ministry, we’ve seen both types of responses to Jesus -- those who accepted Him and those who rejected Him. But other than His rejection in Nazareth, we’ve mostly seen Jesus met with wonder and astonishment. Even the Pharisees have generally been curious or careful in their approach to Jesus. But  our lesson today is going to mark a drastic shift in tone.

Today, we are going to look at a few different accounts where Jesus challenged the legalism of the Pharisees.

I. HEALING ON THE SABBATH (Jn. 5:1-18)

The account we are about to read is recorded only in John. Until Jesus’ final week, John’s Gospel often records different accounts than the synoptic Gospels do.

[READ Jn. 5:1-18]

1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porticoes. 3 In these porticoes lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, limping, or paralyzed. 5 Now a man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, said to him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.
Now it was a Sabbath on that day. 10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is a Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and informed the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

¨ When did this account take place? According to the first verse, this account took place during a Jewish feast. We can’t be certain which feast this was, but it is reasonable that it was the Passover. If you remember our timeline of Jesus’ ministry, this is the second Passover marker.

¨ Where did this account take place? In Jerusalem, specifically at the pool of Bethesda.

¨ What was significant about the pool of Bethesda? Bethesda was a pool of healing. People would come to the pool with the hope of being miraculously healed, if they could enter the pool at the proper time. I’m sure you noticed there was no fourth verse in what I read. The NASB omits a contested phrase that other versions identify as verse 3b and 4. This phrase is not included in the earliest manuscripts and seems inconsistent with John’s writing.

¨ Whom did Jesus choose to interact with? Jesus singled out a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. He apparently had no family or friends to help him, and he had been at the pool of Bethesda for a long time, hoping to be healed but never able to make it to the water at the appropriate time.

¨ How did Jesus address the man? He asked him if he wanted to be healed.

¨ How did the man respond? He didn’t give a simple affirmative; rather, he shared his struggle with Jesus.

¨ What did Jesus do to heal the man? He spoke to him.

¨ Why were the Jewish leaders upset about this event? They saw the man carrying his bed, which was not lawful on the Sabbath.

¨ What is significant about the statement “it is not lawful for you to take up your bed”? The word “permissible” (or “lawful”) is interesting. Jewish law referred to the commandments of God, especially those recorded by Moses. However, there is no law against carrying things on the Sabbath, only a general prohibition of work (Ex. 31:14; Num. 15:32-34). They were really saying, “For you to carry your bed is against the rules that we established as an interpretation of the law.”

¨ What strikes you about the interaction between the Jews and the healed man? It seems that the Jews were more concerned with who told him to carry his bed than the fact that he told them he had just been healed.

¨ What is surprising about verse 13? The man did not know who had healed him. Jesus had spoken to him directly, and yet the man did not know Him. It was not until after Jesus approached him again in the temple that the man knew who He was.

It is also interesting what we don’t see here. In most of the other accounts we’ve seen, people were excited to share their life-changing encounter with others and invite them to follow Jesus. Based on the description we have of this encounter, we can’t be sure of the man’s response.

¨ How did the Jews react to hearing that it was Jesus who healed the man? They persecuted Him for working on the Sabbath.

¨ What claim did Jesus make that upset the Jews? He claimed that God was His Father. The Jews recognized that Jesus was claiming to be equal with God.

¨ How did they respond? They sought to kill Him.

If Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover, then more than a year had passed since His baptism. Up until this point, Jesus had only a few encounters with the Pharisees, and we haven’t seen any real hostility toward Him (apart from the rejection in Nazareth). But from now on, we will see the Jewish leaders trying to kill, trap, and discredit Jesus every chance they get.

This account explains two reasons for the Jews’ hostility: Jesus was breaking their Sabbath rules and He claimed to be equal with God.

The Pharisees had developed a set of oral traditions that were meant to help the people obey the law of Moses. However, over time the oral traditions had become as authoritative as the law, and obedience to the law and the oral traditions became a source of pride and perceived righteousness.

God had commanded the Jews to keep the Sabbath holy by resting in honor of God’s seventh-day rest after creation (Ex. 20:8-11). The Pharisees had developed specific rules to ensure that everyone observed the holy day correctly. In this account, the healed man was carrying his bed, which violated the traditional rules of the Pharisees. Although the Pharisees’ desire (at least at first) was to honor God, they clearly missed the point. The Pharisees cared about the rules; Jesus cared about the man. The Pharisees emphasized obedience to the law; Jesus emphasized obedience to the Father.

When the Pharisees confronted Jesus, He established His authority as God and over the law. They recognized He was claiming equality with God, but they did not recognize Him as God.

II. LORD OF THE SABBATH (Mt. 12:1-8; 1 Sam. 21:1-6; Num. 28:9-10)

John’s account goes on to record the words of Jesus as He explained where His authority came from. We will come back to this in a minute. But this was not an isolated incident; Jesus often ministered on the Sabbath. Let’s look at another of these Sabbath controversies recorded in the synoptic Gospels.

[READ Mt. 12:1-8]

1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” 3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions -- 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5 Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

¨ When and where did this account take place? Matthew does not provide many contextual details here, and his Gospel is not necessarily chronological. We know that this event took place on the Sabbath as Jesus and His disciples were walking through grain fields. By comparing with the other Gospel accounts, we can reasonably place this account around the second Passover marker, perhaps as Jesus was returning to Galilee.

¨ Where else can we find this account recorded? This account is paralleled in Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5.

¨ What action did the disciples perform that caused the controversy? They plucked grain to eat.

¨ Why did this upset the Pharisees? The Pharisees objected to this behavior because it was unlawful to harvest grain on the Sabbath.

¨ How did Jesus respond to the Pharisees? He responded with an allusion to history and the law itself. King David was a celebrated hero of the Jews, and the Pharisees would have been very familiar with the account that Jesus referred to.

¨ Where is the historical account Jesus referred to recorded? Cross-references should point to 1 Samuel 21:1-6. So let’s turn there and review this account together.

[READ 1 Sam. 21:1-6]

1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” 4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 David answered the priest and said to him, “Be assured, women have been denied to us as previously when I left and the bodies of the young men were consecrated, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then will their bodies be consecrated today?” 6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.

¨ When did this account take place? This event occurred as David fled from King Saul.

Think back to our study of David. He had been anointed as king and killed Goliath. He was a mighty warrior and served King Saul by playing the harp for him. But Saul became increasingly envious of David and sought to kill him. Eventually, it became unsafe for David to remain near Saul, so his friend Jonathan warned him to leave. This passage takes place as he began his journey into hiding.

¨ What did David ask for? He asked for bread or whatever was on hand.

¨ What did Ahimelech give him? Ahimelech gave David the holy bread because he had no common bread.

¨ What was the holy bread? According to the law (Lev. 24:5-9), the priests were to prepare bread and set it on the golden table every Sabbath day.

¨ Why did Jesus say it was unlawful for David to eat the consecrated bread? Only Aaron and his sons, the priests, could eat the holy bread.

Next, Jesus referred to the work of the priests. Turn to Numbers 28:9-10, and let’s take a quick look at the law He referred to.

[READ Num. 28:9-10]

9 ‘Then on the Sabbath day two male lambs one year old without defect, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering: 10 This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

In other words, the priests were required to perform sacrifices and offerings on the Sabbath. The very law that ordered the Jews to honor the Sabbath as holy by resting from work also regulated work that must be done on the Sabbath. Jesus acknowledged that honoring the temple rituals lawfully took precedence over resting on the Sabbath. Now let’s turn back to Matthew 12.

¨ What did Jesus add in verse 6? Jesus said that something greater than the temple was here.

¨ What was Jesus referring to? He was referring to Himself.

¨ His next statement should look familiar. Who can tell me why? In last week’s lesson, Jesus used this same phrase to rebuke the Pharisees who were upset that Jesus and His disciples were eating with sinners and tax collectors. In both cases, the Pharisees were concerned with their ritualistic piety and enforcing the letter of the law. In response, Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6, an Old Testament Scripture the religious leaders should have been familiar with.

¨ What does “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” mean? The verse means that it is not adherence to rituals that God values, but rather the attitude and actions that come from truly knowing and obeying God.

¨ As audacious as these statements would have sounded to the Pharisees, the final statement in verse 8 would have been the most outrageous. What was Jesus claiming when He said that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”? The Pharisees would have recognized this as a claim of deity. Jesus was claiming to be God. He was also claiming authority over the law, over Moses, and over the Sabbath itself.

The Old Testament identified Yahweh as Lord of the Sabbath. In fact, Exodus 20:10 teaches that “the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord [Yahweh] your God [Elohim].” By claiming to be the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was clearly claiming to be God.

The Pharisees were again missing the point. They were zealous for the law and eager to live a pious life because they thought that was what honored God. But they had placed their trust in good works rather than the grace and mercy of God. In this case, they were more concerned with keeping the Sabbath than honoring the Lord of the Sabbath.

We’ve already seen that the bread of the Presence was prepared and replaced on the Sabbath. The priests continued to do work on the Sabbath, conducting the burnt offerings that were required on the holy day. In John 7:22-23, we find that circumcision was allowed on the Sabbath. These things were allowed because they glorified God, which fulfills the purpose of the Sabbath. Jesus often ministered and healed on the Sabbath, bringing glory to the Father.

The Pharisees thought that they were honoring the Sabbath by establishing rules to ensure that the Jews maintained the Sabbath rest. But no matter how righteous their acts seemed, they failed to honor the Sabbath because they rejected the Lord of the Sabbath.

As with the lame man that was healed on the Sabbath,
Jesus was more concerned with meeting the needs of the people than following a list of regulations. He knew that honoring God was not a legalistic matter.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD IN THE WORD TODAY

Jesus’ teachings often caused problems with the religious leaders of the day. The Pharisees and Sadducees were experts in the law, but they often missed the point. In today’s accounts, the Pharisees rebuked Jesus and His disciples for their actions on the Sabbath. Ironically, they were the ones in violation of the law.

The Old Testament taught that the Sabbath was a very important and sacred day. Interestingly, although the Sabbath is a major part of the Old Testament, there are not many specific restrictions. The Israelites were instructed to rest. They were prohibited from work, kindling a fire, gathering manna, and carrying a burden. The Pharisees were so concerned with observing the Sabbath correctly that they established regulations to define what types of work were prohibited. They would only allow a certain number of steps to be taken. In today’s accounts, we see evidence of their definitions. To carry a mat was to carry a burden. The disciples plucking grain to eat as they walked was defined as harvesting or threshing and, thus, work.

But Jesus objected to their legalistic ways. God desires mercy, not sacrifice. Jesus proclaimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath, at once claiming to be God and claiming to have authority over the law. The Pharisees were concerned with keeping the law, but in their efforts to do so, they lost sight of the Lord the law meant to honor.

The Sabbath was meant as a time for the Israelites to rest from the concerns of the world and worship God through remembering His works, honoring His name, and resting in His promises. Likewise, we should use the Lord’s Day as a time to recount what God has done for us, praise His name, and thank Him for the peace and hope He gives.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise You today for being the Lord of the Sabbath. We ask You to give us a true desire to please and serve You above anyone or anything else in our lives. Father, You know the world beats us up, spiritual warfare wearies our spirits, we get tired and long for our heavenly home; so we especially want to thank You for Your promise of rest. Please heal, encourage, strengthen, and remind us all of Your great love for us. For it is in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Invitation Hymn # 374: “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” (4 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may God bring you health and healing. May He heal you and reveal to you an abundance of peace and truth. Amen. (Jer. 33:6)

JESUS HEALS ON THE SABBATH
Answers (Lesson 126) - May 5, 2024 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Introduction: Through the first year of His ministry, we’ve seen both types of responses to Jesus -- those who accepted Him and those who rejected Him. But other than His rejection in Nazareth, we’ve mostly seen Jesus met with wonder and astonishment.

Today’s lesson is going to mark a drastic shift in tone. We are going to look at a few different accounts where Jesus challenged the legalism of the Pharisees.

I. HEALING ON THE SABBATH (Jn. 5:1-18)

The account we are about to read is recorded only in John. Until Jesus’ final week, John’s Gospel often records different accounts than the synoptic Gospels do.

John 5:1-18

According to verse 1, this account took place during a Jewish feast. We can’t be certain which feast this was, but it is reasonable that it was the Passover. If you remember our timeline of Jesus’ ministry, this is the second Passover marker.

The healing took place in Jerusalem, specifically at the pool of Bethesda. People would come to the pool with the hope of being miraculously healed, if they could enter the pool at the proper time.

Jesus singled out a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. He apparently had no family or friends to help him, and he had been at the pool of Bethesda for a long time, hoping to be healed but never able to make it to the water at the appropriate time. Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed. The man didn’t give a simple “Yes”; rather, he shared his struggle with Jesus. Jesus then healed the lame man by speaking to him.

The Jewish leaders were upset when they saw the man carrying his bed, which was not lawful on the Sabbath day. The word “permissible” (or “lawful”) is interesting. Jewish law referred to the commandments of God, especially those recorded by Moses. However, there is no law against carrying things on the Sabbath, only a general prohibition of work (Ex. 31:14; Num. 15:32-34). They were really saying, “For you to carry your bed is against the rules that we established as an interpretation of the law.” It seems seems that the Jews were more concerned with who told him to carry his bed, rather than the fact that he told them he had just been healed. But the man did not know who had healed him. Jesus had spoken to him directly, and yet the man did not know Him. It was not until after Jesus approached him again in the temple that the man knew who He was.

In most of the other accounts we’ve seen, people were excited to share their life-changing encounter with others and invite them to follow Jesus. Based on the description we have of this encounter, we can’t be sure of the man’s response.

When the Jews learned that it was Jesus who healed the man, they persecuted Him for working on the Sabbath. On top of this, when Jesus told them that God was His Father the Jews were enraged, because they knew that Jesus was claiming to be equal with God. It was at this point that the scribes and Pharisees sought to kill Him.

Pharisees, and we haven’t seen any real hostility toward Him (apart from the rejection in Nazareth). But from now on, we will see the Jewish leaders trying to kill, trap, and discredit Jesus every chance they get. This account explains two reasons for the Jews’ hostility: Jesus was breaking their Sabbath rules and He claimed to be equal with God.

The Pharisees had developed a set of oral traditions that were meant to help the people obey the law of Moses. However, over time the oral traditions had become as authoritative as the law, and obedience to the law and the oral traditions became a source of pride and perceived righteousness.

God had commanded the Jews to keep the Sabbath holy by resting in honor of God’s seventh-day rest after creation (Ex. 20:8-11). Although the Pharisees’ desire (at least at first) was to honor God, they clearly missed the point. The Pharisees cared about the rules; Jesus cared about the man. The Pharisees emphasized obedience to the law; Jesus emphasized obedience to the Father. When the Pharisees confronted Jesus, He established His authority as God and over the law. They recognized He was claiming equality with God, but they did not recognize Him as God.
II. LORD OF THE SABBATH (Mt. 12:1-8; 1 Sam. 21:1-6; Num. 28:9-10)

This was not an isolated incident; Jesus often ministered on the Sabbath. Let’s look at another of these Sabbath controversies recorded in the synoptic Gospels.

Matthew 12:1-8

Matthew doesn’t provide many contextual details here, and his Gospel is not necessarily chronological. We know that this event took place on the Sabbath as Jesus and His disciples were walking through grain fields. By comparing with the other Gospel accounts, we can reasonably place this account around the second Passover marker, perhaps as Jesus was returning to Galilee. [This account is paralleled in Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5].

Simply by plucking some grain to eat while walking through the fields, they upset the Pharisees, who objected to this behavior because it was unlawful to harvest grain on the Sabbath.

Jesus responded with an allusion to history and the law itself. King David was a celebrated hero of the Jews, and the Pharisees would have been very familiar with the account to which Jesus referred.

1 Samuel 21:1-6

This event occurred as David fled from King Saul. He asked Ahimelech the priest for bread or whatever food was on hand. Ahimelech gave David the holy bread because he had no common bread. According to the law (Lev. 24:5-9), the priests were to prepare bread and set it on the golden table in the Tabernacle every Sabbath day. Jesus said it was unlawful for David to eat the consecrated bread for only Aaron and his sons, the priests, could eat the holy bread.

Next, Jesus referred to the work of the priests.

Numbers 28:9-10

The priests were required to perform sacrifices and offerings on the Sabbath. The very law that ordered the Jews to honor the Sabbath as holy by resting from work also regulated work that must be done on the Sabbath.

Jesus acknowledged that honoring the temple rituals lawfully took precedence over resting on the Sabbath.
Matthew 12:1-8

In verse 6, when Jesus said that something greater than the temple was here, He was referring to Himself.

Jesus used the same phrase from Hosea 6:6 to rebuke the Pharisees on this occasion as we saw in last week’s lesson when Jesus and the disciples were eating with tax collectors and sinners. In both cases, the Pharisees were concerned with their ritualistic piety and enforcing the letter of the law. The religious leaders should have been familiar with this Old Testament Scripture.

The phrase, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” means that it is not adherence to rituals that God values, but rather the attitude and actions that come from truly knowing and obeying God.

As audacious as Jesus’ statements would have sounded to the Pharisees, His final statement in verse 8 would have been the most outrageous. When Jesus claimed that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”, the Pharisees would have recognized this as a claim of deity. Jesus was claiming to be God. This also meant that He was claiming authority over the law, over Moses, and over the Sabbath itself.

The Old Testament identified Yahweh as Lord of the Sabbath. In fact, Exodus 20:10 teaches that “the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD [Yahweh] your God [Elohim].” By claiming to be the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was clearly claiming to be God. Note: circumcision was allowed on the Sabbath. This is because these things glorified God, which fulfills the purpose of the Sabbath (see Jn. 7:22-23).

The Pharisees thought that they were honoring the Sabbath by establishing rules to ensure that the Jews maintained the Sabbath rest. But no matter how righteous their acts seemed, they failed to honor the Sabbath because they rejected the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus was more concerned with meeting the needs of the people than following a list of regulations. He knew that honoring God was not a legalistic matter.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM THE WORD

The Old Testament taught that the Sabbath was a very important and sacred day. Interestingly, although the Sabbath is a major part of the Old Testament, there are not many specific restrictions. The Israelites were instructed to rest. They were prohibited from work, kindling a fire, gathering manna, and carrying a burden. The Pharisees were so concerned with observing the Sabbath correctly that they established regulations to define what types of work were prohibited. The Pharisees were concerned with keeping the law, but in their efforts to do so, they lost sight of the Lord the law meant to honor.

The Sabbath was meant as a time for the Israelites to rest from the concerns of the world and worship God through remembering His works, honoring His name, and resting in His promises. Likewise, we should use the Lord’s Day as a time to recount what God has done for us, praise His name, and thank Him for the peace and hope He gives.

JESUS CALLS MATTHEW

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please open our minds and help us understand Your Word today. Open our eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Give us understanding so that we can know You better. Please grant us spiritual wisdom and insight so that we might grow in our knowledge of You. The Bible says that the revelation of Your words brings light and gives understanding to the inexperienced. Please reveal things to us as we study that will help us decide to obey You with all of our hearts. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Introduction: Last week we saw some of the miraculous healings that Jesus performed. During the first year of His ministry, Jesus traveled around Galilee, preaching the gospel and ministering to the people. As we have seen these last few weeks, Jesus healed people and cast out demons, and people came from all over to ask for healing and listen to His teaching.

It has been several weeks now, but we have already talked about Jesus calling His disciples to follow Him, and we tried to clear up a few misconceptions.

¨ When did Jesus call His first disciples? Soon after returning from His temptation in the wilderness.

¨ Who were His first disciples? Andrew and John were the first to follow Jesus. Andrew went to find His brother, Simon Peter. The next day, Jesus called Philip to follow Him. Philip brought along his friend, Nathanael.

¨ These disciples, at least, were with Jesus when He performed His first miracle in Cana. What event do most people think of when talking about Jesus calling His disciples? The account on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus called the fishermen to become fishers of men (Mt. 4:18-22; Mk. 1:16-20; Lk. 5:1-11).

¨ When did that event occur? This actually would have been about the time we’ve been studying about recently, at some point during the first year of His public ministry, possibly several months after they first encountered Him.

¨ Does anyone remember what additional disciple was listed in this group? In this account, John’s brother James is added to the list of disciples. It is likely that he had already been following Jesus around Galilee, along with John.

Today, we are going to look at the calling of Matthew. We’ve mentioned this account before, but today we will look at it in more detail.

I. JESUS CALLS MATTHEW (Mt. 9:9-13; Lk. 5:27-32)

Because this is Matthew’s story, let’s read about the account from His point of view.
[READ Mt. 9:9-13]

9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”  12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

¨ When did this take place? We’ve already established that this occurred during the first year of Jesus’ ministry. Verse 9 places this event after the healing of the paralytic we read about last Sunday. The text also connects it to the previous account, which occurred in Capernaum.

We must note that it is unlikely that Matthew had never heard of Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector in or near Capernaum, the city Jesus used as his headquarters. This is also far enough into His ministry that His fame had spread and crowds followed Him (Mk. 2:13). Nearly every account we’ve looked at has included a statement like “immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding region of Galilee” (Mk. 1:28). Matthew had likely heard of Jesus and had probably even heard Him teach or seen Him perform miracles. Matthew likely knew about Jesus, but he was about to have a personal encounter with the Messiah.

¨ What other name did Matthew go by? Mark and Luke refer to him as Levi.

¨ How did Jesus address Matthew? He simply said, “Follow Me.”

¨ How did Matthew respond? Matthew left his tax booth and followed Jesus.

If we just read in Matthew, we miss an important detail about him.

[READ Lk. 5:27-32]

27 After that He went out and looked at a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began following Him.
29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

¨ What detail does Luke include about what happened to Matthew after he left his tax booth? Luke tells us that Matthew hosted a great feast for Jesus.

¨ How does this detail help us to understand the account? Matthew not only followed Jesus when the invitation was offered, but he also made feast for Him and invited many people that he knew to come and meet Jesus.

In Matthew’s account, we see Jesus reclined at a table with tax collectors and sinners, but we may miss the significance of Matthew’s response. He apparently wanted everyone he knew to meet this Jesus he now followed. It can be easy to lose sight of where we came from before we encountered the grace of Jesus, but Matthew recognized that these men he had previously been affiliated with needed the grace of Jesus, too.

¨ How did the Pharisees respond? They grumbled against Jesus and asked the disciples why He ate with tax collectors and sinners.

Tax collectors were despised by Jewish society. They collected taxes on behalf of Rome, making them traitors in the eyes of the Jews. Remember, the Jews were a proud people -- God’s chosen people. They hated Rome and believed the Messiah would deliver them from Roman imperialism. Additionally, tax collectors were often underhanded in their collection practices, extorting money for personal gain. So the tax collectors were seen as collaborators with the the enemy and thieves.

Pharisees were self-righteous religious elites who were so concerned about keeping the law that they had missed the whole point. When they saw sinners and tax collectors, they saw people who were unrighteous and unclean, and therefore they would have nothing to do with them. They didn’t understand why Jesus would attend a feast with them.

¨ How did Jesus answer the Pharisees? He gave them an analogy, a challenge, and a clarification.

¨ What did Jesus’ analogy depict? The Pharisees thought they were well. They prided themselves on their piety and purity. Because they thought they were righteous, they did not see the need for spiritual healing. On the other hand, those who know they are sick are open to the remedy the physician brings.

¨ Jesus told the Pharisees to go learn about a specific phrase. What do you think He meant by that? The Pharisees spent copious amounts of time studying the law. After all, that is where they thought their righteousness came from. By challenging them to learn about the phrase, He was challenging their understanding of Scripture. The phrase Jesus uses comes from Hosea 6:6. This verse means that it is not adherence to the rituals that God values, but rather the attitude and actions that come from truly knowing and obeying God.

Samuel said the same thing to Saul when he performed the sacrifices rather than waiting for Samuel, as the Lord had commanded (see 1 Sam. 15:22-23). And David made similar statements in Psalm 51, indicating that God was interested in a right heart attitude more than ritual observance (see Ps. 51:16-17).

¨ What do you think Jesus means by His last statement in verse 31? If the Pharisees misunderstood the analogy and were not familiar with the teaching from Hosea, there was no way they could misunderstand Jesus’ final statement. The Pharisees had labeled themselves “righteous,” and they were complaining that Jesus interacted with sinners. They would have heard Jesus’ statement as, “I’m not here for you; I here for them.”

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the two responses to Jesus. We can see both evident in this account. First, Matthew accepted Jesus’ message and His invitation to follow Him. He responded immediately, leaving his station to follow the Messiah. He understood his unworthiness and so rejoiced at the mercy and grace Jesus offered. He held a feast and invited all of his unworthy friends to meet the Man who offered salvation. We know that Matthew’s belief was genuine and lasting because he became one of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples.

Second, the Pharisees rejected Jesus’ message. In this case, they weren’t hostile to Jesus and they didn’t reject His message outright. But they didn’t see their own need for forgiveness and so did not accept Him as Savior. By this, they were rejecting Him.

As part of His rebuke, Jesus drew a distinction between Himself and the religious leaders. Jesus interacted and engaged with sinners, bringing them hope of eternal life. The religious leaders were so concerned about their own perceived righteousness that they neglected the ones who needed grace.

We must note, though, that Jesus was never just hanging out with sinners, as some may argue, and this should not be an excuse for us to do so. Whenever Jesus engaged with sinners, He showed compassion and steered the conversation directly toward His gospel message. Evangelism requires interaction with the lost. But Jesus never engaged with them in their sin or even stood by passively while they engaged in sinful behaviors. In fact, that would have been cruel, not loving. Jesus is not a friend of sinners because he hangs out with them, but because He calls them to repentance and eternal life.

II. FASTING OR FOLLOWING (Lk. 5:1-11; Mt. 9:14-17)

Let’s briefly revisit the account of the four fishermen’s calling.

[READ Lk. 5:1-11]
1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. 8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

¨ Where did this account take place? Lake Gennesaret is an alternate name for the Sea of Galilee.

¨ Why did Jesus take the boat out? There was such a great crowd that they were pressing in on Him. So He got on the boat so He could have some space as He taught them.

¨ Do you think it was odd for Jesus to ask for the boat? It may have been odd if this was the first calling of the disciples, but by this time, Jesus was well acquainted with Peter. Peter was one of the first to have followed Jesus (Jn. 1:25-42), and Jesus had made Capernaum -- and probably even Peter’s house -- his home and base of operation (Mt. 4:13).

¨ After teaching, what sign did Jesus perform? Jesus instructed Peter to move the boat to deeper water and cast out his nets, even though he had not caught anything all night. When he let down his nets, he caught so many fish that his nets began breaking and his boat could hold them all.

¨ Who else was involved in this account? Luke mentioned that Simon had partners in another boat, James and John. Although Luke didn’t mention it, Andrew was likely with Simon (see Mt. 4:18-22).

¨ How did Peter respond to the miracle? He fell at Jesus’ knees, overwhelmed by his sin and unworthiness. This is the reaction we often see in Scripture when someone comes face to face with the glory of God.

¨ How did Jesus reassure Peter? He told him not to be afraid, another common response when men met God or angels. Then He informed Peter of his new calling -- from now on he would be catching men. In other words, Jesus had chosen him, and the other three, to be His disciples and to call others to repent and believe the gospel.

¨ How did the four men respond to this call? They left everything -- their boats, their livelihood, their families -- and followed Jesus.

¨ Thinking about these five men, the four fishermen and Matthew, what did they have in common? In both accounts, they recognized that they were sinners in need of the Savior.

¨ How did their responses compare? All five gave up everything, immediately, to follow Jesus. They left their jobs, their livelihoods, and their former ways of life. In Matthew’s case, he probably left behind wealth and a fairly lucrative (if despised) lifestyle.

Though it would be a while before they understood everything, the disciples recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. They rejoiced in His coming, and that perspective is evident in their actions.  On the other hand, the Pharisees did not recognize Jesus as Messiah and misunderstood His purpose. Let’s look at another account that emphasizes this distinction.

[READ Mt. 9:14-17]

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the groom cannot mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

¨ Where did this new group come from? John was already in prison, but he still had disciples who lived by his teaching and taught others. These would have been followers who did not realize Jesus was the one John had come to prepare the way for.

The disciples of John noticed that Jesus and His disciples weren’t fasting, though John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasted often. They wanted to know why. Fasting from food was a big part of the Jewish religion of the day, and the Pharisees had turned the practice into a necessary ritual. Fasting was meant as a time of fervent prayer, usually in conjunction with either mourning or grave concern.

Jesus answered them with some analogies. Fasting was a time of mourning, prayer, and seeking the Lord’s will; where a wedding was a time of celebration, feasting, and enjoying the presence of the bridegroom. Jesus identified Himself as the bridegroom and indicated that there should be no mourning while the bridegroom was present. Jesus implied that He would be taken away at a certain point, and that would be the time for fasting and mourning. This is the first instance where He clearly indicated He would be taken away.

The analogies Jesus used were meant to demonstrate that the old ritualistic practices were not compatible with the new covenant that Jesus brought. The new covenant was not to be a patch on the old sacrificial system. A wineskin was supple so that as the new wine fermented, the wineskin could expand with it. Once the wineskin was used, it became stiff and brittle. If new wine was put in an old wineskin, it would burst as the pressure built inside of it. The gospel of Jesus could not be constrained within the existing traditions of the Pharisees.

The disciples of Jesus, like wedding guests, were rejoicing in a time of celebration with the bridegroom. They understood that their old way of life was nothing in light of the gospel that Jesus offered. By contrast, the Pharisees wanted Jesus’ message to fit within their traditions and rituals. Others wanted the new to patch the old, like a national messiah who would restore them to their former glory.

But Jesus calls His disciples out of the old and into the new. The four fishermen and Matthew answered that call, leaving everything behind and choosing to follow Jesus in every aspect of their lives.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD IN THE WORD TODAY

In the midst of a very public ministry, Jesus chose Matthew personally. Matthew was not a religious leader, a person of renown, or in any way worth of being noticed by Jesus. In the eyes of his society, Matthew was an outcast. He was a traitor and a thief. Tax collectors were so despised that the Pharisees didn’t even lump them in with the “sinners.” According to the wisdom of the world, Matthew should have been one of those people Jesus avoided.

But Jesus didn’t act according to the wisdom of the world. In fact, He deliberately chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). As He was passing by, he looked at Matthew in the middle of his shift and called him to leave his old life behind and follow Him. The former tax collector got up from his booth, left it all behind, and became one of Jesus’ most intimate disciples, one of the twelve in His inner circle.

The Pharisees were trapped in their legalistic traditions, isolating themselves from the ones they should have been helping. They didn’t serve or minister; they condemned. In contrast, Jesus had every right to condemn, but that wasn’t His purpose. Like He told Nicodemus, He came not to condemn but to save (Jn. 3:17). In order to seek and save the lost, He had to interact with sinners, something the Pharisees couldn’t understand. Jesus did not hang out with sinners; He ministered to them. He proclaimed truth and called them to repentance. Jesus never participated in sinful activities or condoned others’ sin in order to reach them. In fact, in today’s account, Jesus called Matthew to leave his previous lifestyle. Reaching sinners should never be used as an excuse to participate in sin.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You that Jesus came into our world to establish a new covenant of grace. May we be disciples who are willing to follow Him in all areas of our lives, and wherever He leads. We also thank You for Your compassion for sinners such as us. Help us to be compassionate toward lost sinners, pointing them to the Gospel of Your salvation. For it is in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Invitation Hymn # 357: “Jesus Calls Us” (4 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, as you wait upon the Lord, may your strength be renewed; may you mount up with wings as eagles; may you run and not be weary; may you walk and not faint. Amen. (Isa. 40:31)

JESUS CALLS MATTHEW
Answers (Lesson 125) - April 28, 2024 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Introduction: Today, we are going to look at the calling of Matthew. We’ve mentioned this account before, but today we will look at it in more detail.

I. JESUS CALLS MATTHEW (Mt. 9:9-13; Lk. 5:27-32)

Because this is Matthew’s story, let’s read about the account from His point of view.

Matthew 9:9-13

This event occurred during the first year of Jesus’ ministry. Verse 9 places this event after the healing of the paralytic we read about last Sunday. The text also connects it to the previous account, which occurred in Capernaum.

It is unlikely that Matthew had never heard of Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector in or near Capernaum, the city Jesus used as his headquarters. This is also far enough into His ministry that His fame had spread and crowds followed Him (Mk. 2:13). Nearly every account we’ve looked at has included a statement like “immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding region of Galilee” (Mk. 1:28). Matthew had likely heard of Jesus and had probably even heard Him teach or seen Him perform miracles. Matthew likely knew about Jesus, but he was about to have a personal encounter with the Messiah.

Matthew is called Levi in Mark and Luke’s gospels. Jesus simply told Matthew to follow Him. Here we see Matthew’s faith; he left his tax booth and his former life behind to follow Jesus.

Luke 5:27-32

Luke tells us that Matthew hosted a great feast for Jesus. So, Matthew not only followed Jesus when the invitation was offered, but he also made feast for Him and invited many people that he knew to come and meet Jesus. We see Jesus reclined at a table with tax collectors and sinners, but we may miss the significance of Matthew’s response. He apparently wanted everyone he knew to meet this Jesus he now followed. It can be easy to lose sight of where we came from before we encountered the grace of Jesus, but Matthew recognized that these men he had previously been affiliated with needed the grace of Jesus, too.

The Pharisees grumbled against Jesus over this and asked the disciples why He ate with tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were despised by Jewish society. They collected taxes on behalf of Rome, making them traitors in the eyes of the Jews. Remember, the Jews were a proud people -- God’s chosen people. They hated Rome and believed the Messiah would deliver them from Roman imperialism. Additionally, tax collectors were often underhanded in their collection practices, extorting money for personal gain. So the tax collectors were seen as collaborators with the the enemy and thieves.

Pharisees were self-righteous religious elites who were so concerned about keeping the law that they had missed the whole point. When they saw sinners and tax collectors, they saw people who were unrighteous and unclean, and therefore they would have nothing to do with them. They didn’t understand why Jesus would attend a feast with them.

Jesus answered the Pharisees by giving them an analogy, a challenge, and a clarification. The Pharisees thought they were well. They prided themselves on their piety and purity. Because they thought they were righteous, they did not see the need for spiritual healing. On the other hand, those who know they are sick are open to the remedy the physician brings.

Jesus told the Pharisees to go learn about a specific phrase. What do you think He meant by that? The Pharisees spent copious amounts of time studying the law. After all, that is where they thought their righteousness came from. By challenging them to learn about the phrase, He was challenging their understanding of Scripture. The phrase Jesus uses comes from Hosea 6:6. This verse means that it is not adherence to the rituals that God values, but rather the attitude and actions that come from truly knowing and obeying God.

Samuel said the same thing to Saul when he performed the sacrifices rather than waiting for Samuel, as the Lord had commanded (see 1 Sam. 15:22-23). And David made similar statements in Psalm 51, indicating that God was interested in a right heart attitude more than ritual observance (see Ps. 51:16-17).

If the Pharisees misunderstood the analogy and were not familiar with the teaching from Hosea, there was no way they could misunderstand Jesus’ final statement in verse 31. The Pharisees had labeled themselves “righteous,” and they were complaining that Jesus interacted with sinners. They would have heard Jesus’ statement as, “I’m not here for you; I here for them.”

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the two responses to Jesus. We can see both evident in this account.

First, Matthew accepted Jesus’ message and His invitation to follow Him. He responded immediately, leaving his station to follow the Messiah. He understood his unworthiness and so rejoiced at the mercy and grace Jesus offered. He held a feast and invited all of his unworthy friends to meet the Man who offered salvation.

Second, the Pharisees rejected Jesus’ message. They didn’t see their own need for forgiveness and so did not accept Him as Savior. By this, they were rejecting Him.

As part of His rebuke, Jesus drew a distinction between Himself and the religious leaders. Jesus interacted and engaged with sinners, bringing them hope of eternal life. The religious leaders were so concerned about their own perceived righteousness that they neglected the ones who needed grace.

Jesus was never just hanging out with sinners, as some may argue, and this should not be an excuse for us to do so. Whenever Jesus engaged with sinners, He showed compassion and steered the conversation directly toward His gospel message. Evangelism requires interaction with the lost. But Jesus never engaged with them in their sin or even stood by passively while they engaged in sinful behaviors.

II. FASTING OR FOLLOWING (Lk. 5:1-11; Mt. 9:14-17)

Let’s briefly revisit the account of the four fishermen’s calling.

Luke 5:1-11

This account takes place at Lake Gennesaret, which is an alternate name for the Sea of Galilee. There was such a great crowd of people pressing in around Jesus, He got on the boat so He could have some space as He taught them. After teaching, Jesus instructed Peter to move the boat to deeper water and cast out his nets, even though he had not caught anything all night. When he let down his nets, he caught so many fish that his nets began breaking and his boat could not hold them all. Luke mentions that Simon had partners in another boat, James and John. Although Luke didn’t mention it, Andrew was likely with Simon (see Mt. 4:18-22). Peter respond to this miracle by falling at Jesus’ knees, overwhelmed by his sin and unworthiness. This is the reaction we often see in Scripture when someone comes face to face with the glory of God. Jesus told Peter not to be afraid. Then He informed Peter of his new calling -- from now on he would be catching men. In other words, Jesus had chosen him, and the other three, to be His disciples and to call others to repent and believe the gospel. They responded by leaving everything -- their boats, their livelihood, their families -- and followed Jesus.

Though it would be a while before they understood everything, the disciples recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. They rejoiced in His coming, and that perspective is evident in their actions. On the other hand, the Pharisees did not recognize Jesus as Messiah and misunderstood His purpose. Let’s look at another account that emphasizes this distinction.

Matthew 9:14-17

John’s disciples noticed that Jesus and His disciples weren’t fasting, though John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasted often. Fasting from food was a big part of the Jewish religion of the day, and the Pharisees had turned the practice into a necessary ritual. Fasting was meant as a time of fervent prayer, usually in conjunction with either mourning or grave concern.

Jesus answered with analogies. Fasting was a time of mourning, prayer, and seeking the Lord’s will; where a wedding was a time of celebration, feasting, and enjoying the presence of the bridegroom. Jesus identified Himself as the bridegroom indicating that there should be no mourning in the bridegroom’s presence. Jesus implied that He would be taken away at a certain point, and that would be the time for fasting and mourning.

These analogies were meant to demonstrate that the old ritualistic practices were not compatible with the new covenant Jesus brought. The new covenant was not to be a patch on the old sacrificial system. A wineskin was supple so that as the new wine fermented, the wineskin could expand with it. Once the wineskin was used, it became stiff and brittle, and was proned to burst under the pressure of new wine. The gospel of Jesus could not be constrained by the existing traditions of the Pharisees.

Jesus’ disciples, like wedding guests, were rejoicing in a time of celebration with the bridegroom. They understood that their old way of life was nothing in light of the gospel that Jesus offered. By contrast, the Pharisees wanted Jesus’ message to fit within their traditions and rituals. Others wanted the new to patch the old, like a national messiah who would restore them to their former glory.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM THE WORD

The Pharisees were trapped in their legalistic traditions, isolating themselves from the ones they should have been helping. They didn’t serve or minister; they condemned.

In contrast, Jesus had every right to condemn, but that wasn’t His purpose. Like He told Nicodemus, He came not to condemn but to save (Jn. 3:17). In order to seek and save the lost, He had to interact with sinners. Jesus did not hang out with sinners; He ministered to them. He proclaimed truth and called them to repentance. Jesus never participated in sinful activities nor condoned others’ sin to reach them.

JESUS CARES FOR THE SICK

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this time You've given us to open Your Word together and discover who You are. Thank You for not leaving us in the dark about who You are and what You are doing in the world, but that You have revealed Yourself and Your will through the Bible, in Your sacred words to us. Lord, we need wisdom as we study Your Word. You promise us in James 1:5 that we only have to ask for wisdom to receive it. Lord, please give us Your wisdom now as we approach Your words of truth and not rely on own under-standing. Thank You for the clarity, encouragement, and hope Your Word brings. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Introduction: For the last several weeks, we have been studying the early ministry of Jesus. Although it is difficult to determine the exact order of events or the exact date of when these events occurred, the Bible gives us some very clear markers that help us to at least determine a pace of events.

¨ What major event serves as the framework for the life of Jesus? The Passover.
Because He often traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, this also gives us an idea of His movements. After He was baptized, tempted in the wilderness, and turned water into wine at Cana, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the first Passover of His earthly ministry.

¨ Whom did He meet while He was in Jerusalem? Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus during that first Passover.

¨ Whom did He meet on the way home from Jerusalem? On the way home, He traveled through Samaria and met a woman at the well of Sychar. She and her town believed Jesus to be the Messiah.

¨ What happened next? We can’t be sure of the exact order of events, but Jesus returned to Galilee, was rejected in Nazareth, healed the Capernaum official’s son, and cast a demon out of a man in the synagogue.

As far as we know, Jesus spent the rest of the year in Galilee. He was going from town to town (Mk. 1:38), preaching the message of the gospel. As He went, He taught with authority (Mk. 1:22) and did many signs, including casting out demons and healing the sick.

¨ Last week we looked at some examples of how people responded to Jesus’ message. What are the only two possible responses? You can accept the message of the gospel, repent, and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Or you reject Jesus and His message and desire to be king of your own life. Both have eternal consequences.

We also talked about the very important difference between believing in who Jesus is and trusting in Him as Lord and Savior. Even the demons believe in God and know that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17). Paul tells us that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). True salvation is more than an understanding of truth; it is an active acceptance of Jesus’ gospel.

Today, we’re going to look at some of the signs He did in Galilee during that first year of ministry. We will see the authority and power that Jesus has over His creation in the healing of disease and brokenness in the world.

I. JESUS HEALS (Mk. 1:29-34; 1:40-45)

We haven’t used Mark’s Gospel much up to this point, but we are going to look at today’s accounts through his point of view. Before we do, I want you to think back to the study we did on the four Gospels. Does anyone remember what Mark’s focus was? Mark presents Jesus as a servant, showing compassion through decisive and immediate actions. We are going to look at several accounts where Jesus demonstrated compassion through healing those who were suffering.

[READ Mk. 1:29-34]

29 And immediately after they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and they immediately spoke to Jesus about her. 31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she served them.
32 Now when evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

¨ When did this take place? Mark places this account immediately after Jesus cast the demon out of the man in the synagogue in Capernaum.

¨ Where did Jesus go after He left the synagogue? He went to the house of Simon Peter and Andrew.

¨ Why did Jesus go to Simon’s house? Simon was one of Jesus’ disciples, and we know from the rest of the Scriptures he was one of the most intimate of the disciples. Matthew tells us that Jesus lived in Capernaum after He was rejected in Nazareth (Mt. 4:13). It is likely that Peter’s house had become the base of operations between their travels.

¨ Who was with Jesus? We can assume that Peter and Andrew were there, since it was their home, and Mark tells us that James and John were there.

¨ What did they find when they arrived at the house? Simon’s mother-in-law had a fever. Luke tells us it was a high fever.

¨ What did the disciples do? They immediately told Jesus about the situation. Luke says they “appealed to Him on her behalf” (Lk. 4:38).

¨ How did Jesus respond? He simply took her hand to lift her up, and His healing caused the fever to leave.

Simon’s mother-in-law began to serve Jesus and the disciples, as would have been customary for the hostess to do. That evening, Jesus healed many others, as people from the whole city brought those to Him who were sick or demon-possessed. Let’s keep reading.

[READ Mk. 1:40-45]

40 And a man with leprosy came to Jesus, imploring Him and kneeling down, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, 44 and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.

¨ When and where did this account take place? It seems that this would have been later in the first circuit of Galilee, since verse 45 indicates Jesus could no longer openly go into the towns. But Jesus was still in Galilee during the first year of His ministry.

¨ What is interesting about how the leper approached Jesus? He came humbly, kneeling before the Lord. Luke’s account (Lk. 5:12-16) indicates that the leper fell on his face.

¨ His statement is interesting as well. What stands out about his statement? Whether because of humility or wisdom, this man did not approach Jesus with an air of entitlement or expectation, but genuine faith and submission to Jesus’ will.

This man’s request was genuine and full of emotion. Mark says that he implored Jesus; Luke writes that he begged. His faith is obvious -- he knew Jesus could heal him. And yet, he didn’t assume Jesus would heal him. He humbly bowed before the Christ, surely aware of his unworthiness, and asked Jesus for healing.

¨ How did Jesus answer him? Mark says that Jesus was moved with pity. This is an example of Christ’s compassion which Mark emphasizes. He said, “I will; be clean.”

¨ What was significant about Jesus’ actions in verse 41? Jesus touched the leper. This was significant because leprosy was a filthy disease of the skin. The self-righteous Jews despised lepers, and the law abiding Jews avoided coming into contact with them. A leper was unclean according to the law (Lev. 13). Jesus could have healed him without laying a hand on him. In fact, we saw last week that He declared the healing of a man’s son who was in a different city at the time. But Jesus, the compassionate servant, chose to touch the leper.

¨ What instructions did Jesus give the leper? He told him to say nothing about what happened, but to present himself to the priest according to the law of Moses (Lev. 14).

¨ But the man couldn’t help but share the amazing encounter he had just experienced. What happened as the news spread? People were coming from all around to see Jesus, to hear His teaching, see His signs, or ask for healing themselves. The crowds were so large that He could no longer openly go into the cities but had to meet the multitudes in desolate places outside the towns.

In both of these accounts, Jesus demonstrated His power and authority over disease. He rebuked Simon’s mother-in-law’s fever, and it fled. He touched the unclean man and he became clean. There were many others that He healed from all kinds of infirmities.

¨ What attributes of God did Jesus demonstrate through these accounts? Jesus demonstrated His omnipotence and sovereignty by supernaturally healing the ailments; His graciousness in healing those who did nothing to deserve healing; and His mercy in showing kindness to those in misery.

During this first circuit through Galilee, we aren’t told much about Jesus’ teaching. We know that He was teaching and that His message was one of repentance and the gospel. But most of what is recorded about this first year of ministry reflects an excited crowd following a miracle-worker. We have seen Jesus establish His authority in the temple and synagogues, and now we have seen His power over disease. Jesus is the Creator (Col. 1:16; Jn. 1:3), and He has power over His creation, including the power to heal.

II. JESUS FORGIVES (Mk. 2:1-12)

Although Jesus clearly performed many acts of healing, these signs themselves were not His primary objective. In this next account, Jesus healed a man but also gave us some insight into His deeper purpose.

[READ Mk. 2:1-12]

1 When Jesus came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And some people came, bringing to Him a man who was paralyzed, carried by four men. 4 And when they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5 And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” -- He said to the paralyzed man, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

¨ Where else can we find this same account? It is also included in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26.

¨ Where was Jesus this time? He was in the region of Galilee in the city of Capernaum.

¨ Where was He teaching? He was teaching inside a house. This was likely Peter’s house where Jesus had established his “home base” in Galilee (Mk. 1:29).

¨ What happened when the people heard Jesus was in the house? They filled the house to the doors -- standing room only.

¨ What did Jesus do for those assembled there? He preached the word to them.

¨ What is the “word” that He preached to them? In the previous context of Mark 1:14-15, Jesus preached “the gospel of God,” calling people to “repent and believe in the gospel.” He was preaching and teaching the same message here (see Mk. 1:21 and 1:39).

¨ How did the paralytic man arrive at the house? He was carried on a bed by four of his friends.

¨ How severe was his paralysis? Considering he had to be carried on a bed by four men, it must have been very extensive.

¨ How did the men get their friend to Jesus inside the crowded house? They opened a hole in the roof and lowered their friend to where Jesus was.

¨ What did their efforts demonstrate? Jesus acknowledged their faith, presumably for their effort to get their friend before Jesus and trusting He could heal him.

¨ What did Jesus do rather than healing the man of his paralysis? The surrounding context speaks of Jesus healing many people, so it seems a bit odd that Jesus turned His attention to forgiving the man’s sins rather than healing him. Luke 5:17 actually mentioned the power to heal in the context of the account.

¨ Who are the scribes mentioned in verse 6? These were teachers of the law who had come to hear Jesus’ teaching.

¨ What does Luke 5:17 add to this point in his parallel account? Luke explains that these were members of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come from the regions of Galilee and Judea, even Jerusalem, to hear what Jesus was teaching.

¨ How did the scribes respond to Jesus forgiving the man’s sins? They were thinking to themselves that Jesus was speaking blasphemies, because only God could forgive sins.

¨ Did they say anything out loud? They were not speaking out loud but questioning in their hearts. We would likely attribute these thoughts to the mind or brain rather than the heart. Luke 5:22 says Jesus “perceived their thoughts.”

¨ How did they conclude that Jesus was blaspheming? Since only God can forgive sins, and Jesus was claiming to forgive the man’s sins, Jesus was claiming to be God. For a mere man to claim to be God is a blasphemous statement.

¨ How did Jesus know what they were thinking? He perceived in His spirit what they were questioning in their hearts.

¨ What does this ability to know the thoughts of men indicate about Jesus? This is a supernatural ability that can only be explained by revelation from God. Since Jesus is God in the flesh, “He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (Jn. 2:24-25).

¨ What was the answer to Jesus’ question about whether it is easier to heal or forgive sins? Both are only possible by the power of God. To claim to forgive sins is something that can’t be verified by sight, but to heal a lame man is verifiable.

¨ Why did Jesus follow the act of forgiveness with an act of healing? He said He did it so that all might know He had the authority to forgive sins. It was a physical sign to affirm the spiritual reality. Performing a physical and miraculous sign was a common affirmation that a prophet’s words were from God.

¨ How long did the healing take? The man rose immediately, so it was an instantaneous healing.

¨ How did the paralytic respond? He rose and carried his bed through the crowd. Luke 5:25 says that he went home “glorifying God.”

¨ How did the crowd respond? They were amazed and glorified God.

¨ How many healings did the paralytic receive? He actually received two healings -- he was healed spiritually through the forgiveness of his sins and physically by the removal of his paralysis.

Imagine yourself standing in that room. You hear this man teaching about forgiveness of sin and things start falling through the roof. Soon, a man descends on a bed. You might expect you are about to see a miraculous healing like the ones you’ve heard about … but then something more amazing happens. Jesus announces to the man that his sins are forgiven. But only God can do that!

Even the scribes and Pharisees knew what Jesus was claiming. There was no doubt. They instantly believed this Man was a blasphemer. Imagine their shock when Jesus announced to them exactly what they were thinking. In fact, it was they who were blaspheming by denying Jesus was God. They just didn’t realize it at the time.

¨ What attribute of God was revealed when Jesus was able to read the minds of the scribes and see the faith of the other men? Omniscience -- Jesus knew all about the men. This is confirmed by John 2:24-25.

The Son of Man knew the faith in this man who was paralyzed and his friends. His first act was to offer him forgiveness for the sins he had committed against a holy God. He was merciful toward this sinner and offered him forgiveness. But he didn’t stop there. Jesus also healed him of his paralysis. We don’t know how long he had been confined to his bed, but can you imagine the freedom this man now felt? He had been healed of his brokenness -- both spiritually and physically. He responded by glorifying God.

In these acts of spiritual and physical compassion, Jesus left those around Him with no doubt about what they had just experienced, even if they didn’t rightly acknowledge its source. They had just witnessed God heal a man and, in that act, confirmed the man’s forgiveness before God.

Jesus, calling Himself the Son of Man, has the power to forgive sins and heal. There can be no doubt that Jesus is God.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD IN THE WORD TODAY

As Jesus walked the earth, He performed many miracles of healing. While healing was not His primary mission, it was a part of what the Father sent the Son to accomplish. These miracles served specific functions in the lives of individuals, but the overall purpose was to glorify God and affirm that Jesus is God.

As God in the flesh, Jesus had the authority on the earth to forgive sins. Demonstrating His authority to heal both physically and spiritually was a major purpose in these events and authenticated the words He spoke by the works He performed.

All of this work was done as a part of the restoration that will be finalized at the consummation. At the fall, brokenness entered the perfect creation. Both the spiritual perfection and the physical perfection were corrupted by sin. As we think about the words we use to describe the corruption and brokenness, DIS-order and DIS-ease are two that come to mind in light of today’s passages. The original creation was in perfect order; now it is in DIS-order. There was perfect ease in the functioning of the body, but now there is DIS-ease. Things went out of control and got hard.

As we think about these words, we often compare things to our current state. We think of ourselves as normal and those who are different as those with diseases or disorders. But each person on this planet bears disease and disorder in his or her body as a result of the corruption that Adam brought to the world. Just as we should not seek to understand what is spiritually correct by comparing our sins to the sins of others (there is always someone “worse” than us), we should not think of disease and disorders in light of what we see in the world around us. It is the original perfect creation to which we should be comparing the current state.

While we may not all receive some form of physical healing, we are all in need of spiritual healing from the corruption we have inherited from Adam. This is the miracle of forgiveness that Jesus offered to those He healed as they put their faith in Him, believing that He could heal them of their physical and spiritual corruption. And all of this was done to glorify God and offer Him the worship that He alone is due.

Jesus is God, and when we look to Him for forgiveness of sin, He will heal us of our sinful condition and give us eternal life. And, while our physical healing may not come on this earth, we can be assured that when He brings about the consummation of all things, we will be restored to the original perfection without disease or disorder of any kind. Then we can worship in perfect holiness and harmony, knowing that sin will never corrupt us again!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your power over creation and Your ability to heal the sick. Again, Lord, we pray for the many on our prayer list in need of Your healing and even miracles. Comfort them, encourage them, and end their suffering. But even more importantly, Lord, we want to thank You for the spiritual healing which we all need to make us into Christ’s likeness. For it is in His name, I pray, Amen.

Invitation Hymn # 504: “He Touched Me” (2 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may the Lord give strength to you when you are weary and may He increase your power when you are weak. Amen. (Isa. 40:29)

JESUS CARES FOR THE SICK
Answers (Lesson 124) - April 21, 2024 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Introduction: Today, we’re going to look at some of the signs Jesus did in Galilee during His first year of ministry. We will see the authority and power that Jesus has over His creation in the healing of disease and brokenness in the world.

I. JESUS HEALS (Mk. 1:29-34; 1:40-45)

Mark presents Jesus as a servant, showing compassion through decisive and immediate actions. We are going to look at several accounts where Jesus demonstrated compassion through healing those who were suffering.

Mark 1:29-34

Mark places this account immediately after Jesus cast the demon out of the man in the synagogue in Capernaum. He left the synagogue and went to the house of Simon Peter and Andrew. Matthew tells us that Jesus lived in Capernaum after He was rejected in Nazareth (Mt. 4:13). It is likely that Peter’s home had become the base of operations between their travels. On this day, we can assume that Peter and Andrew were there, since it was their home, and Mark tells us that James and John were also there. When they arrived at there that found Peter’s mother-in-law sick with a fever. Luke tells us it was a high fever. The disciples immediately told Jesus about the situation. Luke says they “appealed to Him on her behalf” (Lk. 4:38). Jesus simply took her by the hand, helped her up, and caused the fever to leave her. Peter’s mother-in-law began to serve Jesus and the disciples, as would have been customary for the hostess to do. That evening, Jesus healed many others, as people from the whole city brought those to Him who were sick or demon-possessed.

Mark 1:40-45

Timing wise, it seems that this healing would have been later in the first circuit of Galilee, since verse 45 indicates Jesus could no longer openly go into the towns. But Jesus was still in Galilee during the first year of His ministry.

The leper came humbly, kneeling before the Lord. Luke’s account (Lk. 5:12-16) indicates that the leper fell on his face before Jesus. Whether because of humility or wisdom, this man did not approach Jesus with an air of entitlement or expectation, but genuine faith and submission to Jesus’ will. This man’s request was genuine and full of emotion. Mark says that he implored Jesus; Luke writes that he begged. His faith is obvious -- he knew Jesus could heal him. Mark says that Jesus was moved with pity. This is an example of Christ’s compassion which Mark emphasizes. He said, “I will; be clean.”

Verse 41 tells us Jesus touched the leper. This was significant because leprosy was a filthy disease of the skin. The self-righteous Jews despised lepers, and the law abiding Jews avoided coming into contact with them. A leper was unclean according to the law (Lev. 13). Jesus could have healed him without laying a hand on him. In fact, we saw last week that He declared the healing of a man’s son who was in a different city at the time. But Jesus, the compassionate servant, chose to touch the leper. Jesus told the man to say nothing about what happened, but to present himself to the priest according to the law of Moses (Lev. 14).

However, the man couldn’t help but share the amazing encounter he had just experienced. As the news spread, people came from all around to see Jesus, to hear His teaching, see His signs, or ask for healing themselves. The crowds were so large that He could no longer openly go into the cities but had to meet the multitudes in desolate places outside the towns.

In both of these accounts, Jesus demonstrated His power and authority over disease. He rebuked Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever, and it fled. He touched the unclean man and he became clean. There were many others that He healed from all kinds of infirmities.

In these accounts, Jesus demonstrated His omnipotence and sovereignty by supernaturally healing the ailments; His graciousness in healing those who did nothing to deserve healing; and His mercy in showing kindness to those in misery.

During this first circuit through Galilee, we aren’t told much about Jesus’ teaching, but we know His message was one of repentance and the gospel. Most of what is recorded about this first year of ministry reflects an excited crowd following a miracle-worker. We have seen Jesus establish His authority in the temple and synagogues, and now we have seen His power over disease. Jesus is the Creator (Col. 1:16; Jn. 1:3), and He has power over His creation, including the power to heal.

II. JESUS FORGIVES (Mk. 2:1-12)

Although Jesus clearly performed many acts of healing, these signs themselves were not His primary objective. In this next account, Jesus healed a man but also gave us some insight into His deeper purpose.

Mark 2:1-12

This same account is also included in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26.

Jesus was in the region of Galilee in the city of Capernaum. He was teaching inside a house, which again was likely Peter’s house where Jesus had established his “home base” in Galilee (Mk. 1:29). When the people heard where Jesus was ministering, They filled the house to the doors -- standing room only. Jesus preached the word to them. In the previous context of Mark 1:14-15, Jesus preached “the gospel of God,” calling people to “repent and believe in the gospel.” He was preaching and teaching this same message here (see Mk. 1:21 and 1:39).

A paralytic man was carried on a bed by four of his friends to the house where Jesus was. Unable to get their friend inside the crowded house, the men opened a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down to where Jesus was standing. Jesus acknowledged the faith of the man’s friends by the effort they exerted to get their friend to Jesus and trusting that He could heal him. But rather than healing the man of his paralysis, Jesus turned His attention to forgiving the man’s sins instead.

The scribes mentioned in verse 6, were teachers of the law who had come to hear Jesus’ teaching. In Luke 5:17, Luke adds in his parallel account, that these were members of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come from the regions of Galilee and Judea, even Jerusalem, to hear what Jesus was teaching. Upon hearing Jesus forgive the man’s sins, they were thinking to themselves that Jesus was speaking blasphemies, because only God could forgive sins. Though they were not speaking out loud, they were thinking these things in their hearts. Luke 5:22 says Jesus “perceived their thoughts.” They concluded that Jesus was blaspheming, since only God can forgive sins. Jesus was claiming to forgive this man’s sins, and thus, was claiming to be God. For a mere man to claim to be God is a blasphemous statement.

Jesus ability to know the thoughts of these men indicates that this was a supernatural ability that can only be explained by revelation from God. Since Jesus is God in the flesh, “He knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man” (Jn. 2:24-25).

The point of Jesus’ question about whether it is easier to heal or forgive sins? Is that both are only possible by the power of God. To claim to forgive sins is something that can’t be verified by sight, but to heal a lame man is verifiable. Jesus followed the act of forgiveness with an act of healing. He said He did it so that all might know He had the authority to forgive sins. It was a physical sign to affirm the spiritual reality. Performing a physical and miraculous sign was a common affirmation that a prophet’s words were from God. And since the man rose immediately, it was an instantaneous healing. The healed man responded by getting up and carrying his bed through the crowd. Luke 5:25 says that he went home “glorifying God.” Actually, the man received two healings that day. He was healed spiritually through the forgiveness of his sins and physically by the removal of his paralysis. The paralytic had been healed of his brokenness -- both spiritually and physically. He responded by glorifying God.

In these acts of spiritual and physical compassion, Jesus left those around Him with no doubt about what they had just experienced, even if they didn’t rightly acknowledge its source. They had just witnessed God heal a man and, in that act, confirmed the man’s forgiveness before God.

III. WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM THE WORD

While healing was not Jesus’ primary mission, it was a part of what the Father sent Him to accomplish. These miracles served specific functions in the lives of individuals, but the overall purpose was to glorify God and affirm that Jesus is God.

Demonstrating His authority to heal physically and spiritually was a major purpose in these events and authenticated the words Jesus spoke by the works He performed.

While we may not all receive some form of physical healing, we are all in need of spiritual healing from the corruption we have inherited from Adam. This is the miracle of forgiveness that Jesus offered to those He healed as they put their faith in Him, believing that He could heal them of their physical and spiritual corruption. All of this was done to glorify God and offer Him the worship that He alone is due.

JESUS IS REJECTED IN NAZARETH

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I ask that You would give each of us understanding and discerning hearts. Help us to be slow to get angry but quick to respond to the needs, disappointments, and problems that others are facing. Lord, we want to be used by You as a channel of blessing to others, showing the loving compassion that Jesus modeled for us here on earth. Father, open our hearts to receive the truth of Your Word this morning. May the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds so that we will understand every word and apply it appropriately to our lives. We ask You to change us from the inside out to be the people that You desire us to be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Introduction: Last Sunday, we read about Jesus’ trip from Jerusalem to Galilee. He had been in Jerusalem for the Passover, and He left Judea when He heard that John had been arrested.

¨ What was interesting about His trip home? Jesus returned to Galilee through the region of Samaria, which may have been an unusual route to take. It was definitely unusual that He stopped to talk with a Samaritan woman and then stayed in her town for two days.

¨ What message did Jesus deliver to the woman and her town? He revealed that He was the Messiah, and He offered the woman living water. He offered them the hope of salvation and eternal life.

¨ How did the woman and the townspeople respond? They believed Jesus was the Messiah, and they trusted in Him as the Savior of the world (Jn. 4:42).

In the last few weeks, we have seen crowds begin to follow Jesus as they saw the signs that He did. We have seen Jesus extend His offer of salvation to both Jews and Gentiles. Today we will take a look at the contrast of responses Jesus received as He began preaching in Galilee.

I. PEOPLE REJECT JESUS (Lk. 4:14-30; Jn. 8:58-59, 10:25-33, 38)

As Jesus came to Galilee, He began to preach publicly, saying, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1:15). Let’s see how the people responded to His gospel.

[READ Jn. 4:14-30]

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
20 And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21 Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a severe famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; 29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. 30 But He passed through their midst and went on His way.

¨ When did this event take place? Luke records the temptation of Jesus just before this account, but if you think about our timeline we began last week, we know that some time had passed. This would have been after Jesus visited the woman at the well in Samaria. If you have your timeline with you, write “rejection at Nazareth,” just after the first Passover.

¨ What is interesting but odd about Luke 4:14-15, in light of the rest of the passage? It seems odd that verses 14 and 15 talk about Jesus being glorified by all, but then verses 16-30 talk about the people rejecting Him. 
¨ In this case, it helps to understand the chronology of Jesus’ ministry. Take a look at your timeline from last week, if you have it. After the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry, where did Jesus go? He returned to Galilee through Samaria and then ministered in Galilee until the next Passover.

So, Luke 4:14-15 is a generalized summary of Jesus’ time in Galilee. Then, the next couple chapters detail different events that occurred during this time, as He journeyed around Galilee.

¨ As He taught in the synagogue in Nazareth, what did Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah? He read a section that prophesied the Messiah’s coming to Israel. We find this in Isaiah 61:1-2.

¨ After reading and sitting down, what did Jesus say about the passage He had read? He claimed that it had been fulfilled in the hearing of those present. In other words, Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah.

¨ Who did the crowd say He was? They knew Him as the son of Joseph who had grown up in their town.

¨ What did Jesus attest to about a prophet in his hometown? In general, prophets are not accepted in their own country/town. This seemed to be the case in this instance as well -- the people knew Him as the son of Joseph who had been raised in their town and taught in the very synagogue He was now teaching in, but they did not accept that He was the Messiah.

¨ Whom did Jesus point to as examples of God’s grace through a prophet? He referred to the widow in Zarephath who was blessed by Elijah and Naaman who was blessed by Elisha.

¨ Were these two examples Jews or Gentiles? Both of them were Gentiles who received mercy and grace from God as they received the message of the prophets as true.

¨ What was Jesus implying about their rejection of Him as the Messiah? He was clearly implying that they were just like the unbelieving Jews of Elijah’s and Elisha’s time who did not receive them as true prophets.

¨ How did the Nazarenes respond to this? They were filled with wrath and tried to kill Him by taking Him to a cliff to throw Him off it to His death.

¨ How did Jesus escape? He simply passed through the midst of them in what can only be described as a miraculous event. This is similar to John 7:30, 8:59, and 10:39 where He escaped the crowds because His time to die had not come yet. Let’s take a look at some of these passages from John.

[READ Jn. 8:58-59]

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.

So similarly, when Jesus claimed to be God, the Jews took up stones to stone Him to death for blasphemy.

[READ Jn. 10:25-33 & 39]

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus replied to them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
39 Therefore they were seeking again to arrest Him, and He eluded their grasp.

The Jews desired to stone Jesus for blasphemy and then sought to arrest Him after He defused the situation, but He escaped from their hands.

In this account and the other two we looked at briefly, we see a very negative response to Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. Likewise, His claims to be equal to the Father brought the same reaction -- the people wanted to kill Him for making such a claim. But Jesus didn’t just make claims; He demonstrated His authority through His teaching and miracles.

In these accounts, Jesus was also demonstrating the attributes of God: His sovereignty in controlling the situations and escaping the plans of the Jews; His omniscience in knowing the thoughts of the people; His wisdom in knowing how to respond in each situation to bring His plans to completion.

So, one clear reaction to Jesus’ message, as we see many times throughout the Gospels, was total rejection. Now, some of the other reactions in Scripture seem a little less severe; the people don’t always want to kill Him, but they are examples of rejection nonetheless. Jesus came as the Messiah and King, and people rejected Him. They were unwilling to submit to Him as Savior and Lord. They wanted to continue to walk on the wide path they were on rather than follow the Savior on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

II. BELIEF or FAITH? (Jn. 4:46-54; Lk. 4:31-37; Jas. 2:19; Rom. 9:30 -- 10:4)

But not everyone rejected Jesus. There are many passages where we read of lots of people believing in His message and seeking to follow after Him. Let’s look at some examples of those who believed Jesus was who He said He was. One specific example of belief is found in John 4.

[READ Jn. 4:46-54]

46 Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and began asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” 49 The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son is alive.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went home. 51 And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive. 52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son is alive”; and he himself believed, and his entire household. 54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come from Judea into Galilee.

¨ When did this passage take place? John recorded this event between Jesus’ journey through Samaria and another trip to Jerusalem -- the second Passover on our timeline. John also claimed this was Jesus’ second sign. Combining that with the clues from the other Gospels, we can place this event early during His first circuit of Galilee. We can’t be sure of the exact order, but this likely happened around the same time as the rejection in Nazareth.

¨ Where did this event take place? Although the official was from Capernaum, he went to see Jesus in Cana. Both Cana and Capernaum are cities in Galilee. You will recall that Cana is the location of the first recorded miracle of Jesus when He turned water into wine at a wedding feast.

¨ What is significant about Capernaum? In the passage we just read a few minutes ago, the Nazarenes mentioned that they had heard about what He had done in Capernaum. There are at least three reasonable ways to interpret their statement: (1) He may have already been to Capernaum and done signs there since returning to Galilee; (2) He may have done signs in Capernaum before He left for Jerusalem (Jn. 2:12); or (3) The Jews may have been referring to this event in John (if it happened prior to Jesus’ visit to Nazareth) because the healed son was in Capernaum.

¨ What request did the official make? The official asked Jesus to heal his son who was deathly ill.

¨ What did Jesus mean by His initial statement (v. 48)? You may have a footnote indicating that the “you” is plural in this comment. This suggests that His comment, though perhaps addressed to the official, was directed at the Jews. As we have already seen, the Jews often asked Jesus for a sign (Jn. 2:18), and many people followed Him because of His signs (Jn. 2:23, 4:45).

¨ How did the official express faith in Jesus? First, he asked Jesus to come heal his son, apparently believing He could. Then, he believed Jesus’ words at face value, accepting that his son would live, and he went on his way.

The official had obviously heard of Jesus and the works He had done. Unlike the skeptical crowd in Nazareth, the official from Capernaum believed in Jesus, not just to heal his son (v. 49), but for the salvation of his household (v. 53).

We’ve looked at those who rejected Jesus outright. We’ve seen those who believed in Jesus and demonstrated their faith in Him. Now let’s look at a different kind of belief.

[READ Lk. 4:31-37]

31 And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and they were amazed at His teaching, because His message was delivered with authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Leave us alone! What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!”  35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another, saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And the news about Him was spreading into every locality of the surrounding region.

¨ Where did this account take place? This account takes place in a synagogue in Capernaum.

¨ When did this happen? This is likely after the other accounts we’ve read, after Jesus moved His headquarters to Capernaum, but about the same time early in the first tour of Galilee. Luke also tells us that Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath.

¨ How did the people respond to Jesus’ teaching? They were astonished because He spoke with authority.

¨ Do you notice anything interesting about the beginning of verse 34? You may have a footnote in your Bible indicating a variant translation. The Greek word used here is sometimes translated as “Leave us alone!” as in this case. No matter how it is rendered, it is clearly intended as an interjection, perhaps indicating surprise, indignation, or anger.

¨ Who is speaking in verse 34? The text states that the man cried out in a loud voice, but it seems to be the demon speaking through the man. The demon recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God.” He also acknowledged that Jesus had the power and authority to destroy them.

¨ Why did Jesus tell the demon to be quiet? There are several times that Jesus commanded the demons to be silent because they knew who He was (Lk. 4:41). The timing of Jesus’ ministry was precisely planned, as we’ve already seen when He talked about “His hour.” It seems He was not yet ready to reveal Himself to the extent that the demon’s acknowledgement would have.

¨ What effect did the words of Jesus have on the demon? The demon had to obey the authoritative command of the Son of God. He came out of the man, causing him no harm.

¨ How did the people respond? They were amazed, wondered at His authority, and spread word about Him throughout the region. We are not told whether they believed in Him, and it seems that they may not have fully understood who He was and the authority He held.

In this account, we see one who recognized who Jesus was and knew the depth of His power and authority. The demon even obeyed Jesus’ command. But he did not believe on the name of Jesus for salvation or submit to Him as Lord. This was also apparent in the response of the people in Jerusalem who had seen the signs Jesus was doing but did not trust in Him as the Messiah (Jn. 2:23-25). Let’s take a minute to look at the difference between believing who Jesus is and believing (trusting) in Jesus for salvation.

[READ Jas. 2:19]

19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

¨ When we look at a single verse, what rule of hermeneutics do we need to stop and consider? We are in danger of taking the verse out of context, so we should stop and take note of the immediate context of the verse. The letter was written to Jews who were scattered geographically (Jas. 1:1). The first two chapters emphasize what true faith is. The verse we just read is found in a paragraph explaining that true faith is more than belief or mere mental assent -- true faith is demonstrated in action.

¨ So, what did James mean by this statement? He was making the point that mere belief is not the same thing as active faith. The demons obviously are not saved by faith, though they believe in God. In Luke 4:31-37, Jesus interacted with a demon who clearly knew who He was, even recognizing Him as “the Holy One of God” and fearing the destruction He would bring. Luke 4:41 confirms that the demons believed Jesus was the Christ, and Matthew 8:29 suggests that the demons knew that Jesus was going to defeat them at an appointed time. And yet, the demon’s belief was obviously not a saving faith.

When James wrote, “You believe that God is one,” it was a clear reference to the shema (Deut. 6:4-5), the core profession of faith of the Israelites under the old covenant. In other words, believing orthodox doctrine is not proof of salvation; even the demons believe the truth about who God is. Paul taught the same thing, emphasizing that salvation and justification are not earned through the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16). Sometimes people try to set Paul and James against one another, claiming that there is a contradiction in the Bible regarding the connection between justification and works. But there is a simple explanation that clears up this apparent contradiction.

[READ Rom. 9:30 -- 10:4]

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith; 31 however, Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”

10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

¨ How does this passage add to our understanding of salvation? In this passage, we see that the Jews pursued righteousness through the law, and therefore did not succeed in achieving it. They had a zeal for God, a desire for righteousness, but they misunderstood the gospel.

Many of the Jews believed the truth about God, but they placed their trust in their ability to obey the law. Because of this legalism, the cross of Jesus became a stumbling block to them.
They rejected Jesus, not even realizing their need for Him, in many cases.

We have just begun to look at Jesus’ earthly ministry, a few months at most. Already we have seen various responses to Him. The religious leaders were immediately threatened by His teaching. The people in His hometown rejected His message outright, refusing to believe He was who He said He was. We will see others who, like the demons, recognized the truth in Jesus’ claims but refused to trust in Him for salvation.

Ultimately, there are only two responses to Jesus’ message. Those who fail to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and to trust in Him for redemption have actually rejected His message altogether. There is a difference between believing that Jesus is the Son of God with the power to save -- the demons believe that -- and submitting to Him as Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:13).

Although many had rejected Jesus’ message of hope and salvation, there were many, like the official from Capernaum, who received the message gladly. Jesus had come to seek and save the lost, and those who were His sheep recognized His voice and followed Him. In turning from their sin and to the Messiah, they received eternal life and were held securely in the hand of Jesus and the hand of the Father (Jn. 10:25-30). These people heard the teaching and saw the miracles, and they believed in Jesus as the Messiah. And in this belief, they were willing to submit to Him as Lord, taking up their crosses and following Him through the narrow gate and along the narrow path to eternal life. I truly hope that reflects your view of who Jesus is and what you believe about Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we want to praise You for Your wisdom, grace, and mercy in saving sinners such as us. Give us a renewed confidence in the finished work of Jesus for our salvation. Thank You for revealing Yourself in the Bible and challenging us to examine our faith. And Lord, if there is anyone here this morning who needs to receive Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life, may they accept You today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Invitation Hymn # 332: “Without Him” (2 vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, may the wisdom and sayings of God be life to you and health to your flesh. Amen. (Prov. 4:22)

JESUS REJECTED IN NAZARETH
Answers (Lesson 123) - April 14, 2024 - Rev. Alan Cousins

Text: Selected Scriptures from the NASB

Introduction: We have seen crowds begin to follow Jesus as they saw the signs that He did. We saw Jesus extend His offer of salvation to Jews and Gentiles. Today we will look at the contrast of responses Jesus received as He began preaching in Galilee.

I. PEOPLE REJECT JESUS (Lk. 4:14-30; Jn. 8:58-59, 10:25-33, 38)

As Jesus came to Galilee, He began to preach publicly, saying, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1:15). Let’s see how the people responded to His gospel.

Luke 4:14-30

Luke records the temptation of Jesus just before this account, but if you think about our timeline we began last week, we know that some time had passed. This would have been after Jesus visited the woman at the well in Samaria. If you have your timeline with you, write “rejection at Nazareth,” just after the first Passover.

It seems a bit odd that verses 14 and 15 talk about Jesus being glorified by all, but then verses 16-30 talk about the people rejecting Him. In this case, it helps to understand the chronology of Jesus’ ministry. After the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry, He returned to Galilee through Samaria and then ministered in Galilee until the next Passover.

As He taught in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah. He read a section that prophesied the Messiah’s coming to Israel (Isa. 61:1-2). As He finished reading, Jesus claimed that it had been fulfilled in the hearing of those present. In other words, Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah. In general, however, prophets are not accepted in their own country or town. This seemed to be the case in this instance as well. The people knew Him as the son of Joseph who had been raised in their town and taught in the very synagogue He was now teaching in, but they did not accept that He was the Messiah.

Jesus pointed to the widow in Zarephath, who was blessed by Elijah, and Naaman who was blessed by Elisha, as examples of God’s grace shown through a prophet. Jesus was clearly implying that the Nazarenes were just like the unbelieving Jews of Elijah’s and Elisha’s time who did not receive them as true prophets. Hearing this, the people were filled with wrath and tried to kill Jesus by taking Him to a cliff to throw Him off it to His death. But He escaped by simply passing through the midst of them in what can only be described as a miraculous event. This is similar to John 7:30, 8:59, and 10:39 where Jesus escaped the crowds because His time to die had not come yet. Let’s take a look at some of these passages from John.

John 8:58-59, 10:25-33, 39

In this account and the other two we looked at briefly, we see a very negative response to Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. Likewise, His claims to be equal to the Father brought the same reaction -- the people wanted to kill Him for making such a claim. But Jesus didn’t just make claims; He demonstrated His authority through His teaching and miracles. In these accounts, Jesus was also demonstrating the attributes of God: His sovereignty in controlling the situations and escaping the plans of the Jews; His omniscience in knowing the thoughts of the people; His wisdom in knowing how to respond in each situation to bring His plans to completion.

One clear reaction to Jesus’ message, as we see many times throughout the Gospels, was total rejection. Now, some of the other reactions in Scripture seem a little less severe; the people don’t always want to kill Him, but they are examples of rejection nonetheless. Jesus came as the Messiah and King, and people rejected Him.

II. BELIEF or FAITH? (Jn. 4:46-54; Lk. 4:31-37; Jas. 2:19; Rom. 9:30 -- 10:4)

But not everyone rejected Jesus. There are many passages where we read of lots of people believing in His message and seeking to follow after Him. Let’s look at some examples of those who believed Jesus was who He said He was.

John 4:46-54

John recorded this event between Jesus’ journey through Samaria and another trip to Jerusalem for the second Passover on our timeline. John also claimed this was Jesus’ second sign. Combining that with the clues from the other Gospels, we can place this event early during His first circuit of Galilee. We can’t be sure of the exact order, but this likely happened around the same time as the rejection in Nazareth.

Although the official was from Capernaum, he went to see Jesus in Cana. Both Cana and Capernaum are cities in Galilee. You will recall that Cana is the location of the first recorded miracle of Jesus when He turned water into wine at a wedding feast. The mention of Capernaum is important because in the passage we just read a few minutes ago, the Nazarenes mentioned that they had heard about what Jesus had done in Capernaum. There are at least three reasonable ways to interpret their statement: (1) He may have already been to Capernaum and done signs there since returning to Galilee; (2) He may have done signs in Capernaum before He left for Jerusalem (Jn. 2:12); or (3) The Jews may have been referring to this event in John (if it happened prior to Jesus’ visit to Nazareth) because the healed son was in Capernaum.

This official asked Jesus to heal his son who was deathly ill. [You may have a footnote indicating that the “you” in verse 48 is plural in Jesus’ words. This suggests that His comment, though perhaps addressed to the official, was actually directed at the Jews. As we have already seen, the Jews often asked Jesus for a sign (Jn. 2:18), and many people followed Him because of His signs (Jn. 2:23, 4:45)].

The father expressed faith in Jesus. First, he asked Jesus to come heal his son, apparently believing He could. Then, he believed Jesus’ words at face value, accepting that his son would live, and he went on his way. The official had obviously heard of Jesus and the works He had done. Unlike the skeptical crowd in Nazareth, the official from Capernaum believed in Jesus, not just to heal his son (v. 49), but for the salvation of his household (v. 53).

We’ve looked at those who rejected Jesus outright. We’ve seen those who believed in Jesus and demonstrated their faith in Him. Now let’s look at a different kind of belief.

Luke 4:31-37

This account takes place in a synagogue in Capernaum. It likely happened after the other accounts we’ve read, after Jesus moved His headquarters to Capernaum, but about the same time early in the first tour of Galilee. Luke also tells us that Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath.

The people were astonished at Jesus’ teaching because He spoke with authority.

You may have a footnote in your Bible indicating a variant translation. The Greek word used here is sometimes translated as “Leave us alone!” as in this case. No matter how it is rendered, it is clearly intended as an interjection, perhaps indicating surprise, indignation, or anger. According to verse 34, the text states that the man cried out in a loud voice, but it seems the demon was speaking through the man. The demon recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God.” He also acknowledged that Jesus had the power and authority to destroy them. There are several times that Jesus commanded the demons to be silent because they knew who He was (Lk. 4:41). The timing of Jesus’ ministry was precisely planned, as we’ve already seen when He talked about “His hour.” It seems He was not yet ready to reveal Himself to the extent that the demon’s acknowledgement would have. The demon had to obey the authoritative command of the Son of God. He came out of the man, causing him no harm.

The people were amazed, wondered at Jesus’ authority, and spread word about Him throughout the region. We are not told whether they believed in Him or not, and it seems that they may not have fully understood who He was and the authority He held.

Here we see one who recognized who Jesus was and knew the depth of His power and authority. The demon even obeyed Jesus’ command. But he did not believe on the name of Jesus for salvation or submit to Him as Lord.

James 2:19

James was making the point that mere belief is not the same thing as active faith. The demons obviously are not saved by faith, though they believe in God. In Luke 4:31-37, Jesus interacted with a demon who clearly knew who He was, even recognizing Him as “the Holy One of God” and fearing the destruction He would bring. Luke 4:41 confirms that the demons believed Jesus was the Christ, and Matthew 8:29 suggests that the demons knew that Jesus was going to defeat them at an appointed time. And yet, the demon’s belief was obviously not a saving faith.

When James wrote, “You believe that God is one,” it was a clear reference to the shema (Deut. 6:4-5), the core profession of faith of the Israelites under the old covenant. This means, believing orthodox doctrine is not proof of salvation; even the demons believe the truth about God.

Romans 9:30 -- 10:4

In this passage, we see that the Jews pursued righteousness through the law, and therefore did not succeed in achieving it. They had a zeal for God, a desire for righteousness, but they misunderstood the gospel. They placed their trust in their own ability to obey the law. Because of this legalism, the cross of Jesus became a stumbling block to them. They rejected Jesus, not even realizing their need for Him, in many cases.

Ultimately, there are only two responses to Jesus’ message. Those who fail to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and to trust in Him for redemption have actually rejected His message altogether. There is a difference between believing that Jesus is the Son of God with the power to save -- the demons believe that -- and submitting to Him as Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:13). Jesus had come to seek and save the lost, and those who were His sheep recognized His voice and followed Him. In turning from their sin and to the Messiah, they received eternal life and were held securely in the hand of Jesus and the hand of the Father (Jn. 10:25-30).