John 2:13-17 (UASV)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹³ Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, both the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the doves, “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a market house.”¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:1-12 (NASB 1995)

Miracle at Cana

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; ² and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” ⁴ And Jesus *said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” ⁶ Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. ⁷ Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And He *said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. ⁹ When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom, ¹⁰ and *said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹ This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

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John 1:35-51 Jesus’ Public Ministry; First Converts

Jesus’ Public Ministry; First Converts

³⁵ Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What are you seeking?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” ³⁹ He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day; it was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first *found his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

⁴³ The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 1:19-34

The Testimony of John

¹⁹ This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. ²⁷ It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ³¹ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” ³² John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

John 1:14-18

Life In Christ

The Word Made Flesh

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” ¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

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John 1:6-13

The Witness John

⁶ There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

⁹ There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:1-5

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Matthew Chapter 3

The Introduction and Baptism of Jesus.

The Preparatory Ministry of John the Baptist – Matthew 3:1-12

For four hundred years since the close of the Old Testament, no prophetic voice had been raised in Israel. To be sure, God had spoken by angels to Zacharias and Elizabeth, to Joseph and Mary, and to the Magi, but no human voice had spoken for God, except that of the child Jesus in the temple (Lk 2:41-50). Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea (cf. Mk 1:1-8). Clothed in a long garment made of rough camel hair, bound with a leather belt, and eating locusts and wild honey, John’s garb was appropriate to his office and was similar to that of Elijah (2 Kg 1:8) and which, apparently, was the customary dress for prophets, even those who were false prophets (Zee 13:4). As Tasker points out, Matthew assumes that his readers are familiar with John the Baptist and does not give his background as Luke does (Lk 1:15-25, 57-80)

The message of John was like that of Elijah, as he heralded his exhortation to Pharisees as well as Sadducees and to all who came: “Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” His role was that of a herald coming before the king. Matthew finds John fulfilling the prediction of Isa 40:3-5 , that there would be a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way before the Lord. Like the servants of a king who would smooth out and straighten the road in preparation for their sovereign’s coming, so John was preparing the way spiritually for the coming of Christ.

John’s message was a stern rebuke of the hypocrisy and shallow religion of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Unquestionably, he was attacking the established religion of his day and demanding sincerity and repentance instead of hypocrisy and religious rites. His call to repentance is backed up by the succinct announcement, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What did John mean by “kingdom of heaven”? While the precise phrase is not found in the Old Testament, it is based on Old Testament terminology. Nebuchadnezzar, for instance, referred to God as the “King of heaven” (Dan 4:37 . Daniel had predicted that the climax of world history would come with the advent of the Son of man, who would be given an everlasting kingdom. This was likewise to be fulfilled by the prediction of Dan 2:44 that “the God of heaven” would “set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” Matthew, alone of New Testament writers, uses “the kingdom of heaven” and rarely uses “the kingdom of God,” which is often used in parallel passages in the other gospels and throughout the New Testament. Most expositors consider the two terms identical.

Although the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are similar, there seems to be some distinction. The kingdom of heaven refers to that which is obviously in its outer character a kingdom from above (Ps 103:19). The kingdom of God is more specific and does not seem to include any but true believers who are born again (2 Sam 7:8-12; John 3:3-5). In Matt 13, the kingdom of heaven seems to include in its power of earth, both the good and bad fish caught in the net and the wheat and the tares in the same field, whereas Nicodemus is informed that the new birth is necessary to enter the kingdom of God (Jn 3:5). All agree that those in the kingdom of God are also under the power of the kingdom of heaven, however.

The kingdom of God will be established will be when Christ returns to set up the kingdom on earth, in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies and countless other passages of the Old Testament that picture a golden age, when the Son of David will reign over the entire world in righteousness and peace. Only the premillennial interpretation of the concept of the kingdom allows a literal interpretation of both Old Testament and New Testament prophecies relating to the future kingdom.

The ministry of John the Baptist signaled a spiritual crisis in Israel. Would they accept their King, or would they reject Him? The ministry of John the Baptist was to prepare the way by calling Israel to repentance.

The phenomenal success of John’s ministry is evident in the thousands that came out to see him. Estimating that between 200,000 and 500,000 must have responded to his call for repentance and baptism, Lenski, in keeping with his Lutheran concept of baptism, argues that the very numbers of those who repented make impossible baptism by immersion of all of them. He interprets baptism as referring to Jewish rites of washing rather than immersion. The number of those baptized, however, is not given in Scripture, nor is it confirmed by other evidence. And this issue of immersion versus affusion depends on the definition of baptism itself, that is, whether it is used in its primary sense of immersion or submersion, or in its secondary sense of placing in or initiation.

The more important question than the mode of baptism, however, is the meaning of the baptism of John. It is clearly not Christian baptism, as it does not signify initiation into the body of Christ; neither is it symbolic of a work of the Holy Spirit, as John himself refers to it as a work of Christ. It is rather a religious rite, signifying their confession of sins and commitment to a new holy life, such as was proper for Jews in the old dispensation.

The ministry of John the Baptist was very pointed. He challenged the prevailing Jewish concept that they were saved simply because they were descendants of Abraham. He declared that God is able to raise up children unto Abraham from the stones of the earth, certainly a dramatic picture of supernatural, spiritual resurrection. He declared that the ax is already in hand to cut down every tree that does not bring forth fruit. By this he meant individual Jews as well as Judaism as a dead ritual.

The climax of John’s thundering message was that he was only the forerunner. After him was to come a greater Prophet whose shoes he was unworthy to remove. This coming one would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire and would bring judgment on the nation like one who, in threshing, separates the wheat from the chaff. In thus describing Jesus Christ, John was speaking prophetically. Although he knew Jesus, as his mother, Elizabeth, was a cousin of Mary, at this time he had not identified Jesus as the Messiah, although he may have had some knowledge of His call as a Prophet.

In this third chapter of Matthew, three baptisms are mentioned: (1) that of John the Baptist, a baptism of repentance; (2) a baptism of the Holy Spirit, which would be brought and administered by Christ; (3) a baptism with fire. These should not be confused. The baptism of repentance, administered by John, was in preparation for the coming of Christ and was succeeded by the baptisms administered by the apostles. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was not initiated until Acts 2  and the day of Pentecost and symbolized entrance into the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13 ). The baptism with fire seems related to the second coming of Christ, for only then will the wheat and the tares be separated and the tares, like the chaff mentioned by John the Baptist, burned with fire (cf. Mt 13:30, 38,  42, 49-50).

All of the baptisms signify initiation into a new situation of separation to God for the righteous or separation unto judgment for the wicked. The apt figure of the threshing floor, where the wheat and the chaff are tossed into the air with a wooden shovel to allow the wind to separate the two (the wheat falling to earth while the chaff blows away), is symbolic of the coming separation between that which is true and that which is false in religion.

The Baptism of Jesus – Matthew 3:13-17

All four gospels give the account of the baptism of Jesus (cf. Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:31-34). When Jesus came to Galilee to be baptized by John, He was immediately identified, according to John 1:29, as “the Lamb of God, [who] taketh away the sin of the world.” John alone records the announcement after His baptism that Jesus was the one of whom John had been preaching: “This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me” (Jn 1:30). Matthew alone records John’s protest that Jesus did not need to be baptized, and John consents only when Christ says, “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” (3:15). When Jesus was baptized, Matthew, along with all the other gospels, records how the Spirit of God descended like a dove upon Christ and how the Father’s voice from heaven identified Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The tendency to identify the baptism of Jesus as one of repentance or as one similar to Christian baptism can be justified only on superficial connection. The baptism of Jesus Christ was unique, an initiatory right, setting Him apart to His role as Prophet, Priest, and King, and anticipating His death on the cross. No other, before or after, can share this baptism.

This chapter of Matthew is noteworthy, first, because Matthew passes over all the incidents of Christ’s childhood, including His appearance in the temple at age twelve (Lk 2:41-50). His presentation is thematic, not biographical. He is introducing Jesus as the Messiah King of Israel, fulfilling the anticipatory prophecy of the Old Testament and confirmed by the voice of the Father from heaven as God’s beloved Son. Those who accept this testimony must respond by worship and obedience.

Credits.

R. V. G. Tasker, The Gospel According to Matthew, Tyndale Bible Commentaries, p. 46.

R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel, p. 101.

Godly Protection Of The Christ Child Matthew Chapter 2

I. Title. Matthew Chapter 2 – Godly Protection Of the Christ Child.

II. Study Text.

A. Outline.

2:1. Wise men from the east inquire after Christ. 2:11. They worship Him, and offer presents. 2:14. The flight into Egypt. 2:16. Herod slays the children in Bethlehem. 2:19. After Herod’s death, Joseph and his family return from Egypt and dwell in Nazareth.

B. Details.

2:1.1. “Bethlehem.” The town is 5 mi (8 km) south of Jerusalem. “Herod the king.” This was Herod the Great, whose family, though nominally Jewish, was in reality Edomite. He was king, with Roman help, from 37 to 4 B.C. He built the Temple in Jerusalem that Christ new. “Maji.” These wise men from the east were experts in the study of the stars. Tradition says there were 3, and that they were kings, but we do not know that for certain.

2:1.2 There is great discussion on the identities and and homelands of the Maji. The Maji are identified by the Greek, “3097, Magos,” which by definition are called “a Magian, an (Oriental) astrologer, by implication a magician. “From the east” is most likely Babylonia, where a large and influential group of Jews still lived in exile (after their three exiles from Jerusalem from (605-586 B.C.), (2 Kings 24:1-2 Kings 25:21), when thousands of Jews were  taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. The Jews stayed in exile in Babylon until about 50,000 of them were allowed to return to Jerusalem in 536 B.C. (Ezra 2:64) Not all Jews chose to return to their home town; only 74 Levites returned (Ezra 2:40; Neh 7:43) to Jerusalem. Few of the Jewish Exiles returned to Jerusalem; Babylon had become their home. The book of Esther covers a 10 year period (486-465 B.C.) of Jewish residence in Babylon.

2:1.3. The prophecies of the coming of Messiah were given by Yahweh to Jewish prophets, who shared that information with other Jews in Israel, and was not directed to Gentiles. Jews had a horrible opinion of Jews (Acts 10:28a). So, who were the Maji? Can anyone clearly identify them? Regardless of their astrological expertise, God would not have given Words of prophecy to them, being Gentiles. Astrologers are mentioned in Daniel Daniel 2:4-7:28; could these have been the “Maji of Matthew Chapter 2? Could God have led the Jews who stayed in Babylon to witness to such Astrologers who were also in residing in Babylon/Persia.? Could Jews of Persia have accompanied Persian “MajI’ to Bethlehem, as in Matthew Chapter 2? I don’t have a concrete answer to these, my own questions, but they do provide good food for thought.

2:4. “Scribes,” who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, functioned as members of a highly honored profession. They were professional students and defenders of the law (scriptural and traditional), gathering around them pupils who they instructed in the law. They were also referred to as lawyers, because they were entrusted with the administration of the law, as judges in the Sanhedrin (cf. Mt 22:35.). 

2:6. A Ruler, who will Shepherd God’s chosen people, the Jews (Deu 14:2. See Micah 5:2. An earthly king, though a supernatural one is meant.

2:9. The “star” reappeared and led them to the exact house in Bethlehem. This is another verse that should be discussed. In Luke 2:14, the shepherds arrived at a manger where they saw Jesus, an Infant. In Matt 2:9, the Maji saw Jesus as a Child. In Matt 2:16, Herod killed all male children who were two years old, and under, In Luke 2:8-14, Angels announced the birth and location of the Infant Jesus to Jewish shepherds. In Luke 2:15-20, the shepherds knew that Angels had directed them to the location of the Infant Jesus, where they also saw Him with Mary.

2:11. “Into the house…the child.” These words don’t need to indicate that the wise men came some time after the birth of Christ. The family would naturally have moved into a house as quickly as possible after Jesus was Christ was born. The Maji saw only “the Child with Mary.”  (I wrote an article to show the time separation from when the Shepherds and Wise Men arrived; the title was, “They All Didn’t Show Up At the Same Time.”) We do not know how many wise men there were. “Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.” These were gifts worthy of a king. The early church fathers understood the gold to be symbolic of Christ’s deity, the frankincense for is purity, and the myrrh of His death of His death (since it was used for embalming).

2:13-14. An angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream of the danger that Herod had planned for the Christ Child. The Holy family (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) then went to Egypt, where they remained until after the death of Herod.

2:15. Hosea 11:1 relates this to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Matthew, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, applies it to Christ.

2:16. Herod ordered to be killed all of the male children who were born in Bethlehem, from two years old and under.

2:17-18. A quotation of Jer 31:15, which depicts the wailing at the time of Israel’s exile. That calamity, and Herod’s new atrocity, are viewed as part of the same broad picture. Since Matthew was writing to those with a Jewish background, he used more quotations from the OT than did the other gospel writers. There are 93 such quotations in Matthew, 49 in Mark, 80 in Mark, and 33 in John.

2:19-21. After the death of Herod, and angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph again, and said to take the Holy Family into the Land Of Israel (no such land of Palestine existed).

2:22. On the death of Herod the Great, the Romans divided his kingdom among his sons. Archelaus (Judah and Samaria); Antipas (Galilee and Perea); and Philip (Northeast Israel). Archelaus was a bloody king and, worse in the eyes of Rome ineffective. Archelaus was removed by Caesar Augustus in 6 A.D., and banished to Gaul. An angel of the Lord appeared again to Joseph and told him about the danger that awaited Christ in Bethlehem; Joseph, Mary and Jesus went to a safer Galilee, to a city called Nazareth.

2:23. “He should be called a Nazarene.” Based on the sense of several OT prophecies (notice the plural prophets). “Nazarene” is probably a synonym for “contemptible” or “despised” since Nazareth was a most likely a most unlikely place for the residence of the Messiah (cf. Isa 53:3; Ps 22:6).