Gospel Reading: Matthew
Darrell Wolfe
Literature,
The King’s University
Life
of Jesus (BIBL-2302)
Professor
Jason Moraff
October
25, 2020
Questions
1.
Lilies
of the Field (Matthew 6:28-30). Even Solomon was not dressed like lilies? I get
that the point is not to worry. But I feel like there is something I’m missing.
How are lilies and clothes comparable? How are Lilies adorned? There is
something deeper here. Maybe if I know something about lilies, I could learn something
about God’s provision?
2.
Ch.
8 - I still do not understand why the demons wanted to go into the pigs or why
Jesus let them. I have theories, but nothing fully satisfying.
3.
Ch.
9 – How could we retool our churches to be hospitals for the sick rather than just
schools for the healed?
4.
Ch.
17 – How often do I look down on “little ones”? Either actual children, finding
even my own children annoying or distracting from my “real work”. Or spiritual
children, those who “know less” than I do? If the least are greatest, am I
seeing them through God’s eyes?
5.
Ch.
25 – I can’t reconcile the 10 virgins. Are they believers? But then they’d all
be allowed in? Are they Christians but five of them are in name only? Not
really saved? Is this parallel to the one taken the other left Jesus referred
to at his coming?
Observations
·
Matthew
1: Rahab and Ruth were both foreigners brought into the Kingdom of Heaven by forsaking
all they had. Tamar and Bathsheba were women who had been wronged sexually. Mary
was an Israelite who forsook her future to say yes to God and was perceived by
others to be wronged sexually. These five women made the list of Jesus’ family[1].
·
Ch.
4 - Matthew summarizes Jesus’ entire life message as: “Repent for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand” but not “Repent, receive forgiveness, go to heaven when
you die”. Matthew 4:17[2]
·
Ch.
7 - Gentiles come in and sit with Abraham in the Kingdom. Not a new kingdom.
Not a different kingdom. We come in; they do not come out. We are grafted into Israel;
we are not a separate (implied better) nation. We are part of the same continuous
story.
·
Ch.
8 - Peter’s Mom gets sick even though he is serving Jesus. I guess life still
happens when we choose to serve. We are not exempt.
·
Ch.
8:20 - Jesus said he had nowhere to lay his head. Spangler and Tverberg pointed
out that Jesus would have been an itinerate rabbi[3]. Therefore,
Jesus is not saying he was “poor” he is saying that he was rejected by some of
the places he traveled and wasn’t accepted into anyone’s home (as was the
custom).
·
Ch.
9 – Gentile churches today are often no more friendly to the spiritually sick
than the pharisees that Jesus was confronting.
·
Ch.
10 – I often hesitate to accept hospitality from those I have served or helped.
I think this a challenge for me to allow community into my life. Breathing in
and out, I must serve but allow myself to be served (10:10 NLT). On that note, am
I more afraid of what people think of me than what God thinks of me? Am I
afraid of people and not afraid of God (10:28)?
·
Ch.
26 – Let this cup pass… Even Jesus didn’t always “want” to do God’s will, but
he willed to do God’s will. The emotions need not be present for obedience.
The Gospel According to Matthew
If gospel means “good
news”, what was the good news according to Matthew? It was that the old dead
religious ways of being were passing away. A new vibrant way of living was
among us. Matthew presents a Jesus who is rooted and grounded in the history of
Israel’s continuing story both in Jesus’ own family of origin, as well as his fulfillment
of prophecy, and he continues the story in our lives. He summarizes the entire
life message of Jesus by saying that he came to preach one message: “Repent for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand”[4].
I once heard a message from Bob Hamp, LMFT, who said that “repentance” simply
means to think differently afterward. As such, Jesus began to challenge the
minds of all who would listen. He told parables to attempt to alter the way
they thought and the way they saw God’s heart. He said, “you’ve heard… but I
say…”. He demonstrated his authority to challenge the status quo by revealing
his power in healing and miracles. In one section, Jesus made a point to say
that he was showing he had the authority to forgive sins by demonstrating that
authority through healing. Matthew does not tell us of a hero but of the first
and best role model. He is inviting us into the story. Jesus not only demonstrated
this power in himself alone, but he gave it to his apostles as well. This power
was available to anyone who would “have faith”. Jesus frequently comments on those
who have great faith, little faith, and no faith. He frequently puts the
responsibility (good and bad) for outcome back on the receiver, “…your faith has
made you whole”. The Good News of Matthew is that if we will hear and think
differently afterward, we can enter this Kingdom of Heaven now and live a new
kind of adventurous life. He goes on to tell us that there are costs and
rewards associated with this adventure lifestyle. And then he ends by telling
us that we have access to the power of the risen Jesus to go out into the world
and make disciples just as he had. I can almost hear him say “Tag, you’re it”.
[1]
Messiah,
Immerse : The Reading Bible (Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc, 2017).
[2]
Hebrew-Greek
Key Word Study Bible: Key Insights Into God’s Word. NKJV New King James Version,
Genuine Black Leather (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2015).
[3]
Ann
Spangler and Lois Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the
Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, Updated edition (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018).
[4] Key Word NKJV. 4:17
Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!
Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ
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