Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Obeying God, Parables, Satan, Seeking God, Spiritual Warfare, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil

The Tares Among the Wheat – Spiritual Warfare is Real

The parable of the wheat and the tares is very interesting. This is another example of a parable that Yeshua explains directly to His disciples. It can give us some good perspective to understand those around us that seem so completely lost and far from God. It is because they are far from God. In fact they are not even “wheat”, but “tares”.

Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43

Tares among Wheat

      24Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Tares Explained

      36Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43“Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The wheat and the tares serve different masters. We should not expect them to align, but to be at odds with one another. The tares look like wheat at first, but as they mature and bear fruit one can tell the difference.  They can not simply “get along” side by side. The tares, like weeds, will not be satisfied until they crowd out the wheat and inhibit its growth or choke it out all together.

Additionally, do not neglect the reality that we have an enemy in Satan and that spiritual warfare is real. (For more on spiritual warfare consider our teaching, Spiritual Warfare.)

There is an excellent study on this topic from Shoreshim Ministries by Bill Cloud from 2018. It comes as podcast in 4 parts at Returning to our Roots with Bill Cloud. Scroll down to see part 1 of the Wheat and the Tares and then go in order from 1 to 4.

Additionally, the Barnes Notes Commentary, on BibleHub.com, draws out some additional thoughts around the wheat and the tares.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Jesus (hearing from God), Parables, Seeking God, Share the Good News, Study the Word

The Sower and the Four Soils… and What Does it Mean for Me?

We will focus today on the parable of the sower, or as it is sometimes called the parable of the four soils. I plan to come back to the section on why Yeshua taught in parables as it deserves some depth of discussion on its own.

Matthew 13:1-23

Jesus Teaches in Parables

      1That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

      3And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5“Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6“But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7“Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8“And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9“He who has ears, let him hear.”

An Explanation

      10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND;
YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

      15FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,
WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,
AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES,
OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES,
HEAR WITH THEIR EARS,
AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,
AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Sower Explained

      18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

Reflect on this teaching from Yeshua from two perspectives:

  • You as the soil
  • You as the sower

I strive to be the fertile soil and to a large degree I believe I fit that category more than the others. There are, however, times when I let the worries of the world come and choke out the joy of the LORD in my walk with Him. I need to keep working on this to be sure, and I need His help. Which type of soil are you?

Notice that the sower and the seed are consistent throughout all four scenarios. It is not the word of God that is in question in any of these outcomes, but rather the people receiving the message. Thus, if we are obeying our mandate in the great commission to go and make disciples of all the world, we must not judge our effectiveness by the outcome with specific individuals. There is more going on than just us as sowers and God’s word as the seed.

This is also why we are instructed not to simply dwell on one person in trying to “force” the gospel on them. If they reject it, we are to move on, or “shake the dust from our feet” (What does it mean to shake the dust off your feet_ _ GotQuestions.org). What good would it do for the sower to simply keep throwing seed on the path or the rocky soil? What if there is more fertile soil just “down the road” that he could find if he would shift his focus?

What changes should you make specific to your life in light of today’s scripture?

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Idols / False Gods, Parenting, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Wickedness / Evil

Parents Influence Their Children… for Better, or for Worse

Parents have great influence on the direction in which their children will go.

Provers 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

We have been reading about Ahab, who was a wicked king and more recently about Jehoshaphat as they joined in war against Aram. We see in 1 Kings 22 now a transition in leadership and we have a chance to reflect on a broader view over the life and reign of two kings.

1 Kings 22:41-53

The New Rulers

      41Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43He walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the LORD. However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. 44Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

      45Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46The remnant of the sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he expelled from the land.

      47Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. 48Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. 49Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

      51Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 53So he served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

Ahab was wicked. He blamed others, God’s prophets in particular, for the punishment he received from God. Thus, he did not sustainably repent and transform his life and continued to run up against God. We see now his son, Ahaziah, follow in his footsteps and do evil in the sight of the LORD. We should not be surprised as he would have grown up with Ahab and Jezebel as his examples to follow.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jehoshaphat followed the ways of his father, Asa, who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He even chased the remaining sodomites out of the land, which was good. However, we see where he, like his father before him, accepted the altars in the high places, where people burned incense and made sacrifices, which were not pleasing to the LORD.

In this entire scripture passage we see the strong impact that parents have on their children. Where we set an example of unrighteousness, our children will follow. If we want our children to be righteous in the eyes of the LORD, then so must we be in order to set that example. If we “mostly” or “somewhat” serve the LORD, do not expect our children to do more. If we accept some sin, likely our children will also.

Prayerfully reflect on the example you are setting for your children, or if you have no children, for others around you. What sin are you accepting in your life? What are you going to do about it? Ask God to help you identify changes you need to make and to make those changes. Don’t dismiss wickedness as that stuff people like Ahab do, who reject God. Recognize that folks like Jehoshaphat, who was pleasing to God,  also do things they should not. It would be better had he torn down the altars on the high places.

All of us, whether we are Ahab or Jehoshaphat, have sin that we can turn from still remaining in our lives. Let us seek to be fully pleasing to the LORD.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The Lord Sent Forth a Deceiving Spirit

1 Kings 22 will stretch you a bit if you really read and think about it. Do not allow yourself to come in constrained by what you already think God will or will not do. Instead, read it for what it says and really reflect on it. After you read today’s scripture we have some points to reflect on identified below in this article.

1 Kings 22:1-40

Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram

      1Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. 2In the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” 4And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

      5Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?” 8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 9Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.” 10Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” 12All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

      13Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I shall speak.”

      15When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and succeed, and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” 16Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

17So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
Like sheep which have no shepherd.
And the LORD said, ‘These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”

18Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

      19Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. 20“The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. 21“Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 22“The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’ 23“Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.”

      24Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” 25Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” 26Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” 28Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”

Defeat and Death of Ahab

      29So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 30The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” 32So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

      34Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight; for I am severely wounded.” 35The battle raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. 36Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city and every man to his country.”

      37So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. 38They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), according to the word of the LORD which He spoke. 39Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

I am not going to be able to develop all the interesting themes inside this scripture. Instead, I am going to highlight what I hope are some thought provoking things to consider and prayerfully reflect on for each of you.

  • Ahab, king of Israel, is upset because Ramoth-gilead is controlled by Aram. Back in 1 Kings 20, Yahweh gave victory to Ahab over Aram. However, instead of seizing full victory, Ahab instead made a deal with the king of Aram.  It is Ahab’s own fault, but we never hear Ahab internalize that and accept responsibility for his actions and their repercussions.
  • Despite the previous experience relying on the 450 prophets of Baal, which Elijah confronted on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, Ahab has once again surrounded himself with false prophets who will tell him whatever he wants to hear. They even try to pull Micaiah in on it. Ahab strongly resists hearing from a true prophet of the LORD, because he blames them for bringing bad news. Once again, Ahab avoids connecting his wicked actions with the consequences he does not like. He blames the true messenger from Yahweh instead. This is the same reaction we see from Ahab throughout his story in 1 Kings with Elijah as well. He has learned nothing.
  • Micaiah delivered a message at first that was what Ahab wanted to hear, but it was deceptive and intended to bring him to defeat. There are a number of things about this part which are intriguing.
    1. Did Micaiah lie about what the LORD told him to say? or did the LORD tell His prophet to deceive King Ahab?
    2. It appears from what Micaiah says that the LORD was intentionally deceiving Ahab to lead him to defeat in battle. He sent a deceiving spirit to convince Ahab’s prophets to lead him to defeat by telling him what he wanted to hear.
    3. Ahab was so used to hearing “bad news” from the LORD’s prophets, he knew that what he heard from Micaiah at first was not right.  (As an interesting side note, there was no way for Micaiah to win with Ahab, even when he tells him what he wants to hear.)
  • Do not overlook point 2, above. We often disregard the thought that the LORD would deceive someone, but he clearly does in this situation. It reminds me of when the LORD sent an evil spirit to harass Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). It is just something most of us as Christians don’t think the LORD would do, but it is there in scripture. We need to seek to understand who He is fully and take care not to define Him in our own minds as to what He will or will not do.  For some additional thoughts about the LORD using a deceiving spirit, consider Why did God use a lying spirit to deceive Ahab_ _ GotQuestions.org. 
  • Ahab puts Micaiah in prison as if to punish him or make him somehow change his mind to make Ahab win instead of lose. Once again, Ahab misses the point. Micaiah has no authority to change what the LORD has chosen.  He is only a messenger. Micaiah tries to make that point by emphasizing that if Ahab returns, then the LORD has not spoken through him.
  • We are probably all tempted to say that Micaiah was treated unfairly and why would Yahweh allow it? None the less, that is what happened. There is no guarantee that we get “fair” treatment from the wicked when we serve the LORD or we always get God’s protection to keep us from persecution. We are to serve Him anyway.

If I had to summarize to a key point for today’s scripture, I would probably highlight the failures of Ahab and warn each of us to take heed not to fall in that trap. Do not blame God’s messengers for bad things that happen to us. Instead, seek to repent and humble ourselves before God. God showed even Ahab mercy when he did so in 1 Kings 21:27-29. Seek godly advice, even when it may not be what we want to hear. Do not seek a bunch of people who simply tell you what you want to hear. Take accountability for our actions and the implications that has on our own lives.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Family

Who Are My Mother and My Brothers?

These verses speak for themselves, but often it is hard for us to get our minds around it. We think of “blood” relations as the strongest linkage. They are very important. We see how God structured His people in tribes based on the family structure. We see the importance of the nuclear family, one husband, one wife, and any children. However, we should also take note of what our Lord says about who are His mother and brothers.

Matthew 12:46-50

Changed Relationships

      46While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

For us, brother and sister and mother (and father) are those who do the will of our Father in heaven, those who are submitted to Jesus. What is truly amazing is when our blood relations also share our faith and submission to Christ! Then we truly have the best of both.

Let us not turn away from blood relations, or take them lightly but rather remember they are important. However, let us seek out those who are serving our Lord and treat them more like family and less like acquaintances or strangers.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways

Should We Demand a Sign that Yeshua is Messiah?

Many desire signs and wonders in order to believe in Christ. Though at times He brings many signs and wonders, clearly He wants us to look back to the signs and wonders already done! Were the miracles of Yeshua recorded in the gospels not enough? Was it not enough that He died and rose again with so many witnesses? Why would we assume anyone will really accept a new sign and wonder as proof if they disregard what He has already done?

Matthew 12:38-45

The Desire for Signs

      38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41“The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42“The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

      43“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44“Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45“Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Let us pray for those around us that they would have the spiritual blindness lifted from their eyes. May they see and accept the truth and the evidence that has already been laid before us. Let it move us as a people to accept Christ as Messiah and repent from our wicked ways. This is not just a message for those who outright reject Christ. This is also a message for those who claim to accept Christ, but do not live submitted to Him, continuing to live as they please and as culture dictates.

Another example of Christ teaching this fundamental truth can be found in Luke 16:19-31, culminating in the final verses as follows:

 29“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Lagniappe – a little something extra…

Another interesting detail in this passage is often overlooked. Clearly Yeshua states that He will spend 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb. This totally shows that the common misconception that Christ died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday can not be the case. This premise is based on an assumption that when Christ died, it was directly before a weekly Sabbath, which started on Friday night. That does not match up with 3 days and 3 nights in Matthew 12. The most likely explanation is that Yeshua died on a Thursday, in advance of a Sabbath associated with Passover which would have started Thu night that year. Then the weekly Sabbath would have followed on Friday night to Sat night. Sunday would have been the first opportunity for His followers to come to the tomb, and they did. One can even reflect on the fact that Yeshua waited until after the Sabbath to rise. This may not seem like a major point, but I am always interested to try to fit the puzzle pieces together to get a better fit in understanding what actually happened and how it contrasts to what we are often taught today.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Controlling Thoughts, Discerning / Judging, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Holy / Set Apart, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Self Control, Wickedness / Evil

Words Reveal Character as a Fruit Reveals the Tree

In just a few short verses, there can be much to unpack. Sometimes it helps to focus on a few at a time. The fruit reveals the tree. If I see apples, I know it is an apple tree and not an orange tree. So, also, with people who are good or evil. We can, with some degree of effectiveness, judge someone by their fruit (e.g. by their actions and attitudes).

Matthew 12:33-37

Words Reveal Character

      33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

It may seem harsh to say that our words will justify or condemn us, but in a very clear sense, the point is that our words are simply an overflow of our heart. Words are obviously very important as well, as they can cause much hurt or much good.

Pray for wisdom and restraint over your own tongue. Pray for a pure heart such that what overflows is likewise pure.

To us a personal example, there was a time in my life when I never used curse words. As I went to college I started allowing myself to use them now and then, “but not as bad as others”. With this rationalization, I walked into a trap. Now, decades later, having sincere desire to completely forgo this type of language, it still slips out at times. It is a failure on my part, but I share it as an example that when we allow ourselves to lower our standards and we let our guard down on what is right, we let in impurity to our heart. It can be very hard to get that back out completely. Best to defend against ever accepting it in the first place.

We do well to truly focus on filling ourselves with what is good and pure. In this way, that is all that will come back out. If you, like me, have already allowed impurity in, then ask God’s forgiveness and His help to purify you and be sure to defend yourself. Whether it is bad words, or lashing out in anger at people, or lusting after others, defend your purity. Avoid any additional exposure to these things. Do not let them in your mind anymore and ask God to help purge them and purify you. Focus on what is good and pure. Let that fill you up inside and then that is what will overflow.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus (hearing from God), Repenting from Sin, Salvation, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Yeshua Teaching About ‘the Unpardonable Sin’ Should Catch our Attention

There are a few verses in Matthew 12 which should catch the attention of any person serious about drawing near to our Creator. Yeshua speaks about the unpardonable sin and clearly states that there is no “neutral” when it comes to our relationship with the LORD. We are either with Him, or against Him. It is that simple. There is no gray. Neutral then falls in the category of “against”.

Matthew 12:30-32

The Unpardonable Sin

      30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

      31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

There can be much interesting study and discussion about the “unpardonable sin”. I will not fully develop all that here in this article. I believe the unpardonable sin is to continually reject the Holy Spirit as He seeks to draw you to Him and to our Creator. All else can be forgiven through the grace of God demonstrated by the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf on the cross.

We can be forgiven, but we must accept  Christ as our Lord. If we reject Him, we reject the forgiveness He already provided.

In a small way, I can compare it to someone trying to give you a great gift, like a car. They can buy it for you, but if you refuse to accept it and take the keys, then you have walked away from the gift.

The reason it is unpardonable is not because God wants to hold a grudge for this one. Quite the opposite, He is offering forgiveness to us in this scenario through the Holy Spirit drawing us to Him. However, if forgiveness comes through submission to Christ, then how can we be forgiven the sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit as it seeks to draw us to Him?

In the example with the car above, we would not get angry with the person offering to give the car, but rather the responsibility for not receiving the gift remains solely with the one who would not accept it. So too, we should not get angry with God because people choose to reject His free gift of forgiveness.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Demons, Healer, Miracles, Spiritual Warfare

Yeshua Plunders a Strong Man’s House

Ok. Yes. I am having a bit of fun and trying to grab your curiosity with the title. Read on and you will see where this is referring to Yeshua’s teaching, not mine.

The context of Matthew 12 is that Yeshua was doing many healings on Sabbath. The Pharisees were trying to trap Him to be able to condemn Him. Many were healed. The Pharisees could not accept this obvious sign of Yeshua as Messiah, so they acted as if spiritually blinded and unable to see the obvious in front of them while other more simple people saw and believed.

Matthew 12:22-29

The Pharisees Rebuked

      22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

      25And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

We see obviously that Yeshua has by the power of God, authority and power over demons. The Pharisees were so blinded by their pre conceived conviction that this was not Messiah, that they were grasping at straws to explain away His miracles. They were desperate. When some cast out demons in the name of God (verse 27) the Pharisees were content to claim it was God. However, when Yeshua did so, they claim something completely different. Yeshua points out their hypocrisy as a starting point.

Yeshua also points out rightly that it makes no sense for Him to cast out demons if it is by the power of Satan. That is like Satan attacking himself. That is not very logical. The last argument Yeshua makes is also solid. How can Yeshua, or anyone, cast out demons if not first having the power to bind Satan to prevent him from interfering? He uses a metaphor about plundering a strong man’s house. Satan is the strong man and Yeshua is plundering it in this comparison, as He drives out a demon. As a side bar, I find it interesting to apply this metaphor where our LORD is “plundering” anything, we don’t think in those terms. However, the metaphor is very appropriate to the point Yeshua is making.

Also, don’t miss out on the fact that demon possession is a real thing and is different than healing sickness. This still exists today. Demons have not gone away. I can not say for sure if the man was physically in need of healing (mute, blind) and demon possessed or physically in need of healing because he was demon possessed. I tend to think it was blind, mute, and demon possessed as three independent problems he experienced. Yeshua addressed all three!

We must pray for those who are demon possessed and drive out demons in the name of Yeshua. Too often today we just prescribe heavy medications with no hope of ever getting off them, not  addressing the real issue.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Compassionate, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Healer, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Miracles, Miracles, Peace / Rest, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil

Our Messiah Provides Thought Provoking Context Regarding Sabbath

Yeshua provides us thought provoking commentary regarding Sabbaths in Matthew 12. He was confronted by Pharisees seeking to condemn Him by finding Him guilty of violating the letter of the law of Torah. They were not interested in learning from His reply, but we should be as His servants and disciples.

Matthew 12:1-21

Sabbath Questions

      1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4how 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 break the Sabbath and 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, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

      8“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

      9Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12“How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

      15But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16and warned them not to tell who He was. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

      18“BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL–PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

      19“HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.

      20“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

      21“AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

There are a handful of really important points.

  • If we are simply trying to find a reason to condemn Christ or those who follow Him, we will not learn anything about our LORD. We will simply go about trying to set traps and miss the opportunity to grow in relationship with Him.
  • Yeshua does not deny the Sabbath or the Sabbath instructions are important.
  • Yeshua highlights that there are times when certain needs may take priority over following the letter of the law for Sabbath. He states that in this case it is about compassion, truly caring for people which is more important than strict adherence to the law. Of course, this puts great responsibility on us to know our LORD and to apply this carefully and not simply disobey whenever convenient.
  • Yeshua is Lord of the Sabbath. He has authority over it. This is also a claim to being divine… being God and not simply a prophet or a teacher.
  •  Yeshua was deeply aware of prophecy and careful to act in keeping with what the God previously declared about Messiah so as not to contradict what God had said.
  • I find it really interesting that He warned the people healed not to say who He was. He was obviously not concerned about Pharisees knowing He was healing. He did so in front of them, deliberately. What a different approach than what we would expect from a man. Men typically want recognition or personal gain. God’s ways are not our ways.

To read more about Sabbath, consider our teaching, Remember the Sabbath.

The Barnes Notes for Matthew 12, on BibleHub.com, provides more background and context well laid out. However, we must always remember that the notes and commentary are supplemental tools representing someone else’s study and conclusions… they are not part of the infallible word of God. Test them.

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.