Bible In A Year: The Gospel Of Matthew

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

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SPEAKER_01 0:27

Welcome back to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. Uh, for those of you who don't know, my name is Alex Wolfe. I'm here with Dr. David Klingler, and in this series, we are walking through the story of the Bible in a year. And today we find ourselves beginning sort of in the New Testament. Last week, we sort of did an overview of the Gospels where we we argued that, you know, it's important as we enter into the Gospels not to uh we're we're not trying to recreate the historical events, right? And conflate all the gospels together. Rather, we're trying to understand what each individual author of the gospel is saying in the way that he's saying it about those events. Um and so so we we've kind of as we walk through the Bible, we've seen Israel they did go after other gods, their leaders that you know failed. Um they the because of that, the Lord brought the curses upon them and they were sent into exile. Uh, and we watched as they began to sort of return and rebuild the temple, which is really setting up uh the arrival of the Messiah, because Israel has not repented yet. Um and so as we kind of come into these gospels, as we enter into first the book of Matthew, uh, we're going to see really what happens next. And

How To Read A Gospel

SPEAKER_01 1:46

so if you want to sort of uh take it and run with it and help us understand the gospel.

Dr. David Klingler 1:50

Yeah, and there's a lot of big words in that introduction. Yeah. Um what'd you say? A what of the of the gospels? Conflation? Is that what you say? Yeah, conflict. Yeah. Yeah. Uh uh So what what we're saying just by way of review is that that uh you know, if you've grown up in the church, if if you spent time in the church, you know Jesus' stories. You you you know oh, this is where Jesus walks on water, this is where he heals the blind guy, whatever. Um and those are events, and so you know things that Jesus did, um but you don't know how they fit into any of the four gospels. And so not all of those stories are told by each gospel gospel writer. So actually the gospel writers, uh all four of them, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they've got a reason for why why they're telling their story. Right. Right. And and so they're trying to communicate to their reader, you know, whether it's Theophilus with uh, you know, with Luke or or you know, uh whoever uh is uh in the intended author or intended audience, uh you know, for example, Matthew, uh Matthew's got a goal in his writing. And so everything that he's doing in this writing is to achieve that goal, to explain, you know, kind of where are we now in the story, what what's happened and what's the significance of it. And uh and so uh so Matthew, and now you know Matthew, he he's uh there's a debate about whether Matthew was written first or Mark. It doesn't matter, it doesn't w matter which gospel was written first, because these are four different storytellers all telling their story to achieve their their their point, their their goal. And and so um, you know, Matthew, if we think about Matthew, and uh I don't know, there's probably a handful of verses that uh that people would know. Um people have been around the church, they know the Great Commission. Right, right, and so somehow that's their that's a big one. Yeah, they're their come you know, their command, their personal command to go to uh, you know, and and make disciples of all nations and and and we'll we'll talk about that. Uh they've heard of the Sermon on the Mount, uh more verses in the Sermon on the Mount. Yeah, but yeah, yeah. Uh yeah, judge not lest you be judged, that'd be the big one, right? So so let so what what we're gonna do is let me just walk through the book of Matthew uh and what what's going on, why is Matthew saying this? So

The Genealogy Points To Virgin Birth

Dr. David Klingler 4:23

you know, what's he trying to demonstrate? Matthew's just not trying to prove that Jesus is the Christ. If he was trying to prove Jesus is the Christ, the book would really be over it you know, in chapter 9, chapter chapter 10, right? Right. Um the first four chapters, uh Matthew begins with a genealogy.

unknown 4:40

Okay.

Dr. David Klingler 4:41

Uh so this is Matthew chapter 1, uh all the way down through really verse 17. Uh Matthew has a genealogy. Now, it says the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This isn't the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Well, wait a second. That's significant, right? What is that? What do you mean by that? Well, this is the the book of the the word here, genealogy, or maybe history of of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Um but as we uh evaluate and look at this this genealogy, it starts in verse 2. The New American Standard translates it to Abraham was born Isaac. Actually, Abraham begot Isaac, right? And it's a uh we we call this an active verb. Active is you're doing something, passive is something is done to you. And that's going to be relevant a little bit later. So you know Johnny kicked the ball, that's active. Right. The ball hit Johnny. Johnny was hit by the ball. That's the receiving the uh the blow, you know? Yeah, yeah. So uh and so uh Abraham begot Isaac, it's it's active, and and uh Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers, and Judah was born Perez and and Zerah by Tamar. Uh and to Peres, uh be Peres begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Abinedad, and it it goes down through here. Uh and um of course here's where you need to know the Old Testament story. Because where this is headed, you can always cheat. Let me you know, let me show you how you cheat in in the Bible. You you go to the if you want to know what a book about is about, go to the end of the book. If you want to know what a scene in a movie is about, go to the end of the scene. The scene ends when the point has been made. And so uh now all of this took place uh that what so that what was spoken by the prophet uh by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled. Behold, the virgin will bear a child. Okay, so that's the point. The point of this genealogy is the virgin birth.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 6:48

Right. Uh and so you'll notice that this genealogy, the genealogy goes down through through uh Boaz, Obed, uh Jesse, uh David, Solomon, Rehaboam, Abijah, verse verse eight, Asa, and so forth. Uh it goes down through Hezekiah, it goes down through Josiah, it goes through Ahaz. Now, Ahaz is an important player in this genealogy because he's the king back in Isaiah chapter 7, uh, who was rejected the Lord. And so in response to that, Isaiah says, All right, you're you're you're a done deal. I I didn't make any promises to you, Ahaz, son of David. I made promises to David, so I'm going back to David. Okay. And so he's being cut off. So in other words, his blood won't be in the Messiah. The messianic line is going back to David. And so it goes right through Ahaz, uh, and it goes down to Jacob. Jacob uh was to Jacob was born Joseph. Now, not the Jacob of the Old Testament, but this is Jacob, father of Joseph, Joseph, husband of Mary. Okay, so this isn't Jesus' genealogy, this is Joseph's genealogy. Right? Joseph was a descendant of David through the king's line. And so, you know, so uh Elihud begot Eliezer, Eliezer begot Maton, Maton begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Joseph, Joseph, the the uh Mary's husband. Uh and then it turns to a passive uh passive tense.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 8:23

The uh the husband of Mary, so uh Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, to whom was born Jesus the Christ.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

So it broke the pattern.

Dr. David Klingler 8:32

Yeah, it broke the pattern.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 8:34

And then he says, now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this. His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, and um she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Yeah, and Joseph being a righteous man, not wanting to, you know, to disgrace her, but to put her away secretly. Uh, and the angel appears and says, No, no, no, that this is in order to fulfill the scripture, this is the virgin birth, right? Uh,

Early Chapters Prove Jesus’ Identity

Dr. David Klingler 8:55

and so the the genealogy in Matthew chapter one is to demonstrate, to prove that the promised virgin birth of Isaiah 7 has come, right? Right, you know, and so so uh Joseph is of the king's line, uh, the very king's line that was told to be cut off. Uh and he's married to Mary, and Mary's gonna have this one. And so, Ahaz, your blood was not in Messiah. Wow, and so all of this took place in order to fulfill that. And and uh behold, uh uh you know, you shall call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. Um and Joseph arose from his sleep, this is in chapter one, verse twenty-four, and did as the angel commanded, uh, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son, and she called his name uh Joshua, uh Yeshua, uh Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 9:51

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 9:52

Now uh so what what follows in chapters one through four, these are all in relation to the early part of Jesus' life. Chapters uh chapter two is is uh the the birth of Jesus and the the proof, the validation, the identity of what he's going to do in his ministry. Uh chapter three is Jesus' baptism, a baptism by John. Um this proves that uh that the the promised forerunner has come and he has identified this one. Um chapter three. Chapter four is uh Christ in uh temptation.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 10:30

And so he's being demonstrated to be the one who doesn't you know uh fail uh in the in by being tempted by Satan as Adam did. So he's the he's the perfect fulfillment, he's the he's the last Adam, he's the one this story's been looking for. So these first four chapters are there to Matthew saying, the story's been looking for this one. Here he is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

That's good. And you know, it's interesting because you don't often I think most people probably don't think of there being a lot of strategy in these genealogies. In fact, you know, here's this, yeah, here's the list of things. But in fact, you know, go figure verses one through seventeen set up verses eighteen through twenty-five, that is trying to demonstrate and prove the point of the Old Testament that this is the one um who we've been looking for. And and the like you said, the emphasis is on the virgin birth. And so uh and so yeah, that's really, really helpful for us to understand.

Dr. David Klingler 11:29

The the chapter four ends this way. It says, then and Jesus was going about in all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of sickness and every uh every disease, every kind of sickness among the people. Well, what are these diseases and sickness? You know, he's not going around saying, Hey, you know, you got a heart problem, yeah, here's you know, fix that, your disease, you know, cancer, let me let me fix that. No, you got a sprained account, let me fix that. No, no, no. Uh the sickness and diseases, and and you got to put this back into the to the context of the story. These are the judgments that have come upon Israel for their rebellion, their disobedience, for um, you know, fever, plagues, you know, the the the diseases, the sickness, the judgments from covenant disobedience. Right. And he's healing this. And uh and and why is this important? Uh because he, you know, it these you know, it's like in the Gospel of John. We'll get to this in the weeks to come, but but these signs, these miracles are demonstrations that he is the one who is able to bring in the kingdom if you repent. Right. Right. If you repent. Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Uh and um Which was which was always on the table. If you repent, these things will be wiped away and blessing will come. Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 12:38

And uh and so he's he's teaching, uh, and uh and and then we pick it up in chapter uh chapter five.

Beatitudes As Old Testament Promise

Dr. David Klingler 12:45

Uh now chapter five through seven, uh, you know, Matthew's strategy kind of turns uh to demonstrating that that uh Jesus is the greater Moses, right? Back in Deuteronomy, uh Moses says, There will be one who will come, uh you know, the Lord will send like me. Uh you know, from you uh and you should he the Lord will put uh all of his words in his mouth, and you shall be sure to listen to everything that he says. And if you don't listen to it, you're gonna be judged, right? I mean, that's a um uh brief summation. And and so here uh here is Jesus, and he's he begins in this uh this Beatitudes, right? Uh we call it the Beatitudes, you know, blessed are the poor, for that you know, and and so we've kind of turned this because we don't know the Old Testament, right? But we've turned these beatitudes into, you know, blessed are those who mourn when their dog gets sick, you know, or you know, or um you'll be comforted. Well, you know, uh that's not what is being quoted here. These are actually Old Testament passages that are being either quoted or referred to. So Israel uh and most of these come out of Isaiah, right? Uh out of Isaiah 40 to 66, that that Israel was uh, you know, Isaiah says you're going into exile, you're gonna be judged in exile, only a remnant will return, and there's going to be this remnant that is just waiting for righteousness to appear. The righteous one, the one who will restore righteousness to the land, restore Israel to the land. And you're you just can't wait for this one, right? And so blessed are the poor in spirit. The reason they're poor in spirit uh is because they're uh they're seeing it's Habakkuk, they're seeing this wickedness around them, and they're saying, What is going on? I mean, we can identify today. You look around what's going on in our culture and you say, man, when when is righteousness going to appear? When's the king going to appear? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn. They're mourning because the Gentiles are you know running through the land. They've they've defiled the temple. They're the the the the Israelites, they're the fellow Jews, they're uh they're they're in open rebellion against the Lord. It's you know, it's riots in the streets. I mean, it looks like uh a lot of what's going on today is just open rebellion. They're more, for they shall be comfort. Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the land. This is uh from Psalm 37 or Psalm 25, verses 8 through 15. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Isaiah 49. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, Psalm 24. Blessed are the peacemakers. These aren't people who are, you know, uh helping two people who are arguing with each other and can't get along. These are people who are making peace between men and God, the the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Uh the in other words, the the beatitudes are not just, you know, there to comfort everyone. Jesus is saying, yeah. Blessed are you who've been looking for righteousness to appear. Here I am. Right? Um, that's good. And and actually in the in the next two verses, 10 and 11, there's this parallelism says, uh, Blessed are those who've been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. That's what's happening to the remnant. They're they're being persecuted. Um, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Verse 11 Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all sorts of evil against you on account of me. See, in those two verses, he just equated himself with the righteousness with the righteousness of God. Blessed are you when you're persecuted on account of righteousness, blessed are you when you're persecuted on account of me. Right? Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets before you. So uh and so Jesus then turns to them and says, You're the salt of the earth. Israel, you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, uh it's good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. This is the Deuteronomy 28 judgments. Israel's rebellious, they get thrown out of the land, trampled underfoot. Uh, Israel was to be the light of the world. Uh a city on a hill, right? Uh in the end of this story, when you get to Revelation 21 and 22, there's going to be a city on a hill, and it's going to light the nations, right?

SPEAKER_04 17:07

Absolutely.

Dr. David Klingler 17:07

Um, and so uh you're a you know, you're a you know, you're you're a the light of the world. Uh a city on a hill cannot be hidden. But the problem is you've blown it. You found a way to hide it. The light went out, yeah. So what do you do? So so let your light shine before men so that when they see your good your good works, they glorify your father who is in heaven. Um don't think that I came to abolish the law. I didn't. The law is perfect. The the law, you know, quoting David from Psalm 19, the the law uh it's life-giving. It warns, uh, it warns the servant, it gives light to the eyes, it uh purifies the heart. It is more precious than than gold.

The Law Exposes The Heart

Dr. David Klingler 17:52

Um and so Jesus says, you've heard it said, see, the the the Pharisees, and and what's happening here in the story of uh of the gospel of Matthew is is Jesus is setting up, or Matthew is recording what Jesus said to set up the conflict between Jesus and the hypocrites, the Pharisees. So the Pharisees are the ones they're the Pharisees and the scribes, they're the lawyers, they're the ones that have been teaching the law. And Jesus says, You've heard it said that the ancients were told. In other words, the Pharisees are teaching you that you shall not commit murder. He says, I'm telling you that's not the standard. The standard is not don't commit murder. The standard is you are not to uh to hate your brother. Uh you're not to be angry with your brother. In fact, you're to love him. Right? So it's not just don't murder, it's love your brother. So uh the standard is not don't commit adultery. That's not the standard. You've heard that that's what the Pharisees are telling you. The standard is don't commit adultery.

SPEAKER_04 18:51

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 18:52

It's not the standard. The standard is you shall not lust after your brother's you know, donkey, possessions, wife, anything in your heart. Right. The problem is your heart. And of course, the whole Old Testament, the reason they didn't do the law, law in the Old Testament wasn't because the law was too difficult for them, Deuteronomy chapter 30. It's because they had a hard heart. They weren't gonna do it. Right. Uh and so uh he uh he's going through here and uh in this adultery sex let me let me explain something. He says, look, if your hand causes you to stumble, right? If you if you're lusting after your brother's possessions and you go steal them, you take them with your hand, if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. Uh and um yeah, you know, so so if your eye causes you to stumble, right? Uh if you're lusting through your because you know you see something of your brothers and you want it. Well well, here's the problem. Your eye doesn't cause you to stumble. Blind men can lust, one armed men can steal. No armed men can still do. See, the problem isn't the action, the problem is in the desire to do it. And this is in the law, right? Uh so when he uh when he uh when he says you shall not uh look uh you know anyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already in her, he's just quoting uh out of Exodus chapter 12. He's quoting the Ten Commandments, right?

SPEAKER_01 20:24

He's just going back to the Yeah, it's really important just to emphasize because I think a lot of people when they come to these passages, you know, they're uh I've heard it a lot. Oh, look, Jesus changes it, or he raises the standard in some way. And I I suppose he's raising the standard for the Pharisees, but the standard is already this. So he's he's simply quoting what the law is actually saying, right. And they're only quoting partial. Right. And so he's not he's not changing anything.

Dr. David Klingler 20:53

Yeah, and and the function of the law, this was so this was important, so it was timeout in Matthew. This is more theological. Uh the function of the law was to demonstrate the perfection of God, the the perfect character of God, and you don't have it, right? And so uh because you recognize that you don't have it, you also recognize you're under judgment and you need a sacrifice. You you you you need a payment. And so, you know, all of this section, uh, don't uh don't um view murder the way they view murder. Uh, you've heard it said, you should not commit adultery. I tell you, that's not right. Uh divorce, the reason for why you're divorcing people is because of the hardness of your heart. See, the reason why you hate your brother is because you hate your brother in your heart. The reason why you lust is because you lust after your brother's stuff in your heart. The reason why uh you give uh writs of divorce uh is because uh of your your evil, wicked heart that's not like God. So you you the way you do vows, you retaliate. It's because your heart. The problem is uh your heart. And so uh all the way through. You know, if your eye causes you to stumble, cut it out. If your if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. But if your heart causes you to stumble, circumcise it. Cut it out, right? And this is Deuteronomy chapter 30. When you're in the land where the Lord your God has vanished, you and you repent, you return. Circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants. And so Jesus is saying, Yeah, this is nothing new. This is uh the same. Uh the standard is this is in 540 uh 48, you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. Don't give alms like they, you know, don't don't donate to the church like they do. You know, they they you know, oh look at what I'm doing. You know, don't pray like they pray in front of uh in front of people with their long prayers to impress you. No. Um uh here's what you do. You you you go into your inner room and you shut the door and you pray in private because when your your father he he sees, he knows what you need. Uh right. Uh so here's how you pray. And he tells them how to pray. Don't fast the way they fast, don't view cash, the money, the way they view it. Um none of this, right? Uh, but here's what you do. Seek ye first the kingdom and his righteousness, right? So you know uh all of the stuff, all of the clothes, all the food, all the uh, you know uh the Gentiles want that, right? Uh for all these things. Don't be anxious about what you will eat or what you'll drink or what you'll uh you know, what you'll wear. Verse uh chapter six, verse thirty-one. For the Gentiles eagerly seek those things. Your father knows that you need these things, but seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness. In other words, when the king comes, when you repent, the king, the king's here, you repent, the kingdom is is established, nobody be going hungry. Nobody will be lacking for for clothes, the kingdom blessing will come. If you don't repent, just in coming, right? So so you can try to you know conjure up some food or drink or what you know what you're gonna wear, and you're gonna struggle with that every day forever. But when the king comes, nobody going hungry. Right. Right? So it would be better to desire for the king to come. And then there will be none of this. And so again, unless there are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, so he's still saying the same thing. Yeah. Uh then we get to chapter

Ask For Righteousness Not Approval

Dr. David Klingler 24:18

seven. It's the only verse anybody knows in uh you know. Judge not, lest you be judged.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Well, no, what asking it will be given to you. That's another one.

Dr. David Klingler 24:26

Don't do, don't pray like the hypocrites play, uh pray, don't give alms like the hypocrites give alms, don't fast like the hypocrites fast, don't view wealth like the it's the hypocrites, the hypocrites that see because what the hypocrite does is he judges the other. He's just judging judge himself, right? Uh and so don't judge lest you be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged. If if you judge people like the Pharisees judge them, that's gonna turn back around on you, right? You need to recognize that you need mercy, and so you need to judge others uh and the that they need mercy as well, right? Uh and so uh the standard is perfection. The first thing you need to know is recognize you don't have that, right? So you're not perfect. So first remove the log in your eye so that you can help your brother, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:11

That's right.

Dr. David Klingler 25:12

Um, so seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added. Well, how do you get this? If you can't earn it, if you can't be like a Pharisee and get it, you know, work to earn it, how do you get it? Ask. Ask for it, and it's granted to you. Seek and uh, you know, and ask and uh ask and it will be given to you. The the righteousness of God will be imputed to you, it will it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it will be open. For everyone who asks, receive, and everyone who seeks finds. And him who knocks, it shall be open.

unknown 25:43

Right?

Dr. David Klingler 25:44

Uh look, the you're you if you ask your your father, and you know, uh if you ask your father for a fish, he's not gonna give you a snake. If you ask him for a loaf, he's not gonna give you a stone. Uh if you then uh being evil, know how to give the good things to your children. Don't you think the Lord knows how to do that? So the good thing that you're asking for is the righteousness of God, and he'll give it to you, right? Uh and so here's what you do: you build your house upon the upon the rock, who is Christ? Um uh imputed righteousness. He's the one that you've been looking for. Don't build your house upon the sand, and the sand is the Pharisees' approach, right? Because when the judgment comes, when the storm comes, one house is gonna stand, one house is gonna fall, right? Um so beware of the false prophets. You know, here's the false prophets, these people they're gonna come to you uh in uh uh in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they're ravenous wolves. We're gonna keep going back in Matthew to this, inwardly to the heart, to the heart, to the heart, because what fills the heart comes out of the mouth, right? And so this uh this Sermon on the Mount is setting up Jesus' standard for the whole book, right? So you're gonna hear this language all the way through the book, all the way through the back. So he so the one who hears these words of mine and acts upon them, in other words, recognizes, well, I'm not righteous, I don't have the righteousness of God. I I need to ask through mercy and receive it, it'd be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And so the the point is in righteousness comes through Christ, through asking. He can he can make you clean, right? He can he can make you perfect in heart, he can restore that heart, right? And so it comes down the hill and up runs the leper. Um you can make me clean. And you know, and so he asks, you know, um Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean. He stretched out his hand and says, I'm willing, and he cleansed him. This is an illustration of of what's just happened there, that repentance uh and acceptance of Christ, identification of Christ as the one who can make clean, and so he does, and and so he makes him

Miracles And The Mission To Israel

Dr. David Klingler 28:00

clean. In chapters eight and chapters nine, um, you get these Old Testament proofs, these miracles that demonstrate that Jesus was the promised one. Uh he uh he you know causes the lame to walk, uh, he causes uh the you know the dumb to be able to speak, he calls uh uh causes the uh you know the fever, he heals the fever, which right, you know, all of these old testament curses on Israel for their disobedience, he's coming along in healing, right?

SPEAKER_04 28:33

That's right.

Dr. David Klingler 28:33

And then in chapter 10, he sends out, so that's eight and nine, chapter 10, he sends out his disciples and says, All right, you go take this message out there to Israel. Don't go to the Gentiles, don't go to the Samaritans, go only to Israel.

SPEAKER_04 28:44

Go only to Israel.

Dr. David Klingler 28:45

See what they say. They come back and they go, Man, this is great, right? Uh meanwhile, uh Jesus, uh, you know, Israel's rejecting John the Baptist. Uh, and then in chapter 11, chapter 12, they reject Jesus. Uh and so uh the chapters one through four, birth, his baptism, his temptation, chapters five through seven, his words, his sermons, chapters eight and nine, his miracles, all of it proves that he is the promised Christ. He sends out his disciples, uh, chapters 10, 11, and 12, and Israel rejects him.

Rejection Leads To Parables

Dr. David Klingler 29:22

So in chapter 13, Jesus begins to speak to them. The response to Israel's rejection of their Christ is that Jesus now is going to speak to them, Israel, in parables, uh, but to his disciples, he's going to explain these parables. He's going to explain them uh the kingdom of heaven, right? Um they're going to ask him, he he begins that with a familiar parable that probably most people who've been around the church for more than a little while know, right? The parable of the soils, a sower goes out to sow, sow seed, and uh and it some fell on the good ground, the bad ground, all that stuff. And the disciples came to him and said, Why do you speak to them in parables? What's the deal? Why all of a sudden are you speaking to them in parables? This is something we're going to see in all three synoptic gospels. Oh, that's a big word, too. Synoptic gospels, right? Matthew, Mark, and Luke, right? In all three of these gospels, when Israel rejects their Christ, Jesus in all three of these gospels begins to speak to them, to Israel in parables, right? And so the disciple asks, What why do you speak to them in parables? And he answered, he says, To y'all, disciples, it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. But to them, Israel who's rejected, it has not been granted. For whoever has to him more shall be given. Uh you've been granted knowledge, you have knowledge, and you you're going to have more knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom, and you will have an abundance. But whoever does not have Israel, even what he has, shall be taken from him. Therefore, I speak to them Israel in parables, right? So his answer here is responding to the question why do you speak to them in parables? He says, Well, uh, so whoever has more will be given. That that's not uh, you know, a you you know best life now cash verse. Right. That verse answers the question that was asked right before, right? Therefore, I speak to them in perils, uh, because while seeing they do not see, while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled. Now let's pause here for a second. All the way back, all the way back, way, way, way back in the story in your mind to Moses, right there, uh, before Israel takes the land, Deuteronomy chapter 29, and he says, I know how you're gonna be. You're gonna reject the Lord, you're gonna reject the rock of his salvation, chapter 30, uh 32, Psalm of Moses. He says, Because the Lord has not let yet given you eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor a heart to know.

SPEAKER_04 32:00

Wow.

Dr. David Klingler 32:01

And so you're going to reject him. Uh and and they do in Israel, uh, Old Testament, they do. And so Isaiah comes and and he's called uh Isaiah is called to be a prophet, and uh and he says, Go, uh, the Lord tells Isaiah, go preach to this people, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and return with their hearts, and I heal them, right? And so it's the same thing. It's the same, the Lord has not yet given them eyes to see, or ears to hear, or heart to know yet. It's coming, but not yet. Uh and so says in their case, the the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled. Uh, you can keep on hearing but not understand, keep on seeing, but do not perceive. The heart of this people has become dull, their ears scarcely hear, they uh I their eyes have been closed, lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and return, repent, return, and I heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, disciples, because they hear, and your uh your heart because it was going to understand. You know, that this is uh where it's going. And so Jesus is turning his attention to the training of his disciples in light of his rejection until his return.

Mercy For Gentiles And A New Focus

Dr. David Klingler 33:16

All right, so this is a transition point, okay? Uh and so he's we've got chapters 13, uh, chapters uh uh chapter 14, chapter 15. Jesus is uh in chapter 13, he's preaching in parables, chapter 14, more miracle, chapter 15. Um he um uh there's this scene where he runs across this uh this Canaanite woman who has a daughter who's demon-possessed, right? Do not go to the Gentiles, do not go to the Samaritans, go only to the perishing sheep of the house of Israel, and Israel rejects. Okay, now where's the message gonna go? Um in fact, this is the second time in the story, chapter 10, where Jesus says, Don't go to the Gentiles. Chapter 7, he says, Don't throw uh you know what is holy before the dogs, don't cast your pearls before a swine unless they trample you underfoot. In other words, uh the dogs, the swine, the gentiles, right? Right. But now there's another transition point, right? Um, and so here comes this Gentile, uh, this woman, her daughter is demon-possessed, uh, and uh she's saying, Lord, son of David, help me. You can just hear her, have mercy on me, oh Lord, son of David, my my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. And he didn't answer a word. And his disciples came to him and kept asking, Send her away. Well, she's shouting after us. He said uh to her, I was sent only to the perishing sheep of the house of Israel. But she came and she bowed below, she bowed down before him, and and and she said, Lord, help me. And he answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread. But you know, you know, he is the and and throw it to the dogs. Right. But she said, Yes, Lord, but don't even the dogs feed from the crumbs which fall from the master's table. She has a better understanding of Israel's blessing flowing to the to the nations than uh you know it's amazing how these Gentiles come into the story and they get it. Right. And then Jesus answered and said, Oh woman, your faith is great, be it done uh to you as you wish. Uh and her daughter was healed at once. And and this is where you're watching this focus now in Matthew. In Matthew, turn to the Gentiles, right? Um Israel once was signed, they're not going to get it. The only sign they're gonna get is the sign of the sign of Jonah. Who do people say that I am? You are the Christ. Uh, and now Christ is going to build his church. Uh He's been going to the synagogue, and the synagogue uh in the Old Testament, synagogue and church is the same word.

SPEAKER_03 35:58

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 35:59

Uh he's been going to the synagogue, he's been going to the church, and they're rejecting him. Uh, they become the synagogue of Satan. They they're they have rejected him and they've aligned themselves with Satan. I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Those who and you know, and in the beginning point of the church are the those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the disciples of Jesus, they're going to be the first ones in. And uh, and uh uh and so chapters 16 uh through really the end of the the book is prep preparation of preparing the disciples to take the message of Christ out, the the the things that they have have heard out. Uh he tells them about this is what it's going to look like at the end times. This is what it looks like at the end of Israel's rejection. And so from now until the end of Israel's rejection, these are these are the rules of the game. Christ uh triumphal entry, crucified, resurrected, and uh, and that takes us all the way to the end of the book uh where Jesus gives his disciples this command. It's

Great Commission And Where We Fit

Dr. David Klingler 37:08

important to the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee uh to the mountain which Jesus had designated. This is in chapter 28, verse 16. And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, to the eleven. And he says, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Uh go therefore, or as you're going, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. Well, I wasn't there. The Lord didn't command me anything. And lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. And so, as the church, we say, Well, there's the great commission. That's what we're supposed to be doing in the church. Well, uh, in some ways that's true, but we have to get there. Yeah, there's we're we're not there in the story. Yeah, we're not the disciples. Okay. And so uh and so the disciples are being told to go do this, and they do, right? And so they when we get into Luke X, we're gonna watch the disciples' response to uh, you know, these things. And and they actually do go. Uh and they uh they tell people, they teach, they make disciples. Uh uh Luke is is going to explain that uh Luke is not a he isn't one of the eleven. Uh Luke is not going to be in the gospel of Luke. Um, but the eyewitnesses handed those things down to us. The things that they saw, the things that they heard, they handed down to uh next generation of believers, and those uh generation of believers, uh they uh received those words and they taught those words to the third generation, the fourth generation, and they're handed down. And so now we in the church uh are entrusted with the faithful words of Christ, the faithful words of the prophets, the faithful words of the disciples, the apostles who were sent out. Uh and so now we uh do our part in taking people back to the words of the apostles, the things that Jesus taught. So we take them back to Matthew, we take them back to Mark, we take them back to Luke to prove that Jesus is the Christ. Uh and so uh and so there's not a this isn't a command directly to the church, it's a command directly to the disciples, and these disciples are to teach in the church who are to teach others, who are to teach others, and that's going to develop as we go through the story.

SPEAKER_01 39:23

We're beneficiaries, we benefit from this and what they did and this command.

Dr. David Klingler 39:29

But yeah, and and so so you can't just go and here's the point, and why we're making this distinction, you can't just go stick yourself back into the story because you're not there, you weren't there. This is the eyewitness account of what happened so that we know what we're supposed to do today. So it's still directly relevant to us and applicable to us, right? But we just don't jump the gun and stick ourselves back in the story. So anyway, so that's the that's the gospel of Matthew. It is it is Christ's appearance, uh rejection uh appearance to Israel, validated by his words and works, rejection of Israel, uh, and then the preparing of his disciples to take the message out to the nation.

SPEAKER_04 40:09

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 40:09

Uh and and uh and and so that's uh that's what's uh that's what's in the book of the gospel.

SPEAKER_01 40:14

Yeah, that's so cool to see how that is developing as a story rather than, you know, when you chop it up, you miss so much of how the story is being told, and and it's uh I find it incredibly helpful to to look at it this way and to read it as it was intended to be, as a story and stuff like that.

Dr. David Klingler 40:32

The reader of Matthew didn't have Mark or Luke or John to compare notes with. Yeah. He had this story, yeah, and that was it. Yeah, it's important to remember that.

SPEAKER_01 40:43

That's good. Well,

Resources And Closing Charge

SPEAKER_01 40:44

cool. Well, hey, um I want to remind our listeners if you haven't already, hop on over to teachmethebible.com. Um we have all kinds of other resources in even I think a week by week study through the book of Matthew. So if if something piqued your interest and you said, Man, I'd love to know more about what that chapter's saying. We we got a bunch more for you to continue to learn these things. There's other, there's blog posts, there's opportunities for questions and answers over there. So hop on over there, check that out, and continue to grow. Um, but until next week, we're gonna continue on uh in the story of the Bible in a year. And so next week, I think we'll pick up in the book of Mark.

SPEAKER_00 41:27

For more resources, visit teachmethebible.com or download our app from any app store. You can partner with Teach Me the Bible in helping the people of God understand the Word of God by subscribing and sharing with others. Thank you for listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast.