Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Part II

Verse 4: “They make strict rules that are hard for people to obey. They try to force others to obey all their rules. But they themselves will not try to follow any of those rules.”

The biggest problem with this, as we can see, is that these self-proclaimed experts of the Law did not practice what they preached. What they were doing was similar to what the psalmist Asaph puts in his song, “God says to the wicked, ‘Stop quoting my laws! Stop talking about my covenant! You hate for Me to tell you what to do. You ignore what I say. You see a thief and run to join him. You jump into bed with those who commit adultery. You say evil things and tell lies. You sit around talking about people, finding fault with your own brothers.”¹

While Jesus had few problems with many of the righteous dictates the Pharisees taught, what bothered Him the most was their hypocrisy. Someone once suggested, that for pastors to really know what their members were like just put a camera with a microphone in their car and listen to them as they drive to church and then when they drive home after the service. Who would want to pass that test?

Origen speaks about the conditions in the early church of the 2^nd century this way: “Just as the scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the church who sit upon the ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who have the right understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what each person needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but they won’t even lift a finger to help. These are the ones the Savior is talking about when He says, ‘Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of God.’² There are others, however, who sit on the throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely, restraining those who are disorderly. They place merciful burdens on the shoulders of others. They themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden, for the exhortation of other listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks when He says, ‘He who does so and teaches others to do so, this man will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’³”⁴

So, by the 4^th century, Chrysostom has this to say about the double standard of some leaders in the church: “Jesus mentions here a twofold wickedness. First, they require great and extreme strictness of life, without any leniency, from those over whom they rule. Yet they are much less stringent with themselves. This is opposite from what the truly good pastor ought to practice. He ought to be a rigorous and severe judge in things that concern himself. But in the matters of those whom he rules, he ought to be gentle and ready to make allowances. What these men do is just the opposite. For such are all they who practice self-restraint in mere words while being unforgiving and grievous to bear when they have had no experience of the difficulty in actions. This is no small fault. In no small way does Jesus increase the former charge.”⁵

Then, by the 6^th century in the early church, we read this commentary: “Priests who now order justice among their people but who themselves do not serve even moderately are surely not being fair in doing so, although they may appear to be fair-minded teachers. Such are they who impose heavy burdens on those coming to repentance, they who preach but do not practice; and so, while the punishment of sin is placed on those present, the punishment of future sin is despised.”⁶

Verse 5 : “The only reason they do what they do is for other people to see them. They make the little leather boxes they wear on their heads bigger and bigger. And they make the tassels on their prayer clothes long enough for people to notice them.”

These small leather boxes are called Tefillin or Phylacteries. They contain verses from the Torah. They are worn on the head and on one arm and are held in place by leather straps. This fulfills what they read in Deuteronomy: “These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.”⁷

According to one Jewish scholar, this was done so the person would not be content with reminding themselves and their children verbally of the meaning of Torah and loving God, but for them to perform good deeds which symbolize their deep attachment to God.”⁸ Some of the standard texts carried in these Phylacteries were Deuteronomy 6:4-8; 11:13-21. By saying that the Pharisees were making bigger and bigger Phylacteries, Jesus was suggesting that they not only wanted them more easily noticed but that they were putting more and more scriptures inside to show their supposed respect for God’s Word.

According to Jewish resources, the Biblical support for the custom of inscribing these four selections in the phylacteries are explained in the Talmud: “Our Rabbis taught: What is the order of the four Scriptural portions in the head-tefillah? ‘Sanctify to Me’⁹ and ‘And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee’¹⁰ are on the right, while ‘Hear,’¹¹ ‘And it shall come to pass if ye shall hearken diligently,’¹² are on the left.”¹³ Also, we find in another tractate, “Has it not been taught: frontlets occurs thrice in the Torah, twice completely¹⁴ and once incompletely,¹⁵ four in all, to indicate [that four sections are to be inserted in the phylacteries].”¹⁶ The Jewish scholar Rashi in his commentary makes this note, “…and they shall be for ornaments between your eyes: These are the tefillin of the head, and because of the number of the Scriptural sections contained in them namely four, they are called – totafoth.”¹⁷

Jewish men wearing phylacteries during prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. According to rabbinic regulations, one of the phylacteries is worn on the left arm facing the heart and the other on the forehead at the morning service (except on the Sabbath and festivals) and at the afternoon service on the Ninth of Av.

Jerome gives us his understanding of this practice: “They called those phylacteries ‘little pictures’ of the Ten Commandments, because whoever had them had his own fortification and defense. But the knowledgeable Pharisees did not have them because these things must be carried in the heart, not on the body. They may have children and treasure boxes and storehouses, but they do not have knowledge of God. Even today there are those superstitious ladies who have their ‘little Gospels.’ In the absence of the true cross and other such things, they indeed have the zeal of God but no true knowledge of Him. Even today, they too do these same kinds of things in front of us by liquefying gnats for drinking and gulping down honey. This is what some see as the small, short fringe mandated by the law. But a better case is the woman with the bloody flow who touched the fringe of the Lord’s garment. She was not motivated by the superstitious sentiments of the Pharisees. And what is more, she was healed at His touch. And so when they widened their phylacteries and lengthened their fringes, attracting the honor of the people, they were exposed in their hypocrisies, showing why they seek the first seats at dinners and the front chairs in synagogues. They point out gluttony and glory in public and are hailed by men as rabbi, which in colloquial Latin means ‘teacher.’”¹⁸

Solomon thought this was important enough to share this, “Don’t ever let love and loyalty leave you. Tie them around your neck, and write them on your heart. Then God will be pleased and think well of you and so will everyone else.”¹⁹ Also, the tassels that Jesus spoke of are required: “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them this: Tie several pieces of thread together and tie them in the corner of your clothes. Put a piece of blue thread in each one of these tassels. You must wear these things now and forever. You will be able to look at these tassels and remember all the commands that the LORD has given you. Then you will obey the commands. You will not do wrong by forgetting about the commands and doing the things that your own bodies and eyes want.”²⁰

Rabbi Abraham Saba adds: One of the four threads of the fringes was to be of the color of the sky to remind the Jew that there is a God above him, one who watches over him and who has given us the various commandments for our well being on this earth.”²¹ In other words, these were reminders, they were never intended to be worn as decorations of righteousness.

We might equate this today to Christians wearing of crosses around their necks or pins of their clothing. Also, the hanging of Christian icons from the rear-view mirror of their car, or the images of Jesus, Mary and the saints as objects on the walls and shelves in their homes. Just like the Jews phylacteries on their arms and foreheads, these were meant as a reminder of God’s instructions. Instead, they have become objects of veneration and prayer.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Part I

Verse 1a: Then Jesus spoke to the people and to His followers.

After the Pharisees and other opponents walked away, Jesus turns to His disciples and those standing around who were following Him, and shares with them His thoughts on their view concerning how we are guided by God’s word. Since many of them felt they could not talk directly to God, it was necessary then for inspired and anointed human beings to converse with them and show them the light on living. But in this case, was the Light of the World and the Living Word Himself speaking to them in person.

Verses 1b-2: He said, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees now sit in the seat Moses once occupied.”

One Jewish scholar points out that in the Hebrew version the two words here should be translated as scribes and teachers of the law since they were the two groups who were authorized to sit on Moses’ seat rather than the Pharisees.¹ While this is literally true, Jesus was including the Pharisees because they had symbolically and wrongly assumed a position to teach the Law, defining what were the right and wrong interpretations of that Law relating to personal conduct.

One layman in the early church gives his teaching on this subject. He writes: “The Lord had just humbled the disbelieving priests who were attacking Him like wild beasts. With the accuracy of a spear tip, He gives them a very sharp answer, showing them their own condition beyond repair. Mistaken laity may be more easily set straight, but clergy, if they are evil, are almost impossible to set straight. After this, He then turned His conversation to the apostles and to the people, saying, ‘The Pharisees and scribes sit on the throne of Moses.’ [In other words, these Pharisees and scribes have taken Moses place.] Their confusion then becomes what they end up teaching.”²

In terms of the scribes, even the Jews admit Jesus’ condemnation of them is well founded. We see this exposed by Jeremiah: “How can you say, ‘We are wise; ADONAI’S Torah is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has turned it into falsehood?”³ Yet, their failures are to be expected. According to Rabbi Nathan, “Because of his sin, it is not granted to man to know what likeness is on high; and were it not for that, the keys would have been handed over to him and he might have known what heaven and earth were created with.” He goes on to quote Rabbi Akiba who said: “Everything is foreseen and everything is revealed, yet everything happens according to man’s will’.”⁴ To put this in perspective, what God arranged for mankind in the Garden of Eden was well-conceived in man’s favor, but it was mankind’s will that got in the way of it turning out as God intended.

This is another way of saying, that even though God gave His Word and Commandments, it’s how man interprets that will become the rule of law. In fact, there were some Jewish teachers that rose to the level where their words were respected above all others. We find in the Jewish Talmud where one Rabbi was so impressed and awed by the words of wisdom of his Master that he exclaimed: “This is the very ‘Work of the Chariot.’⁵ Thereupon Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai rose and kissed him on his forehead and said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, Who has given a son to Abraham our father, who knows how to hypothesize and investigate, and to expound the ‘Work of the Chariot’ — There are some who preach well but do not act well, others act well but do not preach well, but you do preach well and act well. Happy are you, O Abraham our father, that Rabbi Eleazar ben ‘Arak has come out from your loins.”⁶

So I’m sure there were some in the crowd who understood that Jesus was pointing to the bad apples in the barrel, not using a broad brush to incriminate every scribe, teacher of the law, and Pharisee. Also, scholars believe that Jesus’ reference to the seat of Moses comes from what we find in Nehemiah: “Ezra stood on a high wooden stage. It had been built just for this special time… So Ezra opened the scroll. All the people could see him because he was standing above them on the high stage. As he opened the Book of the Law, all the people stood up.”⁷ Also, we find this passage in a Jewish commentary: “They made for him [Moses] a throne like that of the advocates, in which one sits and yet seems to be standing.”⁸

And Rabbi Aha, commenting on a description of King Solomon’s large throne with ivory decorations and covered with pure gold, said: “There were six steps leading up to the throne. The back of the throne was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne under the armrests. There were also two lions on each of the six steps, one at each end. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.”⁹ Then, Rabbi Aha said: “The throne resembled the seat of Moses.”¹⁰ In the footnotes, it goes on to explain: “The particular place in the synagogue where the elders used to sit was known metaphorically as the seat of Moses or as the throne of Torah, symbolizing the succession of teachers of Torah down through the ages.”¹¹

From this, we can deduce that when Jesus spoke of the seat of Moses He was both referring to the seat in the synagogue as well as the claim that all of their teachings were derived Moses, and passed on to them generation after generation. But I believe, Jesus had a more subtle suggestion. What the scribes and Pharisees were teaching was not the Written Law but their commentary known as the Verbal Law. In other words, the Word of God as they interpreted it. As Christian believers, we too must be careful not to mistake the verbal Gospel of some preachers to be the genuine interpretation of the Written Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Early church scholar Origen points out the following, that may even apply to the church today. He says: “Those who profess that they interpret the law of Moses and glory in this, or who know the law well and seek to profit by this knowledge—these sit upon the throne of Moses. Those who do not depart from the letter of the law are called scribes. Then there are those who profess to know, even more, setting themselves apart because they think they are better than the masses.”¹² Origen goes on to explain, that the word Pharisee comes from the Hebrew which means to divide or segregate. This can be seen in two ways. First, those who divide by interpretations that differ from the status quo, and those who segregate by calling out those who want to live by the word. But Jesus has another distinction that He wants His followers to see, and that is the division that the Pharisees and scribes make between what is stated and what is seen.

Verse 3: “So you should obey them. Do everything they tell you to do. But the way they live are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they don’t do those things themselves.”

Jesus has complimentary words for the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes, but He gives them a failing grade on practicing what they preach. The lay teacher we mentioned earlier provides his commentary on this subject as it effects the church: “If they speak well, it is to their credit. If they teach well, it is to yours. Accept therefore what is yours and do not discuss what is another’s. For just as our priests teach the unfaithful on account of the faithful, judging better to encourage the evil on account of the good rather than to neglect the good on account of the evil, so also, therefore, you must honor good priests and bad, lest you condemn the good on account of the bad. For it is better to preserve the just with the evil than to subvert the just for the good. For frequently you will treat the bad man with good faith. Remember that wretched land may produce precious gold. Is the gold despised on account of the wretched land? No! But just as gold is taken and the earth is left behind, so also you must accept their teaching and leave behind their customs.”¹³

All down through church history, beginning in the age of the apostles and leading up to the present time there have been those entrusted with teaching the Word of God and the creeds of the church who have not been sincere and honest enough to be an example as well as an exhorter. Such conduct takes all the shine off of their message. It thus comes across as dull and lacking in clarity. While people are willing to accept such a teacher, leader, or preacher who is repentant and transforms their ways, they are not as likely to tolerate those who insist that they have a right to be this way no matter what anyone says.

The anonymous early church writer goes on to say: “For you are sitting in the church not only as listeners but also as judges of the priests. You may be learning strange things that would be considered inappropriate. You are judging the priests in comparison with yourselves. You should listen to everything they say, but do not do everything which you hear. Yes, all priests teach, but they do not all practice what they teach. For among men, there is a ranking that is quite diverse. But in nature everything is equal. For from the beginning, men were created in this same way. Only afterward are they ranked for your sake. Therefore, on account of this, their nature belongs to them in and of itself, but their ranking is for your benefit.”¹⁴ In other words, people are often willing to follow a wounded leader, just as long as he is leading them on the right path. But few will support those healthy leaders who make their followers take the hard and punishing path while they pursue the easy way to the goal.

“No man is an island, entire of itself…”¹ These are the famous words written by John Donne, a 16th Century English clergyman & poet in his book of devotions. It was made up of meditations, followed by an exposition, and prayer. In one of the meditations, Donne was sharing how all of us on this planet are part of this world’s human community.

He made the point that if just one piece of a continent is washed away into the sea, we all have lost a part of the earth where we no longer can walk. This certainly goes against the modern concept of individualism that we see hailed and heralded from all directions. “I am my own person!” they say. “I don’t need anyone, I can make it on my own!” “What I do is my own business, no one should tell me how to live!”

But the most serious malady caused by this attitude is in a Christian’s spiritual life. It’s almost as if they are saying, “I know God’s there and He knows that I’m here, and that’s all I need.” The entire New Testament is contextualized on the fact that we all need each other in order to grow, be useful, stay disciplined, and have a significant impact on the world around us. Such people figure that as long as they pray for meals and before they go to bed, read their Bible each day, attend church on Sunday and do no one harm, they are okay.

Jesus made it clear that we are to love one another as God loved us and to treat our neighbor as we want to be treated ourselves. By doing so, we can draw strength from one another. If we hear of someone being born-again into the family of God, we rejoice, even it occurred in some far off land we’ve never visited before. By the same token, when we find out that some believer fell from grace and went back into sin, we should all feel a loss.

Donne then wrote these memorable words: “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.” This may have been the line Ernest Hemingway drew from for the title of his war novel, “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

At the end of the Meditation, Donne writes: “If by this consideration of another’s danger I take mine own into contemplation, and to secure myself, by making my recourse to my God, who is our only security.” So remember, you are never alone. God’s Word says He will never leave us or forsake us. So how much more should we feel the same commitment for our fellow believers. So each time you see a Christian brother or sister, tell them how much you appreciate them being there for you and others. Then watch their smile and how their face lights up. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

THE MYSTERY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The words “Righteous” and “Righteousness” are frequently heard in sermons, Bible classes, and seen in religious writings. Very often the hearers and readers immediately formulate their cognitive understanding of those words based on what they’ve been taught or opinions they have formed upon hearing it preached or discussed in sermons or Bible studies. Too often, however, such concepts are far from what the Bible really teaches about being righteous; living righteously, and having the virtue of righteousness.

Simply put, being “Righteous” means: Being in harmony and obedient to God’s rules for living so that all legal and moral obligations are met. In other words, being virtuous by doing what is morally right, at the right time, all the time. When we fail to do this, we become unrighteous and incur guilt and moral failure thereby being declared sinners because we missed the mark set out for us by God’s Word. In Jewish writings we find where it says: “Because righteousness is not an inherent human characteristic, but rather a learned trait resulting from sustained performance of obligations, man can never attain the peak of righteous perfection: ‘For there isn’t a righteous person on earth who does [only] good and never sins.’¹.”²

In these explanations, we can see two aspects of how righteousness is applied to our lives. It can be illustrated this way. Let’s look at the word “bear” used two ways. First: we can use it to mean “bear up under.” This signifies tenacity, stamina, perseverance, and faithfulness. Secondly, we can use it to imply “bear down on.” This denotes pressure, force, demand and strong influence. The same goes for righteousness when we apply the same principle to understand it.

In the Bible, we find where righteousness was sought after by complying with the Law. This is where the believer had to “bear down on” themselves not to do wrong and comply with the Law’s demands. But Christ came so that through grace we would receive power to “bear up under” the pressure to do wrong and remain faithful to the Master’s calling. How did this all come about? What transpired that made it possible to go from bearing down to bearing up in order to be righteous in God’s eyes?

First, it may shock you that Abraham was neither an Israelite nor a Jew. He was called out of Chaldean culture before Jacob wrestled with the angel and had his name changed to Israel and before Judah was declared the favored tribe to host the Temple and Ark of the Covenant and became known as Jews. Therefore, God considered Abraham’s offspring as children in need of instruction and that’s why He rescued them from Egyptian bondage to receive the Law through Moses. This was to give them guidance in achieving righteousness with God by following the Law.

Unfortunately, they failed again and again. As a matter of fact, they found it impossible to be perfect in their obedience to the Law and thus were constantly in need of offering sacrifices for their many sins. Frequently, God had to discipline them in order to bring them back to a righteous path so they could live righteously. But they were unsuccessful in living up to God’s expectations by relying wholly on their own strength and good works.

So when the right time came, God sent His Son into the world to provide a new path to righteousness that did not require such continuous sacrifices and excessive good deeds in order to qualify in His eyes as being righteous. His Son Jesus offered one sacrifice and met all the requirements of the Law. Then God through His Son graciously offered that righteousness to all who believed in His Son’s work on the cross, in order for them to be declared as righteous believers.

Regrettably, there are some Christians today who still insist on pleasing God through their own efforts in order to earn His favor and be declared as righteous. Just like those of old, they never achieve perfection and are often found to be unrighteous and declared sinners. Yet they implore God to accept their own efforts to redeem themselves by being better and trying their utmost not to make the same mistake again. This is using the “bear down on” method of righteousness, putting pressure on oneself, making demands and trying to keep their sinful nature from taking control of their lives, thinking that God will be impressed with their efforts.

In the meantime, there are those who depend solely on the work of Christ on the cross to meet God’s demands in being declared as righteous. In that case, they “bear up under” the pressure of greed and pride and lust with the strength that is in them through Christ Jesus. It is not they who overcome, it is Christ who overcomes such temptations through them. Are they still prone to weakening and falling prey to sin? Yes, of course, we all are. But the apostle John said that if we will confess our sins God will be faithful and fair in forgiving us of our sins and wipe away all our unrighteousness from the record. Not because of anything we have done, but because of the work of our Sinless and Perfect sacrifice on the cross, Jesus the Lamb of God.

So the next time you find yourself being convicted by the Holy Spirit through your conscience of falling short of the glory of God, instead of falling on your knees and crying out to God for forgiveness based on a promised to do better by reading your Bible more often, going to church more frequently, or by training yourself to be more virtuous, ask Him to forgive you for Jesus sake and the price Jesus paid for your righteousness. Then go and sin no more. In other words, when tempted by the same things again use the power that is resident within you to “bear up under” and withstand the pressure to give in. Then ascribe to Jesus all the praise and honor and glory when victory is achieved. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

TO ALL MY PRECIOUS STUDENTS, READERS, AND FRIENDS

We are back in the nest and ready to continue our wonderful study of the Life of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew. We will pick up our journey with Him in Matthew, Chapter 23, as He makes His way toward Calvary. I pray that all of you will continue with us to the end, and my God richly bless you for your patience, love for God’s Word, and interest in knowing the whole story.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

SUMMARY

To all my devoted students and lovers of God’s Word. We just finished the continuation of the contentious challenge between Jesus and the various religious and legal groups that dominated the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem.

It all started back in Chapter 21 after Jesus came riding toward Jerusalem on the back of the young donkey. The chief priests and teachers of the law were already upset and aggravated that this prophet from Galilee had gone into the Temple and overturned the tables of the merchants selling various sacrificial materials and religious trinkets. And now even the children were shouting Hosanna and calling Him the Son of David, which was a clear reference to the expected Messiah.

Jesus’ disciples may have been wavering in their faith and trust in His ability to get the job done, so our Lord shows them clearly that by having faith they can even cause a fig tree to wither. They did not know what Jesus knew as they returned to the city from Bethany the next day to minister in the Temple courts, the chief priests and elders were waiting for them. They immediately confronted Him and wanted to know by what authority He was teaching religious subjects performing miracles.

When they were stumped by His question concerning their lack of support for John the Baptizer, Jesus then attempted to help them see the light by telling several parables. The first was the story of a king who invited special guests to the wedding of his son. When they refused his invitation, then he told his servants to go out and invite those standing on the street corners looking for work to come. Our Lord was no doubt hoping that they would see this as an illustration of their being the educated and affluent ones in Israel invited to be part of the Messiah’s mission, but since they rejected Him, now the Samaritans and Gentiles would take their place.

They apparently got the point, because they immediately changed the subject to whether or not it was right for Jews to pay taxes to the Romans. It was not very effective because Jesus merely pointed to the image on the coin and said: If that’s Caesar’s face, then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But since you were created in the image of God, then give to God what belongs to God.

After this defeat, they then approached Him with a question about the resurrection. But again, Jesus was aware of their trickery and pointed to their own teachings as saying that after the resurrection marriage would no longer be a question since those raised from death would be of neutral gender like the angels where procreation is not needed.

With this stinging rebuke, they tried again with a question about the commandments, and which one was the greatest. Jesus knew that along with the Ten Commandments and the various Levitical laws given to Moses, Jewish teachers of the law had added even more until they had a list of 613. Some things that should not be done and some that should be done. So they were curious which one of those 613 He would choose. In His brilliance, he told them that every requirement contained in this long list of laws could be fully met by successfully completing just two: Love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and abilities, coupled with loving their neighbor as themselves.

But before they could come back with another pointless question, Jesus asked them one: “Whose son will the Messiah be?” They were quick to responded: “The son of king David.” Then Jesus countered: Then why did the Holy Spirit inspire David to say: “Adonai says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool‘,”¹ if the Messiah was David’s son? This time, they not only had no answer, but they had no more questions.

And with that, the door opened and the time came for Jesus to now concentrate on explaining to His disciples and those who were following Him what was about to happen. With that, He started on the final part of the path that led to His death on the cross at Calvary. From here on out it would all be all about the conclusion of His mission here on earth and the end times before His return. That will be the subject starting in Chapter 23.

SPECIAL NOTICE: At this point, we will be taking a short break while my wife and I attend a family wedding in California. When we come back, we will start our journey with the Lamb of God as He readies Himself for sacrifice on the cross, all for our sake. It will be heartbreaking at times, but it was worth all the pain and suffering to redeem God’s creation from certain annihilation in a fiery pit so they could receive the gift of everlasting life in the presence of God Almighty.

May God richly bless you for your unwavering dedication in studying His Word so that by knowing more about Him, you can get closer to Him.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Part XIII

Verse 46 (Con’t): In Isaiah, we find the following verses, “Family of David, listen very carefully! Is it not enough that you would test the patience of humans? Will you now test the patience of my God? But the Lord will still show you this sign: The young woman will become pregnant and will give birth to a son. She will name Him, Immanuel.”¹ Then Isaiah adds this, “This will happen when that special child is born. God will be giving us a son who will be responsible for leading His people. His name will be ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.’”² The prophet goes on, “This branch will grow from Jesse’s roots. The Lord’s Spirit will always be with this new king to give him wisdom, understanding, guidance, and power. The Spirit will help Him know and respect the Lord. He will find joy in obeying the Lord.”³ These verses have been accepted by Christians and many Jews as a clear reference to the Messiah and was fulfilled by none other than Jesus of Nazareth.

Then according to Jeremiah, “When He rules, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This will be His name: Adonai Tzidkenu [ADONAI does what’s right].⁴ To this Ezekiel adds: “Then I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be the ruler living among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.”⁵ So we can see why the Jews waited so expectantly for this Messiah to come. However, they saw Him as a political liberator rather than a spiritual one. That’s why when the unknown prophet from Galilee showed up without riding in on a white horse followed by armed supporters, they could not imagine that He was the Messiah they were looking for.

The early church fathers had their opinions on the outcome of this one-sided discussion since it appears that all the opponents of Jesus could do was ask questions. And even though Jesus gave them answers, they themselves had no answers to His questions. For instance, Origen writes: “The reason they dared not to ask Him even another word was this, that having been asked themselves, they could not respond. For if their question had come from a desire to learn, then they would never have proposed their questions to Him. They dared not ask Him anything now. For they were asking Him only as tempters, and for this reason, He chose to confuse them by their own question so that, blushing, they might back away from His directness and thereafter ask Him nothing further.”⁶

Origen makes a good point here. If these people had come to really learn something from Jesus about the subjects they had in mind, they would not have asked them in such a way as to trick Him into saying something they could then ridicule. Early church theologian Jerome makes this same point: “The Pharisees and Sadducees had been looking for an opportunity for deceiving Him, looking to find some word that might be taken advantage of by the plotters. Yet they had been totally confounded in their conversations. So they asked nothing further. What did they do then? All they could do was turn Him over to the custody of the Roman authorities. From this, we learn that the faults of the jealous are indeed able to be overcome but are difficult to put to rest.”⁷ But this should not surprise us. After all, look what happened to Satan when he tried to trick our Lord during His time in the wilderness. He was not successful then, nor was he successful when he inspired these critics to do the same.

So as we can see, the Pharisees were quick to answer that everyone knew the Messiah would be a descendant of king David. Then came the hook. Our Master quoted from the Psalms.⁸ We must take into consideration that the Jews’ understanding of the Messiah during the time Jesus was here on earth had undergone a transition from what they read in the book of Isaiah. In the prayer, by Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, we find a clue as to what they understood the role of this Messiah to be, “The LORD will judge even the lands that are far away. He will give power to His king. He will make His Anointed One strong.”⁹

Jewish scholars tell us, it was after the fall of the Maccabean dynasty, when the despotic government of Herod the Great and his family, and the increasing tyranny of the Roman empire had made their condition ever more unbearable, that the Jews sought refuge in the hope of a personal Messiah. They yearned for the promised deliverer of the house of David, who would free them from the yoke of the hated foreign power, would put an end to the godless Roman rule, and would establish His own reign of peace and justice in its place. In this way, their hopes became gradually centered in a desperately needed Messiah.

As evidence that in the Roman period the Messianic hope had become universal among the Jews may be adduced from what Flavius Josephus had to say: “That then should their city be taken, as well as their holy house, when once their temple should become firmly established…about that time, one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth.”¹⁰ And Roman historian Tacitus, who made note that, “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus,”¹¹ also spoke of the Jews fascination with a divine deliverer, “There had been seen hosts joining battle in the skies, the fiery gleam of arms, the Temple illuminated by a sudden radiance from the clouds. The doors of the inner shrine were suddenly thrown open, and a voice of more than mortal tone was heard to cry that the gods were departing. At the same instant, there was a mighty stir as of departure. Some few put a fearful meaning on these events, but in most there was a firm persuasion, that in the ancient records of their priests was contained a prediction of how at this very time the East was to grow powerful, and rulers, coming from Judaea, were to acquire universal empire.”¹²

Even Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius, a Roman historian who lived from circa 59-122 AD, writing about Vespasian,¹³ made the following observation, “A firm persuasion had long prevailed through all the East, that it was fated for the empire of the world, at that time, to designate some who should go forth from Judaea. This prediction referred to a Roman emperor, as the event showed; but the Jews, applying it to themselves, broke out into rebellion, and having defeated and slain their governor, routed the lieutenant of Syria, a man of consular rank, who was advancing to his assistance, and took an eagle, the standard, of one of his legions.”¹⁴ Also in the heart of the Jewish prayer life, we find this prayer, “The offspring of your servant David may you speedily cause to flourish, and enhance his pride through Your salvation, for we hope for Your salvation all day long. Blessed are you, HaShem,¹⁵ Who causes the pride of salvation to flourish.”¹⁶

So Jesus’ question about whose Son the Messiah would be, had to be processed by these Pharisees with all these views in mind. However, although they did answer correctly that it would be a descendant of David, they were looking for someone totally different than Jesus of Nazareth. So the question is, if this, was in fact, David’s son, then why does David call his son, Lord? Had the Pharisees been thinking of the person of the Messiah on a spiritual basis, they may have seen the light. But they were contemplating the person of the Messiah on a human basis.

Therefore, as a descendant of David, the true Messiah would come to sit on David’s throne and from there rule Judea and eventually the whole world. There were looking for someone to be a successful and victorious prince, coming to deliver them out of the hands of their temporal enemies. But if He were David’s son, then how could David see Him as someone higher, someone divine? This is what puzzled them. How could a human king like David, be the forebearer of a divine king called the Messiah?

Matthew says the Pharisees were at a loss for words. As a matter of fact, from that day forward none of His opponents dared ask Him any more questions. No doubt, for fear of being embarrassed again and made to look like blind men trying to lead the blind. Job experienced a similar situation, as his friend Elihu pointed out to him, “Job, these men lost the argument. They don’t have anything more to say. They don’t have any more answers. I waited for them to answer you. But now they are quiet. They stand there with nothing more to say.”¹⁷

This point in Matthew’s Gospel account is a critical turning point in the life of Jesus. From here on He will walk in the shadow of the cross waiting for Him up on Calvary’s brow, beckoning Him to come as the Lamb of God to be slain so that His blood can be used as the atonement for the sins of all who believe. This will influence His actions and words from now on until He quietly enters the room where the disciples are hiding for fear of the Jewish authorities, and says confidently to them, “Peace be with you!”¹⁸

1 Isaiah 7:14

2 Ibid. 9:6

3 Ibid. 11:1-3

4 Jeremiah 23:6 – Complete Jewish Bible

5 Ezekiel 34:24

6 Origen: Commentary on Matthew 5

7 Jerome: Commentary on Matthew 4.22.46

8 Psalm 110:1

9 I Samuel 2:10, (cf. Daniel 7:25)

10 Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Bk. 6, Ch. 5:4

11 Tacitus, The Annuals, Bk. 15

12 Tacitus, The Histories, Bk. 5:13

13 Vespasian was Roman emperor from 69 – 79 AD who besieged Jerusalem during the Jewish rebellion in 66 AD, some 30 years following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

14 C. Suetonius Tranquillus, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, T. Flavius Vespasianus Agustus, IV

15 HaShem is Hebrew meaning, “The Name,” which was substituted for the real name for God which the Jews feared to repeat in order to prevent them from saying His name in vain.

16 Amidah, Blessing #15, For the Messianic King

17 Job 32:15-16

18 Luke 24:36

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Part XII

When it comes to treating our neighbor as ourselves, one Jewish commentator adds this: “While on the subject of what may have caused ill feeling in the first place, the Torah outlaws not only that one reacts by committing similar acts by taking revenge, but forbids even holding a grudge against such a person, or pointing out to him how righteous one is by not acting as he has done. Not only must one not harbor negative feelings against one’s fellow, but (as a general rule) one must strive to love one’s peers in a manner that shows one considers his peer’s personal interests as just as dear to one as he does himself.”¹

Yet, in the 613 positive and negative laws of the Old Testament that the Jews call their Mitzvot,² we find number 26, which, based on this scripture, states: “To love all human beings who are of the covenant.” The great Jewish teacher Maimonides in his listing places it as number 206 with this qualifier: “To love every member of our people.” We know from the Bible and many Jewish writings, what the Jews thought of Gentiles and Samaritans, so it would only be natural that they took Jesus’ statement here to mean loving their fellow Jews. So all 613 laws are reduced to two. Then our Lord explains why:

Verse 40: “All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”

The Aramaic Version renders verse 40 this way: “On these two commandments hang the Torah and the prophets.” In other words, from these two commandments all other laws, rules, guidelines, principles, etc., expressed in the written and verbal law, draw their strength. After all, as one venerated Rabbi used to say: “By three things is the world sustained: By the Law, by the Temple-service; and by deeds of loving-kindness.”³ So a summation of the whole Law into two or three was not new. That’s why there was no immediate rejection from Jesus’ listeners. In this case, Jesus was saying that by keeping these two commandments, a person in effect keeps all others.

So as we can see, that all these opponents of Jesus were trying their luck at tripping Jesus with trick questions. Even today, believers are faced with the same issues, when confronted with what are called: “paradoxical questions.” The problem with such inquiries is that they contain a logical fallacy based on a false preposition fueled by a false presumption. One of the most famous was pointed out by the apostle Paul to Titus concerning the saying of the Greek poet, Epimenides who said: “All Cretans are liars.”¹ Since Epimenides was himself a Cretan, therefore we could say that he was a liar, and what he said was untrue. However, if in fact, all Cretans were liars, then what Epimenides said was true. As you can see, there may be no way to find the answer to such questions.

While in the military, I was confronted in the hallway one day by a fellow soldier who was very critical of born-again Christians. He asked me quite loudly, so his fellow soldiers in a nearby room could hear him, “Do you believe there is nothing impossible with God?” I answered quickly, “Absolutely!” Then he said, “So, can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it?” I paused for a moment, and then the Holy Spirit gave me this to say. “Your question is limited to this earth. If God can lift this whole planet, then certainly He can lift any rock on this planet because there is no gravity out in space.” I heard laughter coming from inside the room. He smiled and said to me, “Seyda, you’re good!” and walked away.

These critics wanted Jesus to choose one law over another so that they could accuse Him of being narrow- minded. But Jesus turns the tables on them by giving them commandments from Deuteronomy,⁴ and Leviticus,⁵ in a way that forced them to agree that all other laws were covered by these two. This they had no interest in doing because both of these are commandments were from God Himself. Jesus knew that their attitude was similar to that of Ephraim in the Old Testament where God confessed: “Even if I wrote 10,000 laws for Ephraim, he would treat them as if they were for somebody else.”⁶ But this time, Jesus decided it was His turn. So our Lord poses a Messianic question for His detractors.

Verses 41-42: So while the Pharisees were standing there, Jesus asked them a question. He said, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He?” The Pharisees answered, “The Messiah is the Son of David.”

Chrysostom shares the following thought in a sermon on this text: “Remember how many miracles have preceded this dialogue—after how many signs, after how many questions, after how great a display of His union with the Father in deeds as well as in words—now Jesus asks His own question. After so many previous events, He is now quietly leading them to the point of confessing that He is God. He does this so that they may not be able to say that He is an adversary to the law and a foe to God, even though He has worked mighty miracles.”⁷ It seems clear that once these Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and Herodians made up their minds to reject Jesus’ claim of being sent from God, they stubbornly closed their eyes, ears, and hearts to any truth that might be presented to them.

Chrysostom has more to say: “With His own disciples…He had asked first what the others say and only then what they themselves say. But in this case, He did not proceed in this way. For surely they would have said a deceiver and a wicked one, speaking all things without fear. So for this cause, He inquires directly for the opinion of these men themselves.”⁸ This was another way of our Lord saying to them: I’ve told you what I think, so now I want to let you tell me what you think.

Chrysostom concludes: “For since, He was now about to go on to His Passion, He sets forth the prophecy that plainly proclaims Him to be Lord. It is not as if the call to confession has emerged without any precipitating occasion, or from no reasonable cause or as if he had this as His prior aim. For He had already brought the issue to their attention, and they had answered that He was a mere man, in opposition to the truth. Now He is overthrowing their mistaken opinion. This is why He introduces David into the discussion, that His true identity and divinity might be more clearly recognized. For they had supposed that He was a mere man, yet they also say that the Christ is ‘the Son of David.’ Hence He now brings in the prophetic testimony to His being Lord, and to the genuineness of His sonship and His equality in honor with His Father.⁹”¹⁰

Verse 43-45: Jesus said to them, “Then why did David call Him ‘Lord’? David was speaking by the power of the Spirit when he said, ‘The LORD God said to my Lord: Sit next to me on my right side, and I will put your enemies under your control.’ David calls the Messiah ‘Lord,’ so how can he be David’s son?”

One Medieval Rabbi answers the question this way: “Our Rabbis interpreted it as referring to Abraham our father, and I shall explain it according to their words: ‘The word of the Lord to Abraham, whom the world called “my master,” as it is written¹¹: “Hearken to us, my master.’”¹² A German polemic Jewish writer adds his view: “The truth is that David said this passage about himself. Its meaning, then, is as follows: The Lord said unto me concerning my lord Saul who was pursuing me, ‘Sit at my right hand and I shall make your enemy Saul your footstool.’”¹³

In fact, one Jewish Targum (paraphrase) of this verse is as follows: “The Lord said in His decree to make me lord of all Israel, but He said to me, ‘Wait still for Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to die, for one reign must not encroach on another; and afterwards I will make your enemies a prop for your feet.’” Another Targum: “The Lord spoke by His decree to give me the dominion in exchange for sitting in study of Torah. ‘Wait at my right hand until I make your enemies a prop for your feet.’” Another Targum has: “The Lord said in his decree to appoint me ruler over Israel, but the Lord said to me, ‘Wait for Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to pass away from the world; and afterwards you will inherit the kingship, and I will make your enemies a prop for your feet.’”

But Jesus was interested in what they thought of David talking to the Messiah who is supposed to be his future son, and telling his future son to sit next to him. Now this is what they said, not what Jesus said. So He is trying to clarify their words. So what did they have to say?

Verse 46: None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus’ question. And after that day, no one was brave enough to ask Him any more questions.

But, our anonymous German polemic writer was not about to let Christians think that Jesus could be considered for the role of the Messiah that David was referring to. He tells of a Rabbi Solomon son of Abun who used to answer Christians who made that argument using this verse. Rabbi Solomon stated: “The [heavenly] Father told His Son [Jesus], ‘Sit at my right hand in heaven and don’t descend among your enemies the Jews until I destroy them, subdue them and make them a footstool for you.’ But the Son, i.e., the hanged one, was a wayward and defiant Son who did not obey His Father and descended in defiance of His will. The father, then, in His anger, caused the Jews to judge Him as a wayward and defiant son should be judged, indeed, the Jews are sons of prophets and knew that this is what He actually was, and so they killed Him for violating His Father’s command. When, however, they were unable to carry out the precise sentence of a wayward and defiant Son because of His sorcery, they carried out the sentence mentioned in an adjoining verse: ‘If a man is guilty of a capital offense and is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, [his body is not to remain all night on the tree, but you must bury him the same day, because a person who has been hanged has been cursed by God]¹⁴. . .”¹⁵

What this skeptic fails to see is that Jesus did not die as punishment for His defiance of God, but He died on the cross to save all those who are defiant before God. He was not sacrificed on the cross as part of His death sentence, but to remove the death sentence of sin of all who believe. And in so doing, He was not going against His Father’s will, but doing the will of His Father. There are several other factors behind the question Jesus submits to the Pharisees.

1 See Titus 1:10-14

2 Tzror Hamor, op. cit., Leviticus 9:17-18: Kedoshim, p. 1394

Sir Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), a British politician, novelist, essayist, and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was speaking before parliament on Tuesday, January 24, 1860, concerning an earlier address by the Queen. In his speech, he made this statement: “It is much easier to be critical than to be correct.

How often have we felt that same impulse to criticize when we hear someone misspeak during a speech, or an athlete make a bad play or a singer forget the lyrics to a well-known song? Our disapproval can either be based on the fact that we don’t like inconsistencies when someone is given such a public stage, or that we are so intent on wanting to see them do it right that we feel disappointed when they fail.

Many times, our response is based on perception rather than facts. Most of us who’ve watched the Olympics know that the judges are very strict, especially in the diving competition and gymnastics. But often, we are informed by a personal story of what those athletes went through to get to where they are. Some overcame severe illnesses, horrible accidents, poor living conditions, or other disadvantages. So often we find ourselves upset when those Olympic judges ignore such facts because they are always looking for perfection.

So the next time you feel the compulsion to speak out against what someone said or did that you think was wrong, first get the facts. You may learn that they were trying to do their best, not being their worst. And always keep this in mind: Just as you are watching them, they are watching you. So if you want them to be understanding when you make a mistake, try to be as equally understanding when they make an error. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

A TIME OF CRISIS

[I wrote this article some three years ago, and after reviewing it I wanted to share it with you again.]

What would you do if you were suddenly assigned the task of leading a large group of people out of being disconcerted, upset, downhearted, hard-headed, and wanting to give up and throw in the towel to defeat? Your success or failure would have a major impact on you as a leader, on your family, on your friends, and on those who are counting on you. Furthermore, you’ve never done anything quite like this before, especially with this magnitude.

Say you are a pastor, youth leader, group leader, Sunday school teacher, church administrator, Lay leader, or serve in any host of positions where strong and dedicated leadership is needed to move forward toward the goal God has placed in front of you. But you know it will not be easy; you also know that not everyone will respond enthusiastically to your leadership and may even try to discourage you.

Well, that’s what happened a long time ago to a spiritual leader named Moses. God had given him the assignment to take the children of Israel on to the Promised Land now that they had escaped the slavery of Egypt. But even more shockingly, God told Moses to do it on his own, that He was not going along because if He did the stubbornness and rebelliousness of the people might cause Him to destroy them.¹ But in fairness, God also told Moses that He would send angels ahead of him to defeat all their enemies.

So Moses had to consider either turning God down and refusing to take the chance or going ahead with the risk. If he succeeded, it would make him look like a champion with streets, buildings, and statues named after him. Instead, Moses took another route. He went to God and said without any equivocation: If you don’t personally go with us, then I refuse to go! After all, these are Your people, and You are the one who called me, and this is what You want for them.²

God was so moved, that He vowed right then and there to Moses that His presence would go with him every step of the way and that He would ensure Moses complete peace of mind by always being right by his side. What a lesson for all of us when called on to lead. Regardless of how much we may know and no matter how many plans we make and how much consultation and guarantees we may get from others, we must be absolutely resolute that we will not take one step forward unless God’s presence goes with us each step of the way. – Dr. Robert R Seyda