Down an Unfamiliar Road

YOU CAN’T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER

Sometimes, I get tired of all the commercials on TV because they seem endless and I want to see the program. But I realize they are the ones paying the bill so why not endure it. However, there is another lesson to be learned from such ads. Take for instance the ad to help cure acne; the one for arthritis pain; the one for headaches; the one for high blood pressure, cholesterol; the ones advertising cancer and diabetes treatments, just to mention a few.

However, if there were no diseases like acne, arthritis, headaches, high blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer, diabetes etc., these cures and treatments would not be advertised! The same goes for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the forgiveness of sins; and the way to salvation. If there were no sin and no consequences of sin then Christianity and the preaching of the gospel would not exist; there would be no cross, no resurrection, and no return of the Messiah. Why ask people if they want to be saved, if you don’t tell them what they are being saved from?

Why then, please tell me, do so many ministers only talk about how loving and caring and forgiving God is, extolling His love and grace and mercy, without mentioning the severe consequences if such love and grace and mercy are ignored? If we are all going to heaven no matter what, then close down the churches, sell the pulpits and pews for firewood and let’s have a party until we die! The truth of the matter is this, that without God’s grace and love and mercy; without Christ’s death on the cross and His miraculous resurrection; without the blood that washes away all sin, our destiny is eternal punishment.

What would you think of someone going around offering a cure for a disease that no one has? What would you say about someone offering free airfare to a place that does not exist? Why preach heaven, if there is no hell? Why preach salvation, if there is no punishment for sin? Why preach eternal life, if there is no eternity? Yes, it is God’s desire that none should perish, that all should be saved, but that’s because we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In other words, one has no meaning without the other. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Part V

Verse 14: “It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You cheat widows and take their homes. Then you make long prayers so that people can see you. So you will have a worse punishment.”¹

There are a number of Greek manuscripts that do not include this verse. But I want to include it because it harmonizes with what Jesus is saying. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus says, “For there was a certain sect of men that were Jews, who valued themselves highly upon the exact skill they had in the law of their fathers and made men believe they were highly favored by God, by whom…women were misled.”² As such, the women were led to believe that by honoring these Pharisees, and giving them whatever they asked for, they were honoring God. Such scoundrels forgot about the warning Moses gave: “You must never do anything bad to women whose husbands are dead or to orphans. If you do anything wrong to these widows or orphans, I will know it. I will hear about their suffering. And I will be very angry.”³ Yet, after such scams they still had the aloofness and arrogance to stand in public and pray long prayers.

In the Talmud, we find this notation: “The pious men of old used to wait for an hour and pray for an hour and then wait again for an hour. But seeing that they spend nine hours a day over prayer, how is their knowledge of Torah is preserved and how do they get their work done? [The answer is] that because they are pious, their Torah knowledge is preserved and their work is blessed.”⁴ So we can see, long prayers were an honored tradition among pious Jews.

But one early church writer did not have such admiration for these heartless Pharisees who spent all their time in prayer, not in seeking on how to give, but how to get. He writes: “It is just for anyone who does evil to receive deserved retribution. But in this case, we have one who is using prayers as a cloak for his own wickedness. And he is deriving even the reason for his greed as godliness. Surely, he is justly liable to a far more grievous punishment. So why did God not stop this and depose them? Because the time had not yet come. He leaves them time for repentance for a while. But by His sayings, He tries to prevent His own disciples from being similarly deceived or to be drawn to emulate these men because of the dignity of their positions. Earlier He said, ‘Observe whatever they tell you but not what they do.’⁵ For they do many things wrong.”⁶ 

Verse 15: “It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites. You travel across the seas and across different countries to find one single convert who will follow your ways. When you find that person, you make him worse than you are. And you are so bad that you belong in hell!”

This verse in the earliest Hebrew version of Matthew reads this way: “You encompass sea and land to bind the heart of one man to your faith and when he is bound he is doubly worse than before,” and is rendered as part of verse 14. So there may have been some redaction or notes that got from the margin into the text along the way. However, since this was addressed to the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day, then we need only to focus on the principle involved, and that is to be sure that those we win for the kingdom of God are followers of Christ, not followers of ourselves.

It was established in Jewish verbal tradition by a well-known spokesmen who said: “He who teaches Torah to his neighbor’s son is regarded by Scripture as though he had fashioned him, as it is written, and the souls which they had made in Haran.⁷”⁸ In the same place, we find where another Rabbi adds: “He who influences his neighbor to fulfill a precept is regarded by Scripture as though he had done it himself, for it is written, ‘The Lord said unto Moses . . . take . . . your rod, wherewith you smote the river;’⁹ did Moses then smite it? Aaron smote it! But, he who causes his neighbor to fulfill a precept, is regarded by Scripture as though he had done it himself.”¹⁰

Early church writer Jerome saw the action of these hypocrites this way: “The scribes and the Pharisees were reviewing the whole world on account of the business and diverse profits taken by their disciples. These profits were taken under the pretense of sanctity.”¹¹ In other words, they classified what they were doing as good works worthy of public support. It reminds me of the promotional advertisement used by some radio and televangelists who claim that if the hearer or viewer sends in money they will receive a blessing. And the higher the amount, the greater the blessing. Some of these individuals even claim that they heard such directions directly from God’s voice.

Chrysostom in one of his sermons has this to say: “The scribes and Pharisees have laid endless toil upon others. This should draw them toward being more empathetic with others’ burdens. But the things that we acquire easily we care less about. So even their unfair advantages do not render them more gentle. Here He lays to the charge of the priests two things. First, that they have been unprofitable for the salvation of many. They have forgotten that they need much toil in order to win over even one. And second, that they were remiss in the preservation of those whom they had won. Not only were they careless but traitors. We see this from the wickedness of their lives, corruption and making others worse. When a disciple sees his teacher as being corrupt, he becomes even more so. He does not stop at his teacher’s corruption.”¹²

There is an interesting story about a Hebrew scholar named Shammai who was a contemporary of Jesus. The Rabbis taught: “A certain non-Jew once came before Shammai and asked him, ‘How many Toroth¹³ have you?’ ‘Two,’ he replied: ‘the Written Torah and the Verbal Torah.’¹⁴ ‘I believe you with respect to the Written, but not with respect to the Verbal Torah [said the Jew]; make me a proselyte on condition that you teach me the Written Torah only.’ But he scolded and repulsed him in anger. When he went before Hillel, he accepted him as a proselyte. On the first day, he taught him, Alef, beth, gimmel, daleth;¹⁵ the following day he reversed [them ] to him. ‘But yesterday you did not teach them to me this way,’ he protested. ‘Does this mean then that you rely on me? Then also rely on me with respect to the Verbal [Torah].’”¹⁶ In other words, it was not enough that this non-Jew learn the written word, but also accept the verbal word of Hillel as being equally necessary.

Today, we might see this if a non-Christian came to a member of the Latter-day Saints and ask how many Bibles are there and being told there are two. One being the Bible, and the other being the Book of Mormon. In addition, they have two other texts – the Book of Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. Each reads very much like the Bible in type and breadth of thematic concerns and literary forms (history, law, psalm). Even the rhetorical stance of each canon is biblical: God is speaking to prophets faced with temporal crises of spiritual significance. In terms of the authority granted these texts, all have equal weight, including both Bible testaments, as historical witnesses to God’s promise of salvation, enacted by covenant with the Israelites and fulfilled in the atonement of Jesus Christ as the only begotten of the Father.¹⁷

We also read where Jews were encouraged Jews to purchase heathen slaves and convert them to Judaism. In doing so, says Rabbi Ammi in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish, “You bring them under the wings of the Shechinah.”¹⁸ There are many sayings and teachings in Judaism on proselytes and proselytizing. It was an exacting science, and the rules had to be followed to the letter of the verbal law.

Here are some of the instructions found in the Talmud: “The Master said, ‘If a man desires to become a proselyte . . . he is to be questioned as follows: “What reason have you for desiring to become a proselyte . . .” and he is made acquainted with some of the minor, and with some of the major commandments’. What is the reason? — In order that if he desires to withdraw let him do so; for Rabbi Helbo said: “Proselytes are as hard for Israel [to endure] as a sore, because it is written in Scripture. ‘And the proselyte shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob’.””¹⁹ But it gets worse when we read this: “Rabbi Helbo said: Proselytes are as injurious to Israel as a scab, for it is said: And the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. Here it is written. [This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy . . .] and for a rising, or for a scab.”²⁰

This attitude may have come from what happened in Persia when the Jews were liberated by the death of Haman, “Wherever the king’s command was read in every province and every city, there was joy and gladness among the Jews. They were having parties and celebrating. Many of the common people from other groups became Jews. They did this because they were very afraid of the Jews.”²¹ Perhaps that is why the Pharisees had to look so hard and long to find a proselyte. But what upset Jesus, was the fact that they would mold that new believer into a more righteous fool and arrogant Jew than the Pharisee himself was.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Part IV

Verse 12:       “People who think they are better than others will be humbled. But people who humble themselves will be honored.”

Solomon says, “Wisdom teaches you to respect the Lord. You must be humbled before you can be honored”¹ Also, “Pride is the first step toward destruction. Proud thoughts will lead you to defeat. It is better to be a humble person living among the poor than to share the wealth among the proud.”² And he goes on to say, “Your pride can bring you down. Humility will bring you honor.”³

One of the proudest potentates in the Old Testament found this out, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise, honor, and glory to the King of Heaven. Everything He does is right. He is always fair, and He is able to make proud people humble!”⁴ Unfortunately, many in the early church got away from this idea of humility. Down through church history, we can see this malady raise its head again and again.

Several early church fathers must have been disturbed by trends they saw in their day, and so they have some strong words to say about what it means to humble oneself. For instance, Chrysostom put this in his sermon on the subject: “For nothing is as crucial as the practice of modesty. This is why Jesus is continually reminding them of this virtue, both when He brought the children into the midst and now. Even when He was preaching on the mount, beginning the Beatitudes, this is where He began. And in this passage He plucks up pride by the roots, saying, ‘Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’⁵”⁶

If there was ever anyone who could go around bragging about His position in the Godhead and His anointing as the Messiah, it was Jesus of Nazareth. But He followed the examples of Abraham and Moses and gave God all the glory. Then Chrysostom says: “See how He draws the hearer right over to the contrary thing. For not only does He forbid them to set their hearts upon the first place but also requires them to follow after the last. For so shall you obtain your desire, He says. So one who pursues his own desire to be first must follow and take up their position in last place.”⁷ This certainly goes back to where Jesus taught that when you enter a banquet hall, don’t take the highest seat of honor on the platform but the lowest, so that if you are moved it will be a promotion, not a demotion.⁸

Then, Chrysostom finishes making this point: “And where will we find this humility? Go to the city of virtue, to the tents of the holy men, to the mountains, to the groves. There you may see this height of humility. For these persons, some illustrious from their rank in the world, some having had wealth, in every way put themselves down, by their clothing, by their dwelling, by those to whom they minister. As if they were written characters, they throughout all things are writing the story of humility.”⁹ Just as Jesus went up to the mountain alone to pray, and did not live in luxury or wear expensive clothing, so it appears that many in the early church era, including the rich and famous, did the same.

And the Patriarch of the church in Alexandria, Egypt had this to say: “Since those who have arrived teaching new beliefs, for the most part, do so from conceit and arrogance, I will say something concerning the value of the teaching. The Lord cuts short this opinion and way as leading to destruction. He says, ‘You love glory and the places of first importance.’ Meanwhile, He desires the servant’s role and cultivates humility.”¹⁰ How different this is from when I heard that a certain well-known televangelist asked his congregation to prove their faith by footing the bill on a new jet airplane so he could get around to his appointments easier. He requested that his congregation of 200,000 plus chip in $300 dollars each to pay for a $65 million Gulfstream G650 jet. And just think, Jesus, the Son of God, walked everywhere He went.

One of the earliest church scholars, Origen, said this to his fellow ministers: “I wish everyone might hear this, and most of all deacons, priests, and bishops, especially those who think to themselves that these words were not really written: ‘He who exalts himself will be humbled.’ On this basis, they then act as if they do not know that Jesus said, ‘He who has humbled himself will be exalted.’ They do not hear Him who said, ‘Learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly of heart.’¹¹ They thought themselves to be self-inspired and through this inspiration fell ‘into the judgment of the devil.’¹² They had not thought of critically examining their false humility. They would have done better to have remembered the word of wisdom that says, ‘The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself, and you will find grace before God.’¹³ It was the Lord who provided the pattern for this process. No matter how great He was, He humbled Himself. For ‘though He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.’¹⁴”¹⁵

Verses 13-14: “It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You block the way for people to enter God’s kingdom. You yourselves don’t enter, so you stop those who are trying to get in.”

It must be first understood here that Jesus was not calling them hypocrites because they were teachers and Pharisees. Rather, He was more or less saying, if you call yourselves teachers and Pharisees, then you need to live up to your high calling. So, Jesus was not targeting the whole group but only those who were making a mockery out of their position in society. Jesus was not alone, we find that King Alexander Jannai gave his wife Salome this advice while laying on his death-bed: “Fear not the Pharisees and the non-Pharisees but the hypocrites who ape the Pharisees; because their deeds are the deeds of Zimri,¹⁶ but they expect a reward like Phineas.”¹⁷

According to Jewish historian, Josephus, Jannai also told his wife: “She should go in triumph, as upon a victory, to Jerusalem, and put some of her authority into the hands of the Pharisees; for that they would commend her for the honor she had done them, and would reconcile the nation to her for he told her they had great authority among the Jews, both to do hurt to such as they hated, and to bring advantages to those to whom they were friendly disposed; for that they are then believed best of all by the multitude when they speak any strong thing against others, though it is only out of envy at them.”¹⁸

So Jesus was singling out some Pharisees, perhaps like those the Rabbi’s described: “A foolish [overly] pious person, a crafty wicked person…the “struck” Pharisees [i.e., they strike themselves to show humility and abstinence] destroy the world.”¹⁹ In fact, both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds have disparaging things to say about them. The following hybrid description combining elements from both Talmuds mentions the different types of Pharisees.

There are seven kinds of Pharisees: (1) the “shoulder” Pharisee, who ostentatiously carries his good deeds on his shoulder so all can see them; (2) the “wait-a-moment” Pharisee, who wants you to wait while he performs a good deed; (3) the “bruised” Pharisee, who runs into a wall while looking at the ground to avoid seeing a woman; (4) the “reckoning” Pharisee, who commits a sin, then does a good deed and balances the one against the other; (5) the “pestle” Pharisee, whose head is bowed in false humility, like a pestle in a mortar; (6) the Pharisee who asks, “What is my duty, so that I may do it?” as if he thought he had fulfilled every obligation already; (7) the “Fear of the consequences” Pharisee, who is afraid if he doesn’t perform each commandment; and, the “Pharisee from love” – love for the rewards God promises for performing the commandments, or love of Torah itself.²⁰

Now our Lord gives a four-fold warning to the scribes and Pharisees for their oft pernicious methods in holding sway over the people. Extracting this sermon from its place and setting does not in the least diminish its force and essence for today’s believer. Some claim that it was a one-time affair. Like a stick of dynamite, good for only one blast. But Jesus meant for it to have a lasting effect.

I believe that it is just as relevant today as it was back then. Who then are the scribes and Pharisees of today? For sure, they are not as easily identified as belonging to any certain group or sect within Christianity. But, they are among us nevertheless, in our Christian society’s, government, leadership, administration at large, as well as at the local level in almost every church. But as in this situation, so also in our day, one would have to say to them, “Woe is thee!” The first warning involves how they police the gate to the kingdom of God.

It would be one thing if they were trying to screen people wanting into the kingdom of God by making sure they had the right identification, but they were hindering people from trying to get in because they themselves didn’t think it was right to enter. But Jesus knew their efforts were not based on any altruistic desire to prevent people from being harmed or exploited. Rather, that they were afraid that if the people did get in, they would be free from their power and authority to live in grace and mercy instead of under the bondage of the law and verbal traditions. But our Lord is not finished, He has a second warning for them.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Part III

Verses 6-7: “These men love having positions of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces and to call them ‘Rabbi.’”

We learn that the word Rabbi literally means: “my great one,” and figuratively as, “my master,” or “my teacher.” It became a title of respect used by everyone for Torah scholars, even those of the same rank.¹ No doubt, this was derived from what Jewish historians tell us about Jehoshaphat king of Judah. They say: “Every time he beheld a scholar or disciple he rose from his throne, and embraced and kissed him, calling him Father, Father; Rabbi, Rabbi; Mari, Mari!”² The Aramaic term “Mari” is equivalent to master or lord.³

When it comes to seeking places of honor and wanting to be addressed by titles of respect, early church scholars had a few things to say. For instance, Origen says: “We must first admit that this kind of delight is found not only among the scribes and Pharisees but also in Christ’s church, and not only at dinner, while taking places at the table, but also the front seats in church. These are the deacons or those who wish to become deacons, yet who ‘squander the savings of widows, praying for a good opportunity’ and yet ‘will receive a greater judgment.’ They covet even more avidly the highly visible ‘first seats’ of those called priests. Indeed, however, even they do not put as much effort into their scheming as those who are called bishops, the ones who love ‘being called Right Reverend by men.’ It is they who ought most clearly to understand that a bishop is to be ‘above reproach’ and so on,⁴²⁴ so that he would be called ‘bishop’ not by men [only] but rather before God.”⁵

Then, early church preacher Chrysostom gives his input: “Everything Jesus accused them of was small and trifling. Yet He was dealing with the cause of all the evils: ambition, the violent seizing of the teacher’s chair, and so on. These He brings forward and corrects with diligence, confronting this strongly and earnestly charging them. His own disciples needed to be warned about these matters.”⁶ As a minister or teacher, it is one thing to seek honor and recognition in order to elevate oneself, but it is another to receive honor which then can be attributed to the One who is responsible for our calling and anointing. This was the apostle Paul’s goal,⁷ and it should always be ours.

Verse 8: “But you must not be called Rabbis. You are all equal as brothers and sisters. You have only one Rabbi.”

So much for the Pharisees and other religious leaders, now our Lord focuses on His followers. The force of the original language here seems to place the emphasis upon title-seeking for ego’s sake, and not to do the job itself. Jesus doesn’t say “Do not seek to become a teacher,” but rather He simply admonishes them, “Do not seek to be called, teacher,” in the sense that you now have no one above you or anyone you need to consult with; as though you are the original source of this knowledge and wisdom.

This hints at the real sin involved; the search for recognition, for acknowledgment sake; to gain fame, popularity, esteem, exaltation and accolades for what one has made of themselves, rather than for what God has made them. In seminary, I often heard it said of some of my fellow seminarians, “They are here for the degree, not the education.”

If credit for hard work and study result in being appointed to help others gain greater understanding and knowledge about our Lord and our faith, there is no reason to shun the position of a teacher, as long as God gets all the credit and acclaim. Having worked with many Jewish Rabbis, I have come to the conclusion that this title today is more equivalent to the Christian term “Reverend,” than someone who claims to be a scholar and whose words cannot be challenged.

Verse 9: “And don’t call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ You have one Father. He is in heaven.”

Now, when our Lord forbids calling anyone “Father,” it is obvious He was not talking about the human term for a male parent. It would have been hard to explain away all the scriptures that speak of honoring one’s father. In seminary studies, it is part of the curriculum to study about the early church fathers. But Jesus was aiming at another use of the word “Father” that was use often applied to someone who was seen as a holy and wise interpreter of Scripture.

Three early church scholars had some interesting things to say about these titles, especially as it was understood in their day. For instance, Origen offered this commentary: “You have one teacher, and you are all brothers to each other. For you have been born anew, not only from water but also from the spirit, and you have received the spirit of adoption, so that it might be said of you that you were “born not of the flesh, nor of the will of man” but from God.⁸ It is hard to imagine this being said of anyone or any son until now. You do not call anyone on earth ‘Father’ in the sense that you say ‘our Father’ of the One who gives all things through all ages and according to the divine plan. Whoever ministers with the divine word does not put himself forward to be called ‘teacher,’ for he knows that when he performs well it is Christ who is within him. He should only call himself “servant” according to the command of Christ, saying, ‘Whoever is greater among you, let him be the servant of all.’⁹”¹⁰

Then we read in Chrysostom’s sermon on these verses where Jesus says: “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.” Chrysostom comments: “This is why Paul says, ‘For who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers?’¹¹ — not masters. Again, ‘call no man your father.’ This is said in order that they may know whom they ought to call Father in the highest sense. It is not said frivolously as if no one should ever be called father. Just as the human master is not the divine Master, so neither is the father the Father who is the cause of all, both of all masters and of all fathers.”¹²

And finally, Jerome gives his interpretation: “No one should be called teacher or father¹³ except God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the Father because all things are from Him. He alone is the teacher because through Him are made all things and through Him, all things are reconciled to God. But one might ask, ‘Is it against this precept when the apostle calls himself the teacher of the Gentiles? Or when, as in colloquial speech widely found in the monasteries of Egypt and Palestine, they call each other Father?’ Remember this distinction. It is one thing to be a father or a teacher by nature, another to be so by generosity. For when we call a man father and reserve the honor of his age, we may thereby be failing to honor the Author of our own lives. One is rightly called a teacher only from his association with the true Teacher. I repeat: The fact that we have one God and one Son of God through nature does not prevent others from being understood as sons of God by adoption. Similarly, this does not make the terms father and teacher useless or prevent others from being called father.”¹⁴

Verses 10-11: “And you should not be called ‘masters.’ You have only one Master, the Messiah. Whoever serves you like a servant is the greatest among you.”

What our Lord opposed most was anyone setting themselves up with scriptural authority over others so that they became dependent on them to interpret doctrines and ordinances instead of teachers who helped those to learn who came to them for help and instruction. This was often done to bring honor to themselves. It also put their words above the words of the law and the Bible. Thus, such devotees would no longer seek God for help and guidance, they would simply depend on the word of man.

For instance, in the Jewish Mishnah we read: “If all the sages of Israel were in one scale of the balance and Eliezer ben Hyrcanus in the other, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul, however, said in his name: If all the sages of Israel, together with Eliezer ben Hyrcanus were in one scale of the balance, Elazar ben Arach would outweigh them.”¹⁵ Jesus also forbids them accepting the title “Master.” The Greek word used here also means “guide,” or “teacher.” But it also applied to those who “mastered it over others.”

We find such a reference in Latin writings: “From the time that Rome mastered the whole of Italy she was emboldened to aspire to govern all mankind, and after driving from off the sea the Carthaginians, whose maritime strength was superior to that of all others, and subduing Macedonia, which until then was reputed to be the most powerful nation on land, she no longer had as rival any nation either barbarian or Greek; and it is now in my day already the seventh generation that she has continued to hold sway over every region of the world, and there is no nation, as I can see, that disputes her universal dominion or protests against being ruled by her.”¹⁶

In the Jewish community, this word was associated with “Rabbi.” According to Jewish resources, in the Jewish synagogues (schools) in Palestinian, the sages were addressed as “Rabbi” (my master). Jesus was not prohibiting these titles of respect to denigrate His followers, but rather that they not be tempted into thinking themselves better than anyone else, especially their brethren and fellow believers.

Chrysostom had this message for those who might misinterpret Jesus’ used of the word “one.” He says: “Previously when Jesus had asked, ‘What do you think of the Christ?’ it is worth noting that He did not say, ‘What do you think of me?’ So it is here that He says you have one master, and He does not make this subjective by saying ‘me’ but ‘the Christ.’ Yet note that this passage repeatedly speaks of the one master, the one teacher, repeatedly applying the term one. Does this term apply to the Father alone so as to reject the only begotten Son? Is the Father a guide? All would agree, and none would challenge it. And yet ‘one,’ He says, ‘is your guide, even Christ.’ For just as Christ, being called the one guide, does not cast out the Father from being guide, even so, the Father, being called Master, does not cast out the Son from being Master. For the expression ‘one’ is spoken in contradistinction to the human way of speaking and within the rest of the creation.”¹⁷

This is another way of saying that no matter how many we may have among us whose learning and studies have put them above the peers as experts on interpreting God’s Word as it relates to knowing the original languages and understanding the context through historical examination, in the end, there is only One who ranks above all others and that is God Himself. And as His children, He is the One we call Father in the sense that He is the head of our family.

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.