Down an Unfamiliar Road

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

A rather controversial author of the 19th century named Samuel Butler (1835-1902), who wrote several satirical works, is quoted as saying: “Logic is like the sword – those who appeal to it shall perish by it.”¹ This seems odd since most everyone who sees something that goes wrong ends up exclaiming, “Why didn’t they use some logic?” or, “They weren’t being logical.” The dictionary defines logic as a proper way of thinking about something according to strict principles of validity.

But how many times have you seen something that does work out against all odds and you must exclaim, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Likewise, when a person does something that you know already is impossible, you will say, “They didn’t use logic.”

Samuel Butler goes on to say that faith is appealing to the living God, and a person may perish by that too, but somehow they would rather perish depending on faith than logic. After all, everyone must perish sooner of later. This seems to be another way of saying: The value of your life can be judged by that for which you are willing to die.

Most of us have shaken our heads when we see something that looked as though it was impossible to still work out for the good. We say, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Likewise, when someone is doing well and they end up losing everything, including their wealth, reputation, and status, we roll our eyes in disbelief and say, “How could they let that happen, they didn’t use common sense.” What novelist Butler seems to be saying is that if you continually go by the same rules and standards in every situation, if it turns out good, you can credit your logic, but if it ends up being bad, then you must blame the same logic.

Therefore, be wise when utilizing your logic. Don’t blindly commit yourself to one way of thinking or reasoning just because you’ve always done it that way. Your logic may not change much, but the circumstances around you do. That’s why, as Christians, since logic involves making decisions based on a fixed set of rules and standards, we must appeal to a higher formula than man’s ideas. Just as it is stated: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them whom He called to carry out His purpose,”² then we must become better acquainted with God’s will and rules for living if we want our logic to work best for His glory and honor. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

CAN GOD COUNT ON YOU

While serving on the faculty at the International Bible Seminary in Switzerland, we were thrilled at the start of the winter semester to welcome our first students from the Netherlands. They included an engaged couple, with the young man being a pastor’s son, and his fiancée a young lady who had recently been converted. The boy was easy going, but the girl was all enthusiasm and joy in being part of this spiritually energized community of believing students.

It wasn’t long before her desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit was evident. Often during chapel, she was the last one to finish praying. In one service she broke down weeping and asked, “Why can’t I have what everyone else has? I want to be like them!” It didn’t take a psychologist to diagnose that while she felt part of the other young people, she didn’t feel equal. I didn’t know then how much that would affect her walk with Christ.

In February of next year, however, we learned that the couple was trying to decide whether or not to remain engaged. Since we weren’t in the match-making business, we chose to let them work it out with counseling from their pastor. In October we received some disturbing news that this young lady had become intimately involved with another man and her engagement with the pastor’s son was dissolved. It broke all of our hearts and we felt so disappointed that we couldn’t do more.

So when I was asked by the head of the European department to become a liaison to the Netherlands, I resolved in my heart to try and visit this student as soon as possible. As her former teacher, I wanted to see if there was anything I could do. I reminded myself that in my Personal Evangelism class I stressed that personal evangelism is not just a program, it has to be a passion for the lost in order for it to be real. I told them, when you try to win someone to Christ and they detect that it’s only part of an outreach program instead of a deep concern for their soul, it shouldn’t be surprising that they are less than enthusiastic about responding. And, if they do go along with your wishes it usually doesn’t last long.

Also, my heart burned with a promise I made to my students in that Personal Evangelism class that if ever anyone of them went astray, I would do all I could to find them. When I arrived in Holland, my first question to her pastor was if he had any update on her situation because I wanted to find her and talk to her. His response almost crushed my heart when he said, “She knows where we live and where the church is. If she’s really interested she will come to us!” However, I let him know that my interest in seeing her came from being her former teacher. It took four days before he got me her address.

When I went over to the house where she was staying and walked up to the door, my heart was beating fast. I was praying and hoping that she would be open to my visit and receptive to my concern for her spiritual condition. Her sister came to the door, and when I introduced myself she smiled and invited me in. As I stepped into the room I saw my former student standing in the living room. When she saw me her eyes widened and her expression of surprise quickly brought tears as she ran to me. She laid her head on my shoulder as she wept and wept while saying how sorry she was. I noticed that her sister, brother-in-law, and boyfriend stood and watched the whole scene, but I put it out of my mind because this may be my only chance to reach out to her and be a vessel of God’s love in getting her back into a joyful relationship with Him.

After she composed herself, I told her how much I worried about her and had been praying for her, that’s why I wanted to see her while I was there. The words she spoke next touched me deeply when she said, “I knew you would come. I didn’t know when but I knew you would find me, because of the promise you made in our class. That’s why I’m not surprised to see you because I knew if anyone would come looking for me it would be you.” I was glad to tell her that it wasn’t just me because of a promise that I made in class, but it was Jesus who was looking for her and He was merely using me to deliver His message of forgiveness and care.

We then prayed together, and I left with a sense of having fulfilled my compassion of finding a lost sheep so she could be brought back into the fold. She promised to call the next day, but I was not at the pastor’s house when she phoned. She left a message that she had to go to Rotterdam for a family emergency and would call when she got back. But I had to return to Switzerland before she was able to reach me.

Would I have been happy if I could have seen her back in church, rejoicing again in the presence of her Savior? Yes, of course! Would it have been nice if I received word from her pastor that she was once again fellowshipping and growing in the Word and knowledge of our Lord? Absolutely! But since those things were not reported to me, was I to dampen my hope and discontinue my prayers that God would work in her life to bring about restoration and unity? Absolutely not!

When I stand before the King on Judgment Day, His only concern with me will be whether or not I was faithful to His calling; whether or not I carried out His will and did what He asked me to do. For the rest of my ministry, I’ve dedicated myself to doing what God directed me to do at any given moment, and let Him be in charge of the outcome. Why? Because I trust Him! I know, there is no greater reward awaiting me in heaven than this: to be told by Him that He could trust me to be a good and faithful servant. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part III

Verse 7: “It is sorrowful that there are pitfalls in this world. Such instances will happen, but woe to the person who sets up such pitfalls.”

Jesus does not mince words in denouncing those who take innocent new believers and cause them to become discouraged, entrapped, or fall away from their faith. He expressed His sorrow that such things happen at all, especially for misconduct. But His main criticism was aimed at those who were evil enough to deliberately set up the snares and stumbling blocks that caused unsuspecting people to fall.

The Early Church fathers had much to say about this text. For instance, Origen believes: “Jesus is pronouncing woes on people scattered throughout the whole world who are subject to temptations. But the disciples, who do not contemplate the things that are seen, are not of the world. Neither is their Master of the world. Therefore, the woes do not apply to Jesus’ faithful disciples. Rather, ‘great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.‘”¹ Origen then says: “But there are some who appear to be disciples yet are still of the world. They love the world, and they love inordinately what is in it. They love the life that is led in these earthly places or the money which is in them, or the possessions or any resources whatsoever. The words ‘they are not of the world’ do not apply to them. But ‘woe for temptations to sin’ will apply to them since they are indeed of the world.”²

On the other hand, Chrysostom poses a question that may come from a skeptic: “If it is necessary that temptations come, why does Jesus call woe down on the world when He ought to help it and offer a hand? For this is the task of the physician and the protector. Cursing the world is what the man in the street does. So what are we to reply to this shameless questioner? What equal of this therapy do you seek? For though He is God, He was made man for you, took on the form of a servant, suffered all the harshest treatment and still did not fail in anything that was assigned Him. But because nothing further happened among ungrateful people, for this reason, He calls woe down on them, because after so much fostering care they continued in their unsoundness. It is just as if some sick man were enjoying fine care but refused to follow his physician’s regimen. Suppose someone lamented the patient, saying, ‘Woe to that man for his sickness, which he has increased by his own laxity!’ But in that case, no benefit comes from the lament. Here, however, there is also a kind of therapy, in that Jesus foretells what will happen and laments it.”³

Then Augustine asks: “What world are we speaking when we say ‘Woe to the world for temptations to sin?’ We speak of that world of which it is said, ‘And the world knew Him not.’⁴ We are not speaking of that world of which it is said, ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.’⁵ There is an evil world, and there is a good world. In the evil world are all the evil ones of this world. In the good world are all the good ones of this world. We often hear it said of a field: his field is full. Of what? Of wheat. Yet we say also, and say truly too, his field is full of chaff. So with a tree, one says that it is full of fruit while another says it is full of leaves. Both speak truly. The supply of leaves has not usurped the place of the fruit, nor has the supply of fruit driven out the mass of leaves. The tree is full of both. But one thing is plucked by the wind; the other is picked by the harvester. So therefore when you hear, ‘Woe unto the world because of offenses,’ do not be afraid. Love the law of God, and you will have no temptation to sin.”⁶

However, in my estimation, Jesus is not calling down a curse on the world itself or those in the world in particular. Rather, that the world will be more miserable because of those who not only cause new believers to stumble, but those who stumble will bring more misery and sorrow on themselves and those around them. Somewhat like warning people to be careful and not expose themselves to a contagious disease, because if they don’t take extra precautions and pass it on, it will make everyone sick and cause misery not only to those who have it but to those who must deal with them.

Verse 8: “If your hand or your foot causes you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body and have eternal life than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the fire that burns forever.”

Once more our Lord uses figurative language to promote an actual truth. There is no record that the disciples taught any such form of punishment in the literal sense. The point is that allowing oneself to be tempted to return to sin should be resisted to the highest degree. It is another way of teaching total abstinence from wrongdoing. The joy one has to gain by participating in these things cannot be compared to the misery one has to suffer when they do.

This was the warning given by Moses to the children of Israel, “Someone close to you might secretly persuade you to worship other gods. It might be your own brother, your son, your daughter, the wife you love, or your closest friend. They might say, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods.’ (These are gods that you and your ancestors never knew. They are the gods of the people who live in the other lands around you, some near and some far away.) You must not agree with them. Don’t listen to them or feel sorry for them. Don’t let them go free or protect them.”⁷

There is an interesting comment on this verse by one Jewish writer, who believes this could be applied to “the missionary activity among the Jews in Rome after its conversion to Christianity.”⁸ I like the way the prophet Isaiah puts it: “Stop trusting other people to save you.”⁹ The prophet Ezekiel also encourages abstinence from things that could lead to backsliding, “Throw away all the terrible idols with which you committed your crimes! Change your heart and spirit. People of Israel, why should you do things that will cost you your life?”¹⁰

This concept of Jesus using hands, feet, and eyes as elements through which a person may be tempted to become disobedient to the word and will of God, can also be seen as a reference to the community of believers as the body of Christ, and each person in that body as a distinct member, such as a hand or foot. For instance, Chrysostom states: “Jesus is not saying this about human limbs. Far from it. This is said about friends, about relatives, whom we regard in the rank of necessary limbs. Jesus also said this earlier, and now He says it again. For nothing is so harmful as bad company. For what relationship cannot do, often friendship can do, both for harm and for benefit. So He orders us with great emphasis to cut off those who are harmful to us, implying that these are people who supply temptations to sin.”¹¹

Then Jesus brings up the subject of the punishment that lies ahead for those who refuse to listen and continue to practice such sinfulness. Christ Himself lends authenticity to the existence of an eternal flaming hell. This should add more weight to our belief also. As factual and unnerving as every other statement in the Word of God, so is this acknowledgment by the Son of God that there is a place for sinners called a burning hell. This was already spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, “The sinners in Zion are afraid. Those who do wrong shake with fear. They say, ‘Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns forever?’”¹²

The one concern I have is that many who preach the Gospel today are preaching a message passed down by verbal tradition rather than one expounded from God’s Word. In Evangelical and Pentecostal circles, many early preacher’s propagated their theology based on what they heard some other minister, whom they greatly admired, say from the pulpit, but did not do any cross-referencing with the Scriptures. Thus, a popular tradition was born that would take the place of the true Gospel message of the Scripture. This was compounded by speakers who would take one Bible text and build a sermon around it that bore no resemblance to the context.

Two subjects that suffered badly under this type of traditional theology were “heaven” and “hell”. You do not have to be a great theologian to notice that it will be at the end of the millennial reign of Christ as the final judgment when the devil and all who follow him will be cast into the lake of fire. In the meantime, sinners who have died lie in the grave and await the second resurrection and first judgment when all the books will be open and every person will be judged and receive their sentence. Likewise, it will be when Christ returns in the clouds to resurrect the believer and transform the living saints to join Him in the rapture to be where He is so they can return with Him to rule and reign for a thousand years. In the interim, they await the sound of the trumpet to rise from their graves to meet Him in the air.

This then forces us to ask: if people go straight to hell when they die, why bring them back for some bogus judgment and throw them back in again? Also, why should a believer go straight to heaven and dance on the streets of gold only to be thrown back into their graves and pretend being resurrected to meet the Lord in the air? Jesus said it clearly, “I go away to prepare a place for you so that when I “come again” I can receive you to myself so that where I am you may be also.”¹³ Would that not be role-playing if we were already with Him and then came back and faked being resurrected?

The apostle Paul states, “We are confident, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”¹⁴ Notice that Paul uses the Greek word “to be” in the future tense. In other words, Paul is saying: If I had my choice between staying here in this body or leaving this body so I could be with the Lord, I rather leave. He did not say, “I will be with the Lord,” but rather, “I’d rather be with the Lord.” There are a number of other places where Paul puts, “being at home with the Lord” in the future tense, and describes it as following the resurrection so he can be with Him permanently without ever coming back.¹⁵ The question now is, do we have anything to lose by understanding Christ’s promise of eternal life this way. The answer is no! When our spirits leave this body we enter into God’s eternal presence where time does not exist.

When my father, who died in 1959, is raised from his rest on resurrection day, it will seem as only an instant since he went there to rest from his labors. Will he miss anything by not being immediately transported to heaven so he could have a head start on all of us? Of course not! Jesus will not come back until all the mansions being prepared are finished. And the work is still going on because every day there are new members of God’s family being born again in this world. So we will all arrive there at the same time on resurrection day. For many this is hard for them to accept since they have grown up on anecdotal stories of those who have passed on before them are looking down from heaven on their activities and encouraging them to do good.

So, does this mean we stop rejoicing about walking through the pearly gates and dancing on the streets of gold? No! Absolutely not! If you tell your children that you are going to take them to a famous amusement park where they can see fairy tale characters and go on spectacular rides, you will see them jump up and down; run around their neighborhood, tell all their friends about it with great excitement. But why are they rejoicing? They are not there yet! Because they know they are going! And when you get in the car to go, after a few miles the first thing they ask is, “Are we there yet?” In the same way, we rejoice about going to heaven and all the things we will see and hear there. But just like those children, we have to wait until the trip starts before we actually arrive.

Christ here firmly establishes the priority of soul over body. Our first concern should be the healing of our psychē (Greek for “soul”), rather than the well-being of our soma (Greek for “body”.) How many Christians are more concerned about the health of the physical being than the health of their spiritual being? How many believers have given more emphasis to keeping their bodies in shape than making sure their souls were sound through spiritual exercise?

Some people have even been tempted to give up their faith in God because He did not answer their prayers for physical healing. That’s because their hearts and minds were in sad shape, and they choose to remain in the status quo. How often has Christ been preached as an Aladdin’s Lamp or Emergency Room Physician for physical needs, but neglected to give Him the same importance when it comes to the believer’s soul. Jesus makes it quite clear that a one-eyed, one-armed invalid with the blessed assurance of salvation is better off than a robust herculean sinner. The main reason any of us should seek the Lord for a long and healthy life is so that we can serve Him longer and more efficiently.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part II

Verse 5: “Whoever welcomes a little child like this for my sake is welcoming Me.”

Here is another instance where we must determine what Jesus is implying by saying that to accept a little child, like the one standing in front of them, is the same as accepting Him. On other occasions, Jesus used people, places, and things to illustrate spiritual truths. But there is no evidence that He insisted that His followers accept a child looking exactly like the one He placed before them, which would require the same color of hair, eyes, height, weight, and gender. Rather, He was talking about the characteristics and essence of a child. Also, Jesus was not referencing the child’s age. He wanted them to see this child as a symbol of the innocence we see in someone who needs mentoring so that they can learn the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. Jerome gives it his interpretation: “Whoever lives so as to imitate Christ’s humility and innocence, in Him Christ is reproduced.”¹

Another Early Church interpreter of Scripture offers his commentary: “Here the Lord not only repressed the apostles’ thoughts but also checked the ambition of believers throughout the whole world so that he might be great who wanted to be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what he was by nature, we through our holy living might become—innocent, like children innocent of every sin…Therefore, what children are in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes such a person will be welcoming Christ.”²

We must remember, Jesus was answering the question of who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God. So to me, this child represents one who does what they are told to do and respects those in authority. As such, in the kingdom of heaven, to offer one’s time, help, love, mercy, and kindness to even the simplest of God’s children is showing the same kind of esteem and honor as would be shown to Christ Jesus Himself. We see this clearly in what Jesus then has to say:

Verse 6: If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to do wrong, it will be very bad for that person. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the open sea.”

Again, by keeping this in context, Jesus is not specifically referring to the age of a child, but to the naiveté and open-mindedness of a child. So we must understand our Lord’s explanation by comparing the innocent trust of a child to that of a new believer. So often there is an attempt, once a person comes to the knowledge of salvation through Christ, to pump their minds full of suggestions and motivations on how to maintain their salvation, and dump so much instruction and learning on their heads that they wither like a flower under too much heat.

But the Master is focused on something much worse, and that is persuading a new believer that some of the carnal things left over from their old nature are still permissible because all that matters is the soul. But that’s not all, He also includes those former friends of the newly born again child of God who are still in the world, and are pressuring and cajoling the young believer into returning to a sinful way of life.

As it relates to having a millstone tied around one’s neck and thrown into the sea, it was common knowledge that during a battle between Philip son of Amyntas, and Onomarchus the Phocian. Onomarchus had previously defeated Philip in two battles but was now meeting him again in a pitched battle with the Thessalonians in Thessaly. But Onomarchus lost and hanged, with the rest of his followers drowned in the sea as temple-robbers. It was known at that time that such drownings were due to stones being attached to the individuals’ bodies.³ Scholars tell us that this mode of punishment appears to have also been practiced in Syria, especially as punishment for killing one’s parents or relatives. We also learn, when reading the Lexicon called, Suidas, and the Equities of Aristophanes, that it was customary to do this in Greece. So, Jesus was not blindsiding His listeners with an unfamiliar factor.

The point here is that Jesus was saying that culprits who lead young believers into sin will be treated as worthless savages. This was not new, God Himself had also warned about the mistreatment of His children, “If anyone even touches you, it is as if they did it to the pupil of my eye. Watch and see how I will punish them.”⁴ In other words, to harm God’s children is like poking Him in the eye. When the prophet Samuel was a young lad living in the home of the high priest Eli, he witnessed how Eli’s sons were committing offenses that led many believers into debauchery. Then we learn, “Eli told his sons. ‘It is an awful thing to make the Lord’s people sin. Ordinary sin receives heavy punishment, but how much more this sin of yours that has been committed against the Lord!’ But they wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to kill them.”⁵

Certainly, our Lord’s disciples were acquainted with such practices and warnings. Also, when someone spoke of the “depths of the sea,” they were referring to the deepest part of the sea. I’ve often heard it referred to as being “out in the deep.” Most scholars also take this as a reference to the same kind of punishment that Pharaoh and his army suffered. One Jewish commentator cited this when he said: “Therefore when wicked Pharaoh exposed his pride before the Lord, and, being conceited in his heart, chased after the people of the sons of Israel. Their horses and their chariots He threw and buried in the Sea of Reeds.⁶

Also, with reference to a “millstone,” we find an explanation given in Jewish writings that this was: “the stone turned by a donkey at a mill.”⁷ We see using a donkey in this manner in the words of a venerable Jewish Rabbi’s instructions: “You may trim the hooves of a donkey that works in a mill.”⁸ However, there were various mills used by farmers and housewives that had different sized stones. In fact, in the Jewish Mishnah, we find several mentioned: “lower millstone,” “hand-mill”, and “olive-grinders mill.”⁹ But here’s a clue: in order for the stone to be placed on the shoulders, the beam-hole would need to be large enough for a human head.

But Jesus mentioned it being “hung around the person’s neck.” That then would only require a hole large enough for a rope. But in any case, either one would be like a death sentence. But we also find an interesting comparison between the use of a millstone by Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Johanan. Rabbi Judah said: “The religious guideline is, A man first marries and then studies.” Then Rabbi Johanan replies: “Yes, one will study the Torah like a millstone around the neck!”¹⁰ I’m sure, that’s not what Jesus meant as punishment! But it does reveal that even the Jews felt like trying to obey every letter of the Law was like carrying a millstone around on their necks.

Bishop Hilary asks this question: “How should we understand this spiritually? That is the deeper question. The millstone stands for blind drudgery, for pack animals are driven around in a circle with their eyes closed. And we frequently find the Gentiles referred to with the racial slur, donkey. The Gentiles do not know what they do. They are in ignorance, and their life’s work is like blind labor. Not so the Jews. For them, the path of knowledge has been set forth in the law. Insofar as they gave offense to Christ’s apostles, it was more just for them to be sunk in the sea with a donkey’s millstone tied around their neck.”¹¹

But according to Jerome, who wrote some 40 years later, when Jesus said it would be better for a person to have a great millstone fastened around his neck, “He is following the rite practiced in the provinces and telling how among ancient Jews this was the punishment for major crimes, that they be sunk in the sea with a rock attached to them. It is better for him because it is much better to receive a short, quick punishment for one’s sin than to be reserved for eternal tortures. For the Lord will not punish the same fault twice.”¹²

So to add all of this up, Jesus was talking about the danger of anyone who misleads or deliberately trips up a new believer and the penalty they deserve. His choice of having a millstone hung around their necks and taken out in a boat and dropped overboard was not suggesting that this becomes the exact form of punishment inflicted, but that such an execution leaves the guilty person with no way to save themselves from drowning. We might also surmise, this was not done after they committed the crime of deceiving the new believer, but before. In other words, their case before the judgment seat of God would fare better if they were stopped short of doing such an evil deed, rather than after it was done.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Part I

Verse 1: Around this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in God’s kingdom?”

Matthew had just written about the Temple tax and who was liable for that tax. And in Jesus’ explanation, He mentioned that the children of royalty were exempt from such taxation. Could it be that this idea of being part of God’s kingdom may have contributed to their curiosity about how to improve their own status? So, since Matthew did not have an exact time when this conversation took place, he indicates that it occurred sometime after Jesus arrived back in Capernaum, which coincided with the yearly Temple tax collection.

Jerome had his own thoughts about this: “We must seek for reasons for individual sayings and actions of the Lord. After the coin was found, after the tax paid, what do the apostles’ sudden questions mean? Why precisely ‘at that time’ did the disciples come to Jesus saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Because they had seen that the same tax had been paid for both Peter and the Lord. From the equal price they inferred that Peter may have been set over all the other apostles, since Peter had been compared with the Lord in the paying of the tax. So they ask who is greater in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus, seeing their thoughts and understanding the causes of their error, wants to heal their desire for glory with a struggle for humility.”¹

Chrysostom also mentions that because Peter was the one who asked the question on taxes and the one our Lord sent down to the shore to catch a fish that would have the coin to pay those taxes in its mouth, that in the minds of the other disciples Peter was quickly emerging as a leader of the disciples. As Chrysostom puts it: “Then being ashamed to admit what they felt, they did not openly say, ‘Why have you honored Peter above us?’ or ‘Surely he is not greater than us?’ When they became ashamed, they asked less definitely, ‘Who then is greater?’ When they had seen the three honored above the rest, they had felt nothing of the kind. But when one took the highest honor, then they were hurt.”²

Verse 2: Jesus then called a little child to come over to Him. He stood the child in front of the disciples.

Instead of going into a long dissertation or chiding His disciples for having such thoughts, Jesus decides to illustrate who He felt were the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Jerome believes that Jesus wanted to impress upon them the image of innocence. He writes: “Jesus called a child to Him to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps He actually set a child in their midst—He Himself, who had not come to be served but to serve—to show them an example of humility.”³

While I agree that over the centuries, manners, customs, and ethics have changed, I’m still convinced that in Jesus’ day, just as it is today, children represented a mindset that was open to learning, to believing, and trusting in those they esteemed as older, stronger, and wiser than they were. I don’t think that our Lord had any intention of suggesting that His disciples become as naïve and easily fooled as children, but to show how children respond to love, as well as, needing discipline from time to time in order to grow, develop, and mature into responsible adults.

Verse 3: Then He said, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never make it into God’s kingdom.”

While our Lord clearly points out the openness of a child’s mind, He also reveals the obligations for parents in the upbringing of children in the sphere of divine ethics. It’s one thing when a family does not attend church often or give much importance to the reading of Scripture, thus allowing a child to become less informed and show little interest in church activities and devotion; but when parents or adults go out of their way to instill disbelief, and through constant bickering and criticism of the church and all things godly they cause a child to turn away from what faith they did have and begin to abhor the Church, the Bible, and Christians in general, that is a different story. Even though the first neglect has a negative connotation and puts the child at a disadvantage, the second may certainly end with grievous consequences.

The penalty for causing a child to lose faith or interest in Christ and salvation is a woeful one. We all should reevaluate our attitude toward children and their place in the Christian family. But Jesus was not talking about little children in the physical sense, He was referring to the openness and belief factor intrinsic in children. Therefore, He was not entreating that believers become childish in their actions or attitudes, but to emulate a child’s willingness to believe when taught. Solomon recognized this after he replaced his father David on the throne. So, in his prayer he pleaded with God, “LORD my God, You have made me the king in my father’s place, but I am like a small child. I don’t have the wisdom I need to do what I must do.”⁴

Origen raises some questions that he feels will help his readers to better understand what Jesus is attempting to teach His disciples here. He writes: “As an act of theological and ethical reflection, let us ask what sort of a child Jesus called to Him and set in the midst of the disciples. Imagine it this way: The child called by Jesus is the Holy Spirit, who humbled Himself. He was called by the Savior and set in the middle of the disciples. The Lord wants us, ignoring all the rest, to turn to the examples given by the Holy Spirit, so that we become like the children – that is, the disciples – who were themselves converted and made like the Holy Spirit. God gave these children to the Savior according to what we read in Isaiah: ‘Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me.’⁵ To enter the kingdom of heaven is not possible for the person who has not turned from worldly matters and become like those children who had the Holy Spirit. Jesus called this Holy Spirit to Him like a child, when He came down from His perfect completeness to people, and set it in the middle of the disciples.”⁶

Something that every minister and Bible teacher can do while listening to a guest preach or teach in a seminar or worship service, that may have far less training and experience than they do, is never ask, “What can they tell me that I don’t already know?” rather, “What does God want to tell me through His servant that I need to know?” In translating this teaching of Jesus from the Aramaic, the scribe for Matthew uses the Greek word strephō, which is translated into English as, “converted” in the KJV, and “change”, in the NIV. In Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, we find the way it is used here being listed under “to change one’s mind.” This simply means to reevaluate what you have always accepted as normal and replace it with something either never used before or something that changes your real intention.

When I took my training in Clinical Pastor Education, I found out that I had to make a complete turn-around from what I was used to doing. As a senior pastor and seminary professor, I settled into the groove of meeting with people who always wanted to hear what I had to say. Now, however, I was challenged to train myself to meet with people who wanted me to listen to what they had to say. Jesus’ disciples had been raised in a culture where they were taught that the verbal teaching of the law was the scale and measuring stick by which to judge their actions. Now Jesus was telling them that the Word of God was the thing they needed to heed in order to do God’s will, not man’s will. A song that David often sang before going into the tabernacle showed his humility:

“Lord, I don’t feel proud.
I don’t see myself as better than others.
I am not thinking about doing great things
or reaching impossible goals.⁷

This is the attitude Jesus wanted the disciples to adopt as His followers. When the Lord called me to preach, I resisted because I told Him I didn’t feel prepared; that I had not studied enough or knew His Word as thoroughly as I should. So I begged Him to teach me before He sent me out. He was so gracious and answered my prayer. Even today, some fifty years later, I’m still in the erudite mode, always ready to learn more from Him and about Him.

Verse 4: “The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child.”

Early church Bishop Hilary feels that Jesus was attempting to teach His disciples to keep the message of the Good News simple so that no matter who they shared it with they could easily understand its truth. He writes: “The Lord teaches that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we revert to the nature of children, that is, we must recall the simplicity by which children understand the potential of the body and mind. He has called children all who believe through the faith of listening. For children follow their father, love their mother, do not know how to wish ill on their neighbor, show no concern for wealth, are not proud, do not hate, do not lie, believe what has been said and hold what they hear as truth. And when we assume this habit and will in all the emotions, we are shown the passageway to the heavens. We must, therefore, return to the simplicity of children, because with it we shall embrace the beauty of the Lord’s humility.”⁸

Jerome also sees in Jesus’ use of a child to teach a lesson that no matter what esteem His disciples may get or to what level of leadership they may rise among the disciples, it is the humility of a little child that should teach them how to accept such honor. Jerome has Jesus saying: “Just as this child whose example I show you does not persist in anger, does not long remember injury suffered, is not enamored inordinately by the sight of a beautiful woman, does not think one thing and say another, so you too, unless you have similar innocence and purity of mind, will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.”⁹ In other words, it does not mean believers must continue to be simple-minded, but that as they grow wiser and more mature, that they retain the simple attitude of a child who is willing to follow, willing to be led, and willing to trust the one leading them.

UPDATE FOR ALL MY WONDERFUL READERS

We just concluded an exciting journey through Chapter 17 of Matthew. We saw where Jesus took His disciples to a place they had never been before, Caesarea Philippi, way up north toward Damascus in Syria. So while He was there, He had something to show them.

Jesus asked them what rumors were going around in the city about Him. They told him that some people were saying that He might be a reincarnation of Elijah, or Jeremiah, or the prophet spoken of by Moses. When asked what they thought about all this speculation, it was Peter whom God through the Holy Spirit inspired him to say: “You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God.”

So Jesus decided to give them, even more, proof that He was, in fact, God’s Son. So they went out of town to a nearby mountain, and there Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him up on the mountain where He was transfigured right before their eyes, and they saw Him conversing with Moses and Elijah. He was so overcome that Peter suggested he be allowed to set up three holy tents in their honor. But Jesus knew such places would become objects of idolatry, so He rejected the idea.

Any thought that Jesus as the Messiah would now ride triumphant into Jerusalem with an army of followers in rebellion against Roman occupation and set Israel free was also quickly crushed. In fact, Jesus told them the future for Him looked very dim because He was destined to suffer and die.

As they descended the mountain to where the other disciples were waiting, Jesus was confronted by a man who had brought his son to be healed. But since Jesus was up on the mountain, he asked the disciples waiting there if they could heal his son who was possessed by an evil spirit that caused the boy to go into convulsions and threatened his life by throwing him into a fire and into water. But, alas, the disciples could not exorcise the demon.

Jesus was disappointed in both the man, those standing around watching, and His disciples.  But out of compassion, He cast the demon out so that everyone would know that He was, in fact, the Messiah, the Son of God. However, when he arrived back in Capernaum, the tax collectors were waiting for Him. This gave Jesus the opportunity to teach a civics lesson to His disciples.

They began to more fully understand that they were citizens of two worlds, the one run by men and the other ruled by God. They were to carry out their responsibilities to both worlds without murmuring and complaining, until the day the world dominated by human force would be replaced by the world that was driven by divine power.

So with these incidents now part of their learning and growing experience, Jesus had put them on a path that would test everything they saw, heard, and accepted about His being the One sent by God from heaven to be the Savior of lost mankind. Yet, despite all that they were shown, their egos were inflated for all the wrong reasons as we will find out in the next chapter.

I appreciate and love all of you faithful readers who have stayed with me this far on our journey through Matthew. So our next lesson will begin in Matthew, Chapter 18. I pray that God will inspire you to come along for some exciting events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Part VI

Verse 24: Jesus and His followers returned to Capernaum. There the men who collect the two-drachma Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

We were told earlier that Jesus made Capernaum His home town,¹ and that He stayed there quite often.² Besides, Peter also had a house there, which may be where Jesus stayed when He first moved to this important city on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.³ So the local Jewish officials must have checked their Temple Tax rolls and did not find any “Yeshua ben Joseph.” So they showed up at Peter’s house to inquire if this house guest paid His yearly Temple tax. This was to be expected since such laws had been put in effect after the exiles came back from Babylon and Persia to rebuild the Temple.

In the Jewish Mishnah, there is an entire tractate in the second Division called “Shekalim,” devoted to explaining the laws for paying of such taxes. There it tells us: “On the fifteenth of Adar [Feb/Mar] the tables [of the money changers who would exchange foreign currency into half shekel pieces] were set up in the Province [i.e., Jerusalem]. On the twenty-fifth [they [the money changers] sat at the Temple [indicating the urgency of paying the half shekel which was due before the first of Nissan (Mar/Apr)]. From the time they sat at the Temple, they would begin seizing collateral [of those who had not yet contributed].”⁴ So putting this together, it appears that the Temple tax collectors showed up at Peter’s house sometime before the sixth of March.

This conforms to what the venerable Rabbi Maimonides tells us: “On the first of Adar, the court would announce the collection of the half-shekel so that every single individual would prepare his half-shekel and be ready to give. On the fifteenth of Adar, the money-changers would sit in every city and would gently prod the people to give. If people gave them, they would accept it. If someone did not give, they would not compel him to give.”⁵ This tax would represent about $1.00 today. It should be noted that the fifteenth of Adar was the festive holiday of Purim, which falls one month before the celebration of Passover. Therefore, this episode concerning taxes comes right after Jesus ministry down in Gennesaret and up in Caesarea Philippi. So, it tells us that Jesus spent the better part of December and January in those two places.

Apollinaris, the Bishop of Laodicea gives us his 4^th-century understanding concerning these taxes: “This tax of the half-shekel was the law, defined by Moses, who said, ‘Each will give as redemption of his soul to the Lord, a half shekel.’⁶ The Jews collected this from everyone, and the half-shekel was paid as redemption for two souls according to the law. The rich man was not demanded more, nor the poor man less. The half-shekel is sacred, intimating nothing else than the true divine-human Mediator since everything foreshadowed this. The true redemption was the Lord who had the Father in Himself, since His nature is divine.⁷ The giving of the half-shekel is a symbol of his self-giving, and the shekel is for the redeemed soul. No one is allowed to pay more than the half, not even if he is rich. Thus, it is said, ‘For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,’⁸ that is, all the fullness of divinity, which is offered in his mediatorial work on the cross, abides in his dual nature as God-man. The richness of his divinity and the poverty of his humanity are fully integrated into one person. The half-shekel is interpreted here as his divinity, under question by the tax collectors.”⁹

Verses 25-26a: Peter answered, “Yes, of course, He does.” However, Peter then went into the house where Jesus was staying. But before Peter could say anything Jesus said to him, “The kings of the earth get different kinds of taxes from people. But who are those who pay the taxes? Are they the king’s children? Or do other people pay the taxes? What do you think?” Peter replied, “The other people pay the taxes.”

Does it surprise us, that without even checking Peter assured these Temple tax collectors that Jesus did, in fact, contribute each year? But when he went inside to check with his Master he received a somewhat cryptic greeting before he could even ask the question. Peter answered to the best of his ability, but at most it was a guess. Thus Peter, the impetuous one, who did not hesitate to answer the question of the tax collectors before he even asked Jesus if their ministry did pay taxes to the government, now has to figure out where Jesus stood on whether or not they should pay.

In his sermon, Chrysostom had this to say: “So that Peter should not think that Jesus said this after hearing it from others, He anticipated him by addressing this very thing and giving Peter, a man who up to now shrank from speaking about these things, freedom to speak about it. What He says is something like this: ‘I am free from paying tribute. For if the kings of the earth do not take it from their sons but from their subjects, how much more ought I to be free of this demand, being the Son not of an earthly king but of the King of Heaven and myself a king as well.’ Do you see how He has distinguished the sons of God from them that are not sons?”¹⁰

He obviously knew that members of the royal household did not pay taxes. As a matter of fact, even as far back as the days of King Saul, this was a factor when they were looking for someone to fight the Philistine giant, Goliath, “Whoever kills him will get rich. King Saul will give him a lot of money. Saul will also let his daughter marry the man who kills Goliath. He will also make that man’s family free from taxes in Israel.”¹¹ So where did that leave Jesus with regard to paying the tax? Before Peter could ask, our Lord gave him a big hint.

Jerome gives us his interpretation: “Our Lord was the son of a king both according to the flesh and according to the spirit, begotten either from the stock of David or from the Word of the almighty Father. Therefore, as the son of a king He did not owe tax, but as one who had assumed the humility of the flesh, He has to follow the law. We unfortunates, who are enrolled under Christ’s name and do nothing worthy of such great majesty, for us He both underwent the cross and paid our tax. But we do not pay Him tribute in return for His honor and like the sons of a king we are immune from taxes.”¹²

Verses 26b: Jesus said, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes.”

Therefore, since His Father in heaven was King of the Universe, Jesus was under no obligation to pay this Temple tax. But He also knew that discretion was the better part of valor.¹³ Hilary of Poitiers offers his opinion on this subject: “Is it not clear that the sons of kings are not subject to tax and those who are the heirs of a kingdom are free from service? But His words have an inner meaning. A drachma was demanded of the people. Now the law moves toward that faith which was to be revealed through Christ. Therefore, by the custom of the law this same drachma was demanded from Christ as though from an ordinary citizen. But to show that He was not subject to the law and to demonstrate the glory of His Father’s dignity in Himself, He offered as an example of earthly privilege the fact that kings’ sons are not subject to census and tax. He is the Redeemer of our soul and body. Nothing should be demanded of Him for His redemption because it was necessary that a king’s son be distinguished from the common lot. Therefore, the king’s son offers a stumbling block to the tax law in order to do away with it, he being free from the duty of the law.”¹⁴

Verse 27: “But we don’t want to upset these tax collectors. So do this: Go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth. Inside its mouth, you will find a silver coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors. That will pay the taxes for you and me.”

Although Jesus was a royal descendant of King David, and He was, in fact, the spiritual King of the Jews, nevertheless He did not want to antagonize these publicans and thereby jeopardize or delay His mission with such factors. One 19^th-century Bible commentator stated, “That a fish might seize a bright object which falls into the sea is nothing uncommon. A cod was once found with a watch in its stomach, still ticking. The miracle is shown in the omniscience which knew what the fish carried in its jaw, and in the omnipotence which drew it to the hook.”¹⁵

On another note, while the Bible does not name the fish, Tilapia, from the Sea of Galilee, is sometimes referred to as St. Peter’s fish. As a matter of fact, one visitor in a restaurant alongside the Sea of Galilee in Israel became curious upon seeing “St. Peter’s” fish on the menu. The waiter told them it is one of the most popular dishes, especially among tourists. It is delicious when freshly fried. This power over nature should not have surprised the disciples. After all, the Scriptures tell us, “Ravens brought Elijah food every morning and every evening, and he drank water from the stream.”¹⁶

In the KJV, Matthew identifies the coin as “a piece of money,” and the NIV as a “four-drachma coin.” The Aramaic Version simply says, “coin.” The Jewish version says, “a shekel.” The Greek states “a statēr.” According to historians, this was a coin that had various amounts silver. A drachma contained 1 gram of silver. A didrachma was heavier and had two grams of silver. We are told by experts on this subject, that: “The ‘statēr‘ is a Greek or Tyrian coin that was often used to pay the temple tax for two people. The statēr was minted at Antioch, at Caesarea in Cappadocia, and at Tyre. Many coin specialists believe that Judas’ payment of thirty pieces of silver was made in statērs. It is also believed that the chief priests used statērs to bribe the guards of the tomb.”¹⁷

The Jews knew it was not beyond belief to find something of value in a fish’s belly to buy things. Rabbi Ammi and Rabbi Assi shared this story: “A certain gentile, who owned much property, was indebted to a Jew named Joseph-who-honours-the-Sabbaths. Fortunetellers told him, ‘Joseph-who-honours-the-Sabbaths will seize all your property. So he went, sold all his property, and bought a precious stone with the proceeds, which he set in his turban. As he was crossing a bridge the wind blew the jewel into the water, and a fish swallowed it. Subsequently, the fish was hauled up and brought to market on the Sabbath eve towards sunset. ‘A fish for sale! they yelled. Someone told them, ‘Go and take the fish to Joseph-who-honours-the-Sabbaths since he is always ready to buy.’ So they took it to him. He bought it, opened it, and found the jewel inside. So he sold it for thirteen roomfuls of gold denarii.”¹⁸

So anyone who thinks that Jesus’ story about the fish with money in its mouth is made up, now knows that such tales were told with regularity. Not only did Jesus pay His Temple tax, but He paid Peter’s tax as well. This might suggest that this was Jesus’ way of paying rent for staying in Peter’s house. What a beautiful illustration of our Lord’s integrity. He did not seek more than He needed. Should we not also show the same restraint when we ask Him to supply our needs. Again, our Master added one more miracle to let His followers know that He was, in fact, the Messiah, the Son of God. But this was all in preparation for the time when they would also have to believe in Him as the Sacrifice; the Lamb of God who must die to pay the penalty for the sins of the world.

Origen gives us his impression of what happened here: “This coin was not in Jesus’ house but happened to be in the mouth of a fish in the sea. This too, I think, was a result of God’s kindness. It was caught and came up on the hook belonging to Peter, who was the fisher of men. That which is figuratively called a fish was caught in order that the coin with the image of Caesar might be taken from it, that it might take its place among those which were caught by them who have learned to become fishers of men. Let him, then, who has the things of Caesar render them to Caesar,¹⁹ that afterward he may be able to render to God the things of God. But since Jesus is the image of God the unseen and did not have the image of Caesar (for there was nothing in him that had anything to do with the prince of this world),²⁰ He therefore took the image of Caesar from a suitable place in the sea, so as to pay it to the kings of the earth as the contribution of Himself and His disciple. Jesus did this so that those taking the half-shekel might not suppose Jesus to be in debt either to them or to the kings of the earth. For He paid the debt, one He had never taken on or possessed or used to buy anything or made His personal possession, to prevent the image of Caesar ever being alongside the image of the invisible God.”²¹

It is obvious that Jesus did not want to run afoul of the Jewish laws regarding taxes, and thereby put Himself and His disciples in jeopardy of either being arrested, jailed, or being denounced as a non-compliant citizen. He had something greater to accomplish. It gave His disciples both then and now an example of how to manage our obligations in this world and the world to come. Whatever is man-made can be overseen by man, but whatever is God-made belongs first to Him.

Something you might like to think about: God is more interested in loving than hating; in helping than hurting; inspiring than insulting; in lifting up than putting down; in encouraging than criticizing; and in giving than receiving. So if it is your desire to be more like God, perhaps you could begin by developing these virtues for your attitude and character. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

Something you might like to think about: God is more interested in loving than hating; in helping than hurting; inspiring than insulting; in lifting up than putting down; in encouraging than criticizing; and in giving than receiving. So if it is your desire to be more like God, perhaps you could begin by developing these virtues for your attitude and character. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

WE WERE MADE TO FLY!

In July of 1969, my family and I were living in Richterswil, Switzerland where I worked, among other things, as editor and publisher of two Church magazines. We were all excited about America’s first attempt to land men on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. I did not have a TV so I went down to the local electronics store and rented one. I didn’t want to miss this historic and world changing event that made me proud to be an American. The moon landing finally occurred close to midnight, and we stayed up the rest of the night watching it unfold with unbridled enthusiasm.

They were calling it the greatest event of the century. One Swiss commentator said that if it was successful, the words “Made in the USA” would take on a new and profound meaning. When the space capsule blasted off, we all knew it had the potential for becoming a heartbreaking disaster or a heart-stopping triumph. The next day, the television and radio stations kept reporting each moment; Neil Armstrong’s famous words upon exiting the Eagle moon lander; the astronauts walking on the moon service, and incredible pictures. World reaction was stupendous. Finally, as we all held our breath they blasted off the moon’s surface and re-docked with the command module. They were bringing back 80 lbs. of moon rocks and soil. The whole world seemed caught up in this epic adventure.

On Thursday, July 24, 1969, the space capsule Apollo 11 made a safe splash down in the Pacific Ocean. We all sat glued to our seats, wanting to get a glimpse of these brave men who risked their lives to go where no man had ever gone before, and the first humans to set foot on the surface of the moon. Even though the world had just witnessed one of the most epic scenes ever broadcast on TV, unbeknownst to us the best was yet to come.

The Apollo astronauts were plucked from the ocean and brought by helicopter to the deck of the recovery ship, the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Once on-board, they were quickly placed in a mobile quarantine unit. President Richard Nixon was flown to the ship to greet the astronauts and congratulate them. After he arrived, I remember seeing him come into view after descending from the Flag Bridge down to where the quarantine unit sat. He walked over to the unit that had a large window on one end and stood on the right side facing the window. The astronauts were given the signal that the President of the United States was there and for them to pull back the curtain. We all laughed when they pulled the curtain back the wrong way, obscuring the President, but then quickly realized he was on the other side. President Nixon talked with the astronauts through the window and congratulated them on their feat and place in history.

That’s when a scene unfolded, that for me, surpassed all that I had observed so far. After the President’s greeting and expressing his pleasure at their success, he asked the ship’s Chaplain, Lt. Commander John Pirrto, who was dressed in his white Navy uniform, to pray. With 500 million viewers from around the world watching, the President of the United States and these three space champions bowed their heads for prayer. It warmed my heart and brought a thrill to my soul. This really put the whole flight in proper perspective. After all, they had just come back from exploring our Father’s universe and one of His creations. In bowing their heads they show Him respect and gave Him honor as the power above all powers.

It illustrated back then that we were still one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. But today we have atheists and ultra-liberal fanatics trying to erase any vestige of God from our coins, classrooms, courts and conversation. The real reason for this is the conviction they feel at any mention of God. They’ve become defensive, but call it “being offended.” In reality, they are convicted when they see others acknowledge a power greater than themselves; a Divine Deity to whom they willingly bowed and pay respect. They are convicted because they know that if they accept the existence of such a Heavenly Being, then they must account for their sins and ask His forgiveness.

For some foolish reason, they believe that if they just somehow make God irrelevant, they won’t feel this conviction anymore. But Jesus said that before His word could ever become obsolete, heaven and earth would first cease to be. Yet, what drives so many of these opponents of Christianity into fanatical acts of denial and persecution of believers is when they are told that Jesus said: Unless you repent and believe that He is the Son of God, you will surely perish. But that’s not all. He also said that to as many as believe in Him, they will become God’s children and receive everlasting life. That means, if you are a true believer, you are waiting for your own space flight someday to meet Jesus in the air. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda