Down an Unfamiliar Road

ARE YOU STUCK IN THE PAST

Greek philosopher Aristotle once wrote: “No one deliberates about the past, but about what is future and capable of being otherwise, while what is passed is not capable of not having taken place.” He then quotes another ancient Greek poet named Agathon, whose works have long been lost, with this statement, that is worth considering. Agathon said: “For this alone is lacking even to God, to undo things that have once been done.”¹ In other words, even God will not change the past.

So why do so many people attempt to undo what even God will not undo? I’m sure you’ve heard those famous words: “If I would have only…” or, “I wish I would have…” and, “If I could do it all over again…” But what makes matters even more difficult is that such people continue wallowing in their grief over not having done then what they wish they would have done. It’s often called, “Living in the past.”

I heard this story while visiting India: When they want to domesticate an elephant so it will not run away, they tie one of its legs to a large tree. As the elephant pulls and twists its leg trying to get free, the chain wears through the skin and begins to cause severe pain. Once the elephant is tamed, from then on they can tie it to a small pole and the elephant will stop trying to move away as soon as it feels the tug of the rope on its leg.

That’s how some people are tied to the past, trying, again and again, to change what happened. They think they can do so by feeling sorry, apologizing over and over again, and grieving over what they should have, would have, or could have done differently. This then keeps them from reaching goals set for them in life. Let go and move forward! Don’t keep trying to do what even God will not do – change the past. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEVER DOUBT YOUR CALLING

The pastor of a small church in central Germany invited me to come preach a week’s revival for him. He got permission to pitch a tent on an open lot near the downtown area. The first night the pastor and I greeted people as they arrived, some brought in by the sign outside. Just before service began, I heard a loud noise and saw several motorcycle riders pull up in front of the tent. They were young men and it appeared they were out having a good time. When they found out it wasn’t a carnival, they seemed to lose interest. But before they left, one of them rode his motorcycle down the center aisle, then turning around he kicked over several chairs as he yelled and gunned the engine on the way out.

The local pastor started the service and I sat to the left of the platform with my head bowed in prayer asking God to bless the message He gave me. All of a sudden I felt something hit the right side of my head, and when I opened my eyes I saw an apple core lying on the ground. When I looked up there was the motorcycle gang sitting on the second row, laughing. I felt a sudden rise in blood pressure and thought their actions were rude, but quickly dismissed it in Jesus’ name.

About fifteen minutes into my sermon, all the lights in the tent suddenly went out plunging us into total darkness. I couldn’t see my notes or the audience, and the motorcycle gang was laughing, but I kept on preaching. The quick thinking pastor ran and got his car, pulling it up to the tent entrance with the lights on. I continued preaching in the glare of the high beam lights, still unable to see who I was speaking to. The pastor didn’t want to leave his car engine running because without a microphone it was hard to hear that far back. Soon his lights begin to dim as the battery ran down, and inside the tent, it became dark again.

When I got to the end of my sermon and made the altar call, I heard footsteps of people coming forward. Just then all the lights came back on, and my heart leaped as I saw members of the motorcycle gang standing in front of the altar. Tears flowed as I lead them in prayer for salvation. Later we learned that they came back with a plan to cut our electrical cord just to see what we would do. One of them said when that didn’t stop us and we still showed that we cared about their souls, it made all the difference in how they viewed us.

I learned that night that if we don’t let situations like that discourage us or cause us to quit, the Lord will make things happen that otherwise could not have taken place. And besides “Love,” another fruit of the Spirit is “Faithfulness.” The apostle Paul stated that love was one of the most enduring graces, and Jesus pointed out that when all is said and done we will hear the welcoming words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” So this was a lesson for me of how love and faithfulness go together to bring about miracles.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Part V (con’t)

Verse 56b: How is He able to do these things?

In referring to the family of Jesus, when it comes to the name Mary (“Miryam”), with Moses’ sister being so highly thought of it became a popular female name, so it was easy to get women mixed-up. In one place, the Jews got Mary of Nazareth mixed up with Mary of Magdala (Magdalene), who was a hair dresser by trade.¹ This same mix-up is found in another Jewish document.² In still another place a Rabbi was told to go get Miriam “the woman’s hairdresser,” but he came back with Miriam “the children’s nurse.”³ This may or may not have been the Mary Magdalene we know from the New Testament.

Putting this all together, while neither Mary the mother of Jesus nor Mary Magdalene were spoken of by the Jews with any respect, there was no reason for them to disrespect Jesus because of His father’s low career occupation rating of a carpenter. After all, Rabbi Yehoshua said that Rabbi Zechariah was a butcher’s son.⁴ Furthermore, we also find that Rabbi Johanan may have been the son of a blacksmith.⁵ On this occasion, the Jews in Nazareth should have heeded the advice of Rabbi Judah ben Bathyra who said: “Be mindful of the honor due to the children of common people, for from them proceeds the laws.”⁶ Just keep this in mind: none of these women need the applause of men, they are already recognized by God as unique vessels used by Him for a special purpose.

When speaking of the brothers of Jesus, there are scholars who take both sides of the issue on whether Mary remained a perpetual virgin, or that she and Joseph had more children after Jesus was born. Two verses of Scripture seem to give us a clue. First we read: “When Yosef awoke he did what the angel of ADONAI had told him to do — he took Miryam home to be his wife, but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Yeshua.”⁷ The Aramaic Version agrees with this rendering, in particular the use of, “until.” This preposition certainly suggests that what was postponed “until,” then began and continued. But it also goes on to says: “until she had given birth to her first-born son.” This is how it reads in another Gospel account: “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth; and she gave birth to her first child, a son.”⁸

Now, there would be no reason to refer to Jesus as her “first” child if there were none that followed. Had she not given birth to additional children we would say, “her only son.” On the other hand, we know that at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry these brothers did not believe all the claims that Jesus made, even mocking Him and telling Him He needed to go to Jerusalem in order to prove Himself. If these brothers were from a previous wife of Joseph’s, we can see that they would have been older, and no doubt amazed that this young upstart, and only child of their father’s new wife would brand Himself as the Messiah.⁹ But Mary, Joseph and the brothers were not the only relatives of Jesus that might define His status among them.

We are not given the number of sisters, but by using the plural, it means there were, at least, two. Neither were their names revealed in Scripture. However, we do find that some early church writers did mention their names possibly being Mary and Salome, although the writer believes they were by another mother since he supported the ever-virgin status of Mary.¹⁰ Also, in one of the apocryphal writings, we read: “His sister and His mother and His companion Magdalene were each named Mary.”¹¹

When it comes to the brothers, Most scholars accept James as the one who wrote the Epistle as being this brother of Jesus. As far as Simon (also Symeon) is concerned, we read this in the Early Church Fathers: “After the martyrdom of James and the conquest of Jerusalem which immediately followed, it is said that those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord that were still living came together from all directions with those that were related to the Lord according to the flesh (for the majority of them also were still alive) to take counsel as to who was worthy to succeed James. They all with one consent pronounced Symeon, the son of Clopas, of whom the Gospel also makes mention; to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that parish. He was a cousin, as they say, of the Savior. For Hegesippus¹² records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph.”¹³

Then Eusebius of Caesarea (260-339 AD), the Roman historian, in his history of the church mentions Symeon again: “And after James the Just had suffered martyrdom, as the Lord had also on the same account, Symeon, the son of the Lord’s uncle, Clopas, was appointed the next bishop. All proposed him as the second bishop because he was a cousin of the Lord. Therefore, they called the Church a virgin, for it was not yet corrupted by vain discourses. But Thebuthis, because he was not made the bishop, began to corrupt it.”¹⁴

He then goes on to tell us:

“Certain of these heretics brought accusations against Symeon, the son of Clopas, on the ground that he was a descendant of David and a Christian; and thus, he suffered martyrdom, at the age of one hundred and twenty years, while Trajan was emperor and Atticus governor.” And the same writer says that his accusers also when a search was made for the descendants of David, were arrested as belonging to that family. And it might be reasonably assumed that Symeon was one of those that saw and heard the Lord, judging from the length of his life, and from the fact that the Gospel makes mention of Mary, the wife of Clopas, who was the father of Symeon. The same historian says that there were also others, descended from one of the so-called brothers of the Savior, whose name was Judas, who, after they had given testimony before Domitian, on behalf of faith in Christ, lived until the same reign. He writes as follows: “They came, therefore, and took the lead of every church as a witness and as relatives of the Lord. And profound peace being established in every church, they remained until the reign of Emperor Trajan, and until the above-mentioned Symeon, son of Clopas, an uncle of the Lord, was informed against by the heretics and was himself in like manner accused of the same cause before the governor Atticus. And after being tortured for many days he suffered martyrdom, and all, including even the proconsul, marveled that, at the age of one hundred and twenty years, he could endure so much. And orders were given that he should be crucified.”¹⁵

Eusebius goes on to tell another story:

“Of the family of the Lord, there were still living the grandchildren of Jude, who is said to have been the Lord’s brother according to the flesh. Information was given that they belonged to the family of David, and they were brought to Emperor Domitian by the provocateurs. For Domitian feared the coming of Christ as Herod also had feared it. And he asked them if they were descendants of David, and they confessed that they were. Then he asked them how much property they had, or how much money they owned. And both of them answered that they had only nine thousand denarii, half of which belonged to each of them; and this property did not consist of silver, but of a piece of land which contained only thirty-nine acres, and from which they raised their taxes and supported themselves by their own labor.” Then they showed their hands, exhibiting the hardness of their bodies and the callousness produced upon their hands by continuous toil as evidence of their own labor. And when they were asked concerning Christ and His kingdom, of what sort it was and where and when it was to appear, they, answered that it was not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly and angelic one, which would appear at the end of the world, when he should come in glory to judge the living and the dead, and to give unto every one according to his works. Upon hearing this, Domitian did not pass judgment against them, but, despising them as of no account, he let them go, and by a decree put a stop to the persecution of the Church. But when they were released they ruled the churches because they were witnesses and were also relatives of the Lord. And peace being established, they lived until the time of Trojan.”¹⁶

Knowing this, we can now more easily accept what Matthew tells us about the brothers of Jesus:

Verse 57: So they had a problem accepting Him. But Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet, but in his own home and hometown a prophet gets no honor.”

Early church theologian, Origen, gives us his explanation on how we might understand this saying: “We must inquire whether the expression has the same force when applied universally to every prophet. Does it mean that every one of the prophets was dishonored only in his own country? Or does it mean that every one who was dishonored was dishonored in his country? Or does it mean that because of the expression being singular, these things were said about only one? If these words are spoken about only one, then these things that have been said make sense insofar as they refer to what is written about the Savior. But if the point is generalized to indicate all prophets, then it is harder to defend historically. For Elijah did not suffer dishonor in Tishbeth of Gilead, nor Elisha in Abetmeholah, nor Samuel in Ramathaim, nor Jeremiah in Anathoth.”

Origen continues: “But, figuratively interpreted, this saying is absolutely true. For we must think of Judea as their country and that famous Israel as their kindred, and perhaps of the body as the house. All suffered dishonor in Judea from the Israel that is according to the flesh while they were yet in the body. As it is written in the Acts of the Apostles, ‘Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute, who declared beforehand the coming of the righteous One?’¹⁷ And Paul says similar things in the first epistle to the Thessalonians: ‘For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea; for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all people.’¹⁸”¹⁹

Verse 58: Jesus did not do many miracles there, because the people did not believe in Him.

This verse appears ambiguous at first. Some scholars think that Christ refused to perform miracles because the people would not believe in Him as the Messiah. Others suggest that He was unable to perform miracles because the causative agent of faith was absent. The truth is, Jesus was not kept from doing miracles in His hometown of Nazareth because of the people’s doubt, but He refrained from doing them because He did not want to reward their doubt. Believe me, if just one sick person would have believed, they would have been healed because of their faith.

Christ was more than willing and able to heal but the necessary power cord of faith was not plugged in, it had been severed by unbelief. This brings up an interesting comparison between “disbelief,” “misbelief.” and “unbelief.” Disbelief is when a person sees something they cannot bring themselves to believe, such as we see in magic. Misbelief is when a person has faith in something, but it is predicated upon faulty evidence and therefore is easily disproved, such as the cults. But unbelief is when a person sees it, could believe it if they wanted to, they know it is true, but they refuse to accept it anyhow because of their own biases, pride, or the changes in thinking it may require; such as we see in this case of Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth.

One of the church’s earliest theologians gives his explanation on why Jesus did not perform many miracles in His home town of Nazareth. He says: “It is just this way in regard to the production of miracles. The complete work resulting in a healing is not displayed without those being healed exercising faith. Faith, of whatever quality it might be, does not produce a healing without divine power.”²⁰ Then early church preacher Chrysostom makes this point: “Why did Jesus not do them? Because He wasn’t concerned with the spectacle [of miracles] but with their usefulness.”²¹ And early church writer Peter Chrysologus had this to say: “Power has no effect where unbelief does not deserve it.”²²

Jesus did not go back home to be a showman. He had no interest in wowing the crowd with His divine power. But He no doubt felt an obligation to return to the area and the people who knew Him best, not to show them what He could do but to show them what God could do. And should this not be the same mentality and intent of every servant of God? No matter how spectacular or renown a preacher’s ministry may be, it must all be for the glory of God.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Part V

Verse 52: Then Jesus said to His followers, “So every teacher of the law who has learned about God’s kingdom has some new things to teach. He is like the owner of a house. He has new things and old things in safe keeping. And he brings out the new with the old.”

The complete Jewish Bible renders it this way: “He said to them, ‘So then, every Torah-teacher who has been made into a wise teacher for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old’.” The Aramaic Version has: “from his treasures” instead of storage. In other words, they are collector’s items. Things the owner has had for a long time and things he recently acquired.

It is clear that Jesus is speaking about the group known as Scribes. These were those scholars among the Jews who spent their time studying the Torah in order to gain a better understanding. Everyone knew, that to be an excellent and trusted scribe they must interpret the law of Moses to make it practical and relevant to the Jews’ everyday life of righteous living. Every student of God’s Word knows that no matter how many times they read the Word of God, they always seem to obtain new insight. So after sharing these parables and teachings Jesus is now telling His followers they have learned something new about the old agreement between God and His people. Not only will they have knowledge of both, but when they compare them they will see the light of how much better they understand the old with this new knowledge.

One Early Church writer sees this application for the church. He writes: “A scholar is one who through the continual reading of the Old and New Testaments, has laid up for himself a storehouse of knowledge. Thus, Christ blesses those who have gathered in themselves the education both of the law and of the gospel, so as to ‘bring forth from their treasure things both new and old.’ And Christ compares such people with a scribe, just as in another place He says, ‘I will send you wise men and scribes.’¹”²

This can also be seen as instructions by our Lord that His disciples should not discard old teachings and concentrate only on the new. The Jews have several instances where they compare the old with the new and how they compliment each other. For instance, Solomon charmed his beloved with these words: “The mandrakes are sending out their fragrance, all kinds of choice fruits are at our doors, fruits both new and old, my darling, which I have kept in store for you.”³

In Jewish commentaries on this verse, scholars indicate that the older fruit has already been picked while the newer fruit is still on the tree.⁴ Also, another Rabbi was teaching his students and this verse from Solomon came up, so he asked if they knew what “old” and “new” meant. One of them suggested that the “old” was a reference to the Torah given to Moses, and the “new” was the revelations given to the scribes.⁵ What a perfect illustration of the fruit of the Old Testament when compared to the fruit that Jesus was giving His disciples on this occasion. Augustine sees this from the Christian point of view as Jesus bringing many scriptures from the Old Testament and combining them with the new message He brought with Him from God the Father. So in a sense, Jesus is describing Himself.⁶

Verses 53-54a: When Jesus finished teaching with these stories, He left there. He went to the town where He grew up. He taught the people in the synagogue, and they were amazed.

For some reason, Jesus feels compelled to go back to Nazareth. Matthew points out that this is where our Lord grew up as a boy. So anyone wondering where Jesus lived as a child, here it is in print. This confirms what Luke tells us after Jesus was left back in Jerusalem by his parents who thought He was with other friends, so they had to go back to Jerusalem where they found Him teaching in the Temple. Once they were rejoined Luke says, “Then He returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them, and his mother stored away all these things in her heart. So Jesus grew both tall and wise, and was loved by God and man”.⁷

Now after some 20 years, Jesus the carpenter’s son with His entourage comes to visit His old home place and teach in the synagogue. In doing so, He followed in the footsteps of His royal ancestor David who also stated, “I will praise You in front of all my brothers; yes, I will stand up before the congregation and testify of the wonderful things You have done.”⁸ But this little Yeshua who grew up to be a prophet and reported to be the Messiah was not well received. The people looked at each other as if to say, “He’s trying to sound like a prophet, even the Messiah. But we knew Him when He followed His father the carpenter around town. And why is He so different when His brothers and sisters are normal just like everyone else.”

Was Jesus surprised” Not really! He knew what the prophet Isaiah said about Him, “He grew up like a young plant, like a root growing in the dry ground. There was nothing special or impressive about the way He looked, nothing that would cause people to like Him just by what they saw. People made fun of Him, and even those who knew Him turned on Him. He was a man who suffered a lot of sorrow and grief. He was treated like someone of no importance like someone people would not even look at but turn away from in contempt.”⁹ But Jesus took it in stride, and quoted a well-worn phrase that no doubt was often used by many prophets before Him. The fact that it is repeated by Luke¹⁰ and John¹¹ show that it was a well-known maxim. Matthew closes this chapter by pointing out that Jesus did not perform any miracles in His hometown of Nazareth.

Verse 54b-55a: They questioned, “Where did this man get such wisdom and this power to do miracles? Isn’t He just the son of the carpenter we know?”

The Aramaic Version has “carpenter’s son” while Munster’s Hebrew Gospel renders it “blacksmith’s son.” This may be due to the fact that the Greek word tektōn used here, signifies three occupations. First: a worker in wood, such as a carpenter, joiner, house builder, or ship builder. Second: any craftsman, whether they make things out of metal, wood, pottery, or write poetry and songs. Third: A planner, contriver, plotter, or author.

In fact, one of the early Church Fathers described it this way: “When Jesus came to the Jordan, He was considered to be the son of Joseph the carpenter; and He appeared without comeliness, as the Scriptures declared; and He was deemed a carpenter (for He was in the habit of working as a carpenter when among men, making plows and yokes; by which He taught the symbols of righteousness and an active life.”¹² But the name Joseph the carpenter was not that unusual. The Jews make mention of one Abba Joseph the “constructor” or “carpenter”, but it does not appear to be any reference to Mary of Nazareth’s husband.¹³ The Greek word is used only here in this instance, both by Matthew and Mark. Nowhere else is Joseph called a carpenter.

It is also important to notice that the people did not use Joseph’s name but rather his occupation. This was a traditional way of referring to someone who was already dead. While they did not refer to Joseph being a carpenter in a derogatory manner, some scholars believe it was said with some disbelief that a carpenter could foster a son with this amount of learning and wisdom, and one who is now proclaimed to be the Messiah, a miracle worker. Jewish critics who have studied the life of Jesus also raise questions. After reading this portion of Matthew, one Rabbi asked:

“Did Mary have sons and daughters besides Jesus, or did Joseph the blacksmith have sons and daughters from another woman? If you will say that they did have sons and daughters, fine; that is why Jesus’ Jewish acquaintances said, ‘We see that his brothers and sisters – Jacob, Joseph, Simon, and Judah – do not do such wise deeds.’ But if Joseph had no sons and daughters beside Jesus, why did the Jews say, ‘His brothers and sisters are with us?’ And why did they call the above-named people brothers and sisters just as they would the siblings of anyone else? Also, why didn’t Jesus answer them, ‘Fools, all that you have said about my having brothers and sisters is a lie; in fact I am not even the son of the blacksmith, and your astonishment at my wisdom is out of place since all the wisdom in the world is mine?’ Instead, he answered in the manner of jokers who say that wherever they go they are honored more than they are at home. Furthermore, who were the brothers who came with him to Capernaum? You may argue that they were his students, but it says that he, his brothers, and his students came to Capernaum.¹⁴ You may then argue that all Israel are considered brothers, but elsewhere in the passage they are called by their proper name, for this is what it says: ‘When the people of Israel saw the signs which Jesus performed, they said to each other, “Where did this man get such wisdom and power? Is he not the blacksmith’s son? And is his mother not Mary? And his brothers and sisters are all with us.”’”¹⁵

This sort of caste system mentality can be seen in other Jewish writings. For instance, one noted Rabbi said: “Rabbah ben Jeremiah once visited our town. When he came he brought with him this teaching: If an idolater took stones from a quarry and paved roads and streets with them, they are permitted; if an Israelite took stones from a quarry and paved roads and streets with them, they are prohibited; and he added that there was no scholar or scholar’s son who could explain this teaching. Rabbi Shesheth said: I am neither a scholar nor a scholar’s son, yet I can explain it. What’s the problem?”¹⁶ Another translator, however, rendered it this way: “…there was no carpenter or carpenter’s son who solved this. Says Rabbi Shesheth said: I am neither a carpenter nor a carpenter’s son, and I can solve it.”¹⁷ Obviously, being a carpenter or carpenter’s son was not a badge of honor for the elite in Israel.

One thing I have observed, and even read, where Jewish scholars saw the same that with each new edition of the Talmud or Mishnah Rabbis endeavored to “clean up” the mention of Jesus or any reference to Him. They also encrypted those comments that were made by using pseudonyms to identify Him. In either case, Jesus was not well thought of by the citizens of Nazareth because of Joseph’s occupation.

Verse 55b-56a: And isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And don’t all his sisters still live here in town?

It is interesting that not only did Matthew name the brothers of Jesus, but points to “all His sisters,” of whom we hear nothing from the writers of the Gospels. In fact, on the Day of Pentecost, we are told by Luke that only Mary and His brothers were in the upper room, no sisters are mentioned. The Complete Jewish Bible renders this verse: “Isn’t his mother called Miryam? and his brothers Ya‘akov, Yosef, Shim‘on and Y’hudah? And his sisters, aren’t they all with us?” But, the oldest known Hebrew version of Matthew reads this way: “Do you not know all these: his mother Mary, his three brothers: Joseph, Simon, and Judah, and his sisters? Do you not know all these who are with us?” While it seems clear that there were three brothers, the number of sisters is never given.

It may have been asked more than once, why didn’t the Gospel writers tell us more about Mary and Joseph, about those called His brothers and sisters, and what about His childhood? It certainly makes one wonder what the story of Jesus would be like if we could fill in all the blanks. But the one disciple that Jesus depended on and trusted so much, put it in perspective when he wrote at the end of his Gospel: “There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them was written down, I think the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.”¹⁸

It is my conviction that the Holy Spirit purposely inspired the writers of the New Testament to record only what was needed, so that anyone who reads it would have sufficient evidence that Jesus was the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of God who came from the Father to fulfill His promise to Abraham, by bringing the final plan of salvation by faith through grace and the work of Christ on the cross. If we quibble and argue over what we already have, can you imagine the number of ongoing debates there would be if we had twice as much in the written record? The thing that makes this, even more, mind boggling, is the fact that we know more about Jesus of Nazareth than we do of Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius, and even William Shakespeare, yet their words and works are accepted without controversy.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Part IV (con’t)

Verse 45: Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.

On the surface, this parable seems quite clear and understandable. A jeweler was visiting different bazaars looking for pearls to sell in his shop when he spotted a highly valued one. He must have been told the price, then went back home, sold every piece of jewelry in his store, came back and bought it. He knew, that once the word got out about his exquisite pearl the rich would come look at it and he would be able to sell it for double the amount he paid and be back in business again with that much more money in his hand to make further purchases and grow his enterprise.

Many times in life we find that money is not the only thing by which these pearls are acquired. Often it takes time, sweat and tears; long nights of work and study; days of research and composition, hours and hours of editing and corrections before the product is considered worthy of print and distribution. But it is all worth it when someone who read or hears what you’ve written and is blessed by it contents, that makes it all worth the effort and dedication. I read an ancient Jewish story along those lines and it goes like this:

Once, in Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah’s old age, his disciples came to visit him. “My sons,” he said to them, “what new interpretation or Scripture have you heard in the synagogue?” “We are your disciples,” they replied, “and it is only your waters we drink.” “Heaven forbid!” he exclaimed, “there is no generation lacking good teachers. Who was teaching that Sabbath?” “It was Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah,” they answered. “And on what text was the sermon based today?” he asked. They answered “It was on the text: ‘Assemble the people, the men and the women, and the little ones’.¹ “And how did he interpret it?” he asked them. They responded: “This is how he interpreted it: As to the men, they come to study; as to the women, they come to listen. Why do the little ones come? So that a goodly reward might be given to those who bring them.” Said Rabbi Joshua to them: “A precious pearl was in your hands and you were about to deprive me of it! Had you gone to hear no more than that, it would have been worth it”.²

In other words, when Rabbi Joshua’s disciples came to him they more or less said they didn’t want to learn anything from anyone else but him. But when he pushed them and they finally told him what they learned at the Sabbath teaching of Rabbi Eleazar, Rabbi Joshua called it a pearl of wisdom. We have seen here in Matthew’s recollection of Jesus’ teaching, that He also uses “pearls” as metaphors of wisdom and learning.³ Also, his disciples referred to the teaching of Rabbi Joshua as “water.” Again we see where Jesus used “water” as a metaphor for wisdom and learning.⁴

An early church teacher and founder of a seminary gives us his take on this pearl. “Many who were entirely foreign to religion immediately recognized, by divine grace, the greatness of Christ, in that they despised all their former things and looked to this thing alone, recognizing that the One who is salvation is for them.” Then he adds, “That many people, even of those who have been exceedingly zealous about religion, when they recognize the greatness of the preaching, will turn aside from old things. Such, for instance, was Paul, who had displayed a great deal of zeal for the law, but who, when he came to see the greatness of the gospel, disdained everything having to do with the law. He himself says, ‘but what things were gain to me, those I counted as loss for the sake of Christ;’⁵ and again, ‘I count all things but loss, and count them as dung, that I may win Christ.’⁶ He seems to have said this both on account of those Greeks who were devoted to religion and, again, on account of the Jews.”⁷

Another thing to consider, is that these treasures were purchased at the “pre-assessed” price. Because, had the original owners known their true value, they would have sold them at the treasury price. As we often say: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” With the way the Word of God is being treated today by the world and skeptics, is it any wonder they are surprised when we trace many words of wisdom and insight back to the Holy Scriptures.

Verses 47-48: Also, God’s kingdom is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. It became full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They then sat down and put all the good fish in baskets, but they threw away the inedible fish.

One will notice that in this illustration the sorting of the fish is paramount to declaring the catch successful. It must also be pointed out that once the bad fish are rejected they are not thrown back into the lake but just thrown away like garbage so other fisherman will not have to do the same chore. This portion of Scripture has oft come to mind after seeing thousands come forward for salvation in large crusades by well-known evangelists. Yet, when it is all over there seems to be little effective change in the city where the crusade took place. Could it be that the Holy Spirit sorted the fish that were hauled in by the altar call, and found only those worthy of keeping to nurture and grow in the Word and in Christ? Jesus goes on to explain what awaits the bad fish so that their disposal is made even clearer.

Our Lord is clearly speaking of the last judgment and what awaits saints and sinners. I do not believe that Jesus told this story to scare people into believing in Him, but to make them aware of the consequences if they ignored the opportunity given to them. Jesus was not just interested in whether or not they heard what He said or comprehended the parables He used, but that they were able to assimilate the whole thought and it’s cumulative effect. In each case, the Kingdom of Heaven is being portrayed by using wheat seed, mustard seed, sour dough, precious treasure, pearl of great price, and a dragnet. The individual parts: wheat, tares, flour, fish, etc., are believers and unbelievers. And finally, the calculated consummation is the end of the world and the final judgment. The variety of substances, situations, and stimuli all indicate the various ways and means by which the kingdom of heaven will be populated and governed.

As the saying goes, sometimes the proof is in the details. In my ministry I’ve encountered a variety of speakers: those who spend little time explaining the details, and use most of their time on the subject’s antithesis. Then, there are those who get bogged down in the details and never put them together to form a thesis. We need to be more like Jesus and proclaim the synthesis of our message for people to understand and be enlightened by the Holy Spirit as to what was meant for them.

Gregory the Great made this comment: “The church is compared to a net because it has been entrusted to fishermen and because all people are drawn up in it from the turbulent waters of the present age to the eternal kingdom, lest they drown in the depths of eternal death. This net gathers all kinds of fish because it calls to forgiveness of sins for everyone, wise and foolish, free and slave, rich and poor, brave and weak. Hence, the psalmist says to God: ‘Unto You will all flesh come.’⁸ This net will be completely filled when it enfolds the entire number of the human race at the end of time. The fishermen bring it in and sit down on the shore, because just as the sea signifies this present age, so the shore signifies its end.”⁹

The key here is that as fishers of men, believers are only given the responsibility to go out into the sea of despair and bring in as many as they can catch. But it will be up to God to decide who He keeps and who will be thrown away. This is exactly what our Lord says next.

Verse 49: It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people.

Cyril of Alexandria left us this commentary: “The calling that is through Christ is to be extended throughout the whole world. The net of gospel preaching seeks to gather people together out of every nation. People who are expert in catching fish and are mariners by trade let down their net making no discrimination, but whatever has been caught up in the meshes, wholly and entirely, is hauled by them to shore. So likewise the power of preaching and the marvelous and intricate teaching of the sacred doctrines, which the apostles, as good fishermen, wove together, draw people from every nation and gather them together for God. This net will gather all fish together until the time of consummation. Then out of all those who have been dragged out and caught, the angels appointed by God will make a separation between the wicked and the just.”¹⁰

Verse 50: They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.

Early church scholar Origen gives us a prophetic look at how he interprets this saying of Jesus: “Those who attended to the net that was cast into the sea are Jesus Christ, the master of the net, and ‘the angels who came and ministered to Him.’¹¹ It is not until the net is filled full that they will draw it up from the sea and carry it to the shore beyond the sea—namely, to things beyond this life—but not until the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ ¹² has been drawn into it. But when that fullness has come, then they draw it up from things here below and carry it to what is figuratively called the shore. There it will be the work of those who have drawn it up to sit by the shore, there to settle themselves in order that they may put each of the good fish in its own proper place, into the right vessel. But they will cast outside those that are of an opposite character and are called bad. By ‘outside’ is meant the furnace of fire, as the Savior interpreted it as the end of time. Only it must be observed that we are already taught by the parable of the tares and the other similitudes set forth that the angels are to be entrusted with the power to distinguish and separate the evil from the righteous. But here it is said, The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the righteous and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.”¹³

Verse 51: Then Jesus asked those following Him, “Do you understand all these things?” They said, “Yes, we understand.”

So far in this chapter Jesus has used seven parables to illustrate the construction and materials of the Kingdom of God. These parables included good seed, bad seed, mustard seed, yeast, treasure, a pearl, and fish. The resulting moral of these parables concerning God’s kingdom is this: how it will be planted; attempted sabotage, yet it will still grow large; how its influence will be felt all around; many will find it by surprise, others will find it while looking for something like it; and in the end the good will be saved while the bad are sifted out as not worthy of keeping.

It also emphasizes the ability of the will to exercise its right to choose. However, it is not just man’s choice, but God’s choice as well. This is a case of Jesus making the gospel message simple enough for almost anyone to understand, yet profound enough to cause those who were interested in wanting to learn more. To me, that is the formula of good Bible preaching and teaching.

So often we despair because not every one we witness to is immediately drawn to Christ and accepts salvation. Jesus is trying to tell us that there are somethings He has entrusted to us, and there are other things that He, the Father and the Holy Spirit will take care of. So don’t worry about what they are in charge of, just do the work given to you by God and He will take care of the rest.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Part IV

Verse 42: They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will be crying and grinding their teeth with pain.

The question here is: What did the Jews understand by our Lord’s reference to the place of fire where people are in agony? To most Christians today the first thing that comes to mind is hell. But when we put this in context, Jesus has been talking about imitation wheat that has been planted among genuine wheat, and then likens them to people who do evil things and cause others to sin. When judgment day comes they will be pulled up and burned. This is a metaphor drawn from the common practice of doing the same thing with the look-alike wheat. As a matter of fact, Jewish writings tell us that these were considered worth nothing more than straw and were used to start fires in stoves and furnaces.¹

So, like the Jews, Jesus uses this as a metaphor for the wicked being rejected from the Kingdom of God because they may look real, but in fact they are fakes and need to be thrown into the fire like the straw. Thus the punishment of the wicked became synonymous with a fiery end. In fact, one Jewish commentary on Abraham’s vision when he was asked to make a sacrifice to God² says: “Gehenna, which was prepared for the wicked in the world to come, will be enveloped in burning flames of fire, into which the wicked will fall when in their lives they rebelled against the law, while the just who had kept it were delivered from affliction.”³ So Jesus was not inventing hell, He spoke of it as the Jews understood it.

Could this idea of burning those who disobey have inspired Nebuchadnezzar to create punishment by fire for those who refused to bow down to the gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, he set up on the plain of Dura?⁴ Even in a book read by many Jews and quoted by Jude it says: “And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.”⁵ Could those be the angels Jesus referred to in verse 41? So Jesus was not teaching some new radical theology. He then goes on to say:

Verse 43: Then the godly people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people, listen to me and listen well!

So for the godly, Daniel’s words are paraphrased here, “The wise people will shine as bright as the sky. Those who teach others to live right will shine like stars forever and ever.”⁶ Thus we have sinners going to hell to burn in a fire that causes unimaginable suffering and anguish, and saints going to a place of peace and rest to await the resurrection, something that was easy for these Jewish listeners to understand. This concept has continued in Jewish thinking down through the ages.⁷ But our Lord has more to say about the Kingdom of God.

On this statement by Jesus, Origen offers his thoughts: “When He gathers out of the whole kingdom of Christ all things that make people stumble, and the reasonings that produce lawless acts are cast into the furnace of fire, and the worse elements utterly consumed … then shall the righteous, having become one light of the sun, shine in the kingdom of their Father. For whom will they shine? For those below them who will enjoy their light, just like the sun, which now shines for those upon the earth? Of course, they will not shine for their own sake, but perhaps the saying ‘Let your light shine before men’ can be written ‘upon the table of the heart,’⁸ according to what is said by Solomon, in a threefold way. So even now the light of the disciples of Jesus shines before the rest of humanity, and after death before the resurrection, and after the resurrection ‘until all shall attain to full maturity,’⁹ and all become one sun. Then shall they ‘shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’”¹⁰

Again we must caution ourselves not to take what was meant as a metaphor literally. The sun is the one light that shines for all the world to see, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or gender. Therefore, to liken something to the sun is to say that it will be out in the open for everyone to observe, and it will be brighter than the other lights around it. But godly people will also shine for another reason, and that will be their vindication for being right after suffering many long days of persecution and humiliation. So what Jesus also seems to be saying is that as a product of the real seed, don’t despair. The day is coming when all those who have been faithful will shine like the sun.

Verse 44: God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy about what he had found that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field.

Now our Lord offers two parables that are designed to show the value of God’s kingdom. The first is about a treasure that involves finding something hidden. It will be worth everything it takes to acquire and take possession of it. Solomon makes a similar claim for wisdom, “Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure”.¹¹ Then this wise king says, “Truth, wisdom, learning, and understanding are worth paying money for.”¹²

This concept is echoed in Jewish Scriptures not found in the normal canon, where it says: “These are they who have acquired for themselves treasures of wisdom, and with them are found stores of understanding, and from mercy have they not withdrawn, and the truth of the law I have they preserved”.¹³ And the venerable Joshua ben Sirach said: “Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure, of what value is either? Better are those who hide their folly than those who hide their wisdom”.¹⁴ Had this man simply bought the land and left his treasure hidden, his acquisition would have been a worthless effort for him and everybody else.

I like what one early church leader offers as his reflection on what Jesus said here: “Through the comparison of a treasure in the field to Christ our hope, points to wealth for God discovered in humanity that has been covered up. But we must realize that the treasure was found and kept hidden, for he who found it could have certainly carried it off in secret instead of hiding it; and by carrying it off, there would have been no need for him to buy the field. But an explanation is needed here as to both the subject matter and what was being said. Thus the treasure was hidden there to make it necessary to buy the whole field. The treasure in the field, as we said, signifies Christ in the flesh, who was found by us freely. Indeed, the preaching of the Gospels has no strings attached, but the power to use and own this treasure with the field comes at a price, for heavenly riches are not possessed without a worldly loss.”¹⁵

In this parable Jesus says the man saw that the treasure was worth everything he had. But just in case His listeners didn’t get it, our Lord adds another story. This involves finding something that is evaluated above all others like it. To this Solomon says, “Those who find wisdom find a fortune; they will be blessed when they gain understanding.”¹⁶ Solomon repeats this with a twist that is similar to Jesus’ parable, so let me paraphrase it: “The pearl of wisdom is better than all other pearls, and nothing you would ever want compares with her.”¹⁷ And David sang a song that exemplifies this same principle, “Many people say, ‘I wish I could enjoy the good life. LORD, give us some of those blessings.’ But you have made me happier than they will ever be with all their wine and grain. When I go to bed, I sleep in peace, because, LORD, you keep me safe.”¹⁸ But David’s son Solomon had to learn this the hard way. He tells this in his personal story in Ecclesiastes.¹⁹

There is a similar narration in Greek literature about a man who sold his land, and the new owner discovered a treasure chest hidden in the field while plowing. When the news got out, the seller went to court to claim the treasure, but was ruled against because the treasure went with the sale.²⁰ The philosopher from whose biography this story comes was born circa 15 AD. As a matter of fact, he was compared to Jesus of Nazareth later on by Christians. It may be that since they were contemporaries, Jesus may have heard this story and decided to use it in His teaching. The whole point of the parable is that this man was willing to put his heart where his treasure was so that he may possess it to assure himself a better life.

Not only that, but we also find that Jesus may have been alluding to another story told by Rabbi Mattenaiah that was already part of Jewish tradition. We read about a small parcel of land with sufficient room for a single stalk of corn to grow, under which a pearl is buried.²¹ Since pearls come from oysters, the term, as it is used metaphorically here, either refers to the object found was hidden in the field like a pearl is hidden in an oyster until it is opened, or that what was found was as valuable as a pearl, or, that someone had purchased a valuable pearl and buried it there, or, that the original Hebrew word may be a reference to some other precious stone such as a ruby, diamond, etc. In any case, the main point is that things very valuable can be found in some of the most unusual and unsuspected places.

But in both the parable about the treasure found in the ground and the pearl here found in the marketplace, Jesus is pointing out how when we find something that is missing in our lives that can bring us joy and contentment, it is worth the time and effort to obtain such a precious item. I can remember on many occasions when I would see a quote taken from a particular book, and I was so impacted by it that I went out and bought the book it was taken from where I discovered, even more, pearls of wisdom. So it is with Christ, once a sinner hears what He has to say about God’s love for the world and His reason for coming, it should inspire them to get the whole story so they can understand and appreciate the story even more.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Part III (con’t)

Verse 33: Then Jesus told them another story: “God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

Now Jesus goes from the seed itself, to how the flour made with these seeds can be affected by a thing called yeast. In Jesus’ day wild yeast occurred naturally on the surfaces of fruit as a fungus. Women would submerge such fruit in water with sugar in it (especially the peels) and leave it in a warm place so it would start fermenting in a few days. They would then transfer it to a new brewing batch. Another way to make yeast at home was to put a medium size potato into one quart of unsalted water and boil it until it is done. Remove the potato, and drain the water into a container. Mash the potato and add one teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to the potato water. Allow the mashed potato to cool to room temperature then add enough potato water to make a one quart mixture. Cover the container and then set it in a warm place and allow the mixture to ferment.

The whole idea behind our Lord’s story of the small mustard seed and the pinch of yeast is that they both, though very small, can have a significant effect on things much larger than themselves. As far as yeast is concerned, it works by consuming sugar and excreting carbon dioxide and alcohol as byproducts. As soon as yeast, bread dough, and water are stirred together, enzymes in the yeast and the flour cause large starch molecules to break down into simple sugars. The yeast metabolizes these simple sugars and exudes a liquid that releases carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol into existing air bubbles in the dough. If the dough has a strong and elastic gluten network, the carbon dioxide is held within the bubble and will begin to inflate it, just like someone blowing up bubblegum. As more and more tiny air cells fill with carbon dioxide, the dough rises and we’re on the way to glutenous bread. It certainly may be that the reason why Jesus chose yeast as an example, is because He knew that what yeast is to flour, so pride is to man’s ego.

The Aramaic Version renders this verse: “The kingdom of heaven is likened to leaven which the woman took and buried in three measures of flour until it all was leavened.” The NIV has “large amount.” The Greek says: “three satas,” which is about 19 quarts or 21 liters. The measure of flour used by this woman was considered the standard amount for baking bread, as we see in the meal Sarah prepared for the visiting angels; “Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, three measures of the best flour! Knead it and make cakes.”¹ Another Jewish translator prefers to call them “loaves.”² There is no doubt that from the time Jesus told these stories the yeast of Christianity has impacted this world like no other movement. Solomon had another way of describing the same principle, “The path of those who live right is like the early morning light. It gets brighter and brighter until the full light of day.”³ So unlike the yeast of the Pharisees in which their pride inflated their ego, here the yeast of faith causes the assembly of believers to expand and grow larger and larger. In that case, our Lord’s illustration shows the result that a small bit of God’s kingdom can have wherever it is mixed into even a pagan society.

At one time the entire United States of America, the wealthiest, strongest, and most innovative country in the world was considered a Christian nation, all because a small band of pilgrims from Europe brought their faith and the kingdom of God to its shores where Christianity was unknown. This final parable was meant to show the power and effect God’s kingdom has on the world around it. But over the years, that influence has waned in many quarters of America. That’s because another form of yeast, which started out small, has permeated society and now the country is no longer referred to as a Christian nation by many. Jesus will warn His disciples about this other yeast and tell them to beware.⁴ It may be difficult to stop such worldly yeast from affecting worldly people, but it should never be allowed to influence the body of Christ.

Verse 34: Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people. He always used stories to teach them.

Here Matthew shares a personal note with his readers. It may indicate that he did not include all the parables used by Jesus in teaching about the new agreement God was making with those who believe in Him, and the kingdom of God and how it would function in this world, because the document would become too large and cumbersome.⁵

Chrysostom offers this for our consideration: “Mark says, ‘As they were able to hear it, He spoke the word to them in parables.’⁶ Then pointing out that He is not making a new thing, He also brings in the prophet, proclaiming beforehand this His manner of teaching. And to teach us the purpose of Christ, how He discoursed in this way so that they might not be ignorant but that He might lead them to inquiry, Mark added, ‘And without a parable He told them nothing.⁷ Yet surely He did say many things without a parable, but then later nothing. And for all this no one asked Him questions, whereas we know they were often questioning the prophets. They questioned Ezekiel, for instance, and many others; but of these they did no such thing. Yet surely His sayings were enough to cause them to become perplexed and result in their asking for explanations; for indeed a very solemn punishment was threatened by those parables. Even so they were not moved.”⁸

This is another way of saying that our Lord was able to perfectly adjust His words to the level of understanding in His audience, and attuned the method of His teaching to both inform and to challenge. One thing I learned to do in teaching was to explore every subject on the basis of what is generally known and then introduce what is rarely known. Let me illustrate: Most everyone knows that if you put coffee grounds into a French coffee press, then pour in hot water and wait a little while before you push down on the plunger, the press filters out the coffee grounds, producing a full-bodied brew with rich flavor and aroma. But what you may not know is that the brewing temperature of the water should be exactly 205 degrees Fahrenheit because boiling water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit is too hot and should never be used. This will burn the coffee grounds and not allow the water to extract the flavor and aroma. The temperature of water below 205 degrees Fahrenheit will not extract the flavor properly and give the drink less taste. Also, the water to coffee ratio should be properly measured. In some households this is described as making black coffee, when less water is used, and brown coffee when more water is used.

For instance, the general guideline in making coffee is that for every six ounces of water use one to two tablespoons of ground coffee based on personal taste of how strong you want the coffee to be. Use one tablespoon if you drink it black, if you plan to add sugar and cream add two tablespoons. And if you want the most caffeine out of your coffee, should you go with a dark roast or a light roast? If you answered dark roast, you’re in the majority, but unfortunately you’re incorrect. Don’t celebrate just yet if you answered light roast, because that’s not right either. The truth is, if there’s little difference in caffeine levels between dark and light roast beans. Diehards in both camps have insisted for years that their roast is the real deal, but it turns out that it all comes down to how you measure.

Now the same process of measuring goes when sharing the Word of God. Make sure you take into consideration the size of your audience, the age of your listeners, the reason they have gathered to hear you, and the amount of time you have to address them. Matthew understood this method and was wanting the readers of this Gospel to understand that Jesus was putting in place clear communication methods so that the point He was making became more important than the story He used to tell it.

Verse 35: This was to make clear the full meaning of what the wise man said: “I will speak using stories; I will tell things that have been secrets since the world was made.”⁹

This is Matthew’s commentary on the Master’s teaching session and saw it as a fulfillment of what the Psalmist Asaph said in his homily. The Korah family also did the same thing.¹⁰ Most preachers and teachers today employ the same technique when trying to make the truths of the Bible relevant to everyday life. A great English churchman and historian wrote: “Indeed, reasons are the pillars of the fabric of a sermon; but similitudes [illustrations] are the windows which give the best lights.”¹¹ I’ve often referred to illustrations as a frame to put around a portrait painted by using the Scriptures as colors.

Verse 36: Then Jesus left the people at the shore and went back to His house. His followers came inside and asked Him, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”

Back in verse 1 we saw where it said that Jesus came out of His house and went down by the sea shore to teach. He must have been there all day, but now it was no doubt supper time, so He returns to His house in Capernaum. From other references it appears that this edifice became Jesus’ personal synagogue. On this occasion His disciples want to speak to Him privately because they were curious as to any underlying truth in the parable He told about the weeds that were planted among the wheat in the field by the farmer’s enemy. But they were most curious about what would happen to the weeds.

Some people dream of having a city where only God-believing, holy and righteous people live in harmony and peace. That has already been tried. Zion, Illinois was founded in July 1901 along the western shore of Lake Michigan as a Utopian society by world-renowned evangelist and orator, Dr. John Alexander Dowie, who was originally from Scotland. Zion was one of the first planned cities in the United States and was platted to imitate the layout of the British Union Jack flag. Dowie also started the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only church in town. The north-south roads in the original plan are all named from the Bible except for two. For instance, there streets named Damascus, Ebenezer, Galilee, Hebron, Jethro, etc. Dowie had a utopian dream of a Christian community where strict regulations regarding social behavior and morals could be enforced. He would ban liquor, taverns, the selling of tobacco and other merchandise he considered being injurious to Christian health. He believed in salvation, healing, and holy living, and Zion City was to exemplify these beliefs.

Dr. Dowie surrounded himself with men of great talent and financial standings. Many experienced healing episodes and felt indebted to Dowie and his dream. With this support the city flourished. All economic, educational, social, political and religious activities were coordinated through church leadership. Besides residential homes, there was a manufacturing district to the east of the North Western Railway tracks containing a Bakery, Brick Kiln, Candy Factory Electric Plant, Lace Mill, Laundry, Lumber Mill, and Printing Publishing House. Dowie’s greatest achievement was to build a city of God, where His people could work and play, immune from the so-called sins of the world. The dream was far-reaching and most ambitious.

But then things took a dangerous turn when Dowie proclaimed that he was indeed Elijah the Prophet. It was about this time that Dowie, after an ill-fated trip to New York, let long standing financial mismanagement take over the church and sweep away the dreams. The planned 16,000-seat temple was never built. The industries began to suffer from lack of funds. The schools, located for the convenience of the children, graduated only two classes (1905 and 1906) before being closed. Today Zion, Illinois is like any other city with all the good and bad things that either bless or plague cities in the world. It may have been a good idea, but it was obviously not God’s idea. God never intended for His children to live on an island away from all evil and sin, but to live in the midst of such unrighteousness and yet survive and grow bigger and bigger.

Verses 37-41: He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of man.”

The idea of the Word of God being sown was expressed in the work of Ezra the scribe: “For, behold, I sow my law in you, and it shall bring fruit in you, and ye shall be honored in it forever.”¹² And in one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible God says: “But as for you, if you prepare your hearts, so as to sow in them the fruits of the law, it shall protect you in that time in which the Mighty One is to shake the whole creation.”¹³ As we have seen, the seed is often identified as the Torah (the Law of God), but here Jesus said that in His parable the seed are the people in God’s kingdom. This falls in line with what the Rabbis taught: “A young scholar may be likened to the seed under a hard clod of soil; once he has sprouted he soon grows upward.”¹⁴

So Jesus here identifies Himself as the sower in the parable. He also thereby identifies the seed as those who come to believe in Him as Savior and as the Lamb of God who came to take away their sins after they receive Him. This good news was that the old way of salvation through works under the Law based on continual animal sacrifices was now being replaced by salvation through faith by grace based on the one-time for all time sacrifice of the Lamb of God. And the question that we asked before about whether the field was the Church or the world, our Lord gives us a definitive answer.

Verse 38: The field is the world. The good seed is the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One.

Here we have a clear statement that this good news and message of salvation would go out into the whole world, not just Israel. That the Son of God did not come to die for just one people, but for all people as was stated in God’s promise to Abraham. It took Peter and some of the other disciples a while to learn this, but the apostle Paul was told by Jesus at his calling that he was to go to all non-Jewish populations in the world. But it would not be easy because the Evil One holds sway over those civilizations and will not release such dominion without a fight.

Verse 39: And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.

The devil first planted this seed of rebellion and wickedness in the Garden of Eden. But when God’s curse was pronounced upon him, God made it clear: “I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. You will bite her child’s foot, but He will crush your head.”¹⁵ Also, from that time onward the devil has known his destiny and has done everything in his power to take as many as God created with him. What a wonderful message our Lord gives to us here. No one is required to suffer the devil’s fate, let him alone suffer for what he did. Jesus came to provide a way out from under that death sentence. That’s why the Gospel is a message of liberty, and Jesus said that whom He the Son sets free, will be completely free!¹⁶

Verse 40: The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of time.

Now our Lord gives a clear and precise exegesis of His story on the bad seed being planted among the good seed. The day will come when the weeds are removed, and God already has His angels on alert, ready for His orders. Jesus echoes the words found in Joel: “Bring the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, because the winepress is full. The barrels will be full and spilling over because their evil is great”.¹⁷ Once the weeds have been plucked from the vineyard, they are good only to be burned.

Here our Lord takes the symbolic and interprets it in its literal sense. It is most significant that these scorching words of a fiery damnation course from the lips of the Son of God to our own hearts, as painful as that may seem. God is love, and Christ His Son is the personification of love, yet Jesus spoke here with little reluctance of the awful end awaiting the ungodly. In equal proportion to His love for that which is righteous and holy, is God’s anger and wrath upon that which is sinful and wicked. A heaven without a hell has no meaning! The Lord identified Himself as the Son of man who was sowing the seed. We see a similarity here with what was said in Hosea: “I will sow many seeds on her land. To the ones who receive little mercy, I will show mercy. To the ones who are not my people , ‘You are my people.’ And they will say to me, ‘You are our God’.”¹⁸

Verse 41: The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will find the people who cause sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people out of His kingdom.”

As the Psalmist said, “When You appear, You will burn them up like a blazing furnace. In your anger, Lord, you will completely destroy them; they will be swallowed by flames of fire. Their families will be destroyed. They will be removed from the earth. That is because they made evil plans against you. They wanted to do things they could not do.”¹⁹

After reading this prophecy by our Lord my mind immediately goes to John’s Revelation where this event is outlined in great detail. But it will take the actual occurrence of this sifting of the harvest and the casting of the weeds into the fire for us to fully understand what it implies. We do know that in Jesus’ day that was the normal way weeds were handled. In many cases they were bundled together and used to start a fire for ovens in which bread was baked and food was made. The vision of a burning hell with the devil and his pitchfork owes a lot its existence to Dante’s Divine Comedy, known better as “The Inferno,” than it does to the Scriptures. But with our Lord’s emphasis on such a tragic end, we must not take it lightly. We will now see what more Jesus has to say on this subject.

Some 350 years ago a well-known Japanese poet named Matsuo Basho wrote these words in one of his poems: “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.” It was his way of saying, “Be yourself.” Too many people today spend all their time trying to imitate others, whether if be in how they look, dress, live, what they like, or even how they express themselves. In so doing, they keep the people around them from getting to know their “real-self.”

As children of God, our heavenly Father does not want us to be mere cardboard cutouts of each other. He gave each one of us a unique personality, gifts and talents. Trying to be what others think we ought to be is often a waste of time because it covers up our true abilities. As this venerable Japanese poet said, we should all seek what those whom we admire are seeking, and Jesus told us that this should be to seek first the Kingdom of God and what it requires living our lives for God. To do that, we must all strive to be what God wants us to be, not what we are told be in order to imitate others. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

WITH JESUS IN THE CAR

Some years ago I was traveling from my home in Switzerland to a US Air Force Base in central Germany to preach for a Pentecostal Servicemen’s Fellowship. I took the scenic route through the Black Forest because I had until late in the afternoon to get there. I was thinking about the message God laid on my heart as I drove through the beautiful countryside. As I rounded a corner on the two-lane country road, it began to rise uphill toward a small village at the top. Because of the rolling hillside, there were places where the road cut through the land and on each side were vertical dirt banks that rose as high as ten feet, leaving no room to pull onto the shoulder.

About halfway up, I noticed a large truck, compared to my small VW, coming toward me down the incline. As the truck approached, suddenly another truck pulled out from behind to pass. At first, it didn’t alarm me, but as they got closer the distance was closing fast and the truck trying to pass had pulled alongside the other truck but didn’t seem to be gaining any headway. In a matter of seconds, I realized that there wasn’t enough time for either truck to slam on its brakes to avoid a collision. I instinctively pulled to the right of the roadway as far as I could and hit my brakes. There was no shoulder, and the dirt embankment was too steep to pull up on out of the way.

As both trucks came barreling toward me I closed my eyes and said, “Here I come, Lord, I’m ready to go.” Just that second my little VW swayed to the right as if hit by a buffer of strong wind. When I heard no sound of crunching metal or breaking glass, I looked up, the trucks were gone, and I was safe. I quickly looked into my rear-view mirror and saw the two trucks going down the road behind me. It thanked God for His protection and nervously started my engine. I looked at my watch to see the time and then continued toward my destination.

When I got to the U. S. Service member’s living quarters where I was going to stay, after inviting me in the lady of the house began fixing the meal so it would be ready when her husband got home. All at once she stopped, and approached me somewhat hesitantly and inquired if she could ask me a question. I said, “Yes, of course.” She continued, “Would you happen to know where you were earlier today?” and she gave me the time. “Oh, yes,” I replied, I was about to be crushed by two trucks in the Black Forrest.”

She seemed astounded, and asked me to make sure I had the right time, and I told her I remember because I looked at my watch. Then with tears in her eyes, she told me that just before that time she was preparing everything for my arrival and was in the kitchen when all of a sudden the Holy Spirit spoke to her spirit and told her to drop everything and pray for me. Quickly, she went into the bedroom and fell to her knees in obedience and began to pray, but not knowing exactly what for. She prayed until the burden lifted, and then continued where she left off getting the house and meal ready.

I learned that day, never think God is not looking out for you. And I also learned that when the Holy Spirit tells you to do something, do it then and do it fast, whether it’s to call someone, visit someone, or pray for someone. You just may be part of a divine miracle. – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Part III

Verse 31: Then Jesus told the people another story: “God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field.”

Now our Master continues with the story of the seed. This time He points out that even if the seed that falls on good ground and grows among rocks, and weeds, and scavenging birds, may be the smallest of all, its potential will be much larger and more usable than many of those worthless plants around them. A lot has been said about the mustard seed because of its tiny size, but there are also other beneficial elements in this tiny seed. Those familiar with agriculture tell us that mustard seeds can be traced to different areas of Europe and Asia with the white variety originating in the eastern Mediterranean regions, the brown from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, and the black from the Middle East.

Mustard seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back about 5,000 years ago.¹ While mustard seeds were used for their culinary properties in ancient Greece, it seems that it was the ancient Romans who invented a paste from the ground seeds which was probably the ancestor of our modern day mustard condiment. The physicians of both civilizations, including the father of medicine, Hippocrates, used mustard seed medicinally.

Verse 32: It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches.

Mustard seed is one of the most popular spices traded in the world today. As it grows well in temperate climates, the areas that produce the greatest amount of mustard seeds currently include Hungary, Great Britain, India, Canada and the United States. Mustard seeds emerged from our food ranking system as an excellent source of selenium, a nutrient that has been shown to help reduce the severity of asthma, decrease some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and help prevent cancer. They also qualify as a good source of magnesium. Like selenium, magnesium has been shown to help lower high blood pressure, to restore normal sleep patterns in women having difficulty with the symptoms of menopause, to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, and to prevent heart attack in patients suffering from atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease.

Mustard seeds also qualified as a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids and manganese as well as a good source of phosphorus, copper, and vitamin B1. So Jesus did not pick just any old seed, but one that He knew was exception in it use and value. But it was the size of the seed that got most of the attention which lent itself to being used to describe something tiny. For instance, one Rabbi said: “The daughters of Israel have undertaken to be so strict with themselves that if they see a drop of blood no bigger than a mustard seed they wait another seven days to be declared pure.”² This had to do with purification after their menstruation period ends.

In another place they amplify what this Rabbi said: “The daughters of Israel imposed spontaneously upon themselves the restriction that if they saw on their garments a spot of blood no bigger than a mustard seed, they waited for seven days without seeing any further spots before taking a ritual bath.”³ The Rabbis were intent on covering every situation possible, like the one we find concerning the priest performing his duties: “If a man was eating a Heave-offering and he felt the need to urinate, he must cross his legs swallow the Heave-offering. However, if there be any discharge that makes a spot no larger than a mustard seed or less, it renders him unclean.”⁴

And on another page they emphasize that even if some small part of a lump of dough, even as small as a mustard seed, is contaminated, then the whole lump is unclean.⁵ In other words, they considered even the smallest spot to be enough to make them totally unclean. So by Jesus using the mustard seed in His illustration, His audience well understood the impact of what He was saying. Our Lord turns this around to show how something very big can come out of something so small.

The Jews also spoke in these terms. They tell us: “There was a case in the town of Shikhin⁶ of a single stalk of mustard that had three branches. One of the branches was stripped off and served on its own to cover the potter’s booth as a roof.”⁷ This story must have gotten around, because in another place they retell it this way: “It once happened to a man at Shikhin also known as Sepphoris in Galilee to whom his father left three twigs of mustard that one of these split and was found to contain 2.5 gallons of mustard, and its timber sufficed to cover a potter’s hut.”⁸

Earlier, Jesus had spoken about the farmer sowing grain, and now He is talking about a mustard seed tree. This certainly registered in His Jewish listener’s minds since these were familiar topics. So not only did our Lord chose a seed for its size to make a point but no doubt He knowingly picked one with great potential for contributing to good health and serves a vital role as part of preventive medicines. This parable also echoes the same message we find Ezekiel:

“This is what the Lord God says:

‘I will take a branch from a tall cedar tree.
I will take a small branch from the top of the tree,
and I myself will plant it on a very high mountain.
I myself will plant it on a high mountain in Israel.
That branch will grow into a tree.
It will grow branches and make fruit
and become a beautiful cedar tree.
Many birds will sit on its branches
and live in the shadows under its branches.

Then the other trees will know that
I, theLord, make tall trees fall to the ground,
and I make small trees grow tall.
I make green trees become dry,
and I make dry trees become green.
I am theLord.
If I say that I will do something, then I will do it!’”⁹

Could this be the same tree that Nebuchadnezzar saw and told Daniel about?¹⁰ But another prohibition may have also entered their minds. The Rabbis taught: “It is forbidden to sow mustard or saffron close to a wheat field even for experimentation purposes, because a stranger will assume that, since mustard or saffron are harmful as a neighbor to wheat, a person would not have planted, nor allow another to plant it, unless he needed its actual yield and that therefore, he is practicing crossbreeding, but it is permitted to sow mustard or saffron close to a vegetable field which is not harmed by the proximity of these two plants, and so a stranger would assume that these two belong to different people.”¹¹

Jerome has this to say on how he understands what our Lord is teaching in this parable: “I believe that the branches of the gospel tree that grew from the grain of mustard seed signify the different teachings whereon each one of the birds mentioned perches. Let us also take on the feathers of a dove so that, flying to the higher parts, we may dwell on the branches of this tree and make nests for ourselves from the different doctrines and, fleeing from earthly things, hasten to heavenly things. Many people read that the grain of mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. They read what the disciples say in the Gospel: ‘Lord, increase our faith,’¹² and the answer given to them by the Savior: ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith even like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.’¹³ They wonder whether an apostle would ask for a small faith or they doubt the Lord concerning what he has to say about small faith. Yet Paul the apostle makes an even greater comparison than faith to a grain of mustard. In fact, what does he say? “If I have all faith so as to move mountains, yet do not have love, I am nothing.¹⁴”¹⁵

Our effort to understand this should be looked at as part of a larger context established in this teaching of Jesus, and that is how good seed and bad seed sown in the same field react to one another, especially in their search for nutrients in the soil and jostling for position. Jesus just used a parable in which a call went out to remove the weeds from among the wheat before harvest time, perhaps due to the fact that weeds often grow faster and larger than wheat. Now through this parable of the mustard seed, Jesus gives believers encouragement that even though they may be in the minority, to stay on a steady course because in the end they will prevail. He carries this same principle over into this parable of the mustard seed.

Here we have a great example for us in not only having the seed of God’s Word sown in our hearts but also when we have the opportunity of sowing it in the hearts of others. First, it must be the genuine seed, not some artificial imitation. Second, the condition of the soil will help us understand the growth of the seed into a producing plant. But in order to have the faith and confidence in sowing that seed, we need faith only the size of a mustard seed to believe that what starts out small may still end up being great.

But let’s make sure that we don’t mix up our Lord’s use of the size of the mustard seed in comparison to how faith of a similar size can even move mountains. Here He is talking about something that has a small, humble beginning with the potential of growing bigger and bigger in comparison to its size when planted. In this case He is talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, how it will have a tiny beginning but grow into a huge entity. With the seed, He was talking about the Word of God being sown and some of it falling on different types of soil and producing or not producing any yield. So how could we reconcile the Jewish teaching of keeping the mustard plants and the wheat plants apart so as not to infect one with the other. The Lord’s next parable tells us where He is taking this conversation, so that will help our understanding.