Down an Unfamiliar Road

A young cook was once asked, is it correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white?” Which one of these do you think this young cook should choose? Let’s hope your choice would be the correct one so that they could see the difference.

Sometimes when we are confronted with a problem, option or opportunity, we often fail to solve the problem or select the wrong option or miss an opportunity because we become focused on the what we think we see rather than what we really see.

This is often done when it comes to verses from the Bible. One of the most often quoted verses in Scripture is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” – depending on the version you read. In many sermons you may hear this interpreted as God saying that the door to His kingdom is wide open to anybody and everybody that wants to come in, no questions asked.

But that is not true! It states specifically, “whosoever believes.” I’ve heard pastors ask those who come forward or stand up to receive salvation to repeat his version of the sinner’s prayer, but in that prayer I did not hear the words “believe, confess, or forgive.” The apostle Paul said: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”¹ And the apostle John made it clear: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”² And Jesus Himself commended the tax collector who being too humble to look up into heaven, smote his chest and cried out for mercy in confession: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”³

So it is important that when we repeat what God’s Word has to say, to make sure we have it right so that when others examine it they don’t say, “No, that’s not what it says.” Just like the question we mentioned at the beginning that the young cook was asked. By the way, which one do you think is the right answer? No matter which one you may have chosen, they are both wrong. You see, the yolk of the egg is yellow, not white! – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

During this Christmas season, we all become accustomed to Christmas songs being played on the radio, and some of us turn to stations that play nothing but sacred Christmas carols and secular songs all day long. And among those we often hear sung is one called: “Little Drummer Boy.” Believe it or not, it is often sung in churches. It’s not an old Christmas carol, in fact, it was written in 1941 and first called “Carol of the Drum.” Then in 1955 it was recorded by the Von Trapp Family Singers of “The Sound of Music” fame.

It tells the fictitious story of a little boy who heard a noise outside his window of people talking as they walked by. So he got up and went to the window and saw several men dressed in fine clothes, along with their camels and servants going by on their way to visit the infant Jesus in the manger. He had always dreamed of being a drummer in a parade, so the Magi invited him to go along. But he had no gift to bring other than his drum.

When they arrived at the manger, the little boy told Mary: “I am a poor boy too, I have no gift to bring that’s fit to give our King, shall I play for you.” After Mary gave her permission, the little lad told how the ox and lamb kept time as he played his drum for Jesus. The song ends with these words: “I played my best for Him, me and my drum.”

For those who know the real story of the birth of Jesus, the Magi did not visit Jesus in the manger but came some two years later when Jesus was living in a house nearby. Also, we have no record that in the manger there was an ox or a lamb on that night because the shepherds who did come left their sheep in the field.

But it goes to show how the figment of someone’s imagination can over time become accepted as genuine and real. This is not only true about so-called historical events portrayed in musicals, but also of repeated stories that supposedly are about God, Jesus, His disciples, and other biblical figures. So while it sure does offer a pleasing sentiment of a little boy being invited to join the Magi and bring gifts to the baby Jesus and all he has is his little drum, for those unfamiliar with the true story if fosters a misconception that falls into the same category as Santa Claus and the Christmas tree.

The fact is, even the disciples never celebrated Christmas because to the Jews, honoring birthdays was a pagan idea. Should we stop commemorating the coming of the Son of God into this world as a human being so that He could be our Savior and Redeemer? Absolutely not! Should we cease singing Christmas Carols in honor of the King who came to establish the Kingdom of God and invite whosoever will to become part of that kingdom. Emphatically, no! But let’s teach our children by doing it the right way based on what we know from God’s Word.

In a way, we all may be like that fictional little drummer, we have no great talent, ability, power, or money to give in honor of the King of Glory, but He is so kind and gracious that He will accept whatever we have to give Him in expressing our love and appreciation for His loving us so much that He sent His Son, His only Son, into this world to be our Savior.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SEVEN

Part II

As we look at this further, I think what Jesus was telling His disciples was quite clear, now that we know how our Lord’s teaching fit with what they had already been taught. To paraphrase it, when a person has dedicated themselves, their talent, and their time to the service of God, and they somehow become disabled or their talent becomes defective, it still belongs to God. Don’t give it to the dogs. In other words, don’t let the world or the devil have it. British theologian John Gill has a pertinent question at this point: if dogs represent those who are unworthy of having any time or effort spent on them using the talents, gifts and abilities given to a person by God, then who do the swine represent?

The first thing to eliminate is the use of “pearls” in the literal sense. In Jewish thinking, pearls were thought of as words of wisdom that were plucked out of the mind like a pearl out of an oyster. And just as pearls in the oyster are developed over a long time inside the shell, so wisdom is not instant, it is developed over time as well. Second, we also eliminate “swine” as a literal reference. Swine became a metaphor for people that were thought to be so ignorant and living in the darkness of heathenism that they were incapable of understanding wisdom. So to paraphrase what our Lord is saying here: Don’t take the spiritual insights and wisdom given to you by God and go out and start sharing with those who have no interest in listening to your message.

Rabbi Ashi warns about crushing a pearl which was worth 2000 shekels.¹ And another Rabbi tells his students that Israel had been the recipient of many precious stones and pearls of wisdom.² And we also read that Rabbi Judah was quoted as saying that he was appreciative of the precious pearl that the Rabbis had given God’s people when they were exiled in Babylon, and by this he meant the Mishnah.”³ It is clear that in these instances, the word pearl is not to be taken literally, but figuratively. Jewish scholars also speak of a precious pearl when they make reference to prayer.

And when the subject of value in such pearls is discussed, and they note that matching pearls are of higher value than two pearls sold separately.⁴ This comes from what one Jewish scholar explains: “When a man possesses one ox, he may be very anxious to procure another of equal strength, because it is inconvenient to plow with two animals of dissimilar capacities. Therefore he may knowingly overpay, hence the law of overcharging does not apply. So with a pearl, if it exactly matches others in his possession.” Any person who has purchased jewelry knows that a matching pair or pearls always cost more than two that are dissimilar. So from this we see that pearls became identified as a symbol of something precious, priceless or profound. As a matter of fact, one Jewish Rabbi commenting on the Ark of the Covenant being overlaid with pure gold stated: “This is an allusion to the pearls and golden nuggets (allegorically speaking) that are found in the Torah in great abundance.”⁵

And since Jesus has been talking about advice and counsel from the onset of this chapter, it is easy to see in context that He was referring to such advice and counsel as something valuable, like matching pearls. And for us as Christians, since Jesus said that He and the Father are one, and that the Father sent Him to tell the world what the Father told Him, we can see a set of matching pearls in that Jesus never contradicted His Father, and the Father never scolded His Son for being wrong. Thus when the Holy Spirit comes into a believer’s heart, mind, and life to help them understand this wisdom and guidance from God and His Son, it provides a perfect setting for all the world to admire.

Now on to understanding the use of swine in this saying of Jesus. Jewish scholars tell us that there is probably no animal as disgusting to Jewish sensitivities as the pig. It’s not just because it may not be eaten: there are plenty of other animals that aren’t kosher either, but none of them arouse as much disgust as the pig. Colloquially, the pig is the ultimate symbol of loathing; when you say that someone “acted like a pig,” it suggests that he or she did something unusually abominable. Indeed, many Jews consider pork, ham, bacon, etc., the most non-kosher foods there are. Rabbi Maimonides speaks about why pigs were thought of this way: “The principal reason why the Law forbids swine’s flesh is to be found in the circumstance that its habits and its food are very dirty and loathsome. It has already been pointed out how emphatically the Law enjoins the removal of the sight of loathsome objects, even in the field and in the camp; how much more objectionable is such a sight in towns. But if it were allowed to eat swine’s flesh, the streets and houses would be more dirty than any cesspool, as may be seen at present in the country of the French.”⁶

It is easy to see how pigs were then used as metaphors for those who wallowed in the filth of immorality, both physically and intellectually. As a matter of fact, one Jewish commentator says: “When the pig pauses from his gluttony and lies down to rest he stretches out his foot to show his cloven hoof, and pretends that he belongs to the clean kind of animals.”⁷ And even more apropos to what Jesus was saying, one Jewish writer points out that one Roman legion, the 10^th Fretensis, used the boar as one of its ensigns. Additionally, one of the prominent Roman families was that of the Porcii (“pigs”), whose male and female members bore the respective names of Porcius and Porcia. Just as the pig sticks out its hooves when it is resting, as if to say “I am kosher,” so did the Romans put on a show of justice to mask their avarice and corruption.⁸

In Jesus’s mind, this would not eliminate Romans from receiving the Gospel, e. g., Cornelius, but that the attitude of the Romans was much like that of the pig. Therefore, people with such a “piggish” mindset would not be receptive to the Gospel, so don’t waste your time. As believers today, we can detect very quickly when we share the good news of our experience and how Christ changed our life through the power of the Gospel, when the people we are talking to have no interest in what we are saying because they feel they are intellectually above what we are trying to tell them. So don’t take it as a defeat, just move on because you are wasting your time and your pearls.

But Jesus wants to emphasize the fact that these pearls of wisdom and precious stones of knowledge are not found lying around so that people can easily pick them up. Appropriating them and collecting them can take time and effort. So Jesus gives His disciples this advice:

Verses 7-8: Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.

Now that you can see that Jesus was referring to our attaining more wisdom and knowledge in order to be effective disciples in this world, I’m sure you can see how often this verse has been misused and misapplied to the believer’s life. So in light of what Jesus has been saying on how critical it is for us to be prepared to witness, properly discerning who we are witnessing to so we don’t waste our time, Jesus now continues teaching His followers to avoid judging others until you know all the facts and the whole truth. Unfortunately for the English reader, the Greek verbs here have not been translated sufficiently in the KJV to see their being in the present continuing tense. The verse in the New Living Testament reads: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find it. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

This verse offers us insight on how to deal with our many problems. But our problems come in different degrees of seriousness and need. And so, like our problems there are three ways of petition given here, each entailing greater action than the other. “Asking” is the simplest; “seeking” requires more effort, and “knocking” alludes to specific discovery. If I wanted to visit someone in a city I was not familiar with the layout, the first thing I might do is “ask” more than once for directions on how to find their house. Then after receiving directions I would keep “seeking” until I located it. But I still haven’t seen my friend. I could sit in front of his house for days and he not know that I was there. I still have another step to go and that is go “knocking” on his door until he opens up.

Ironically however, while this is a very simple process, yet it seems too difficult for many Christians to understand. They pick out one of the three actions and forget the need for the other two. It’s one thing to sit at home praying for God to you the skills and wisdom to do a job, but it’s another to actually go looking ways to learn how to be better at what you do, and then applying what you have learned to whatever opportunities that become available. Some Christians want God to do all the work! These verses are so oft misused they have lost their original intention. First, we must go through the door of Verse 33 in Chapter 6. Second, there is nothing in these verses to imply immediate response to our efforts. It is another command with a promise. But we must first obey the command in order to receive what’s promised.

Would Solomon have become a great king had he not listened to the voice of God? “While Solomon was at Gibeon, the Lord came to him at night in a dream. God said, ‘Solomon, ask me what you want me to give you.’”⁹ His father King David had no doubts that God would hear, “Lord, you have heard what the poor want. Listen to their prayers, and do what they ask.”¹⁰ The sons of Asaph wrote, “God says, ‘Call me when trouble comes. I will help you, and you will honor Me.’”¹¹ And David sang, “The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to Him for help. He listens to His followers and does what they want. He answers their prayers and empowers them.”¹²

Augustine offers this commentary for our consideration. He writes: “Since, therefore, a command had been given that what is holy should not be given to dogs, and pearls should not be thrown down before swine, a hearer might object and say, while being conscious of his own ignorance and weakness, and hearing a command addressed to him, that he should not give what he felt that he himself had not yet received,—might I object and say, What holy thing do you forbid me to give to the dogs, and what pearls do you forbid me to cast before swine, while as yet I do not see that I possess such things? Most opportunely He has added the statement: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it will be opened.” The asking refers to the obtaining by request soundness and strength of mind, so that we may be able to discharge those duties which are commanded; the seeking, on the other hand, refers to the finding of the truth. For inasmuch as the blessed life is summed up in action and knowledge, action wishes for itself a supply of strength, contemplation desires that matters should be made clear: of these therefore the first is to be asked, the second is to be sought; so that the one may be given, the other found. But knowledge in this life belongs to the way rather than to the possession itself: but whoever has found the true way, will arrive at the possession itself which, however, is opened to him that knocks.”¹³

Then Augustine continues: “In order, therefore, that these three things – asking, seeking, knocking – may be made clear, let us suppose, for example, the case of one weak in his limbs, who cannot walk: in the first place, he is to be healed and strengthened so as to be able to walk; and to this refers the expression He has used, “Ask.” But what advantage is it that he is now able to walk, or even run, if he should go astray by misleading paths? A second thing therefore is, that he should find the road that leads to the place at which he wishes to arrive; and when he has stayed on that road, and arrived at the very place where he wishes to dwell, if he find it closed, it will be of no use either that he has been able to walk, or that he has walked and arrived, unless it be opened to him; to this, therefore, the expression refers which has been used, “Knock.”¹⁴

Chrysostom gives us the context in which this text is given: He says: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” For inasmuch as He had requested things great and marvelous, and had commanded men to be better than all their desires, and led them up to Heaven itself, and had requested them to strive after the likeness, not of angels and archangels, but (as far as was possible) of the very Lord of all; and had bidden His disciples not only themselves duly to perform all this, but also to correct others, and to distinguish between the evil and them that are not such, the dogs and them that are not dogs (although there be much that is hidden in men):—that they might not say, “these things are grievous and intolerable,”¹⁵ (for indeed in the sequel Peter did utter some such things, saying, “Who can be saved?”¹⁶ and again, “If the case of the man be so, it is not good to marry¹⁷): in order therefore that they might not now likewise say so; as in the first place even by what had gone before He had proved it all to be easy, setting down many reasons one upon another, of power to persuade men: so after all He adds also the pinnacle of all facility, devising as no ordinary relief to our toils, the assistance derived from persevering prayers. Thus, He says, we are not ourselves to strive alone, but also to invoke the help from above: and it will surely come and be present with us, and will aid us in our struggles, and make all easy. Therefore He both commanded us to ask, and pledged Himself to the giving.”¹⁸

Chrysostom continues: “However, He did not command us simply to ask, but so so with much diligence and earnestness. For this is the meaning of “seek.” For so he that seeks, putting all things out of his mind, is focused on that alone which is being sought, and unaware of any of the persons present. And this which I am saying they know, as many as have lost either gold, or servants, and are seeking diligently after them. By “seeking,” then, He declared this; by “knocking,” that we approach with earnestness and a enthusiastic mind. Despair not therefore, O man, nor show less of zeal about virtue, than they do of desire for wealth. For things of that kind you have often sought and not found, but nevertheless, though you know this, that you are not sure of finding them, you put in motion every mode of search; but here, although having a promise that you will surely receive, you do not show even the smallest part of that earnestness. And if you do not receive straightaway, do not despair. For to this end He said, “knock,” to signify that even if He should not straightaway open the door, we are to continue standing there.”¹⁹

Here again, it helps us see the principles derived from this teaching by Jesus on perseverance in seeking the truth and knowledge that He is willing to give us the ability to grasp and understand if we just strive and search for it. In this day and age of instant coffee, instant oatmeal, instant pictures, instant messaging, we despair quickly and give up. I like what Father Jordan had to say on this. He writes: “We live in an instant society today. A society that has to have everything quicker and faster. If you have to wait more than 5 minutes, it’s considered a shame and disgrace. Fast Food restaurants are popping up on just about every corner. We can’t even take the time to walk into a restaurant and sit down and order, we have to be able to drive by a window and get our food fast. Bank lines are too hard to deal with, so we have automatic teller machines to serve the people with immediate access to their money any time of day or night.”²⁰

I recently heard of one church that was offering “drive-by” prayer for healing, and another offering drive-thru communion. It’s almost as though people don’t want to mine for gold or dig for diamonds, they want them out laying on the surface so they won’t have to waste time looking for them. God’s Word is a gold mine and there are many diamonds and pearls to be found, but not without taking the time to prayerfully peruse and examine it to find them. Besides, what greater joy there is in finding a gold nugget of wisdom after hours and hours of digging through the Bible, Concordances, Lexicons, and Bible Dictionaries, than when it is simply handed to us in a morning devotional guide. Not that they are to be avoided, but they are to God’s whole Word what a snapshot of one star is to the entire universe, or a small bite from a large delicious cake or pie. That’s why our Lord told His disciples that if they wanted to know the whole truth, to ask, seek and knock, so that the door of wisdom can be opened to all who wish to enter.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SEVEN

Part I (con’t)

Verses 3-5: “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.”

While our Lord makes no reference to it here, there is a notable similitude between the point He is making and what happened between King David and the prophet Nathan after the prophet told him the story of the rich man with many sheep, who took the one little female lamb of his poor neighbor to use as a meal for a traveler who stopped by. After hearing this, David erupted in anger and yelled, “‘As the Lord lives, the man who did this should die! He must pay four times the price of the lamb because he did this terrible thing and because he had no mercy.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are that man!’”¹ It is clear that although David immediately saw that what this rich man did was wrong, he could not see the horrific error that he committed.

Too often we judge other people’s misdeeds without looking at our own list of blunders. When it came to the dust and wood plank, Jesus never intended for this to be taken literally; how many people go around with a stick in their eye trying to remove splinters in other people’s eyes? But the proverb does take some thought in order to get the message. The point our Lord is trying to make is that when we assume superiority and commence judging others’ weaknesses or faults before we address our own faults and weaknesses, it makes us less capable of really helping the other person. If you’ve ever flown on an airplane and they give the safety instructions while taxiing out to the runway, the stewardess will always say to the adults, when the oxygen mask falls down put yours on first before putting the other one on your child.

We have a phenomenon in our world today: people without children telling parents how to raise theirs, and unwed marriage counselors instructing married couples how to get along. To take it one step further, in our churches we have those who criticize others for not reading their Bibles, praying often enough, attending services more frequently and giving more in the offering, while they themselves are having trouble with telling the truth, acting morally right, addicted to gossip, or showing no compassion for the needy. But more than anything, only a true judge can render a verdict and proceed with sentencing. And the one true judge is God. While we certainly can point out an error, a mistake or even a crime, judging can only come after all the facts and evidence is known. So we have every right to offer advice and suggest options, but leave the judging up to those qualified to do so.

After David was confronted with his own crime by the prophet Nathan, David had this to say: “O God, don’t look at my sins. Erase them all. Create a pure heart in me, and make my spirit strong again. Don’t push me away or take your Holy Spirit from me. Your help made me so happy. Give me that joy again. Make my spirit strong and ready to obey You. I will teach the guilty how You want them to live, and the sinners will come back to You.”² This is the attitude Jesus wanted His followers to adopt in their own lives. One reason why Jesus was such a good communicator is that He knew the character of those He came to save, and with compassion pointed out to them a better way using traditions the were already familiar with.

For we read where one noted Rabbi said: “If the judge said to a man, ‘Take the splinter from your eye,’ he would retort, ‘Take the beam from between your eyes.’ If the judge said, ‘Your silver contains dross,’ he would retort, ‘Your wine is mixed with water’ ³.”⁴ And to show that this was a common maxim among the Jewish Rabbis, they said: “It was taught in a Baraita:⁵ Rabbi Tarfon said, I wonder whether there is any one in this generation who accepts reproof, for if one says to him: Remove the mote from your eyes, he would answer: Remove the beam from your eyes!”⁶

This concept of taking care of your own hangups before you start pointing out the hangups of others was expressed in different ways by other Jewish teachers. In their lectures we read: “It has been taught that Rabbi Nathan said: ‘Do not taunt your neighbor with the blemish you yourself have.’”⁷ Then again: “O House of David, thus saith the Lord, execute justice in the morning;⁸ and if they may not be judged, how could they judge: is it not written, ‘Gather together, gather yourselves, nation devoid of shame;⁹ which Resh Lakish interpreted. ‘dress yourself first and then dress others.’”¹⁰ And according the John Gill, Jewish writer David Kimchi also made a comment on this verse in his Commentary in Zephaniah 2:1: “Inquire first into your own blemishes, and then inquire into the blemishes of others.”¹¹

It is obvious that Jesus could have drawn from a number of sources the quote that He wanted to show that He believed that a person should first reform themselves before they try to deal with others, and any faults he may find in others, should not be something he is guilty of himself. This pretty much put everyone listening to Him outside the court room of opinion and left the judge’s seat empty. On the other hand, one should not take wise advice and council and waste it on those who have no desire to reform once their blemishes are shown to them in love and compassion.

Augustine gives his view on what Jesus is teaching here. He writes: “For those who are so spiteful as to see the smallest errors in others, how can you be so remiss as to not see your own mistakes, and thereby avoid noticing your greatest faults? Can’t you see that Jesus does not forbid judging, but commands to that we first remove the beam from your own eye, so as to be able to see better in helping others with their problems? For indeed each person knows his own faults better than those of others; and sees the bigger ones better than the smaller ones. And each person loves himself more than his neighbor. So if you really want to be a guardian for others, I urge you to take care for yourself first, because your mistakes may be of greater concern. But if you neglect yourself, it is quite obvious that you will not be able to look out for your brother in a way that helps him, but in a way that hurts him, wishing only to expose his faults. If he is to be judged, it should be by someone who is without fault, not by you.”¹²

Augustine has an interesting take on what it means to be a hypocrite. He writes: “Whenever necessity compels one to reprove or rebuke another, we ought to proceed with godly discernment and caution. First of all, let us consider whether the other fault is such as we ourselves have never had or whether it is one that we have overcome. Then, if we have never had such a fault, let us remember that we are human and could have had it. But if we have had it and are rid of it now, let us remember our common frailty, in order that mercy, not hatred, may lead us to the giving of advice and admonition. It this way, whether the advice ends up helping or hurting the one for whose sake we are offering it (for the result cannot be predicted), we ourselves will not be liable because we did the best with what we had to give. But if upon reflection we find that we ourselves have the same fault as the one we are about to reprove, let us neither correct nor rebuke that one. Rather, let us bemoan the fault ourselves and thereby influence to other person to watch out for the same thing, without asking them to submit to our correction.”¹³

Verse 6: Don’t give something that is holy to dogs. They will only turn and hurt you. And don’t throw your pearls to pigs. They will only step on them.

If we take what Matthew records here as a continuous narrative from Jesus, we might be hard pressed to explain how this verse fits with the one before it and the one after it. We may find an answer in what Solomon says: “Criticize a person who is rude and shows no respect, and you will only get insults. Correct the wicked, and you will only get hurt. Don’t correct such people, or they will hate you. But correct those who are wise, and they will love you. Teach the wise, and they will become wiser. Instruct those who live right, and they will gain more knowledge.”¹⁴ In other words, Jesus had just warned about judging others before you examine yourself. But once you’ve corrected your mistake, you can certainly help others avoid the same pitfall. However, there are some people who will take no advice, no matter how meaningful or well intended it may be.

Joseph H. Thayer, in his well-known Greek Lexicon, categorizes the word “holy” used here as something to be revered and worthy of veneration. He goes on to note that as it is used in this text, it references the gospel, or the teaching that Jesus is giving His disciples on this occasion. As one anonymous Bible commentator put it: “This biblical text is generally interpreted to be a warning by Jesus to His followers that they should not offer biblical doctrine to those who were unable to value and appreciate it.” In that sense, Solomon states: “Don’t try to teach fools. They will make fun of your wise words.”¹⁵ And the same goes for the last part of this verse.

As far as our Lord’s statement about pigs, Solomon only says, “A beautiful woman without good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s nose.”¹⁶ In that same vein, a gold ring in a pig’s nose would make it look no better than a string of pearls around it’s neck. In other words, in the Jewish mind there was no way to dress up a pig to make it look beautiful. Likewise, putting a wreath of wise sayings around the neck of a fool will have the same effect. This has led many scholars to suggest that the word “pearls” may have been an improper Greek translation of the Aramaic word used by Jesus. At the same time, proverbs or wise sayings were often called pearls of wisdom. It is also possible that Jesus was using the term “swine” metaphorically. That means, He was referring to a certain group of individuals whose habits and thought processes are no better than the common pig. For if you wash a pig, it will only go and wallow in the mud again.

But our Lord may have been referring to an abhorrent practice that was forbidden, and that was when an animal was dedicated to be used as a sacrifice but found to have a blemish, it was then used for other purposes. The Rabbis taught: “If one has dedicated an animal not suitable for use, a permanent blemish is required in order to redeem it. So can you not prove from here that one may redeem dedicated animals in order to give dogs to eat? Rather, say: It is dedicated in that it is left to die.”¹⁷ Again, the same subject is further discussed, and they talk about an animal dedicated to God could become unfit for sacrifice because of some blemish. It reads: “Our Rabbis have taught: Scriptures says: ‘You may kill and eat flesh. ‘You may kill’ implies no sharing, ‘and eat’, it’s not for your dogs.’”¹⁸

The Jerusalem Talmud had established this rule even earlier than the Babylonian Talmud. Rabbi Yosé was teaching on things sanctified and dedicated for God’s use, and states quite clearly, “For they do not redeem sanctified items to feed them to dogs.”¹⁹ Another illustration is given by the Rabbis says: “If a deer which had been bought with second tithe money died, it may not be redeemed to feed it to dogs and thus it must be buried together with its hide.”²⁰ In Jewish verbal traditions there were instructions on feeding certain things to animals. The compilers include this statement: “Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, No leaven shall be eaten today²¹ which prohibits even feeding dogs.”²²

Augustine has quite a bit to say about this distinction between dogs and swine. He writes: “Now, in this precept by which we are forbidden to give what is holy to the dogs, and to cast our pearls before swine, we must carefully determine what is meant by the words holy, pearls, dogs, and swine. A holy thing is something for which it is irreverent to violate or corrupt; and any attempt or intent to commit that crime is held to be criminal, although that holy thing should remain in its nature unassailable and incorruptible. By pearls, again, are meant whatever spiritual things we ought to set a high value upon, both because they lie hid in a secret place, are as it were brought up out of the deep, and are found in wrappings of allegory, as it were in shells that have to be opened by an expert. We may therefore legitimately understand that one and the same thing may be called both holy and a pearl: but it gets the name of holy for this reason, that it ought not to be corrupted; of a pearl for this reason, that it ought not to be despised. Everyone, however, endeavors to break in two what he does not wish to remain intact: but he despises what he thinks worthless, and reckons to be as it were beneath himself; and therefore whatever is despised is said to be trampled on. And hence, inasmuch as dogs spring at a thing in order to tear it in pieces, and do not allow what they are tearing in pieces to remain in its original condition, “Give not,” says He, “that which is holy unto the dogs:” for although it cannot be torn in pieces and corrupted, and remains unharmed and intact, yet we must think of what is the wish of those parties who bitterly and in a most unfriendly spirit resist, and, as far as in them lies, endeavor, if it were possible, to destroy the truth. But swine, although they do not, like dogs, pounce on an object with their teeth, yet by recklessly trampling on it defile it: “Do not therefore throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and bite you.” We may therefore not inappropriately understand dogs as used to designate the assailants of the truth, swine the despisers of it.”²³

Augustine goes on to say: “But when He says, they turn again and bite you, He does not say, they rip apart the pearls themselves. For by trampling on them, just when they turn in order that they may hear something more, they yet tear him by whom the pearls have just been cast before them which they have trampled on. For you would not easily find out what pleasure the man could have who has trampled pearls under foot, i.e. has despised divine things whose discovery is the result of great labor. But in regard to him who teaches such individuals, I do not see how he would escape being ripped to pieces through their anger and wrath. Moreover, both animals are unclean, the dog as well as the swine. We must therefore be on our guard, lest anything should be opened up to him who does not receive it: for it is better that he should seek for what is hidden, than that he should either attack or rebuff what has been opened. Neither, in fact, is any other cause found why they do not receive those things which are manifest and of importance, except hatred and contempt, the one of which gets them the name of dogs, the other that of swine. And all this impurity is generated by the love of temporal things, i.e. by the love of this world, which we are commanded to renounce, in order that we may be able to be pure. The man, therefore, who desires to have a pure and single heart, ought not to appear to himself blameworthy, if he conceals anything from him who is unable to receive it. Nor is it to be supposed from this that it is allowable to lie: for it does not follow that when truth is concealed, falsehood is uttered. Hence, steps are to be taken first, that the hindrances which prevent his receiving it may be removed; for certainly if pollution is the reason he does not receive it, he is to be cleansed either by word or by deed, as far as we can possibly do it.”²⁴

So we can see how this passage was understood and taught in the early church and compare it with how it is taught today. I like the way Augustine defines dogs as those who assault the truth, and swine as those who despise the truth. Dogs assault it because by nature they want to tear it apart, and swine despise it because they don’t like what was given to them, so they turn and attack the giver. However, I would not suggest calling someone who disagrees with you a dog, nor when someone makes fun of what you teach to call them swine or they may turn on you in anger. Our Lord was referring to their instincts and inherent nature, not their outward appearance.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SEVEN

Part I

Verse 1: Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you.

This teaching by Jesus has fed the contentious debate among many believers because it is taken by some to mean do not criticize or find fault with or correct another believer. But when seen that way it overlooks what “judging” is referring to here. The Greek word krinō used to translate Matthew’s Hebrew word, means “to pronounce a verdict and issue a sentence.” In other words, become both judge and jury concerning another person’s alleged wrongdoing. It is also another way of saying: Don’t keep looking at others to see what they are doing, keep your eye on what you need to do. One of the most famous Jewish teachers, who lived centuries before Jesus came, made this observation: “Do not judge your fellow man until you have stood in his place.”¹

Years ago I heard this old proverb that was said by an American Indian: “Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked in his moccasins.” One thing that I’ve seen more than any other is how quick and willing people are to find fault in others and recommend a penalty before they know all the facts. Often times in a sporting event, an official will make a judgment call, such as in baseball, an umpire calling balls and strikes; or in basketball a referee; or in football a head linesman, and the broadcasters will immediately become experts in judging how well these officials performed their duties. Jesus is saying much the same thing. If we decide to become judges of others, then God Himself will judge our judgments.

When reading this same text, early Church scholar Augustine made the following observation: He said: “There are some actions that seem harmless, and, since we don’t know what the intent was, because they may be done both with a good or with an evil, it would be a rush to judgment, especially for the purpose of condemning them. Now the time will come for these to be judged, when the Lord ‘will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.’² In another passage also the same apostle says: ‘Some men’s aims are manifest beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.’³ He calls those sins manifest, with regard to which it is clear with what intention they are done; these go before to judgment, because if a judgment shall follow, it is not rash. But those which are concealed follow, because neither shall they remain hid in their own time. So we must understand with respect to good works also. For he adds to this effect: ‘Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.’ Let us judge, therefore, with respect to those which are manifest; but respecting those which are concealed, let us leave the judgment to God: for they also cannot be hid, whether they be good or evil, when the time shall come for them to be manifested.”⁴

Verse 2: But there is more that Jesus wanted His disciples to know about this matter. For if you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.

Notice the text here. Christ does not say: Do not judge or criticize or condemn others when they do the same to you; or when it is uncalled for, or unnecessary; or out of pride or arrogance. Even though that is true in every sense, it is not the main point. Jesus’ statement starts very simply: “Do not.” No matter what the grounds may be or the urges that prompt it. Christ is not just trying to initiate a cure but prevent the disease from starting. Verse two clearly indicates the repercussions when we fail to listen to His advice.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years about judging others is that most judging or criticizing comes from an innate prompting in one person’s heart to live the other person’s life for them. In other words, trying to live out that other person’s life vicariously so they will be more like us and do things our way. If you don’t like their hairdo, it’s because you want them to have the hairdo you prefer. The same goes for their clothes, looks, speech, actions, motivations, the car they drive or the house they live in, even their mate, etc. What Jesus is trying to tell us is that while we are looking at them, we fail to look at ourselves and don’t realize how other people are looking at us. Believe me, if they were successful in changing you into looking and acting and living more like them, and you were able to change them into looking and acting a living more like you, the criticizing would start all over again, only this time in reverse.

Also, many go around with a device to measure other people that has measuring marks on both sides of the stick. On one side the numbers are marked as inches while on the other side the same numbers are marked as feet. When measuring others to determine their esteem and importance, people use the side with inches, while using the side with increments in feet to measure themselves. That’s why they always end up being much taller than anyone else. No wonder they go around thinking themselves to be ten feet tall while others are mere midgets.

In Jewish literature we read where it was said: “Our Rabbis taught: He who judges his neighbor on merit is himself judged favorably.”⁵ So taking this into account and applying it to what Jesus said, we can see that our Lord was not forbidding anyone from passing judgment by way of observation or based on their own knowledge or skills, but when they did, to do it in the same manner by which they would want to be judged. The Talmud tells us a story to illustrate the point being made:

“Thus a story is told of a certain man who came down from Upper Galilee and was employed by an individual in the South for three years. On the eve of the Day of Atonement he asked him, ‘Give me my wages that I may go and support my wife and children.’ ‘I have no money,’ answered the employer. ‘Give me produce,’ the worker demanded; ‘I have none,’ the boss replied. ‘Give me land.’ — ‘I have none.’ ‘Give me cattle.’ — ‘I have none. ‘Give me pillows and bedding.’ — ‘I have none.’ So he threw his things behind him and went home with a sorrowful heart. After the Festival his employer took his wages in his hand together with three laden donkeys, one bearing food, another drink, and the third various sweetmeats, and went to his house. After they ate and drank, he gave him his wages, saying to him: ‘When you asked me, “Give me my wages,” and I answered you, “I have no money,” what did you suspect?’ ‘I thought, Perhaps you came across cheap merchandise and had purchased it with my wages.’ ‘And when you asked me, “Give me cattle,” and I answered, “I have no cattle,” what did you suspect?’ ‘I thought, you may have loaned them to others.’ ‘When you asked me, “Give me land,” and I told you, “I have no land,” what did you suspect?’ ‘I thought, perhaps it is leased to others.’ ‘And when I told you, “I have no produce,” what did you suspect?’ ‘I thought, Perhaps you had not yet paid the tithe.’ ‘And when I told you, “I have no pillows or bedding,” what did you suspect?’ ‘I thought, perhaps you had dedicated all your property for God’s use.’ ‘I swear on the Temple, the employer exclaimed, that’s exactly right! I vowed all my property to God because my son Hyrcanus would not read and study the Torah, but when I went to my companions in Jerusalem they absolved me of all my vows. And as for you, just as you judged me favorably, so may the Omnipresent judge you favorably.’⁶

So with this teaching our Lord was tapping into a well of wisdom that His Jewish listeners were already familiar with. In a Jewish book called, “The Ethics of the Fathers,” we find the advice of a Jewish teacher named Joshua ben Perachia who said: “Judge every man based on merit.”⁷ In other words, always look for the good before you concentrate on the bad. For example, if you hear of a woman who abandoned her newly born infant on the doorstep of the local fire station, before you consider her act to be one of a mother who didn’t care what happened to her child, first view the possibility that she knew she was in no position to give the child what it deserved, so she gave it up so it could have a better life with someone more competent and well off.

The venerable Rabbi Maimonides when he read this book on the Ethics of the Fathers, reflected on it by writing eight chapters on ethics. Maimonides talked about how mankind is constantly trying to maintain his physical, mental, emotional, and moral equilibrium. This results in oscillation between what’s healthy and unhealthy, good and evil, righteous and unrighteous.⁸ Says Maimonides, “So, just as when the equilibrium of the physical health is disturbed, and we note which way it is trending in order to force it to go in exactly the opposite direction until it shall return to its proper condition, and, just as when the proper adjustment is reached, we cease this operation, and have recourse to that which will maintain the proper balance, in exactly the same way must we adjust the moral equilibrium.”⁹ In other words, when we see an imbalance in a person’s life, instead of looking for the wrong and chastising them for it, look for the good and motivate them toward that which is best. This falls in line with what another Rabbi said: “All measures ceased, yet the rule of measure for measure has not ceased.”¹⁰ This is the Hebrew way of saying to use the same measure on yourself that you use on others.

We find this rule of “measure for measure” in the story of queen Vashti in the Book of Esther being discussed by some Rabbis. In their commentary on this phrase they write that measure for measure literally means: “for with the measure with which a man measures others, they measure him.”¹¹ Again this shows that what our Master was teaching was already part of the verbal traditions of the Jews. But most important is how He said it would be applied to His followers. We see this same rule of the measure with which one man measures another applied to a different circumstances.¹²

We also read where Rabbis taught that, “The Holy One, blessed be He, gives the wicked the strength to receive punishment, just as He gives the righteous the capacity to receive reward.”¹³ In the Mishnah we find a different take on how God uses this measure for measure rule: “It is obligatory for one to bless God for a bad occurrence, by saying Blessed is the True Judge in the same manner as one would for a good occurrence, as it states ‘And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your means.’¹⁴ ‘With all your heart,” which means with your two impulses — the evil impulse, as well as the good impulse [i.e., those physical functions which may be used for sin, should also be harnessed for the service of God] ‘With all your soul means even though he takes your life, ‘With all your means’ i.e., with all your money. Another explanation of ‘With all your means’ is with whatever measure He metes out to you [whether bad or good], still you must thank Him very, very much.”¹⁵

Although Jesus did not mention punishment, this was part of the Jewish thinking in how God will treat you with the same measure as you mete out to others, whether good or bad. Then in the Mishnah where the story of Samson and Delilah was part of the discussion, it begins: “In the same measure that a man measures, it is meted out to him,” and then goes on to talk how both Samson and Delilah received their just reward for both the good and the bad.¹⁶ But our Lord was not finished. He now addresses how perception is often a part of judging others. He wants His disciples to know that a person can often be fooled into judging by what they think they see, rather than what is really there.

We just finished studying Matthew Chapter 6, where we learned what Jesus had to say about caring for others just God cares for us; about prayer, how God prefers prayers that are spontaneous, not long, repetitious prayers, or those recited to earn us points; but from the heart and to the point.

We also saw how fasting got started and what it meant to the one fasting, not necessarily something to impress God with, but to impress ourselves in showing ourselves that we are committed to the cause.  And how important it is to lay up treasures in heaven, not here on earth, meaning: that the good things we do for others should not be to benefit our pride and reputation, but to do it to the glory and honor of God.

And finally, the unnecessary burden of worry, that benefits no one.  How can we plan, believe, move forward, be involved or concentrate on what is needed now when our minds are constantly absorbed and occuppied with things that have not happened yet, and may never happen?

Tomorrow we move on the Chapter 7.  where our Lord talks about the foolishness of watching what others are doing instead of looking for what we need until we find it so that we can find that strait and narrow gate that leads to where  God wants us to be so that what we are building to His honor and glory will not be easily washed away by the winds and the waves because we built it on things that were unstable and untrustworthy.

Hope you stick with us, we want you to come along on this journey down an unfamiliar road.

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part VI 12/07/15

Verses 31-33: “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what He wants you to do. Then He will give you all these other things you need.

In a book on Yiddish Proverbs (Hebrew dialect spoken by Germans), I found this gem: “Do not worry about tomorrow, because you do not even know what may happen to you today.” Such maxims have been around for a long, long time. But it shows that Jesus was not picking a fight with His opponents, He was simply picking their brain to see if they still remembered what the ancients had taught them through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Now our Lord summarizes His thoughts for this lesson.

When God was instructing Moses on the year of Jubilee and the seven years that would follow, the question that came up was: “If we don’t plant for seven years, what are we going to eat. The Lord told him that even though they did not plant, the land would produce crops naturally so they could have plenty to eat until the Jubilee period was over.”¹ Jesus is saying the same thing here. In addition to what we do to maintain our livelihood for the present, God is already preparing things for tomorrow.

I read in the newspaper one day that a police officer from the New England area of the United States retired after some 50 years on the police force and moved to a retirement village in Florida. A few days after moving in, he walked out one morning to catch a bus, and a drunk driver lost control of his vehicle, ran into the bus stop, and killed the retired officer. The pitiful thing was that this officer had delayed and put off so many things he wanted to see and do during his life, and now he would never have a chance to enjoy a single one of them. That’s how quickly life gives us a bitter pill to swallow. That’s why Jesus was telling His followers to enjoy life each day along the way to their destination, and do not be so focused on tomorrow you miss what He has for you today.

As a young minister, I failed to learn this lesson in my early years. I thought that if I took a vacation I was letting God down because I wasn’t preaching or teaching everyday. I could not have been more wrong. This doesn’t mean we should become lethargic or irresponsible in fulfilling God’s will and purpose for our lives, but to enjoy the commission He gave us on those good days, because there will be enough bad days. Our Lord was addressing the need for setting priorities. One Jewish commentator pointed this out: “It was taught in the name of Rabbi Shimon the son of Yochai: The children of Israel rejected three things during the reign of Rehoboam; the Kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of the House of David, and the Holy Temple.”² And as we know, this son of Solomon lost half his kingdom in a very short time. So it doesn’t pay to borrow from tomorrow at the expense of losing what we can spend for today.

Bishop Augustine the theologian gives us this exposition on what Jesus is saying here. He writes: “Here Jesus shows most clearly that these things are not to be sought as if they were some sort of blessing, that on account of them we ought to do well in all our accomplishments, but yet that they are necessary. For what is the difference between a blessing which is to be sought tomorrow, and a necessity which is to be taken today for our use? He made that plain when He said: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ The kingdom and the righteousness of God are there for our good; and this is to be sought, and there everything will eventually be set up, and for that reason we do everything we do. But because we serve as soldiers in this life, in order that we may be able to reach that kingdom, and because our life cannot be spent without these necessaries, by using that word ‘first,’ He has indicated that these other things are to be sought later, not in point of time, but in point of importance.”³

Verse 34: So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.

Jesus is saying, more or less, don’t be like your forefathers, put God first and He will take care of the other things He believes you will need to fully serve Him. Our Lord is echoing the words of Solomon: “Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring.”⁴ And the words that come closest to what our Savior is saying here come from the traditional Jewish Spoken Word: “Don’t worry over tomorrow’s troubles, because a person doesn’t know what a day will bring, and if by chance tomorrow they pass away: they will have left grieving over a world that was not theirs,”⁵ which were also based on Solomon’s wisdom.

One Rabbi commented on how sometimes people try to get what they want against the will of others, and likens it to attempting to capture a bird without baiting it with corn.⁶ And another Rabbi said it was like making a pond without putting any fish in it.⁷ Then the compiler of the Talmud says: “I AM that I AM.⁸ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go and say to Israel: I was with you in this bondage, and I shall be with you in the bondage of the other kingdoms.⁹ He said to Him: Lord of the Universe, sufficient is the evil in the time thereof! Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Go and tell them: I AM has sent me unto you¹⁰.”¹¹

Augustine now adds this comment: “Therefore it is with a single heart and only for the sake of the kingdom of God that we ought to do good to all; and we ought not in doing so to think either of the temporal reward alone, or of that along with the kingdom of God: all which temporal things He has placed under the category of tomorrow, saying, ‘Take no thought for tomorrow.’ For tomorrow is not spoken of except in time, where the future succeeds the past. Therefore, when we do anything good, let us not think of what is temporal, but of what is eternal; then that will be a good and perfect work. ‘For tomorrow,’ He says, ‘will have anxieties of its own,’ i.e., so that, when you must, you will take food, or drink, or clothing, that is to say, when necessity itself begins to urge you. For these things will be within reach, because our Father knows that we have need of all these things. For ‘each day has enough of its own misfortunes’ i.e. it is sufficient that necessity itself will urge us to take such things. And for this reason, I suppose, it is called misfortune, because for us it is punishment: for it belongs to this frailty and mortality which we have earned by sinning. Do not add, therefore, to this punishment of temporal necessity anything more burdensome, so that you should not only suffer the want of such things, but should also for the purpose of satisfying this want enlist as a soldier for God.”¹²

In other words, Augustine is saying that his understanding of what Jesus is saying here comes down to a simple conclusion, and that is: since we have enough to worry about in doing what we’ve been called to do today and finding the resources in order to complete the job, don’t add to it the burden of worrying about what we may need tomorrow until we have finished the task for today. I guess we could liken all of this to a farmer who is getting ready to sow a field of corn who gets so worried about getting the corn to plant that he forgets to plow the field; or a carpenter building a house is so concerned over the lumber he needs that he doesn’t lay the foundation, or a student wanting to write an essay for graduation becomes so anxious over the paper they’ll need that they don’t get the books from the library required to finish the endeavor. In other words, Jesus is talking about prioritizing based on need, not on want.

Unfortunately, today some of Jesus’ followers have allowed worry and frustration to become so strong that they have begun to worry over their worry. Also, many feel that this teaching of Jesus cannot be taken literally; that it is more of a philosophical view than theological instruction, so they have not heeded it at all. Christ’s paramount thought here is “worry.” Don’t worry about clothes, food, shelter or tomorrow. He did not say “don’t worry” to the point of inaction or laissez-faire, but don’t let the worry of these things come between you and your Christian duty to fulfill God’s will and plan for your life. God knows our need, and He will provide. When the old suit is about worn out, He will lead you to a bargain, provide the extra money to buy a new one or even give opportunity to receive one as a gift. But if you fail to preach, teach, testify or witness because you’re fretting over your old suit, then you are missing the point.

In addition, Christ’s advice has medicinal value, because worry can lead to ulcers and heart problems. God’s promise for obedience in putting first things first is not contingent upon a certain accomplishment or tied to some calculated time-line. So often the awarding of “other things” impedes the original “seeking” of the kingdom. It all depends on how sincere we are in searching for the kingdom of God. But in any case, as we seek for this kingdom and God’s way of right living, it should be done with this thought in mind: I would rather enter heaven as a pauper than end up squirming in hell as a millionaire.

I heard this brain teaser the other day and it goes like this: “If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?” The answer should be a simple one, but then again you may chose the incorrect one.

Sometimes a simple question like this is not answered by our intellect, but by our intuition. The dictionary defines intuition as a thing a person knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning. How many times have we stated without hesitation, “That doesn’t look right to me,” or “I think they are doing that the wrong way,” or “I’m sure this is the way we should go.”

It comes from making a momentary decision based what we feel inside, not what we understand after examining all the facts or looking at all the information properly. We can compare it to seeing a commercial on TV or an ad in a flyer with the words, “Only $19.95!” without reading the fine print below that adds: “per month for 12 months with added monthly interest of 21%.” So it’s only after the item arrives along with the payment coupon book that we realize how foolish we were to go with our intuition. On the other hands, those who’ve learned this hard lesson, are not fooled as easily and look for the fine print to know the truth.

The same is true when we are offered temptations in life to try something we are not familiar with or to do things we’ve been taught are wrong because the bargain price that is often attached reads like this: “A little won’t hurt you,” or “Everyone it doing it, so it can’t be that wrong,” or “No one else will know that you did it, so doing it won’t hurt anyone.”

I like what St. Augustine of Hippo, a highly esteemed early father of the church, had to say about it. He stated: “Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.” So the next time you are confronted with decisions that involve right or wrong, or good or bad, don’t go with your intuition unless it is based and founded on what you know to be the truth.

By the way, if in a race you pass the person in second place, it does not mean you are now in first place, it only means you have replaced the person who was in second place. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

For some of you, you may have heard her mother say, when she was trying to get you to take a bath, or a preacher when he was emphasizing how we should live a holy life: “The Bible says, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’.” Well, that is not in the Bible.

Some have attributed it to Benjamin Franklin, others note that is was used by Francis Bacon who wrote: “Cleanness of body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God,”¹ and we find it in one of John Wesley’s sermons where he said: “Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness.”² But most scholars believe it came from the Jewish Babylonian Talmud, in the third division, tractate Abodah Zarah which means: ‘Strange Worship.”

Here the Rabbis were talking about the value of studying God’s Word and were commenting on Deuteronomy 23:9. They offered this conclusion: “These words mean that one should not indulge in such thoughts by day as might lead to uncleanliness by night.” Then they quote Rabbi Phineas ben Jair who said: “Study leads to precision, precision leads to zeal, zeal leads to cleanliness, cleanliness leads to restraint, restraint leads to purity, purity leads to holiness, holiness leads to meekness, meekness leads to fear of sin, fear of sin leads to saintliness, saintliness leads to the [possession of] the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit leads to life eternal.” Hebrew scholars tell us that the phrase “purity leads to holiness” can also be expressed as “cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

It is obvious that Rabbi Jair is not speaking here of bodily cleanliness, but spiritual, moral, and ethical cleanliness. Nevertheless, we all know that a person who is clean on the inside will most likely be clean on the outside, and that does not simply apply to soap and water, but to dress, appearance, comeliness and appearance. In other words, get the Word on the inside and it will lead to changing the cover on the outside.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part V

On the subject of how God cares and provides for His creation, in one Jewish commentary it is pointed that when Noah left the ark that God told the humans to go first and the animals last.¹ In that way, they would know there were on their own. While our Lord certainly indicates that God created both life and the necessary sustenance, He does not imply that animals, birds and fish are not responsible for searching to retrieve such nutrients. So if God cared that much about them, how much more would He care about those He created in His image. All such worrying, says our Lord, cannot add one foot to a person’s height. Both the New American Standard Bible and the Complete Jewish Bible, render this last phrase as “able to add a single hour to his life.”

In their commentary on this verse, British scholars, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown say that: “Stature” can hardly be the thing intended here: first, because the subject is the prolongation of life, by the supply of its necessaries of food and clothing: and next, because no one would dream of adding a foot to his stature.” But if we take the word in its primary sense of “age” (for “stature” is but a secondary sense) the idea will be this, “Which of you, however anxiously you vex yourselves about it, can add so much as a step to the length of your life’s journey?” To compare the length of life to measures of this nature is not foreign to the language of Scripture.² So understood, the meaning is clear and the connection natural. In this the best critics now agree. The bottom line is that no matter how much a person worries or frets, it cannot do the impossible by making a person grow taller or live longer. Therefore, worrying and being anxious is a waste of time, so Jesus wanted His followers to use their time more wisely.

Verses 28-29: “And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the lilies in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.

The first mention of lilies is where the Temple built by Solomon was being described, “The capitals on top of the columns in the hall had shapes like lilies and were seven feet high.”³ And we find the last mention where it reads: “I will be like the dew to Israel. Israel will blossom like the lily.”⁴ The Hebrew word may have come from the Egyptian language for “lotus.” These flowers can be found growing wild in Lebanon and other regions of northern Palestine. In the Mishnah the word for lily is used of a nail-head and the knob on the Etrog⁵ used in the Feast of Tabernacles; in the Targum it connotes “flower” in general. It is also interesting that Jesus tied the lily in with King Solomon. When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, it was recorded this way: “The queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the beautiful palace he had built. She saw the food at the king’s table. She saw his officials meeting together. She saw the servants in the palace and the good clothes they wore. She saw his parties and the sacrifices that he offered in the Lord’s Temple. She was so amazed that it took her breath away!”⁶ The whole point is that if the lily was elevated to such a high status, and Solomon was crowned with such beauty, how much more will God take care of those He has redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

After Isaiah talks about the one who would come to prepare a way for the Lord, then he said, “A voice said, ‘Speak!’ So the man said, ‘What should I say?’ The voice said, ‘People are like grass. Any glory they enjoy is like a wildflower. When a wind from the Lord blows on them, the grass dies and the flower falls. Yes, all people are like grass. Grass dies and flowers fall, but the promise of our God lasts forever.’”⁷ Could it be that this Scripture was on Christ’s mind when He spoke these words? Perhaps the listeners had heard King Solomon used before as an example of extravagance and glory. For instance, one Rabbi once told his son to go out and find out how the workers were doing. He saw that they were thirsty and hungry, and so he promised them that he would supply all the food they needed. When he came back and told his father, his father told him: “My son, should you even prepare for them a banquet like Solomon’s when he was in his glory, you could not fulfill your undertaking.”⁸ So even Solomon in his finest could not compare to the flowers of the field.

Verse 30: If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a furnace. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely He will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

So why should the followers of Jesus be concerned their dress. If God can make the flowers look better than Solomon, He can provide for His children to look good as well. The beauty of the flowers was in the simplicity. Solomon sought beauty in adornment that was gaudy and expensive, but he was out done by God’s handiwork. So them, the believer’s glory is not in their dress, but in the beauty God puts in them.

I’ve rendered the term “fire” as “furnace” because in Jewish literature we read: “an oven wide at the bottom and narrow at the top was heated with stubble or rakings.”⁹ This is understandable, because anyone who has gone to Israel knows how scarce and valued trees are, so stubble from the threshing floor or weeds from the fields were used. Again our Lord shows by comparison the value of the one’s He redeemed. Apparently there had been some complaining by those who followed Him either about food and lack of accommodations, so He uses these illustrations to show their lack of faith. One Jewish commentator points to Noah as one who lacked faith. He says: “Noah, too, was of those who had little faith, believing and not believing that the Flood would come, and he did not enter the ark until the waters forced him to do so”.¹⁰ Also, another Rabbi said: “The Israelites of that generation, who were part of the Egyptian exodus, were men of little faith.”¹¹

I can only imagine what would have happened if God had not provided a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as a sign of His guiding presence.¹² And we also read that when Elisha was going up to Bethel, he caused bears to come out against the little children who were mocking him, calling him “old bald head.” So someone asked, “What do you mean by ‘little children’?” Rabbis explain: “children means they had no principles, and ‘little’ means they were lacking in faith.”¹³ Jewish Rabbis interpreted the calls of “bald head” to actually mean that because of his power to stop the rain he had made the ground bald. And this worried them because they were no longer able to sell water to make a living.¹⁴

Also in the Jewish Book of Light, we read this description of faith: “The Creator is above all human wisdom, and thereby He rules, and He bids you to work for Him in faith and purity, and have no doubts about Him, for the human mind cannot grasp Him.”¹⁵ Then one Rabbis stated: “One who says their prayers so they can be heard is of little faith.”¹⁶ And another notes: “Whoever has a piece of bread in his basket and says, ‘What shall I eat tomorrow?’ belongs only to them who are of little faith.”¹⁷ So when we put all of these together it gives us a better idea of what the listeners of Jesus may have thought when He called them people of little faith. It all has to do with not having any expectations for tomorrow.

Early church teacher and orator Chrysostom put his impression of what Jesus is teaching here, this way: “Having spoken of our necessary food, and having signified that not even for this should we take thought, He passes on in what follows to that which is more easy. For clothing is not so necessary as food. Why then did He not make use here also of the same example, that of the birds, neither mention to us the peacock, and the swan, and the sheep? for surely there were many such examples to take from thence. Because He would point out how very far the argument may be carried both ways: both from the cheapness of the things that partake of such elegance, and from the liberality allowed to the lilies, in respect of their adorning. For this cause, when He has decked them out, He does not so much as call them lilies any more, but ‘grass of the field.’¹⁸ And He is not satisfied even with this name, but again adds another circumstance of their vulnerable condition, saying, ‘which are here today.’ And then He does not say, ‘are not here tomorrow,’ but something harsher yet, ‘is cast into the oven.’ And He does not merely say, ‘clothed,’ but ‘so clothed,’ as to be brought to such an end. See how He abounds in amplifications and intensifications. And He does this so that He may drive home His point: and therefore He also added, ‘shall He clothe you even better?’ For this too has much emphasis: the force of the word, ‘you,’ being no other than to indicate covertly the great value set upon our existence, and the concern shown for it; as though He had said, ‘you, to whom He gave a soul, for whom He fashioned a body, for whose sake He made all the things that are seen, for whose sake He sent prophets, and gave the law, and wrought those innumerable good works; for whose sake He gave up His only begotten Son.’ And not until He had made His proof clear, did He proceed also to rebuke them, saying, ‘O ye of little faith.’ For this is the quality of a counselor: He not only admonishes, but also demonstrates in words, that He may awaken more hearers to the persuasive power of His words.”¹⁹

Jesus ends this part with a phrase known in rabbinic literature as “light verses heavy”. In Latin it was called “fortiori,” which means, “even stronger.” The Jewish principle was based on the superior attributes of God as seen in this Scripture: “Adonai is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.”²⁰ And Jesus applied it to His point of explaining that if God will take care the flora and fauna of His creations with such care, will He not exert an even stronger effort to take care of those whom He called to Himself through His Son. I like the way Dr. David H. Stern put it when discussing this verse:

“I have heard the objection that Yeshua came to bring newness, so that “old” rabbinic principles are not to be taken into account in understanding the New Testament, that its writers had “freed themselves” from rabbinic attitudes and practices and were no longer “bound” by them. Just as in Chapter 5:18 I said it was superficial to invoke Yeshua’s “originality” to justify assuming that Yeshua’s “Amen” has a novel meaning, so I say it is likewise superficial to invoke his “newness” to justify ignoring the historical, social, religious and intellectual ambiance of the time and place in which he lived, and imagining instead a hothouse environment insulated from the Judaism and Jewishness of his surroundings. The middot²¹ were surely part of everyone’s conscious or unconscious background in approaching Scripture, and it is gratuitous to suppose that Yeshua, Paul or the other New Testament writers constituted an exception. Traditional, rabbinic viewpoints are an essential element to take into account in understanding the text of the New Testament.”²²

In other words, had Jesus been introducing a totally new concept using unfamiliar words, first of all the crowds listening would have walked away in a fog by being overwhelmed by such out of this world talk, and secondly His message would not have gotten across the point He was trying to make. So He took what He knew the people were already familiar with and drove home the fact that if all we do in this life is worry about ourselves, not only is it another way of saying God doesn’t care about His creation, but it will keep us from caring about others who need the light and guidance the Holy Spirit has given to those who believe on His Son as the true Messiah and Savior of those who are still lost.