Matthew 13:31-35

Matthew 13:31-35 NIV

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

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Matthew 13 continues with the parables of Jesus. Jesus is specifically instructing the people about the kingdom of heaven, the government of God upon the earth. These two short parables compare the kingdom of heaven to something small that ends up massive or highly impactful.

The mustard seed is tiny, only one grain is 1 or 2 millimeters in size. The mustard bush, under ideal conditions, can grow upwards to 30 feet in height and it's foliage spread 20 feet in diameter. That's quite the transformation!

In the same manner a small pinch of yeast powder mixed into a batch of dough will cause the whole loaf of bread to rise in the oven. According to one website on baking tips, one tablespoon of yeast will leaven up to 6 cups of flour, which will produce two 10" loaves of bread. That's a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from one tablespoon of yeast!

The illustration is simple to comprehend. The kingdom of God starts small, almost insignificant, but it becomes great in the number of people within the movement and influential in the world.

The influence Christianity has had on the world cannot be understated, though contemporary opponents continually do so. This web article gives an excellent summary coming from various books on the subject.

http://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-impact-of-christianity

Christianity has changed the world for the better in numerous facets of society like how we view the value of human life, our concern for the needy, our compassion when tragedy strikes, marriage and family, education and so on.

Did you know that the first 123 colleges in America were Christian institutions, save one? Look at this excerpt from the founding documents to Harvard.

"Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life." (John 17:3 being clearly referenced)

In His book, What's So Great about Christianity, Dinesh D'Souza writes,

"Christianity is responsible for the way our society is organized and for the way we currently live. So extensive is the Christian contribution to our laws, our economics, our politics, our arts, our calendar, our holidays, and our moral and cultural priorities that historian J. M. Robers writes in The Triumph of the West, 'We could none of us today be what we are if a handful of Jews nearly two thousand years ago had not believed that they had known a great teacher, seen him crucified, dead, and buried, and then rise again."

Our contemporary society seems to be slipping into a new dark age with violence and the ignorance that breeds it pervasive in the headlines. Even though our media depicts Christianity as synonymous with bigotry, superstition and hate, the freedom of press wouldn't even exist if it weren't for Christ's movement.

Jesus and twelve men began a small religious movement that has propelled the human race forward in dramatic ways.

The parables of Jesus reveal something of what God is doing in the world. God has been working from the beginning to redeem this earth and free it from the death grip that sin has upon it. Matthew said Jesus' parables fulfill prophecy. The scripture he quoted was from Psalm 78, a retelling of God's history with Israel from their deliverance from Egypt to the anointing of David as king. For Matthew to quote the psalm points to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David.

Psalm 78:70-72 NIV

He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

That the kingdom is led by a king with integrity and skill is good, but to be led by God's own Son is to live under divine blessing. The kingdom may seem small at times against the enormity of evil we see displayed in the news, but remember that God's good and righteous government will grow until all the world knows the truth and bows the knee to Christ. Keep hope alive and let the kingdom grow mightily within you as you contribute to its growth in the world.

The Impact of Christianity - Faith Facts
www.faithfacts.org

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 NIV

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

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I listen to Alice Cooper. Some of you might ask, "Who is she?" Alice Cooper is the stage persona of Vincent Furnier. His character is the villain of Rock and Roll. His stage shows are best described as horror theatrics. In every show since the mid-seventies Alice is executed for his crimes, either by hanging, or beheading, or some other gruesome form of death.

In Jesus' parable of the wheat and weeds He tells of the end of the age when the children of the evil one will be removed from His kingdom and destroyed. Their end is gruesome. They will be thrown into a blazing furnace. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It's a horrific picture of of death.

Imagine standing in line as you hear the screams of those in front of you bring tossed into the fire! Would your teeth be clenched with terrible fear as you prepare to meet your doom? Massive and powerful angels tower over you as you moving ever closer to the furnace. There's no point in fighting. There's nowhere to run. It's the end of the line. Would you weep for those who face such a punishment?

I realize I'm sounding rather grim. I think that is a way to read this parable, with a focus on death and the horrors of Hell. The are other ways to receive this parable. You will notice Jesus doesn't use the word Hell in His story. It would be easy to think of the furnace as a picture of Hell, but that is reading something into the story that isn't exactly there.

The blazing furnace has been used in scripture before. The king of Babylon erected a golden statue of himself to be worshipped. Three devout Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to bow down to any idol, for they worshipped the God of Israel. The king ordered them to be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Daniel 3:22 NIV

The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego...

But when the king looked into the furnace he saw four men. The three faithful Jews were miraculously saved from the fire by the Lord.

You can read the parable of the wheat and weeds from the perspective of salvation, rather than from the perspective of a horrible end for those who do evil. Then the parable becomes a wonderful message of hope about the nature of the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is a place for those who are faithful to God and do not place their ultimate trust in anything or anyone else. The kingdom of heaven is here on earth, right now. And it is not yet free of the infestation of evil. The church of Jesus Christ is a visible expression of the kingdom of heaven, and if you've spent any time in the church, then you know it's not perfect. The church is filled with forgiven sinners, but we are sinners just the same. It's so heartbreaking when sin gets the upper hand and Christians behave badly, staining the goodness of God's name and the reputation of His people. The church is a mixed bag with disciples at different phases of spiritual maturity. The church is like a weed infested field of wheat. There are those who do evil among those who consciously try not to.

Sometimes we do evil without truly recognizing it, much like the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Jesus' day. These religious men loved God and were fierce about obeying God's law, but they became arrogant and unmerciful. In their zeal for righteousness they became murderous. And so it is within the kingdom of heaven. Right now, in this period before the end of the age, God allows the evil and the good to dwell together.

In His mercy God waits for the weeds to show themselves. In order to spare the ones who may yet turn in repentance to God, He allows the mixture of sinners and saints. I appreciate God's mercy depicted in this parable. There is mercy for the Christian who stumbles into sinful habits. There's time given to repent. There's mercy for the evildoer who is living in willful rebellion. For they too are given time to turn from their sinful choices and seek God's kingdom and righteousness.

I have to admit, however, how tiresome this sinful world has become. The world infects the purity of Christ's church and it's heartbreakingly disappointing. How I long for my perfection. How I long for the perfection of the church. And yet I make decisions that run counter to my perfection. I still live comfortably with sinful habits that I know are separating me from God and His goodness. I'm certain that you have your own sins of which you cannot seem to let go. We are human, sinful and made in God's image. We are both worthless weed and treasured wheat.

The apostle Paul wrote what it's like to be human.

Romans 7:15, 18-19, 24 NIV

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Alice Cooper wrote these lyrics.

You're your own worst enemy
You're a walking catastrophe
You're at war with yourself and nobody else
You're a danger

But there is mercy in the Lord. We aren't perfect yet, but we can be faithful. We can keep trying even though we fail. God gave us a Savior who walked into the fiery furnace for us. As such His death is an atoning sacrifice that washed away the stain of our sins. And He is with us providing grace to be freed from this wretched body subject to death. For His grace is greater than sin. Sin cannot touch us when we stand in God's grace.

When I read this parable there is a hopeful promise about our future. The kingdom of heaven will one day be purged clean of every evil doer and even causes to do evil. Can you imagine living without even the temptation to do evil? There will be nothing to trip us up. The old enemy will be bound and thrown into the furnace for destruction, never to cause us to stumble every again.

Matthew 13:43 NIV

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Far from this parable being a horror show, to me this parable is beautiful and lifegiving. The hope this story gives of one day finally being freed of this sinful world lifts a heavy burden from my heart. This world is beautiful and deadly at the same time. The weight of our sins crushes us emotionally. I look at the wickedness going on in our time and I am filled with sadness and disgust. It weighs heavy on my soul. And I look at my own walk and see where I fail and I am tired and sad. But praise God who gives us the victory in Jesus Christ! One day, when this age comes to an end, we who trust in Christ shall be glorified in the new creation without evil. I just cannot fathom how wonderful that will be.

Philippians 1:6 NIV

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Thank God for His mercy, His patience, His wisdom and His amazing grace. We will shine!

Matthew 13:10-17

Matthew 13:10-17 NIV

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
 you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
 they hardly hear with their ears,
 and they have closed their eyes.
 Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
 hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

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I'm getting hard of hearing. I have tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears which can be attributed to listening to loud music for years. It makes it difficult to hear in noisy rooms. Most of the time it's not an issue.

A bigger issue with my hearing is a mind that is preoccupied or focused on something other than what is being said. Being a good listener takes effort. I have learned to take a break from my work and relax before I'm to engage in active listening. Even then my mind drifts back to tasks I am working on. I also have difficulty hearing an opinion that differs from my own when my mind is already made up. And when music is playing in the background, I sometimes cannot concentrate on the conversation, for I am drawn to music.

Jesus was asked why He teaches in parables. He answered that He did so that those who hear will not understand and those who see will not see (assuming that sight is comprehension).

This seems kind of mean, but again Jesus is merely pointing out the obvious. The callused hearts of the Pharisees and teachers of the law is what keeps them from seeing and hearing. They do not see Jesus for who He is. They do not accept what He has to say either. Their minds are already made up about Jesus. As such these religious leaders are a fulfillment of prophecy. They are like the leaders of Jerusalem in the time prior to the destruction of the city by the Babylonians. Isaiah warned his contemporaries and now his words warn a new generation. The surprising prophetic verses are intended to pierce the heart of the listener and perhaps lead them to repentance. In the case of Jesus' opponents, it seems their hearts grow harder as they scheme for ways to end Jesus and His movement.

But those within the movement of the kingdom of heaven, with Christ as leader, are blessed. They are given spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. They comprehend that Jesus is from God. They hope in Him as the messiah. They understand His message, and when they don't understand, they ask their teacher and Jesus explains the meaning. The Pharisees aren't asking for understanding, but the followers of Christ do ask and they find answers through divine insight.

Why are they blessed? They are blessed because they are witnessing first hand the fulfillment of God's promise to restore Israel through the messiah whose kingdom of peace will have no end. That promise continues in its fulfillment to this day. The divine Christ has placed heaven on earth. It is the gathering of faithful disciples of Jesus known as the church.

Be blessed church and be a blessing.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 NIV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

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Matthew has 23 parables, whereas Luke has 28. The gospel of Mark only has 9. John has no parables at all, although Jesus still speaks in riddles in John's account.

Parables are short stories that teach a spiritual truth about God, humanity, or the condition of Israel and its leadership. Parables generally utilize a comparison of one thing to another. For example Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. The seed is small but grows to become the largest tree in the garden. So it is with the kingdom. It begins with a small number of believers, but became the most significant movement in human history.

In the famous Parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks of four types of soil to compare to the human heart. A farmer scatters seed upon all four types and each produces results by nature of the soil's condition.

The hardened path bears no harvest. Lying upon the surface of the footpath, the birds eat up the seeds. The human heart can get stepped on. When our hearts are hurt, we naturally build up walls to protect ourselves from further injury. Some hearts have been trodden upon enough to become hard like a footpath. Nothing is getting in. So when the gospel of hope is presented, there's no benefit. The devil has already eaten up what faith or trust there was in their heart.

Other hearts are like the shallow soil filled with stone, when they hear the gospel they are joyful at first, but when the Christian life proves to be difficult in the face of persecution or troubles, they quickly lose interest and go back as they were. No harvest here either because faith has wilted.

Other hearts are like the weed and thorn infested soil. Faith gets choked out by worries and greed. If there is any benefit at all to their faith it becomes only a personal asset for their own use, and not a faith that grows the kingdom of God. Their self-centeredness negates any lasting benefit to others. These hearts are too focused on their own problems to see others. Their desires to gain more of the world's treasures keeps them from contributing to the work of the kingdom of heaven.

Finally there are hearts like good fertile soil. Such soil produces an abundant harvest. Such receptive hearts receive the gospel, follow Jesus, and transform this world with the love of God.

It seems pretty simple. The parable invites self reflection. What is my heart like? You can easily tell by looking at the results of your faith, your impact upon the world for Christ's sake. Or you can ask yourself which soil do you identify with most. Likely there's a little bit of each in your heart.

My experience is there are times when my heart is like the hardened path. I've been hurt and I circle the wagons in a defensive posture. Trust in others is low. Sometimes, depending on the tragedy I face, I may even question my trust in God. But even a hardened path can become fertile and tillable soil. Add water, a spade, rake and perhaps some sort of fertilizer, and the soil will likely yield produce. In the same way love heals a hurting heart, like water softens the path. Patient listening, compassion, and understanding are interventions like the spade and rake. And the word of God, which gives hope, is a soul nurturing additive like nutrient rich fertilizer.

My heart has been like the shallow soil, a field filled with stone. My heart has been filled with hurts and resentments that have kept God's love from going very deep. But a stone filled field can be cleared of stone. It's back breaking work, but it brings an agricultural capacity to that field that was not there before. I've certainly grown in my capacity to love and be loved, but my heart is not fully cleared of obstacles to grace. There are parts of me that live like Jesus and others that are still shallow, still in need of stone removal to increase the capability of my heart to share God's love.

And my heart has been like the thorn infested soil. I lived the greed generation in the eighties. I know what it's like to have my heart set on gaining things, getting promotions, chasing the bigger salary, and working to build my influence and public image. It's a relentless agenda that leaves little room for God. What faith I had was used to nurture and assist my own agenda, not God's will for my life. When the glittering prizes failed me, I knew where to turn. I turned to the Master Gardener who helped me pull the weeds, thorns and thistles. He helped me recognize the things in my life that needed to go. He helped me prioritize my life according to His plan. And He helped me to see that chasing after worldly wealth and worrying about tomorrow will never satisfy. Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness is the priority.

I would say there have been times when my heart was good soil. God was able to use me to impact others positively and advance His kingdom. But I'm not aware of all God has done. Sometimes a simple conversation, from my perspective, becomes a life changing event for the other. More than once I've been surprised by church members who've shared how something I've said or done had impacted them positively.

I'm sure the same is true for you. We are all a work in progress. We are God's handiwork created for good works in Jesus Christ. (Eph 2:10) When you are living into God's will for your life, and seeking to build His kingdom of love on earth, you will be planting seeds of the kingdom in the hearts you encounter. Join Christ in scattering seeds of hope, faith and love. As you go, give your heart to the Master Gardener to help you become increasingly useful and productive for Christ. And the world will be blessed because of you.

Matthew 12:46-50

Matthew 12:46-50 NIV

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

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"You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family..."

The above quote is by the character Harper Lee, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. I thought of it when I read this passage from Matthew about Jesus' family wanting to speak to Him. His family is standing outside the synagogue and send in a message to let Jesus know they want to see Him. Chances are the place was packed and they couldn't get inside. Instead of Jesus getting up to go out and greet His mother and brothers, He uses the moment to teach.

Often we overlook the fact that Jesus had a family that He grew up with. He was firstborn of Mary. Her husband Joseph raised Jesus as his own, though Jesus was not his child. There are few biblical references to His family, but here are three.

Mark 6:3 NIV

Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”

You might think that Jesus is estranged from His family. That may be close to the truth. Other gospels point to the friction in His home.

Mark 3:20-21 NIV

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

John 7:2-5 NIV

But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Matthew doesn't clue us in on these family tensions. It's of no matter. Mary comes around soon enough, and James ends up taking leadership of his brother's church in Jerusalem. The point of this little story is not to illustrate family tensions for Jesus, but to point to something greater than family by blood. "Something greater is here" is a consistent theme in Matthew 12. That "something greater" is the kingdom of heaven, or should I say the family of God?

We've already heard Jesus tell us that there will be division in families over Him.

Matthew 10:36-37 NIV

a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

So now Jesus uses the instance of His family by blood beckoning Him to teach that His truest family members are those who do the will of God.

Matthew 12:50 NIV

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

This might seem like a slap in the face of Jesus' family. It may truly have insulted them, but that is not Jesus' intent. He may very well have gotten up to go out and see them. But he used the moment to love and compliment His disciples gathered around Him. Imagine the twinkling delight in His eyes as He looked about the room! Imagine His eyes looking upon you as His brother, sister or mother.

Of course Jesus only claims one father, that is God in heaven. In the family of God there are many brothers and sisters. Sometimes we can be mentored by spiritual elders who become like fathers or mothers in some sense. The apostle John refers to fathers in the faith in His first letter. (1Jn 2:13-14) But in regards to Jesus, He only has one Father.

I find it interesting that Jesus feels a motherly connection to some in His church. With the revered status of Mary in the Roman Catholic tradition, this passage might seem to run counter to lifting Mary to a divine status with God. But there was no such tradition in Jesus' day, so we can't draw any conclusions from the passage regarding the Roman Catholic reverence for Mary.

What we can do is recognize that the church is the place where we can find close relations, closer perhaps than our own kin. Be mindful that such relationships are waiting to be formed. You may be a father, mother, sister or brother to someone. And you may find you need that kind of connection with a fellow disciple. Above all know that Jesus sees you that way. You are His true family when you do the will of His Father in heaven.

Matthew 12:38-45

Matthew 12:38-45 NIV

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

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The confrontation between Jesus and His opponents continues. The Pharisees, a strict sect within Judaism, asked Jesus for a sign. What was their motive? Previously they placed a deformed man before Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:10b NIV

Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

We can safely assume that their motives are similar when asking for a sign. They want to discredit Jesus. Perhaps they are demanding He prove Himself as the Messiah. But He had already performed many miracles that are proof enough. The Pharisees are just trying to pick a fight. They are blind to Jesus' true identity. They do not understand that God is among them in Jesus.

Jesus scolds them saying that they are wicked for demanding a sign to prove His authority as messiah. The only sign the blind will be given is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus speaks in parables by saying the sign of Jonah will be given and nothing else.

Jonah was a prophet sent to warn Nineveh of God's impending wrath. Jonah didn't want to go, so he fled by ship. God sent a storm and the sailors feared for their lives. Jonah asked them to throw him overboard for he knew he was the reason for the storm. Once tossed in the sea a great fish swallowed him whole. He prayed to God and was freed after 3 days. A fantastic story to be sure, but no more fanatic than dead men rising from the grave.

The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah, but the religious leadership of Israel is not repenting. They are not embracing the gospel. They are an adulterous generation, meaning their hearts do not truly belong to God. Jesus will later chastise them for many specific idolatries. Here is one example.

Matthew 23:5-7 NIV

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

Their hearts belong to their positions of influence and the respect they enjoy, not as much to God. I dare say that pastors today face similar seductions. We can forget to serve God and instead serve the agenda that gets us noticed, promoted, and applauded. The same goes for many kinds of jobs.

Jesus said something greater than Jonah is here, meaning Himself and the kingdom of heaven. Jesus pointed to the Queen of Sheba who traveled from a great distance to witness the wisdom and majesty of Israel's King Solomon. Some say she came from modern day Somalia, but others say Arabia. No one really knows. The point is that she paid homage to Solomon and his God, but this generation before Jesus is not paying homage, not giving heed, to the Son of David (that is Jesus Christ) who is greater than Solomon.

Then Jesus seems to take a left turn. It's a bit difficult to connect this next section with the rest of the chapter. It almost feels like Matthew took a teaching of the Lord and plopped it in here for reasons unclear to me.

The passage has to do with the behavior of demons. In Matthew 12 Jesus drove out a demon from a deaf mute. So there's that connection. At the end of this teaching on demons, Jesus applies the teaching to this wicked generation, meaning the Pharisees and teachers of the law who oppose Him. There's the second connection. How might we read this teaching in light of these?

If the metaphor of the demon possessed deaf mute (Mat 12:22-24) is about the inability of the Pharisees to hear Jesus as the One sent by God to free Israel, if it's about their inability to give Him the honor and glory due Him, then perhaps Jesus' presence among them gives them opportunity to be freed like the deaf mute. But they are not freed, therefore they remain under the spell of their idolatrous hearts.

Jesus says that an exorcised demon will go about arid places looking for a new home. Doesn't that sound like Israel's history? I'm just guessing here, and it's a new thought for me, but might Jesus be pointing to the exodus from Egypt? After all the Hebrew slaves also worshipped the gods of Egypt. Removing idols from their hearts was a difficult and centuries long process. You may remember while Israel wandered in the desert, an arid place, they wanted to go back to Egypt. They also committed idolatry more than once. They fashioned a golden calf to mimic how other countries depicted their gods. Might Jesus be saying that though Israel was freed by God through Moses and the law, their idolatrous hearts have turned the law into a death trap? The law was intended to give life, but it became death. Might Jesus be saying that the spiritual condition of Israel's religious leadership is worse than it was in the days of Moses, or perhaps in the days following the exile from Babylon?

I've always read this teaching about demons to apply specifically to addiction. When set free by God from an addictive substance or activity, if the addict does not remain clean but returns to her or his addiction, then it's much harder to get free again. The hold the addiction has its even more tremendous. Perhaps Israel's idolatrous tendencies is like an addiction. And since Israel is a prime example of all humanity that means my heart and your heart is prone to idolatry.

Idolatry, in essence, is exchanging the glory of the creator for some created thing. Any thing, any activity, any person, any idea we place above God is an idol. The litmus test to see if you have a idol in your life is the example of Abraham who offered up his only son Isaac as a sacrifice in obedience to God.

Though it pained him greatly, though he could not understand why the Lord would ask him to do such a thing, Abraham was completely obedient. He bound his son and raised the knife, but God stopped him. Is there any thing, or any one, or any activity that you wouldn't surrender if the Lord commanded you to do so?

I know I could not abandon my children or my wife. I would have great difficulty letting go of rock music or Hollywood films. These are idols in my life. I often turn to movies and music, instead of prayer, for quick comfort, or at least a brief refuge from reality. However, I am fully aware that these do not answer my deepest need. I am made for communion with God. Not even my wife, my closest companion, can fulfill my need for God. If I expected to receive from our relationship what only God can give, I'd be an idolatrous fool and placing a burden upon her she cannot bear.

How about you? What idols does your heart tend to turn to? May you have your hearing restored and your ability to speak God's praise returned to you. And when the Lord sets you free, May you be given grace to remain in Him and free from your idols. May we always realize that something greater is here, Jesus Christ our Lord! May He forever be praised.

Matthew 12:29-37

Matthew 12:29-37 NIV

“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

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The confrontation with the Pharisees, who want to kill Jesus for what they believe to be heresy, continues after Jesus had healed a deaf and mute man in the synagogue. They told the people that Jesus can only drive out demons by the power of the prince of demons, Satan. They were publicly labeling Jesus as an evil man.

Jesus responds by saying that a kingdom that is divided will fall, so if Satan drives out his own demons, his kingdom of darkness will fall. Jesus continues in the same thought by saying that a strong man can protect his home from robbery, unless the thieves first overpower him and tie him up.

The deaf mute was possessed by a demon who stole his ability to hear or speak. Metaphorically the deaf mute represents the Pharisees who can neither hear Jesus' truth nor speak His praise. They are also under some sort of demonic captivity, or else they wouldn't be looking for ways to trap Jesus or kill Him.

Jesus is stronger than the demon. He is able to overcome the demon, with His divine power and authority, and take the man's abilities to hear and speak and give them back to him. In a sense the demon is the strong man overcome by the greater power of Christ.

Then begins a very difficult teaching, one that has been controversial throughout church history. It is the teaching known as "The Unforgivable Sin". Jesus says all slander and sin will be forgiven, but not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That will not be forgiven.

The Pharisees had said that the good work Jesus was doing, healing, liberating and giving hope, was of the devil. Jesus is able to do what He does because He is filled with the Holy Spirit who is God.

In trinitarian doctrine God is one God in three distinct persons. These three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live in such a perfect unity that they are one. They are the same and yet unique and distinct persons. It's a difficult concept for we have no easy examples in life to which to compare the trinity.

I teach children that the trinity is like clouds, rain and lighting. They all come from the same place. The cloud is high above us and mysterious in its ever shifting shape. Much like the cloud the Father is above us and shrouded in mystery. Clouds are filled with moisture. And when conditions are right, the moisture falls to the earth in the form of rain. The Son of God came to us in physical form, like the rain falls from the cloud. Sometimes lighting occurs when the rain falls. This also comes from the cloud. The Holy Spirit sometimes feels like electricity, an energy flowing through us. Each is very different in appearance and yet they all come from the same place and you cannot have one without the other. Lightning never strikes without clouds and clouds are never visible without moisture and rain never falls without clouds. And so it is with the trinity. If one of the three persons in the godhead is present, God is present.

Therefore to label Jesus and His ministry as evil is to call God evil. That blasphemy is unforgivable. How can we find an application to this teaching? Evangelicals have said that to deny Jesus' divinity and therefore refuse to place one's faith in Him, is the unforgivable sin. How can we be saved unless we believe? It's a popular interpretation. But I don't think that's what Jesus means.

Jesus is talking to His opponents who have publicly called Him evil. This teaching is to them first and foremost. But this is scripture so we look for ways to apply what Jesus says to our own lives. The Unforgivable Sin is to speak against, or blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Here's where the logic gets difficult. Jesus said that one could speak against the Son of Man and be forgiven, but. to speak against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Isn't Jesus the Son of Man? Isn't Jesus the Son of God? Isn't The Son of God the of the same divine origin as the Holy Spirit? In other words, isn't Jesus God? Since we believe Jesus is God then how can blasphemy against Jesus be forgiven, but against the Holy Spirit it cannot? There's no easy answer.

I read a United Methodist bishop write that if we were concerned about committing the unforgivable sin, then we had nothing to worry about. What he meant was that the unforgivable sin pertains to people who have no humility before God. If you don't care if you offend God, then you are surely in danger of committing the unforgivable sin.

But can we truly say that the Pharisees had no humility before God? Their whole way of life was built around strictly keeping God's law so as not to offend God! Yet Jesus labels these men as evil. He told them that a tree is known by its fruit and their fruit is bad, for their hearts are filled with all kinds of wickedness. They are plotting to kill Jesus. They are looking for ways to publicly discredit His ministry. They seem obsessed with tripping up Jesus. I would argue that they are doing so because they believe Jesus to be a false prophet. With good intentions they are trying to protect the people from what they believe to be heresy. They interpret Jesus' liberal views toward the law and His questionable company to be proof of His corruption. Jesus turns the tables on them and publicly denounces them as evil.

I have both sympathy and disdain for these Pharisees. On the one hand I admire their passion for living holy lives in order to please God. On the other hand, their rule keeping lifestyle has turned then into mean-spirited policeman. Their good intentions have become twisted somehow. Jesus says that their hearts are full of evil, for their mouths betray them. Out of the mouth the heart speaks. When your heart is full of hate and envy, your mouth will reveal it with all sorts of profanity, cursing and blasphemy. To vilify the Lord is blasphemy. The Pharisees, in their contempt for Jesus, have unwittingly spoken against God.

Jesus says that if you are not with Him, you are against Him. So no one can be impartial. An agnostic cannot be blameless by saying he or she doesn't know what to believe. To not believe in Jesus is to not be with Jesus, and therefore is to be against Him. And if you are not with Jesus you are not helping to gather souls for salvation. Therefore you scatter people to the wicked whims of this world.

Above all I'd say the application of this difficult teaching is beware. Be aware of where you stand with Christ. Are you for Him or against Him? You cannot be undecided. Know that we all will be judged. According To Jesus every empty word that comes from our mouths will condemn us. So guard your tongue. What you say about God is eternally important.

Yet let us remember that there is mercy in the Lord. He loves you and forgives all your sins. We did nothing to deserve this mercy. God gives it freely out of God's love for us. Even words against Jesus will be forgiven. But do not make the mistake of the Pharisees and join in rebellion against the advancement of the kingdom of heaven. You will not win. Instead you will lose everything. For there is no stopping what God has begun in Jesus Christ. This world is coming to nothing. All our earthly wisdom means nothing, nor our positions or power. In the end every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. For there is no strong man able to keep Him from seizing what is rightfully His, that is the dominion of this earth. An of His kingdom there shall be no end. Hallelujah!