"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
-
-
Matthew.
The only place in the entire Bible you find the story of the wise men from the East is here, in the Gospel of Matthew. It says in the very beginning of chapter 2, "Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
-
Did you catch that? They didn't say He was "born TO BE King," but "BORN KING." How appropriate that this event be recorded here because Matthew is the Gospel of The King.
Did you catch that? They didn't say He was "born TO BE King," but "BORN KING." How appropriate that this event be recorded here because Matthew is the Gospel of The King.
Jesus didn't come to earth to be crowned king; He already was King--He already is Royalty! In fact, His parents, not Herod, were the true royal couple. They should have been reigning in Jerusalem instead of Herod. Why, he wasn't even a Jew!
-
(For more on that topic, follow the link below to the article on "Chimham's Inn:
https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/chimhams-inn-christmas-series-part-2/)
(For more on that topic, follow the link below to the article on "Chimham's Inn:
https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/chimhams-inn-christmas-series-part-2/)
-
Tax Collector.
Matthew was a tax collector, which meant he had renounced His people, friends and family, his nation and God. He had to swear absolute allegiance only to Rome and Caesar. That’s why tax collectors were hated and ostracized. They were considered even lower than prostitutes.
–
Imagine how he felt as he wrote these words in chapter 9: “9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.” No doubt, there were tears in his eyes.
–
Up until that time, he must have lost all hope of ever going to heaven. After all, he had renounced God, right? But one day, this Man walked into his life and extended grace to him. He immediately left everything and followed Jesus.
He invited Jesus back to his home, threw a party in Hus honor, and invited all his friends, most of whom were fellow tax collectors or prostitutes.
-
Jewish Gospel.
This gospel is Jewish in nature. You'll notice that the phrase, "Kingdom of God," is never mentioned. That's because the Jewish people don't like to use God's name. Even today, in their books or documents, they will write either "G-d, kingdom of Heaven," or refer to God as "the Name: haShem." Matthew understood this reticence of theirs very well and wrote his gospel with that understanding, in deference to them.
-
This gospel is Jewish in nature. You'll notice that the phrase, "Kingdom of God," is never mentioned. That's because the Jewish people don't like to use God's name. Even today, in their books or documents, they will write either "G-d, kingdom of Heaven," or refer to God as "the Name: haShem." Matthew understood this reticence of theirs very well and wrote his gospel with that understanding, in deference to them.
-
Contained in this account of Jesus' life is 1) The genealogy of the King; 2) The constitution of the King; 3) The deeds of the King, and 4) The plan of the King, hidden in parabolic form.
-
#1) Pedigree/Lineage Of The King.
Because Matthew is the Gospel of the King, in verses 1-17, he records the genealogy of The King, from "David, the son of Abraham, to Joseph the husband of Mary." Even though he provided no seed, nevertheless, Jesus was born into Joseph's household. Through both parents, Jesus had a DOUBLE CLAIM to the throne of King David.
-
Notice Matthew lists David's name first, then Abraham. Why? Because through David came the right of kingship. It was to Abraham that God promised the land. When Jesus, the King returns to set this world right, He will rule as King over the whole earth from His land and His capital: Jerusalem.
-
-
#2) The Constitution Of The King.
In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares with us the Constitution of His Kingdom. Because Jesus was rejected as their King, this kingdom is now in temporary suspension, until He returns at the end of the 7 years of tribulation.
This is an entire subject in and of itself which I will not go into here. If you're interested in more on that topic, follow the link below:
https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/the-gospel-of-the-kingdom-part-8-of-16-rightly-dividing-the-word-of-god/
-
#3) The Deeds Of The King.
Matthew 7:28-8:4
"And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
8:1 "When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
#1) Pedigree/Lineage Of The King.
Because Matthew is the Gospel of the King, in verses 1-17, he records the genealogy of The King, from "David, the son of Abraham, to Joseph the husband of Mary." Even though he provided no seed, nevertheless, Jesus was born into Joseph's household. Through both parents, Jesus had a DOUBLE CLAIM to the throne of King David.
-
Notice Matthew lists David's name first, then Abraham. Why? Because through David came the right of kingship. It was to Abraham that God promised the land. When Jesus, the King returns to set this world right, He will rule as King over the whole earth from His land and His capital: Jerusalem.
-
-
#2) The Constitution Of The King.
In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares with us the Constitution of His Kingdom. Because Jesus was rejected as their King, this kingdom is now in temporary suspension, until He returns at the end of the 7 years of tribulation.
This is an entire subject in and of itself which I will not go into here. If you're interested in more on that topic, follow the link below:
https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/the-gospel-of-the-kingdom-part-8-of-16-rightly-dividing-the-word-of-god/
-
#3) The Deeds Of The King.
Matthew 7:28-8:4
"And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
8:1 "When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
-
Right after the constitution of the King is documented the deeds of the King. Throughout the middle of Matthew are all kinds of miracles.
Right after the constitution of the King is documented the deeds of the King. Throughout the middle of Matthew are all kinds of miracles.
-
As soon as Jesus finished the sermon on the Mount, He turned around, AWAY from the crowd, and began to demonstrate what the world would be like with Him in charge.
-
The first thing He did was heal a leper who had been hiding behind a rock on the other side of the mountain. The man had obviously been listening to every word. Jesus must have known he was there because He came down that side of the mount where He would pass right by the man.
-
We see Him going here and there, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and cleansing lepers. He was demonstrating what the world would have been like had He been in charge for the last 2,000 years. What a wonderful world it would have been, huh?
-
-
The Plan Of The King.
Matthew 13:10-11
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."
-
In this chapter, Jesus lays out the plan of His kingdom. It is hidden from view of the general public because they rejected their King. Because they did so, He beagan to speak to them in parables so that, seeing they would not see, and hearing they would not hear.
-
The kingdom parables of Matthew 13 reveal that first the gospel would be given to the Jewish people. (They treasure hidden in the field, vs. 44) But because of their ultimate rejection, God would then begin to send the gospel to the Gentiles and they would be offered a chance to be saved from their sins (The pearl of great price, vs. 45-46)
-
Ultimately, Jesus would return after the seven years of tribulation and the gospel would go throughout the whole world. Nations would be saved! (The dragnet, vs. 47-48)
-
Please follow the link below to Part 5:
-
As soon as Jesus finished the sermon on the Mount, He turned around, AWAY from the crowd, and began to demonstrate what the world would be like with Him in charge.
-
The first thing He did was heal a leper who had been hiding behind a rock on the other side of the mountain. The man had obviously been listening to every word. Jesus must have known he was there because He came down that side of the mount where He would pass right by the man.
-
We see Him going here and there, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and cleansing lepers. He was demonstrating what the world would have been like had He been in charge for the last 2,000 years. What a wonderful world it would have been, huh?
-
-
The Plan Of The King.
Matthew 13:10-11
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."
-
In this chapter, Jesus lays out the plan of His kingdom. It is hidden from view of the general public because they rejected their King. Because they did so, He beagan to speak to them in parables so that, seeing they would not see, and hearing they would not hear.
-
The kingdom parables of Matthew 13 reveal that first the gospel would be given to the Jewish people. (They treasure hidden in the field, vs. 44) But because of their ultimate rejection, God would then begin to send the gospel to the Gentiles and they would be offered a chance to be saved from their sins (The pearl of great price, vs. 45-46)
-
Ultimately, Jesus would return after the seven years of tribulation and the gospel would go throughout the whole world. Nations would be saved! (The dragnet, vs. 47-48)
-
Please follow the link below to Part 5:
-
No comments:
Post a Comment