Introduction: There is a heightened sense of conflict in chapter twelve that makes it a good candidate for a choice as a turning point in Matthew’s unique presentation of the account of Jesus ministry. For one thing, this chapter is where the Pharisees galvanize themselves into both the official and secretive opposition to messiah and his movement. Soon after the clash with these Pharisees in chapter twelve, Jesus also goes into a semi-secretive mode while openly declaring the gospel and healing the sick and oppressed. Who would win this conflict and what would be the outcome for Israel?
He had said, “I have come to start a fire and how I wish it was kindled”. He was also both recruiting and training disciples to do the work He was doing. The conflict was inevitable. The Pharisees and the scribes stood as the religious interpreters, teachers and voices of their own day. They were using a strict code based on newer takes on the ancient Jewish scriptures, which they brought to bear in a burdensome manner, upon the people of Palestine in early first century AD.
As if sent as a divinely ordained rescue team, the voices of John and then Jesus begun to sound in the public places and rough terrains of Israel pronouncing the true mercies and judgments of Yahweh God, who had become incarnate and was walking among his people. In the end, a good portion of the population together with the religious leaders at its head ends up rejecting messiah. This happened despite the greatest spiritual campaign ever put on and a multitude of miracles wrought through God’s Son. Many had also believed in messiah Jesus. However, it will be hard to gauge their proportion relative to the number of his detractors. Presumably, they were much smaller in number and they became formed into a new messianic cult (nucleus) that believes in the master. It can safely be said that a large part of the religious and political groups present in Israel were complicit in getting rid of the master.
A Setting for Conflict
At the beginning of chapter twelve we see a conflict arise with the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath. The disciples are accused of eating from a crop field on the Sabbath while Jesus is accused of healing on the Sabbath. Jesus defends both infractions by essentially saying that, “The son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.”(Matt 12:8) This speaks of his divinity as the giver of the law. It is also perhaps a reflection of the time when Moses would go outside the camp to speak with The Lord face to face much like the way he must have done at the mount of transfiguration (Exodus 33:11, Matthew 17:3). The Lord that Moses spoke to at the giving of the law is very possibly(or even precisely) the same Christ in his pre-incarnate form as no one has seen The Father. Therefore, Christ himself along with The Father and the Holy Spirit can be thought of as the giver, expounder, and fulfiller of the Law.
The conflict at the crop field then moves inside into the synagogue of the very same accusative and faultfinding Pharisees. During the initial encounter the Pharisees appear like the religious Taliban of their time with a set of rules at hand seeking lawbreakers and cracking down on whoever causes an infraction. However, their motive is much more sinister than simply enforcing God’s laws. This accusation by the Pharisees is like someone applying a small measuring stick to the infinite width, length and depth of the wisdom of the master. If they really had loved the law they would not have come to despise the phenomenon of Jesus of Nazareth. That’s why Jesus said to them in essence, “If God was your father, you would love me and would have heard my words but you are of your father the devil.”(John 8:40,42,44)
Forging Ahead
Jesus undeterred by their resistance simply moved on. He was followed by a great many people whom He healed of ‘all’ of their diseases and infirmities. He simply continued to do his work, telling people to whom He ministered to keep things quite (Matt 12:16). It is still day and He and his disciples are able to work; the night would soon come when they can’t work anymore. In chapter 13, presumably as a result of this mounting conflict the master chooses to speak of the kingdom in mystery using cryptic parables and only explaining their meaning to his disciples (Scofield Notes Ch. 13). Its also possible He did this so as to prevent the tares among the wheat from derailing his mission and purposes. His enemies would often send spies or ask him questions to try to trap him (John 8:6, Matthew 19:3). If the disciple’s lack of faith was sometimes annoying to the Lord the Pharisees vehemence must have displeased him the more. He had used well-deserved terms like “blind guides” and “sons of hell” to describe them in various passages of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 23:16,17,33). John the Baptist had also called them “brood of vipers” and “trees not planted by God on whom the ax was laid at the root”(Mathew 3:7-10). Why were they deserving of such dire names and titles?
I. A Spiritual Reality
In the middle of this pivotal chapter we find a kernel about spiritual warfare and exorcism that seems to give us a clue as to what is going on with the current generation (Matthew V 23-37). The Pharisees are so crude and adamant in their opposition as even to suggest Jesus’ miracles to be from Satan, the prince of the demons. In Mark’s version, some of the scribes from Jerusalem actually accuse him of being possessed of the devil himself (Mark 3:22). The master always fought lies by either quoting scripture or revealing some new truth relevant to the matter at hand. This accusation prompts Jesus to refute them by explaining what is really going on behind the scenes in the spirit realm. John Wesley said the following concerning Jesus’ reference to a future generation condemning the Pharisees,
Therefore shall they be your judge — Ask them, if Satan will cast out Satan: let even them be judges in this matter. And they shall convict you of obstinacy and partiality, who impute that in me to Beelzebub, which in them you impute to God. Beside, how can I rob him of his subjects, till I have conquered him? The kingdom of God is come upon you - Unawares; before you expected: so the word implies http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes&b=40&c=12
Jesus in fact said to them that his deliverance ministry was not of the devil, for the devils would not be divided against each other to cast each other out. What they were suggesting was preposterous and a cheap shot to discredit his good works. Jesus very gravely warns the Pharisees that they were committing a blasphemy and were getting dangerously close to being damned. What was actually happening was that the kingdom had come near in such great spiritual power and presence through Messiah that it bound and expunged the evil spirits setting the oppressed individuals free (Wesley on 12:29). In direct contrast to Messiah king who had brought the kingdom close to Israel, a wicked generation was resisting, attacking and defying him. This may also be seen as a vivid picture of what Jesus had meant when he had said in the previous chapter, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). In a comprehensive article Matthew Allen quotes and echoes Robert Saucy about the kingdom of God and of heaven as being past, present or future. He surmises's that,
Though the emphasis of the teaching of Jesus was on the futurity of the kingdom, His total message concerning the kingdom also included its presence and the possibility of men and women entering the kingdom now. He said it was present in the power of the Holy Spirit when He cast out demons (Matt. 12:28), and therefore it can be understood as having been present in all His miraculous works79 (P.12). http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=12
Jesus clearly puts the stony hearted Pharisees outside of his kingdom by saying, “ he who is not with me is against me” for there is no middle ground. Ron Kenoly, a contemporary worship leader used to start worship by saying “There is no de-militarized zone, you are either for the Lord or against him.” C. S Lewis’s allegorical children’s stories, The Chronicles of Narnia are based upon this concept of conflicting kingdoms that are very real and present in everyday life.
Jesus had called the disciples clean because of the word he had spoken to them; he however condemns the Pharisees as unclean even if their legalism made them look good on the outside (Matthew 23:25-28, Machen 37). Verses 43-45 of Matthew twelve gives us a clue as to what may be going on with this generation whom Jesus called wicked and adulterous. This verse is found almost verbatim in Luke but Matthew is the only one who connects the spiritual reality Jesus describes with the present generation. This description might not be unlike the controversial scenes some had wanted to be left as outtakes in Mel Gibson’s ‘The passion of the Christ’. These are scenes in the movie in which the devil is seen as moving through the crowd as Jesus is beaten to a pulp. In these verses Jesus speaks of an unclean spirit that temporarily leaves and then finds its way back to the same house, which had been cleaned. In his notes Scolfield says the following,
Again the rejected King announces judgment (cf) Matthew 11:20-24 Israel, in the midst of the Pharisaic revival of outward religious strictness, was like a man out of whom a demon had "gone," i.e, of his own volition. He would come back and find an empty house, etc. The personal application is to a mere self-cleansed moralist. http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=012
II. Motivation: Why Resist the Master?
Why did they make a pact to destroy the master? Was it just ignorance? Jesus had called them blind guides so ignorance is definitely part of the reason why they were incensed against the master. Was there some other reason for the Pharisees to fight with Jesus? What was their real beef, so to speak, in contemporary colloquialism? The Bible Gateway Commentary suggests ignorance and jealousy as the reason for opposing Jesus.
Convinced that Jesus is not God's agent and annoyed by the popular response to him (v. 23; compare 7:28; 8:27; 9:8), the Pharisees resort to the only other possible explanation for his supernatural power over demons (12:22; compare 9:32-34): it comes from the devil himself (12:24). In a lengthy response, Jesus not only refutes their charge but turns it back against them (vv. 25-45). Matthew's portrayal of Jesus here is also significant for our own day in a number of ways. God's Enemies Challenge the Way God Attests His Servants.
However, Jesus exposes their real and sinister motivation for being his and God’s official nemesis in his discourse in chapter 23 of Matthew. Those who loved God’s laws and wanted to keep them would find in Jesus refreshment and rest and would in fact love him (Matt 11: 28-30, John 8:42). His laws are not grievous (I John 5:3). The Pharisees, Sadducees and the other religious groups of the time were at odds with Jesus because before His coming they were the authority on matters of religion and life; they had cut a niche for themselves where they enjoyed being heads and promulgators in Roman ruled Judea and even further wherever Jewish life was thriving. They were keepers and interpreters of the Law, the very code by which Jewish life was to be led and God was to be honored (Matthew 23 1-2). Its ironic that when the giver of The Law had come and began to both show and explain how The Law is to be lived and understood, the Pharisees were vehemently opposed to him.
The corrupt religious system and power structure on which they had selfishly jockeyed upon, to attain higher socio-economic and political status for themselves, was being upset by the master and his teaching (Matthew 23: 5-7). They had a lot to lose if Jesus was accepted by the nation. They had a special way of dressing up and parading themselves and liked to be seated in places of honor, which they did not want to relinquish easily. They weren’t going to cave in to a couple of wandering prophets like John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth even if these two were preaching great eternal truths accompanied by crowd stopping, eye popping miracles. They would in fact have gotten rid of them sooner if they hadn’t feared the crowds with whom these two held sway. (Mark 11:18,22, Matthew 21:46).
Woe is unto thee for Ye have swallowed a camel
The bottom line was that, as is ever-true elsewhere and since, it was the greed, avarice and selfishness of mankind delineated so well by the Pharisees’ actions that was keeping the kingdom of God from coming and being enthroned among men. The just and righteous prince of the universe was unbeknownst to them walking and teaching in their midst; but their own selfishness had blinded them from seeing who He was and so they couldn’t accept and love him. This sinister motivation is laid bare and made succinctly clear in Jesus’ open rebuke of these groups of people active in first century Palestine (Matthew 23). The parable of the vineyard also surmises the same idea albeit told with a hidden reference concerning them (Matt 24). Jesus has them saying, “This is the son let’s also kill him” Jesus later calls such people and others like them a synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews while they are not really Jews (Revelations 3:9). This same pattern of a religion of pretense coming into conflict with true worship has been repeated many times throughout history. The reformation period is only one stark example and perhaps the largest one, of many such conflicts that have arisen through the centuries.
Jesus loved all those who genuinely wanted to keep and do His and His Father’s laws. It was those who under false pretense and wrong motives appeared to be holy so as to use their positions to ‘Lord it’ over others that Jesus despised (Matthew 23:14). Jesus was not against the law itself, only the false and wrongful usage of it in simply appearing to keep the law, which was an egregious sin. They had made a strict code out of certain aspects of the law making it too heavy for all to keep (Matthew 23:4, Machen, p. 37). They had conveniently ignored the weighty matters of the law like mercy, righteousness and justice (Matthew 23:23). When messiah had come revealing the true nature and spirit of the Law He had found himself in a conflict with the false system built around a code made from a stringent interpretations of the law. This conflict was a fight to the death and led up to the murder of the former by the latter. Of course, after the resurrection a reversal occurred where the former supplanted the latter victoriously resulting in the birth of the church.
III. Conclusions Drawn
That chapter twelve of Matthew is considered to be a pivotal chapter is a well-studied conclusion that may not be readily apparent at a single glance or a superficial study of the book of Matthew. This idea is not stated explicitly in the chapter itself but it’s a plausible idea. Working under the assumption that this chapter in Matthew is pivotal in terms of the progression of the biographical account of Jesus’ ministry, as it relates to the state of Israel; we can see the beginning of a determined organized pact by the Pharisees to destroy Jesus (Matthew 12:21).
This is the chapter where Jesus has a serious ‘falling out’ with one of the prominent religious groups of his day. The conflict will reappear several times more in the book as these and other groups seek to trap Jesus in various ways forms and guises. This is also the chapter where Jesus pronounces the strongest warning in all the gospels, that of the ‘unforgivable sin’ in response to this group’s accusations and especially of denying the works wrought through The Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-33). Nothing is more wearisome to the lord than lack of faith and outright unbelief toward His works. To many in Israel it was self-evident that they were divinely wrought, but these negative reactions by the Pharisees make the barometer for Christ’s patience and tolerance to rise to the very red top. Davidson says the following in The New Bible Commentary concerning what Christ meant by the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ,
The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (31) This sin is a deliberate rejection of Christ and His salvation, the only sin that by its very nature puts a man beyond the pale of forgiveness. (Davidson, P.789).
John Wesley has a slightly different take and says,
The blasphemy against the Spirit — How much stir has been made about this? How many sermons, yea, volumes, have been written concerning it? And yet there is nothing plainer in all the Bible. It is neither more nor less than the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil, which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost. Mark 3:28; Luke 12:10.
http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes&b=40&c=12
Regardless of the various takes on Jesus statements, it can safely be said that after this chapter the Pharisees must have chaffed and the battle lines became drawn very clearly.
IV. Implications: A Second Chance for Israel
Chapter twelve in Matthew can be seen as the early stages of a rejection of the king and his kingdom by Israel that led up to his crucifixion. In the same chapter in his gospel Matthew also invokes a verse from Isaiah 42, which indicates that the messianic hope had included the gentiles (Matthew 12:21). Scofield says the following of its significance,
This too is most significant. The rejected King of Israel will turn to the Gentiles (cf.) Matthew 10:5,6. In fulfillment this awaited the official rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, and the final rejection of the risen Christ. ;
Luke 24:46,47; Acts 9:15; 13:46; Acts 28:25-28; Romans 11:11.
http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=013
Earlier in Chapter eight, Jesus had already hinted about reversals that would occur in which gentile outsiders would make it into heaven while the natural children of the kingdom would be cast out through unbelief (Matt 8:10-12). The children had become callous while outsiders were receptive to him. The Lord must have anticipated a total rejection of him by Israel just as he had spoken about his own death (Matt 20: 17). He mostly ascribes responsibility for the rejection to her leaders as he had many friends among the common people. Her leaders were the ones who were first who would end up being last. It should be noted that the Pharisees were probably much closer to the people than the aristocratic Sadducees even if these groups were united in their hatred of Messiah (Machen P.71).
Yet, Jesus still had a longing to be accepted by his own. In the final stages of his ministry when the futility of his appeals must have become apparent, we see him expressing great sorrow over the rejection he was experiencing. Jesus exclaims,
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)
Kingdom in Mystery
To this day Jesus is considered to be no more than a good rabbi by His natural kin the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. But there is a twist to the story. As sad as their rejection was, it led to the atonement of all of mankind’s sin and ended with the victorious resurrection of our Lord. Therefore, the rejection was a beneficial outcome to us gentiles, but we are ever to seek the salvation of the natural branches, the Israelites and never to boast or judge them (Romans 11:8-24). The church, which can be thought of as the spiritual kingdom (or a kingdom in mystery) made up of born again Jews and gentiles became established as a living representative of Yahweh God on earth, even as Israel is temporarily relegated. However, God is not finished with the nation of Israel and the bible speaks of a future time when she will have to acknowledge Messiah at his appearing and in turn wail for her king whom she had pierced (Revelation 1:7??). We can conclude that at the end of the tribulation period, there will be not a few Jewish men (144 thousand) who will stand along side of Jesus at his second coming and during his millennial reign (Rev 7:4-8, Rev 20:4).
Church age and messianic kingdom
Men can now truly love and worship God in spirit and in truth rather than wallowing under the law, which they were not able to fulfill. That which they once failed to do now they can surpass in the new and living way that Christ had paved with his blood and the new life won at the cross. This life would later be called by Paul as “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1-2). Ever since then a spiritual kingdom continues to be established in the hearts of spirit born men and women both Jews and gentiles. The time of the gentiles had begun and would continue until the fullness of the gentiles had come in (Roman 11:25).
At Jesus’ second coming a messianic earthly kingdom will be manifest with a great show of force and will be centered in Jerusalem (Revelation Ch. 19-20). The same show of force could have been used but is not applied at his first coming in order to let the then imminent atonement take place (Matthew 26:53). Whether an earthly kingdom was at all purposed to being established at Our Lord’s first appearance is not very clear. It is however not wrong to speak of the church as the kingdom in mystery which continues to manifest since her inception. Amen.
Bibliography
Bibles
-------
The King James Version of The Holy Bible
Books
-------
The New Testament, J Gresham Machen
An Introduction to its Literature and history
Banner of Truth, 1997
Commentaries
------------------
The New Bible commentary, Francis Davidson, Alan M. Stibbs, Earnest F. Kevan, 1953
Online Resources
Wesley’s commentary, John Wesley
http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=wes&b=40&c=12
The Scolfield Bible Notes online, 1917
http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=012
BibleGateway.com
Commentary on Matthew 12
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=1&source=1&seq=i.47.12.4
The Kingdom in Matthew, Matthew Allen J.D.
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=12
Christ In The Old Testament by Bryan T Hurie, December 24, 1999
http://users.aristotle.net/~bhuie/christot.htm
_____________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment