MY SHORT REPORT MALACHI – MATTHEW 14
The link that brought you to this page and the page title are a bit of a misnomer, because this short report is not long enough to cover so many chapters of the Bible. What the link and the title do, however, is track where we are in our plan to read through the entire Bible in 1 year. May each report pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us. Works cited are at the end of the report. Internal links provide additional information.
BIBLE READING—WEEK 40—MALACHI – MATTHEW 1-14: Last week’s report focused on the book of Zechariah, especially the term Angel of the Lord and the prophecies that speak of the coming Messiah. In this past week’s readings we finished reading Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and read halfway through Matthew in the New Testament. This week’s Short Report provides some information about Matthew and then looks at various elements of the Sermon on the Mount.
But first let’s consider the question, what does the New Testament assert? The answer, in part, comes from Michael P. Middendorf’s book titled, Called by the Gospel, which tells its readers the New Testament is really an ongoing account of a single story. Jeremiah introduces the phrase new covenant because Israel broke the old contract. Middendorf then explains “the Hebrew word translated ‘new’ in Jeremiah 31:31 (chadash) does not convey the idea of something totally new and different. It is used, for example, to refer to a ‘new’ moon. Each month, however, does not welcome a different moon. Instead, it is the same moon renewed once again” (p. 3).
Jesus also teaches that the Scriptures are one; their single-most important purpose is to point the way to Jesus, because only in Him is there the forgiveness of sin, righteousness before God and eternal life (Luke 24:27; Matthew 9:6; John 5:39; Romans 3:22).
As a tax collector Matthew was an educated man, wealthy, and accustomed to keeping exact records in shorthand. As a disciple he was in a unique position to learn and record the instructions of the Master Teacher. As an apostle, aided by the Holy Spirit, he documented the things he witnessed for the benefit of mankind, especially the Church.
Matthew was a Jew that knew their Scriptures and wrote his account of the promised Messiah from a uniquely Jewish point of view to his Jewish brothers by constantly quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures to show that the Old Testament was fulfilled in Christ Jesus (Matthew 5:17).
Matthew’s account opens with Jesus’ genealogy, which serves, among other things, to show the oneness of Scripture by linking the past to the present. It was also meant to grab their attention, because Jesus was a son of Abraham—their most important patriarch, whom the Pharisee’s claimed as their father (John 8:39); and Jesus was a son of David—their most important king—the Jews were looking for David’s “Branch” from the days of the Babylonian Captivity (Jeremiah 23:5).
The only thing Matthew tells us about himself is that before Jesus called him to be one of the 12 apostles he was a tax collector for the Roman Empire (Matthew 9:9). Also in Matthew 9 a feast is mentioned that included tax collectors and other sinners. We learn from Luke 5:29 that Matthew, who Luke calls Levi, was the one that furnished this feast. It appears to be a celebration of being called by the Messiah and leaving all he had for the Gospel. Jesus attended the festivity to the contempt of the Pharisees that wanted to know why Jesus would associate with such immoral people. Jesus’ answer was 1 of the 53 times an Old Testament passage is cited in Matthew, and came in two parts: 1) they were told that healthy people don’t require a doctor, 2) Jesus challenged them to learn what Hosea meant when he said, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13; cf Hosea 6:6).
Henry H. Halley, in Halley’s Bible Handbook, writes, “This gospel does not name its author. However, from early Church Fathers, beginning with Papias, a pupil of John, onward, it has been accepted as the work of Matthew” (p. 413). In the section of his book titled Church History Halley lists Polycarp, Ignatius and Papias as students of the Apostle John. All three were martyred. Papias, he notes, wrote a book called the Explanation of the Lord’s Discourses that was the result of his seeking the exact words of Christ. Halley refers to these three men as the “connecting link between the apostolic age and the later” (p. 763).
Turning to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) we start reading from the Beatitudes where Jesus lists a number of blessings that run counter to man’s view of life with God. The man in God’s favor, so they thought, received the better portion here on earth, and that was something to be proud of. The Beatitudes, however, turns that way of thinking upside down. Jesus starts His sermon by declaring the poor in spirit are blessed, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them, not the proud who in their vanity think too highly of themselves (v. 3, cf. Romans 12:3). Next, we learn those who look around and see the miserable condition of sinful man, and mourn—for their own sin and the sin they see all around them—will be comforted by God, not the well-to-do that find comfort in their wealth while their fellow man goes without (v. 4, cf. Luke 16:19-25). The list continues has Jesus overturns one table of false pious thought after another.
Speaking about the Beatitudes Luther says, “From the very beginning He hits them hard with these words, rejecting and condemning their teaching, preaching the exact opposite, yes, pronouncing woe upon their life and teaching as Luke 6:24-26 shows.” Luther’s explains that the Jews came to this system of false piety by erroneously applying the promises of God to care for them to mean those who were better off than their fellow man were elevated because they were more righteous. Luther then uses the book of Job as an example of their wayward thinking as Job’s friends do their best to get him to see their point of view, that God is punishing him for some great sin he committed, and his need to devote himself to God so that God would stop inflicting him. Thus, says Luther, “It was necessary for His [Jesus’] sermon to overthrow this delusion and to tear it out of their hearts as one of the greatest obstacles to faith and a great support for the idol Mammon in their heart” (Works, Vol. 21, pp. 10-11).
By Mammon Luther is referring to the love of money and prosperity, (cf. Matthew 6:24 NKJV). Of course, Job stood his ground against the false piety of his friends knowing that God gives and takes according to His righteousness, not ours! Moreover, in his infliction Job worshiped and blessed God; he did not sin nor find fault with God in his time of severe trouble and testing (Job 1:20-22). In the last chapter, God rebuked Job’s friends for their flawed advice saying, “My anger burns against you … for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (42:7).
In Matthew - People's Bible Commentary G. Jerome Albrecht teaches that the Beatitudes do not point the way to different blessings, but inform believers of blessings they now, to limited degrees, possess in Christ. “all Christians,” he says, “are poor in spirit. They all mourn and are meek. They all hunger and thirst for righteousness and are merciful and pure in heart. They are peacemakers and are persecuted for righteousness” (p. 62). He also mentions the importance of examining ourselves in the light of the Beatitudes so we may work on the areas where we fail “to live up to the ideals Jesus expresses here,” and so “grow in sanctification” (pp. 62-63).
Christ did not come to abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17). Luther explains that the scribes, Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had concealed the Law, making it difficult to understand by the way they shaped it to fit their “delusions and deeds.” Accordingly, Jesus is “correcting and confirming the teaching of the Law in opposition to those who were weakening it by their teaching” (p. 67). In fact Jesus was so respectful of the Law and the prophets “and more scrupulous and serious in [His] observance of them then the [teachers], so much so that heaven and earth could pass away before [Jesus] would let an iota or a dot perish or be useless” (p. 68).
Next, Luther reminds us of the oneness of Scripture when he writes, “Now He says: ‘I have not come to destroy the Law but to fulfil it.’ That is: ‘I do not intend to bring another law or a new law, but to take the very Scriptures which you have and to emphasize them. Dealing with them in such a way as to teach you how to behave” (p. 69).
Of course, Albrecht agrees with the unity of Holy Writ. He writes, “Jesus did not establish a new religion. He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. This expression, ‘the Law and the Prophets,’ is a designation for the entire Old Testament Scriptures” (p. 71).
“Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). As Albrecht writes, “’Do not judge’ is not an absolute prohibition” (p. 102). The truth is we make judgements all the time. Some activities, such as smoking, we judge as unhealthy. Some clothes, perhaps a mini-skirt, we judge as too revealing. But the higher question is what does God think, or how does He judge, the choices we make. If we keep God in mind, we are less likely to view our neighbor unfairly.
And how do we judge others? Sometimes, perhaps jury duty, we are required by just laws to judge others. At these times, Paul teaches we must yield to the government (Romans 13:1). Outside of the courtroom, what should we do if we witness a brother or sister in Christ break the Law of God?
Albrecht answers this way, “When someone clearly disobeys a commandment of God or obviously teaches a doctrine contrary to God’s Word, God has already judged that person, and He wants us to concur in that judgement and to proclaim that judgement.” He further explains that this is not about us trying to understand their reasoning or the condition of their heart, “but we must condemn and warn against anything or anybody that disobeys or rejects what God says” (p. 103).
One way Luther answers is to define what wrongful judging is. He calls it, “’self-centered wisdom,’ which judges and criticizes everyone.” He also says that one result of self-centered wisdom is “everyone will strive to be the best preacher and his own master, listening to no one and learning from no one.” He further states the end product of such divisive people and groups is to “adulterate and corrupt the Word, to keep it from remaining pure, and thus once more ruin the Gospel and its fruit” (p. 210).
In closing, this week’s Short Report provided some information about Matthew and his Gospel. We noted the oneness of Scripture, which is Christ-centered, and explored some teaching points of the Sermon on the Mount, namely, the Beatitudes, the Law, and judging others.
But first let’s consider the question, what does the New Testament assert? The answer, in part, comes from Michael P. Middendorf’s book titled, Called by the Gospel, which tells its readers the New Testament is really an ongoing account of a single story. Jeremiah introduces the phrase new covenant because Israel broke the old contract. Middendorf then explains “the Hebrew word translated ‘new’ in Jeremiah 31:31 (chadash) does not convey the idea of something totally new and different. It is used, for example, to refer to a ‘new’ moon. Each month, however, does not welcome a different moon. Instead, it is the same moon renewed once again” (p. 3).
Jesus also teaches that the Scriptures are one; their single-most important purpose is to point the way to Jesus, because only in Him is there the forgiveness of sin, righteousness before God and eternal life (Luke 24:27; Matthew 9:6; John 5:39; Romans 3:22).
As a tax collector Matthew was an educated man, wealthy, and accustomed to keeping exact records in shorthand. As a disciple he was in a unique position to learn and record the instructions of the Master Teacher. As an apostle, aided by the Holy Spirit, he documented the things he witnessed for the benefit of mankind, especially the Church.
Matthew was a Jew that knew their Scriptures and wrote his account of the promised Messiah from a uniquely Jewish point of view to his Jewish brothers by constantly quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures to show that the Old Testament was fulfilled in Christ Jesus (Matthew 5:17).
Matthew’s account opens with Jesus’ genealogy, which serves, among other things, to show the oneness of Scripture by linking the past to the present. It was also meant to grab their attention, because Jesus was a son of Abraham—their most important patriarch, whom the Pharisee’s claimed as their father (John 8:39); and Jesus was a son of David—their most important king—the Jews were looking for David’s “Branch” from the days of the Babylonian Captivity (Jeremiah 23:5).
The only thing Matthew tells us about himself is that before Jesus called him to be one of the 12 apostles he was a tax collector for the Roman Empire (Matthew 9:9). Also in Matthew 9 a feast is mentioned that included tax collectors and other sinners. We learn from Luke 5:29 that Matthew, who Luke calls Levi, was the one that furnished this feast. It appears to be a celebration of being called by the Messiah and leaving all he had for the Gospel. Jesus attended the festivity to the contempt of the Pharisees that wanted to know why Jesus would associate with such immoral people. Jesus’ answer was 1 of the 53 times an Old Testament passage is cited in Matthew, and came in two parts: 1) they were told that healthy people don’t require a doctor, 2) Jesus challenged them to learn what Hosea meant when he said, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13; cf Hosea 6:6).
Henry H. Halley, in Halley’s Bible Handbook, writes, “This gospel does not name its author. However, from early Church Fathers, beginning with Papias, a pupil of John, onward, it has been accepted as the work of Matthew” (p. 413). In the section of his book titled Church History Halley lists Polycarp, Ignatius and Papias as students of the Apostle John. All three were martyred. Papias, he notes, wrote a book called the Explanation of the Lord’s Discourses that was the result of his seeking the exact words of Christ. Halley refers to these three men as the “connecting link between the apostolic age and the later” (p. 763).
Turning to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29) we start reading from the Beatitudes where Jesus lists a number of blessings that run counter to man’s view of life with God. The man in God’s favor, so they thought, received the better portion here on earth, and that was something to be proud of. The Beatitudes, however, turns that way of thinking upside down. Jesus starts His sermon by declaring the poor in spirit are blessed, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them, not the proud who in their vanity think too highly of themselves (v. 3, cf. Romans 12:3). Next, we learn those who look around and see the miserable condition of sinful man, and mourn—for their own sin and the sin they see all around them—will be comforted by God, not the well-to-do that find comfort in their wealth while their fellow man goes without (v. 4, cf. Luke 16:19-25). The list continues has Jesus overturns one table of false pious thought after another.
Speaking about the Beatitudes Luther says, “From the very beginning He hits them hard with these words, rejecting and condemning their teaching, preaching the exact opposite, yes, pronouncing woe upon their life and teaching as Luke 6:24-26 shows.” Luther’s explains that the Jews came to this system of false piety by erroneously applying the promises of God to care for them to mean those who were better off than their fellow man were elevated because they were more righteous. Luther then uses the book of Job as an example of their wayward thinking as Job’s friends do their best to get him to see their point of view, that God is punishing him for some great sin he committed, and his need to devote himself to God so that God would stop inflicting him. Thus, says Luther, “It was necessary for His [Jesus’] sermon to overthrow this delusion and to tear it out of their hearts as one of the greatest obstacles to faith and a great support for the idol Mammon in their heart” (Works, Vol. 21, pp. 10-11).
By Mammon Luther is referring to the love of money and prosperity, (cf. Matthew 6:24 NKJV). Of course, Job stood his ground against the false piety of his friends knowing that God gives and takes according to His righteousness, not ours! Moreover, in his infliction Job worshiped and blessed God; he did not sin nor find fault with God in his time of severe trouble and testing (Job 1:20-22). In the last chapter, God rebuked Job’s friends for their flawed advice saying, “My anger burns against you … for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (42:7).
In Matthew - People's Bible Commentary G. Jerome Albrecht teaches that the Beatitudes do not point the way to different blessings, but inform believers of blessings they now, to limited degrees, possess in Christ. “all Christians,” he says, “are poor in spirit. They all mourn and are meek. They all hunger and thirst for righteousness and are merciful and pure in heart. They are peacemakers and are persecuted for righteousness” (p. 62). He also mentions the importance of examining ourselves in the light of the Beatitudes so we may work on the areas where we fail “to live up to the ideals Jesus expresses here,” and so “grow in sanctification” (pp. 62-63).
Christ did not come to abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17). Luther explains that the scribes, Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had concealed the Law, making it difficult to understand by the way they shaped it to fit their “delusions and deeds.” Accordingly, Jesus is “correcting and confirming the teaching of the Law in opposition to those who were weakening it by their teaching” (p. 67). In fact Jesus was so respectful of the Law and the prophets “and more scrupulous and serious in [His] observance of them then the [teachers], so much so that heaven and earth could pass away before [Jesus] would let an iota or a dot perish or be useless” (p. 68).
Next, Luther reminds us of the oneness of Scripture when he writes, “Now He says: ‘I have not come to destroy the Law but to fulfil it.’ That is: ‘I do not intend to bring another law or a new law, but to take the very Scriptures which you have and to emphasize them. Dealing with them in such a way as to teach you how to behave” (p. 69).
Of course, Albrecht agrees with the unity of Holy Writ. He writes, “Jesus did not establish a new religion. He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. This expression, ‘the Law and the Prophets,’ is a designation for the entire Old Testament Scriptures” (p. 71).
“Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). As Albrecht writes, “’Do not judge’ is not an absolute prohibition” (p. 102). The truth is we make judgements all the time. Some activities, such as smoking, we judge as unhealthy. Some clothes, perhaps a mini-skirt, we judge as too revealing. But the higher question is what does God think, or how does He judge, the choices we make. If we keep God in mind, we are less likely to view our neighbor unfairly.
And how do we judge others? Sometimes, perhaps jury duty, we are required by just laws to judge others. At these times, Paul teaches we must yield to the government (Romans 13:1). Outside of the courtroom, what should we do if we witness a brother or sister in Christ break the Law of God?
Albrecht answers this way, “When someone clearly disobeys a commandment of God or obviously teaches a doctrine contrary to God’s Word, God has already judged that person, and He wants us to concur in that judgement and to proclaim that judgement.” He further explains that this is not about us trying to understand their reasoning or the condition of their heart, “but we must condemn and warn against anything or anybody that disobeys or rejects what God says” (p. 103).
One way Luther answers is to define what wrongful judging is. He calls it, “’self-centered wisdom,’ which judges and criticizes everyone.” He also says that one result of self-centered wisdom is “everyone will strive to be the best preacher and his own master, listening to no one and learning from no one.” He further states the end product of such divisive people and groups is to “adulterate and corrupt the Word, to keep it from remaining pure, and thus once more ruin the Gospel and its fruit” (p. 210).
In closing, this week’s Short Report provided some information about Matthew and his Gospel. We noted the oneness of Scripture, which is Christ-centered, and explored some teaching points of the Sermon on the Mount, namely, the Beatitudes, the Law, and judging others.