Recap

So far in Mathew, we've read the prologue, the first and second blocks of Jesus' ministry. Matthew opens with a genealogy and the story of Jesus' birth. Both rooted Jesus in Old Testament prophecy and allusions. He's a descendant of David born through the Holy Spirit. A king and the son of God. He's given gifts from wise men that match what was given to Solomon's temple. He is God's presence on earth. He is brought out of Egypt as a new Israel.

Then came the first block of Jesus' ministry. This involved the initial preparation, demonstrations, and then teaching. Jesus was baptised and affirmed by God. He went into the desert for forty days and resisted temptation, succeeding where the Israelites before him failed. After leaving the desert and choosing his first disciples Jesus declared the kingdom of God is at hand. He showed it by healing the sick and casting out demons, then explained it in the Sermon on the mount. Just as Moses went up Mount Sinai to bring back the law, Jesus is going up a mountain to unpack the law of the kingdom of heaven.

He started with the Beatitudes, showing the upside down nature of the kingdom of heaven. He pointed out how the law focused on outward behaviour, but it is our inward heart that shapes us. Jesus challenged how people outwork their faith, telling them when they give, pray, and fast they shouldn't do it to show off. Our focus should be on God's kingdom, not power, money, or even providing for ourselves. When it comes to others we're called to look inward before we judge others. To treat others how you would like to be treated. Judge others by their fruit, not by what they say. But judge ourselves by our relationship with God.

Then came the second block of Jesus' ministry, the kingdom of heaven, applied to people's lives. We read a total of ten miracles mostly focused on people who were outcasts and those far from God. The kingdom of heaven brought them healing and freedom. The teaching of this second block then focused around how the disciples would bring the kingdom of heaven to others. The cost would be high. They would be persecuted and reviled. But if they trusted in God, he would give them the authority they need.

Matthew 11-12

We now start the third block of Jesus’ ministry, focused on the response to Jesus’ teaching. By this point, John the Baptist is in prison, and his faith is wavering, just a little. When he baptised Jesus, he was adamant that Jesus was the one the Old Testament prophets had been speaking about. Now he's not sure, and so he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is or if they are to wait for someone else to come after him. Here is John, Jesus’ own cousin, doubting who he is.

Jesus doesn't answer the question directly, but tells John's disciples to report back to him that "the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them." (Matthew 11:5). These were all things prophesied by the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 29:18-19; 25:5-6; 61:1). Jesus was saying yes to John's question by pointing to all the things that he had been doing.

Jesus then turns to the people around him and asks why they went to see John the Baptist when he was baptising in the wilderness? It was because he was a prophet. More than that, he was the prophet prophesied about in Malachi, who was like a second Elijah, who would prepare the way for the Lord. John is the last great prophet pointing to the Lord. As John is pointed to Jesus, that makes Jesus the one the Jews having been waiting for.

Jesus mourns all the cities that he has preached at and done miracles in, who still haven't repented. Because these cities got to see Jesus for themselves and still ignored him, then they will be judged harsher than any of the Old Testament cities.

But even in this, Jesus praises God. God has hidden what is actually happening from those who are wise and would praise themselves for understanding, while also revealing it to those who come humbly and meekly like children. So Jesus encourages those who are willing and able to listen to come to him so he can give them rest and peace.

But then we see the religious leaders really start to oppose Jesus. Jesus is walking through a field with his disciples on the Sabbath, the day of rest dedicated to God. By this point, the religious leaders had got very strict about what you can and can't do on the Sabbath.

A few of the disciples helped themselves to some of the corn in the field because they were hungry, and so the pharisees accused them of farming on the Sabbath. Jesus turns to them and reminds them of the time King David and his men entered the temple and ate the bread that had been holy and offered to God. Ordinarily, that bread was only to be eaten by the priests, but David and his men were starving so the priests allowed them to eat.

These laws are meant to help people. The Sabbath is there because it is good for people to spend one day a week resting. It was never meant to bind people.

Jesus went on to the Synagogue to find a man with a withered hand. The religious leaders were waiting to see what he would do, because they wanted to argue that it is wrong to heal someone on the Sabbath. Jesus again challenged them. How can it be wrong to do something good on the Sabbath? He healed the man's hand. But the religious leaders had had enough, and so begin to plot how to take down Jesus.

Jesus went on healing more people. Matthew points to another prophecy about the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-3). Jesus is that Suffering Servant, and his ministry is to bring justice to all the world, not just the Jews. He won't fight and force others to listen to him. Jesus encounters a man with a demon, which he casts out.

But the Pharisees argue with him, claiming that he is only able to cast out the demons because he has done a deal with the devil himself. Jesus points out how this makes no sense. What would the devil benefit by casting out his own minions? What about the members of the Pharisees who cast out demons? Do they also do so because they've done deals with the devil?

Anyone who clearly sees the good works of the Holy Spirit and refuses to accept them has made that decision in their heart. There's no helping them, for they have rejected all chances of forgiveness. Jesus explains to those around them that you can tell whether something is good from its fruit. If it produces good fruit, then it's good. If it produces bad fruit, then it's bad. If someone's heart is bad, then before long it will show in their words.

The Pharisees then ask Jesus for proof he is who he says he is. Jesus rebukes them and tells them the only sign they will get is that of Jonah. The Son of Man, Jesus, will spend three days in 'the heart of the earth'. But even then, Jesus doesn't think that the Pharisees will believe. Even wicked cities like Nineveh would judge the Pharisees. At least they chose to repent when Jonah challenged them.

Many of these stories appeared in Mark, but there they were placed at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Mark 2-3). Remember, Mark’s focus on Jesus’ ministry was that people misunderstood him, so these stories establish this idea right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

Because of how Matthew wanted to order his book, he moved these stories to this third block, which he dedicates entirely to how people respond to Jesus’ ministry. This is because Matthew wanted to establish the nature of the kingdom of heaven and how it applied to people’s lives first, before looking at how people responded to it.

In this we see how the gospel writers take these stories from Jesus’ life and arrange them to make theological points, rather than just doing a strict chronological biography of Jesus’ life.

Psalm 92

This psalm isn’t attributed to anyone in particular, but is specifically for use on the Sabbath. It falls into the category of praise psalm.

Psalm 92:1-5 - The psalmist praises God

Psalm 92:6-9 - The wicked will perish

Psalm 92:10-15 - God lifts up the psalmist and the righteous

The psalmist opens with praise, giving thanks to God. For God is loving and faithful, morning and night. He brings joy to the psalmist. His works are great and his thoughts are deep.

The psalmist then turns their focus to the wicked, the stupid, and the foolish. None of these can appreciate God’s goodness and his works. They might sprout up and flourish to begin with, but like grass, they will eventually dry up and be blown away. They shall perish.

In contrast, God has lifted up the psalmist and caused them to flourish. They will stand while their enemies fall. Similarly, the righteous will flourish like strong trees because they are planted in God’s presence. Like trees, they will continue to bear fruit in their old age, and declare God’s goodness over their lives.

This psalm praises God for his goodness and faithfulness while also carrying that strand of wisdom. The righteous flourish and the wicked perish.