Category: What do you think?

Imposing false meanings on scripture is nothing new

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Mathew 12:22-29 22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Jesus, and He healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and could see. 23 And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” 25 And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if by Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

The 12th Chapter of Matthew begins with an account of Jesus healing the sick and the Pharisees trying to find some way to condemn him.  Matthew also explains how Jesus fulfills prophecy through his actions.  Verse 22 begins with the Pharisees trying once again to condemn Jesus.  They accuse him of casting out demons through the power of Beelzebul.  Let’s look at what this says about the Pharisees and how Jesus turns their trap around. Are the Pharisees much different than deceived religious leaders today?

The Pharisees actions are not that different from people today who are more interested in reaching the conclusion they want than they are of finding the truth. This could be a preacher clinging on to any biblical interpretation that “proves” his denomination right, or that “proves” others wrong. The This confirmation bias seems to be seen in the Pharisees response to Jesus’ miracles. They cannot ignore the miracles that have happened, so they reject anything that would lead someone to accept Jesus as Messiah and seek out some other explanation no matter how flimsy the evidence. In this case, they did so even though it means condemning him for doing things they and their own followers have claimed to have done.

Jesus said asked if casting out demons is proof of an act of Satan, then Satan’s kingdom would be divided and could not stand.  But if he cast demons out by the Spirit of God, then his claim that the kingdom of God has come is true. He went on to ask if they thought demons could only be cast out through the power of Satan, then by whose power did their sons cast out demons. Jesus once again exposed their hypocrisy.

Are the Pharisees actions any different from some religious leaders today who interpret scripture to “prove” their traditions rather than judge their traditions by God’s word?

What are your thoughts?

Why did Matthew tell us Jesus wanted to heal anonymously?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Mathew 12:15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was.  This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: 18 “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul delights; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel, nor cry out; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20 A bent reed He will not break off, And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish, Until He leads justice to victory. 21 And in His name the Gentiles will hope.”

The book Matthew is the result of a Jewish tax collector writing to Jewish people to convince them that the king of the Jews has come. Some of the things Matthew records may seem repetitive, but not when one considers the context of why he was writing in the first place. Let’s use Matthew 12:15-21 as an example.

The Pharisees had just tried unsuccessfully to trap Jesus through their self-serving interpretation of the law concerning work on the Sabbath.  They claimed Jesus violated this law by healing people on the Sabbath. They interpreted the law this way only because they wanted to trap Jesus. To be clear: They abused the law for malicious motives and interpreted it accordingly. Now we see Jesus continuing to heal.  But Matthew told us earlier how Jesus healed. So why is he going on with more accounts of the same thing? Well, he’s not.

Matthew stipulated in these verses that Jesus told the people he healed to keep quiet about his identity. Matthew is now telling us that Jesus’ actions here fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1–4. Isaiah speaks of a servant of God who will eventually bring justice and righteousness to the world without seeking to call attention to Himself. 

When you read Bible passages that seem to repeat with no reason to do so (the genealogies come to mind) consider that the reason they may seem this way is you are missing their point. There’s nothing wrong with searching the internet for writings on the matter; or better yet, asking your pastor what the significance of a verse is.  You may find that passages like this, or those long genealogies recorded in the Gospel, are there for a reason.

What are your thoughts?

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

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Mathew 12:8-14 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”  9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might bring charges against Him. 11 But He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 12: 8-14 tells us of the Pharisees continued effort to condemn Jesus. Earlier, they pressed him about his apostles picking the heads of grain to eat as they walked on the Sabbath. Now they question him as he heals a man on the Sabbath. Let’s consider why Matthew choose to write about this account. Was he showing us that Jesus was above the law, or is something else going on here? Why did he call himself Lord of the Sabbath? Let’s see what the Bible says about his motive in all of this.

I think Matthew’s purpose is to show the difference between the legalism of the Pharisees who exploited the law, and those who have a heart of service to God. Jesus had just said his burden is light, but the Pharisees used the law to make very heavy burdens as a way to impose their will. Jesus called himself Lord of the Sabbath as he responded to their misuse of the law. So, what was his point?

Some have suggested Jesus used the phrase Lord of the Sabbath to show that he is above the law. These verses could be understood this way. But consider the context. The Pharisees legalistic system of interpretation created a burden for God’s people. Now we see the Pharisees using the the law as a weapon against Jesus. Matthew tells us their purpose was, “…that they might bring charges against Him.” I don’t think Jesus was just saying he is above the law, but that he knows the law and sees through their self-serving application of it. The law was certainly not created for the Pharisees to use as a tool of submission.  It seems the Pharisees portrayed healing a man as work because they wanted to persecute Jesus. It was a self-serving interpretation of the Law. But was Jesus “working” on the Sabbath? Let’s look at what Jesus did and his motive.

Jesus was motivated by compassion for a man who needed healing. He was not motivated by the desire to finish a job (work,) which was forbidden on the Sabbath. To illustrate this he pointed out that the Pharisees would have no problem with a man rescuing a sheep who fell into a ditch on the Sabbath. Isn’t the point that Jesus knew law and was calling out the Pharisees who misinterpreted it out of malice. Doesn’t this make Jesus Lord of the Sabbath?

What are your thoughts?

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Jesus desires compassion rather than sacrifice

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 12:1-7  
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Matthew 12:1-7 tells us of an encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees and some scolding words they had for him. Let’s look at the context, focus on what the Pharisees said and what it reveals about their motives. Let’s also look at what this says about those who misuse God’s word to impose their own understanding onto others and see if we can find an underlying principle.

Matthew tells us the Pharisees called out Jesus because his disciples picked the heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered this work on the Sabbath. In context, this encounter comes right after Jesus spoke of the wise being confounded by things revealed to those who are as infants. Jesus is now confronted by the “wise” people of his day. The preceding verses tell us God’s burden is light, but the Pharisees have something different in mind. They knew the law very well, but were they blind to its purpose? Let’s look a bit more at the situation.

The wise Pharisees were baffled by a religious leader allowing his followers to do something their understanding of the law told them was a violation of the law. They were also baffled by Jesus’ response. He gave examples from what was written that contradicted the burden the Pharisees were adding. He spoke of David eating “consecrated bread,” and priests who had no guilt even though their actions in the temple on the Sabbath violated the Pharisees’ understanding of the law.    

I believe there is an underlying principle here that we see throughout God’s word.  Our actions are meaningless if they only serve tradition, and they can be harmful if done for the wrong motives. Consider earlier verses in Matthew where Satan spoke of what was written in prophecy as he told Jesus to turn stones to bread or jump off a cliff, but Satan told Jesus to do these things for the wrong reasons; that is, to test God rather than serve Him. Jesus rebuked Satan for this and in Matthew 12:1-7 we see Jesus rebuking religious leaders for doing the same thing. They followed the law for the wrong reasons and imposed it on others as a burden.

The Pharisees enforced religious rituals and external acts with no regard for what was in a person’s heart.  Is this what Jesus meant by a desire for compassion rather than sacrifice?

What are your thoughts?

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If faith comes from witnessing a miracle, how can it be a gift?

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 11:20-24 NASB:  
20 Then He began to reprimand the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you.”

Matthew 11:20-24 tells us there were cities who refused to repent even though they saw Jesus’ miracles. Does this imply that faith comes from our ability to deduce from things we’ve seen? I believe to answer this question we need to understand that there are different kinds of faith and we need to determine what kind of faith is Matthew talking about.

The scripture tells us we are saved by grace through faith that does not come from our abilities. Saving faith is a gift from of God so that no one can brag that he or she did anything. Doesn’t this tell us that if we have faith in someone because we witnessed him or her perform a miracle, that it is not faith unto salvation? Let me put this another way: If I see something and deduce something from what I saw, I am exercising my own ability to reason.  But saving faith is a gift that does not come from my own ability. This is why I say there is more than one kind of faith.

You can have faith in a doctor’s ability to diagnose a disease, or faith in your wife’s fidelity, or faith in many other things that result from our experiences and our ability to infer from them. These are all types of faith, but not saving faith. So, what kind of faith Matthew is talking about in Chapter 11?

These cities may have gained faith in Jesus’ abilities from watching him work miracles. But faith in Jesus’ abilities to heal is not faith unto salvation. Jesus made it clear that these folks witnessed miracles and still rejected Christ’s message. He said they are worthy of a greater punishment than Tyre and Sidon. Consider, a gift is something we can accept or reject. These people made a conscious effort to reject Jesus’ message, even if it meant rejecting things they saw with their own eyes. Matthew Henry put it this way, “Christ knew that the hearts of the Jews were more bitter and hardened against his miracles and doctrines, than those of Tyre and Sidon would have been therefore their condemnation would be the greater” 1 They refused to have faith in Jesus’ ability to heal or that his healings were works of God. Did they also reject salvation through Jesus blood after he was crucified?  

What are your thoughts?

  1. Henry, Matthew. 1706. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/matthew/11.htm

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