We have now spent nine weeks on the Mount of Beatitudes listening to the greatest of all teachers. Now it is time to go back into the cities and put into practice the things that we have recently learned.
Christ's Message Was
The blind receive sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Mat 11:5.
It is so easy to read into any text things that we think we should find there. Let's be careful and think about what we are actually reading.
Clarke zeros in on the phrase the poor have the gospel preached to them and he says what was this Gospel? Why, the glad tidings that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Because we can be so easily duped by repeatedly hearing the same thing it is hard to think of it any other way.
However, in a former post, we learned that Christ was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, not the death and resurrection of the Messiah; Jesus went about all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
The Greatest Ever Born
Assuredly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Mat 11:11.
Here we have a few problems.
1. Christ was born to a woman, is He not greater than John the Baptist? I suppose it is possible to believe that since Christ made that statement He did not include himself among those He was speaking about.
Bible commentators seem to agree that John was the greatest because he was the one chosen to be the forerunner of the Messiah. I find this to be a weak argument because it still does not exclude Christ from among all the others.
2. Yet, even though John was the greatest he was still less (of lower status) than the one who has the lowest status in the kingdom of heaven. This is said to refer to the fact that John could never be born again (he died before Christ did and so could not believe in the death and resurrection of Christ) because he was still part of the Old Testament covenant.
Our preachers have repeatedly told us that only those who are born again will ever be in heaven. Where does that leave poor John, the Baptist, or any Old Testament "saint" such as father Abraham or Moses the authoritarian?
3. of all the prophets that have been in the world, since the beginning of it, Moses himself not excepted, there has not been raised up by God a greater prophet than John, the first administrator of baptism. Gill (emphasis mine)
baptism itself did not originate with Christians or, for that matter, with John. Jews practiced baptism as a traditional act of purification and the initiation of converts to Judaism long before the coming of the Messiah. gotQuestions?org (emphasis mine)
Non-Violent Violence
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men seize it. Mat 11:12.
From the time John started preaching and baptizing until Christ spoke these words (this has, by some, been estimated to be one year) people have pressed into the kingdom of heaven. First people crowded around John and later around Christ just to hear the message of the kingdom.
We need to realize that the word violence has nothing to do with violence as we understand the word. This means to crowd oneself into. Strong G970. That is: to be eager, determined. This is another way of saying, a person cannot be a half-hearted Christian.
By the kingdom of heaven in this verse is meant, the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace; which fullness was not known till after Christ had been crucified, and had risen from the dead. Now the least in this kingdom, the meanest preacher of a crucified, risen, and glorified Savior, was greater than John, who was not permitted to live to see the plenitude of Gospel grace, in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Clarke.
Think Outside the Box
And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah, the one who is about to come. Mat 11:14.
Our English equivalent of if you are willing to receive it is here is a new way of looking at something that you believe to be true. The Jews, back then, believed that the real Elijah (in Greek Elias) would actually come back. Christ said, Think again! Do not follow your preacher's or priest's teaching without doing your own thinking; are you are willing to receive the truth?
Luke seems to have understood the concept that the actual Elijah was not coming back as the forerunner of Christ. When commenting on the coming of John the Baptist he said And he (John) himself will go before Him (Christ) in the spirit and power of Elijah (not in the body of Elijah). Luke 1:17.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Mat 11:15. This is A kind of proverbial expression; requiring the deepest attention to what is spoken. Wesley. It is as if Christ is saying, Since you can't believe what your forefathers have taught you, think outside the box and pay attention.
1. From your childhood, till now, you have believed that Christ was crucified on Friday. so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. John 12:40; Mat. 12:40. How is it possible that Christ could have been put into the grave on a Friday evening, spend three days and three nights in the grave and arise on a Sunday morning. Think it through - it is illogical. See:
2. From your childhood, till now, you have believed that Christ is the second person of the Trinity. Don't believe everything your preacher tells you; Study it for yourself - that doctrine is unbiblical. See: https://wwwthinkagai.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-doctrine-of-trinity-revisited.html
Assuredly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Mat 11:11.
Here we have a few problems.
1. Christ was born to a woman, is He not greater than John the Baptist? I suppose it is possible to believe that since Christ made that statement He did not include himself among those He was speaking about.
Bible commentators seem to agree that John was the greatest because he was the one chosen to be the forerunner of the Messiah. I find this to be a weak argument because it still does not exclude Christ from among all the others.
2. Yet, even though John was the greatest he was still less (of lower status) than the one who has the lowest status in the kingdom of heaven. This is said to refer to the fact that John could never be born again (he died before Christ did and so could not believe in the death and resurrection of Christ) because he was still part of the Old Testament covenant.
Our preachers have repeatedly told us that only those who are born again will ever be in heaven. Where does that leave poor John, the Baptist, or any Old Testament "saint" such as father Abraham or Moses the authoritarian?
3. of all the prophets that have been in the world, since the beginning of it, Moses himself not excepted, there has not been raised up by God a greater prophet than John, the first administrator of baptism. Gill (emphasis mine)
baptism itself did not originate with Christians or, for that matter, with John. Jews practiced baptism as a traditional act of purification and the initiation of converts to Judaism long before the coming of the Messiah. gotQuestions?org (emphasis mine)
Non-Violent Violence
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men seize it. Mat 11:12.
From the time John started preaching and baptizing until Christ spoke these words (this has, by some, been estimated to be one year) people have pressed into the kingdom of heaven. First people crowded around John and later around Christ just to hear the message of the kingdom.
We need to realize that the word violence has nothing to do with violence as we understand the word. This means to crowd oneself into. Strong G970. That is: to be eager, determined. This is another way of saying, a person cannot be a half-hearted Christian.
By the kingdom of heaven in this verse is meant, the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel of peace; which fullness was not known till after Christ had been crucified, and had risen from the dead. Now the least in this kingdom, the meanest preacher of a crucified, risen, and glorified Savior, was greater than John, who was not permitted to live to see the plenitude of Gospel grace, in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Clarke.
Think Outside the Box
And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah, the one who is about to come. Mat 11:14.
Our English equivalent of if you are willing to receive it is here is a new way of looking at something that you believe to be true. The Jews, back then, believed that the real Elijah (in Greek Elias) would actually come back. Christ said, Think again! Do not follow your preacher's or priest's teaching without doing your own thinking; are you are willing to receive the truth?
Luke seems to have understood the concept that the actual Elijah was not coming back as the forerunner of Christ. When commenting on the coming of John the Baptist he said And he (John) himself will go before Him (Christ) in the spirit and power of Elijah (not in the body of Elijah). Luke 1:17.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Mat 11:15. This is A kind of proverbial expression; requiring the deepest attention to what is spoken. Wesley. It is as if Christ is saying, Since you can't believe what your forefathers have taught you, think outside the box and pay attention.
1. From your childhood, till now, you have believed that Christ was crucified on Friday. so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. John 12:40; Mat. 12:40. How is it possible that Christ could have been put into the grave on a Friday evening, spend three days and three nights in the grave and arise on a Sunday morning. Think it through - it is illogical. See:
2. From your childhood, till now, you have believed that Christ is the second person of the Trinity. Don't believe everything your preacher tells you; Study it for yourself - that doctrine is unbiblical. See: https://wwwthinkagai.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-doctrine-of-trinity-revisited.html
No comments:
Post a Comment