Month: <span>January 2016</span>

The final chapters of Mathew’s Gospel record Matthew’s account of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The people of Israel long awaited a deliverer like David who would rescue them from their enemies. But the advent of Jesus’ reign did not yield political deliverance or national supremacy as many thought it would. Rather Jesus announced that He, the King, was going to be crucified (Matt 16:21-23; 17:22-23; 20:17-19) and that His followers should expect similar treatment (Matt 16:24-28). Though Jesus’ ministry was marked by suffering, He displayed divine power even over death itself (Matt 17:23; 20:19). Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfilled themes that permeated Matthew’s Gospel and fulfilled the prophetic narrative of the Old Testament.

(1) In Matt 26:31, Jesus employed Zech 13:7 to reinforce His prophecy that He would be arrested, and the disciples would flee from the threat of danger. Zechariah pictured God’s judgement coming upon His shepherd with the result that the sheep of Israel would be scattered, and thus refined. Jesus took up Zechariah’s prophecy and applied it to the situation of the disciples on the eve of His crucifixion; when He was made weak, they lost all of their power (Matt 26:31//Mark 14:27). Jesus’ point was made obvious when, in the garden of Gethsemane, the eleven could not stay awake for a short time to pray against the temptation that would come (Matt 26:36-46//Mark 14:32-42//Luke 22:39-46//John 18:1).

(2) During Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus quoted from Ps 110:1 in combination with Dan 7:13 to exclaim His deity (Matt 26:64). Psalm 110 is the most frequently cited passage of the Old Testament in the New Testament. The Psalmist described God’s favor upon Israel’s king as he ruled God’s people and crushed Israel’s enemies. Israel’s king enjoyed the position of power at God’s right hand (Ps 110:1). Before Jesus was arrested, He told the twelve that one day the Son of Man would return to judge the nations (Matt 25:31-32). Jesus’ language reflected Daniel’s description of the day when the Son of Man would rule for God on earth (Dan 7:13-14). Jesus was thus an active participant in His crucifixion. In His trial before the Sanhedrin, when He was placed under oath and asked if He was the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus boldly confessed that it was so (Matt 26:64//Mark 14:62//Luke 22:69-70). Jesus’ words display that He was not trying to evade crucifixion: He claimed the sovereignty accorded the Messiah of the Old Testament.

(3) In Matt 27:9, Matthew noted that when the chief priests purchased a burial field with the money Judas returned to them, they fulfilled Jer 32:6-9. In Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah purchased a piece of property as a sign that though Jerusalem was under siege from the Babylonians, a day was coming when God would graciously restore His people and they would dwell in Jerusalem again. The property that Jeremiah purchased would be his only after blood was shed in Jerusalem as the Babylonians attacked the city. Matthew saw in Jeremiah’s land purchase a precedent for associating blood and money. For Matthew, Jesus’ blood was the purchase price of the field where foreigners would be buried.

(4) In Matt 27:46, Jesus cried out the words of Ps 22:1 as He was dying on the cross. In Psalm 22, the psalmist’s suffering prefigured Jesus’ suffering in His trial and crucifixion. The psalmist said that his enemies cast lots for his clothing (Ps 22:18) just as the soldiers did for Jesus’ clothes (Matt 27:35//Mark 15:24). The psalmist watched as onlookers shook their heads and scoffed at him in his suffering (Ps 22:7) just as those who saw Jesus on the cross mocked and sneered at Him (Matt 27:39//Mark 15:29). Those who mocked the psalmist urged him to trust in God for deliverance (Ps 22:8). Similarly, the chief priests, scribes, and elders chided Jesus, saying, “He has put His trust in God; let God rescue Him now—if He wants Him!” (Matt 27:43). It is fitting that as Jesus was dying on the cross (Matt 27:46//Mark 15:34), He would quote the psalmist who said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1).

Jesus had been preparing the disciples for kingdom leadership upon His departure. When He spoke of the future, the twelve asked the Lord for specific details so they could be prepared for whatever might come. In Matthew 24-25 Jesus told His disciples that the end of the age would coincide with His return at the Father’s command (Matt 24:1-44). Jesus told the disciples that while they waited for Him to come back, they should work faithfully to advance the kingdom (Matt 24:45-25:30)—knowing that even the fate of nations rests on how they treat those who go about proclaiming the good news (Matt 25:31-46). Jesus employed phrases from Israel’s prophets in order to present future events and His reign on earth in light of the Old Testament.

(1) In Matt 24:15, Jesus cited Dan 9:27 to describe the destruction that would come upon Jerusalem. Daniel noted that when he read Jeremiah’s prophecy that the exile would last for seventy years (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10), he sought the Lord in prayer. As Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that the temple would be desecrated by a nation opposing God’s people (Dan 9:27). When the Romans laid siege against Jerusalem in A.D. 68-70, the city was left in ruins. The tribulation endured then prefigured the great tribulation that would come at the time of Jesus’ return (2 Thess 2:1-12; 2 Tim 3:1-5; 2 Peter 2; Rev 8-9). In Daniel 9, Gabriel emphasized God’s sovereignty over nations and kingdoms. Jesus encouraged the disciples by telling them that God limited the period of days that chaos was allowed to rule on earth so that the elect would be able to endure and be saved (Matt 24:22//Mark 13:20).

(2) In Matt 24:29, Jesus prophesied celestial cataclysm in language used also by Israel’s prophets when they described the final judgement. Isaiah prophesied against Babylon saying that on the Day of the Lord, the stars, sun, and moon would cease to shine (Isa 13:10). Joel announced that when the Day of the Lord arrived, the sun and moon would grow dark as a powerful people came forth to conquer nations (Joel 2:10). Jesus told the twelve that after the tribulation, the heavenly bodies would be altered in anticipation of the arrival of the Son of Man (Matt 24:29//Mark 13:24-25//Luke 21:25-26).

(3) In Matt 24:30, Jesus described His return in language reminiscent of Daniel’s description of the arrival of the Son of Man. In Daniel 7, the Lord revealed to Daniel the earthly kingdoms that would come in succession to rule Israel and the nations. The visions concluded with a description of the day when God would establish His kingdom over all peoples on earth. In the vision of God’s reign, Daniel “saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those from every people, nation, and language should serve Him” (Dan 7:13-14a). In Matt 24:30//Mark 13:26-27//Luke 21:27-28, Jesus announced His arrival in terms that the twelve would have understood from Daniel. Jesus thus described the coming of the end in autobiographical form. He promised that none of the elect would be lost because angels would be sent out with a loud trumpet to gather them, even from all parts of the earth, for the day of judgment and vindication (Rev 7; 11:15-19; 19:11-16; 20:11-15).

(4) In Matt 24:37, Jesus urged His disciples to be vigilant in watching for the day of His return lest they be distracted like those in Noah’s generation who perished. After Noah built the ark, the Lord told him to enter with his family and two of every kind of animal (Gen 7:1-10). When the flood came over the earth, all flesh perished (Gen 7:11-24). The destruction that came upon Noah’s generation served as a warning for the twelve lest they be distracted by food, drink, and family—the regular routines of life.

(5) In Matt 25:32, Jesus used language common to Ezek 34:17, 20 to describe the day He would return to judge the nations. In Ezekiel 34, the prophet confronted Israel’s leaders for feeding themselves and not the flock of God. Ezekiel announced that the Lord would shepherd His people and judge them. In Matt 25:32-33, Jesus expanded Ezekiel’s pattern of judgement, placing Himself as the judge not only of the sheep of Israel, but all nations. Jesus announced that He would judge the nations based upon how they responded to those whom He would send out with His kingdom message (Matt 25:33-46).

The Gospel writers recorded that Jesus gave special attention to training the twelve disciples as He made His way to Jerusalem. Jesus healed and taught many, but as he neared the cross, His interest was almost singularly upon those who would lead in the kingdom of God after His ascension. In Matthew 22-23, Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of God was not based upon Jewish identity. What was the result? Many of the Jewish leadership fiercely opposed Him. And Jesus replied in kind—by quoting Scripture.

(1) In Matt 22:23-33//Mark 12:18-27//Luke 20:27-38, the Sadducees and Jesus quoted Old Testament Scripture to establish their arguments about the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection and saw in Deut 25:5 a passage for testing Jesus’ belief in the afterlife. Moses commanded that if a man died and left his wife with no children, the man’s brother was to marry his brother’s wife and raise up children for her. Moses’ command was intended to keep the tribes of Israel populated and ensure that a widow would have posterity to support her in her later years. The Sadducees employed Deut 25:5 as a platform for their hypothetical scenario about marriage and the resurrection. If a wife was survived by seven husbands, in the resurrection, which of them would be recognized as her husband? Jesus replied that the Sadducees were mistaken because they assumed that the resurrection state would resemble the present state. To make His point, in Matt 22:32 Jesus quoted from Exod 3:6, where the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush and said, “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” In the resurrection, the state of life in God’s presence recasts relationships one experienced on earth.

(2) In Matt 22:34-40//Mark 12:28-33//Luke 10:25-28, Jesus quoted Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18 to answer the Pharisees question concerning the greatest commandment in the law. Moses set out the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5. He began Deuteronomy 6 by exhorting Israel to keep the commandments as an expression of love for God. “Love the LORD your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut 6:5), he said. And in Leviticus 19, Moses commanded Israel to reflect God’s holiness in how they went about daily life. For Moses, loving one’s neighbor as oneself expressed God’s perfection (Lev 19:18).

(3) In Matt 22:41-46//Mark 12:35-37//Luke 20:41-44, Jesus quoted Ps 110:1 to establish His lineage from and superiority over David. In Matt 22:42, Jesus asked the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He?” Now Jesus had more in mind than simply helping the Pharisees understand His family tree. David ruled Israel like none other; he conquered lands and established Israel as a player on the world scene. God put David’s enemies under David’s feet, as the psalmist said in Ps 110:1, “The LORD declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” In Jesus’ interpretation of the psalm, the great King David—second to none in the history of Israel—testified that Jesus was his “Lord.” Jesus prodded the Pharisees to recognize that One greater than David had arrived and was standing before them. Jesus’ use of Ps 110:1 established a frame for how the psalm would be interpreted in Acts 2:34-35, 1 Cor 15:25, Heb 1:13, and Heb 10:13.

(5) In Matt 23:39, Jesus quoted Ps 118:26 to prophesy of a future day when the people of Jerusalem would recognize Him as God’s Messiah. According to the Evangelists, the words the crowds proclaimed to Jesus as He entered Jerusalem were right from Ps 118:26 (Matt 21:9//Mark 11:9//Luke 19:38//John 12:13). The psalmist cried to God for deliverance and enjoyed the Lord’s favor. God’s power on the psalmist’s behalf led him to ask God to send a deliverer—of whom they would say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” (Ps 118:26). Jesus’ use of Ps 118:26 at the end of His lament over Jerusalem in Matt 23:39 established the expectation that at some point He would return to the desolate city of Jerusalem.

As Jesus headed south from Galilee to Judea, Jerusalem, and the cross, He taught His disciples that the kingdom of God was among them via His presence. Jesus wanted His followers and the crowds to understand how the Old Testament anticipated His arrival.

(1) In Matt 19:4-5, Jesus quoted from Genesis 1-2 to answer the Pharisees’ question about what would constitute grounds for divorce. By noting that God created male and female, and that what God had joined together, man should not separate (Matt 19:4-6), Jesus effectively censured the Pharisees’ quest for easy divorce. But the Pharisees maintained their position, citing Moses’ requirement in Deut 24:1-4 that a man give his spouse a divorce certificate if he wished to send her away (Matt 19:7//Mark 10:4). In the end, Jesus and His opponents differed in that the Pharisees understood Moses’ words to be a commandment while Jesus said that they were a statement of permission. Jesus proclaimed that Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of the people’s hearts (Matt 19:8//Mark 10:5). The Pharisees consistently viewed themselves as the authority of the kingdom, employing the Mosaic law for their own selfish ends (Matt 5:21-48; 23:1-36). Jesus would have none of it. Now that He had arrived, His interpretation was final and that meant a return to the creation ordinance of one man and one woman for life. Only sexual immorality constituted grounds of divorce (Matt 19:9).

(2) In Matt 19:18-19, Jesus quoted from the Ten Commandments and Lev 19:18 to answer the rich young ruler’s question about how he might gain eternal life. When Jesus blessed the children that were brought to Him (Matt 19:13-15//Mark 10:13-16//Luke 18:15-17), He established humility as virtue of discipleship. Jesus’ discussion with the rich ruler exemplified Jesus’ point. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus how he could gain eternal life (Matt 19:16-22//Mark 10:17-22//Luke 18:18-23) Jesus quoted the commandments that forbade murder, adultery, theft, and deceit, and then told the rich young ruler that he must also honor his parents (Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20) and love his neighbors as himself (Lev 19:18). When the rich young ruler said he had done all of these, Jesus added another: sell all of his possessions, give them to the poor, and then come and follow Jesus. Once the rich young ruler understood the demands of discipleship, he departed with grief because he was unwilling to part with his many possessions.

(3) In Matt 21:5, Matthew stated that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey fulfilled Zech 9:9. Zechariah described both the gentle character and demeanor of Israel’s Messiah, and the peace that He would bring upon Judah through military conquest (Zech 9:9-17). In Zech 9:9, the prophet proclaimed, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus entered the city on a colt, in accord with the words of the prophet (Matt 21:5//John 12:15).

(4) In Matt 21:9, Matthew wrote that the crowds shouted phrases from Ps 118:25-26 in praise of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. The psalmist wrote of God’s power to deliver him from his enemies who had rejected him. The psalmist asked God to send a deliverer to save His people, saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” (Ps 118:26). According to the Gospel writers, the crowds recognized Jesus as the deliverer God had sent to save them (Matt 21:9//Mark 11:9//Luke 19:38//John 12:13).

(5) In Matt 21:13, Jesus quoted Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11 to confront those buying and selling in the temple during the Passover celebration. In Isaiah 56, the prophet proclaimed that in the days of the Messiah, the Gentiles would align themselves with Israel and join the descendants of Jacob in the temple praying and seeking God. In Jeremiah 7, Jeremiah chastised the people of Judah for their idolatry. The people were robbers, Jeremiah said, so when they entered the temple, it became a den of thieves. Jesus overturned the money tables because the Passover commerce had impeded the celebrants from seeking God in His house (Matt 21:13//Mark 11:17//Luke 19:46).

(6) In Matt 21:16, Jesus quoted Ps 8:2 to justify those who praised Him in the temple complex, while the Jewish leadership looked on with disgust. The psalmist exalted the Lord’s majesty over all creation and recognized humankind as the chief over all the Lord had made—even to the degree that when infants gaggle they declare God’s praise. When the Jewish leadership told Jesus to make the children in the temple cease praising Him as the Son of David, Jesus cited Ps 8:2 to justify the children’s actions. Jesus argued that if a baby’s unintelligent speech brings glory to God, children volitionally praising Him should be allowed to have their voices heard. If Jesus were not God in the flesh, His actions would have been blasphemous.

(7) In Matt 21:42, Jesus quoted Ps 118:22-23 as a scriptural precedent for the Jews’ rejection of Him. As noted already of Ps 118:25-26 in Matt 21:9//Mark 11:9//Luke 19:38//John 12:13, the Evangelists saw connections between Psalm 118 and Jesus’ ministry. In Ps 118:22-23, the psalmist spoke of a stone being rejected by those more powerful, the builders. But when God delivered the needy, the rejected-one became the cornerstone of God’s work. Jesus concluded the Parable of the Vineyard Owner by quoting from Psalm 118 (Matt 21:33-46//Mark 12:1-12//Luke 20:9-19). Jesus saw in the reversal-of-fortunes theme of Ps 118:22-23 a picture of how the Jews had rejected Him with the result that God had rejected them.

As the Gospel narratives advance, each gives increasing attention to Jesus’ private ministry to His disciples. While Jesus never ignored the crowds and the needs of those around Him, the Evangelists frame the events in such a way as to reveal that as Jesus neared the cross, He was preparing His disciples to carry on the kingdom after His ascension. In Matthew 17-18, Matthew cataloged Jesus’ self-disclosure of glory and suffering, and how the disciples should relate with one another. Jesus urged the disciples to humble themselves just as He was humbling Himself on the way to the cross. Jesus defined the spiritually humble as those who properly esteem the Person and mission of Jesus Christ; those who do not think of the kingdom in fanciful terms or ethereal images; those who speak of Jesus’ suffering and glory in the same sentence; those who understand the privileges and demands of discipleship in a community; and those who view Jesus’ humility on the cross as the model of their humility with one another, their mutual forbearance and forgiveness in light of His.

The Old Testament figures and references cited in Matthew 17-18 underscore the glory of Jesus and His new community in God’s redemptive plan.

(1) At the Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-8//Mark 9:2-8//Luke 9:28-36), Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking with Jesus. In the account of the Transfiguration, two of Israel’s most noteworthy figures were seen in physical presence dialoguing with Jesus. Peter was awestruck and offered to build tabernacles for both Moses and Elijah, and Jesus. That was when the voice from heaven identified Jesus as God’s Son, the One in whom the Father delighted. The heavenly voice commanded Peter, James, and John to listen to Jesus. Though Moses predicted that God would raise up a prophet like him (Deut 18:15; see Acts 3:22-23; 7:37) and many thought that Jesus was Elijah come back to life (Matt 16:14//Mark 8:28//Luke 9:19), Jesus was supreme in comparison to Moses and Elijah.

(2) In Matt 18:16, Jesus commanded His disciples to follow Deut 19:15 so that they would have impartiality when offenses arose among them. At the conclusion of Deuteronomy 19, Moses commanded that Israel maintain justice in court cases by requiring multiple witnesses confirm if a charge was true. Moses’ instruction was intended to circumvent someone who would falsely accuse a member of the community. These witnesses were not only to make sure the offended person was not giving false testimony but also to help win back the offender. “If he [the offender] pays no attention to them [the witnesses accompanying the offended, in accord with Deut 19:15], tell the church,” Jesus said (Matt 18:17). Moses set forth the principle of multiple witnesses as part of the formal judicial procedures for Israel in Canaan. Jesus advanced Moses’ instruction for redemptive purposes in the normal course of church life.

The miracles and messages of Matthew 14-16 are framed on the one side by the beheading of John the Baptist and on the other by Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah. Herod’s execution of John the Baptist (Matt 14:1-13) demonstrated the dangers that might come upon those identified with the kingdom of God. While the threat of Herod was no small matter, Jesus gave most of His attention to His more religious opponents. Jesus employed the Old Testament to confront the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. They understood their historical situation in Israel to be the fulcrum of Scripture’s storyline. Jesus countered that His entrance into the world provided the only valid grid for understanding God’s work of redemption, and how the redeemed should live in God’s kingdom.

(1) In Matt 15:4, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and scribes for circumventing God’s commands that His people honor their parents. When a delegation of Pharisees came from Jerusalem to observe Jesus while He was ministering in Galilee, they became concerned that Jesus’ disciples had set aside the tradition to perform ceremonial washing before a meal. Jesus countered that the Jewish leadership had committed the greater error. While adhering to a tradition about washing, the Pharisees and scribes set aside the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16) and the commands against cursing a parent (Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9) by promising to give to the temple resources that should have gone to care for needy parents.

(2) In Matt 15:8-9, Jesus cited Isa 29:13 to confront the Jewish leadership’s hypocrisy. Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes that by elevating their tradition over God’s commands they had revoked God’s word altogether (Matt 15:6). Jesus saw in Isa 29:13, “These people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service—yet their hearts are far from Me,” a description of His opponents. Jesus went on to teach His followers that since murder, greed, lust, selfishness, and pride defile a person, disciples should be concerned more for the state of their hearts than with washing their hands (Matt 15:17-20//Mark 7:18-23).

(3) In Matt 16:4, Jesus cited Jonah’s experience in the whale as a sign of His forthcoming death and resurrection. In Matt 16:1, Matthew noted that the Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus, asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. Jesus confronted His opponents saying that an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but they would only receive the sign of Jonah (Matt 16:4). Jonah ran from God and the sailors on the ship headed for Tarshish threw Jonah into the sea in hopes of sparing their lives (Jon 1:14-16). The Lord sent a fish to rescue Jonah. That great fish spit Jonah onto the shore alive. Alive was what Jesus would be when He came from the tomb. The very sign Jesus’ opponents did not want was the only sign He would give them. Jesus’ opponents were dull to the reality that the Messiah was staring them in the face. Redemptive history had shifted. Faith in Jesus, not lineage in national Israel, was the only means of salvation—as Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God (Matt 16:16//Mark 8:29//Luke 9:20//John 6:69).

The Gospel writers portrayed Jesus as the center of attention in the midst of large crowds. Yet, Jesus’ attention—even when surrounded by thousands—was upon those nearest and most committed to Him. The events in Matthew 11-13 provide a panorama of how various groups within the crowds responded to Jesus’ ministry (chs. 11-12) and how Jesus reserved the truth of the kingdom for those who believed His message (ch. 13). Phrases from the Old Testament resound throughout these chapters.

(1) In Matt 11:10, Jesus quoted Mal 3:1 to affirm John as His forerunner—and by implication—His identity as the Messiah. While John heard that Jesus performed acts of messianic benevolence, in accord with expectations established in Isa 35:3-10 and 61:1-3, John was yet in Herod’s prison. When would Jesus come to his aid? So strong was John’s concern that from prison he even sent messengers to ask Jesus if He was in fact the Messiah—or if he and his disciples should expect another (Matt 11:2-6//Luke 7:18-23). Jesus retorted that John’s disciples should tell the Baptist all they observed: the blind regained sight, the lame walked, the diseased were healed, and the poor heard the good news of God’s kingdom. Jesus went on to praise John as second to none amongst humanity, reassuring John that though he was suffering in prison, the kingdom had indeed dawned. John was the messenger Malachi prophesied in Mal 3:1. Though Malachi’s audience enjoyed the privileges of life back in Judah after the exile, they lacked zeal for God. In Mal 2:17-3:6, the prophet called the people to repent and announced the Lord was sending His messenger to prepare God’s people for the day of judgment. By citing Mal 3:1 in Matt 11:10//Luke 7:27 to establish John as God’s forerunner, Jesus implicitly proclaimed that He was the Messiah and that the day of judgement was at hand.

(2) In Matt 12:7, Jesus quoted Hos 6:6 to justify His allowance for the disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath. Hosea prophesied before the Lord sent Israel and Judah into exile. The people thought they were safe, and Hosea had to convince them that their hypocrisy and idolatry placed them in danger before the Lord. Hosea told his hearers that the Lord wanted loyalty and faithfulness more than sacrifices offered at the temple; He wanted Israel and Judah to know Him more than He wanted to receive their burnt offerings (Hos 6:6). The Pharisees had been watching Jesus so when He did not rebuke His disciples for harvesting grain and partaking on the Sabbath, they were indignant (Matt 12:1-8//Mark 2:23-28//Luke 6:1-5). Jesus noted that the priests in the temple were exempt from interpretations of the Sabbath that forbade work for the sake of food preparation and consumption. Jesus proclaimed not only that His disciples were free from Sabbath strictures but that He was Lord of the Sabbath. A more shocking statement is hard to imagine.

(3) In Matt 12:18-21, Matthew said that Jesus’ healing ministry in Galilee fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of a Servant who would liberate the afflicted (Isa 42:1-4). Isaiah 40-66 rings of glorious hope for the redeemed people of God. Isaiah announced that God’s Servant would come with blessings and power even though He would suffer for the people (Isa 42:1-4; 49:1-7; 52:13-53:12). In the midst of debating with the Pharisees over His preeminence, Jesus continued to display messianic kindness to the lame and ill—prompting Matthew to record the fulfillment of Isa 42:1-4: “Here is My Servant whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom My soul delights; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations…He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick, until He has led justice to victory” (Matt 12:18, 20).

(4) In Matt 13:14-15 and 35, Jesus quoted from Isaiah and Psalms to explain why He taught in parables. Isaiah recorded his call experience in Isaiah 6. In the year that king Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord lofty and exalted, and heard the angelic host proclaim, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth” (Isa 6:3). The Lord informed Isaiah that He was sending the prophet to a hard-hearted people; though Isaiah preached, the people would not understand (Isa 6:9-10). Jesus knew what Isaiah experienced. In Matt 13:10, the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables and the Lord answered in Matt 13:14-15 by quoting Isa 6:9-10 (see also John 12:37-40). The point of the parables, Jesus said, was to ensure that those who had not been given understanding would continue to be dull and those who had been awakened, the disciples, would grasp the message of God’s kingdom. In the midst of Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13, Jesus quoted Ps 78:2 as an Old Testament follow-up to Isa 6:9-10. In Psalm 78, the psalmist recounted God’s redemptive works for Israel from the exodus to the reign of David. The psalmist introduced his survey of Israel’s history saying, “I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past—things we have heard and known, and that our fathers have passed down to us” (Ps 78:2-3). Jesus cited Ps 78:2 in Matt 13:35 to amplify the power of parables. Jesus’ method of teaching was both a filter and a funnel: parables ensured that the hard-hearted would not enter the kingdom and that the disciples would understand their place in salvation history and the kingdom of God. At the conclusion of Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13, Jesus asked His disciples, “Have you understood all these things?” (Matt 13:51). When they answered Jesus’ question affirmatively, Jesus emphasized for them again the reality of the storyline of Scripture, saying, “Every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old” (Matt 13:52). Jesus intended His disciples to go on teaching the fulfillment that had arrived in Him (Matt 5:17-19), the kingdom of God in all of its nearness (Matt 4:17).