It had a custom-house, and a Roman garrison. ) The successive temptations were varied in form. [2.] It would come into existence through the fact of the Messiah assembling a society of other members of the kingdom (Wendt). When Earl Cairns was a boy of ten, he heard a sermon in Belfast. Our Lord never hurried. It is this second word which Christ used; which you can see is the fuller and larger word, including substantially the meaning of the first word too; taking in the being sorry for the wrong-doing and ashamed of it; coming to right views, beginning afresh, and trying to do better. People perform acts of worship for many different reasons. 2. Not in Luke. Would that Christians had Satan's patience in watching for souls! So long as his mind rested on his physical condition he could not but fed the terrible force of the temptation. Are there not possible instructions that would help young Christians in winning souls? It was he who carried out the judicial sentences of the elders. Treasure in the heart the blessed words of Holy Scripture. It is a fellowship in business relationships. Augustine, in his youth, often heard the call of Christ. Vers. Fie had a human soul to be tempted, as well as a human body to suffer hunger. This it will ever increasingly be. A verse in Galatians 5:16 : " This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." . The Lord's quotation had to do with Man's responsibility to God, Which is to the point. translated it into Aramaic, which was the vulgar tongue. ", "Then the devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and ministered unto him;", "The battle is very heavy, do not underrate it; your strength will be tried to its very last fibre and throb, but God will help you; your extremity shall be his opportunity", "My scales are kept in Heaven and my standards are set up in the sanctuary of the sky", "There is something about us: what is it? Paul the scholar, and Peter the fisherman; Philemon the wealthy, and Onesimus, the slave; yet all are one in Christ. 2. In the life of Jesus there is not a single example of a miracle worked for His own advantage. ", "Your Father has for forty days been unmindful of you; He has not given you food. They came at all cost. Matthew 8:7, Matthew 8:8), Sickness; disease, Revised Version; νόσον, laying stress on the pain and disorder. 2. anticipates Jesus' settlement at Capernaum in his desire to work in a fulfilment of one of his Messianic testimonia. "No man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him." 'Unlearned and ignorant men' (. 5) makes special mention, saying, in his exaggerated style, that human sight could not reach from the top of it to the bottom of the ravine on whose edge it stood. He turns out soul-winners of all those who follow Him in the way. Went throughout all (Matthew 4:23) Syria; Revised Version, went forth into; ἀπῆλθεν εἰς. In this and two later homilies the several temptations are to be more precisely treated. The words arose, and shined, shew, that they found it not of their own seeking, but God Himself appeared to them, they did not first run to the light; for men were in the greatest miseries before Christ’s coming; they did not walk but sate in darkness; which was a sign that they hoped for deliverance; for as not knowing what way they should go, shut in by darkness they sate down, having now no power to stand. Henceforth this region was destined to become the theatre of many a wonderful history. Christ a Light amid the shadows. To worship Satan. The other way will be taken by the mystical-minded, who cannot imprison their minds in forms, who are always seeking essences, spiritual realities, the things which gain varying embodiments for the apprehension of the human senses. That is not a way but a destruction, a downfall. Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. Matthew 16:21, where the phrase introduces the period of private instruction to the disciples. Christ's call is authoritative in its brevity. II. His words rather mean, "Thou knowest what was said, thou bast been gradually realizing that assurance of Sonship; use, then, that privilege which thou undoubtedly hast" (comp. Call to mind, for a moment, how in the extremity of hunger He would not use one fraction of the entrusted power for His own behoof. From the tempter's point of view Jesus was ambitious to be the Messiah, so he tempted him to adopt the most showy and most speedy way of fulfilling his ambitions. He has an organised kingdom of darkness which cannot be overthrown even by the Christ without a fearful struggle, in which the conqueror tastes the bitterness of death. Matthew 14:16. The claims of the flesh may urge us to do what we know is wrong. It was part of Peræa, and its inhabitants were mainly Greeks. To a nearer view it seems that the completion of the preparation makes it fitting that the full advent of the kingdom should be manifested. I. 3. In the light of what we read in John 1:38-42, we may regard the present passage as giving the account of the formal and final call of the four disciples named Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The Lord did not cater to this pride. Always, in all societies, in all business, at home and abroad, in prosperity and adversity, let it be seen that you are real Christians. 1. Teaching … preaching … healing. He promised all to the Lord if he would worship him. Saw great light. I. Whence the Master obtained His workers.—He goes to the lake of Galilee and finds them on the sea-shore—a most unlikely place, as some would judge. Contrast this with the thrice-denied Jesus (Luke 22:61), not then daunted, but with an intense love recalling Peter by a look. Matthew, emphasizing the official and regal character of Jesus, follows this procedure exactly. He could have named its fish, told out its secrets, forecast its future, as none other could have done. Wyc., dwelt. Though he had called out workers he did not cease himself to work. Therefore he was led by the Spirit to the wilderness. The temptation must be closely associated with the baptism. Isaiah 9:1-2. Are there not many rules of wise and successful approach to the unsaved? Get a position, anyhow. The force of the temptation lay on one side in the cravings of bodily appetite, and on the other side in this new sense of power. It also harmonises with the familiar experience that the devil often tempts men most severely by making them rich and great. The people in His hometown of Nazareth tried to kill Him, and He supernaturally passed through the crowd, and moved His residence to Capernaum (, ). Slide11 Jesus explained this in more detail to Paul in Acts 26:17,18 -, Death shadows - Scary shadows (But only shadows). For: 1. A man is not a body; all that is true is that he has a body. The Saturday/Sunday resurrection issue has been a focal point of debate in many circles because of the impact that it could have on the correct day of worship. We are spirits, and have bodies. Matthew 8. After the sermon on the mount he returns to what happened at Capernaum (. ] I. Heathenism fell, and Christianity took its place. 4. 1. In Galilee Christ immediately rises into popularity. But it is clear that the expression is satisfied by the fact that Zebulun was really near Capernaum, and that numbers of those who frequented the town must have come from Zebulun. e And He says to them, “You come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And they immediately left the nets, and followed Him (Matthew 4:20). This whole country had been overspread with spiritual darkness, but, by the example and preaching of Christ, the day-spring from on high visited it, diffusing among its inhabitants knowledge and holiness, and guiding their feet into the way of peace. Joppa, and Caesarea Stratonis, were independent political communities, which—at least, after the time of Pompey—were never internally blended into an organic unity with the Jewish region, but were at most externally united with it under the same ruler". They heard only what they wished to hear. All (Matthew 8:34, note). The fisherman may say he is not fit to be an apostle; but not he but Christ is the Judge of his fitness. 1. He is the truth. "Some understand this of the top or apex of the sanctuary ( τοῦ ναοῦ) [cf. 1 * a Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. These things are also signs. "Forsake all and follow Me. There it is in plain words: "We will come unto him." He gave them five, two, and one talent-bags of gold, according to the ability of each of them. then you’ll miss God’s reward. It is present.—An already existing reality, none the less real that it was unseen, undiscovered by the very men who professed to be looking for it (Luk ; Luk 17:20-21; Mat 20:1). The bare historic statements of these verses may be viewed as most significant omens of the genius and of the triple functions of Christianity. The devil who tempted Christ tempts us now. Two brethren, Simon … and Andrew his brother; the addition, "his brother," emphasizing the relationship. This may arise from different sources of information or from difference in plan. The punishment of the Jewish nation for rejecting the gospel should be sorer than either (see Isaiah 8:21,22) for those captivated places had some reviving in their bondage, and saw a great light again, Matthew 9:2. Spiritual resistance by the evil spirit to all good is a less-developed thought than his traducing God to man, and, after some success obtained, traducing man to God. Now follow them: where will they go, and what will they do? This instance of fact, with a hundred others, helps to corroborate our information as to the reality of Christ's humanity. He could not have gathered them as a moral Teacher. It was something deeper than clothes and faces and hands. All forms of disease were then thought of as irritations of evil and malicious spirits, and all healing was really "exorcism." The Spirit of God "carried" Him into the wilderness for the express purpose of His being tempted by the devil. A living voice, a message, an invitation and a claim—add these four together, and you have the call of Christ.—Jas. 3. This was the universal belief of the time, and our Lord, in using language which implies it, need not be regarded as teaching dogmatically that there is such a thing as possession. Hence it often implies a feeling of danger. In Luke the order of the second and third temptations is reversed. MEN'S AMBITIONS PROVING TEMPTATIONS. However, we know Him. IV. His gospel is for this world as well as for the next, for physical amelioration as well as for spiritual salvation. He was met by the strongest possible inducements to sin. The Spirit. ", "The devil showed Him innumerable multitudes of men whom he held in his dominion, and said unto Him, "I know that Thou art come to fight against me, and take my subjects from under my sway. What means may I legitimately use to convince the people? The devil, appealing to Jesus' consciousness of abiding communion with God (Psalms 91:1), bids him enjoy to the full the promise of God's protection. 3. "Teaching"-this was the new light; "preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom" - this was the new power, power not of the sword but of the Word, the power of persuasion, so that the people will yield themselves willingly or not at all, for there is to be not a shadow of constraint, not the smallest use of force or compulsion, not the slightest interference with human freedom in this new kingdom; and "healing,"-this is to be the great thing; this is what a sick world wants, this is what souls and bodies of men alike are crying out for-"healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." This miracle reminds us that Christ can easily give us more than all self-seeking toil of our own can achieve. ", "A holy man continueth in wisdom as the sun, but a fool is changed as the moon. The district S. of this, E. of the Jordan, was called Peræa, and was the scene of the last stages of our Lord's ministry (. ] Its action. He saw what was told to John the beloved disciple long after the two had gone their way. 1. His first effort in this direction was to form a little group of recognized and confessed disciples who should help him in his great work. 3. To what kind of men will Jesus commit the exceptionally arduous enterprise of establishing his own kingdom as supreme over all? Wading out and throwing net. In the very same way the ear of the soul can be trained to hear the voice of God amid earth's stunning noises.—Jas. The clear, calm decision of the Saviour's holy soul, the resolute will, sorely tried and harassed, but ever steadfast and unflinching in the path of duty, had defeated the tempter at all points. 2. "—At first it may seem a hard requirement; but if we really think it so, it is from not attending sufficiently to the entire narrative. Now we see two great classes of dark souls. ", "Lo! Repent! His greatness was theirs; His honor was theirs. Or suppose that, instead of having a picture of it now, with all the light that eighteen centuries have shed upon it, we could transport ourselves back to the very time and stand there on the very spot and see the scene with our own eyes; and suppose that we were told by some bystander, That man of the five that looks like the leader of the rest thinks himself a king: he imagines he has been sent to set up a kingdom of Heaven upon the earth; and he has just asked these other four to join him, and there they are, setting out upon their task. 3. He would do no miracle at the bidding of the tempter or to satisfy the curiosity of Herod; now among scenes of suffering he was prodigal of his miraculous energy. Here, for example, [Matthew 4:12] it is put thus: "Now when He heard that John was delivered up, He withdrew into Galilee." We will let those who refuse to go with Him do that. Every man on earth is qualifying or disqualifying himself for other and higher work. There was the ever-increasing fame that came to the Lord. In this condition of hopeless spiritual darkness of death, were these Galileans when the Messianic light, Jesus, the Redeemer, sprung up upon them. Should this be degraded to selfish ends? Matthew 4:18, note); in Matthew only. Isaiah prophesies that the northern parts of Israel which have suffered most from the incursions of the Syrians and the Assyrians (. ) HIS GOSPEL CAME IN WORD. In the time of Christ there was a synagogue not only in every town, but in every village large enough to afford a congregation of ten adult men. But man is a spirit, an immortal spirit, dwelling in and using the animated body. Who was He? He knew better than we do the inability of men concerning all that is good, yet he bade them repent. 1. Body and life we have in common with the animals; and we share with them all the common experiences and needs. The gospel is here called "a great light."—. I. The Jews make a great many objections against the application of this text unto Christ, as indeed they do against the application of all texts cited out of the Old Testament by the evangelists. God caring for us, God working for us, is for them the fact; angel-charge is for them the appearance. II. It seemed as if the whole world was going after him, as if all Palestine would submit to his authority. 2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 1. He wanted men who were inured to hardship and seasoned for service. The Apostle John then was requested to put into writing what the preceding Evangelists had left out before the imprisonment of John; hence he says in his Gospel, this beginning of miracles did Jesus. Zabulon is interpreted, ‘the abode of strength;’ because the Apostles, who were chosen from Judæa, were strong. With the permission of the president, any one who was fitted might deliver addresses" (Meyer). (b) The kingdom of grace. THE CALL. How completely He became identified with Galilee from Luk 23:6-7; Joh 7:41; Joh 7:52. The same promise is, as it seems, related in Luke 5:10, where notice: And they straightway left their nets. That the reading of A was derived from the evangelist is unlikely, for the reading σκιᾷ must, at all events, have been before his time. We have now considered a few of those sacred privileges which belong to saints who know God and fellowship with Him. DID our Lord’s ministry begin in Galilee? But this is not the only way in which temptations arise, or the first man could not have been tempted, nor could Christ. When they set men on unworthy schemes. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." But you don't know the meaning of these signs. With Christ it meant the rejection of all worldly success and the deliberate choice of the way of the cross. If there had been in Him any inclination to succumb to temptation, then in such circumstances this would have been manifested. They are strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man, that they may be able to bear themselves manfully in the dread conflict, and to win the victory through his assisting grace. The suggestion of the way in which every calling in life is intended by God to prepare a man for something higher than itself is manifestly here in these words, "Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 16:4 “ A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away”. His singular mercy.—Just where the "darkness" was greatest—just where there were most souls in need of Him—just where that need was the greatest—did He carry His "light." Probably by the time of the LXX. Simon, Andrew, and John had already been disciples for some time, and so probably had James: see, . Perhaps it may seem rather remarkable that Jesus should put away and promptly reject the temptation by a mere quotation, and one found in such a comparatively humble connection. 1. And Jesus, walking. 4. John had come saying, "Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Yes, we too saw fishermen casting their nets, and others washing them, and putting them on the shore to dry. They were there when Christ rebuked the waves of Galilee and there was a great calm. Observe the sentence omitted in the quotation. For example, Benjamin Bacon says, "The first of Mt"s five Discourses is framed to meet the needs of the neophyte, who must be instructed in what is designated by Paul ‘the law of Christ,' by Jas. Just a moment's thought will suffice to convince any believer that he, and all other saints, are called to fish for men. Think of the church of today. THE SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST AS A SAVIOUR. How often it may be truly said, "While I was tarrying here and there, He was gone." It cannot be answered. This positive truth which it offers is of the moral distinctly, and therefore of the really and the for ever abiding. They did not, however, while Jesus remained in Capernaum, entirely leave their trade, but waited for a final summons. (21-23) The necessity of self-denial. The one, whose name was Pleasure, offered him a flowery path and every enjoyment; the other, whose name was Duty or Virtue, called him to a noble and unselfish life. But the miracle encouraged them to believe he could make them fishers of men. It should be obvious by your actions that you belong to Christ. Our Lord used a figure which was quite familiar to them, and would be very suggestive. CHAPTER 10. Their idea, then, seems to be that the Judean ministry of Christ belonged rather to the closing months of John’s career; and that only after John’s mission, the sphere of which had been mainly in the South, had closed, could the special work of Christ be regarded as having begun. Some said "No" to Him outright, bluntly and without phrases. (c) The passage through the kingdom of grace into the kingdom of glory. But He proved it by refusing the temptation completely, again quoting Scripture. This announcement purported to describe in brief the more light, the purer light of knowledge now coming to earth; the clearer and the much more catholic revealing of the Father and his love to men, now to dawn on earth; and the more spiritual and inner methods by which justice, holiness, goodness, were to become the familiar study and search and possessions of humanity. The darkest days of the Church have been those when it has been lightly esteemed. Rather it should be allowed to shine out. Thus, only nine. The belief in demonic possession, though probably erroneous, was so near the truth, that for most purposes of practical religion it might be regarded as true. Christ was assailed by the same temptations, but overcame them: by gluttony, when the devil said, "Turn these stones into bread;" by vain glory, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down;" by covetousness of magnificence, when he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. If any man will do this part of his will, he shall know more of his doctrine, John 7:17. Get thee hence, Satan. The Galileans were more tolerant, less conservative, and less under the power of the priests and Pharisees than the Judæans. Saw great light; saw a great light (Revised Version); unnecessarily except as a matter of English, for it can hardly mean a definite light, Messiah. II. There is no wound of conscience that He cannot cure. Was led up . They could read the signs of the sky. He stopped His public ministry in Judea because the Jewish leaders sought to kill Him (, ). Jesus tempted in the wilderness appears Very different from the Christ seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. If so, why did He not Himself set the example of "beginning at Jerusalem?" Now it comes. It was not to be so; sunshine would give place to darkness, favour to persecution. All the kingdoms of the world ( τοῦ κόσμου; but Luke, τῆς ρἰκουμένηςs, i.e. "He shall give his angels charge over thee," said the psalmist, "to keep thee in all thy ways." He tells Satan that obedience to God is better than bread; that if either is to be given up there cannot be a doubt, there can hardly be a difficulty, about the decision Simply as men, we all, the poorest and the greatest of us all together, need the life of obedience, and any sacrifice of the flesh is cheap that wins it for us" (Brooks). He knows the sort of men that He wants; He knows the material out of which He can make fishers of men, and it is that prompts Him. I ask You not to contend with me. II. The universal is to be an everlasting kingdom.—To endure throughout all generations.—A. Command that; εἰπὸν ἵνα (cf. The very fact that Christ was subject to temptation is immensely significant, both as regards his nature and life and as regards our experience of temptation. Now the Passover is at hand. There are four plate-glass sides to it, the Gospels; and inside there is one intense glow of light, and from that light there is a radiancy flashing all over the world. (2) It was our Lord's method not rashly or unnecessarily to interfere with the settled beliefs of His time, or to anticipate the discoveries of modern science. Providence wisely ordered it, that John should be eclipsed before Christ shone forth otherwise the minds of people would have been distracted between the two one would have said, I am of John, and another, I am of Jesus. The only important objection to this is that directly after the temptation (as seems most probable) he comes to John in "Bethany beyond Jordan," John 1:28 (not necessarily to be identified with "Bethabara" of the Received Text; its locality is quite unknown). If social arrangements mean anything in religion, these classes should be the first to claim the gospel as their own. seen to be God's message for humanity when it gains repetition from the lips of the Lord Jesus. III. V. IT GETS ITSELF ITS ANSWER, POSITIVE AND SWIFT. Point this same thought by speaking of the deeper meaning of the promise. The Lord was absorbed in high thoughts and spiritual communion with the Father; this lifted him up for a time above the ordinary needs of humanity. The Spirit indwelling makes real to us the indwelling of the Father and the Son; for He makes of the things which are Theirs and shows them unto us. Matthew 4:5, note). It gave its name to the larger (NT) Galilee. The Sun of Righteousness has risen with healing in His wings. the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”. Those recorded are but a small proportion of those done. Illustrate by the hungry man who is tempted to steal. IT BEGS THE VANTAGE-GROUND, THE ENHANCING CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE IMPRESSION, LENT BY ACTUAL SIGHT. Jesus is the difference between light & darkness, between life & death (2). In the teaching of Jesus in the region described by the prophet there was a remarkable fulfillment of the prediction. Edger, B.A. To accomplish this great object they were to cast their net and to angle. The Meaning of this generation in Matthew 24:34-35 Jessie Sunday D. Delfin “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Jesus here appears as the second Adam, victorious in the conflict in which the first Adam failed. We think not. His freedom from sin would have been no example to us if the danger and discomfort of resisting sin and living righteously were only in appearance. It was declaratory. What it is in certain accidents of it. This is one of the most solemnly suggestive words in all human language. True succession never destroys individuality. His brotherly sympathy. He was tempted at other times (. Yes, all His renown, all His glory, all His riches, will be ours and ours forevermore. How feeble, how incongruous a testimony! People of Jesus’s day knew that a red sky at night meant the weather would delight; but a red sky in the morning was a stormy weather warning. It contains also their oath of allegiance, by which they oblige themselves to observe his statutes and seek his honour" (Henry). The consolation comes in the form of a greater light, φῶς μέγα, great, even the greatest. His message is. The reason this phrase is unique to the Gospel of Matthew is because the primary theme of this Gospel is the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures, which states that Jesus Christ is the coming Messiah, who will reign as King of the Jews. And when he had fasted … he was afterwards an hungred. 2. In the previous verses Jesus returned to Galilee after hearing of the arrest of John the Baptist and then left Nazareth for Capernaum. Contrast the words of the seraphim, "The whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). He also said, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the Kingdom of God." 2. An unobtrusive beginning.—We have just seen Jesus of Nazareth as a conqueror (Mat ). In this passage, Matthew quotes a prophecy from Isaiah 9:1-2ff in which Isaiah foretells a coming king whose name will be, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, [and] Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Each day has enough trouble of its own.”. It is the typical, the grandest interference with the individual's love, nature's instinct, habit's easy and determined leaning, and the universal world's pronounced preference, manifested all unequivocally in favour of the doctrine of laissez-faire. Christ put a great respect upon John's ministry, when he preached to the same purport that John had preached before him. 1.They are sitting in darkness; i.e. Thus, we establish a parallel with the giving of the Law in Exodus and the first discourse in that they both serve to indoctrinate the children of God. It is situated between Zabulon and Naphtali, i. e. common to Jews and Gentiles. There are foes for men in their freedom, as there are for the fishes. At each stage they "might have had opportunity to have returned." Finally as a place of residence. Repent—then there is a work which men must do themselves. If others came, it was only because they lived ἐν τῷ λαῷ. These elements of character are all needed in fishers of men. THE UNIQUE NOVELTY ONCE OF THIS SHORT, SHARP SUMMONS FROM THE SPEAKER'S STANDPOINT. Mat . Some place the second Passover (John 5:1) before this section, which they record as the beginning of the second year of our Lord’s ministry (see Introd.