Sermon Tone Analysis

Review

Matthew 13 gave us 7 (maybe 8) parables in which Jesus explains and encourages:

the disciples in the face of so much indifference and denial of the Gospel

the disciples that there would be some in the church who professed belief but didn’t truly.

That God Himself would sort them in the end

that the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus said was at hand, was a tiny thing at the moment, but would become the “tree” that all the nations would roost on

that the Kingdom of Heaven, as such a tiny thing, WOULD transform the world and feed all the nations

that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth giving everything we have on earth to get it

all kinds of people will be drawn to the Kingdom of Heaven, and it was God’s place to determine “who’s kept and who’s thrown back”

that beginning with the greater revelation Jesus gave to the disciples (and on to us who have all of scripture); we should be able to “paint the picture” of the meaning of the Old Testament, it leading to the New Testament, and the impact of the old and new covenants not just on the salvation of a person but on the impact and importance of the Gospel to all of the church, society, family, and individual

Nazareth

this was the synagogue Jesus had grown up in

by this point Joseph may have died; the people of His hometown don’t see Jesus as any more than “the carpenter’s son”

they know of Him and His family, and He’s sure not a miracle worker, let alone a man of God

57: offended in Him: “Familiarity breeds contempt”

58: did not (Mark says “could not”) this isn’t could not as in didn’t have the ability, but did not because of the lack of faith in Him as the messiah (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit would not allow the forgiveness of the Son to extend reconciliation to The Father)

Herod Antipas

Herod here is tetrarch (governor) of Jesus home province of Galilee; son of Herod the great

2: he had heard about the miracles and had a guilty conscience

3-11: “flashback” explains his guilty conscience

4: the marriage voiolated multiple Jewish laws (relatives Lev 18:16, Lev 20:21, also by means of two divorces)

4: “telling” likely not face to face, likely multiple times proclaimed in the public square and, in Herod’s mind, made John a political threat as well as a religious one

6-11: “conniving” of Herodias, the cowardice and pride of Herod.

Feeding the Crowd

13: “desert place apart” Jesus went into the wilderness to be alone with the disciples (Mark 6:30-31 (to rest awhile))

17: single loaf (like pita bread) would be a single meal for a person

17-21: There is a pattern in the OT of God taking what His people already had, and transforming or multiplying it)

19: looking up to heaven He is thanking the Father as provider

20: the people aren’t said to have noticed the miracle, it was for the disciples (Matt 16:9-10 “9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?” )

“took…blessed/gave thanks…broke…gave” we see the pattern of meal at Emmaus and a foretaste of the Last Supper which is a foreshadow of the messianic banquet (Matt 26:29 “29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” )

Walking on the Water

There are no natural explanations given in any of the Gospels.

24: midst of the sea; “Sea” of Galilee 13 miles long and 8 miles wide…middle was a long way from shore

25-27: 4th watch of the night is 3 hours preceding dawn; Jesus had spent the majority of the night in prayer

28-32: on one hand, seems like Jesus encourages?

Peter; on the other the failure could show us that Peter’s actions are not the model to be followed but caution against “testing” God (Matt 4:5-7 “5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” )

Peter clearly has a leading role of the 12, but not always a good model to follow

31: doubt here used only again in Matt 28:17 “17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

It’s not unbelief like Jesus hometown, more like a practical hesitation; his heart trusted, his head said this can’t be, his head won out

Many Healings

3 miles southwest of Capernaum; Jesus and His disciples were well known by now.

The faith of the woman with the issue of blood, is here shown in all who touched the hem of His garment