Knowing Real Family

Israel: What do we make of war in Israel?

Recap

Chapter 12 has been quite a ride. From the beginning the Pharisees have been all over Jesus’ case, challenging him, attempting to discredit him, and even accusing him of being in league with the Devil. Jesus made it very clear that them that he is the Messiah and they are going to have to choose whether they are either with him or against him.

He can of course read them like a book. He sees the fruit on their trees and knows them for what their hearts really are. At the end of this chapter is Jesus leaves the Pharisees and everyone else, including his own family realizing who He is or claimed to be, as well as identifying who real family is.

Jesus starts with a promised sign, but not the sign that the Pharisees were expecting or asking for.

A Sign

Matthew 12:38 ESV

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

If they were truly attempting to confirm that Jesus wasn’t a false prophet or false Messiah, all they needed to do was look at Deuteronomy 18.

Deuteronomy 18:20–22 ESV

20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

Jesus’ reply called them out once again for who they really were. A brood of vipers, hypocrites. This time he uses some new descriptors.

Matthew 12:39–40 ESV

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

He’s not saying that it’s wrong to test the validity of a person claiming to be God, but he saw through their vailed pleasantries and saw their true heart. He had already spent a great deal of time proving His validity.

Stew Webber; Commentary

Miracles were part of his proclamation, never a performance.

What they were communicating to Jesus was that they had hardened their hearts toward him and had no intention of accepting or even entertaining who he really was.

Encouragement - a peak into the “rest of the story”, into the reference to Jonah. Here’s the thing:

Stew Webber: Commentary

Jesus refused their request for a sign. However, he did promise the ultimate miracle one day in their future. Quoting Jonah 1:17, Jesus paralleled Jonah’s three days in the belly of a huge fish with his own three days in the heart of the earth (the tomb). The miracle Jesus referred to was not his burial, but the fact that there would be an end to the period of the burial. It was only three days! He is talking about the miracle of the resurrection (28:1–10), pictured in the miracle of Jonah’s escape from the stomach of the “great fish” (Jon. 2:10).

In the Jewish culture, a part of a day was considered to be a whole day. And it was a common Jewish idiom to refer to even a part of a day as “a day and night.” So three days and three nights might refer to as much as 72 hours, or as little as 26 hours. This explains why Jesus could be said to be in the tomb “three days and three nights,” when he was buried late Friday and arose early Sunday.

Again, Jesus used the veiled messianic title “Son of Man”, so that those with “ears to hear” would understand he was speaking of himself. By the same token, the hardened heart would be confused by this title.

Matthew 12:41–42 ESV

41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Once again, Jesus calls out greater judgement on those who have seen the light but didn’t recognize him as the light. For those who hear the full gospel and have the true messiah revealed, there is higher accountability.

John 1:9–11 ESV

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Jonah 3:10 ESV

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

1 Kings 10:9 ESV

9 Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”

Something greater is standing before their very eyes.

John 10:22–33 ESV

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

A Warning

Matthew 12:43–45 ESV

43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

There is no doubt that part of the reason that Jesus is using this analogy is to communicate real truth about how demon possession works. In a life plagued by demon possession one might feel the relief of having a demon cast out of them. I’m sure the blind and mute man who had just experienced it may have still been close by and needed to hear what Jesus was saying. He’s ultimately saying, you were once possessed by my enemy, your enemy too, and now he’s gone, so you should get right with me so that you will be indwelt. Otherwise it will be worse for you if you simply get rid of the tormentor and simply clean up your life morally. You must choose me so that my spirit will dwell in you and allow you to avoid re-possession.

What I conclude was really happening in the context of Matthew’s writing, aka in the power of the spirit, is that Jesus is warning the Pharisee’s that they may get their life cleaned up and swept clean, all neat and tidy, but if they don’t accept Jesus as the messiah and follow him as their savior, they will only leave themselves open to a worse ending. Worse off than the first situation.

Religious Practice vs. Saved by Jesus/Holy Spirit

“The devil has no objection to his house being swept and garnished; for a moralist may be as truly his slave as the man of debauched habits. So long as the heart is not occupied by his great foe, and he can use the man for his own purposes, the adversary of souls will let him reform as much as he pleases.” (Spurgeon)

A Family That Supersedes

Matthew 12:46–50 ESV

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

This part of scripture lacks a little bit of context according to some. Some theologians will argue that his family was seeking to spare Jesus some embarrassment and pull him away from the situation with the Pharisees. It kind of makes sense. I mean, his own brothers didn’t even believe that he was the messiah until after he was raised from the dead.

Regardless of what might have been going on, when context is lacking, it’s honestly better to skip the assumptions.

One thing some of you may notice, especially if you’re looking at a translation other than ESV. There is no verse 47 on the screen. In order to squelch any conspiracy theories that modern day translators are removing verses from the bible, the ESV simply used the earliest manuscripts for their translation. Later manuscripts noted that the words in verse 47 of many other translations was added to later manuscripts. Verse 47 basically restates what was happening in verse 46. It changes nothing.

What Jesus is trying to communicate here was that regardless of blood ties to a biological family, his true family were those who were “with Him” in doing the will of MY FATHER! Those who are part of the gathering. Those were the members of His family that supersedes blood family.

Matthew 10:37–39 ESV

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Jesus main thing would always remain his main thing. Doing the will of His Father. Once again, demonstrating for us the example we are to follow!

John 15:9–12 ESV

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

This is what was missing from the lives of the Pharisees. This is, if we aren’t careful, will be missing from our own lives. Living for Jesus is SO MUCH MORE than cleaning up our lives to be better moral people. Our lives, our goal, is to be abiding in the Love of the Father, and we do that by obeying Him. By loving others as he has loved us!

What would our world be like if Jesus church, the called out ones of God, actually stepped out and followed that command? It would change the world! It would offer real hope, not religion. It would display Christ’s love for this fallen world and extend the ministry of reconciliation to everyone so that those who would receive it would be saved.

Lets pray!