Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Lord willing, I would like to return today to our study in the Gospel According to Matthew.

If you would please turn there to chapter 4, verse 12.

Previously we looked at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.

He has now returned from that, and Matthew’s Gospel account goes straight into the King of kings, the Son of David, preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven

I pray that as we examine this passage the Lord would make things very clear for us, as we will be moving around the various Gospel accounts to seek out a greater understanding of the things contained therein.

Verse 12

Let’s go back and start with verse 12,

There are some disagreements among students of the Scriptures concerning the exact timing of verse 12 in relationship to the previous account of the temptation of Jesus in verses 1-11.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke write in such a way as to lead some to believe that verse 12 follows immediately in time, the wilderness temptation.

However, the Gospel according to John gives us a number of events that took place before verse 12, where Matthew picks up.

you don’t have to turn these verses I’m about to reference

The first appearance of Jesus after his temptation was in John 1:29-34.

There John the Baptist, after declaring that Jesus is the Lamb of God, gives testimony to the baptism that formerly took place.

The next day, John the Baptist again declares Jesus to be the Lamb of God.

Also, that day, John (the Apostle) and Andrew follow Jesus, and Andrew brings Peter to Jesus.

The day after that, Jesus calls Phillip, who then brings Nathanael.

John chapter 2, verse 1, starts out saying, “And the third day”, this is the third day after John the Baptist introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God.

John chapter 2 gives the account of Jesus and his disciples at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, where Mary the mother of Jesus was present.

Not all 12 of the apostles where there yet, but only those that have been called up to that point— Lord willing we will take a look at them in coming sermons.

It was there, at that wedding, Jesus performed his first recorded miracle, turning the water into wine.

During that feast, when Mary desired Jesus to do something about the feast running out of wine, Jesus said to her that his “hour is not yet come” (vs 4).

This hour refers to his public ministry of preaching and miracles- the preaching of the Kingdom that will be proclaimed to all people.

After the wedding Jesus went up to Jerusalem, for the Passover (John.

2:12-25).

John chapter 3:1-21 records the meeting with Nicodemus.

John 3:22–24 (AV)

After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

For John was not yet cast into prison.

John chapter 4 records Jesus going into Samaria, where he met with the Samaritan woman at the well.

After that he returned into Galilee and preached there.

Matthew, having had his residence in Galilee, begins his account of Christ’s public ministry with his preaching there.

This may be one of the reasons why the details that the Apostle John includes, are not included here.

Matthew was from Capernaum, which was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

He was called as a disciple during the Galilean ministry of Jesus.

Matthew in writing chapters 1-4, gives an account of things that he was not an eyewitness to--- those things were purely by divine revelation.

The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew with knowledge beyond his eye witness.

Much of what is contained in this Gospel is from the Evangelist’s first hand accounts, and recorded by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Another reason the details provided in the Gospel according to John not being included here by Matthew may be that the aim of the Evangelist was to focus upon the Davidic, Kingly, lineage of Jesus, and the preaching of the Kingdom.

From Matthew chapter 1, verse 1 , to Matthew chapter 4, verse 16, there is a great deal of revelation concerning Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and prophecy concerning the Messiah-- the one who would sit upon the throne of David forevermore.

In maintaining his focus upon the Kingship of Christ and his Kingdom, Matthew was led to record the events of the life of Jesus so that they reflected his Messianic fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament, things that were important for the original audience of this Gospel account, who were Christians with a Jewish heritage.

During the period of time not covered by Matthew there is a transition taking place.

Turn to John chapter 3, verse 25,

John 3:25–31 (AV)

Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

From the Baptism of Jesus till John’s arrest is the period of John decreasing and Jesus increasing.

During that time Jesus grows in popularity, gaining more followers, and teaching with greater intensity.

The message that comes from Jesus is an higher message, a greater message than what has been preached thus far.

John’s arrest is recorded by Matthew, after the death of John had already occured.

This is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, who was Tetrarch over Galilee and Peraea.

A little background here on him.

If you recall from our study on the timing of the birth of Jesus, Herod the Great died in 4 BC, shortly after the birth of Jesus.

Herod had a will done at one point that named Herod Antipas as the sole heir to his kingdom.

However, Herod the Great changed his will before he died and decided to divide his kingdom between three of his sons (Archelaus, Philip, and Antipas) and his sister (Salome).

Of course, that angered Antipas.

He fought the will, but lost-- the last will was to be upheld with the divisions.

According to the The Lexham Bible Dictionary,

“Antipas ruled as tetrarch for 43 years.

An astute politician, he was more temperate than either Herod the Great or Archelaus, though he was often indecisive.

His rule was peaceful, and like many other Herodian rulers, Antipas became known as a builder (Hoehner, Herod Antipas, 264–65).”

Frank Dicken, “Herod Antipas,” ed.

John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Herod Antipas would eventually loose his rule and power-- which is attributed to his great sin of marrying his brother’s wife.

His first wife was the daughter of Aretas, the King of Arabia.

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote,

About this time Aretas (the king of Arabia Petrea) and Herod had a quarrel, on the account following: Herod the tetrarch had married the daughter of Aretas, and had lived with her a great while; but when he was once at Rome, he lodged with Herod,a who was his brother indeed, but not by the same mother; for this Herod was the son of the high priest Simon’s daughter.

(110) However, he fell in love with Herodias, this last Herod’s wife, who was the daughter of Aristobulus their brother, and the sister of Agrippa the Great.

This man ventured to talk to her about a marriage between them; which address when she admitted, an agreement was made for her to change her habitation, and come to him as soon as he should return from Rome; one article of this marriage also was this, that he should divorce Aretas’s daughter.

Antipas and Herodias both divorced their spouses and then married each other.

As you can imagine, the relationship between Aretas (the father of the scorned wife) and Antipas took a turn for the worse.

Josephus tells of the escalation between the two which eventually led to war-- where Antipas was defeated.

The cause of the major loss, according to Josephus, the Jewish historian, was due to Herod Antipas’ persecution of John the Baptist.

He writes,

2. (116) Now, some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod’s army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist; (117) for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness.

(118) Now, when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it should be too late.

(119) Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod’s suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death.

Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God’s displeasure against him.

Josephus lived from 37-100 AD.

He is a renowned Jewish historian, and even though he did not live through this time period, he recorded what was well known among the Jews.

His description of John the Baptist is, I think, fairly accurate according to the Word of God.

He did not have a correct understanding of John’s message, but he recorded a few things right about what John was preaching.

He said John preached righteousness, piety, repentance, conversion, and regeneration.

It is also recorded that John practised Baptism, and I like that Josephus says, “… supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness.”

John was not preaching a political message, according to Matthew chapter 3, he was preaching repentance and proclaiming truths about the Kingdom of heaven.

These were spiritual things, but to the heathen these things are a threat against their wicked rule.

It is certainly a threat to the lost when someone is calling out their sin— which John was not shy about.

It was recorded that Herod was worried about the massive following of John, fearing a rebellion.

I’m sure also annoyed at repeatedly having his sin exposed and being called to repent.

And just like his father, Herod the Great, Antipas decided to murder to protect his rule and power— and silence his enemies.

In Matthew chapter 2, Herod the Great had children under two years of age murdered, in hopes of killing the true King of the Jews.

But Providence, by way of an angel, directed Joseph, the supposed father of Jesus, to flee to Egypt.

Again, after that, an angel directed Joseph to take Jesus to Galilee to turn away from Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great and brother to Antipas.

Archelaus followed after his father, he was a brutal tyrant who eventually lost his rule due to his tyranny and, I believe the sin of taking his brothers wife (just like Antipas did).

Jesus leaves the area of Galilee where Herod Antipas ruled, and went to upper Galilee, a region that was known as the Galilee of the Gentiles.