#1211 Matthew 3 Part 2 Brood Of Vipers

 

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3: 7-17 ESV

Matthew 3: 7-12

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees - What is a Pharisee? In English it has become slang for hypocrite, and many were that, but it is a term that also defines a sect of the Jewish, religious elite. They were separatists, who believed that a man could be made righteous by works, through the law. For them, ritual and tradition were very important, much like the Roman Catholic church today, who put their traditions above God's word. Some will try to argue, "on par with God's word", but when the two things are saying distinctly different things, and you choose the way of your tradition, you are putting that above God's word. Pharisees believed the OT writings to be from God, and they believed in the existence of the spiritual, in angels, and the resurrection, but they struggled in discerning the Spirit and the Letter, siding with long standing traditions that were either additions to the law, or subtractions from it's real meaning.   

…23Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.… Matthew 23: 23-25

…8You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” 9 He went on to say, “ You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition. 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’…

…11But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”… Mark 7: 8-13

Even when Jesus appeals to God's original intent and design, they reject it in favor of their tradition and want.

…7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart; but it was not this way from the beginning. 9Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.”… Matthew 19: 7-9

What is a Sadducee? Well, when I was little we remembered it by saying, "they don't believe in the resurrection, so that is why they are sad you see." This is true, they were more materialist, liberals, not believing in the existence of angels or in the resurrection. They blended easily into Greek and Roman culture, denying much of the OT, like many so called evangelicals today, who say Genesis is poetry, and have to check with the current culture to find out what they believe. They were "moral" people in their own minds, politically correct "intellectuals". 

Spurgeon - It was strange to see the proud Separatists and the sceptical Moralists come to be baptized; and therefore, as a test, John addressed them with scorching words. He saw that they were serpentine in their motives and viperish in their tempers, and so he calls them “Progeny of vipers”: thus would he see whether they were sincere or not. He asks who suggested to them to flee from that wrath of which he was the forerunner, according to the closing words of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:5-6+). This enquiry was not complimentary; but it is no business of the Lord’s servants to make themselves pleasing: they must be faithful, and especially so to the great and learned. Thus faithful was John the Baptist, and he was honoured for it by him that sent him.

D A Carson - “Many Pharisees and Sadducees may have come for baptism with the ostentation that characterized their other religious activities … they were showing the world how ready they were for Messiah, though they had not truly repented.” (EBC) - Precept Austin

Spurgeon brings up a good point, why are these, with such opposing views, coming here together? This will show you how narrow a place it is, to stand for the Author's intent. We have an ecumenical movement here, as well as in every day, where those that stand on the authority of Scripture, who see God's word with His name, as He has said it is, they are the common enemy of all else. The ecumenical movement will cry of politeness, will say it's not right to focus upon our differences, even when they are about salvation itself, or the supremacy of Scripture, it's authority in doctrine. These two groups could come together and yet still be wrong, both the Pharisees and the Sadducees will find a common enemy in the gospel preaching of repentance. That same leaven has worked it's way into many so called churches today. I have seen many lay aside the truth in the name of unity, so that unity becomes the tradition that takes the place of Scriptural authority. When I was young I went to churches where feeling and emotions overrode the discipline of study and sound teaching, and differing opinions were all thrown out there, but went unchallenged in the name of unity and politeness. The litmus test of Scripture has been replaced with that of culture, and with suggesting that my feelings, desires and "good intentions", are equal to, but actually greater when they disagree, than sound doctrine. We no longer care who god is, but do you believe in a god, or a higher power, anything? If you do, and your belief is sincere, then the ecumenical movement will embrace you. Who is Jesus? If you acknowledge the guy in sandals, who said some cool things, and if you accept any one of the cool things he said, then you're in. I have talked to many in the watered down church today who don't believe in the deity of Christ, or don't see it as an issue that another group's definition of who Jesus is, is based on extrabiblical tradition, passed down by false teachers, like Joseph Smith, Muhammad, Charles Russel, or any of the Roman Catholic popes. As long as you use the name Jesus then you're in, or as long as we have a common enemy, then you're in. Many groups have come together in the name of conservativism or liberalism, and voting the same has taken priority over what the Bible says. Yet, the Scriptures warn us of false gospels, false Christs and Jesus did not shy away from making the most exclusive statements in all of Scripture. 

5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”… John 14: 5-7

…21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’… Matthew 7: 21-23

You brood of vipers - That's not very nice, and especially to the Pharisees, who believe the OT, that would be like relating them to the devil, who would say something so inappropriate?

…43Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!… John 8: 43-45

The viper is like the leaven as well, it only takes a small puncture to deliver it's venom, and it only takes a small amount of this venom to cause incredible amounts of damage, just like the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, a little of their leaven infiltrates the whole lump of dough.  

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come - They knew of the teachings about the Day of the Lord, but in their self righteous opinions, they would not see themselves as needing to have any trepidation about such matters.

From the wrath to come - There is another touch of sarcasm, for most the Jews believed in the wrath to come but they falsely believed it was reserved for the pagan, heathen Gentiles! They needed to look in the mirror! Paul described that in contrast to most of the Jews, many of these despised Gentiles had "turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God (PICTURE OF REPENTANCE), and to wait for His Son from heaven (PICTURE OF BRINGING FORTH FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE), Whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, Who rescues (rhuomai = RESCUE FROM DANGER!) us from the wrath to come (present tense)." (1 Th 1:9-10+) Paul's description of the Gentile rescue by Jesus was identical to John's description in this passage, which reads more literally "the (present tense - continually) coming wrath." In short, the picture is that God's wrath is already "on its way!" (cf Jn 3:18+) It is imminent! The present tense is used in a proleptic sense for so certain is the wrath of God to come to pass at some time in the future. This phrase is reminiscent of Romans 1:18+ where Paul writes that "For the wrath (orge) of God is (present tense - continually being) revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who (CONTINUALLY, ACTIVELY, WILLFULLY) suppress the truth in unrighteousness." - Precept Austin

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance - This is the sort of talk that has made John Macarthur an enemy of many in our day. The truth, and adherence to it, has not been on the popular side in any age for very long. People always sought to kill it's messengers.

Repentance itself is not a work, but works are its inevitable fruit. Repentance and faith are inextricably linked in Scripture. Repentance means turning from one's sin, and faith is turning to God. They are like opposite sides of the same coin. That is why both are linked to conversion. Notice that the works John demanded to see were "fruit" of repentance. But repentance itself is no more a "work" than faith is. 

…18But in this way God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. 19Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, 20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you.… Acts 3: 18-20

…20I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house, 21testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.… Acts 20: 20-22

Helpful passage from Ezekiel 

We have Abraham for our father - They put a lot on tradition, but also on lineage. This would be the equivalent of asking someone, "what do you believe", and having them answer, "I was raised this way, or my grandfather is a pastor, or I was born protestant, baptized Anglican", as if salvation had to do with proximity. 

God is able from these stones - In other words, God is not impressed by lineage, in fact, all you or I have inherited from that is a sinful nature, and the wages of sin is death. That is all He owes you.

The axe is laid to the root of the trees - Judgment is coming.

The axe is already laid at the root of the trees - In the Greek text already is in an emphatic position to get across the sense of urgency inherent in John's message! It pictures the axe poised to chop down the trees (the non-repenters). NLT paraphrases it "Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised." In keeping with the previous passage, John's metaphor is depicting the people's repentance as like "fruit trees." No spiritual fruit indicates no real repentance. Robertson says the axe "is there ready for business." The axe is placed and lain, ready to chop!

Earlier John had declared "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Mt 3:2) and now he couples the nearness of the Kingdom with the warning that the judgment is also near, which is logical because failure to enter the Kingdom of Heaven/God (cf Jn 3:3+) will leave judgment as the only viable (really "non-viable" because it brings eternal death) alternative! - Precept Austin

…16But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? 18And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”… 1 Peter 4: 16-18

…18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.… Matthew 7: 18-20

I baptize you with water for repentance - This takes us back to the priest as they prepared with ceremonial cleanings at the temple. They were Levites, they were priests, yet they needed to be cleansed. Here, these are Jews, coming down to the water to receive full immersion, a one time public dunking, the same received by gentiles, who were outside of the lineage, coming into the covenant. It would be a confession, as we saw in the last post, of sin, saying, "I am a Jew by birth, I go to synagogue, to the feasts, I tithe, but I am not right with God in my life, I want to be cleansed of my sin, I want to walk as God has told us to, to worship Him in spirit and in truth." Repentance is a change of mind, a turning away from idols, not like a summer camp confession, a one time emotional event, it is a radical turning away from empty rituals, from the pride of "living a good life", or just "wanting everyone to be happy", it is self denial, a new person. John can't give them this, and false professors probably abounded, the experiential are always among us. 

Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry - This isn't just because of a title placed upon the Messiah, but Who He was at His core, His being, God the Son, the eternal Lord, the Lamb without spot. What a build up to what is fast approaching.

With the Holy Spirit - So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. The link to Ezekiel above will help with this.

12The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.…1 Corinthians 12: 12-14

And fire - This is the baptism of judgment. Verse 12 explains it neatly.

 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

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#1210 Matthew 3 Part 1 A Herald In Grunge

 

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.’”

4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3 ESV

Matthew 3: 1-6 John the Baptist

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness - Matthew takes a big leap from Jesus returning from Egypt as a small child, to John the Baptist in the wilderness. What days are "in those days" referring to? Well, the nice thing about the Gospels is that they intertwine, even though they are written by different men, yet all inspired by the same Spirit, and all giving us different angles. Matthew's gospel really focuses on Jesus's being King, so we start with His royal lineage, the one of legal right, but in the gospel of Luke, we find the one of blood right, and that which avoids the curse, David's line through Mary. We have seen that He was born in Bethlehem, as Micah foretold, and that He was sought by the king makers, Magi, from the East, who honored Him with gold, frankincense and Myrrh, after following His star. Herod has tried to kill Him and Jesus has returned from Egypt as well. Now He is older and Luke tells us a little more about the particulars of that time in history. 

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,… Luke 3: 1-3

We also know John to be the first person to recognize Jesus.

…40where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!… Luke 1: 40-42

John MacArthur comments that "the coming of the herald (John the Baptist) signified the coming of the King. The beginning of John’s ministry signaled the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (see Acts 10:37–38+)....Everything about John the Baptist was unique and amazing—his sudden public appearance, his life-style, his message, his baptizing, and his humility. He was born to a mother who was barren. He was a priest by heritage but became a prophet. He forsook his earthly father’s ministry for the sake of his heavenly Father’s. After spending most of his life in the desert, at the right moment God spoke to his heart, and he began to thunder out the message God had given him in that desert-to announce the coming of the King." (Matthew Commentary)

For this is he who was spoken of - In Isaiah 40 we first read about the herald who will precede the Lord. When a king is going to visit an area under his rule, it is not uncommon for him to send someone way in advance, to make the way clear, to look for and deal with obstacles and impediments to his arrival. If you have worked for a big corporation, then you have seen the sad side of that, that which is totally kissing up, but also totally without substance. Someone will announce that a CEO is coming, and you could be in the middle of the very business that helps write his paychecks, and that of everyone else, but his underlings, or her groveling diva worshipers come and say, everything must stop. Move that box over here, get those cob webs, take all that material that you are using to do that job, and hide it somewhere. The important people are coming and they don't want to see any signs that would make this look like a place where work was being done. When you meet these CEOs they don't seem upset about the disingenuous nature of the whole thing; it feeds their ego, even though it's not real. 

…2“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” 3A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.… Isaiah 40: 2-4

Prepare the way of the Lord - Now, unlike the CEO, God wants those who worship in Spirit and in truth. John the Baptist is bringing a message of repentance, telling the people that there is definitely something in the way of a right relationship with this king. That something, would be sin, so in verse 2, he says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The kingdom of heaven? Yes, God the Son is the One coming, the true Sovereign of the Universe, through Whom everything was created, the righteous and holy God, is on His way. This is a big problem, for nothing remains hidden from Him, no sweeping under the rug, no amount of paint or cleaning the outside of the cup will work, ritualism is dead to Him. He doesn't like flatterers or suck ups, and He hates sin, which all these people have, so John's first words are "Repent", and the people's response was to publicly identify with this great truth. How? In verse 6, "they were baptized by Him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins."

…38But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. 39 “Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well?… Luke 11: 38-40

16No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. 18Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”… Luke 8: 16-18

Camel's hair and a leather belt - John's father was a priest, and they wore clothes much different than these, beautiful clothes, finely crafted, with jewels and precious stones to represent the tribes, but John's call took him another way. He was a man of the wilderness, and often, I think, the more a man comes to hate sin, the more time he spends away from it's cities. A man that is seeking after God, will often seek solitude, and he will grow in the strength of God's word away from the noise of the crowd. Here, in the quiet, he is not alone, for he has the much more sure Word, the Bible, and here his faith is sure to grow, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It is obedience and compassion that bring him back to the populated places, these things all work together to develop the message of repentance. This is a man able to tell others because he no longer cares what they think about him, and his own sins bother him more than theirs. 

And they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins - Were being baptized is in the imperfect tense (as was going out in Mt 3:5) giving the picture of one after another, a veritable stream (pun intended) of humanity coming into the river! A B Bruce says "The movement of course was gradual. It began on a small scale and steadily grew till it reached colossal proportions." One baptism after another was symbolic of a new life, but in John's baptism true new life was neither caused nor obtained, for that would await the coming of Messiah. And as stated below, many of the baptisms were not even truly symbolic, but with time proved to be hypocritical professions, so to speak.

John's baptism was different from the traditional Jewish ritual washings of hands, feet and head, washings which were repeated by the person himself, representing repeated purification for repeated sinning. But John's baptism was the entire body and was a one time event and John was the one doing the baptizing, not the individual (as with their ritual washings). Gentiles who sought to associate with Judaism were baptized one time signifying that they as outsiders were coming into Judaism. Thus for a Jew to submit to a one time baptism like John's baptism was tantamount to them admitting they were outsiders seeking entrance into the people of God! As they confessed their sins suggests that their confession of sins occurred at the same time as their baptism. MacArthur adds that "That act symbolized before the world that they realized their national and racial descent, or even their calling as God’s chosen and covenant people, could not save them. They had to repent, forsake sin, and trust in the Lord for salvation. It is that of which the baptism was a public witness, as they confessed their sins. They had to come into the kingdom just like the Gentiles, through repentance and faith—which included a public admission of sins. We know from subsequent accounts in the gospels that many of those acts of repentance must have been superficial and hypocritical, because John soon lost much of his following, just as Jesus would eventually lose most of His popularity. But the impact of John’s ministry on the Jewish people was profound and unforgettable. The way of the King had been announced to them, and they had no excuse for not being ready for His coming"

Constable comments that "John’s baptism did not make a person a member of the church, the body of Christ, since the church had not yet come into existence (Mt 16:18). It simply gave public testimony to that person’s repentance and commitment to live a holy life." As MacArthur noted above, many of these public testimonies were superficial and did not bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Mt 3:8). - Precept Austin

…25Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had charged the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened.… 1 Samuel 14: 25-27

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#1209 Matthew 2 Part 3 Rachel Weeping

 

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2: 16-23 ESV

Matthew 2: 16-23

When he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men - Ah, the hypocrisy, since it was his intent to use them to locate the Messiah. He knew enough to ask the scribes and the Pharisees, where would Messiah be born, and then he was calculative in trying to ascertain from the Wise Men, what time the star had appeared. He also lied and said, "bring me word, that I too may go and worship Him", which was not said in spirit or in truth, for he only wanted to kill Him. He is like the lion that has taken over a pride, and now goes through and snuffs out all of the cubs that were not from his own loins. How base men become, how much like animals we are in our endeavors, how arrogant, that you think this to be the Messiah, the One spoken of by the prophets, God's choice, and so you kill all the males in Bethlehem 2 years old and under, because you will somehow thwart the plans of the Creator of the Universe. He has not met such an opponent as you, oh mighty Herod. 

…14I will fill the souls of the priests abundantly, and will fill My people with My goodness,” declares the LORD. 15This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” 16This is what the LORD says: “Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come, declares the LORD. Then your children will return from the land of the enemy.… Jeremiah 31: 14-16

Rachel weeping for her children - Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, Joseph the favored son, from whom came two of the tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim was one of the larger tribes, and it's name often stood for the northern kingdom, for northern Israel when those 10 tribes were separated from Judah and Benjamin in the south. Rachel is symbolic as a mother of Israel, seeing her children taken away into Assyria, seeing them as captives in Egypt, now seeing them targeted by an Edomite king, who is called the "king of the Jews", placed their by the Roman empire. He wants his lineage to continue, and though he is old and frail, he wants his reign to be without interruption from some new comer. My legacy, my legacy! The Jews have been here before, remember Moses being hid in the bull rushes, this brings us back to the images of Egypt yet again. Satan was always after the seed of the woman, and the more that was revealed about it, the more he hunted for the seed, tried to destroy the people God had chosen, end the line. Remember Athaliah, her murderous act brought the Davidic line down to one boy, oddly enough. Apostasy and the devil will always join hands against God's people. They will always hate God's voice, and see the most immediate and quick access to be His messengers. It will be this way to the end.

…5And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her. 7“Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.… Revelation 17: 5-7

10When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath daughter of King Jehoram took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill him. 12And Joash remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.… 2 Chronicles 22: 10-12

2 Chronicles 22

More on Athaliah from 2 Chronicles

Warren Wiersbe notes that "In order to understand this fulfillment, we must review Jewish history. The first mention of Bethlehem in Scripture is in connection with the death of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel (Gen. 35:16–20). Rachel died giving birth to a son whom she named Benoni, “son of my sorrow.” Jacob renamed his son Benjamin, “son of my right hand.” Both of these names relate to Jesus Christ, for He was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3), and He is now the Son of God’s right hand (Acts 5:31; Heb. 1:3). Jacob put up a pillar to mark Rachel’s grave which is near Bethlehem. Jeremiah’s prophecy was given about 600 years before Christ was born. It grew out of the captivity of Jerusalem. Some of the captives were taken to Ramah in Benjamin, near Jerusalem; and this reminded Jeremiah of Jacob’s sorrow when Rachel died. However, now it was Rachel who was weeping. She represented the mothers of Israel weeping as they saw their sons going into captivity. It was as though Rachel said, “I gave my life to bear a son, and now his descendants are no more.” Jacob saw Bethlehem as a place of death, but the birth of Jesus made it a place of life! Because of His coming, there would be spiritual deliverance for Israel and, in the future, the establishment of David’s throne and kingdom. Israel, “the son of my sorrow,” would one day become “the son of My right hand.” Jeremiah gave a promise to the nation that they would be restored to their land again (Jer. 31:16–17), and this promise was fulfilled. But he gave an even greater promise that the nation would be regathered in the future, and the kingdom established (Jer. 31:27ff). This promise shall also be fulfilled. Very few people today think of Bethlehem as a burial place; they think of it as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. And because He died for us and rose again, we have a bright future before us. We shall live forever with Him in that glorious city where death is no more and where tears never fall. (BEC) - Precept Austin

For those who sought the child's life are dead - Out of Egypt have I called My Son, so they were not to remain there forever, and now Herod is dead, but it uses also a plural here. Remember that, as the old timers say, "it to shall pass", so I pray first that my enemies become my brothers, if not that then that I stand before them well, in honor of the One Who took much more abuse, was much more sorely hated than myself. Either my enemies will die or I will become absent from this place and present in the peace of  my Lord. 

18Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied. 19Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.… Exodus 4: 18-20

That He would be called a Nazarene - Now this is interesting, for no where in Scripture can I find a prophecy about the Messiah being called a Nazarene. Yet, Matthew, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, includes this. Here is how one writer approaches this:

While not everyone agrees with the following interpretation Barbieri notes that "Isaiah said the Messiah would be “from [Jesse’s] roots” like “a Branch” (Isa. 11:1). “Branch” is the Hebrew word neṣer, which has consonants like those in the word “Nazarene” and which carry the idea of having an insignificant beginning. (BKC)

Now, I am not trying to be rude, it certainly has elements, but the verse itself is vague. What it does have in common here though, with the Branch, is that Jesus was referred to as a sucker branch, like those my mom would have us pull off in the garden. It was unwanted. But I think there is something else interesting here, and that J Mac, in his usual, careful, literal fashion, handles this the best. Look at the phrase before "He would be called a Nazarene", it says, "so that what was spoken", get that, not recorded, not written, but "spoken by the prophets", an oral tradition, and remember, Matthew was written for a Jewish audience. 

Some people want to connect it up with Isaiah 11:1 where it talks about Christ being a branch netser, which is Hebrew, and they say netser and Nazareth - it’s a bad connection. IT really doesn’t make it for me. It’s not good etymology. Besides, you’ve still got to deal with the prophets, plural, not just Isaiah 11:1. It seems so obscure to me that it would never be a connection.

Now Matthew says “the prophets.” You say, “Well, how do you explain this?” Very simple. It’s very simple to explain. The prophets said this. It just never got written in the Old Testament until now and it finally got written by Matthew. “Well,” you say, “But he says the Old Testament prophets said it. Did they say some things that didn’t get written down?” I hope this doesn’t shake you up too much. Yes. By the way, there are plenty of things that were said very significantly that weren’t written down in the Old Testament.

For example, Jude verse 14, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,’ ” Enoch said that. Want to know something? He didn’t say it in the Old Testament. It isn’t there. How do you know he said it? Because Jude said he said it. How did Jude know? Because Jude was what? Inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. - J Mac

Other examples of this, like references to Noah being a preacher of righteousness, or Lot, we have no record of their sermons, but refences about such preaching in the NT, and historical references that tells us Enoch walked with God, Noah feared God, and even that Lot was not well received, but we don't know much about what they said. We can see that Noah built a very big ark where there wasn't the water to float it, and so we can imagine that his, as was John the Baptist's, a message of repentance and coming judgement. 

…5if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight; 6if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly; 7and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless… 2 Peter 2: 5-7

9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. Genesis 19: 9-14

Now why would Jesus need to be called a Nazarene? Well, the Scriptures do testify, that He would be despised and rejected of men. There would be no beauty, or majesty, that we should desire Him, and being from Nazareth fits well with this, not being born in a palace, but in a manger, being rejected by Herod even as an infant, hunted. Nazareth was the ghetto, the wrong turn, not a place of higher learning, in fact, most of His disciples were probably fishermen, not super literate, and definitely not traveling in the circles of the elite. This is what is said of Nazareth, and words come from thoughts:

…45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”… John 1: 45-47

40On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.” 41Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”… John 7: 40-42

Spurgeon on Nazarene - He meant that the prophets have described the Messiah as one that would be despised and rejected of men. They spoke of him as a great prince and conqueror when they described his second coming, but they set forth his first coming when they spoke of him as a root out of a dry ground without form or comeliness, who when he should be seen would have no beauty that men should desire him. The prophets said that he would be called by a despicable title, and it was so, for his countrymen called him a Nazarene.....Certainly he has long been called a ‘Nazarene,’ both by Jews and violent unbelievers. Spitting on the ground in disgust, many a time has his fierce adversary hissed out the name ‘Nazarene,’ as if it were the climax of contempt.....There is always some city or village or another whose inhabitants seem to be the butt of every joke and the object of scorn. The people of such places are thought to be low, uncultured, not-very-smart. That is the kind of place Nazareth was. - Precept Austin

…4Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them. 6When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.…

…7So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. 8“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word He had spoken: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”… John 18: 4-9

Most of Jesus's followers were from Galilee, and it apparently had it's own regional accent attached to all it's other stigmas. People knew if you were from Galilee, but it wasn't deemed a great calling card. It wasn't considered putting your best foot forward; it was held against you.

…7Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,… Acts 2: 7-9

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#1208 Matthew 2 Part 2 Out Of Egypt

 

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. Matthew 2: 13-23

Matthew 2: 13-15

1When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. 2But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images.… Hosea 11: 1-2

Remain there until I tell you - So the wise men were wise and did not go back to Herod, and an angel came and warned Joseph to flee the country. Matthew tells us that this is to fulfill a prophecy, wherein Israel is a foreshadowing, a type of Christ. It is not difficult to see this, for He is the Seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, out of Isaac and Jacob, a Son of David, as we saw the lineage in Matthew 1. Think about it, that genetic line was promised through Israel, to Israel were given the oracles, the prophesies concerning Messiah, He is always with them and associated, the King of the Jews. Matthew 1 Part 2. If you look at the redemptive story relating to Egypt and Israel's situation of slavery there, it is a marvelous picture of salvation. They do not bring themselves out, Israel does not engage in an uprising or war with Egypt. They are brought out by the hand of God, through miraculous signs and wonders. The last of the plagues was the death of the firstborn, and this started the tradition of the Passover, where the blood of the Passover lamb was painted on the door frames and everyone in that house was passed over for the sake of the blood, which pointed to the atoning work of Christ. There is a lot in this picture, as we are all slaves to sin, and the book, wherein this prophecy comes from, was written by Hosea, who had a wife named Gomer, who was a prostitute, and she would not give up her sexual sin. She ended up being sold into slavery, but so much was Hosea's love and compassion for her, that he bought her out of bondage, and she represented Israel. 

1This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel. 2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.” 3So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.… Hosea 1: 1-3

Last post we discussed the gifts that the Magi brought, and one of them was very helpful here, the gold, for this was not a rich family, but now they would have the money to stay in a foreign land. Egypt is also interesting because during Alexander's time there was a city named for him there, Alexandria, and it was a safe haven for Jews to retreat to, so there was a Jewish population in that city as well. Now the Bible doesn't go into Jesus's time in Egypt, but that hasn't stopped many a heretic from doing so in their fictions, and even more so, His critics, and this is quite fabulous, meant to be critical, but instead proving itself a huge problem, look at this:

They despised Him. They despised His origin. They despised His presence. And they despised Him at the end. He was “a man of sorrows.” Nobody gave Him honor and nobody gave Him respect. Nobody important. He had no one in His life that mattered. He hung around with a bunch of ragtag nobodies from Galilee who, seven of whom may well have been fisherman. The rest were uneducated Galileans. And the only non-Galilean in the group was Judas from the town of Carioth. He was the kind of person you just turn your face away from. That’s why we rejected Him.

You know, it got ugly from there. Do you know the Hebrew word for Jesus is Yeshua? Have you heard that? Yeshua. The Jews through history have changed it to Yeshu, Yeshu, which is an acrostic for “let his name be blotted out.” Let his name be blotted out. He is also called Tului, in Hebrew, “the hanged one.” And “cursed is anyone - ” Deuteronomy says “ - who is hanged on a tree.”

Maybe you’ve heard the story about Mary being a hairdresser. This is written in the Talmud, which is the codification of Jewish history. That His mother Mary was a hairdresser who committed adultery with a Roman mercenary named Joseph ben Pandera, produced Yeshu, who learned the magical arts in Egypt and led people astray. That’s a quote from the Jewish Talmud.

They developed early on a prayer, Jewish prayer. “May all Christians be suddenly destroyed without hope and blotted out of the book of life forever.” This is a deep-seated animosity. And it hasn’t been helped through history by what so-called fake Christians have done to the Jews. But they started out with contempt and it’s still there even today. And do you know every Jew knows the story of Jesus so he or she can reject it? I mean, you’re not really a Jew if you don’t know you can’t believe in Jesus. We didn’t esteem Him. That’s an important last line. “He was despised; we did not esteem Him.” That’s the ultimate scorn. You know what that means in Hebrew? He was non-existent. He didn’t even exist. To put it mildly as Paul said in Romans 9:32, “They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” John Macarthur from Behold The Lamb Sermon Sep 29, 2012

Now, I want you to look at that third paragraph, and I want you to note that He went to Egypt, according to the Jewish tradition about Jesus. These are not His fans, but note some of their statements, they sound just like the sort of things I would eat up when I was younger, quotes like this:

Now Hume was a smart man, a grand philosopher, however circular you may find some of his arguments to be, he was a high intellect, and so was Hitchens. From a materialist standpoint, wanting there to be no God, yes, the virgin birth is hard to believe, right, I mean I can't go out and witness one. Ironically, the material universe coming from nothing, and given the magic of time, producing life and all we see, was not so hard for them to believe. That's something neither had observed either though, a pretty big miracle indeed, but the easier solution for this virgin birth is that Mary was either raped by a Roman soldier, or she was a minx like Hitchens said, so no miracles. But for the Jews around that time, who were by no means atheists, their explanation for who Jesus was, went beyond the accusations of infidelity, of prostitution. No, this teenage girl was a genius, who came up with this story of the virgin birth, and was so lucky as to have it supported by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14, who makes a claim that a virgin will be with child. This same Isaiah, who historians said couldn't possibly have written it during the time he claimed because it sounded too much like the historical figure of Christ. They dated Isaiah to be written during or shortly after Jesus's time, until they found the Dead Sea Scrolls, which put it back to no closer than 200 years before Jesus was born. Wow! Mary is truly a Jedi too, because, not only does she have this prophecy, and those of Messiah throughout the OT, including some staggering prophecies from Isaiah 53, but according to the Jews in the Talmud, He also goes to magic school. Do you notice something here? His enemies don't deny the miracles, they try to explain them away by saying He is a sorcerer, just like they did in the recordings of the Apostles. Weird, I wouldn't try to explain something that didn't happen, that would just seem to give it credence.

…26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.… Matthew 12: 26-28

…24A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.… Matthew 10: 24-26

…31At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. 32 But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone Me?” 33“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.”… John 10: 31-33

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Mark 3: 1-6

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