Jesus

Gratitude Sermon Series: Week # 1 “The Man Who Remembered to Say ‘Thank You'” Luke 17:11-19

Gratitude Sermon Series

The Man Who Remembered to Say “Thank You”

Luke 17:11-19

Introduction

Jesus tells a story about ten lepers who are healed. Two shocking facts are revealed. The first is that only one of them comes back to say, “Thank You.” The second is that that one who returned was a Samaritan. God’s grace is available to all people, even your enemy. We must be careful to not just receive God’s blessings, but to thank Him for them.

From Exclusion to Inclusion (vv. 11-14)

“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem[1], “The Lord was still in Perea when word reached Him of the serious illness of His friend Lazarus of Bethany. A few days later, He went to Bethany, raised Lazarus, and, because of the increasing plots against Him, retired to an unknown location. He took the disciples into retirement before going to face the final storm in Jerusalem.”[2]

The words “On the way to Jerusalem” remind the reader to the reader that Jesus is moving toward his passion. From where Jesus is you can almost see the city.

“he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance” – If you were a leper (today it’s called Hansen’s Disease), you had to announce yourself when you approached a person or group, in medieval times a leper would ring a bell, and yell “unclean!”[3] You had to stay at a distance or people would throw stones at you.

There were also varying local customary expectations, “Two rabbis disputing the question maintained, one, that it was not fit to come within a hundred cubits of a leper; the other within four cubits, when he stood between them and the wind. Another would not eat an egg if laid in a courtyard where a leper was.”[4]

“and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” – In the previous healing of the lepers[5] he touched them and they were healed, but here he tells them to, “14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”[6]

Jesus commands them to do what a cleansed leper was supposed to do. Yet they stood there, looking as though they had crawled from out of a grave, in various stages of decay and disfigurement, clothing torn from constant mourning, skeleton heads and sunken eyes layered with rags soaked in decaying and putrid flesh.

Leviticus 14:2 “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, . .” They are on their way to have the purification rights performed for them by the priests. “If they were cured, they would joyfully undergo an eight-day ceremony and then be reunited with their families.”[7]

“And as they went they were cleansed.” – This reminds us of the Old Testament story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:10,14. “Naaman was a foreigner who was healed of leprosy by Elisha; Naaman was then converted to Israel’s faith.”[8] 14 “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” . . . “14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” As the men were going about doing what they were told to do, they were cured.

If you are absolutely on the bottom, you have nothing to lose in trying Jesus, and taking Him at His word. So, the consensus was to begin the leper’s pace of hobbling to the Temple, which would have been a considerable walk. There were no mirrors out on the road, but as these ten men begin the trip suddenly, they begin to see each other change.

“From cadaverous faces reemerged ears, noses, eyebrows, lashes, hairlines. Feet – toeless, ulcerated stubs – were suddenly whole, bursting through small little sandals, Knobby appendages grew fingers. Barnacled skin became soft and supple. It would have been like being born again. The dust of a wild celebration quickly began in the bright sunlight.”[9]

From Inclusion to Perception (vv. 15-19)

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner[10]?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Why does the one turn and head back to Jesus once “he saw that he was healed?” As he is running to the Temple, he realizes that he has been healed, and then realizes that Jesus is something more than he understood and he returns because he perceives that there is more to life, than to be cured and to return to a “normal life.”

So the one leper “turned back” – “ceremony must yield to substance, and that main points of obedience must take place of all ritual complements.”[11] “Christ had ordered it, and the Law demanded it. But the letter killeth. Love overrules Acts of Parliament. The nine held by the Law, but the one got the grace.”[12]

Jacob wrestling with God – you have to deal with your relationship with God. Genesis 32:22ff.

“Now he was a Samaritan[13]” – The lepers were all together, Jews and Samaritans – when you are a leper, politics, racism, Jewish history really doesn’t matter. When you are a social outcast, hated by society, the lowest of the low, and having to beg to eat, there is no hope for you to be anything but a leper, and eventually die.

To be a leper was awful, but to add the fact he was a Samaritan just doubled the fact that he was an outcast. But as the one man was healed, he had a choice to run to the temple, begin the ceremony and rejoin his family, or go back and thank God for his healing. If he waited, he may not be able to find him to thank him.

“It is the Gentile, the Samaritan, the outcasts and sinners, who respond enthusiastically to the offer of the Good News. Unlike the religious and proud, who assume that their piety guarantees their salvation, the outcasts and sinners assume no such thing (see 18:9-14) and eagerly accept God’s gracious invitation (see 14:15-24). The foreigner is the only one who came back to give thanks to God, because only he recognized his sin and his need to repent.”[14]

So, at this point the Jewish 9 separated from the 1 Samaritan. Their illness had drawn them together, but their freedom caused them to separate. What do you do with the freedom that Christ has given you? For these men they are free to go to their homes, begin working again, rejoin society – feel the touch of others, to be accepted by people. That overwhelming desire to belong, outweighed the spiritual obligation to be thankful.[15]

What marks the difference between the 10 lepers is not that one is thankful, and the other nine are ungrateful. The difference is that one of the them has the perception to understand who Jesus is. If you are cured then you only need Jesus (miracle worker) once, if you seek Jesus for salvation (Son of God) then you need Him every day.

The nine lepers were cured of their bodily disease (leprosy), they were not aware that they had not been cured of their spiritual disease. 2 Peter 1:9 “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

When you understand God to be right before you, you don’t run away from Him, you throw yourself at His feet. When Mary realizes that it was Jesus after He had risen from the dead, she grabs Him and does not let Him go. John 20:16-17a “Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, . . .”

“praising God with a loud voice”— He wanted everyone to know that Jesus had healed him. Earlier, he had pleaded in a loud voice, now he is praising in a loud voice? Who is it that is the most thankful to God? It is those that realize how really sick they are:

Matthew 9:12-13 “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

“Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner[16]?” – Jesus fully expected that all ten would return. God should be at the center of their gratitude.

But their focus was here and now, temporal. Anyone can be thankful for something, but it is including the eternal God as the ultimate source of all that we have to be thankful for that is essential. Christ wanted these men’s hearts, not just their thanks. The nine missed an opportunity to be with Jesus. The nine missed being saved.

The Jewish people were looking for a Savior, a promised Messiah (Genesis 3), if anyone should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah it should have been the Jewish people, but here a Samaritan is the one who received salvation.

“19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” – “you may proceed to the priest with the assurance that you are thoroughly cured.”[17] The Samaritan leper put God in His proper place in his life, before he started to reorder and put his life back together after his illness. His perception of who Jesus was came from a heart of gratitude.

The other nine are healed, but without God being at the center of their lives and understanding that it is God who heals us, blesses us, saves us, and has a purpose and plan for our lives – then it won’t be very long before the other nine will be sick again – maybe not form leprosy but from a life where God is not the center.

In the original language where it says, “your faith has made you well” it literally says, “your faith has saved you.”[18] The nine had received a cure, the one received a cure and salvation. The one had leprosy on the outside which was healed, but he also had a spiritual leprosy on the inside that was healed as well. Gratitude allows you to be in place of receiving far more than you had anticipated and understanding an even deeper need.

The one is described as both a “Samaritan” emphasizing genealogy and “foreigner” emphasizing nationality. It doesn’t matter what your last name is or where you came from – salvation is received by faith in Jesus.[19] There is an inscription from the limestone block from the Temple of Israel which reads, “Let not the foreigner enter within the screen and enclosure surrounding the sanctuary.”[20]

Where once those who were not Jewish were kept outside – we could not enter into presence of God. But through the healing and cure of Jesus’ death on a cross – we can have salvation and enter into His presence.

The big idea of this passage is that there were people who were excluded, kept outside (because of a disease) that were allowed to enter back into society by being healed, which was emphasized by the fact that one of them was a Samaritan. Then one of the ten were allowed into God’s eternal presence through salvation that came through faith in Jesus.

We should show gratitude toward God because we have been healed of our sin and are now allowed to come into the presence of God and have eternal life. From Exclusion to Inclusion. We show genuine gratitude because it gives us perception to understand that all things come from God and He involved with every aspect of our lives.

This story also shows us that faith and salvation have to merge together. The nine men believed in God, they obeyed what was commanded to them, but once physically healed we don’t have any indication they ever came back. In order for a person to be saved, faith and Jesus have to come together. Just believing in God is not enough, we have to have a relationship with Jesus. We have to perceive that life is more than just getting what we want here and now, but there is an eternal purpose and plan for our lives.

______________________________

[1] Luke 9:51

[2] John Phillips, Exploring The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publications, 2005) 225.

[3] Leviticus 13:45; Numbers 5:2; 12:10-12

[4] George R. Bliss, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Mark and Luke (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1881) 261.

[5] Matthew 8:1-4

[6] The is no written record that this ritual was ever even performed (Phillips, 226).

[7] R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 604.

[8] Fred B. Craddock, Interpretation. A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1990) 204.

[9] Hughes, 604.

[10] This is the only time in the New Testament that this word (foreigner) is used (Green, 626).

[11] J. Willcock, B.D. A Homiletic Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke (New York, New York; Funk and Wagner Company; 1896) 472.

[12] Ibid, 472.

[13] “The region of Samaria in Old Testament times (tenth to eighth centuries BC) was inhabited by the ten northern tribes of Israel. Following the death of Solomon, the northern tribes seceded from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south. The southern kingdom became known as Judah, while the northern kingdom was initially known as Israel, until it eventually came to be called Samaria after its capital city. In the eight century Samaria was overrun by the Assyrians. Its inhabitants were exiled, and in their place foreign peoples were settled. In the centuries that followed a half-Jewish and half-Gentile race of people emerged with which the Jews of Judah to the south and of Galilee to the north frequently quarreled and whom the Jews loathed” (Evans, 258).

[14] Craig A. Evans, New International Biblical Commentary, Luke (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson, Publishers, 2005) 256.

[15] “The story anticipates what is yet to come in Acts: a growing blindness in Israel, a receptivity among Gentiles. Why was this the case? Israel’s special place in God’s plan for the world had turned in upon itself, duty had become privilege, and frequent favors had settled into blinding familiarity (Phillips, 203).”

[16] This is the only time in the New Testament that this word foreigner is used (Green, 626).

[17] Bliss, 262.

[18] Hughes 606.

[19] Joel B. Green, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997) 621.

[20] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Luke (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1932) 228.

Gathering At The Lord’s Table, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Gathering At The Lord’s Table

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

The backdrop of today’s passage is the disorder of the Corinthian church. Paul is so concerned about several issues that have reached him from far away, that he sits down to address them in the epistle of 1 Corinthians.

A Church That Has Lost Its’ Way (vv. 17-22)

But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

The early church celebrated the Lord’s Supper around a meal, Jude even calls it a “love feast (Jude 12). At the meal it seems a possibility that one could over eat, or drink too much wine.

Also, the people seem to arrive in stages. Those who have the flexibility to leave their jobs early, or have jobs that don’t require them to clean up or change clothes arrive before those who cannot or need to clean up.[1]

The meal seems to be purchased from the common funds of the church, and those that arrive early are getting the choice parts of the meal, and those arriving later get the picked over portions, or no food at all.

Around this meal, there seems to be divisions among the church. You know you have a problem as a church when things are worse when you get together instead of better; Paul says, “it is not for the better but for the worse.”

Paul also says, “in the first place. . .”[2] He indicates that there are other issues, but disunity, cliques, and division in the church crowds out whatever else was on his mind. This issue was so consuming on Paul’s mind that he never moves on to “in the second place, third place, etc.” This topic that Paul writes the churches about was a deadly sin, and he knew it would destroy the church if not dealt with. Whenever they get together – the people are worse in spirit instead of better.

Paul even says that while they thought they were celebrating the Lord’s Supper in reality they were not, “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.” Is it possible to be so carried away by sin that a church can think they are doing some religious act, but in reality, it is not recognized by God?

Buttrick said, “The greatest sins have always been the abuse of the greatest blessings.”[3] One of the greatest gifts and blessing that the Lord has given to Christians is the local church. It is the fellowship that we share that gives the church strength. We destroy fellowship by not exercising love toward the neighbor.

But like spoiled children we (the church) just expect it to always be there, we see it as something not to be revered, but something to get something out of. If you don’t like this one, then just go down the street to another one.

The American church has wealthy churches, poor churches, cowboy churches, black churches, traditional churches, contemporary churches, not to mention denominations, Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, etc. You name it, there is a church for all of our preferences. But in the city of Corinth – there was one Christian church and that was your only church. So you had wealthy people, poor people, slaves, different races, all gathered on an equal footing to worship, and to experience life together. [4]

There was a foundational teaching of the church that was being lost. Instead of the Lord’s Supper reminding them of Jesus’ sacrifice and ultimate mission for the church – it had become a fellowship meal with little fellowship and for some no meal. There was little love at the love feast. There were drunk people stagger about, people gorging themselves on the food, little groups forming that caused division, and poor people being embarrassed because they were hungry and had nothing to eat.

When the Church focuses on the wrong things, it enters into areas of danger. They had forgotten what the Lord’s Supper means and had turned the gathered church into something resembling the world around them.

So Paul says, “Do you not have houses to eat and drink in?” The purpose of the gathering of the church is not for them to eat and drink, they could do that at home, the purpose was to experience the Lord’s Supper together. How do you fix a church that has lost its’ way? How do you address a church that is focused only on themselves and their preferences?

A church that has disunity, a lack of concern for others (especially their own church members), and is given over to sin (gluttony, drunkenness) is open season for Satan. It is only a matter of time before its’ over. So Paul is greatly concerned, “I do not commend you.”

Paul then reminds them of what the Lord’s Supper means.

The Reminder of Why They Assemble (23-26)

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Paul begins his explanation with “that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread . . .” There was no further need to set the time he was talking about – it was the night when he was betrayed. He links their actions of division, greed, and uncaring for one another to Judas. “You guys remember when that guy Judas, betrayed Jesus?” Yeah, that night, Jesus took some bread . . .

25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Paul includes “after supper” – which gives us a clue that the Lord’s Supper would traditionally be celebrated after a fellowship meal, or at least came after the meal when Jesus and the disciples first had the Lord’s Supper.[5] Jesus may also have taken the bread and passed it out and then some-time later passed the cup.[6] So, if it were traditionally celebrated after the meal – there are some who would be drunk during the sacrament.

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood” – Jesus is saying that there was an old covenant between God and His people, but now there is a new covenant. We see this foretold in Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

“Rather than giving the people laws and ceremonies they must obey, God will work a transformation of the heart of each believer.”[7] In John 3, Jesus has the conversation with Nicodemus and his needing to be born again.

Even though God’s people, in the marriage, broke the old covenant, “my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband” God is metaphorically taking them back to the exodus from Egypt and reestablishing a covenant, but this one will be different. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper at the Passover, which commemorated the Exodus (Exod. 12:14-27).

This new covenant, that involves a transformation of the heart, is established by a blood offering, Jesus says, “the new covenant in my blood.”[8] This blood will cover all sin, in fact, God will remember the sin no more.[9]

Ordinarily blood was shed to symbolize the bond between those who enter covenant.[10] The Old Testament Passover meal had the people wiping blood over the doorposts and eating a special meal — This new covenant involves only God’s blood, that is shed.

In verses 25-26 we see that the Lord’s Supper is a remembrance and proclamation, “in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are remembering a resurrected Lord, A God who shed His blood for us, but did not stay dead, and that same resurrected Lord will return.

In the Old Testament God encourages Israel to remember the sabbath day (Exodus 20:8), or to remember to keep the commandments (Numbers 15:39), and Moses in Deuteronomy encourages Israel to remember God, his deeds, the desert journey, how they were once slaves in Egypt – these memories will instruct them on how to treat the foreigners in their own communities.

These memories should correct behavior that goes outside of what they should have learned from the experiences.[11] When we remember Jesus, and how he laid down his life for us (specifically his body and blood), then that should have a corrective impact on our behavior toward other believers, the church, in our own sinful behavior, and the lost around us.

The proclamation of the Lord’s Supper is a way of preaching the gospel, to act it out. It is done again and again to proclaim our deliverance from sin, just like the Passover for the Jewish people was repeated to recall their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.[12]

It is the ministry of the church to proclaim the gospel to the unbelieving world. “When the world sees the church eating and drinking in order to remember the significance of Christ’s body and blood, the word of the gospel is made visible.”[13]

Therefore, we can pull three reasons why the church should regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper;

1) It reminds us to look back to the redemptive historic work of Jesus and the cross; the once and for all sacrifice is the ransom for all who put their faith in Him; His body was broken for us, and His blood covers all our sin.

2) It draws us to worship the ever-present Lord; “the meal declares the sacrifice by which the covenant is entered.”[14] We are entering into a covenant with God, and we are entering this covenant together with other believers (in our church).

3) It encourages the church to look forward to the consummation of time, and the return of Jesus.[15] When Jesus returns the Lord’s Supper reminds us to be found faithful.

The Lord’s Supper is something that we participate in, it is an action that we do as believers. However, the Lord’s Supper reminds us to monitor our relationship with the Lord and how we approach Him in worship.

A Warning of Continued Undiscerning Behavior (vv. 27-34)

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.8 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.”

“an unworthy manner” – We know that some or many of the church at Corinth were partaking of the Lord’s Supper by being greedy, drunkenness, causing divisions among the brethren, etc. but these are not the only ways. Traditionally this has been interpreted to mean taking of the Lord’s Supper while having unconfessed sin. The period of examination is time to seek forgiveness of sin before you take of the Lord’s Supper.

But in this passage it seems to be even more specific than that. Paul seems to be indicating that when a person participates in the Lord’s Supper in such a way that failed to exhibit the unity of the church in Christ. The solution to this “unworthy” manner was to wait. Paul says, “wait for one another.” Take others into account. Consider your brothers and sisters in Christ while we gather together.

The Lord’s Supper is a time of self-reflection, Paul says to “Let a person examine himself.” During this time of examination, the person should search the Holy Spirit of personal sin, but the judgement mentioned here is the person who is not encouraging the unity of the church, and in that unity, the remembering and proclamation of Christ.

We should not focus so much on ourselves during the supper but on Christ and what He has done for all believers. The focus of this meal is not a time where we all “get right with the Lord” at the same time.[16] But if we truly discerned what we are like, then there would be no judgement.

When the Church does not exercise the Lord’s Supper properly, they are “guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.” The Lord has given the church an ordinance that specifically teaches and shares the gospel to the world and reminds the church of the things we mentioned earlier – when that is corrupted it becomes just another meal – and if that’s the case then Paul says, “eat at home.”

Just like the Jewish people not performing the Passover correctly, they would forget about their days in slavery – now the church may forget the body and blood of Jesus and why it is so important.

They would be sinning against the hope of salvation.[17] The gathering church is a blessing given to Christians – together in unity they celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a message to the world of the gospel. When we don’t do this there is judgement. When we get this right, we accomplish Jesus’ desire for His church until He comes again.

With these things in mind – we will now celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

_______________________________

[1] George Buttrick, The Interpreters Bible, Vol. 10 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abington Press, 1953) 131.

[2] Ordinal numbers indicating the order in a sequence.

[3] Buttrick, 131.

[4] https://drewboswell.com/touching-the-untouchables/

[5] Buttrick, 133.

[6] Ibid, 138.

[7] Fred M. Wood, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Jeremiah & Lamentations (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 2006) 262.

[8] “Not all the blood of beasts, On Jewish alters slain, Could give the guilty conscience peace, Or wash away our stain.” Isaac Watts, “Not All the Blood of Beasts.”

[9] J. Andrew Dearman, The NIV Application Commentary, Jeremiah & Lamentations (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 2002) 287.

[10] Clifton Allen, Gen Ed., The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 10 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1970) 358.

[11] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, K-Q (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1980) 345. Memorial, Memory

[12] Allen, 359.

[13] Richard Pratt, Holman New Testament Commentary, 1 & 2 Corinthians (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 2000) 201.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Buttrick, 139.

[16] Pratt, 205.

[17] Ibid, 202.

To Seek and Save the Lost: Redeeming the Past, Transforming the Present, Redirecting the Future Luke 19:1-10

To Seek and Save the Lost:

Redeeming the Past, Transforming the Present, Redirecting the Future[1]

Luke 19:1-10

There are some great children’s books that Kimberly and I have been given as parents, and ones that we have purchased for our children. Some classics that I loved reading to my kids were the “Frog and Toad Treasury,” by Arnold Lobel, and Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham,” and “If you take a Mouse to School” series by Laura Numeroff. One of the books that stayed on the shelf and that I really didn’t like was Shel Siverman’s, “The Giving Tree.”

It is the story of the relationship between a tree and a little boy. The tree gives the boy apples, branches, and eventually it’s trunk – only the stump was left. The boy took and took, and the story ends with the boy, now an old man, sitting on the stump. It always bothered me that the boy never learned to give, only to take. It bothered me that the tree gave and gave, eventually having someone sit on it – unable to give anymore.

Today we will look at a man who has taken, and taken, and taken from his community to such so that they hate him. He is isolated and miserable because of his decision to do these things. Have you ever regretted a decision that you have made, and now have to live with the fall out? Are we to live with the guilt, shame, and weight of our sin forever? What if there was a way out? I am going to go out on a limb here and say that there is.

We will start and the end of the text for today, verse 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” This was his mission summarized into one sentence.

Prayer

Seeking the Lord Who Redeems the Past (vv. 1-4)

“He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.”[2]

“There was a man named Zacchaeus” – his name means “pure and clean” and for the Jewish people, a person’s name was very important. Parents would name their children with the hope that they would exemplify their name.

Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of a very active area for the Jericho region, which was part of the Roman empire.[3] He had heard about Jesus and wanted to see who he was. Why would a wealthy man, who held a high position want to see Jesus?[4]

Perhaps he had heard that Matthew (Levi) the former tax collector had become one Jesus’ disciples.[5] As the chief tax collector, he may have known Matthew and heard about how he walked away from his tax collecting booth one day. Matthew himself, describes the encounter “he [Jesus] saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9) If Jesus had something to do with other tax collectors, then maybe he would talk with Zacchaeus too.

In the preceding passage a blind beggar pleads with Jesus to heal him of his sight, Luke 18:35-43 “As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” The blind beggar called out, and would not stop. Luke takes the reader from a man lost in blindness and poverty to the deliverance of a man lost in wealth and corruption.[6]

Zacchaeus, even though he was wealthy, and held a prominent position, climbed a tree (which would have been very embarrassing for the people of his day) just to see Jesus. “he was seeking to see who Jesus was” It is a very sad picture of a man isolated from his community, hated and despised, lonely just wanting a glimpse of hope of a new life. He was anxious to see Jesus, this morning are you too anxious to see Jesus? Do you want just too see who Jesus is?

The Lord sees those who seek him, Deuteronomy 4:29-31 “But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.”

Receiving the Lord Who Transforms the Present (vv. 5-6)

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.”

“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down. . .” “This is Jesus’ last personal encounter before his arrival in Jerusalem and the events leading to his death.”[7] Zacchaeus did not know Jesus (personally), he “was seeking to see who Jesus was,” yet Jesus calls him by name, and it seems he was why he had even traveled that way through the city, “for I must stay at your house today.”

There was a drawing happening in the heart of Zacchaeus, and there was a Savior who was seeking him out, meeting him in the street, coming to his house, calling him by name. Zacchaeus went up the tree lost, but came down the tree saved, “he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.”

Jesus is making the first move, he sees Zacchaeus, and he calls him by name. 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

In John 4:3-6 we see similar language with the woman at the well, “he [Jesus] left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.” He is waiting for the woman to arrive. Jesus is given direct instructions from the Father – there are divine appointments all throughout Jesus’ ministry. Zacchaeus is one of these appointments, “I must stay at your house today.”

Saved by the Lord Who Redirects the Future (vv. 7-10)

“7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

“they all grumbled,” – in the original language it gives the word picture of bees buzzing, or doves cooing.[8] Jesus is the hero that everyone is swarming around to see what he will do, and hear what he will say, but now the crowd is shocked that Jesus wants to spend time with the chief publican, a notorious sinner, who had robbed nearly everyone in the city by exorbitant taxes and no doubt those in the crowd.[9]

Jesus fully understands that when he says that he wants to associate with Zacchaeus then the anger of these people toward the corrupt tax collector would turn toward him as well. Jesus freely associates with sinners. “Under the impact of unconditional acceptance by Jesus, a transformation is worked in the life of Zacchaeus.”[10]

The man whose name means pure and clean – was not pure or clean. He was a thief, a traitor, and had gotten wealthy by stealing from others. “In that moment Zacchaeus saw it all: what his past had been, what his present was, what his future must be.[11]

The grumbling and murmuring had reached Zacchaeus’ ears and before Jesus and he enters, he turns around and faces the crowd and said, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” This was the Mosaic law requirement for anyone who had stolen from another person.

Exodus 22:1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.”

Numbers 5:6 “When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the LORD, and that person realizes his guilt, 7 he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong . . .”

Restitution is a good sign of a changed heart, and he seems to be willing to make it right with people right there on the spot.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Why would Jesus seek out this man and then go to his home? “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus’ mission is to seek out and save the lost – this man was lost and needed a Savior. The lost Zacchaeus was sought out and now saved.

Earlier Jesus had taught, “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” The camel is going through the eye of the needle. God is doing that which is incredibly difficult. This meeting was ordained before the foundation of the world.[12] Jesus had to go this way, he had to go to Zacchaeus’ house, and salvation would happen that day.

Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham” Jesus gives Abraham has an example of how one receives salvation. So, how is that Abraham, who lived way before Christ, is saved?

Genesis 15:5-6 “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

Righteousness is “holy and upright living, in accordance with God’s standard. The word “righteousness” comes from the root word that means “straightness.”[13] It was Abraham’s faith in what God told him that made him righteous or upright before the Lord.

So what was it that brought salvation to Zacchaeus’ home that day? Zacchaeus put his faith and trust in the person of Jesus Christ, just like Abraham believed God’s promise to him.

God has also promised us, that we can be freed from our sin, like Zacchaeus – John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,9 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

For Zacchaeus, he went from being lonely and miserable to being accepted by God. He craved riches and power, but now freely gives it away – He is changed.

The Lord who had to go through Samaria to see the woman at the well, and the same Lord who had to stay with Zacchaeus at his house, now comes to our service today – He sees you, he is speaking to you, and wants to save you from your sin – to take off that weight. He says, Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

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[1] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 8 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abington Press, 1952) 320.

[2] Milton, Paradise Lost, Bk. 1 “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, and hell of heaven.”

[3] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Luke (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1930) 239.

[4] James Russell Lowell, The Present Crisis, “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side.”

[5] Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Press, 2015) 656.

[6] John Nolland, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 35c (Dallas, Texas; Word Books, 1993) 903.

[7] Hughes, 655.

[8] Robertson, 240.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Clifton J. Allen, Gen Ed. The Broadman Bible Commentary, Luke-John (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1970) 147.

[11] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 1993) 718.

[12] Ephesians 1:4-6

[13] Ronald Youngblood ,Gen. Ed., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, Tennessee; Nelson Publishing, 1995) 1089.

Going Fishing With Jesus – Matthew 4:17-25

Going Fishing With Jesus

Matthew 4:17-25

Introduction

One of my favorite memories from childhood is where my father and some friends would rent a charter fishing boat in Florida. We would leave early in the morning, way before daylight, and go to the deep waters. As a young boy, my imagination would run wild about what was under the boat in the hundreds of feet of dark ocean water.

I loved the ocean spray, I loved the feeling of riding in the boat, I loved looking over the side and watching fish and sometimes dolphins swim beside the boat – but I especially loved being there with my Father. There were times when I would turn green, or get knocked about in rough waters – but my dad was always there to smile and give me assurance that everything was fine.

He showed me how to put a lure on the line, how to bait the hook, where to throw the line. And there were times when the water was a smooth as glass, and times when there were 3-4’ waves. There were times when we caught nothing, and times when we caught our limit, but all the while – my dad and I were together. There was nothing like going fishing with my dad.

This morning we are going to look at where our heavenly Father says, “Let’s go fishing!” Guys, life is too short not to go fishing with your dad. There is nothing like it. Our Heavenly Father shows all we need to know about fishing in His fishing guide (the Bible) and He instills within us the ability to catch fish after fish, after fish.

Prayer – Father, thank you for loving us enough to make us apart of your plan to redeem all of creation back to you. You want us to go fishing with you, thank you for taking us along for the ride. Give us the boldness, to put our fishing rods and hooks in the water. Let us catch our limit, make us into Fishers of Men.

Dropping Your Nets – Leaving the World Behind

Matthew 4:18-22 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Jesus sets up his preaching ministry in the area of Capernaum.[1] John 1:35-40 tells us that Simon Peter, and Andrew his brother had already met Jesus, followed him to where he was staying, and heard John the Baptist indicate that Jesus was the promised Messiah.[2] Also, we see that the brothers were not satisfied with the fishing nets, “their livelihood was not their life.”[3]

They were looking for something more. John 1:40-42 “One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.”

“These men craved wilder seas.”[4] One commentator says that the men are “homesick at home, and strangers under the sun” There is a discontent that rumbles around within all of us, and we ask. “Is this all there is in life?” Where is true purpose, and adventure?

Jesus then goes on to talk to another pair of brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee – who is in the boat with them. Matthew’s emphasis in both sets of brothers is immediacy and decisiveness.

When Jesus Christ called four fishermen from Galilee to follow him, they had no idea of the magnitude of where that calling would lead them. They did not know that they would face persecution, prison, and even death for the sake of the gospel of Christ.

They did not realize that they would be the leaders of the infant church that would eventually span the globe and turn the world upside down. They did not realize that they would have a part in the revelation of Holy Scripture. They just knew that Jesus called, so they obeyed.

The same is true of us today. When Jesus calls, and we follow, we do not know what he might be pleased to do in our lives. We do not know where we will serve, or how we will serve, or the cost that following Christ will demand. But when he calls, we obey. They were not attaching themselves to a creed, or a philosophy, or an idea – they were following a person. In Christianity, we are following a person.

This calling took them away from their vocation of fishing and required that they give up everything, even leaving a father behind, a successful career behind – in order to follow Christ. What have you dropped, in order to follow Christ? Has being a disciple of Christ cost you anything? Salvation is free, but being a disciple is not – it costs you everything.

There were no promises of wealth, or good health or even a place to live. There is no promise of power or prestige – only a relationship with Christ. To be His disciple.

In the opening chapters of the book of Matthew, you have Jesus’ birth narrative, his interaction with John the Baptist, then His temptation in the wilderness with Satan. From there Jesus begins His public ministry and the first recorded word of Jesus’ once he officially begins his public ministry is “repent.” The word order in the passage is important because it is the order that we are to follow as Jesus’ disciples. Matthew is holding up a mirror to these first disciples and we are to see if our faith reflects theirs.[5]

Repent, Follow, Faith

Repent – We are to turn from our sins before we can follow Christ. Are we constantly, daily, turning from sin and toward our relationship with Christ?

Follow – Following is to leave things behind, fathers, sisters, mothers, careers, fish, boats, nets, income, a disruption of an ordinary life. Then we have to stay close to Jesus, and constantly gauge how close we are to Him.

Faith – he will call us to do things, to forsake things, to try something. Am I doing what I’m commanded to do – be fishers of men?

Pony Express riders were usually lightweight young men, often teenagers. For this reason, an 1860 Pony Express advertisement in California read: “Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” This ad had an overwhelming turnout of people wanting to ride for the Pony Express. Why? People wanted to be apart of something worthy of risking death daily.

Most of the time church ads go something like – “Come join us for healing, comfort, and a pleasant worship experience.” And once they are there at the church we say “Enjoy the coffee, the show, and a message of inspiration. “Don’t give, go about your lives as normal and we’ll see you again next week if that’s convenient for your schedule.”

Delivering An Eternal Message – Repentance

Notice what Jesus is preaching, Mathew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The word repentance means a change in the mind and action of a person regarding sin. They think differently about sin than before – they act differently than they did before.

Repent means to turn 180 degrees, and go the other direction. In order to follow Christ there must be a change in our lives. For these disciples they dropped their nets and followed.

Repentance also allows us to see the world differently – we see sin differently, yes, but we also begin to see the world as Christ sees the world. When Jesus sees their net, he thinks capturing people. Jesus loves people and is always thinking of how to save them – If there was talk of a harvest, he spoke of a human harvest (John 4:35), If they were talking about a well, then he talked about “living water” (John 4:10). Where other people saw buildings, laws, battles, Jesus was always thinking about his brothers and sisters. To be a fisher of men, is to have the mind of Christ – to think of how others may be saved.[6]

It says “is near” – what’s near, what’s about to happen? The kingdom of heaven is stepping into human history in a way that it never has before – so much so, that it announces and begins a new epoch in human history. We must turn from our sin, because if we don’t we will miss a God who stepped into human history.

He is providing through Jesus the promise of salvation. These disciples are promised nothing but salvation, and a commission to show others how to have this salvation.

Two men get on a plane, one man is given a parachute and promised that the parachute will make his flight more comfortable. He puts it on and as he makes his way down the center aisle, people begin to snicker at him. When he sits down it is very uncomfortable, and he can’t even put his tray table down. People continue to look at him, and after a while he takes it off and puts in under the seat, hoping that people will forget he even had it on.

Another man gets on the plane, but he is given the parachute and information that the plane is going to crash before they reach their destination. He still hears the snickers, endures being uncomfortable from sitting on it, and he clutches the pull pin tightly.

He could care less about what people thought about him or the parachute – because when the plane goes down, he would be safe. Salvation is not about our lives getting easier, or joyous – it is about not going to hell. Is the parachute enough? It is when you realize that it will save you from death. What if you had an extra parachute – would you give it to anyone? Would you ask if anyone wanted it?

Jesus’ preaching is summarized in this one sentence “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Turn from your sin, or you will miss the only way to have eternal life – you will miss the only person on the plane who is handing out parachutes.

Discovering the Depth of Discipleship – Everything

“Immediately they left their nets” and “Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” These were fishermen who would have reeked from being out all-night fishing, hauling the fish in, and cleaning them.

They are mending nets. Jesus did not ask them to go home and get cleaned up, he did not tell them to go home and say goodbye, He did not tell them to change in any way than they were right that moment – stinky and tired. “Follow me”

This is a command, not a request. Jesus does not say, “Please consider being my disciple in your spare time and when you get a chance, please come by and see, perhaps when you are finished with your work here we can talk.” – no, God in the flesh looked these men in the eye and said “I have a plan for your life, let’s go – right now.” There was a sense of urgency.

Jesus said “Follow Me” – It was a call to relationship, to know him as Redeemer and Lord. It was a call to learn of him, to listen to what he taught, to observe the details of his life, to receive rebuke and instruction from him.

It was a call to evaluate the darkness and sinfulness of their own hearts in light of the purity and holiness of Christ’s. It was a call to love Christ more than any earthly treasure, to find him as the pearl of great price that consumes the mind, the hidden treasure that one sells all that he has to buy (Matt 13:44-46). It was a call to walk with Christ, talk with him, and if need be, die for him. To Follow Christ – would cost them all that they had, even their lives.

Later while they are discussing salvation, and the future, Peter says in Matthew 19:27 “See, we have left everythingand followed you. What then will we have?”

Those that Jesus calls to be His disciples, he says “I will make you fishers of men.” You can not teach yourself to become a fisher of men. Jesus alone will make you one. This requires a dependence upon Him, and a growing relationship.

Just as Jesus called fishermen who gather fish from the sea, so disciple’s of Christ would gather men, women and children to radical obedience in Christ. Walking away from everything in order to be a disciple.

Jesus explains this radical obedience in Luke 14:25-30 “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” Consider what it costs and what is required of a follower of Christ – you will be fishers of men.[7]

The call of Christ is the same today. It is not that we quit our jobs or leave our families to pursue gospel ministry. While He does call men and families to do this — Instead wherever the Lord places us we are to fish for men.

Spurgeon comments, “The winds of providence will waft you where you can fish for men” [MTP, vol. 32, 344]. God moves upon our lives, placing us in strategic locations and settings so that we might, as followers of Christ, become fishers of men.

If you were to drive up to your home, knowing that your family was trapped in the roaring flames inside. Then you look and you see the large red fire engine, with all the fire fighting apparatus, ladders, axes, hose, gauges, and picks, etc.. and the firemen were feverishly shining the chrome, washing the tires, and neatly folding the firefighter jackets. Some were even huddled in the cab complaining at how cold it was outside. What would you think about this fire fighting unit? Fire fighters fight fires!

Disciples of Christ “will be” fishers of men no matter wherever your’ fishing hole may be.

Conclusion

I think that it is interesting that these men are fishermen and when Jesus comes to call them to discipleship, they are doing what fishermen do, they were beside the shore, they were casting nets, mending nests, they were in a boat. When Jesus comes to collect us to heaven, let him find us doing what Christians do being fishers – fishing for men.

One of the most powerful outreach tools that our Father has given us is prayer. We are on day 21 on our 40 Days of Prayer Challenge– Begin to pray and focus on who you can invite for August 15^th. And re-read today’s passage again and again until you understand that you are a “fisher of men.”

The other night I was watching how Navy Seal train new recruits. The training itself is grueling and painful. Only a few make it through the whole process. One of the ways they train is to take a rubber boat fill it with water and require that six men to eight men hold it above their heads. Eventually there will be one guy, because he is tired, who will not really push as hard as he can, expecting the other guys to hold their weight, plus his weight. In the church there are many people who are expecting others to hold the weight. Don’t be “that guy.” Let’s go fishing with out Father.

This morning if you have never received Christ, He is calling you to Him just as you are. There is absolutely no need to clean yourself up – just follow Him. Lay your life down and follow Him. But consider that that you must give up the sin, repent, and follow Him with a radical obedience.

“Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins, I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.” In Jesus’ Name.

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[1] John A Broadus, An American Commentary of the New Testament, Matthew (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1886) 75.

[2] Craig Blomberg, The New American Commentary, Matthew (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1992) 90.

[3] Halford Luccock, The Interpreter’s Bible, Matthew (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1980) 276.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Matthew, All Authority in Heaven and on Earth (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2013), 95.

[6] Luccock, 277.

[7] In the Old Testament the concept of fishers of men has a judgmental tone, such as in Jeremiah 16:16 “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the LORD, and they shall catch them.” Luccock

Matthew 26 36-46 Sermon

This is the message I preached in view of a call to Bellevue Baptist, Nashville TN. 3/21/2021

Beyond the Tomb: You Have a Prayer
Matthew 26:36-46
Introduction
My junior year of High School I ran for student body president. I got up the morning of the elections, put on a suit (I even had a handkerchief stuffed in my pocket.) I put some product in my hair, and I shined my shoes. The time came for me to give my speech; I walked to the podium and looked out over the hundreds of faces. I would like to say that I rocked the house, that I had them cheering, that I even won the election but — the bright lights of the auditorium were hot, and my mind went completely blank. I have no idea what to say. You see, I was supposed to prepare a speech, but I thought I could wing it. I looked good on the outside, but when the pressure came, I crumbled like a solo cup.
We know Christ rose from the dead, it is the foundation of Christianity – but what does it mean for our lives? How are our lives different beyond the tomb, beyond the resurrection? Christ has left us with a life mission, and it is only in following His example and in His strength that we can accomplish it, and hold up when the pressure comes.

I. Beyond the Tomb, We Can Be With Christ (vv. 36-37)
“36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.”

The setting is midnight on Thursday of the last week of Jesus’s life. His few years of his ministry are complete. It is now the Passover in Jerusalem in the year A.D. 33. On Saturday He arrived in Bethany to stay with His friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. On Sunday crowds came to Bethany to hear Him teach. On Monday He rode into the city of Jerusalem to the hosannas and praises of the people, who proclaimed Him as their Messiah.

On Tuesday He cleansed the Temple. On Wednesday He entered the Temple and both taught the people and rebuked the religious leaders. On Wednesday evening He ascended the Mount of Olives and taught the disciples about His Second Coming. On Thursday Peter and John made preparations for the Passover, and that evening Christ and His disciples ate the Passover meal.

The time is now near midnight. Christ and the disciples had finished the meal, sung the final hymn, and left the upper room. They passed through the city of Jerusalem and out the Eastern gate just north of the Temple, descended the slope of the Temple mount, crossed the Kidron brook, and ascended the Mount of Olives.

They stopped for a brief time on a slope of the Mount of Olives where the Lord warned the disciples about their impending defection. Finally they had arrived at the garden of Gethsemane. Here, in a short time, Jesus would be taken prisoner. But before that, Christ interceded with the Father. The Lord used that time of prayer to instruct His disciples and us how to deal with severe temptation.

The garden of Gethsemane was a familiar place to Christ and the disciples. John 18:2 tells us they often went there. It was private–secluded from the bustle of the crowds in the city. Christ could go there to spend the night in prayer to His Father or instruct His disciples.

When they reached the garden, somewhere near the top on the gentle slopes of the Mount of Olives, Christ told His disciples, ” Sit here while I go over there and pray ” (v. 37). Most likely, the garden was fenced or walled in, and Christ probably positioned the disciples just inside the entrance.

The disciples knew what was about to happen. Previously Jesus had told them it was time for Him to die: “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” (Matt. 26:2). In verse 31 He tells them, “Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “’I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

With such a significant crisis before them, they should have taken the opportunity to pray. When Christ said He was going to pray, the disciples should have followed His lead.

Christ had a good reason for asking the disciples to stay at the entrance of the garden–He needed some seclusion. With the disciples guarding the entrance, He could be assured His time with the Father would not be interrupted. So He set the disciples like a watch to guard Him, but also to pray.

II. Beyond the Tomb, We Can Pray With Christ (vv. 38-41)
38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41″Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

There is no indication that they even uttered a breath of prayer. They had heard Christ’s prediction, but they existed in an arena of smug self-confidence. They perceived themselves as invincible, confusing their good intentions for power. That was foolish. As a result, they didn’t pray as the Lord went on.

Jesus told them He was going to pray. The Greek word Matthew used is proseuchomai, an intense word always used of praying to God, as opposed to euchomai, which can refer to begging or requesting something from someone. Christ was going to pour out His heart to God.

The three disciples were sleeping at the moment of the greatest spiritual conflict in the history of the world. Jesus left some disciples to guard the gate, and he chose three to be “within a stone’s throw from where He was praying.”

Jesus chose Peter, James, and John to be with him, to be close to Him when, other than the cross, he was under the most anguish. He wanted friends close by, Jesus needed to talk to His Father – but they slept.

Christ’s anticipation of the cross brought terror, pain, and sorrow. The Greek word translated “sorrowful” means “deep sadness” in this context. According to one commentator the word translated “very depressed” (ad[ma]emone[ma]o) probably means by derivation “to be away from home” Home is where comfortable things are. Home is where you belong, where your family is, where love is, where you’re at ease and feel accepted. Jesus was away from home.

He was isolated in conflict with hell. Such a conflict was deeply depressing. Psalm 42:7 is a Messianic psalm that contains a description of this experience: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” Desolate loneliness and sorrow caused Christ to be deeply depressed.

The Greek word translated “exceedingly sorrowful” is perilupos, which means “to be surrounded by sorrow.” He was engulfed in sadness. Jesus said His soul–His inner being–was drowning in sorrow to the point of death. His sorrow was enough to kill Him.

It is possible for a man to die from sheer anguish. The capillaries can burst, and that happened to Christ. As He began to sweat in His agony, His perspiration mingled with the blood escaping through His sweat glands (Luke 22:44), a condition known as hematidrosis.

Christ could have died from His anguish right there in the garden if God had not sent an angel to strengthen Him (v. 43). When He was crucified, Christ died very fast, so fast the soldiers didn’t have to break His legs. His anguish was so severe that death was imminent.

Christ’s anguish on the cross cannot be isolated–His entire life was full of sorrow. So He retreated to the Father, saying to the disciples, “Stay here and keep watch with me ” (Matt. 26:38). Obviously, Christ wanted them to pray with Him. They should have because He warned them about what was coming.

“he asked Peter. 41″Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” It would be Peter in a few moments who would grab a two-handed sword and cut off an ear of a soldier who was trying to arrest Christ. Why? Because he slept when he should have been praying. It was Peter who would deny Jesus three times – even though he had said “not me, never.” Why? Because he slept when he should have been praying.

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). That is a prayer of resolution and resignation to the will of God. When Christ says, “If it be possible,” He was not asking God if He had the power to let the cup pass from Him, but He was asking if it were possible within the plan of God. Was it morally possible–was it consistent with God’s plan to save sinners–to let Christ redeem sinners in another way?

Christ did not try to avoid God’s redemptive work, but the degree of such agony led Him to ask if there were another way to accomplish it. Christ would endure the fury of God over sin, Satan, the power of death, and the guilt of iniquity. Our Lord desired to avoid that part of God’s plan if there were another way.

The natural thing for the disciples to do after midnight was sleep. After all, they were weary from a busy week of activity. Additionally, they recently had eaten a huge meal – all eleven had consumed an entire sacrificial lamb and everything that went with it, including unleavened bread and four cups of wine.

Then they had just completed a long walk and a hard hike up the Mount of Olives. I’m sure they felt weary just from that. Luke adds that they also were sleepy because of sorrow (Luke 22:45). Jesus is asking them to do the difficult thing – to walk the extra mile with him (Matthew 5:41).

III. Beyond the Tomb, We Can Serve With Christ (vv. 42-46)
42He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

The intensity of Jesus’ struggle brought out the best in Him because He approached it correctly. But it brought out the worst in the disciples because they approached it incorrectly, even though their trial was infinitely less severe than His.

“Are you still sleeping and resting?” Jesus comes back and asks them, even though I have told you that I am going to be crucified, even though you know that I am in great anguish, even though you know that a great spiritual battle is going on all around you – you still sleep and rest?

Indifferent to the needs of Christ and the power of the enemy, the disciples were about to be totally overwhelmed by the circumstances and forsake Christ (v. 56). They would never pass the temptation. They would fall into sin and reject Christ. At the moment of crisis, they would run away.

They weren’t ready. Our Lord’s last lesson is clear: victory belongs to those who are alert in all spiritual battles–those who have recognized their weaknesses. The disciples were foolish, believing they would never be rejected because of Christ, and claiming they were prepared to go to prison or die before denying Him. Victory isn’t won by those who sleep when the battle is immanent, but to those who are vigilant.

“Rise, let us go!” Christ was not encouraging the disciples to flee with Him. The Greek word translated “going” is a military term meaning “to go forward,” as in going to meet an advancing enemy. Jesus was strengthened. He was victorious. Now He was ready to confront His captors – they didn’t have to find Him. He was going to them.

After His first session of prayer, Jesus said to Peter, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” (v. 40). Then He gave the principle I believe He was intending to teach them.

Solid Principles for Staying Awake
1. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” They were not to let their self-confidence lull them to sleep. The way to avoid temptation is to stay alert to it – to be aware of Satan’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11) – and then to go to the Father in prayer.

2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” You go to God for deliverance. The scout for the army doesn’t engage in battle with the enemy once he finds them; that would be foolish. Instead, he returns to tell the commander what he’s learned, and then the commander leads the troops into battle. No Christian can be victorious in fighting Satan by himself; he must report to the Commander. Jesus Himself sought out our heavenly Father for divine strength.

2. “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” Christians love God and desire to do what is right. No doubt, Peter, James, and John loved the Savior and wanted to do what was right. I’m sure the other eight disciples also wanted to do what was right, but they were weak.

I’m sure Peter suffered greatly over his denial because that was the last thing he wanted to do (Matt. 26:33, 35). In 1 Peter 5:8 he says, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Peter learned that lesson right in the garden of Gethsemane. He could teach that with conviction because Satan devoured all the disciples on the night the Lord needed them the most. They didn’t want to abandon the Lord, but they did.

Conclusion
Whereas the disciples’ confidence led to sleep, Christ’s humility led to prayer. But after the temptation came Christ’s obedience to the will of God. And that was followed by victory.

You have a choice. You can either be self-confident and end up in disaster, or you can be humble, fall on your knees before God in prayer for strength, and then commit yourself to God’s will in the midst of temptation. The latter is the only way to victory.