Matthew’s Use of the Old Testament - Part 3

As It Is Written in the Prophets

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Third Discourse: Parables
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Matthew 12:1-8; Exodus 20:8-11, Sabbath breaking or Sabbath making? (11/02/18)

Jesus got a lot of criticism from the Pharisees for "working" on the Sabbath. I recently learned that the first century was a time of tremendous debate about whether even urgent good work (e.g., saving a life) could be performed on the Sabbath, or whether it was forbidden. Jesus routinely came down on the side that said doing good was acceptable and even desirable on the Sabbath. Jews still hold various positions on this topic; most Christians seem to accept that some work is necessary on Sunday. Both Jews and Christians hold synagogue and church staff completely guiltless for work performed on the day of rest.


1 Samuel 21:1-6, 15:22-23; Hosea 6:1-6, Sabbath breaking or Sabbath making? (11/05/18)

Early this year I was running low on ideas for study topics and asked you to send me some. The topic for this study, connecting prophecies in the OT with their fulfillment in the NT, was suggested by fellow-reader Ginger J. Thanks, Ginger!

When Jesus was criticized for allowing his disciples to "work" on the Sabbath by getting something to eat, he asked whether the Pharisees had read two scriptures, one about David eating the holy bread allowed only to the priests, and another saying that God desires mercy, not sacrifice. Today we read those passages, as well as one saying that God prefers obedience to sacrifices.


Matthew 12:9-14; Leviticus 24:1-8; 2 Kings 11:4-8; Isaiah 56:1-2. See also 1 Maccabees 2:29-41, Sabbath breaking or Sabbath making? (11/06/18)

The question about whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath was a serious one. The Law clearly forbids "work." On the other hand, the priests and Levites were lawfully able to do work, e.g, lighting lamps and making sacrifices. The priest Jehoiada set guards to protect King Joash from his grandmother, Queen Athaliah, who had murdered the rest of the family. The prophet Isaiah says, "Keep justice, do righteousness ... blessed is the man who does this ... who keeps the Sabbath," which appears to support the idea that doing something that promotes justice and righteousness on the Sabbath is okay. Jesus rules that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, he didn't, strictly speaking, do anything: the man stretched out his own hand, and it was healed. Even so, the Pharisees accused Jesus of Sabbath breaking, and he accused them of hypocrisy.


Matthew 12:15-21; Isaiah 42:1-4, The Servant of the LORD (11/07/18)

Knowing that the Pharisees were conspiring against him, Jesus left that particular place, but he continued to do exactly what he had been doing. In vs. 16, you see an example of the "Messianic secret," which is treated to a much greater extent in Mark than in Matthew. First-century Jews had a pretty clear idea of what the Messiah would be like: a vigorous and charismatic military leader who would raise an army, throw off the Romans, and put Israel back on the map and in charge of the world. And to be fair, there's a basis for that in scripture.

Jesus chose a different model, also supported by scripture, the model of the servant. Matthew interprets even Jesus' insistence on silence as a fulfillment of scripture. He shows how the prophet Isaiah had foretold exactly this characteristic of the Messiah. Fellow reader Rob B. suggested after Sunday School that it would be interesting to study how Jesus' answer to the question of whether he was the Messiah depended on who was asking.


Matthew 12:22-32; 2 Kings 1:2-3, Power from the LORD or the Lord of the Flies? (11/08/18)

The Hebrew Bible calls the god of Ekron Baal-Zebub, which means Lord of the Flies, and it's probably a contemptuous version of Baal-Zebul, which probably means more like Lord of Princes. (I say probably, because not all sources seem to agree.) Some manuscripts of the Greek New Testament have Baalzebub as well.


Matthew 12:33-41; Jonah 1:14-17, 2:10, The sign of Jonah (11/09/18)

Jesus has been casting out demons, healing the sick, and restoring sight to the blind. He is a little exasperated when the Pharisees ask for a "sign." He promises them a sign, all right, the sign of Jonah. Some people think the sign of Jonah is three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, and there certainly is support for that view in Matthew 12:40.


Matthew 12:42-45; 1 Kings 10:1-10, The Queen of Sheba (11/12/18)

Jesus is still speaking about the evil generation that asks for a sign. He mentioned that the people of Nineveh will condemn this generation, because they repented when Jonah preached to them, but this generation has not repented. Now he says that the queen of Sheba will condemn this generation, because she sought the wisdom of Solomon, but this generation has not sought Jesus' wisdom.

Personally, I pray that God won't give me a sign, because I would probably ignore it, just like the Pharisees. Then I'd really be in trouble!


Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus' family (11/13/18)

Jesus graciously counts each of us as members of his immediate family – when we do the will of the Father. Throughout the Bible, love and obedience are closer than twins.


Matthew 13:1-9, Parable of the Sower (11/14/18)

The Old Testament has a few parables, and there are a few parables in the letters in the New Testament. Most of the parables of the Bible, however, are from Jesus, so they're found in the Gospels. Most parables have a single theological point; the Parable of the Sower is what we would call analogy - everything stands for something, and there's more than one point.


Matthew 13:10-17; Isaiah 6:9-10, 42:18-20, The reason for parables (11/15/18)

You have probably said, "You're not listening!" You didn't mean that the person didn't hear ; you meant that the person wasn't paying attention. (God has always had the same problem with us.) Jesus told a lot of parables, because he knew that most people weren't actually listening for one reason or another. Parables are short and easy to remember, so maybe after his hearers got back home, they would remember the parable and listen to the message.


Matthew 13:18-30, A series of Parables of the Kingdom (11/16/18)

Most parables are not explained, probably because the meaning is so clear that no explanation is needed. Allegories are more difficult, and the disciples didn't understand the Parable of the Sower at all. Jesus explained it to them and us.


Matthew 13:31-35; Psalms 78:1-4, A series of Parables of the Kingdom (11/19/18)

People debate whether these parables of the kingdom are about something that starts out small and gets big, or about something that works silently and in secret until it is revealed. Matthew's interest in them was that prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus' telling of them. Notice that Matthew designates the musician Asaph as a prophet. You never know when you'll say something prophetic.


Matthew 13:36-43; Joel 3:13-15; Daniel 12:3, A series of Parables of the Kingdom (11/20/18)

The disciples had trouble understanding allegories, which are the most complicated kind of parable. Instead of a story with one obvious point, allegories are stories where everything stands for something. Apparently, they didn't want their confusion to show, because Matthew points out that the disciples asked him to explain the allegories after they had left the crowds and gone into the house. After Jesus explains, he refers to two scriptures from the prophets; possibly he was indirectly telling his disciples that they should have understood.


Matthew 13:44-52; Proverbs 2:1-8, A series of Parables of the Kingdom (11/21/18)

We human beings are always searching for hidden treasure. Sunken treasure ships, El Dorado, the Lost Dutchman Mine – I'm sure you can think of others old and new. Jesus and the book of Proverbs say that the kingdom of heaven and the knowledge of God are like hidden treasures that you have to search for. I say that if we spent as much time seeking the kingdom as we spend seeking material treasures, we'd find it.


Matthew 13:53-58; Exodus 3:15, 4:1; Amos 7:10-14, Prophets without honor (11/22/18)

The saying about prophets and honor is apparently not found in the Old Testament, but the problem is. Moses predicted that the people wouldn't listen to him, and quite often they didn't. The leaders of the kingdom of Israel told Amos to go away, even though they recognized that he was a prophet. There are other examples as well.


Matthew 14:1-12; Leviticus 18:16; Deuteronomy 25:5-6, John the Baptist and Herodias (11/23/18)

John railed against Herod because Herod had married his brother's wife while the brother was still living. This was incest, and not to be confused with the obligation of a man to marry his dead brother's childless widow. The first son (probably) or first child (less likely) was counted as the child of the deceased brother for purposes of inheritance and tracking the tribes. Matthew doesn't explain any of this because he expects you to know the Old Testament background.


Matthew 14:13-21; Isaiah 25:6-9, 55:1-5, The Messianic banquet (11/26/18, 11/27/18)

The Feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle reported in all four Gospels. It is not only a miracle, but also a sign that was prophesied. The idea that God will provide a wonderful banquet for the Jews and for all other peoples (Isa. 25:6-7; 55:45) is at least as old as the prophet Isaiah.


Matthew 14:22-36, Walking on the water (11/28/18)

Jesus' walking on the water is unique in the Bible, as far as I know. Neither Matthew nor I can think of a connection with the Old Testament.


Matthew 15:1-9; Exodus 20:12, 21:17; Isaiah 29:11-14; Psalms 78:35-37, Law vs. tradition (11/29/18, 11/30/18)

The Pharisees relied for guidance not only on scripture but also on a large body of tradition. When they accuse Jesus' disciples of going against tradition, he counters by saying that many of their traditions go against the commandments of God. Jesus was quoting from Isaiah when he criticized the Pharisees for substituting their traditions for God's commandments. Asaph the psalmist said the same thing – much earlier than Isaiah, if it's the same Asaph who was a musician in the reign of King David (1 Chronicles 16:2-7).


Matthew 15:10-20; Isaiah 6:1-7, Clean vs. unclean (12/03/18, 12/04/18)

Now, you remember from our study of the Law that Moses had a lot to say about clean vs. unclean. You remember from other studies that "clean" means "ritually acceptable," and "unclean" means "ritually unacceptable." Jesus says it's cleanness of your heart that matters to God. Since Jesus said that it is what comes out of our mouths that defile us, it's interesting that when Isaiah the prophet comes into the presence of God, he says, "I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips." Apparently, Jesus and Isaiah were on the same page.


Matthew 15:21-31, A number of cures (12/05/18)

Kuon /dog occurs 33 times in the Greek Old Testament and 5 time in the New Testament, and they range from unattractive to evil. Kunarion /doggy or puppy occurs only 4 times, here in this story in Matthew and Mark. I really appreciate that the International Standard Version has "puppies," because it shows us a picture that is not so harsh as it is often assumed to be.


Matthew 15:32-39; Joel 2:21-27, The second Messianic banquet (12/06/18)

The only miracle reported in all four Gospels is the Feeding of the 5000. Matthew alone tells us about the Feeding of the 4000, which leads some people to think Matthew just reported the same thing twice. Really? He changed a bunch of details and put the same story in twice? I don't believe that. Mark, Luke, and John each reported other miracles unique to their own Gospels, and nobody seems to think twice about those.


Matthew 16:1-4; Jonah 3:1-10, The second request for a sign (12/07/18)

On November 9, we learned that some people think the "sign of Jonah" is three days and nights in the belly of the fish. Other people think the sign is preaching, repentance, and forgiveness, and there's scriptural support for that idea, too.


Matthew 16:5-12; Exodus 12:14-20; Leviticus 2:11, 6:16-17, The danger of leaven (12/10/18, 12/11/18)

Did you know that you can make a sourdough starter just by letting a flour/water mixture sit around in the open for a while? Yeast is everywhere, but the children of Israel left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread didn't have time to rise, and consequently Jews celebrating the festival of Passover use no yeast whatsoever for seven days. The grain offerings established in Leviticus also must be without yeast. The Jews used yeast in their bread, of course, but not during Passover or in certain offerings. In these cases, yeast was considered to be a contaminant. When Jesus warned the disciples against the "yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees," he expected them to understand that he was talking about their contaminated ideas, not bread. They didn't get it. It says quite a bit about Jesus' attitude toward Pharisees and scribes that he compared their teachings to yeast.


Matthew 16:13-20; Daniel 7:9-14, The Son of Man (12/12/18, 12/13/18)

"The Son of Man" occurs 83 times in the New Testament, and all but three of those are Jesus speaking of himself. We might well ask, along with the crowd in John 12:34, "Who is this Son of Man?" In late Old Testament times, and even more so in the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, "the Son of Man" came to designate a mysterious figure of great power and majesty. On the other hand, it didn't have all the raise-an-army-and-overthrow-the-government overtones that "Messiah" had developed in the same time period. Maybe this is why Jesus preferred it for a title to call himself by.


Matthew 16:21-23; Isaiah 53:1-5, Suffering (12/14/18)

God's ways are not always what we think they should be. Maybe we should think again.


Matthew 17:1-8; Exodus 34:27-35, The transfiguration (12/17/18; 12/18/18)

I'm like Peter: when something wonderful happens that I don't understand, I think I should talk. God says I should listen.

When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light," but apparently the effect went away when Jesus returned to his disciples. When Moses talked to God, only his face shone, but it lasted longer.


Matthew 17:9-13, Elijah has come (12/19/18)

God had said through the prophet Malachi, "See, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the day of the Lord comes" (Malachi 4:5), which is no doubt why the scribes said that Elijah would come before the Messiah. We've talked about Elijah before.


Matthew 17:14-23, Healing requires faith (12/20/18)

Once in a great while in the Bible, we see healing without faith (e.g., Mark 6:5-6), but in most cases both the ill person (or a representative) and the healer must have faith.


Matthew 17:24-27; Exodus 30:11-16, The Temple tax (12/21/18; 12/24/18)

The half shekel was first used to support the Tent of the Tabernacle, and later to support the Temple. Every adult male paid exactly the same amount, because every life is equal in the eyes of God. We don't have enough background for this story to know why the tax collectors thought Jesus might not pay the tax. Even though Jesus himself thought he shouldn't have to pay, he did anyway. Try not to give offense to people, especially in small matters.


Isaiah 9:6-7, Unto us a son is born! Merry Christmas! (12/25/18)

No matter how – or even whether – you celebrate Christmas, try to remember why we celebrate: God is determined to give us right and justice through the birth of a child.


Matthew 18:1-5; Psalms 131:1-3, Who is the greatest? (12/26/18)

Trust and humility are easy for children and hard for adults. Jesus and the psalmist both say we need to be more childlike.


Matthew 18:6-10, On leading others astray (12/27/18)

Bad things are bound to happen to us, but that is no excuse for the person who makes them happen. It's also no excuse for losing our faith, because it is never God who causes us trouble.

The Good News translation of the Greek word skandalizo is a little different from what's in my head (which is usually the King James Version), so I looked up not only the word itself but various translations of it. The translations seem to fall into three groups:
  • to offend, in the ordinary send of giving offense,
  • to lead into sin, and
  • to cause to lose faith.
And sure enough, the Greek word can mean any or all of those. So the moral is, don't offend, entice to sin, or undermine faith, and read more than one translation.


Proverbs 1:10-19, On leading others astray (12/28/18)

Jesus said, "How terrible for the one" who entices a child to sin or to lose faith, and he went on to say that as adults we should ruthlessly get rid of anything in our life that causes us to sin or lose faith. The writer of Proverbs 1 says that this is especially true in choosing our acquaintances. Now, as a rule of thumb, you are going to be like the people you spend time with – and so is everybody else. Are you strong enough in the Lord to influence someone for good, or is that someone going to influence you for evil? If you can't be strong for good, "don't go with people like that. Stay away from them."


Matthew 18:12-14; Ezekiel 34:11-16, Lost sheep (12/31/18)

Jesus frequently used "sheep" as an image of the people of Israel (e.g., Matthew 10:6), people in general (e.g., Mark 6:34), or his own close followers (e.g., e.g., John 10:26). He used "shepherd" as an image of a faithful caretaker (e.g., John 10:2) or of himself personally (John 10:14). The idea of sheep as God's people and God himself as the shepherd is straight out of the prophets. (The idea of bad rulers as really bad shepherds of God's sheep is also straight out of the prophets; e.g., Ezekiel 34:1-10).


Matthew 18:15-20; Deuteronomy 19:15-19, How to correct a fellow Christian (01/01/19)

If you are having trouble with a fellow church member, there's a process for working it out. Jesus' process is similar to the one given by Moses, in that it requires witnesses, involvement of the church, and consequences. Now, I have something to add as well. Note especially that gossip is not part of the process! And remember that if you are having trouble with your fellow church member, it's probably also true that your fellow church member is having trouble with you. The process works both ways, so always try to work things out privately before discovering publicly that you are the problem.

Matthew 18:21-35; Genesis 4:13-15, 23-24, Forgiveness vs. vengeance (01/02/19)

There are special numbers that may or may not mean their actual numerical value. A person may really be 39 years old, or an older person may be "39 and holding," that is, refusing to admit to a greater age. Thirteen may be the number of donuts in a baker's dozen, or it may be a sign of bad luck. Seven and seventy-seven are two such numbers from the Bible. Seven, especially, may mean six plus one, or – possibly more often – it may mean the perfect number of times.


More of As It Is Written in the Prophets
Introduction; Matthew Chs. 1-4
First and Second Discourses, Narratives, Matthew Chs. 1-11
Third and Fourth Discourses, Narratives, Matthew Chs. 12-18
Narrative, Matthew Chs. 19-22
Fifth and Final Discourse, Narrative, Matthew Chs. 23-28

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