Matthew 11:20-24

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Jesus makes a couple of interesting statements about these unrepentant cities who won’t change. They are being denounced “because they did not repent”. Remember that repent is metanoeo, which means change the way your think. It does not mean feel about what what you do and turn from your ways. It means change your thinking. Jesus was pointing out that these cities would not change the way they think.

What ways of thinking did they not change? It’s not really clear, but Jesus did say that “mighty works” had been done in those cities and their thinking didn’t change. When Jesus does mighty works, it’s to demonstrate that the kingdom of God was at hand. The Gospel was being demonstrated to them through these mighty works, but they still chose to reject Christ.

When Jesus talks about these cities, comparing Chorazin and Bethsaida to Tyre and Sidon, he said “it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.” And the same with Capernaum and Sodom. “More tolerable on the day of judgement.”

What is that judgement and why will it be more bearable? I don’t have all the answers, my here’s my speculation. Those cities before Christ (Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom) did not reject Christ. They rejected God’s law. Christ is the payment for all sin, and these new cities are rejecting their payment for sin, which means they will face a very serious judgement. The other, pre-Christ, cities will face a different judgement. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s different. It’s before there was any payment for sin.

Matthew 11:27

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

This incredible symbiotic relationship between the Father and Son is really amazing. No one knows the Son except the Father. No one knows the Father, except the Son and anyone whom the son reveals him to.

Did you hear the incredible grace in that? Knowing the Father doesn’t require a bunch of work. While prayer, fasting, Bible study, and all those things are good, they don’t reveal the Father to you. Jesus reveals the Father to you. It’s all about him, not what you do. He is doing all the work for you. That is incredible grace!

Matthew 10:1

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

This is interesting to me because the disciples were given authority to cast out unclean spirits and heal every disease and affliction. And, this was all done under the Law. The authority came not from their keeping of the Law, but from Jesus who was the perfect keeper of the Law.

It makes me think about a law officer today. Not anyone can just go out and be an officer. I can’t just decide today that I will go pull people over and give them tickets. I have no authority to do that. Legal authority must come from the US government, the state of Colorado, Travis county or the city of Dallas. The governing authority are the only ones who can grant legal authority to individuals.

Christ, because of his ability to keep the Law, he was able to grant authority to whomever he wanted, so he gave his disciples authority over every unclean spirit and sickness.

Matthew 10:32-33

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

I believe this is the salvation. This is the all that’s required. Deny or reject Christ, and you are forever separated from God. Receive and accept Christ, and you are forever married to God. It’s not what you do, it’s what you believe.

Matthew 10:37-39

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

It’s all about whom do you trust. If you trust in your mom, your dad, your children to save you, you are not worthy of Christ. If you do not take up your cross (dying to your own attempts to save yourself), you are not worthy of Christ.

Jesus sums it up best in this last line. If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But, if you lose your life for his sake, you will find it. True, eternal life is defined by what you trust in. You cannot trust in yourself, your ability, your efforts to please God. If you do, you will lose your life. True, abundant, eternal life comes from losing your life, never trusting in your ability to save yourself through your own efforts and abilities.

Matthew 9:1

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

It’s interesting to me that Jesus associates faith with forgiveness. Jesus “saw their faith” and declared that his sins were forgiven.

I think it’s key to see here that forgiveness of sins happens through faith. It happens when we believe, not when we do something or obey certain rules. It happens through faith.

Matthew 9:10

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

I love this picture of Jesus. Surrounded by him were sinners. Think about it for a moment–what was it about Jesus that drew these sinful people to him? They were obviously filled with shame and guilt for their sins. Maybe even some of them were hardened in their hearts because of sin. Yet, they constantly wanted to be around him. They were drawn to him. Why?

I believe sinners were drawn to Christ because of his grace. He exuded grace. It flavored everything he did and said. There was no shame in his eyes, in his body language, in his words. He just loved people for who they were, caring for them deeply. He knew sin was destructive, but he knew they were wounded, broken, shamed people who needed an answer that “religion” was not giving them. So, people were drawn to him. Sinners wanted to be around him. They longed for those days that Jesus would come to their city and spend time with them.

This is my challenge to myself–do sinners enjoy hanging out with me? Do I speak shame with my body language, with my eyes, with my actions or with my words? I hope not. I want to love sinners as Christ loved them. And not just those superficial “Christian sins” like watching rated R movies and eating too much. I want to love sinners, those people crippled and bound by sin.

Matthew 9:11-13

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

When the religious people complained that he was hanging out with sinners, their religion couldn’t be silent. They had to complain, “Why does your teacher eat with sinners?” Funny how religion does that.

I love the irony of Jesus’ words, “Those how are well have no need of a physician…” If anyone needed Christ, it was the religious people. They were sicker than the sinners because of their expectations and condemnation of others. They could not receive grace. They had to do stuff to please God.

Jesus told them to go learn what this means, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice”. That word mercy can also be translated compassion. Jesus did not call the people to sacrifice. Sacrifice is doing things as required by the law, for your relationship with God. But mercy and compassion are about people, for your relationship with others.

Religion often focuses on what we can do for God, and mercy focuses on what we can do for people. A church that rejects a homosexual from attending is more focused on ‘sacrifice’ than ‘mercy’. A church that excommunicates a member who is getting a divorce is more focused on ‘sacrifice’ than ‘compassion’. And, even if ‘sinners’ are allowed in church, they are often rejected by the attitude of its members. It’s really sad. God has called us to love people, and we should love them as God loves us.

Matthew 9:16-17

No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.

I’ve heard commentators say that this scripture is comparing the old covenant (old garment and wineskins) with the new (unshrunk cloth and new wineskins). I can see where they get that, but it seems odd being right in the middle of a comment on fasting. Maybe the comparison is with the bridegroom, and trying to compare this presence with the presence of the religious people around him.

Matthew 8:4

And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

This scripture is interesting because I’ve been saying previously that while Matthew starts in the New Testament, it really takes place under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant goes into effect once Jesus dies and comes back to life. Then, everything changes. Grace is in effect. But, until then, Jesus had to command those around him to continue living in the Law until the “better covenant” was made active.

This example of the leper who is healed is great example of how Jesus told others to keep doing what they are supposed to be doing as required by the Law. Once this leper was healed, Jesus commanded him to “go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” Essentially, he was saying, prove to them that you were healed by properly presenting the gift that the Law required of you.

Matthew 8:10-12

When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This story of the centurion is really incredible because Jesus marvels at his response. What amazes God? This centurion’s faith amazed God. Why is that?

Immediately after marveling at this centurion’s faith, he makes a comment about those who will be reclining at the table in the kingdom of heaven. It’ll be people coming from the east and the west. It’ll be people from all around the world, like this centurion. And, those who think they are automatically accepted into heaven, the “sons of the kingdom” will be cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The “sons of the kingdom” are those religious people who think they are automatically received into heaven because they follow all the rules, but their hearts don’t believe.

The centurion was a Gentile, a man who was not under the Law nor bound by any requirements of the Law. He did not follow Jewish custom or abide by their rules. He simple came to Jesus, asked him for help and then believed it would be done. “Just say the word…” I think that is why Jesus was amazed at this man’s faith. This Roman Centurion was under grace and simply believed not based on any of his own ability, or his keeping of the Law.

It takes great faith to believe in Christ and not put your trust in your ability to follow rules and “do good”. The people who will be reclining at the table of God in heaven will be those who believed, not those who obeyed.

Matthew 8:28-29

And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

This peak into the spiritual world is quite interesting. These demonized men saw something in Jesus that the others around him could not see. He was the son of God and had incredible authority, so much so, that the demons cried out, “Have you come here to torment us before the time?” What authority did Jesus carry that they would cry out in fear? What torment does Jesus bring to them?

How does this apply to grace? I’m not sure, but I thought it was interesting.

Matthew 7:12

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s the golden rule. It’s what so many people teach and preach in church today. And, it’s interesting that everyone only quotes the first part of verse and leave off the last half which says, “for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

It feels like Jesus spent all of chapter 6 talking about these things that we should do and things we shouldn’t do, and how it relates to people and to God. Giving, praying, fasting, and forgiveness and then sums up these principles with the statement. “Treat others as you want to be treated. That’s the Law.”

What’s interesting is how he moves right into the next verse…

Matthew 7:13-14

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Jesus was speaking to those under the Law who were required to enter this narrow gate of life that comes through following the Law. His command, “Enter by the narrow gate” was spoken to those around him that were living in the Old Covenant.

He continues to explain how hard this “narrow gate” of the Law really was. The way was hard. It’s hard to keep all aspects of the law. It’s actually impossible, but there are few who find it. Salvation under “the Law and Prophets” is rare, few people find it.

Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

This is an amazing scripture. People will think they are headed to heaven, but they will get there and cry out, “Lord, Lord!” but Jesus will respond, “I never knew you.” The key is the first part of this verse. In it, Jesus talks about how to “enter the kingdom of heaven. It is by doing the will of his Father. What is the will of the Father? We need to know this because it’s what gets us into heaven.

I believe the will of the Father is to believe in Christ for salvation. The Father’s will is not about doing, but about believing. There are numerous scriptures that we’ll get into later, but John 6:28-29 is a great example. The disciples asked him, “Lord, what must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” There is one work of God, for us to believe in Christ. That must be our focus. I believe this is the primary will of God for our life.

Fascinating! I just saw this. These people crying out “Lord, Lord!” in verse 22 were trying to get into heaven by their works, by all the stuff they did for the Lord. By doing. They said, “Did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” In other words, “Weren’t we doing those things for you in your name?” They thought that doing something earned their way into heaven. They wanted Jesus to let them in because of their “mighty works.” Jesus rejected them. They were trying to get into heaven by what they did, not by what Christ did for them. They didn’t believe. The will of the Father is simply this: trust Christ for salvation.

Salvation is about believing, not about doing.