Matthew 16:15-17

[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

Peter answered correctly. When Jesus asked him, “Who do you say I am?” Peter correctly said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus knew that something different than just head knowledge gave Peter that revelation. “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” It was God the Father who gave Peter the revelation of who Christ really was.

I believe it’s the same with grace. Since grace comes through Christ, we need a revelation of grace and I believe that revelation can only come from the Father. We can study it and learn it, but why is that so many people miss this message of grace? So few people truly understand the finished work of Christ.

I think there’s a maturity that’s needed to walk out this life of grace. Someone immature trying to live true grace could be very dangerous. There would be no true understanding of consequences. The Law has very real consequences–life and death consequences. I wonder if God reveals the depth of his grace to those prepared to receive it. Maybe flesh and blood alone cannot reveal the true finished work of Christ. Maybe like Peter that day, it comes through a revelation given to us by the Father.

Matthew 16:27

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Sorting through this scripture is one the reasons why I started this grace journey through the New Testament. I’ve read verses like this for years that when Jesus comes back, everyone will be “repaid” according to what he has done. Judgement day!

This can feel fearful. What about all those mistakes and sins I committed? When he “repay” me for those mess ups? That’s what is often taught from the pulpit. “Therefore, you better get right with God!” Sound familiar?

The first question is who is he speaking with? Believers or non-believers? It sure looks like he’s talking about “each person”. Will everyone will be repaid for what he has done? Will our actions be judged? Will our mistakes be reviewed by Christ?

I decided to look up the original Greek word that was translated repay here. Repay sounds negative, like a mafia boss coming to repay you. But, that’s not the word. In fact, the Greek word used here, apodidomi, is translated reward in the KJV of the Bible. This Greek word could be used as reward instead of repay. In Matthew 6:4, it’s translated reward. “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Is it possible that when Jesus comes back to earth, that he is bringing with him our reward for what we’ve done? Are there any works involved on our part?

Looking deeper into this phrase “according to his works”, it literally means according to the deeds we practice. The Greek word here is praxis, and it means the deeds and work that we practice habitually. The deeds of our lives are our praxis. We will be rewarded according to our praxis.

It looks like there is going to be a reward for the deeds we continually practice while here on earth.

Is there a reward for the things we do while in the body? Or is Christ alone our reward?

Good question.

Matthew 15:1-3

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?”

I really like this dialogue and especially Jesus’ response. They said to him, “What do you break our traditions?” And Jesus answered them with a question, “Why do you break God’s commands with your traditions?” What a great response!

This really is the key message of Christ–stop relying on your traditions to make you right with God and get to know God’s true righteousness. It’s the message of grace!

In verse 8, he sums up this dialogue using a prophecy from Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

I think Jesus hated religion–those man-made traditions that people came to rely on for their relationship with God. Just pray this way, or give this amount, or do these things, and God will be pleased. It’s not the way to true righteousness. People can say and even do those things to appear holy, but it’s really all about the heart.

It’s not what you do–it’s what you believe.

Matthew 15:19-20

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.

What defiles a person? It’s not eating with unwashed hands. In other words, it’s not the things you do outwardly, but it’s the matters of the heart.

The message of grace is laid on the foundation that religion can’t save you. Before you can truly understand grace, you have to understand that the Law will not save you. Following rules was never God’s intention. God gave the Law, because the people wanted it, not because God wanted it. God’s desire is that we live feeding from the “tree of life”, not the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. Grace says that he alone is our one and only source. Nothing else will satisfy. Nothing.

Do you feel better about yourself when you do good and avoid evil? You shouldn’t. It just means you’re feeding from the wrong tree. You should feel better about yourself because Christ gives you life! He is our righteousness! He is what makes us holy and right with God, and it has nothing to do with our actions, decisions, or abilities.

Apart from him, we can do nothing.

Mathew 15:21-28

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus was amazed at her faith. “Great is your faith!” he exclaimed. What is that she did to receive such acknowledgement? What is it that made her faith great?

I’ve heard some teachings saying it was her persistence, that Jesus was testing her perseverance. That’s why he first ignored her and then told her that healing was for the Jews only. But, she persevered. And, there may be some truth to that, but in that understanding, the weight of healing was on her, not on Christ. The perseverance she had was to persevere towards Christ, not towards healing.

But, I think the key really is in the first paragraph. She was a Canaanite woman. She was not a Jew. She did not follow the Law. She was a Gentile. She came to Jesus seeking healing not based on her own abilities, her own rule-keeping nor her own righteousness. She came to Christ simply believing that he held the power to bring healing to her daughter. She believed in him, not in her ability.

The only two times Jesus calls people’s faith “great” is to two non-Jews, people not under the requirements of the Law. It takes great faith to believe in Christ and Christ alone.

Matthew 14:14

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

The grace message is subtle, but you can hear it in this verse. Jesus had compassion on the people and healed their sick. In a previous verse (Matthew 8:16), it says he healed all who were sick.

Even has Jesus was fulfilling the Law, he didn’t require a person to be living perfectly under the Law for them to be healed. He didn’t go around and look for people who were walking in perfect obedience to the Law. That would have been impossible. Rather, he healed all that were sick because he had compassion on them.

Because of compassion, grace reaches through the Law to touch those in need.

Matthew 14:34

And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Again, people in need were drawn to him for healing. And, as many touched the fringe of his garment, they were made well. Healing came to everyone who sought it. Healing was not a result of their obedience to the Law, but rather, their faith or belief in Christ’s ability to bring healing to them.

Matthew 13:14-15

Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.”

I think in many ways, this is the message of grace today. Many people hear, but never understand. They see it, but don’t perceive it. It feels too good to be true. It seems like the easy way out. I understand this prophecy is talking about the bigger picture of God, heaven and the spiritual world, but many people reject God because they have not been demonstrated true grace in their lives.

A lot of people have rejected God or rejected the message of Christ. I have a friend who was raised in church but today he rejects any belief in God and calls himself an atheist. We’ve had long discussions about religion and faith and mortality. As with most people rejecting the notion of God, there was some anger in his voice. When talking about religion or how people have represented to God, I could see his countenance change. It him me one day during our lunch: he wasn’t rejecting God–he was rejecting a bad definition of God or a bad representation of God. His heart had grown dull towards God. He could see, but not perceive. He could hear, but not understand.

My new goal in life is communicate and represent God as he really is–that he loves people unconditionally, that what they do or don’t do will not influence God’s desire to love on them and spend time with them. The message of grace is that sin no longer separates us from God. He lives in us and with us all of the time.

Matthew 13:41-43

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

In this scripture, Jesus is explaining to them the parable of the harvest that he told them in verses 24 through 30 of this chapter. The enemy came and sowed bad seed in the field of good seed. Jesus said let both of them grow and then at the harvest, the good and bad will be separated.

It’s interesting how he describes the bad seed and the good seed at the time of the harvest. The bad seed is “all causes of sin and all law-breakers” and the good seed is described as “the righteous” that will “shine like the sun”. It’s interesting to me that he didn’t call the good seed “law keepers”, but rather “the righteous”. What defines the good seed, those who are destined to shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father, is that they are righteous.

He again calls the good “righteous” in verses 49 and 50: “So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

To be good seed (or good fish), the key is righteousness, being right with God. How do you do that? This is what the rest of the New Testament defines–how we can become righteous.

Matthew 12:1-2

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

Working on the Sabbath. This is probably one of Jesus’ most common accusations. He was constantly accused for “breaking the Sabbath”. He would do things like heal people (v. 9), tell someone to pick up their mat, or pick food from a field to eat. All good things, but according to the traditions of the Jews, this was classified as work, and was forbidden.

In the next few verses, Jesus gives them specific examples from the Law about how people would eat at certain times or certain foods that were forbidden in the Law, and how they would profane the Sabbath and yet remained guiltless. He basically called them hypocrites.

They were so concerned about the temple and yet they missed the fact that “someone greater than the temple” was standing right there in front of them (v. 6). And, that he was the “Lord of the Sabbath” (v. 8).

I remember growing up in a small town, and by in 70’s and 80’s, there was a state law that forbid most retail stores from being open on Sunday. It was called the Blue Law. I remember very specifically one Christmas season that WalMart decided to break the law and stay open on Sunday. The fine was $1,000 and the manager of the store was on the news and he said, “I will easily generate more profit than that, so I just write it off as an operating expense.” Things are quite different today.

So, is it a sin to work on Sunday? Is it a sin to “profane the Sabbath”? Is it a sin to go to the store and buy stuff on Sunday because you’re making other people work on Sunday?

The Pharisees placed more importance on following the laws of the Sabbath that they missed the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus later says that we were not created for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for us (Mark 2:27). He was saying that there is value in keeping the Sabbath. Resting one day a week is good for us. We need the physical, emotional and mental break. The Sabbath was created for us. If we choose to not slow down and work hard through the weekend, there will be natural consequences. But, it doesn’t take away from our relationship with God. He does not hold back from us if we are working on Sunday.

Matthew 12:28

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

In this verse, Jesus is saying that he is casting out demons by the Spirit of God, and that it’s proof that the kingdom of God has come. It’s really interesting to note because the message of grace is that Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth. We are now living in this age of grace where the kingdom of God is here now on the earth through Christ. Too often, we see the “kingdom of God” as heaven, but not now. “One day, in heaven, we’ll experience the kingdom of God.” But, I don’t think that’s accurate. Through grace, we have access to the kingdom of God right now, today, through Christ. He has made us worthy and righteous so that we can receive all that God has for us.

Matthew 12:32

And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t fully understand this concept of “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit”. It’s serious! It won’t be forgiven in this age or the age to come. So, what is that unforgivable sin? What does it mean to blasphemy the Holy Spirit?

In the Strong’s concordance, it defines “blasphemy” as a “vilification” of something. To vilify the Holy Spirit is blasphemy. I guess that’s to speak evil and associate with evil behavior. Not really sure.

Mathew 12:36-37

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

This could be terrifying if you think about all the “careless” words you have spoken. Will you be judged for them? Is he speaking to believers here?

A couple things to consider. First, remember that he’s speaking to those under the Law, not to those under grace. Secondly, he sums it up with “by your words”, you will either be justified or condemned. This is the two states I believe all of humanity faces. They are justified in Christ, or they are condemned in rejecting Christ. So, if you “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord”, you are justified by your words and you won’t be judged for your “careless words”. But, if you reject Christ by your words, then you will be condemned and judged by those “careless words” that you’ve spoken. Grace says “In Christ, you are no longer judged because he took all your judgement upon himself.”