Matthew Chapter 11 Part 1

[Music] shalom and welcome to via israel a hebrew phrase which means you shall love israel we hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher dr baruch shares his expository teaching from the bible dr baruch is the senior lecturer at the zerah avraham institute based in israel although all courses are taught in hebrew at the institute dr baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in english to find out more about our work in israel please visit us on the web at loveisreal.org that's one word loveisreal.org now here's baruch with today's lesson in this week's study we're going to see that yeshua that is jesus of nazareth he spoke in very clear words about one individual and that individual was john the baptist and what did messiah say about him he said of those born of women that is in a natural way no one is greater than john the baptist and we need to ask ourselves why did yeshua say those words in regard to john what was going on with john at that time and not only what was going on but where was he when all of this was taking place well to be able to answer those questions to get your bible and look with me to the book of matthew and chapter 11. the book of matthew and chapter 11. now it begins with a transition we're leaving one time one happening and moving into something different and that's why we read in verse 1 of our texts and it came about when yeshua completed instructing or commanding his 12 disciples that he departed from there and he taught and proclaimed in their cities so he's continuing his ministry a very important point so as he is progressing being faithful to why he was sent into this world that is to instruct to teach and to proclaim and usually that word proclamation is in regard to things related to the kingdom of god and then notice what happens in the next verse verse 2 but john having heard in prison the works of messiah now the context is clear where's john john is in prison and the question that has to be asked is this what caused him to be in prison what did he do and there's no debate about it we all know there was a leader and he wanted to marry his his brother's former wife and this is forbidden in the torah the law of god will not permit this now all the other leaders were willing to to concede to compromise but a true man of god a true woman of god does not compromise on the integrity of god's word this word is truth so john wouldn't sanction that marriage he stood up for torah truth and what happened it got him sent to prison and eventually he was put to death all because of the same issue so john is in the midst of prison and while he's there he hears things what does he hear he hears about the work of messiah and it's in the plural so the deeds what messiah has been doing and therefore john having heard these things and we know something the scripture tells us and faith comes by hearing and john is hearing what messiah is doing he's hearing the proclamations that messiah is making this instruction this announcement concerning the kingdom of god and therefore john has a question what is that question again look at the text where in the end of verse verse 2 we read and he sent two of his disciples so john he sends two disciples now numbers are important in the scripture usually the number two speaks about a dichotomy that is a difference two different opinions and that's why john is sending his disciples his two disciples to yeshua to get an answer concerning two possibilities to know for sure what is the right way of thinking and this is great advice for us we want to be people who know the right way of thinking so he sends these two disciples of his and he said to him now this is the disciple speaking but it's as though john from prison is addressing yeshua so he says to him are you the one who is coming meaning are you messiah ben david or should we another expect now this is a very important passage and most scholars get it wrong many people check out the commentaries they will tell you this well john is in in prison and it's hard there and john is is having a crisis of faith no he's not you may have a crisis of faith i hope you don't i may have a crisis of faith i hope i don't but john did not that is someone who has not understood this passage who would make such an insultive and also ripping things out of their context because in a few minutes we already know what yeshua is going to say he's going to say of those born of women no one's greater than john and is he praising john because of some crisis of faith no he is not john understands something see john knew that the messiah was yeshua but remember what we have come across in judaism at that time they were teaching there's two messiahs because when you look at prophecy there's two descriptions of messiah there's the messiah that suffering servant and there's the messiah that ruling king the son of david so when john the baptist when he says behold the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world he knew who he was speaking about messiah the son of joseph that suffering servant who was going to be like a sacrificial lamb and lay down his life and shed his blood for redemption but what do we read here we read that john is is not having a crisis of faith john is discerning something he is discerning that what he has been taught by the leaders is incorrect john is thinking there might not be two messiahs but only one messiah who has two very distinct but related works coming to pay the prize as that suffering servant for your sin and mine and then returning at the end of the age in order to be indeed that victorious soldier that that righteous king that establishes his kingdom so this is the nature of his question and when he says here or should we expect another pay attention to that word other you know there's two different greek words for another or an other one now one is the word alos the other word is eteros alos means of the same type eteros the word that's here speaks of one of a different type so he understands that that there's two different works suffering and brain victory over the enemies two very different things and his question is is there another one who's going to do this or are you the one and only based upon what what does the text say based upon what he has heard messiah doing what he has heard concerning messiah's teaching so john is not having a crisis of faith john is discerning the truth that yeshua is indeed the lamb of god he wasn't questioning that he wasn't removing himself from that concept but he was coming to the right conclusion that this lamb of god is also that line of judah that there's one so he asks should should we expect another one now look at verse 4 and you sure answered and said to him now he's saying directing it to john but he's telling these two disciples of john go and proclaim to john what you hear and what you see and what is that blind they regain their sight they see the lame they're walking lepers those with leprosy they are being cleansed and the death they hear and the dead they are being raised and the poor these are the afflicted ones they are being evangelized now that's what it literally means and what is that they are being given good news this word poor later on and earlier we see in matthew 5 for example but also later on it's used to detect those who are poor in spirit meaning afflicted inwardly because they're not seeing this this hope being fulfilled prophetic hope and messiah came just to do that to evangelize the fulfillment of the prophetic promises of god they are at hand because yeshua jesus of nazareth the christ he is with us that's what he's saying to to these individuals now verse six and and happy or blessed this is that same word for the beatitudes happy or blessed is whoever it means it's an invitation whomsoever that is not offended this is the word that we get the english word scandal from that no one would be scandalized by him being offended why well even though that he's that son of david he's the king of kings and the lord of lords what's going to happen he's going to be rejected he's going to be mocked he's going to be betrayed he's going to be humiliated and shamed when they flog him when they spit upon him when they strike him and ultimately when they nail nails into his palms and into his ankle all of this humiliation don't let it offend you because he is indeed the son of god and it's the resurrection that announces that confirms it shows god's sanction upon yeshua as the lamb of god and that lord of lords that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of god that you're sure that he is lord so here in our texts he says about these individuals happy are the ones who are not offended in me or by me verse seven and these these two disciples they go and after they had left notice what it says and yeshua began to speak to the crowds not just one crowd but as i've said several times there are numerous crowds following him and what's the significant of that why put it in the plural to teach us that the gospel message penetrates not just one community it's not a message for for these type of jews but not the other or just for the jewish people and not the gentiles no there are many different groups crowds of people from different cultures different backgrounds different races different nationalities but his message is for all people so he began to speak to the crowds concerning john and he asks a question he says why did you go out into the desert for what purpose what did you want to see and this word c is one for perceiving it's just not seeing something with your eyes but it's also understanding something with your mind having a right right concept understanding the significance of an event or a happening so he says why did you go out into the the desert what did you go there to see and he gives a suggestion a read by the wind which is shaken now in that area this is a normal occurrence there are reeds there and the wind blows them it's natural it's common he said you didn't go out to the desert to hear john's proclamation to submit to his call to repentance because of some normal occurrence you understand did you not that's something significant is going on here and if you have a prophetic perspective you knew the timing messiah came not just any time he came at the right time prophetically all of this is so important to see so he says why did you go out into the the desert for what purpose did you go there for was it to see a a reed shaken by the wind is that why you went out he asked again but why did you go out to see individuals dressed in fine clothes no he says for those individuals behold those who are bearing fine clothes they're in the houses this would be a palace but it's simply the normal word for a house the houses of kings so he says again but why did you go out and here's the right answer the next word what an important word the word prophet they recognize that john was a prophet by his self-denial that he did not live like normal people he lived like one who was under the authority of god and who had an expectation who perceived the significance of those days who knew who messiah is so he says no you went out why you went out for a prophet yes i say to you not just a prophet but more than a prophet verse 10 for this is the one by which it has been written behold i am sending my messenger now this messenger is important because there's a few passages from isaiah 40 and from the book of malachi that speak to a messenger and in this case and it has some say two fulfillments to it now isaiah is clearly speaking about elijah the prophet and there's passages in malachi that as well so we'll interpret it this way it's a reference to elijah going before and getting things in order and that's going to happen but there was also the spirit of elijah upon this one john the baptist who fulfilled the role of elijah and that's why he says behold i send he's quoting scripture and this tells us how frequently when we look at the new covenant we see how it's always base in order to understand the new testament you have to understand prophetic revelation how frequently the prophets the words of the prophets appear in the gospels and it's not by chance it's so that we can arrive at the right understanding so he says behold i send forth my messenger before you now this is john going before messiah the savior who what will he do it says who will prepare the way your way before you he's the one that's going to prepare the people by what well it's for the ministry of messiah and what was john's call what did he do he was one who called the people to repentance and that's why if there is a a preacher and he is not speaking frequently about the need for repentance he's not fulfilling his call he is not someone and when someone says you know i just don't feel call to to speak repentance to call people to bring conviction to speak about god as condemning well if they don't feel this way they need to get out of this call to stop masquerading as something that they're not everyone who holds this book and says i'm a teacher of this word of god they're going to emphasize make no mistake about it they're going to emphasize repentance so we see here that he's going to be the one that prepares the way before you that is before messiah verse 11. amen that's the word truly how it's understood amen i say to you or truly i say to you that there is not one who has risen up among born of women so there's not been one who has been raised up born of women and that simply means in a natural way one greater than who one greater than john the baptist now why that term baptists there's two reasons now some will simply tell you because john had a call a ministry to bring the baptism of repentance that's exactly right that's true but realize another important truth and that's this what baptism speaks of and one very important aspect of baptism is it testing one's faith in what the death burial and resurrection of messiah what we see is that messiah himself spoke about his ministry as a baptism in the gospel of luke in chapter 12. he says i have a baptism to undergo and how distressed i am until it's completed now he had been baptized in the jordan river three years prior to that he wasn't speaking about baptism in a water baptism sense but he was speaking about what water baptism signifies and that is the death what do you do with dead people you bury them you go underneath the water buried in water and what happened to messiah he just didn't die and he just wasn't buried but on the third day he rose again and that's why john is called john the baptist not just because of his call to repentance through baptism but what baptism signifies he pointed to the ministry of messiah his death burial and resurrection so he says here i want to read it again look at verse 11. truly i say to you one has not risen born of women greater than john the baptist but as great as he was it says this one is small least in the kingdom of heaven why well you can do great actions deeds you can obey god's word perfectly but if you haven't experienced redemption you won't be in the kingdom so john he was faithful he was the most faithful of any human being other than messiah himself and messiah is fully man and fully god but nevertheless the one who's least in the kingdom of god is greater than john why he's experienced messiah's redemption so as great as john is we read here in this this passage but lease in the kingdom of heaven is greater than him verse 12. now verse 12 is where we're going to speak more about the kingdom of god over and over and over in the scripture we see messiah he spoke he emphasized he's taught about the kingdom of god so here but from the days of john the baptist until now the kingdom of heaven and there's a very important word this word is a word for for intensity now many bibles will translate it as as violence but i would argue that violent is not the way that we should think of it as in the sense of someone being violent to someone else but it's a word of intensity it is a word of commitment to act and behave in a certain way what way in order to fulfill the objective so someone who is passionate someone who is committed to an objective someone that acts because they realize if they don't act now that moment will be lost so that's what this word is speaking of so he says from the time of john the baptist until now the kingdom of heaven it is something that people were interested in and people were acting in a committed way some fought some against it there's great opposition and john had experienced that opposition had he not you say what am i talking about he was in prison and then shortly after this we know something else we know when i say shortly after what we know is that after john sent these words inquiring he didn't live much longer because john we know was beheaded for his faith because of his commitment to torah law the commandments of god in regard to marriage see many people don't know this john was put to death why because of a commitment to marital truth and then he says and with intensity the same word that's often translated violent he says with intensity with commitment for a purpose what happens it will be in this next word is the same word that's used elsewhere in the new testament in first thessalonians chapter 4 verse 17 for the rapture it has to do with someone snatching something taking something by force with a purpose with great intensity that's what messiah is going to do for the body of believers su for true disciples he's going to snatch his way he's going to take hold of us for a purpose and that's what this word is speaking about so notice that this word arpaso the word for rapture in the new testament is used here in regard to the kingdom of god there's no kingdom of god in experience unless messiah committedly in with intensity with a purpose snatches us away verse 13. for all the prophets and the law were until john they prophesied there's prophecy in the law as well meaning the law and the prophets gave information concerning the kingdom of god he says now now until john all the message of the scripture both the law and the prophet spoke concerning the kingdom of god and he says and if you will be willing to receive it this one speaking of john is who is elijah that one who was supposed to come and how does he end well after revealing that john came and ministered how in the spirit of elijah elijah the prophet his anointing was upon john the baptist that's what he's saying it points to the fact that yeshua was saying yes i am the messiah and then how does he end with a very important verse that speaks specifically to the congregation of redeemed the church he says the one having ears let him hear hear the truth of god and that word here just doesn't mean well i heard it and so what but it's a word of again commitment intensity faithfulness action it's to hear something and if you truly have understood it you are going to respond in a specific manner that which that word demands important truth from god's word well i'm out of time until next week shalom from israel well we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of love israel.org again to find out more about us please visit our website love israel.org there you will find articles and numerous other lectures by baruch these teachings are in video form may download them or watch them in streaming video until next week may the lord bless you in our messiah yeshua that is jesus as you walk with him shalom from israel [Music]

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Length: 28min 32sec (1712 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 27 2020