Vision (7.21.23): The Great Commissioner's Promise

 

Image: Bluberries, North Garden, Virginia, July 2023.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 28:18-20.

“… and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20b).

The Gospel of Matthew ends with the risen Lord’s Great Commission to the apostles to go, teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptize in the name of the triune God, and instruct them in all his counsel. It is the Great Commission, not the Great Suggestion.

Finally, the Lord offers to those apostles (and through them to the church that Christ will build on this foundation, Matthew 16:18) a promise or assurance of his abiding presence.

This is another “I am” (ego eimi) saying, like those in the Gospel of John: “and, lo, I am with you always”).

Think of a child who has to go through a struggle of some kind and of a loving parent who comes alongside that child and says, I am right here with you, and I will be by your side through it all.

This promise fits with an Emmanuel theme throughout the entire Bible. In the very first chapter of Matthew, the evangelist had taught of our Lord’s virginal conception as a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Now, like a bookend, in the final chapter of Matthew we hear this same Emmanuel promise.

It is stated in Hebrews 13:5, as the apostle writes, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

When we turn to the book of Acts, we see this promise fulfilled. When Stephen laid down his life as the first martyr for our Lord, he looked up, as it were, into the balcony of heaven and saw Christ standing (Acts 7:55). When Paul went through turmoil in Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision, saying, “Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee” (Acts 18:9b-10a).

The risen Lord promises to be with his disciples to the end (the final working out) of this world (this aeon or age; the time between his first advent and his second).

May this bring us great comfort as we continue to serve our Lord till he come again.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (7.7.23): Four Wondrous Attendant Circumstances at the Resurrection of Christ

 

Image: Hydrangea, North Garden, Virginia, July 2023

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 27:62--28:8.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it (Matthew 28:2).

Just as Matthew described four wondrous attendant circumstances atthe death of our Lord on the cross (see Matthew 27:50-54), so the inspired Evangelist makes note of at least four initial wondrous attendant circumstances at his resurrection:

First, the earth convulsed (v. 2a: “And, behold, there was a great earthquake [seismos …. megas].” If the earth convulsed with grief and groaning at his death, it now leaps with joy at his resurrection, just as in Psalm 114:4 it speaks of the mountains skipping like rams and the hills like lambs at the presence of the LORD.

Second, the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it (v. 2b). We know from the other Gospels that there were in fact at least two angels who were there (cf. Luke 24:4; John 20:12). The angel of the Lord was there at his birth (Matthew 2:13, 19), and now, like a bookend, at his resurrection. Notice that the angel sat upon the stone, just as Christ will be seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). You sit down when the work is done. It is a visual declaration of the finished work of the resurrection.

This angel is described in his glory and power in v. 3a. His countenance (the Greek word is idea) was like lightening. His raiment was white as snow (v. 3b). This speaks to the purity of God’s faithful angelic servants whose robes were never spoiled by the stain of fall or rebellion.

Third, the soldiers who were watching the tomb became as dead men (nekroi) (v. 4). The irony is that they were stationed there to guard the tomb of a dead man; but now Christ is alive, and they are like dead men.

Fourth, the angel answered and spoke unto the women (vv. 6-7). This angel becomes the first recorded herald of the resurrection, saying, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (v. 6a). He then invites the women to investigate and see for themselves the empty tomb: “Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (v. 6b).

That same message continues to be proclaimed today: He is risen; come and see (cf. John 1:39).

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (6.30.23): Four Wondrous Attendant Circumstances at the Death of Christ

 

Image: David's Phlox, North Garden, Virginia

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 27:50-61.

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost (Matthew 27:50).

Following his account of Christ’s death on the cross (27:50), Matthew describes at least four wondrous attendant circumstances that accompanied the death of Christ in its aftermath (27:51-54):

First: The rending of the veil (v. 51a):

This event is also reported in Mark 15:38 and Luke 23:45.

The “veil of the temple” here likely refers to the curtain which set apart “the most holy” place (as in the Tabernacle, Exodus 26:31-33), or “the Holiest of all” (Hebrews 9:3). This spiritually signified the opening up of a way or means of communion between God and man through the mediation of Christ alone. Both Matthew and Mark note that this veil was torn from top to bottom, indicating that this mediation had to move from God to man and could not have come from man to God.

Second, the convulsing of the earth and the rending of rocks (v. 51b):

This disturbance of the natural world is like the darkness which covered the earth from the sixth to the ninth hour. Spurgeon says, “Thus did the material world pay homage to him whom man had rejected….” (Matthew, 431).

Third, the raising of some dead saints from their graves (v. 52-53):

Matthew begins, “And the graves were opened” (v. 52a). He proceeds to record a most unusual event, not covered by our other Gospels. He continues, “and many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (v. 52b), adding, “And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city (v. 53).

Note two key things:

First, though Matthew mentions this after the death of Christ, he states that this did not occur until “after his resurrection.”

Second, these persons did not experience the resurrection, but like Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9), the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7), and Lazarus (John 11) they were resuscitated, brought back to life to die again. Christ alone is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection, and then all else at his second coming (1 Corinthians 15:23). Some of these saints (holy ones) might even have been elderly disciples of Christ who had died just before he entered Jerusalem. They were raised to bear witness to his resurrection power.

This is the kind of miracle that modern, rationalistic, secularists might scoff at, but once we affirm a God who had the power to make all things in the space of six days and all very good, such things are mere child’s play.

Fourth, the confession of the Roman centurion (v. 54):

Matthew says the centurion (a man over 100 soldiers) and “they that were with him” witnessed “those things that were done,” including especially the “earthquake,” and “they feared greatly.” The centurion then said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Though this confession was denied by the high priest (26:63b) and mocked by the passers-by (27:40) and the religious leaders (27:43), a pagan Roman soldier affirms what their spiritually blinded eyes could not see. Jesus is the Son of God. The centurion represents myriads of Gentiles who will follow in his wake.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (6.23.23): The Cry of Dereliction

 

Image: Bee & Butterfly Bush, North Garden, Virginia, June 2023

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 27:39-49.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachtini? that is to say, My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46).

Just before Christ died on the cross (see v. 50), we read in v. 46 that he cried out in his mother tongue, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” Matthew translates for the Gentiles to understand Christ’s words, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (cf. Mark 15:34). He is citing the opening verse of Psalm 22. Some have called this the “Cry of Dereliction.” It is indeed a cry of despair, like many of the Psalms of lament, such as Psalm 13, which begins, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD?” (v. 1).

We should not think, however, that this is cry completely devoid of hope, or propagate the unbiblical idea that the Father somehow “turned his back” on the Son at this moment.

The Jews of the first century and the early Christians knew well the Old Testament and especially the Psalms (cf., e.g., Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33, 35; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). To quote but one line, especially the beginning, was enough to call to mind the entirety of a Psalm. This will cause us to look well at the whole of Psalm 22. Yes, it begins with despair (see v. 1), but it ends with confidence and hope in God. See especially Psalm 22:23-28. Psalm 22:24 even explicitly declares that the Father did not hide his face from the Son: “For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.”

The cross did not take Christ by surprise. He knew he would be put to death, but he also knew he would be raised. Review again the three passion predictions recorded in Matthew, which are also resurrection predictions: Matthew 16:21 (“and be raised again the third day”); 17:22-23 (“and the third day he shall be raised again”); 20:18-19 (“and the third day he shall rise again”). Add to this Christ’s statement following the Passover meal, “But after I am risen again…” (Matthew 26:32).

He knew that all was in the Father’s hands, and, in the end, he would have victory over death.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Jots & Tittles 20: Matthew 5:44 and the ESV

 

JTR

The Vision (6.9.23): Barabbas

 

Image: "Devil's Walking Stick," North Garden, Virginia, June 2023

Note: Devotion taken from sermon on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Matthew 27:15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.

16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ.

The Passover was a festival of liberation, remembering how the Israelites had been set free from their bondage in Egypt by their savior Moses. So, the release of a prisoner at this time seemed a fitting custom.

Even Pilate, a battle-hardened soldier known for his personal cruelty and ruthlessness, could clearly see that the Lord Jesus posed no threat to the common good. This custom seemed to pose the perfect opportunity, the perfect loophole, to arrange the release of Christ from the penalty of death. Surely the people would choose to free Jesus rather than another prisoner he held named Barabbas.

He is mentioned in all four Gospels (cf. Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; and John 18:39-40), and we learn more of him in the other accounts:

Mark 15:7 says, “And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.”

Luke 23:19 says of him, “(Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)”

John says simply in John 18:40b, “Now Barabbas was a robber.”

Even his name is spiritually significant. Barabbas is an Aramaic or Semitic name, composed of two words.

First, there is the word Bar, which means “son.” Peter was known as “Simon Bar-jonah” or “Son of Jonah” (Matthew 16:17). Maybe you’ve heard of the contemporary Jewish practice of a Bar mitzvah, when a Jewish boy is made a “Son of the covenant.”

Second, there is word abbas, which comes from the word abba, which means “Father.” Mark tells us that when Christ was praying in Gethsemane he cried out “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36).

So, Jesus is the Son of God, and Barabbas means “Son of the Father.”

In the end the people chose to release Barabbas (v. 21: “They said Barabbas”). We see in v. 26a Pilate’s final decision: “Then released he Barabbas unto them.”

We cannot overlook the spiritual depths of this decision. The just and sinless man, the Lord Jesus Christ, would go to the cross, while the sinful and guilty man, Barabbas, would be set free.

It pictures for us what will happen writ large on the cross. It pictures what the theologians call the penal substitutionary death of Christ on the cross.

We are all Barabbas. We were guilty sinners, deserving of God’s wrath, and we were set free, while Christ, the sinless and just man, died in our place. In Romans 5:8 Paul says, “But commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Let us grasp hold anew today to the depths of the salvation that is in Christ.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 283: An error in Matthew 27:9?

 

Outline of notes:

1. Introduction: An error in Matthew 27:9?

2. Review of Protestent commentaries: A "hard knot" to untie

3. Towards a solution that upholds Biblical infallibility

4. Conclusion:

In the end, Matthew 27:9 was not considered a controversial matter in the days of early Christianity. As Metzger put it, the traditional text was “firmly established,” and it raised no serious questions about the infallibility of Scripture.

We can safely assume this same pre-critical posture in our generation.

In the end, the most reasonable explanation as to why the reference is given in Matthew 27:9 to Jeremiah when the quotes which follows is taken from Zechariah, is the fact that Matthew and his hearers would have been accustomed to making reference to the whole of the prophets by use of the name Jeremiah as a reference to the whole corpus of prophetic writings.

JTR

The Vision (5.26.23): The false "repentance" of Judas

 

Note: Devotional taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 27:1-14.

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself…” (Matthew 27:3a).

Judas stands in the Gospel accounts as a prototype for the “false professor.” What privileges and advantages had been given to him, to be close to Christ and an eyewitness of his ministry! In the end, however, Judas showed that he was not a genuine disciple.

Did he betray Christ because he thought it might spur a revolt against the Romans? We do not know. Matthew does tell us that when Judas saw that Christ was condemned by the chief priests and taken to the Roman governor Pilate to be crucified (as Christ had prophesied) that Judas “repented himself.”

This description stands out and might be easily misunderstood. Does this mean that Judas was filled with godly remorse? Was his conscience made tender and burdened with guilt at his sin against God? Does this correspond with the bitter tears of Peter (26:75)? Sadly, we must conclude when the situation is studied closely that there is no evidence of true “evangelical repentance” by Judas.

The verb (metamelomai) used in Matthew 27:3 to describe the “repentance” of Judas has the meaning of regret. There is no real evidence that Judas exhibited godly sorrow for what he had done to Christ. It is more accurate to say he felt sorrow for what he had done to himself. Judas had compromised his integrity and been used by the religious leaders to reach their ends, and then he felt deep regret about this.

The verb (meta-no-eo) is the term used in the New Testament to refer to evangelical repentance, godly sorrow for one’s sin that leads to a spiritual change of mind and heart, to turning away, with sincere revulsion from sin, and turning toward Christ. This is the term used in Acts 2:38 when Peter preached the cross and resurrection of Christ at Pentecost and their hearts were pricked. Peter declared, “Repent, and be baptized everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins….” This is not the term, however, used to describe Judas’s “repentance.”

If Judas shed tears that day, they were crocodile tears, not the bitter tears of true repentance, which Peter wept.

The experience of Judas stands as a warning, a sign-post, for all those who falsely profess faith in Christ and who then betray the Lord. Their end is disgust and destruction.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Augustine, Harmony of the Evangelists.2.5: Harmonizing the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke

 

Image: James Tissot, Les rois mages chez Hérode (The Magi in the House of Herod), c. 1886-1894, Brooklyn Museum.

In this episode we are looking at Book 2, chapter 5 where Augustine harmonizes the infancy narrative in Matthew 1—2 and that in Luke 1—2.

2.5: A statement of the manner in which Luke’s procedure is proved to be in harmony with Matthew’s in those matters concerning the conception and the infancy of the boyhood of Christ, which are omitted by the one and recorded by the other.

Augustine argues that there is “no contradiction” between the two evangelist in their respective infancy narratives. Luke sets forth in detail what Matthew omitted. Both bear witness “that Mary conceived by the Holy Ghost.” There is “no want of concord between them.”

Matthew and Luke both affirm that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Each is also unique. Only Matthew has the visit of the magi. Only Luke has the manger, the angel announcing Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, the multitude of the heavenly host praising God, etc.

Augustine notes that a deserving inquiry can be raised as to the precise timing of the events in both Matthew and Luke, and how they can be harmonized with one another. He then provides a narrative in which he weaves Matthew chapters 1-2 and Luke 1-2 into one unified account, in this order:

Matthew 1:18: Introduction

Luke 1:5-36: The conception of John and Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25: Announcement to Joseph

Luke 1:57—2:21: Luke’s birth account (shepherds, angels)

Matthew 2:1-12: Matthew’s account of birth (wise men)

Luke 2:22-39: The visit to Jerusalem

Matthew 2:13-23: Flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth

Luke 2:40-52: Family Passover visit to Jerusalem when Jesus is twelve

Conclusion:

Augustine provides his own merging of the two infancy narratives, perhaps in the same way earlier writers like Tatian had attempted to blend the Gospels into one account in his Diatessaron. Augustine is likely drawing on Old Latin translations and his narrative provides several interesting textual variants. For example, the angelic announcement in Luke 2:14 reads “and on earth peace to men of good will [Hominibus bonae voluntatis],” diverging from the traditional text, which would be rendered, “and on earth peace, good will toward men.” So, this chapter is interesting not just for insights into harmonization but also textual issues via the Old Latin version(s) cited.

JTR

The Vision (5.5.23): Thus it must be

 

Image: Lily, North Garden, Virginia, May 2023.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 26:47-56.

Matthew 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

After our Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane, Judas led the mob to arrest him. Peter drew his sword and struck a glancing blow, cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant (see Matthew 26:51). Christ however commanded that Peter put the sword back in its place, stating, “for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (v. 52).

Christ then proceeded to say to Peter and the rest in v. 53: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions of angels would have been 72,000 angels.

We are reminded here of the incarnate Son’s intimate communion with the Father. We are also reminded of the Son’s passive obedience regarding his passion. It is not that he lacks the power to throw off this puny mob that has come to arrest him, as though he were a thief, with swords and staves. He did not need Peter’s toothpick of a sword to defend him. He had myriads of angels at this command. But he goes to the cross as an act of obedience.

This point is cinched in v. 54 in the question he posed: “But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” The last phrase is of interest, “Thus it must be.” In Greek this phrase includes a short particle (dei) with the infinitive, indicating that something is necessary to come about. It is sometimes called the divine dei. It is God’s will that Christ go to the cross.

Christ’s death upon the cross is not, in the end, according to the evil will of men, but according to the good will of God, the Father. We can look back at Christ’s words in 26:24a: “The Son of man goeth as it Is written of him.”

This has been Matthew’s constant emphasis throughout his Gospel, stressing that the events of Christ’s life take place in fulfillment of Scripture. This started with his virgin birth (Matt 1:22-23), continued in his public ministry in Galilee (4:13-16); and now includes his passion.

In being arrested and going to the cross for sinners, Christ fulfilled in obedience the divine plan of salvation in the covenant of redemption. Thus it must be.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (4.21.23): Watch and Pray

 

Image: North Garden, Virginia, April 2023.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 26:36-46.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41a).

In Matthew 26:36-46, the Evangelist records Christ’s wrestling in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane before he is arrested and taken to the cross. Spurgeon wrote of this passage, “Here we come to the Holy of Holies of our Lord’s life on earth.” He added, “No man can rightly expound such a passage as this; it is a subject for prayerful, heart-broken meditation, more than for human language” (Commentary on Matthew, 405).

At Gethsemane the Lord Jesus was speaking with the Father, expressing his complete resolution to the Father’s will, declaring, “thy will be done” (v. 42).

He also speaks to his disciples on that terrible night. After commanding Peter, James, and John to watch with him (v. 38), he returns three times to find them sleeping. Sleeping here is, no doubt, not just a sign of physical tiredness but also of spiritual sluggishness.

On Christ’s first return to find the disciples sleeping, he exhorted them, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (v. 41).

The first command to “watch” is the same verb as in the Olivet Discourse, when he told his disciples, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doeth come” (24:42). This is a call to be spiritually alert, to be vigilant, to be active in the faith, as we live in “this present evil world,” between Christ first advent and his second coming.

The second command is to pray. Christ assumes that his disciples will be committed to prayer. In the Sermon on the Mount, he said, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be like the hypocrites…” (6:5).

The sense we get is that the two things are related. The spiritual discipline of prayer feeds and nourishes spiritual watchfulness over our souls. Give up prayer and you fall into spiritual slumber.

Every homeowner knows that having a house in decent working order means you have to do the basic maintenance that is required. This includes everything from basic cleaning and changing lightbulbs and filters to replacing shingles or siding, and all manner of other things.

To maintain our spiritual house, we must engage in basic maintenance. We need worship. We need intake of the Word. We need the ordinances. We need prayer, both private and corporate.

So, let us watch and pray, attending to the spiritual disciplines, including prayer, to keep us alert and active in the faith till Christ returns with power and great glory.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (4.14.23): The Meaning of the Cup

 

Note: Vision devotional article taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 26:26-35.

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28).

In the upper room, on the night Christ was betrayed, he instituted the Lord’s Supper, with its two elements of the bread and the cup (see Matthew 26:26-28).

We can take away at least four conclusions from Christ’s words regarding the cup:

First: The meaning of the cup. The cup was a spiritual figure of the blood of Christ that would be shed upon the cross.

Second: The consequence of the cup. It was by this shed blood of Christ that a new covenant (testament) would be made between God and man.

This new covenant was prophesied by the prophet in Jeremiah 31, “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah… for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (vv. 31, 34).

Third: The extent of the cup. This new covenant would not be for all men without exception, but it would be for many men from all nations, tribes, and tongues. What is being indicated here is not universal redemption but what the old theologues called “particular redemption.” The old Reformed Baptists were called “Particular Baptists.”

Christ likewise affirmed in Mark 10:45 that he came “to give his life a ransom for many.”

Fourth: The benefit of the cup. The benefit is the remission or the forgiveness of sins. Christ teaches that we are not forgiven of our sin due to some outward actions by us. We are forgiven by the shed blood of Christ.

This is what Isaiah was talking about when he prophesied, “and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

This is what John the Baptist was speaking about when he saw Christ and said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the whole world” (John 1:29).

This is what the apostle Paul spoke of when he wrote that in Christ God set forth “a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” (Romans 3:25; cf. Romans 5:8-9; Ephesians 2:13).

Some modern theologians have denounced the Biblical view of forgiveness by the shed blood of Christ as primitive, with one calling it “a slaughterhouse religion.” But this is what Christ and his apostles taught. Through his shed blood we have remission of sins.

As the old gospel song puts it, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (4.7.23): Lessons from Judas' Betrayal of Christ

 

Image: Molin Le Baiser, Judas et Satan, c. 1840, Musée des Beaux-Arts (Chambéry)

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 26:14-25.

And [Judas] said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” (Matthew 26:15a).

“The Son of man goeth as it is written of him” (Matthew 26:24a).

According to the criterion of embarrassment, the betrayal of the Lord Jesus by Judas is one of the most historically reliable facts recounted in the Gospels. If it did not really happen, it would never have been invented. Beyond its historical reality, this account also plays a spiritual role in this Gospel.

Here are at least two applications:

First, Judas is the epitome of a type that Christ repeatedly warned against, the “false professor,” one who says he know and follows Christ but does not, and instead, even works against him.

Christ warned against many who will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” but to whom he will say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22-23). Judas had indeed been sent out with the apostles to preach and minister in Christ’s name (see Matthew 10:7-8).

A friend recently noted that Judas was there to see the miracles of our Lord (feeding the five thousand, opening blinded eyes, etc.). Still, he did not believe and even betrayed Christ. From this we can conclude that miracles alone do not produce genuine faith.

A sober and serious warning is being conveyed. Avoid the way of Judas.  Have we said to the world, the flesh, and the devil, “What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” (cf. Matthew 26:15)? What is the thirty pieces of silver for which you would forfeit your faith and trust in Christ?

The real scandal is not merely the sin of Judas but the warning that comes against the potential of a Judas spirit in each of our hearts.

Second, even the evil of Judas’s betrayal was used of the Lord for good.

Christ declared, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him.” We are reminded again that all things, even the worst of things, are used of God to magnify his glory and to bless his people. The Lord used the betrayal of Judas to bring about the salvation of many. We might paraphrase here Joseph’s words concerning his brethren who sold him into slavery: “Judas meant it for evil; but God meant it for good” (cf. Genesis 50:20).

This is the spirit of Romans 8:28, where Paul will say that God works all things together for good to those who love him, to those who are the called according to his purpose.

There is a video making the rounds on social media of a little girl with some obvious visual impairment being fitted with a new pair of glasses. She fights and tussles about till the glasses are placed on her, and then she can see. She stops fighting and her mouth drops open as she looks around and realizes the details in things that previously had been but a blur.

That is a picture of us at conversion. We once were blind, but now we see. Most importantly, we see the grace of God through Christ. We might also be able to see the hand of God at work in our lives even in the worst of things. We trust in him, not based on our faithfulness or the faithfulness of any other man, but based on the faithfulness of Christ alone.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (3.31.23): A good work wrought upon Christ

 

Image: Scene from the supposed Tomb of Lazarus in the town of Bethany (now known as Al Azaria, the place of Lazarus). Lazarus lived in Bethany with his sisters Mary and Martha and Christ ate a meal there in the home of Simon the Leper two days before the Passover.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday sermon on Matthew 26:1-13.

When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me (Matthew 26:10).

Matthew 26 begins the passion narrative (the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection) of the Lord Jesus Christ, the climax of each of the four canonical Gospels.

The inspired penman describes two assemblies. In the first, the chief priests and scribes and elders gather to plot against Christ (26:3-5), while in the second the disciples gather in the home of Simon the leper and Mary of Bethany anoints Christ’s head with precious ointment (26:6-7). The disciples criticize the woman’s lavish devotion to Christ, saying, “To what purpose is this waste?” (v. 8).

Christ responded, however, by saying, “Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me” (v. 10).

He begins by rebuking the disciples for, as he puts it, troubling this woman (v. 10a).

It reminds us of what he said when the disciples tried to stop parents from bringing their children to the Lord to receive his blessing. Christ had responded, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me” (19:14).

Sometimes even the disciples are prone to attempt to quench the Spirit’s moving, to impede those who are coming to Christ, to stop those who are giving themselves and all they have to him.

Christ then offers a commendation of this woman’s act by saying, “for she hath wrought [worked] a good work upon me” (v. 10b).

This is a very Jewish or Semitic way of saying things, wherein you give emphasis to something by repetition. So, you cry a good cry. Run a good run. Win a good win. And you work a good work.

He commends this woman for doing something that was very pleasing in God’s sight. It’s a reminder that there is a place for good works in the Christian life. We’re not saved by good works, but they do flow from us.

The commendation seems not merely to be for pouring out the precious ointment which prefigured the preparation of his body for burial (v. 12: “she did it for my burial”). She is commended for giving her love and devotion, even her life to Christ. As Paul urged the church at Rome in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Every believer is called upon to work a good work upon Christ by pouring out his life for him. Some indeed will look on with skepticism and cynicism, saying, “What a waste. How much more he might have been. How much more she might have accomplished in life.”

But Christ says, Why trouble ye my servant? For he or she has wrought a good work upon me.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (3.24.23): Lessons from the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

 

Note: Devtotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 25:31-46.

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left (Matthew 25:33).

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40).

In Matthew 25:31-46, Christ teaches about the Son of man’s coming at the end of the ages and illustrates this with an analogy of a Shepherd separating the sheep from the goats.

Here are at least four things we might learn from this teaching:

First, there is coming a day when Christ will return with power and great glory as our Great Shepherd King and men from all nations must give an account before him.

Second, those who are truly his sheep will be placed on his right hand and will be called blessed by him, heirs of God, and they will be given a glorious kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.

Third, there will also be those goats who will be set on his left hand and told to depart to a place of everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Fourth, a key distinction between the sheep and the goats will be that the sheep give evidence that they have been justified by faith because of their love for the least of their brethren, and the goats will give evidence that they remain in their unregenerate state, dead in trespasses and sins, because of their indifference to the needs of Christ’s disciples even if they outwardly call him Lord.

As the apostle John said, “We know that we have passed from death unto life,  because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14).

Let’s be clear about two other matters:

First, Christians are called to love and do good to all men. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. But we have a special duty toward our Christian brothers and sisters, especially those who are suffering for Christ.

As the apostle Paul said, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Second, the sheep were not made righteous by caring for the least of these their brethren. They were not justified by works. And the goats were not made unrighteous by failing to care for the least of these. They were not condemned merely for lack of works.

Rather, their fruit or lack of fruit revealed the state of their hearts. Christ said, “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt 7:20).

Finally, we must ponder, Whose side will you be standing upon? Will we stand with the sheep or the goats? We offer this final exhortation: Stand with Christ. Side with Christ. And stand and side with his people.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle