Commuter Bible John Ross

In Matthew’s very Jewish-oriented account we have seen Jesus lauded as the coming King, we have seen the builders reject the cornerstone, and today we will see the Lamb of God who brings a greater Passover and a greater deliverance. Like Abraham’s firstborn, the Son of God is offered to God as a sacrifice, but he also the substitute offered so that we might live. A Jewish audience would have heard and understood all the parallels to Psalm 22, and recalled from Isaiah that the wounds of the suffering servant bring healing. Thankfully, his crucifixion is not the end. Jesus rises from the grave, just as he had said.

The prophecies of the Son of David predict that a king will rise to power to shepherd the people of Israel. Jesus fits this description, and after waiting for centuries for this King, the people rejoice at the thought of a King rising to power to conquer their foes. What they don’t realize is that Jesus won’t conquer Rome or other nations, but He will instead conquer far greater foes like sin and death. The leaders despise Jesus and the praise He receives from the crowd. With jealousy in their hearts, they make every attempt to discredit the authority of Jesus.

While man-made religions all try to glorify the followers and originators of the religion they promote, Christianity stands in stark contrast, for it is evident that the disciples were absolutely clueless when it came to Jesus and His teaching. Time and again, they record their confusion and ignorance, all the while elevating Christ and His wisdom and power. In today’s reading, Christ teaches on the character of His disciples and how they should behave, including humility, forgiveness, discipline, mercy, devotion, gentleness, and the nature of possessions.

We’ll hear a number of parables from Jesus today, and according to Jesus Himself, the reason he speaks in parables is conceal the truth from those whose hearts are callous. These truths are, however, for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, that is, those whom the Father has chosen to reveal the truth. Take note, too, of the occasions in today’s passage where Jesus tries get away by Himself, even staying up all night to pray before walking out on the ocean to catch up with the disciples. Time and again, Jesus finds himself surrounded by the crowds, but even so, He has compassion on them.

If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for a while, chances are that you’ve heard many of today’s accounts before. Jesus cleanses the lepers, opens the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind, raises the dead, casts demons out of people, and then commissions His disciples to do the same. As you listen to today’s reading, don’t let familiarity keep you from contemplating how absolutely mind-boggling all of this would have been to those who witnessed it. Even the Pharisees couldn’t deny what was happening, they could only question how. Such strong displays of power and wisdom can only be done by One who is the Son of God.

Just as Moses did before Him, Jesus ascends a mountaintop in order to deliver a Word from God to those who were following Him. Unlike Moses, Jesus doesn’t need to wait for an authoritative teaching, for He Himself is the authority: he is Immanuel, God with us. As He begins His teaching, He assures the crowd that His words are not an alteration of God’s established commands; rather, His words are a fulfillment of the Law. This sermon would have been just as shocking to His audience then as it is to our modern sensibilities today. May we learn to trust and obey Him anew as we hear His words today.