Posted by Searcher
on 8/19/2009, 12:34 pm, in reply to "Other parts of Matthew's gospel"
75.104.128.37
Dear Don and Ray,
All scripture is for our learning. Even if some things were written concerning the Jews only, we can learn lessons from their history and the way God dealt with them. It is important to always be aware of who is being addressed, at what time, and whether what is spoken is still applicable for us today or is past or may be fulfilled in the future. That is why we cannot pull one scripture out of the Word and necessarily apply it to us today.
The examples you brought up in Matthew are good illustrations of the importance of noticing these things.
I will start with Matthew 7:7,8. The sum of all that is said in Matthew 7:1-11 is found in Matthew 7:12,"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do even so to them: for this is the law and prophets."
Matthew 7:12 corresponds with Matthew 5:17. The laws of the kingdom are found in Matthew 4:17 through Matthew 7:12. The Lord was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The kingdom would have come if Israel would have believed that He was indeed their Messiah and the Son of God, but they did not. Matt 4:23, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom"...In the "sermon on the mount", the Lord was teaching His disciples details concerning the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom will be from heaven (God),but will be on the earth. It is the land promised to His nation since Gen 12.
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Matthew 25:31-36. The Lord is discussing the future judgment of the Gentile nations after the tribulation on the day of the Lord. These nations will be judged according to their treatment of His "brethren" (Matt 25:40). It is important to know the meaning of "brethren" and the meaning of "neighbor" from the viewpoint of Israel.
"brethren" = a brother is an Israelite by blood and by nationality.
"neighbor" = a neighbor was an Israelite by religion, i.e. a proselyte.
The judging of the "sheep" and the "goats" in Matthew is found in OT prophecy:
Joel 3:1,2
For behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will plead with them there for My People and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted My land. (Read Joel 3:9-14 for further details)
Another example of the judging is found in Isaiah.
Isaiah 34:1,2...8
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter...For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.
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Matthew 28:18-20
When circumstances change, the Lord also made appropriate changes. Remember the command in Matthew 10:5,6 to His disciples to..."Go NOT into the way of the Gentiles"...But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then here is Matthew 28, the command to His disciples has changed dramatically.
Mathew 28:19,20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all tings whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
What has changed? The Bible is the Word of Truth. Both of these commands are true, but one no longer applies. Why? Because NOW, at the end of Matthew, the kingdom has been rejected by the house of Israel and Israel crucified their Messiah. He is now risen from the dead, but since He came unto His own and they rejected Him, He now commands His disciples to "teach ALL nations". The Lord spoke to His disciples for forty days before His ascension into heaven "speaking of the things pertaining the kingdom of God". In Acts 1:8, His commandment to them to preach "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
We know that because of His prayer on the cross, His People were given a re offer of the kingdom during Acts, but the Gentiles were also included in their blessings for the purpose of provoking the Jews to jealousy (Ro 10:19; 11:11) in the hope that Israel would repent. (Acts 3:19-21)
Searcher
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