Matthew chapter 4; in Matthew 3 Jesus is baptized and 3:17 God speaks to Jesus saying, “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased” which is the key verse in the following section about the temptation of Jesus but there is a chapter break interrupting the flow so that we don’t even see this as one passage. In chapter 4 verse 3 and 6 Satan questions the identity of Jesus by saying, “If you are the Son of God”. It is actually an echo of the temptation of Eve when Satan said, “Did God really say?” And so without the chapter break we would naturally read this as one passage with the theme that God has just said something; that Jesus is the Son of God, and Satan is throwing doubt on what God has just said.

In western thinking and writing we form paragraphs out of complete thoughts. A paragraph will be a complete thought and is concluded before starting a new one. Each new paragraph introduces a new thought which may be related to the preceding paragraph but is also independently new. In eastern and Greek thought there is something beautifully different. The final sentence of a paragraph will also be the introduction to the new paragraph. In fact they probably didn’t even see paragraphs the way we see them. An example is Matthew chapter 6. The last verse of chapter 5; is “Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”. This is a conclusion the previous section on Jesus fulfilling the law and it is also an introduction the next section which is about living out this perfection. My Bible also adds a heading in addition to the chapter break “Giving to the poor and prayer” just further adding to the confusion. You may think this is insignificant but one criticism of the Sermon on the Mount is that some claim it is a compilation of random sayings rather than a cohesive unit and these breaks only add to the breaking of its cohesion.

A proper way to understand Greek writing is through the literary form inclusio. This might be similar to our paragraph but it has definite rules. The inclusio starts and ends with a same or similar term or phrase. An example is in the beatitudes Matthew 5: 3-10 where the term “kingdom of heaven” forms the beginning and end of that inclusio.  The verses following 10 which also use the phrase “blessed are” are an extension with a super explanation mark “!!” but the thought is in transition from what was contained within the inclusio.

This inclusio factor could be critical in the interpretation of Matthew 6:22-7:5 which begins and ends with the topic of the eye. And this section is linked back to the introductory verse “blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. If I am correct here about this section then the chapter 7 break is an intrusion. And also we will correctly view the verses about judging is included with the preceding verses.

Themes make a huge contribution to a holistic reading of scripture. Chapters really break into our ability to perceive the themes that are so vital to the scripture’s message. Consider the whole Bible and its unifying themes; God reaching out to humanity, mankind’s need of redemption and the sovereignty of our Creator over creation. Each part of the Bible contributes to its theme but if we isolate a writing from the whole it really loses its meaning. Many of the interpretation problems that we encounter can be resolved by stepping back, looking at the big picture theme and then seeing that problem passage as part of a greater theme. Consider Romans; this poor book gets dissected more than any I know of. My friends did a verse by verse study of Romans that took over a year and to tell you the truth it was very unpleasant. But if we look at verses 1:16-17 as a powerful introduction then the rest of the book becomes very sensible, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation, to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “the just shall live by faith”. We often hear this quoted as though Paul is saying, “I’m not embarrassed to witness for Jesus”. But that is irrelevant to the rest of the letter. Use some literary common sense. Consider the setting of the gospel message being challenged as inadequate in itself. Consider the Jews saying that the Greeks need law. Consider the great ethnic division between these groups. Paul is saying, “I am fully confident in the gospel within itself to save. The gospel works!” Then as we progress through the book we see chapters 7-8 talking about his confidence that life in the Spirit is better than life by the law, it cannot give us the righteousness of God and life in the Spirit is superior to sinful desires of the flesh. Finally in Romans 14 when Paul could have reasserted that we still need the law as a guide he concludes by saying the law is fulfilled by love. This is all an expansion of 1:16-17 his confidence in the gospel. Please, if you must do the verse by verse style of study at least read the entire book/letter as a whole first.

I dream of a church where Jesus is presented in ever increasing purity and truth.

I dream of a church where relationship is the essence of what we are about.

I dream of a church where leadership is not exalted above others.

I dream of a church where practicing the Bible is on equal balance with Bible study.

I dream of a Holy Spirit church.

I dream of a spiritual and social church community.

I dream of a church that shares its finances with the poor.

I dream of a church where meetings are held in homes, restaurants and businesses

What is your dream for the church?

An elaborated study on this is in the page Dream Church >>>>>

Sibling rivalry has quite a history in the Bible. It is as old as the first two children and resulted in the first murder. Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve. They both presented an offering to the Lord and Abel’s offering was acceptable but Cain’s was not accepted. This made Cain very angry, the account reads, “Cain was very angry and his face down cast. Then the LORD said to Cain ‘Why are you so angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right will you not be accepted?’”  God was not rejecting Cain but having relationship with him, telling him that there was something wrong with his actions and that he should repent and be in proper relationship. Cain’s problem was not with his brother Abel at all. It was not his brother’s fault that his offering was not acceptable to the LORD. Cain needed to work this out with the LORD. Even express his anger to the LORD, at least he may have found an answer. The LORD was trying to talk to him. This is the first hint of a false religious spirit in the Bible, religious activity that is not really what God desires. Cain’s only real option would have been to get his heart right with God and then offer a sacrifice. But instead through rivalry he takes his anger out on his brother, “And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8)

In Genesis chapter 27 there is a story of Esau and Jacob. Esau being the elder, by tradition was supposed to receive a special blessing from his father. Through a scheme Jacob swindled his older brother out of this very important blessing. You can read all the details in Genesis chapter 27. Upon realizing what has happened Esau cries to his father, Isaac, “Bless me‑ me too… Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’ Isaac answered, ‘I have made him lord over you, so what can I possibly do for you my son?’ Esau said to his father, ‘Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too my father!’ Then Esau wept.” This is a sad story of rivalry between two brothers, but also of a father with limited resources. Human parents try as hard as they can but they are still only human. It is quite common in most families for siblings to compete for the little bit of affection there is to be shared by all.

There are many more stories in the Old Testament with this theme of competition for the birth right. Old Testament themes are usually foreshadows of a greater reality. This brings me to a story told by Jesus, of two brothers and a father. The audience of Jesus is Jewish people who had been trying very hard to be worthy of their Father God’s blessing.  Luke 15:11‑32, records the story; the younger son leaves home cutting off all relations with his family, a very disgraceful action in that culture. After failing miserably at his attempt to establish independence he returns home. To the disgust of the older brother the father welcomes the younger son with love and affection and a party. The older son is so envious and angry that he cannot contain himself. He will not accept his younger brother back and will not join in the party so the father goes out to him and pleads but the older son still refuses. The father says, “My son, you are always with me and everything I have is yours.” Truly this generous father has enough love for both of his sons! But this older son may not perceive the father as generous. Sadly this son begins the same rivalry as Cain and Able.

When our God bids us to come to him it is an invitation open to all. He is big enough and generous enough for all to have plenty. Look at some of the promises he has given us: Ephesians 1;3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, for he chose us in him… to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.” “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us…”(1;7).

In the early Christian church there was also rivalry between Jews and Gentiles so he goes on to say, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,… For through him we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access to the Father by one Spirit.”(Ephesians 2;13‑18).

Sometimes I personally experience this rivalry in the form of envy when other people seem to get more recognition and I feel insignificant. But God always has the door open to me to come to him and find significance in his presence. If I do not find significance from him then of course I will always be envious of others. There is a peace that God desires for each of us to have in our hearts, our families, our church, and our communities. If we find ourselves feeling left out of God’s blessings we may need to come to him in humility and submit to his mercy. We may need to reflect on what it is that we consider a blessing. We may need to be thankful when others around us are blessed. We may need to spend some time coming into the presence of the One who blesses.

This post is also in the pages section to the right >>>>>>

This study is fairly long so it is in the Pages section >>>>>>

Many of you may not be aware of the controversies surrounding the issue of covenant. The Old Testament or Old Covenant was given to Israel. It was an agreement between God and them to define their relationship. It is referred to as the Law of Moses. It was given specifically to Israel and not to the whole world. However when a person puts their faith in Christ the Messiah they are brought into the kingdom and we say are part of spiritual Israel. And as we look at OT foreshadows of this new kingdom we will see that one aspect of it is that it would go out to include the non Jews, the gentiles.

So the controversy is based on the issue of applying the Law of Moses into the New Kingdom, how much stays behind and how much is brought into the New Kingdom? I hope this study will help us clarify that issue. As I said in the introduction I will approach this sermon from three perspectives; first the OT background, second the sermon itself and life of Jesus, and third how the early Christians interpreted Jesus. This statement of Jesus is without doubt the pivotal reference point for this discussion but I hope you will bear with me until the end as we also look at how he was interpreted by the later NT writings.

For the complete study click on page; Sermon on Mount >covenant >>>>

In the Old Testament scriptures there is a recurring theme that I will give samples of. To the original hearers in ancient times it may have been obscure what these passages were alluding to. But now looking back we can ask ourselves if these passages were indeed foreshadowing the kingdom of God in Christ.

The person and ministry of Moses and his replacement by Joshua; “Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’  “But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the LORD said to me, ‘ Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter. ‘Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across at the head of this people, and he will give them as an inheritance the land which you will see.” Duet. 3:25, 26.

Moses was the prophet and law giver. He gave us all of the OT laws including the 10 commandments. As some leaders stand as head of a realm we will look not only at the leader but also of the realm to which his name is attached. Therefore when we speak of Moses we are referring also to the law of Moses and to that covenant era.

Moses was heading towards the goal of bringing God’s people into the promised land but he sinned in an act of unbelief and was not able to bring the people into the land. His replacement was Joshua who’s name is the root name of Jesus, Yeshua. The promised land itself typifies or is symbolic of God’s presence and his kingdom. So the failure of Moses is also the failure of the law to be capable of bringing people into the fullness of what God desires for us. Joshua, symbolic of Jesus was the one to bring the people into the land, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” John 1:17.

Also in the story of Joshua’s conquest we see a similarity between the story of Israel and the formation of the church in Acts. After Israel enters the land one of their first big setbacks and a warning from God is the story of Achan’s theft, Joshua chapter 7. This story is very similar to the story in Acts chapter 5 of the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. These stories are very significant creating a literary parallel and showing us who is Lord over these kingdoms. The story in Acts is especially significant to us showing that hypocrisy or faking it is not God’s way. In God’s new kingdom the filling of the Holy Spirit will provide all the spiritual fruit which will bring glory to God alone. And this glory cannot be stolen.

Elijah and Elisha; the ministry of Elijah was characterized by judgments, “But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’  ⁴ “Now therefore thus says the LORD, ‘ You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” 2 Kings 1:3, 4. But the ministry of Elisha is characterized by grace, healing and reaching out beyond Israel. The transitional account can be read in 2 Kings chapter 2 the highlight is this, “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. 2 Kings 2:11-14 NIV. Notice immediately after the transition Elisha has a crossing of the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Then Elisha’s first miracle is purifying a flow of water which is deeply symbolic of the ministry of Christ.

Then there is the most significant story in chapter 5 of the healing of Naaman the Syrian and the judgment upon Gehazi for his covetous theft drawing again a literary parallel to both Achan and Ananias and Saphira. Naaman was a military commander of Syria an enemy of Israel. And the story shows the beauty of God reaching out beyond Israel in the same way that the New Covenant in Christ goes out to the Gentiles.

You may think that my imagination has gone wild but let me show you that the New Testament writers drew explicitly upon these 2 historical figures and the realms that they symbolized to show that they were foreshadows to the new era of Christ.

“Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are stan ding here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Six days later Jesus ^*took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and ^*led them up on a high mountain by themselves.  ² And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.  ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  ⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”  ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.  ⁷ And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”  ⁸ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. Matthew 16:28-17:8 NASB. Jesus continues on in the same passage explaining this vision and the symbolic relationship between Elijah and John the Baptist, “ As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “ Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”  And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”  And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. Matt. 17:9-13.

Another key foreshadowing of OT/NT transition is King David and his son King Solomon.   King David desired to build a temple for God but God refused his request deferring to David’s son Solomon. King David typifies the rule of God as king and we are told that the Messiah would sit on the throne of David. However in this foreshadow we see that there is a transition and that one man cannot represent the complete kingdom. The kingdom has two phases; the father and the son. And the son will build the temple that represents God’s presence, “The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you. ‘When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever’”. 2 Samuel 7: 12,13 NASB

This discussion is also in the pages section to the right >>>>>>

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.   No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

I want to draw out a very important fact here; Jesus says that we ARE the salt and light, NOT, TRY HARD to become! Or someday you might be! There is a great empowering in this commission because he says that we are-now! This empowering means that we are over comers. And some of us actually believe that we are now even reigning with Christ because of the victory won in Christ. The empowering force of these words is like a husband saying to his wife, “You ARE beautiful!” But we often hear something pitiful like, “You would be beautiful if you….” So I hear the empowerment by God’s authority saying, “You are now the salt and light of the world. As my people that is what you and I together are.”

For the complete discussion on these verses please see the page “You are” >>>

What is true spirituality? Please consider that question as a theme from beginning to end of this sermon. As each culture and religion has different values each has their own presumptions about what is considered the highest form of spirituality. Jesus speaks from within a cultural context but also transcends that culture to present a spirituality that is universal. The term blessed is not to be understood as simply happiness, but should be seen as a deep satisfaction. These attitudes are often called the beatitudes-because they are based on being, not doing. Doing comes as the result of being according to the spirituality of Jesus. In fact I use the term principles reluctantly because these principles actually lead us into relationship with God which transcends principles. The defining characteristic of the Jesus’ spirituality would be relationship.

(Matthew 5:3-10 NRSV)

1- “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2- “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

3- “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

4- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

5- “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

6- “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

7- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

8- “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

For a discussion on each of these attitudes see the page Beatitudes >>>>>

This is just an introduction to the essay listed to the right under Bible intro >>>

^{Mt 5:3} “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

^:11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (NRSV)

For the complete sermon of Jesus see the page listed to the right. There is also an ongoing study started there.