Author: drthomasclothier

¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ ¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:10–11 (ESV)

Today’s text reveals important information concerning the inerrancy and authority of Scripture. This is relevant in light of some contemporary pastors and church leaders seeking to nullify the significance of the Scriptures in general and the Old Testament canon in particular. 

In His continuing commentary about John the Baptist, Jesus referred to the Old Testament Prophet Malachi, He quoted Malachi 3:1. It was a potion of Scripture the Jews knew well. Jesus applied it to John the Baptist. It was John of whom Malachi spoke by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). John was the messenger who prepared people for the coming Messiah: Jesus Christ.

Jesus not only affirmed the position and responsibility of John, but He also affirmed the inerrancy and authority of Scripture when He said, “It is written.” He invoked biblical authority of the Old Testament. He also affirmed the principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture.

Additionally, Jesus invoked His own authority as the Incarnate Word of God (John 1:1-2). This parallels what He did during His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). Jesus declared John to be the greatest Old Testament prophet. Remember, the Gospels are set in an Old Testament historical context. The New Testament officially and historically begins in Acts 2.

Jesus elevated John to an exalted status. However, He added that anyone who is least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than John.

“John is indeed great, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater still (Matt. 11:11). Here Jesus contrasts John’s place in redemptive history with that of the new covenant believer. John saw Jesus, but he died before the Lord’s death and resurrection. After His resurrection, we understand the work of Christ more clearly. Moreover, even today we experience new covenant benefits —like immediate access to God’s presence (Heb. 10:19–22) and the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 8:9) more powerfully than John did when he walked the earth,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Let us be thankful and faithful as we serve the One, True living God today. Have a blessed one.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁷ “As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” (Matthew 11:7–9 ESV)

Following the departure of John the Baptist’s disciples (Matt. 11:1-6), Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. The grammar indicates that Jesus’ continually spoke to people about John the Baptist. He personally and continually testified about John’s character. He did so by asking three questions concerning John.

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? Jesus’ first question He posed to the crowds concerning John invoked the image of a reed plant. It is a tall, woody, slender plant with tall stems. They were often used as measuring rods. Often, these reeds would bow and bend to gale force winds.

Was John a man and teacher of God’s Word who bent with the prevailing winds of worldly doctrine? The answer to Jesus’ rhetorical question was an emphatic no. John was a faithful spiritual shepherd on behalf of God’s sheep; believers in Christ.

The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of faithful ministers in the church. It was through their unflinching commitment to God’s truth that believers in Christ would “no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14 ESV)

  “What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.” Jesus’ second question referred to John’s clothing. What did Jesus mean when He spoke of soft clothing?

Soft clothing (μαλακός; malakos) refers to clothes that are smooth and pleasing to the touch. It was the kind of clothes kings and members of the royal court wore. It was not the garments wore by an individual who lived in the wilderness in camel’s hair (Matthew 3:1-4).

“John the Baptist likened to a reed that has been bent over (his movement has rather fizzled out); John contrasted to a reed (his stern message still firm despite imprisonment); John contrasted to Herod (the reed being an emblem on his coins and taken to symbolize his clever adaptability, his unreliability, or his vulnerability to the judgment declared against him by John). The objection to a literal reading is that the reed and the person decked out in finery do not make a good pair. But although one is found in the wilderness and the other not, they function well as a pair once it is realized that the capacity to attract a crowd in the wilderness is the common denominator: reeds shaken by the wind are certainly to be found in the wilderness, but are too commonplace to attract crowds; members of a royal court certainly attracted crowds, but they were not to be sought out in the wilderness,” explains commentator John Nolland.

“What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” The final question referred to John’s vocation as a herald of God’s Word. John was not a motivational speaker who attracted crowds for the sake of attracting crowds. Rather, his message was blunt and forceful (Matthew 3:7-11). John’s ministry was not audience driven but rather obedience driven.

“Jesus corrects any potential for this in today’s passage with His praise of John. He reminded His hearers that John was not like a reed shaken by the wind, like one who changed his views based on the whims of the audience (Luke 7:24). Indeed, when the people went to see John, they went to see a prophet and were right to do so (Luke 7:26). states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

The ministry of fidelity to the Word of God remains as important today as it was in Jesus’ day. Like John, let each believer in Christ resolved to not be like a reed shaken by the wind or one enamored with personal peace and affluence. Rather, may we herald God’s Word.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁴ “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:4–6 (ESV)

The Lord Jesus answered John the Baptist’s question concerning whether or not He was the promised Messiah. The Lord pointed the empirical evidence. In other words, what had John and others heard and observed about Jesus’ ministry? Jesus cited six specific evidences that He was the Messiah.

First, Jesus restored sight to the blind. To receive (ἀναβλέπω; anablepo) means to presently and actively regain the ability to see. Literally, it means to look up, down and around and be able to see what you are looking at. This specifically refers to the blind (τυφλός; typhlos) who are those unable to see. The text does not insinuate any psychosomatic illness.

Second, Jesus healed the lame who now walked. The lame (χωλός; cholos) refers to the crippled and physically maimed. This is a disability that involves the imperfect use of the lower limbs. Jesus healed the lame enabling them to walk.

Third, Jesus cleansed lepers.  To cleanse (καθαρίζω; katharizo) means to make clean. This healing would make the leper ceremonially clean and able to participate in the Jewish temple sacrifices.

Fourth, Jesus restored hearing to the deaf. The deaf (κωφός; kophos) refers to not only those who are unable to hear but also unable to speak. Conversely, to restore the ability to hear also suggests restoring the ability to speak.

Fifth, Jesus raised the dead. The dead (νεκρός; nekros) means the physically dead. Jesus raised (ἐγείρω; egeior) or resurrected the physically dead.

Sixth, Jesus preached good news to the poor in spirit. The poor (πτωχός; ptochos) receive the good news of the Gospel.

“Jesus sent John’s disciples back as eyewitnesses of many miracles. Evidently he performed these miracles in their presence just so that they could report back to John that they had personally seen proof that he was indeed the Messiah (cf. Isa. 29:18–19; 35:5–10). Notice, however, that he offered no further explanation to John, knowing exactly how strong John’s faith was (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

It should be noted that in each case of each miracle Jesus performed, it was to more than one person. All of the nouns (blind, lame, leper, deaf, dead and poor) are plural.

“Jesus answers John’s question indirectly with a list of miracles (vv. 4–5), most of which are drawn from messianic prophecies in Isaiah 35 and 61,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul. “Interestingly, He does not recite the promises of vengeance also found in these chapters from Isaiah. It is as if He is saying to John, “Yes, I am the Messiah and my miracles prove it. But the final judgment is yet to come. In the meantime, I will preach the Gospel to the poor and redeem God’s people.” Christ is inviting John to read Isaiah again and bring his expectations of the Messiah’s work into line with what the prophet says about how the righteous (especially Jesus) must suffer before the kingdom comes in all its fullness (chap. 53).”

Today, remember the many miracles Jesus has performed in your own life. The number one miracle is your conversion by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Soli deo Gloria!

“When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. ² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:1–3 ESV).

We return to our study of the Gospel of Matthew. Beginning in Matthew 11:1 to 12:50, the narrative concerns the signs Jesus provided to authenticate His rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

After Jesus instructed (διατάσσω; diatasso) or gave orders to the Twelve Apostles prior to sending them to the Jewish towns and villages (Matt. 10), He also departed to teach and preach in their cities. The reference to “their cities” would be the cities, towns and villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Except for Judas Iscariot, who was from the southern region of Moab, the remaining eleven apostles originated from the Galilean region.

Today’s text explicitly states that Jesus taught and preached. To teach (διδάσκω; didasko) means to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting. To preach (κηρύσσω; kerysso) means to announce or herald news. This too may be done in a formal or informal setting. Jesus did both.

It was during this time that John the Baptist had heard about Jesus’ miracles (Matt. 4:23-25). John was in prison. The reasons for John’s imprisonment are found in Matthew 14:1-12.

John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him a question. It was, ““Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Even though John acknowledged that Jesus was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), he was having doubts. This was because Jesus had not fulfilled people’s expectations of what the Messiah should be and do. The Jews anticipated a political deliverer who would free them from the oppression of Rome and not necessarily their sin.

“Among the more persuasive evidences for the authenticity of Scripture is the Bible’s willingness to tell the whole truth about the people it describes even when they look bad. Scripture does not hide the faults of the great heroes of the faith. The authors of the various biblical books could have passed over the occasions on which figures like Moses doubted the Lord (Ex. 4:1–17). Such episodes are included because the apostles and prophets, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, knew they had to tell the truth about these people, warts and all,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Of all people, we would expect John the Baptist to have the fewest doubts about the person and work of Jesus. After all, he is the Messiah’s forerunner and has already baptized Him, recognizing Him as the Father’s Anointed One (Matt. 3). Yet even John, a great man of God, wavers when the going gets tough. John’s righteousness in standing up to Herod Antipas has landed him in a jail cell in Herod’s fortress at Machaerus, located southeast of Jerusalem on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea (4:12; 14:1–4). There has been no judgment of evil or vindication of holiness, which John expects to happen at the hands of Jesus, God’s Messiah (3:11–12). As a result, John begins to question His identity, and he sends some of his disciples to inquire of Him (11:1–3).”

It is easy for our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to falter or fail when life gets difficult. It is during those moments, whenever they occur, to return to the Scriptures and remind ourselves of the person and character of our Lord. In the Scriptures, this is what Jesus is teaching and preaching to us.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:1-5 ESV)

What is to be our resolve while we live and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in a postmodern culture that rejects objective truth for subjective feelings? How are we to navigate such turbulent waters of a fallen and rebellious sea of sinful humanity? Galatians 1:6-10 provides us with valuable and biblical insight.

Resolve: Believers in Christ must never desert the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:6 (ESV) says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—.”

The Apostle Paul was astonished (θαυμάζω; thaumazo). This means surprise, bewilderment and shock. Paul could not believe that the believers in Christ in the region of Galatia were quickly deserting (μετατίθημι; metatithemi), personally departing from the Gospel. This is apostasy (Jude 1-16).

Resolve:  Believers in Christ must never distort the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:7 (ESV) says, “…not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” To distort (μεταστρέφω; metastrepho) means to change, alter, or to make something different than what it was originally.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is applicable for everyone, because all are sinners (Rom. 3:21-26). This meta-narrative explains the world in which we live. Individuals are conceived and born sinners. People do not become sinners when they sin. Rather, they sin because they are by nature sinners. This objective truth must never be distorted.

Resolve: Believers in Christ must never deviate from the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:8–9 (ESV) – “⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

To be accursed (ἀνάθεμα; anathema) means to condemned, detest and damned. God will condemn anyone who deviates from the truth of the Gospel of grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Those who detest, distort and deviate from the Gospel, God will detest.

Resolve: Believers in Christ must remain devoted to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:10 (ESV) says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”  

The believer’s ultimate devotion must be for the Lord and His unaltered and objective truth. Anything less results in the individual’s condemnation.

“In a postmodern world, every expositor must decide whether he will cave in to the spirit of the age or uphold the standard of sound words. It he is to win the approbation of God, he must proclaim the exclusive message of God’s unmerited grace. Of those who corrupt this message of the sufficiency and the finality of the substitutionary death of Christ for sinners, he must say with Paul, ‘let them be accursed.’ May this never be said of us,” states Dr. Steven J. Lawson.   

Soli deo Gloria!  

³² Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” ³³ So Paul went out from their midst. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.” (Acts 17:32–34)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ always, always solicits a reaction. The response may be negative, positive, or an ambivalent in-between, but the Gospel always solicits a reaction.

What is true now was true in biblical history. Take Paul’s message at the Areopagus for example. There were three reactions by the Greek philosophers and the Athenian citizens who heard the apostle preach concerning the One, True God of the Bible and the person and work of Jesus Christ. What were those three reactions?

First, there were those who mocked the message: “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked.” The Greek word for mocked (χλευάζω; chleuazo) means to jeer, to joke at something, or to make jest or fun of. The grammar indicates that this mocking was done continually, personally and actively by many people. 

“Plato and other Greek thinkers had developed a doctrine of the soul’s immortality. They reasoned that the soul migrated to another place, but that death terminated man’s physical existence. Indeed, to the Greek’s way of thinking, spirit was good and matter evil, and the soul was said to dwell in the prison house of the body, receiving its liberation only at death. Given such a view, it is not hard to see why a Greek would struggle to understand why a soul returning to reanimate a body could be a good thing,” explains Dr. Simon Kistemaker.

Therefore, many in the audience that day completely rejected the Apostle Paul’s proclamation of the Resurrection. In effect, they rejected the only source of eternal life, which gives the individual soul’s immortal joy. That source of joy is found only in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The second reaction to the Apostle Paul’s message is what I refer to as “deferred interest.” To defer something, or someone, is to postpone, reschedule, adjourn or suspend. Interest means to pay attention, to notice something, to be curious, and aware.

There were others within the Athenian audience who did not mock Paul’s teaching concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Rather, they were interested but only superficially. They were curious but decided to table the discussion to a later day.

Have you encountered people like that when you share the Gospel? They are respectfully attentive and seem to be generally interested. However, that is far as it goes. They promise to discuss the person and work of Jesus Christ with you at a later date but that appointment never arrives. They are respectful, but not repentant.  

The third reaction was repentance and belief. Some of the people joined Paul. The word “joined” (κολλάω; kallao) means united. The verb is in the passive voice though. Therefore the literal meaning is “But some men were joined to him.”

The moment when these men were united in faith with Paul was a work of God upon their souls and not a human work of their own doing.

Luke lists some of the notable Greeks, who placed their God given trust, dependence, commitment and worship of Jesus Christ. These people included were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. Dionysius was a member of the city’s ruling council. He would have a person of great notoriety in Athens.

“In this passage we see three frequent reactions to the Gospel: ridicule (Jude 17-18), intellectual interest (2 Timothy 3:1-7), and acceptance. The very real harvest the Gospel reaped in pagan, hard-hearted Athens should reassure us that it can penetrate hearts anywhere,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

The reason the Gospel penetrates the hearts of fallen sinners is not because of stirring oratory and motivational, and dramatic speakers. Rather, it is because of the Holy Spirit’s work in the soul of the sinner through the preaching of the Gospel (I Corinthians 3:5-9).

Do you know anyone who mocks the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I do. Please, do not hold them in derision but continually pray for them and your efforts, and my own, to share and show the truth of the Gospel and new life in Christ.

Soli deo Gloria!

^30 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30–31)

We must remember that the Apostle Paul was addressing a predominantly Greek, or Gentile, audience when he spoke the Gospel on the Areopagus. The Greeks were ignorant of the Jewish Old Testament. God up to that time almost exclusively revealed His plan of redemption to Israel. Except for His general revelation in creation, the pagan nations were largely left in ignorance. The Lord’s commissioning of Paul as an apostle to the Gentiles was changing this reality (Acts 9:15).

Paul preached that God commanded all people everywhere to repent. God’s command remains a present active reality. It is a command to, and for, all kinds of people; wherever they are. He commands them to repent.

To repent (μετανοέω; metanoeo) means to turn away from sin. As such, the evidence of true, biblical repentance is a change of one’s attitude and behavior concerning sin and righteousness. True repentance is a continual rejection of sin and a continuing embracing of righteousness because of one’s conversion in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Repentance means a literal change of mind, not about individual plans or intentions, but rather a change in one’s attitude about God. Such repentance accompanies saving faith in Christ (Acts 20:21). Repentance and faith are both centered in Jesus Christ. They are two sides to the same coin of conversion.

“It is inconsistent and unintelligible to suppose that anyone could believe in Christ yet not repent. Repentance is such an important aspect of conversion that it is often stressed rather than saving faith, as when Christ said that there is joy in heaven among the angels over one sinner who repents (Lk 15:7). The apostles described the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ as God granting them “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). Evangelical repentance and faith in Christ are in fact inseparable,” explains The Tyndale Bible Commentary.

The reason for the need of repentance, and faith, in Jesus Christ is because God the Father is going to judge the world. The righteous standard of that judgment will be whether one has faith in Jesus Christ. The righteous standard of Christ is assured by Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes that, “The final day of judgment (Revelation 20:12-15) would be an alien idea to Epicureans who believe that the gods could not be bothered by earthly events, and to Stoics, who view history as running in endless cycles. Yet the Athenians’ rejection of the Man who God appointed will result in Jesus finally and justly rejecting them on that Day of Judgment. Paul stresses that God’s call to repentance and faith is not merely an invitation but a command.”

Have you responded to God’s call to repent of your sin and to place your God-given faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ? I urge you to do so today.

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁶ “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷ that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. ²⁸ for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” (Acts 17:26-28).  

In the Apostle Paul’s message at the Areopagus, he first told the Athenians that God was the true creator of the universe. Secondly, God not only created the universe but also sustains it. Thirdly, God not only created and sustains the universe, He also governs it.

The purpose for God having created the world, sustaining it and governing it is so that His creation should, and would, seek Him. God’s intention is that creation would, as it were, feel their way toward Him and find Him. Unfortunately, that is not what the ancient Greeks did, nor is it what fallen man ever does. Fallen man needs God’s divine initiative, which regenerates the sinner by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the preaching of the Gospel (John 3:1-8; Romans 10:5-17).

For God is not only the source of physical life, He is also the only source for spiritual and eternal life. The Apostle Paul’s predominantly Greek audience knew little of the Old Testament Scriptures. However, they knew well their own Grecian poets.

Therefore, Paul decides to quote two Greek poets. First, he quoted Epimenides (7^th – 6^th century B.C.) who wrote, “In him we live and move and have our being.” Then, Paul quoted from Aratus (315-240 B.C.) who wrote, “For we are indeed his offspring.”

What these two Greek poets wrote concerning the Greek god Zeus, Paul applied to Yahweh, the one, true God of the Bible. It is Yahweh who is truly near mankind.

Dr. R. C. Sproul writes, “Paul says that God brought all people into being and they only exist by His providence. In the ancient world, the three great mysteries of philosophy and science were the questions of life, motion and being.”

When he referred to the Greeks in particular, and all mankind in general, as God’s offspring (quoting from the Greek Poet Aratus), the Apostle Paul was not teaching the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man. Rather, he taught that all mankind are a result of God’s creation (Genesis 1-2). Every human being, whether converted or unconverted, is dependent upon the sovereign and biblical God in whom mankind lives, moves and has its existence.

This understanding of God being the creator should prompt humans to no longer view God from a human point of view, but rather from a divine and biblical perspective. In other words, God should not be fashioned into an image of gold, silver or stone (Romans 1:18-23). The Athenians had done so, as others before, at an unprecedented level. It was time to stop. See Exodus 20:1-6.

In his classic work Knowing God, Dr. J.I. Packer writes, “The realization that images and pictures of God affect our thoughts of God points to a further realm in which the prohibition of the second commandment applies. Just as it forbids us to manufacture molten images of God, so it forbids us to dream up mental images of him. Imagining God in our heads can be just as real a breach of the second commandment as imagining him by the work of our hands.”

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “If man is the offspring of God, as the Greek poet suggested, it is foolish to think that God could be nothing more than a man-made idol. Such reasoning points out the absurdity of idolatry (cf. Isa. 44:9–20).”

Take the time today to worship the Lord in your thoughts, emotions and will and also do so according to inherent Word (John 4:24). For it is solely in Him that we live, move and exist. Have a blessed day.

Soli deo Gloria!