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Journey Through Scripture- Mt 15-16 & Mk 7-8 · Journey Elgin

• Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elleg, Texas. This is our journey through Scripture. We are continuing our chronological walk through Scripture, and we are in Matthew ⁓ fifteen and sixteen and Mark seven and eight and in the very last part of Luke chapter nine. ⁓ but ⁓ we we continue this chronological ⁓ walk and I know it can be a little challenging ⁓ through the ⁓ New Testament through the gospels. We're skipping around and trying to to hit all of the same events ⁓ in each of the different ⁓ gospels. And so so now we're ⁓ at a a a place, ⁓ there's some interesting teachings here. You know, we're we're getting closer and closer to ⁓ Jesus going to Jerusalem for the last time. ⁓ and we can see the tension is building between Jesus and the Pharisees and the Sadducees, which were the religious leaders of the day. And and there's some ⁓ major confrontation is going to be ⁓ coming up and the disciples struggle with this. The disciples are still learning. There's so many different dynamics going on. And so let's start in in Matthew chapter fifteen, verses ⁓ one through twenty. And Jesus is ⁓ talking or the scribes and the Pharisees come to Jesus and they say, Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat the bread. ⁓ so there was a a ritual that you had to go through to wash your hands to eat the bread. the scribes and the Pharisees, they followed this to the T and they expected everyone else to do the same. Now it's important to remember w they're not talking about laws that were laid out in Scripture. They're talking about the added laws that had been added by them, ⁓ by the religious structure. ⁓ And they are desiring and wanting everyone to follow them. And Jesus' responses he uses a passage out of Isaiah says, These people draw near to me, this is in verse eight of chapter fifteen of Matthew, these people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. So he's calling them hypocrites right before that verse seven hypocrites that that they are following their own laws But not really following God's law. and and that's one thing it's kind of important to understand here is when when we hear the word hypocrite, we we think of that ⁓ people are are saying one thing and doing another. ⁓ and that that obviously is part of the word hypocrite, but there's there's more to it that because the scribes and the Pharisees are actually doing what they're saying. Right? They're they are know, dogmatically ⁓ following the law. So they are doing what they are are saying. The problem is they are following their own law rather than God's law. Like they are elevating human law above God's law. That that is what it's meaning to be hypocritical here. And Jesus kind of continues to flesh that out. Verse 10 When he had called the multitudes to himself, he said to them, Hear and understand. Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of his mouth, this defiles a man. ⁓ but then his disciples ask him, I I thought this is interesting, do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying? So I I don't think Jesus cares that the Pharisees are offended. ⁓ but isn't that interesting, that that's a concern today, right? We're ⁓ you know, there's always the concern are we offending people? And we should not be intentionally offending people. But if the truth offends people, that's that's not really on you. ⁓ now maybe your delivery, ⁓ maybe the way that you ⁓ share the truth. ⁓ but unfortunately we live in a time where just simply stating the truth ⁓ is offensive. But that's that that's always been there. People use that as a way to reject the truth. And so the disciples are actually kind of still struggling with that and like, hey, d do you really want to tick these people off? They're now offended at us. ⁓ Jesus answered, this is verse thirteen, ⁓ every plant which my heavenly father has not planted will be uprooted, let them alone. They are blind, leaders of the blind, and if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. Isn't that interesting? Well he's calling out their leaders, ⁓ saying they are blind, they are they are following their own laws at the expense of God's law. and and they are basically the blind leading the blind. It's kind of interesting to think about ⁓ who the leaders are today. ⁓ the leaders that Jesus is talking about, they were the ones who Rome ultimately was in charge, but Rome allowed certain amount of governance within ⁓ Israel. And the scribes and the Pharisees not only were they religious leaders, ⁓ but they they ⁓ were leaders within the the affairs and the civic realm as well. ⁓ they they were part of the government. and ⁓ he is calling out those leaders when our leaders start to follow their own laws at the expense of God's laws, you're going to have the blind leading the blind and we need to be aware of that and to be be careful of that. ⁓ so then in verse sixteen Jesus kind of explains a little bit more. ⁓ are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart produce proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, fault witnesses, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man. But to eat what with unwashed hands does not defile a man. So he's like don't it's not the things that ⁓ that you do, it's not the the little rituals that you go through, it's not the things that go into the mouth. ⁓ those should be processed and either expelled or used for the betterment of the body, right? ⁓ so just because you may ⁓ ingest something that is not healthy, ⁓ it is what's the most important is what is coming out of your mouth. What are you doing with that? Are you allowing ⁓ evil thoughts and and things ⁓ evil things that you see in media on television, are you allowing those things to dictate and change the way that you think, the way that you act? ⁓ or do you when you see that stuff, because let's be honest, we're going to see and we're going to be ⁓ exposed to lots of ⁓ of ungodly things. Are we able to filter those out? and get rid of those and not allow them to ⁓ influence us. ⁓ but but it but the Pharisees, they are more concerned about let's just regulate everything and so that that nothing unholy ever ⁓ enters you or that you see anything, you follow all these rules and and you will avoid ⁓ any of the unholiness out there. Well That's not realistic. And they became so dogmatic on following those human rules ⁓ that they ⁓ did not focus on ⁓ what was what was g coming on and coming out of them, how they began to live their lives, how they began to unfortunately have a darkened heart because it was based on following human laws, not God's law. ⁓ Mark seven, basic ⁓ one through twenty three. is the same ⁓ story, ⁓ same interaction that Jesus has with the Pharisees where he's calling them ⁓ hypocrites. ⁓ then we have Jesus moving to another area. ⁓ he's moving on ⁓ to some of the Gentile areas again. ⁓ and remember he's been trying to be very careful, ⁓ wanting to make sure he's sharing with the people of Israel first and then that it was going to move from there. ⁓ the many of the Gentiles ⁓ were probably not ready to hear ⁓ some of these things and and and understand them. So Jesus had a plan ⁓ and now we're starting to see that it's h his his ⁓ message and miracles are extending even to the Gentiles and ⁓ is not able to slow that down. verse ⁓ chapter fifteen of Matthew, verses twenty one through thirty one, ⁓ a gentile woman ⁓ comes to Jesus, says, My daughter ⁓ is ⁓ possessed, please ⁓ save her. ⁓ again they're they're trying to to be careful here and so Jesus is kind of ignores her at first and then he says he says ⁓ it's not good ⁓ or he he answered her says I was not sent except except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and worshipped him and said, Lord help me. But he answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs. And she said, Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs when they ⁓ fall from their master's table. And Jesus answered and said to her, Woman, great is your faith, let it be to you as you desire, and her daughter was healed that very hour. ⁓ So again, Jesus is not being derogatory. He is just saying, I have come for the the the people that have the law that should recognize who I am and then it will go out to the the Gentiles. But he recognizes this woman's sincere faith. most of the Gentiles ⁓ they they would see ⁓ Jesus as just one of the other many pagan guys that can do magical things. This woman there was something different. She actually had a belief that he was God, not just one of the many small g gods ⁓ that did ⁓ magical ⁓ spells and and things like that that the Greeks and the Romans worshipped. ⁓ so then Jesus begins to heal many people in that area which which are more ⁓ is more Greek and and more Gentile. ⁓ so again the his message is is spreading. ⁓ Mark chapter seven, ⁓ verses twenty-four through thirty-seven ⁓ kind of has has the same ⁓ same stories. I encourage you to read both of those to see ⁓ some of the ⁓ subtle differences ⁓ that you know little points that are brought out ⁓ Jesus begins to to heal ⁓ he heals a a deaf ⁓ somebody who is deaf who is mute and so again this message is spreading very quickly then we get to Matthew chapter fifteen thirty two through thirty nine And we have the feeding of the four thousand. That's in Matthew fifteen, thirty-two through thirty-nine, and then Mark eight, one through ten. Now, this is very similar to the feeding of the five thousand, but it is with a gentile audience, not a ⁓ Jewish or not a predominantly Jewish audience. The other would have been predominantly Jewish, this would have been predominantly ⁓ gentile. And it and it's a little bit different. Four thousand seven baskets are filled ⁓ afterwards, ⁓ not twelve. w we don't know exactly. Usually we see the twelve baskets are representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁓ you know, that that God is coming to them. the seven, that is the number of just God's completeness, his holiness, that he is above all things. So yes, he is coming to the Gentiles as well. ⁓ Th this also is is kind of a ⁓ the disciples are still struggling, right? They're still not not seeing the full picture, right? They they recognize something amazing happened in the feeding of the five thousand, but they still have doubts. It's it's a process that they are coming ⁓ to know and to believe in who Christ ⁓ truly is. And so Mark ⁓ Matthew fifteen and Mark eight, one through ten. ⁓ have the feeding of the four thousand. ⁓ then you have Matthew sixteen and ⁓ one through twelve and Mark eight, eleven through twenty six. These talk about how the Pharisees, the people are seeking a sign. ⁓ that they they want ⁓ got ⁓ Jesus to give them ⁓ a sign to prove that he he's the Messiah. ⁓ and he he says to them, ⁓ this is in verse ⁓ two, the end of verse ⁓ two ⁓ ⁓ no, sorry, ⁓ in in the end of verse three in Matthew sixteen says, Hypocrites, you know how to s discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them and departed. Now he's used that term, the sign of Jonah before. ⁓ ⁓ how Jonah was sent to go to Nineveh to ⁓ to ask them to repent of their sinfulness. ⁓ he didn't want to do it, so he spent ⁓ how many days and nights in the belly of a well? Yes, three days in the belly of a well. ⁓ then he was ⁓ barfed up and then he did go to Nineveh and he called on them to repent and they they listened. So basically that's the Jesus is shown plenty of signs, right, through through the ⁓ miracles that he has done. but w the ultimate sign is will they recognize him after he has ⁓ been in the tomb for three days, resurrected, and then will they repent as the people of Nineveh repented. That is what Jesus is talking about ⁓ there. ⁓ then you you get ⁓ to the disciples are Talking about bread and that they've forgotten the the leaven, and Jesus uses this as an example to remind them y'all aren't getting it. ⁓ in verse eight of Matthew sixteen it says, But Jesus being aware of this said to them, O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves and five thousand and how how many baskets you took up, nor the seven loaves of four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of the bread, but the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. ⁓ Have human laws over godly laws. ⁓ Mark chapter 8, 11 through 20 ⁓ six ⁓ talks about ⁓ this as well, but then it's followed by the ⁓ the healing of the blind man in Beth Seda, and this kind of goes to the showing of how the disciples are slowly starting to see what Jesus is talking about. Says that he came to Beth Seda, they brought a blind man to him, ⁓ begged him to touch him. He had put Jesus put spin on his hand ⁓ eyes and put his hands on him and asked if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, I see men like trees walking. Then he put his hands on his eyes again and he made them look up, and he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then he sent away his house, saying, Neither go into the town nor tell anyone in this town. Now what what was what's that it symbolic of did Jesus just only use some of his p ⁓ power at first ⁓ so that the that the man couldn't see fully. ⁓ no, it's it's an indication kind of what the disciples are going through. They they they were starting to see, but it was still fuzzy, but eventually they will be able to see clearly. ⁓ we'll we'll end let's get through Matthew chapter six and Mark chapter eight. ⁓ and then the this is this ⁓ encounter is also in Luke chapter nine, verses eighteen through twenty seven. So you can read it in all three. And this is Where Jesus is still in this Gentile area. He's in Caesarea Philippi. ⁓ he is probably at a place ⁓ where the god ⁓ many gods were worshipped. ⁓ the place where the god of Pan was worshipped, Pan was a god who would kind of go from the ⁓ from Hades to to the world kind of you know, I I don't know, I'm not not great on all my Greek mythology. ⁓ but the place that he was at was literally called the gates of Hades. ⁓ that it this was a very pagan ⁓ Greek Roman city. ⁓ and this is where Jesus asks, Who do people say that I am? And it is Peter who says, You are the Christ, ⁓ the Son of God. And this is a ⁓ a huge confession that that they are starting to get it, and that's when Jesus responds. He says, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood blood is not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ⁓ so the again, this is this is a powerful moment ⁓ that Jesus is ⁓ acknowledging. that he is the Christ and that Peter recognized that too. ⁓ and that the the battle is beginning. ⁓ and then you but then you have this interesting thing where ⁓ Jesus is you know starts to you know teach that he's gonna have to go back to Jerusalem ⁓ and he's starting to you know reveal that it's not going to be good. And so Peter actually says, ⁓ Lord this is in verse twenty two of Matthew chapter sixteen Peter took him aside, began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you. But Jesus turned to Peter and said, Get behind me, Satan, you are an offense to me, for you are mo not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. Just like the Pharisees, right? Peter was relying on his own understanding of how things should work out, not God's. Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, follow me. ⁓ right, so it Jesus is is giving a tough message here. ⁓ and even Peter, who he's just call said, On on you on this rock I will build my church, ⁓ to Peter, now he's saying, Peter, get behind me, Satan. ⁓ so you know, Peter is still human, they still don't fully get it. ⁓ but the message of Christ is not an easy message. It's it's one that's going to require sacrifice, it's gonna require difficulty. ⁓ it's gonna require continuing to seek God's way rather than our way. ⁓ so you can read the same in Mark chapter eight, twenty seven, ⁓ and then the very end of Luke ⁓ chapter nine, verses eighteen through twenty seven. All right. So ⁓ we will continue with Matthew chapter seventeen, Luke chapter nine, ⁓ or a a little bit more in Luke nine, Mark chapter nine. And let's see how far we'll go. So Matthew seventeen, Mark and Luke nine. And we'll get we'll get to the first part of Matthew chapter eighteen. ⁓ but but mainly Mark nine, Luke nine, Matthew seventeen, and then the first about ten verses of Matthew chapter eighteen. And we'll see you on.