Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB00015A
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00:21 Hi, and welcome to "The Book of the Book" series
00:24 on "The Gospel of Matthew." 00:25 We're here studying scripture with Ranko Stefanovic, 00:29 New Testament professor 00:31 at Andrew's University Theological Seminary. 00:33 Ranko, it's a joy to study God's word together, isn't it? 00:35 Yes, Glenn, and I'm so glad that we can see love, 00:40 friendship here during this series 00:42 that is so much important. 00:44 We--you are teaching there at Andrew's University 00:47 in the Department of Religion. 00:49 We were in that department for number of years, 00:51 I think nine or ten years. 00:54 And I know how great impact you made on my own children 00:58 while teaching there at Andrew's Academy. 01:00 Oh, I think it's mutual. 01:01 My children loved your teaching as well. 01:04 You're a camp meeting speaker and scholar, 01:07 but a student of scripture. 01:08 And that's what we want to do there. That's what-- 01:09 We're just sitting here with our Bibles together 01:12 setting God's word and we're so glad 01:14 that each of you can join us. 01:16 It's been an exciting journey so far 01:18 as we've been going through Matthew. 01:20 I think you really enjoy, and learn and grow 01:24 as God speaks to us through His word today. 01:26 Let's get into the text after prayer. 01:29 Ranko, would you lead us in prayer 01:30 that God will guide us in our study? Yes. Yes. 01:33 Our Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us 01:38 this beautiful Gospel, Gospel of Matthew, 01:41 as we are going now trying to understand 01:43 those different texts in this Gospel. 01:47 Please give us the sermon and the Holy Spirit 01:50 to guide us in understanding, 01:51 when sometimes difficult statements 01:53 that we find in the text. 01:55 Thank you for Your help, thank you for being with us. 01:58 And we pray all of this 02:00 in the precious name of our savior, 02:02 Jesus Christ, amen. Amen. 02:05 Well, we've been following the path of Jesus' ministry. 02:10 It's taken us from His genealogy and His birth, 02:14 His baptism, the temptations, 02:16 His early ministry, His ministry in Galilee. 02:19 But now He is moving geographically 02:20 towards Jerusalem. Jerusalem. 02:22 He is moving towards the cross. Yes. 02:25 And the shadow of the cross leans 02:27 over all these pages, doesn't it? 02:29 As we get into these Chapters. 02:30 And Jesus knew that after the cross, 02:35 He will ascend there to heaven, 02:36 He will leave His disciples. 02:38 But evidently the disciples were not ready. 02:41 They were supposed to continue to work with Jesus Christ. 02:44 But evidently their focus was not on the mission. 02:47 Their focus was on themselves, 02:50 who will get the most benefit in the kingdom of heaven 02:55 that Jesus would establish. All right. 02:57 Today we're going to explore Matthew 19. 03:00 But let's go back and catch the flow just bit, little bit. 03:02 In Chapter 18, we noticed that, 03:05 "God wants us to love the least, 03:08 those who are on the fringes on the edges. 03:11 Even those in the church that may seem to be the lest, 03:14 the less spiritual or the least talented 03:17 or the least capable." 03:19 And part of that loving is how we treat them 03:22 when they slip, when they stumble, 03:23 when there's a lost sheep, you know. 03:25 And he ties in this discussion of church disciple 03:29 in Matthew Chapter 18, 03:31 with a parable about forgiveness. 03:33 Tell us a little bit about that parable. 03:34 You know, Glenn, there is one thing that amazes me. 03:39 God said that through Moses to the people of Israel, 03:41 you'll always have poor people and yourself. 03:45 When you go to the New Testament 03:47 evidently Jesus does something more. 03:50 We will always have people who have spiritual progress. 03:54 We will have in our midst. 03:55 Sometimes they write in the mirror, 03:57 the ones we struggle. 03:58 And the question is how to relate in the church 04:02 that is actually the visible manifestation 04:05 of the kingdom of heaven on earth. 04:08 Actually this is what Matthew 18 is all about is, 04:13 "if we have the people who have the spiritual progress, 04:16 people who fall even in sin." 04:19 Jesus says, "You who are spiritual, 04:21 you're supposed to go and find those people 04:24 and restore them into the fellowship 04:26 of that kingdom of heaven." 04:30 Realizing what Jesus' calling into, 04:32 Peter comes and ask question. 04:35 And in the ancient world as in much of the world today, 04:38 revenge and honor and respect are very high priorities. 04:42 And he comes and he says, 04:43 "Now how many times should I ask a brother to-- 04:46 you know, how many times can I forgive?" 04:48 It says in Matthew Chapter 18 verse 21. 04:51 Peter came up and said to Him, 04:52 "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, 04:56 and I forgive him?" 04:57 So it's about a brother, not someone else. 04:59 But it's--when a brother sins against me 05:02 and Peter gives a suggestion. 05:04 Okay, Glenn, let's keep in mind 05:06 that this is reference to verse 15. That's right. 05:08 You see, if you go to verse 15, 05:10 "if your brother sins," actually in Greek says, 05:14 "against you go and try to save the brother." 05:20 So now Peter says, "so how many times?" 05:23 If the person slips away, if the person sins, 05:27 how many times am I supposed to do it? 05:29 And among the Jewish people in the first century 05:33 there was a teaching believe according to the Rabbis, 05:37 you're supposed to forgive three times. 05:40 And that was generous compared to the Pagans 05:42 which was "eye for an eye." Yes. 05:44 Law of revenge. So they're doing better. 05:46 But Peter, I wanted to be very generous, not three times. 05:51 He said, seven times hoping that 05:54 Jesus will tap on his shoulder and He say, 05:57 "oh, Peter, you are so generous." 06:00 But you know, what was the answer 06:01 that Jesus gave to Peter? 06:04 Well, Jesus responses, 06:05 "I don't say to you seven times but seventy times so." 06:09 I don't know, I have-- something very interesting 06:15 that I discovered because the warning 06:17 that we find here in verse 22 06:20 is really the reflection of Daniel Chapter 9. 06:25 When God used seventy times seven 06:30 as a metaphoric saying of the great forgiveness, 06:36 of course, this is the prophecy 06:39 a day for year, there, there. 06:41 But the very saying, 06:43 the very concept seventy times seven 06:45 refers to the great forgiveness 06:47 that God wanted to show to His people 06:49 and this is exactly what Jesus get his-- 06:51 So when we're tempted to say, "How long should I forgive?" 06:54 Jesus is saying, "Well, look at how long 06:57 God has forgiven you." 06:58 It's a great- It's a God standard. 06:59 It's a great forgiveness. 07:00 And now to illustrate Peter was confused completely. 07:04 I mean can you imagine seven generous? 07:06 Now Jesus is great forgiveness and now we have the parable. 07:09 What is Glenn, parable all about? 07:11 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven 07:13 may be compared to a king 07:14 who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 07:16 When he began the reckoning, 07:17 one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents 07:20 and he could not pay. 07:21 His Lord ordered him to be sold 07:24 with his wife and children all that he had 07:26 and payment to be made. 07:27 So the servant fell on his knees 07:29 and pouring him, Lord have patience with me 07:31 and I will pay you everything. 07:34 And out of pity for him, 07:35 the Lord of that servant released him 07:37 and forgave the debt." 07:39 Boy, if only the story stop there, 07:40 it'd be such a beautiful story. Yeah, fantastic. 07:42 But unfortunately it continues. 07:45 But that same servant, "As he went out, 07:47 came across one of his fellow servants 07:49 who owed him a hundred denarii, 07:51 and seized him by the throat, and said, 'Pay what you owe.' 07:55 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 07:58 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 08:00 But he refused. 08:02 And he went and put him in prison 08:03 until he should pay his debt. 08:05 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, 08:07 they were greatly distressed, 08:08 and they went and reported to their Lord 08:09 all that had taken place. 08:11 Then his Lord summoned him and said to him, 08:14 'You wicked servant! 08:15 I forgave you all that debt because you besought me 08:18 and you should not have mercy on your fellow servant 08:21 as I had mercy on you?' 08:23 And in anger his Lord delivered him to the jailers 08:25 until he should pay all his debt. 08:27 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, 08:31 if you do not forgive your brother from the heart." 08:33 Now we need to remember that parables 08:34 not every detail is an allegory. 08:37 Actually-- God has not liked this. 08:39 Actually verse 35 tell us the purpose. 08:41 What will happen to us 08:43 if we do not forgive our brothers? 08:45 Keep in mind that Peter asked Jesus, 08:48 "how many times should I forgive to my brother?" 08:52 And Jesus moves from the number 08:55 to the practical application. 08:56 By the way, how much did the person, 09:00 the servant owed to his master. 09:03 He says, "ten thousand talents." 09:05 Please, so many times when we read the Bible, 09:10 we--it's not clear to ask what meaning of that, 09:14 ten thousand talents. 09:16 In the time of Jesus, Galilee, Judea 09:20 and another territory known as Idumea, 09:23 altogether, okay, their taxes were 600 talents. 09:31 Here we're talking about 09:32 ten thousand talents how many? 09:35 How many years of taxes just from that territory? 09:38 It's something that the person, 09:41 one individual cannot pay. It's an impossible pay. 09:44 It's an impossible pay. All right. 09:45 But you see, another person owe to this servant 09:51 whom it was forgiven, 100 denarii, 09:55 denarius actually was a daily wage. 09:59 One hundred, we're talking about three months of salary. 10:02 For one person compare to the taxes of a whole region. 10:05 For one person is. 10:06 So Jesus tried something to tell us here is 10:10 the person was forgiven, 10:11 something that he could not repay at all. 10:15 It was forgiven to him. 10:17 On another side he could not forgive to the person 10:20 something that was really not too much. 10:22 It was too much. It was series. 10:24 Jesus never diminishes. 10:26 And you know, put less than significance of that. 10:30 It is that. 10:31 But in comparison, what God has done for me. 10:35 And what I'm supposed to forgive to my brother, 10:39 keep in mind, expression is my brother or my sister is, 10:42 it cannot be compared with what heart did to me. 10:45 So let's make sure we catch the picture 10:46 and that is that our debt to God, 10:50 is so immense we can never repay it. 10:53 Glenn, you know--But sometimes the little offenses 10:55 that someone does to us, in comparison-- 10:59 You see, we're talking about the little offences. 11:01 There is no offence, 11:04 that my brother can do to me so great. 11:08 In comparison, you see, Glenn, 11:10 I can owe to you $1,000. 11:12 Boy, $1,000 is big, huh? It's your wish-- 11:14 It's one cheque, it's one cheque that-- 11:16 that we receive in salary and it's big. 11:19 But can you imagine, and understand 11:20 that somebody gave me one million dollars 11:25 then $1,000 really it's not the big deal at all. 11:29 See when we focus on ourselves in the church 11:32 on the issues what people to do to me, 11:34 it's a big deal. 11:35 But when I focus on God, when I focus on Christ, 11:38 what Christ did to me, how much I'm forgiven? 11:42 Then all those offences, they really become 11:45 almost insignificant in the light what God did for me. 11:48 We need to move on, but let's hold the thought 11:51 that also remember this is tidy 11:54 and with how we treat those in the church 11:56 in terms of discipline, those who have slipped, 11:58 those who have not followed faithfully. 12:02 Let's have that forgiving spirit. 12:03 Okay, Ranko, we've got-- If everybody in the church 12:05 thinks how much I am forgiven, 12:07 we would not have too many problems 12:10 among the members of the community of believers. Yes. 12:13 Now Jesus moves from Galilee and enters into Judea. 12:17 So we're in Chapter 19? Yes. 12:19 And the Pharisees come. 12:22 We're gonna come to the question in a moment, 12:24 but give us a little background. 12:25 They come with a question of Jesus about divorce. 12:29 What's the background that we should know about it? 12:31 Yeah, Chapter 19 begins, 12:33 "when Jesus had finished these words," 12:35 do you remember that? 12:36 It marks the fourth block of the Gospel of Matthew. 12:41 You know, in the first century among Jews-- 12:45 you know, the Jewish people always have the rabbis, 12:48 the rabbi, that rabbi dies 12:51 the most prominent people of him, 12:54 he would succeed him 12:56 and he would be the next rabbi et cetera. 12:57 However in the first century 12:59 there was something very interesting 13:01 and with the Jewish people, 13:02 they had pair of rabbis for certain period of time. 13:08 And when Jesus was born, and when Jesus was child, 13:14 there was--there two rabbis, pair of rabbis, 13:17 one was Shammai and another one was Hillel. 13:21 They were very prominence, especially Hillel. 13:23 Hillel was liberal. Shammai was very conservative. 13:27 This is what the Torah says, and let's hold it. 13:32 And people were coming to Hillel and asking him, 13:36 "Can I divorce my wife?" 13:37 He said, you know, "you can divorce your wife, 13:39 even if you are displeased 13:41 because of the lunch that should prepared to you." 13:44 And the reason, you're free to do it. 13:47 Shammai, he said, "No. 13:51 It can only be very serious reason, the adultery. 13:54 You can go and divorce your wife." 13:58 So you're talking about the disciples, 14:01 the pupils, they were debating among themselves. 14:04 So now the question that Jesus was asked 14:08 was actually attempting Jesus in which side He will side, 14:13 we have to understand this context 14:14 and we'll see more and more in few minutes-- 14:16 So the Pharisees come to find out 14:18 which school of thought do you agree with 14:20 and it's a trap. 14:21 Because either way his answer would go, they would get him. 14:23 And they could--they could argue with Jesus. Yes. 14:26 So let's find out more about how that trap, 14:28 that question works and Jesus intriguing answer 14:31 when we come back right after our break. 14:33 We'll be right back. |
Revised 2014-12-17