Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB00015B
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00:01 Welcome back, you remember that
00:03 the Pharisees had come to trap Jesus 00:05 asking him a question, 00:06 "Which school of thought-- liberal, conservative, 00:09 what are you Jesus? 00:10 And where do you stand on this very difficult 00:13 social issue of divorce?" Let's see how Jesus responds. 00:17 Yes, Glenn, as we are dealing here with this text, 00:19 we have to keep something in mind. 00:22 Christians throughout history will take this text 00:26 as the definite answer that covers all the issues, 00:30 all the questions about the divorce. 00:34 We have to keep in mind that this text, 00:37 it's not a doctrine of divorce. 00:40 This text deals with particular situation, 00:44 dealing with specific problem is. 00:47 In order to understand the biblical teaching 00:49 of the divorce we have to go 00:51 also to other text-text of the Bible. 00:54 It's one particular aspect of that 00:56 is which view is correct, Shammai or Hillel? 01:02 But you'll--I really, I'm amazed, 01:05 you know, savior Jesus Christ, 01:07 how He was able always to deal with human problems? 01:10 And I learn something from hymn. 01:13 Instead of Jesus trying to say 01:15 Hillel or Shammai is wrong or either, 01:18 what does Jesus do? Let's go to the scriptures. 01:23 It's very interesting. Let's go to the Bible. 01:25 They are referring to case law from Deuteronomy 24, 01:27 but he doesn't go to Deuteronomy. 01:30 He goes back to creation. To creation. 01:32 Instead of talking about what's the solution, 01:35 in a sinful paradigm, He says, 01:37 "Let's go back to the sinless, 01:39 God's original intention." 01:40 They want to talk about divorce, 01:42 He wants to talk about marriage. 01:44 So what is the point that Jesus makes? 01:45 I think it's a beautiful point. 01:47 He says, look you know, "from the beginning 01:50 it was not so, God made them male and female. 01:53 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, 01:55 be joined his wife and two shall become one flesh." 01:57 Jesus has a high view of marriage 02:00 and He says the problem with us 02:02 is that we don't understand what God intended 02:04 the joy in a relationship. 02:06 It's because of the hardness of our hearts. 02:08 So what was the question? 02:10 Let's put it in the context. 02:13 Can the man divorce his wife? 02:16 What was the answer Jesus said, 02:19 "Did the man create marriage?" 02:23 He says at the beginning, God joined two people together. 02:27 If God joins two people together, 02:30 man cannot separate. Yes. 02:33 This is the point that Jesus has made. 02:35 So I don't have a right to find any reason, 02:39 God joined us, me and my wife in a marriage 02:42 and simply my wife displeases me for any reason. 02:45 No, it's God who joins 02:48 and it's God who can separate people. 02:50 This is exactly the point that Jesus makes here. 02:53 But you see, then they ask, 02:55 listen, this is what God did. 02:57 This is what God said. 03:00 This is what God established because marriage 03:03 was established in the Garden of Eden. Right. 03:05 But you see, what is the next text? But Moses said. 03:11 Actually, I'd tell you something, 03:13 and, and to tell our viewers, yes, 03:17 so many times as I'm traveling I meet people. 03:22 They come to me and they say, 03:25 "What am I supposed to do in order to be saved?" 03:28 What to do? I said, "Let's go to the Bible." 03:31 Yeah, this is in the Bible. 03:33 But my priest says this or that pastor said that. 03:41 So many times we make people 03:43 more significant than what God did. 03:47 Jesus said this is what God did. 03:50 This is what God established and this is what God said. 03:53 But they said, but Moses said and Jesus said, 03:55 yeah, Moses had to say that 03:57 because of the hardness of your heart. 03:59 And isn't that the issue? That's the issue. 04:01 The sad thing is that sin and selfishness 04:04 turn our hearts hard. Exactly. 04:05 And every marriage that turns bad, 04:07 there is a hardness of heart that comes in. 04:09 But we see a compassion of Lord and savior here 04:12 and He escapes their trap, doesn't He? 04:14 And Jesus said, yeah, Moses said it, 04:17 there is special reason why Moses said it, 04:19 but if you undo what God did, 04:24 you are breaking the clear will of God 04:26 with reference to you and your marriage. 04:28 This is the main point actually that Jesus thrived-- 04:31 And He has such a high view of marriage, 04:33 such a sense of its holiness, the disciples says 04:36 it's a whole lot better to be single. 04:38 And Jesus said, yeah, there are people 04:41 who even voluntarily made themselves 04:43 incapable of marriage. 04:45 And Jesus wanted really to say here, 04:48 if you have problem in marriage, 04:50 you are not sure, you'd like 04:53 your will to succeed then better say single. 04:56 It'll be less sin for you than to do it. 04:58 But single for the kingdom or married for the kingdom, 05:00 it's still the same purpose. All right, he goes on-- 05:03 So marriage was intended by God. Yes, yes. 05:07 This is the point that Jesus makes. 05:10 There is a powerful story at the end of Chapter 19. 05:15 Someone comes and ask Jesus that question 05:18 that resonates throughout all humanity, 05:20 "What must I do to gain eternal life?" 05:22 We need to pay careful attention to the question. 05:25 This gifted, intelligent, talented young man comes 05:30 and Jesus heart goes out, 05:32 He sees someone who'll be such a wonderful disciple, 05:36 someone who would be fantastic to follow Him. 05:39 And the man asked the right question, it seems, 05:41 "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" 05:44 It's a question that every Hindu, 05:46 every Muslim, every Christian is asking. 05:48 "What do I have to do to get to heaven?" Yeah. 05:52 If we really take this event 05:55 and description of this young man 05:58 and compare with Mark and Luke, 06:01 actually we have one sentence in Luke that says... 06:06 that states Jesus loved that young man. He was sincere. 06:14 He really wanted to serve God. He was good. 06:19 I mean, I wish that I can say as this young man, 06:22 "I have kept all the commandments 06:26 since I was a child." 06:28 By the way his statement reminds me, 06:30 he was most likely Pharisee, okay. 06:32 You know, strict servant of the Lord. 06:35 If you want to understand what he's here talking about, 06:38 there is another text in the Bible 06:40 that explains here his attitude 06:42 in case of servants of the Lord 06:43 and that's the case with Apostle Paul 06:45 in Philippians Chapter 3. 06:47 When Paul talks about his life as a Pharisee, 06:51 he said, "Before the law I was completely blameless." 06:56 And this is what this person. 06:57 He was a very, very, very sincere. 07:03 But there's here in verse 17, 07:05 one thing we have to see in the original language. 07:11 Let's go one more time verse 16. 07:13 He says to Jesus, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do 07:18 that I may obtain eternal life? 07:21 That I may obtain, what shall I do?" 07:24 This is what many Christians are asking, 07:25 "What can I do? What can I do?" 07:28 Since he asked Jesus about what to do? 07:31 Jesus had to answer him according to his question. 07:35 Jesus said, "Why you're asking me about what is good? 07:39 There is only one who is good." 07:40 By the way this is not really what the Greek text says. 07:43 The Greek text, Jesus says, "Why are you asking me, 07:47 why are you asking about what is good? 07:50 There is only one thing that is good." 07:53 This is how Greek says. And what is one thing? 07:57 To keep the commandments. 07:58 You see we live among many Christians, 08:02 very good Christians who think and get impression 08:06 by reading the Bible that Jesus thrived to get away 08:10 with keeping of God's commandments. 08:14 Of course, unfortunately we always come 08:15 to one or two commandants because 08:18 Christians will never believe and say that 08:20 we can commit adultery steal, rob, and kill people. No. 08:25 But usually we have problem with one or two commandments. 08:28 But Jesus paid very close attention to the keeping 08:33 all the commandments and then young man asking Him, 08:36 "What good should I do?" 08:37 Jesus says there is only one good thing that you can do, 08:39 it's to keep the commandments of God. Is it amazing? 08:44 He's a gifted teacher. He's a gifted teacher. 08:46 And I think that His first answer 08:48 is not the final answer. 08:50 He leads this young man to a deeper understanding. 08:53 Because salvation is not about what we do, 08:55 if we stop right there, we would think that 08:56 Jesus could be a legalist, obedience, 08:59 keep the commandments, that's all there is. 09:01 But He leads them to see something more 09:03 because when the young man says, 09:04 "Oh! I've been keeping that." 09:05 How does Jesus respond to him when the young man said? 09:08 But Glenn, I don't know if you see something here 09:11 in the text that amazes me. 09:15 What are the commandments that Jesus is referring to? 09:20 Jesus is not referring to the first commandment, 09:23 second, third, and the fourth 09:25 which are really referring 09:27 to the vertical relationship with God. 09:30 That man evidently they don't have problem. 09:33 He prayed several times there to God. 09:36 He did not worship idols. 09:38 Evidently then he tried to take 09:40 the name of God in his mouth, 09:41 even did not like a Pharisee, 09:43 he would not take the name of God. 09:45 He would replace it with another Adonai. 09:47 He was--and Jesus does not talk to him 09:50 about the first four commandments. That's Right. 09:53 He observed the Sabbath evidently, 09:55 you know, walking exactly how many steps. 09:58 Actually Jesus refers to the last six commandments 10:03 that are referring to that vertical relationship, 10:07 sorry, sorry, to the horizontal relationship 10:10 fellow, fellow human beings. 10:11 And he said, "Yeah, I did it." 10:14 Actually if we really want to see between the lines, 10:18 Jesus said, "Uh, really, 10:20 you said you are doing that. Let's test you." Yes. 10:26 "Go and sell everything what you have 10:30 and give it to the poor people, 10:32 give it to those who are in need." 10:36 What's the conclusion of the story? 10:37 And I think it's important for us to know 10:39 that Jesus doesn't stop there. 10:41 Now going and giving everything 10:43 you have to the poor 10:44 is not a requirement for our Christians. 10:46 They've been some who've taken this text and said, 10:48 "All Christians should take a vow of poverty. 10:50 They should not have anything." 10:52 But He has more in mind. 10:54 He ends that statement not just go 10:56 and give everything to poor but then what? 10:58 What should He do after that? Follow me. 11:00 Unfortunately, he left Jesus. 11:02 I would like, Glenn, we don't have too much time, 11:04 just to refer some, Jesus says, 11:06 "if you want," it's verse 21, 11:08 "If you want to be perfect, 11:13 go and have a right horizontal relationship 11:16 with fellow human beings." 11:17 You remember the word perfect, 11:18 be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. 11:21 We read it in Matthew Chapter 5 verse 28. 11:24 I just want to address the viewers 11:26 whenever I meet very good Christians 11:29 who thinks that in this life, 11:31 they can have a sinless conduct before the God. 11:36 They want to be perfect. 11:38 They're always talking about their relationship with God. 11:42 I pray, I read my Bible 11:44 and this is what makes me perfect. 11:46 Actually in the teaching of Jesus, 11:49 the perfection is tested by our relationships 11:52 with fellow human beings. 11:54 So many times or often people want to be perfect. 11:57 They think that they have 11:59 to distance themselves from people. 12:01 For Jesus to be perfect it means to have 12:04 a right to relationships with people. 12:07 We saw it in Matthew 5:48. 12:09 We saw it here in this, in this, in this case. 12:13 Perfection means right to relationship 12:15 with our fellow human beings. 12:18 And we see Jesus going to another question not just, 12:21 "What must I do?" 12:23 But also, "Who must I know? Come follow Me." 12:25 So you see when Jesus called us to follow Him, 12:30 our test of discipleship in following Jesus 12:33 is surely based on that 12:35 how we treat other people around us. 12:38 So who can be saved? 12:40 Yes, what is impossible to us is possible for God. |
Revised 2014-12-17