The King and His Kingdom, 12 & 13
Matthew 12, 13
We see in chap 11 that the cities weren’t responding to Jesus’ call to repentence. In chap 12 we see how the leaders of Israel are not responding either and instead are plotting against him.
vs 15-21 - Isaiah 42 is fulfilled by Jesus. Isaiah was telling Israel what their role was and now Matthew is telling us that Jesus is fulfilling Israel’s role.
vs 23 - people ask if Jesus is the Messiah, but the Pharisees say he is demonic.
vs 25 - Jesus is saying that Satan wouldn’t fight against himself because he would lose. But he is also alluding to Israel - which was a kingdom divided against itself. Civil war so weakened them that they fell prey to conquest. Israel to the Assyrians and Judah to the Babylonians. Throughout Jesus’ ministry he is calling up the most pivotal moments in Israel’s history and applying them to himself. Jesus here says - if you fight against me, you are fighting against Israel. You are creating another civil war!
vs 28 - the Kingdom of God is present!
vs 31 - blasphemy against the Spirit. What is this unpardonable sin? If we look back to hte context of how Jesus is using the term Spirit, we go back to Isaiah 12 - the Spirit of the Lord is on him (Jesus), then the Pharisees accuse Jesus of doing miracles through the power of Satan. Jesus says, no, through the power of the Spirit of God. So the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is what the Pharisees were doing - attributing the work of the Spirit to Satan! If you deny the Holy Spirit you have no avenue to grace and truth.
13:1 - notice here that Jesus “went out of the house” and speaks to the people in parables, but they don’t understand. Then in vs 36 he goes back “into the house” and explains the teaching he gave “out of the house”. What house is this? They were in Capernaum, so it was Peter’s house. So, outside of Peter’s house there is no understanding, but inside of Peter’s house the explanation comes.
*this is interesting, but I don’t have enough background in tradition here to comment fully. Dr. Gray makes a big deal about this, and I understand why. Peter’s house is an obvious allusion to the papacy, the church. Understanding comes from the church, specifically from Peter.
Chapter 13 is all parables about the Kingdom of God
vs 10-17 - parables conceal the message. When the disciples ask why Jesus speaks in parables he quotes Isaiah 6, which is Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne in heaven. Isaiah’s response to seeing God is recognition of his own uncleanliness, the seraphim touches Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal. The seraphim then says, “now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin is purged.” (this is what the priest says to the people when they receive communion in the Byzantine Church - this that has touched your lips has taken away your sins. The early church saw this as a prefigurement of the eucharist). Isaiah is told to say to the people, this same quote that Jesus says - “you shall indeed hear but not understand…”. Isaiah asks, “how long?” He knows that God wants his people to repent and turn to him, so he knows God must have a plan. When he asks how long God replies, “until the cities are desolate… and the earth is a desolate waste.” Obviously something pretty severe has to happen to make the people ready to hear Isaiah’s message. Jesus is saying, “I have a message similar to Isaiah’s, I preach but the people aren’t ready to hear it. They will not understand until they have gone through a trial or tribulation (which will happen with his crucifixion. Jesus takes the trial on himself and the first person to recognize Jesus as the Son of God is the centurian, when Jesus’ side is pierced - he says, “truly this man was the Son of God. The hearing and understanding happens through the cross) So Jesus is not saying, I don’t want the people to ever understand. He is saying there has to be a process (just like in the OT).
