DOCSLIB.ORG

The Gospel According to Matthew

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Gospel According to Matthew 1 The Gospel According to Matthew Lesson #31 – Ch.27 Jesus is delivered to Pilate – Matthew 27:1-2 Judas is remorseful for his sin against Jesus – Matthew 27:3-10 Jesus is examined before Pilate – Matthew 27:11-14 Barabbas is freed by Pilate – Matthew 27:15-25 Jesus is scourged and delivered for crucifixion – Matthew 27:26-28 Jesus is lead to Golgotha – Matthew 27:29-33 Jesus is crucified – Matthew 27:34-56 Jesus is buried – Matthew 27:57-66 This week we are entering into the last week of Christ’s life here on earth. Jesus is marching toward the cross, approaching the pentacle of His life and reason why He came to earth. Many Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah predicted hundred of years previously that the Son of David, the Messiah would come to be offered as the final sacrifice for the sins of man and He did. Jesus spent 37 years on this earth living, serving and discipling His followers. Now, it was time to finish His task of drawing all mankind to God the Father through His death on a Roman cross. Man needed a way back to relationship with God. His sin had deposited a huge chasm between himself and God the Father, so the Lord in His desire to continue a relationship with you and I made a way to be forgiven through the death of His only Son. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, communication with Him was restored once again. As we walk through these verses in Matthew Ch.27 we will relive the scourging, beating and the crucifixion of Jesus. These words are difficult reading. The writers of the gospels don’t elaborate on the details of the physical pain Jesus must have suffered. I don’t know if that’s because crucifixion was a common form of punishment during that time, and it was assumed the reader would understand all the implications of the amount of physical suffering He would encounter, or if they were more fixated on the spiritual aspect of the crucifixion, but understanding the physical pain the Savior endured somehow helps us appreciate more what was Jesus did for us, so we will explore the details of the physical suffering too. I t might be a good week to watch (or re-watch) the movie, “the Passion of the Christ”. This is such a good rendition of the pain Jesus bore. Martin Luther said, “We all carry about in our pockets His very nails.” We all owed a debt that we couldn’t pay, and for that reason, God the Father sent us His only Son to rescue us from the eternal destruction we faced due to own our sin. Because of our sin, we have all played a part in placing him upon the cross. We owe Him so much - He demands so little. As you begin this important chapter of Matthew, ask the Lord to impress upon your heart the depth of Christ’s love for every 2 one of us shown from the length of suffering He endured to prove it to us! There is no sin that you have committed that is too grotesque that the blood of Jesus isn’t able to cover. Jesus’ innocent blood was powerful enough to cover all our shame and erase all our guilt. Jesus is delivered to Pilate – Matthew 27:1-2 (Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66; 23:1; John 18:28) Read Matthew 27:1-2 Jesus and Peter must have had a long night. Just the day before, Jesus had celebrated the Passover but soon after that Peter’s denial was predicted, and in the late afternoon He found Himself in agony praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and by the evening He was betrayed by one of His friends and followers, Judas. By the time night fell, Jesus was surrounded by a great multitude of guards sent by the Chief Priests and Elders. They had been led there by His betrayer – Judas. Jesus was arrested before the night was over and as He looked about Him, not one of His disciples could be found – Sin and Satan seemed to be winning the victory -scripture was fulfilled in the fact that it states that “All of the disciples forsook Him and fled.” (Matt. 26:56) Peter’s night was restless. I’m sure he couldn’t believe how dreadfully he had failed His Messiah. He must have relived the previous evening over and over in his mind. Why did he choose to deny His Lord in front of His accusers? Why didn’t he stand up for Him and protect Him? Where did his loyalty go? Why didn’t he do something to stop the mob that was determined to crucify his Lord? Peter’s love for the Lord wasn’t in question – he was one of the most passionate of the twelve disciples. Remember, Peter eagerly left his business and all he owned to follow Christ and for the last three years he followed Him eagerly. He was no wimp, he was committed to the core, but when the pressure was on – he buckled. We have all wished at times that we could relive a certain moment. We know god’s way, yet fail to follow it. Have you ever kicked yourself for a quick decision that you made in the heat of the moment? Sure you have! We all have! We have all had nights when we tossed and turned as we relived the stupid decisions that we made that day, nights filled with stress and despair. We have all battled the lack of peace that plagues our minds and hearts when we chose to be part of ungodly deeds as Jesus’ name was dishonored because of our actions. Peter must have had one of the longest nights of his life as he knew the arrest of Jesus was the beginning of His death sentence and that he had a hand in making that happen. Poor Peter, he truly did love the Lord, but his fear of the mob and the desire for self-preservation, and the fear of the majority overruled his loyalty to the Messiah. 1. Jesus was in custody all night long. The religious leaders that were heading up this insurrection against Christ wanted His death to come quickly, before anything else could present a way of escape for the Jewish leader. How do we know that the Chief Scribes and Elders were in a hurry to crucify Jesus? (Matthew 27:1) *(See also, Mark 15:1) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3 Often “temptation” is pressured by the immediate pressure to make a decision. 2. Who did they deliver Jesus to? Matthew 27:2 ________________________________________________________________________ The Chief Priests and Elders could have Jesus punished, but they couldn’t have Jesus executed without the permission of the governor who was Pontius Pilate at the time. (John 18:31) Let’s find out something more about this man Pontius Pilate. 3. Read the following verses and list as many facts about Pilate as you can find. a. The historian Josephus tells us that Pontius Pilate was not liked by the Jews because he did things that deliberately provoked them to anger. What did he do to here in Luke 13:1? _______________________________________________________________________ Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. This incident is in keeping with what was known about the character of Pilate. Evidently, some worshipers from Galilee were condemned by Rome—perhaps because they were seditious zealots and were sought out and killed in the temple by Roman authorities while in the process of offering a sacrifice. Such a killing would have been the grossest sort of blasphemy. Incidents like this inflamed the Jews' hatred of Rome and finally led to rebellion, and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. b. Pilate was concerned with keeping his own position in tact through this whole trial of Jesus. He had been in trouble with the hierarchy before and he didn’t want to lose his position by allowing the Jews to riot. He was sent to the area to maintain peace, so even though he understood that Jesus was an innocent man, he allowed the mob to dictate Jesus’ fate. What does Mark 15:15 reveal about Pilate’s character? ________________________________________________________________________ Pilate looked for the easy way out. He was more concerned with getting out of this mess than he was with making sure justice was served. Even though Pilate was making decisions pertaining to Jesus’ fate, all of this was happening according to God’s working plan and according to what was predicted by God’s prophets long ago. 4. Pilate was looking for the easy way out. Isn’t that just like human nature? Have you been looking for the easy way out in a situation in your life? God’s way is not always the easy way. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you what His will is for you in that situation. It is far better to wait on God and 4 do His will rather than take the easy way out and miss the will of God or a great opportunity to be used for His service. Read through the following verses thinking about the situations in your life at this time. What can you learn from scripture that can help you? a. 2 Samuel 22:29, 31 b. Deuteronomy 32: 4 c. Daniel 4:37 - Does somebody in your situation need humbling? Is it them or is it you? d.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Clothed with Salvation: the Garden, the Veil, Tabitha, and Christ
    Studies in the Bible and Antiquity Volume 4 Article 2 2012 Clothed with Salvation: The Garden, the Veil, Tabitha, and Christ Daniel Belnap Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sba BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Belnap, Daniel (2012) "Clothed with Salvation: The Garden, the Veil, Tabitha, and Christ," Studies in the Bible and Antiquity: Vol. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sba/vol4/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Studies in the Bible and Antiquity by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title Clothed with Salvation: The Garden, the Veil, Tabitha, and Christ Author(s) Daniel Belnap Reference Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 4 (2012): 43–69. ISSN 2151-7800 (print), 2168-3166 (online) Abstract Because clothing has a social function by which we define ourselves in relation to others, the rites of investiture and divestiture are often used within a given community as the individual moves from one social environment to another. These two rites can be used to examine the social progression of Adam and Eve via the fall, the symbolic movement from the mortal sphere to the divine sphere as represented with the veil, as well as the Christ-like nature of Tabitha who, like Christ himself, clothed others, thus giving them meaning and place within the community of believers. Clothed with Salvation: The Garden, the Veil, Tabitha, and Christ Daniel Belnap andwiched between the account of Saul’s conversion in Acts S9 and Peter’s vision of the Gentiles in Acts 10 is the story of the raising of Tabitha.
    [Show full text]
  • GOOD FRIDAY Cowardice of the Powers That Be? READING and PRAYER GUIDE but He Says Nothing
    GOOD FRIDAY cowardice of the powers that be? READING AND PRAYER GUIDE But he says nothing. FOR SILENT MEDITATION Written by Pastor Vince Gerhardy, St Paul’s Lutheran Surely there are others who will speak up for him? Church, Caboolture, Australia Where are the lepers who were healed? Where are the blind who can now see? On Good Friday, we are drawn into Jesus’ Where are all the people who ate the bread and fish on the hillside? journey to the Cross. Allow God to speak to Where are those who followed Jesus so easily when they thought he you about who he is and who you are as you reflect on the Cross and would become King of the Jews? the reason for it. Yet no one speaks. No voice in the crowd comes to Jesus’ defense. Jesus stands alone. JESUS IS CONDEMNED Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, the power of Rome. Matthew 27:11-14, 22-25, 26b Weakness stands before strength. Jesus stood before the Roman governor, who questioned him. "Are you And yet, Pilate, the ruthless enforcer for the Empire is not really in the king of the Jews?" he asked. control here. He cannot make Jesus confess. "So you say," answered Jesus. But he said nothing in response to the He cannot quiet the crowds. accusations of the chief priests and elders. So Pilate said to him, "Don't For all his power, he cannot find the courage to do what is right. you hear all these things they accuse you of?" But Jesus refused to So he does what is safe.
    [Show full text]
  • Christ's Passion in John: Pontius Pilate
    “Christ’s Passion In John: Pontius Pilate” March 29, 2020 John 18:28-19:16 SI: It’s just two weeks until Easter. We’re spending these Sundays preparing for our celebration of Christ’s resurrection by meditating on his passion as recorded in John’s gospel. What makes John’s account of Christ’s passion interesting is that John wrote it in his old age, after he had had a lifetime of reflecting on the meaning and spiritual significance of these events. All the Gospel writers tell us about Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. But John spends more time on the trial than Matthew, Mark, or Luke and he emphasizes one theme over and over. As I read, take note of how many times the words king and kingdom appear. INTRO: Someone in our church asked me a good question this week. He asked if I felt the need to preach on a passage of Scripture that specifically applies to the corona virus pandemic. I asked him if he thought the Ten Plagues of Egypt would be a good passage and he said he was thinking about something from the book of Revelation— like the Rider on the Pale Horse who kills a fourth of mankind with sword, famine, and plague. We both laughed nervously about that one. It’s a good question. A preacher can’t be tone deaf to what’s on people’s minds. The Sunday after September 11, I preached on that passage in the Gospels where Jesus says to his disciples—Do you see these magnificent buildings? Not one stone will be left on another, every one of them will be torn down.
    [Show full text]
  • MATTHEW 27; August 16; the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
    MATTHEW 27; August 16; The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ ANALYSIS: 1. What happened to the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying Jesus? _____________________________________________________________ 2. Who was Barabbas and how does he figure in the story of Jesus? _____ _______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Before Jesus was led to crucifixion, what punishments did He bear for us? _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. During the hours Jesus' body was on the cross, what supernatural signs happened? _____________________________________________________________ 5. Who buried Jesus body, and who wanted the tomb sealed? _________________________________________________________________________________ THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: Think of the unusual and supernatural signs the centurion witnessed at Jesus' crucifixion which caused him to proclaim,”Truly this was the Son of God.” He had watched Jesus submit to crucifixion “as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth” (Is 53:7). He had experienced the darkness from noon to 3 in the afternoon. He had heard Jesus cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He had felt he earthquake and watched the rocks crack. The record says he feared greatly, and rightly so, for he had “by wicked hands have crucified and slain” the Lord of Glory (Acts 2:23). “Jesus paid it all” for every one of his elect. We have no fear of eternal judgment for sins. Let us fear for failing to serve him with zeal in love and faithfulness. HELP: 1. Judas cast the silver down in the temple before he hanged himself. The chief priests then bought the potter's field with it for a burial place for strangers (vs 5-7).
    [Show full text]
  • 15. Matthew 27:32 - 28:20
    15. Matthew 27:32 - 28:20 Prayer for Holy Week - Elizabeth Jennings Love me in my willingness to suffer Love me in the gifts I wish to offer Teach me how you love and have to die And I will try Somehow to forget myself and give Life and joy so dead things start to live. Let me show now an untrammelled joy, Gold without alloy. You know I have no cross but want to learn, How to change and to the poor world turn. I can almost worship stars and moon And the sun at noon But when I'm low I only beg you to Ask me anything, I'll try to do What you need. I trust your energy. Share it then with me. Matthew 27:32 (see Mark 15:21) As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carr y his cross. Jesus said once: ‘If you want to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me’(Matthew 16:24). Simon was reluctant but it seems that he became a disciple, for Paul, in his letter to the Christian community in Rome, writes: ‘Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother – a mother to me also.’ The gratitude and love shown him by Jesus must have changed his heart so that he came to see his task as a privilege. If Jesus needed someone to help him carry his cross, we should not be surprised if we find it too hard to carry our cross alone.
    [Show full text]
  • The Seamless Robe of Jesus Jesus Had Already Been Arrested, Tried In
    The Seamless Robe of Jesus Page 1 of 3 The Seamless Robe of Jesus Jesus had already been arrested, tried in the kangaroo courts of man, and sentenced to die. Our Lord had been beaten mercilessly, mocked, spit upon; even His facial hair had been pulled out by the roots (Isaiah 5:6). The crowd mentality had taken over. The Sanhedrin, and later the soldiers, had become no more than a depraved street gang who, in their cowardice, now sink to an all-time low. Not only did they touch the only truly holy Man Who ever lived, but they dared to strike Christ. The Bible says, “And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?” (Luke 22:64). “And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands” (John 19:3). Yet, the worst was yet to come. They led Christ up the Via Dolorosa, “the way of the pain.” Our Lord travels the ascent of Calvary and they nail Him to the cross. The sickening sound of simultaneous popping occurs when the full weight of the cross hits the bottom of the cavity awaiting this cruel instrument of death. They heard the inimitable sound of bones coming out of joint. The pain in the hands and feet increases as our Lord moves in the slightest on the wooden crossbeam of execution. Behold our King, our Savior, our God! The Lord Jesus seems to have abdicated long before this event of all worldly “tie downs.” The Scriptures say, “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).
    [Show full text]
  • On the Physical Death of Jesus.Pages
    ON THE PHYSICAL DEATH OF JESUS William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI From the Departments of Pathology (Dr. Edwards) and Medical Graphics (Mr. Hoamer), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.; and the Homestead United Methodist Church, Rochester, Minn., and the West Bethel United Methodist Church, Bethel, Minn. (Pastor Gabel). Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripe-like lacerations and appreciable blood loss, and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion, his wrists were nailed to the patibulum and, after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post (stipes), his feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an interference with normal respirations. Accordingly death resulted primarily from hypovolemic shock and exhaustion asphyxia. Jesus' death was ensured by the thrust of a soldier's spear into his side. Modern medical interpretation of the historical evidence indicate that Jesus was dead when taken down from the cross. (JAMA 1986;255:1455-1463) The life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth have formed the basis for a major world religion (Christianity), have appreciably influenced the course of human history, and, by virtue of a compassionate attitude towards the sick, also have contributed to the development of modern medicine. The eminence of Jesus as a historical figure and the suffering and controversy associated with his death have stimulated us to investigate, in an interdisciplinary manner, the circumstances surrounding his crucifixion.
    [Show full text]
  • Intertextuality and the Portrayal of Jeremiah the Prophet
    Scholars Crossing LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations Summer 2013 Intertextuality and the Portrayal of Jeremiah the Prophet Gary E. Yates Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Yates, Gary E., "Intertextuality and the Portrayal of Jeremiah the Prophet" (2013). LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations. 391. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs/391 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ________________________________________________________________________________ BIBLIOTHECA SACRA 170 (July–September 2013): 283–300 INTERTEXTUALITY AND THE PORTRAYAL OF JEREMIAH THE PROPHET Gary E. Yates IMOTHY POLK HAS NOTED, “Nothing distinguishes the book of Jeremiah from earlier works of prophecy quite so much as T the attention it devotes to the person of the prophet and the prominence it accords the prophetic ‘I’, and few things receive more scholarly comment.”1 More than simply providing a biographical or psychological portrait of the prophet, the book presents Jeremiah as a theological symbol who embodies in his person the word of Yahweh and the office of prophet.2 In fact the figure of Jeremiah is so central that a theology of the book of Jeremiah “cannot be for- mulated without taking into account the person of the prophet, as the book presents him.”3 The purpose of this article is to explore how intertextual con- nections to other portions of the Bible inform a deeper understand- ing of the portrayal of Jeremiah the prophet and his theological significance in the book of Jeremiah.
    [Show full text]
  • Palm Gospel Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus' Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem
    Palm Gospel Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." What did Jesus ride on into Jerusalem? Where did he get it? What is a “colt”? What is a “foal”? Have you ever seen a palm tree or palm fronds? What do you think the people of Jerusalem would wave them and put them on the ground before Jesus? What do you think they were feeling? Have you ever been really excited to see someone? How did you feel? What did you do? Why were the people of Jerusalem so excited to see Jesus? What do you suppose they had heard about him? The strange thing about this story is, not long after Jesus’ triumphal entry, Jesus is arrested and the people being to mock and insult Jesus.
    [Show full text]
  • Sermon – Matthew 27:55-61 – “Can I Get a Witness?”
    Sermon – Matthew 27:55-61 – “Can I Get a Witness?” The text this morning is a small part of a much longer text that is the reading of the day in the lectionary I use, which is based on the principle of lectio continua. It could be a familiar one, because it is part of the passion narrative from the gospel of Matthew, one of the church’s accounts of the betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, which covers the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and because that text comes up in the revised common lectionary every three years as one of the readings for Palm Sunday, and because the RCL is used by many pastors and churches – so it could be very familiar, but on the other hand, because the full narrative is 128 verses long, and because it takes about 12 and a half minutes to read, and because of the constraints of the typical Sunday worship service, especially on Palm Sunday, wouldn’t normally allow for a reading that long, and because the RCL’s suggestion for a shorter passion narrative leaves this part of the story out, it could easily happen that this part of the text would never be read in a church, so it could be a decidedly unfamiliar text. Whether or not it is familiar, it is a detail of that larger story, and I hope we can approach it in that spirit this morning, the way we might consider a detail from a larger work of art with some special interest, or the way we might return again and again to a particular facet of a memory that has been important to us.
    [Show full text]
  • Short Form - Matthew 27:11-54
    Passion Narrative for Palm Sunday, Cycle A (Short Form - Matthew 27:11-54) N. Narrator O. Other Voice J. Jesus C. Crowd N. The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ O. "Have nothing to do with that righteous man. according to Matthew…. I suffered much in a dream today because of Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he him." questioned him, N. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the O. "Are you the king of the Jews?" crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. N. Jesus said, The J. "You say so." governor said to them in reply, N. And when he was accused by the chief O. "Which of the two do you want me to release priests and elders, he made no answer. Then to you?" Pilate said to him, N. They answered, O. "Do you not hear how many things they are C. "Barabbas!" testifying against you?" N. Pilate said to them, N. But he did not answer him one word, so that O. "Then what shall I do with Jesus called the governor was greatly amazed. Now on the Christ?" occasion of the feast N. They all said, the governor was accustomed to release to the C. "Let him be crucified!" crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at N. But he said, that time they had a notorious prisoner called O. "Why? What evil has he done?" Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate N. They only shouted the louder, said to them, C. "Let him be crucified!" O. "Which one do you want me to release to N.
    [Show full text]
  • The Beatitudes and Woes of Jesus Christ for the Slow
    THE BEATITUDES AND WOES OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE SLOW SAVOURING OF SERIOUS DISCIPLES by Father Joseph R. Jacobson To the Chinese Christians of our own time who along with survivors of the gulag and the jihad are giving the whole Church a fresh vision of what it means to be called “disciples of Jesus” INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS The Beatitudes and Woes of Jesus Christ are stark. Much of our teaching and preaching based on them is not. Jesus sets them out as ground rules for His disciples. He places them at the very beginning of His special instructions to them, whereas entire theological systems have treated them as an afterthought and relegated them to the end. The problem is that in Jesus’ instructions the Beatitudes are descriptive, not prescriptive. That is, they tell us what discipleship is, not what it ought to be. They spell out the everyday norms of discipleship, not its far off ideals, the bottom line, not the distant goal. This makes us most uncomfortable because, fitting us so poorly they call into question our very right to claim to be disciples of Jesus at all. There can be no question that they are addressed specifically to Jesus’ disciples, both the Beatitudes and the Woes. Matthew makes that plain in his way (Matthew 5:1-2) and Luke makes it plain in his way (Luke 6:20). The fact that Jesus singles them out from the crowds which are all around them, pressing in on them with their own expectations and demands, simply underscores the urgency Jesus felt to clarify what He was expecting of them by way of sheer contrast.
    [Show full text]