Matthew 12: The Lord and His Family (3)

Pray Psalm 22.23-25.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

Sing Psalm 22.23-25.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
All you who fear the Lord, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.

For He has not despised the anguish of our King,
Nor from Him hid His eyes, Who knew such suffering.
Let praise arise from all who love and serve the Ruler of the skies!

Read Matthew 12.1-21; meditate on verses 15-21.

Prepare.
1. Why did Jesus warn people not to make Him known?

2. What do we learn from Isaiah about Jesus’ ministry?

Meditate.
This passage strikes some readers as strange. Didn’t Jesus come to earth to proclaim the Kingdom? To call the nations and peoples of the earth to repent and believe the Gospel? Why did He warn the people not to make Him known?

There is a simple practical explanation for this. Jesus knew that the religious leaders had begun plotting against Him (vv. 14, 15). He also knew that, as of yet, they didn’t have a leg to stand on in trying to build a case against Him. He had offended them by setting aside their traditions; but He clearly showed from the Scriptures why their traditions were invalid. They were miffed, but they would need something much stronger to have their way with Him. And with the Romans, an hysterical, growing mob would be just enough.

Jesus’ ministry was, in the first place, to the people of Israel. Ultimately though, as Isaiah showed – and as we have seen from the beginning of this gospel – bringing salvation to the Gentiles was the larger aim. By warning the people to remain quiet about Him, Jesus intended to keep the enthusiasm for His work to a minimum, if any consideration of “multitudes” (v. 15) can be regarded as a minimum. He did not want to be taken into captivity before His proper time. The parables in chapter 13, the outreach to a Gentile woman in chapter 15,  and the decisive parable of the unfaithful workers in chapter 20 would show the worldwide, all-nations scope of the Kingdom of God, and would make clear the Lord’s intention of giving the Kingdom to Gentiles as well as Jews.

But He needed to be able to do all those things, to lay down a trajectory of teaching and works that would confirm Isaiah’s prophecy (and many others, cf. Ps. 22.27, 28 and Mic. 4.1-8) and make it possible for the disciples, from Acts 10 on, to take the Gospel confidently and joyfully to the Gentile world.

Jesus was buying time by this warning, time for the ancient prophecies to come to full realization.

Reflect.
1. Why does the warning of verse 16 no longer apply to the followers of Christ?

2. The word translated “justice” in verses 18 and 20 is better translated “judgment”. How does Jesus send forth “judgment” to victory?

3. What does it mean to “hope” (NKJV, “trust”) in the Name of Jesus (v. 21)?

Then so that you might not be troubled at the events and their strange frenzy, Jesus reminded them of the prophet who had predicted them. For so great was the accuracy of the prophets that they did not omit even these little matters. But they foretold his travels, changes of place and the intent with which he would act, that we might learn that they spoke by the Spirit. If human secrets cannot be easily discerned, how much more difficult it is to discern Christ’s purpose, except when the Spirit reveals it to us. John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 40.2

Lord, open my mouth to declare Your praises today as I…

Pray Psalm 22.26-28.
Pray for the nations and peoples of the world, that God would send witnesses to them, so that the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom might become theirs.

Sing Psalm 22.26-28.
Psalm 22.26-28 (Darwall, Rejoice, the Lord is King)
The suff’ring King shall eat and praise with us the Lord.
Forever we His praise repeat and trust His Word.
Praise God above, all you who keep His vows and who His mercies love!

All nations shall repent and hasten to the Lord;
All those to whom His truth is sent shall praise His Word.
The Lord is King! His sovereign rule on high now we His people sing!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).