Bible Study on Matthew 10, verses 1 to 4, part 2, Andrew, James, and John

 

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, is also a commercial fisherman. There is not a lot about him in the Bible but Greek Orthodox tradition says that the Apostolic successor to Andrew is the Patriarch of Constantinople. Some commentators of old say that he preached around the Black Sea and in what is Southern Russia today. Supposedly he was crucified in Greece. Legend has it, mostly from the Middle Ages, that he was crucified on an X shaped cross, called in folklore the Saint Andrew’s Cross. Beware of Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox legends for which you can find no other historical evidence and is not backed up in the Bible, being a primary source of wisdom from the Holy Spirit of God, if you are a believer.

 

James is the Greek derivation of the Hebrew name Jacob. James, the son of Zebedee, is considered to be the patron saint of Spain among other things and is considered to be the first Apostle to be martyred.

 

Acts 12:1 ¶  Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

 

John, the brother of James, is called John the beloved because of these verses;

 

John 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

 

John 19:26  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

 

John 20:2  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

 

John 21:7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea…20  Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

 

Clearly, there was a special relationship between Jesus and John, who is thought to be the youngest of the Apostles, a relationship that is hard for us to understand today because of social issues we confront. Let’s remember David and Jonathan.

 

2Samuel 1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

 

We are uncomfortable in modern time with men who are not homosexuals showing affection and love for each other apart from combat, a case for which we make an exception. But let me remind you that in times past manly men, virile, masculine men did not have our fear of showing devotion to close friends or to young adult men they were mentoring. It can be quite disconcerting for us to read a letter from one of our heroes past. I was shocked when I read a letter that George Washington wrote to a friend and how it expressed a heartfelt love we would never dare utter for a person of the same sex today. This was particularly confusing as there was never any suggestion in his life of feelings toward a man. So, let’s put these verses in proper perspective and not color them with our own preconceptions.

 

Jesus took special care for John, the youngest and most vulnerable of the Apostles. John is also known as the author of a gospel, three letters and the book of Revelation. Tradition has it that in spite of attempts to kill him he lived to be an old age. Tradition also says he taught Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who taught Irenaeus. He is also thought to have taught Ignatius of Antioch.

A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 68, verses 15 to 21, the God of salvation

 

Psalm 68:15 ¶  The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. 16  Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever. 17  The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. 18  Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. 19  Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. 20  He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death. 21  But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

 

Remember in 1Samuel 10:5 something referenced as the hill of God is referenced as a place where a Philistine fort was?

 

1Samuel 10:5  After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines:

 

Gill wrote that some say the hill of God was the place where the Ark was brought, to the house of Abinadab.

 

1Samuel 7:1 ¶  And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 2  And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

 

It is likened to another hill, the hill of Bashan, with both being prominent hills. Gill and others refer to this as the Church in typology. We will dwell with Him and He with us, for ever.

 

The chariots are referred to as angels of God, remembering Elijah’s departing.

 

2Kings 2:11  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

 

But apart from prophecy David is still proclaiming God’s glory and His victory over his enemies. He has delivered His people. Paul links this with Christian doctrine and the actions of Christ toward us with regard to God’s grace, His unmerited favor in delivering us from damnation.

 

Ephesians 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

 

God is in control of what happens after we die and our deliverance from the second death, in a lake of unquenchable fire. He is the God of our salvation. But He also is the doom of those who go on and persist in their rebellion against Him.

Bible Study on Matthew 10, verses 1 to 4, the Apostles chosen

 

Matthew 10:1 ¶  And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3  Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4  Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

 

Notice in Matthew that the twelve disciples, the Apostles as we call them, are not mentioned as all having been called until we get to this point, after the popularly called Sermon on the Mount, while what many evangelicals call Luke’s account a version of that event as it already has the twelve Apostles chosen. See Luke 6:13-16. This is one argument for them being two different events based on the Apostles being chosen or not, the immediate audience, the exact location, and the focus of the word choices. Otherwise, Matthew and Luke are simply variations with differing details of the same sermon and, perhaps, the late mention of the majority of the twelve Apostles is merely a flashback. Regardless, both sermons define each other so cross-referencing is paramount to understanding.

 

Simon Peter is listed first. Roman Catholic tradition has him founding the church at Rome but there is more Biblical evidence that Paul would have founded that church as per the ending of Acts. Peter, from the Biblical narrative, went eastward to Babylon from whence the Babylonian Talmud would come, from a place that contained a great many Jewish refugees.

 

1Peter 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

 

Historical church tradition can be very helpful but when it goes against the Biblical narrative we must choose the Bible. Why is Babylon thought to be used for Rome in Revelation? Because, as we know that Rome is not now likely to be the seat of the Antichrist, the Beast of Revelation, we can see by the description that that Babylon is a reference to the Babylonian tradition of paganism and rebellion against God. It is the expression of the Tower of Babel, which some governmental organizations have used as a symbol. Could Rome be Babylon at the end times? Certainly, but so could Jerusalem as I have explained in my comments on Revelation.[1] Take the Bible literally unless you cannot is the best way to think.

 

You will find, however, that most people will point out that several early church fathers have Peter at Rome and being crucified upside down. The first legitimate early church leader who mentions Peter at Rome is Clement of Rome in AD96. From him you can trace the future references to Peter at Rome.

 

Peter is a commercial fisherman.

 

Matthew 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

 

Of course, being a coarse and common person he was subject to hot temper and fits of cursing when frustrated.

 

Matthew 26:73  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.74  Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

 

John 18:10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

 

He practiced the common customs of his working class background surrounded by men of his ilk.

 

John 21:7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

 

So, don’t make the modern evangelical mistake of making Peter out to be a refined, Victorian with impeccable manners and a soft disposition. It belittles the raw power of the man whom Jesus chose to do his part in spreading the good news of Christ. Perhaps this is the toxic masculinity that Marxists lament in our current society in America but it served a purpose once Peter was able to digest in his mind what the Resurrection of Christ meant. He is a different person in Acts than he was in the gospels as we have all seen, now unafraid to preach Christ, and confident in his own resurrection. Remember him all through the book of Acts.

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[1] Ernest L. Martin, “The Seven Hills of Jerusalem,” on Associates for Scriptural Knowledge, http://askelm.com/prophecy/p000201.htm. (updated February 1, 2000).

 

Bible Study on Genesis 40, verses 5 to 23, the dreams of the butler and the baker

 

Genesis 40:5 ¶  And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6  And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7  And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8  And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. 9  And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10  And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11  And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 12  And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: 13  Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. 14  But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: 15  For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. 16  When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: 17  And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. 18  And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 19  Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

 40:20 ¶  And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21  And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: 22  But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23  Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

Isn’t it odd how both chapters 39 and 40 have 23 verses? The baker and the butler both are given a dream. Each one had their own dream. The dreams grieved them and confused them. Joseph, being an astute observer wanted to know why they were so downcast. They told Joseph it was because they dreamed dreams that they did not understand. Joseph acknowledged that all interpretations of dreams belonged to God and offered to help.

The butler’s dream meant that he would be restored to his position and the baker’s meant that he would be executed. Joseph asked only of the butler that he would bring up Joseph to the Pharaoh himself due to Joseph’s predicament. Both consequences for the two officials would occur in three days.

Daniel will also interpret dreams by God’s understanding. 

Three days is a very significant in that it represents three days when mankind’s fate is settled, either to resurrection in glory or in an eternity of agony. Consider these possibilities, even if you disagree. They are interesting to ponder prayerfully.

The third day represents to us the resurrection of Christ after three days.

Luke 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

This resurrection is a theme mentioned in several places in prophetic verses in the Old Testament.

Hosea 6:2  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Matthew 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus Christ was three days in Hell preaching to the lost. He arose from the dead. What the dead of that time and the living of the time since choose, Him or Hell, determines their fate.

1Peter 3:18 ¶  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

But, for our purposes here, the chief butler forgot all about Joseph. God’s timing isn’t always pleasant to those whom He uses for His purposes.

Bible Study on Matthew 9, verses 27 to 38, the Lord of the harvest

 

Matthew 9:27 ¶  And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28  And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30  And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31  But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. 32  As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33  And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34  But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

 

Again, Jesus’ fame as a healer spreads abroad. However, the religious elite claim that He is working under the authority of Satan. Casting out devils by the devil sounds like an absurdity. This is not the last time they will make this outrageous claim and Jesus will deal with this in chapter 12 so we’ll save His response until then.

 

By the way, although we’ve read the word before dumb refers to not being able to speak. This is defined in the Bible itself. Just do a word search on dumb.

 

Matthew 9:35 ¶  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

 

Christ’s compassion on humanity is clear here but there are a couple of things I want to bring out. One, the phrase scattered abroad is here used to define the condition of the masses of Jews without a leader.

 

That phrase is used again in other contexts referring to the Jews in Exodus, Esther, later on in Matthew, John, Acts, and in James. They are sheep in need of a shepherd, whom Jesus is the rightful person in that role. But, so many of them don’t know that and cannot receive it of themselves.

 

Here is another part of this passage that is used often by preachers when they try to guilt you because you didn’t come out for Tuesday night “soul-winning.” However the specific and immediate situation to which Christ is referring is resolved in the next chapter, which we will see. So keep verses 37 and 38 in your mind as you begin to read chapter 10.

Bible Study on Genesis 40, verses 1 to 4, the butler and the baker

 

Genesis 40:1 ¶  And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2  And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3  And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4  And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.

The king of Egypt’s butler and his baker were both, “in the soup,” so to speak. Wroth is a form of wrath, fierce and abiding anger. These were the chiefs of the butlers and the bakers who served the king, the top dogs. To place someone in ward is to put them in jail or prison as the princes of Israel under the Babylonians or even just confinement as David did with his concubines.

Ezekiel 19:9  And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

2Samuel 20:3  And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

We learn here that Potiphar, being the captain of the guard (see 39:1) had this prison as part of his house and that was his post, to keep it. So, it appears that the captain of the guard was also responsible for the king’s prisoners. Joseph became the servant, in prison, of these high court officials whose fate had yet to be determined.

Pharaoh and king of Egypt are synonyms, notice the parallel phrasing linking the word and the phrase in verses 1 and 2, here as titles for Egypt’s ruler who was the executive, legislative, and judicial branch of the government all rolled into one, a virtual dictator except for the hold the priests had on the people.

God is our chief executive (king, prime minister, or president), our lawmaker (like congress or parliament), and our judiciary (like the Supreme Court). There is no appeal from Him. Although the following verse was not used by America’s Founding Fathers in their debates on the Constitution, as they leaned on Enlightenment and humanistic writers, it is interesting how our three branches of government in America line up with it.

Isaiah 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

Bible Study on Matthew 9, verses 18 to 26, thy faith hath made thee whole

 

Matthew 9:18 ¶  While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23  And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26  And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

 

The comparable passage in Luke makes it clear that the little girl is dead and not just in a coma as her spirit is said to return to her. It is important to note that it is not the power of prayer or the power of our faith but the power of the one we pray to and have faith in that is vitally important in these circumstances.

 

First, let’s remember Abraham’s faith. He was told to offer his son as a sacrifice, the son of promise from God.

 

Genesis 22:1 ¶  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

 

Hebrews tells us why Abraham was willing to obey such a command which seemed to counter the promise made to him by God earlier in Genesis.

 

Hebrews 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

 

And Genesis itself tells us of Abraham’s confidence in God.

 

Genesis 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

 

The ruler, as well, has the faith of Abraham in believing that Christ could raise his daughter from the dead. The woman with the issue of blood believes that just by touching Christ’s clothing she can be healed. This is the essence of faith, trusting that God can do what you need, and even just being in His presence is sufficient. What it would have been like to shake Christ’s hand or have Him pat you on the back when He walked the earth in flesh.

 

This incident added to His fame.