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.

Bible Study on Genesis 39, verses 13 to 23, Joseph cast into prison

 

Genesis 39:13 ¶  And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14  That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: 15  And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. 16  And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17  And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18  And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

Genesis 39:19 ¶  And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20  And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. 21  But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22  And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23  The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Potiphar’s wife tells the men of the house, servants most likely, that Joseph tried to rape her. She made the accusation worse by implying that Joseph, a Hebrew, did it because he mocked the Egyptians, had contempt for them. She turns the assault she committed into an act of racism on Joseph’s part. Now, what was bad, is even worse, and represents something of the ethnic tensions found in Egyptian society of that time. You might have a foreign ruler, the Hyksos, whose people were hated by the Egyptians, and an angry and seething class of Egyptian officials, as I explained earlier. Joseph, being a Hebrew, is of the same general culture as the Hyksos rulers, but a slave. If this isn’t the time of the Shepherd-kings it doesn’t matter because, in any event, Joseph is perceived as attacking the Egyptians by attacking an Egyptian’s wife in this accusation.

Of course, Potiphar is furious. His wicked wife controls the narrative. The fact that he did not kill Joseph or have him killed can lead us to two possibilities. One, either Potiphar spared Joseph because of his relationship with him as a faithful steward or he was held back from killing a slave by law or custom. We know Joseph was a slave rather than our modern-day definition of a servant because he was sold. He could have been beaten under some systems and killed under others but we aren’t sure what Egyptian law at this time allowed or what Potiphar was thinking other than he was angry.

But this is how God is going to put Joseph in front of the king of Egypt. As man acts in his own ways God will turn them to His own purposes, man’s intentions notwithstanding. He is placed in a special prison or part of the prison where the Pharaoh’s prisoners were bound, giving evidence of Potiphar’s high rank. God shows Joseph mercy again and lets his character shine through, though, and God permits him to rise to the top and as what we today call a Trustee in prison parlance, Joseph was in charge of everything once again, and totally trusted. His character and integrity fall right into God’s plan for Joseph’s people and God will use him mightily.

God will use you even if you are wicked and carnal but the outcome for you personally will be much different. God has permitted even the most wicked to rise to the top but always keep in mind that it is His purpose that is the dominating factor in such things, in His ministry of reconciling man to Himself.

Daniel 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Luke 4:5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Pray that you get a Joseph at the top of your country or company rather than what we usually get.

Bible Study on Matthew 9, verses 14 to 17, new wine into old bottles

 

Matthew 9:14 ¶  Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16  No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17  Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

 

Before we look at the parable Jesus relates it is important to understand that at the time the King James Bible was translated a bottle did not have to be just glass, as it is today, but any container that carried a liquid, such as a leather bag. This can be confirmed by going to Lexicons of Early Modern English online and doing a search by which you will find Thomas Cooper’s 1578 Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae and Thomas Thomas’ 1587 Dictionarium Linguae Latinae et Anglicanae and several other sources that refer to a bottle as simply a vessel of some sort with glass bottle being used for that specific container material.

 

 In the following a bottle can be rent or torn so common sense tells you these wily Canaanites were not just carrying around shards of broken glass.

 

Joshua 9:4  They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

 

The question presented of why the Pharisees, with their long list of traditions, fast a lot and Jesus’ disciples do not was an important note about the dead religion the Pharisees followed. Christ was present and so His followers were joyful. He is the bridegroom and they will celebrate now but He will be taken from them.

 

One way of looking at this parable is that the joy of those who receive Christ cannot be contained in the old and decayed vessels of dead religion. Each of us comes to Christ with a lot of baggage; sins we have committed, and sins committed against us, and this baggage often hampers our walk with Christ even after we are saved by the sins that so easily beset us. We are raised in a culture that, even if conservative and acknowledging of Christ, often carries with it false doctrine and incorrect assumptions about what God wants. Our walk with Christ, our very understanding and interpretation of Scripture is colored by those things. We see the Bible through a lense formed by our own personality, preferences, bigotry, prejudices, and opinions, and, yes, experiences. In order to see Christ clearly we must put our faith in new bottle, without cracks and tears and fissures, coming to the Bible without the weight and the chains of our false beliefs, expectations, and assumptions.

 

For instance, many Christians will tell you that God would never do anything that would hurt you, so if you are hurt or sick or harmed in any way it must be the work of the Devil opposing God.

 

But, the book of Job teaches us that the Devil can do nothing to us which God does not permit. And see;

 

Job 2:10  But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

 

And Jeremiah will write;

 

Lamentations 3:38  Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

 

We bring the false doctrine that we cannot receive anything hurtful at the hand of God and our faith and understanding is colored by that in opposition to the Bible. Old skins, rotten and torn, keep us from holding the doctrine of new wine.

Bible Study on Genesis 39, verses 7 to 12, the wife of Potiphar

 

Genesis 39:7 ¶  And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 8  But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9  There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? 10  And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. 11  And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. 12  And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

Potiphar’s wife wants to have sex with Joseph. We use different euphemisms in our language for sin such as this. We say she wants to have an affair with him, or she wants to seduce him or some other such drivel to make wickedness seem sophisticated. As he is in an inferior position socially and powerless this is all about lust, a type of attempted rape. It used to be more common than it is now in our culture until sexual harassment laws, although much abused, worked to prevent even the taint of it. But, in our history, for instance, under the racial slavery that existed before the Civil War, no slave had any power to resist the advances of their master or mistress except to flee as Joseph will. It is a barbarous and uncivilized condition that exists still in some countries today, usually afflicting women, where they have no choice but to submit to the humiliation and physical danger or flee to an uncertain fate.

Joseph tells Potiphar’s wife that everything Potiphar has except for her has been put into his hands to care for and he is not about to violate the trust he has been given. The woman continually pressed upon Joseph her desire to do wrong with him daily and we might question why he didn’t tell Potiphar this but then it is likely she would have called him a liar and his situation would have been no better. Finally, she could stand his resistance no further and at a time when he went into the house to work and there were no witnesses, she grabbed his clothing and demanded that he have sex with her. Joseph ran, leaving that clothing in her hand she held it so forcefully in her lust.

His business is not the idiom in English that some use when referencing going to the bathroom. Here it is defined in the Bible as the work that one does.

Nehemiah 13:30  Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;

Proverbs 22:29  Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

The word wotteth is a form of wot, to know.

Genesis 21:26  And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

Exodus 32:23  For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Joseph displays a high level of character in holding the trust he has been given in honor. Most men, if the lady of the house wasn’t hideous looking, would have succumbed to her desires and used her favors as a means to gain advantage. Joseph shows himself worthy of the trust he has been given.

Bible Study on Matthew 9, verses 9 to 13, Matthew is chosen

 

Matthew 9:9 ¶  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10  And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

Matthew, a hated tax collector in the Jewish social order, is chosen. In fact, many tax collectors and people of questionable repute sit down with Jesus and His disciples. He welcomes all which disturbs the Pharisees greatly. Their social order, like ours used to be, was very exclusionary.

 

Jesus’ argument here is inspiring. “Why do I associate with people that you think merit your disgust? Because with regard to sin, like a physical sickness, it is the sick that need the doctor. So, if you are healthy you apparently don’t need me.” He teaches two lessons here. The first suggests that the Pharisees are sicker than they realize. The second is that mercy is of a higher value to God than ritual worship.

 

God delights in mercy.

 

Micah 7:18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

 

And God gives more importance to mercy on our part than to judgment.

 

James 2:13  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

 

What Christ did in coming to earth, living as one of us, dying as one of us, paying the penalty for our sins, and rising from the dead was mercy to the uttermost if you take the context of eternity and keep that in your mind.