But
if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come
upon you.
Insights: Yesterday we did an overview of Matthew
chapters one through twelve. Even today’s
verse comes from chapter twelve. I
believe this verse describes Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth. His purpose was to bring His kingdom to
earth. In fact this twenty-eighth verse stated
pretty clearly that His ability to cast out demons was a sign to His kingdom
having come on the people. Remember from
yesterday, however, it is in this twelfth chapter that the people reach the
climax of their rejection when they attribute His healing power to that of
Satan. Matthew presented Jesus as King
and Jesus came to bring His kingdom to earth.
The Jews rejected Jesus and this also meant they rejected His
kingdom. What then happened to the
kingdom and what is going to happen now as a result of this rejection? Those questions are exactly what the thirteenth
chapter answers through the kingdom parables.
Theologians call this time period in which we are living “the parenthesis,”
others call it “the interim,” still others call it “the church age.” The point it is a mysterious time and we will
see in Scripture later this week that Jesus even called this time period a
mystery. The reason it is a mystery is
because it was hidden from the prophets of the Old Testament. They were not given the privilege of seeing
this time period unfold. So, it is here
in the thirteenth chapter that we see Jesus using the tool of parables to help
us understand what this time period looks like.
If we know this truth, then we will be able to know how we are to
respond and react to the things happening in this world. Now there is a rather confusing aspect to the
parables regarding God’s kingdom and over the next two days we are going to
attempt to clarify some if this information.
In other words, if we do not get a firm grasp of these two concepts it will
be difficult for us to understand what the parables are attempting to teach us. Hang in there, Beloved, through this weighty
material.
Questions:
- Have you, like the Jews of Jesus’ day rejected Him and
His kingdom?
- Or, have you come to the saving knowledge and personal intimacy with the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, all
of creation has responded to Your love just as You knew it would. You were not surprised when the Jewish
leaders accused You of casting out demons under the power and leadership of
Satan. You have not been taken aback as
the world has increased its hostilities toward You. You know that You will return and the
appointed time to display Your Kingly glory and bring Your children to Your
home. May this generation Lord, not
reject Your kingdom as the first century Jews did. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment