SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/5/2021 11:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Intro to “Sheep Among Wolves”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
10:16-23
Message of the verses: “16 "Behold, I
send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents,
and innocent as doves. 17 “But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the
courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you shall even be brought
before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the
Gentiles. 19 “But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or
what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to
speak. 20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your
Father who speaks in you. 21 “And brother will deliver up brother to death, and
a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause
them to be put to death. 22 “And you will be hated by all on account of My
name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 “But
whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to
you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the
Son of Man comes.”
What we can see here is training for the apostles
that they will need after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I was listening to the sermon that goes
along with this section of verses from John MacArthur he used the word telescope
explaining that these words from our Lord will not all be fulfilled during this
first missions trip that the apostles but will telescope into the future, even
all the way to the tribulation period.
So as we look at these verses keep this in mind and the apostles did not
face all the things that we see in these verses on their first mission’s trip.
Another
thing to keep in mind here is that as noted in the previous chapter from
MacArthur’s commentary, some of the specifics Jesus taught in Matthew 10:5-42
applied only to the apostles; yet in principle they apply to his witnesses in
every generation, after all the apostles will all have died before A.D.
100. MacArthur adds “In a similar way,
some of the instruction applied only to the brief mission on which Jesus now
sent the Twelve out two by two (Mark 6:7), although the underlying ministry
precepts applied to their work even after the Lord Jesus had ascended to heaven
and will continue to apply to all His faithful servants throughout the church
age and even into the treat tribulation (Matt. 23:21). Ministry built on divine precepts will not
end ‘until the Son of Man comes’ (10:23), the eschatological term Matthew uses
to represent the return of Christ to establish His millennial kingdom.”
One
more thing about the telescope method that the Lord is using here and that
apart from understanding Jesus’ use of this telescope method, Matthew 10:5-42
cannot be sensibly interpreted. The
apostles did not raise the dead as seen in verse eight during this brief mission
in Galilee nor at any other time during the time when Jesus was on the earth,
only after His resurrection were they doing this. The apostles during this trip did not
experience any kind of persecution or suffering until after Pentecost.
MacArthur
concludes his introduction: “In Matthew
10:16-23 Jesus first gives an analogy of believers and their opponents (v.
16:a) and dual figures illustrating the attitudes they should have as they face
those opponents (16b). He then mentions
the two primary areas from which direct attack from persecutors will come (vv.
17-18) and promises God’s equally direct provision for it (vv. 19-20). Finally, He mentions the two primary areas of
indirect attack (vv. 21-22a) and tells His followers how to respond when persecution
comes (v. 23).”
10/5/2021 11:36 AM
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