Matthew 12

Confrontation with Pharisees verse 1- 2

At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn

and HIS disciples were an hungered

and began to pluck the ears of corn

and to eat it

BUT when the Pharisees saw it – they said unto HIM

BEHOLD – YOUR disciples do that which is not lawful

to do upon the Sabbath day

Jesus answers their concern verse 3- 8

BUT HE said to them

Have you not read what David did – when he was an hungered

and they that were with him

How he entered into the house of God – and did eat showbread

which was not lawful for him to eat

neither for them which were with him

BUT only for the priests?

OR have you not read in the law

how that on the Sabbath days the priests

in the temple profane the Sabbath

and are blameless?

BUT I say unto you

That in this place is one GREATER THAN the temple

BUT IF you had known what this means

I will have mercy and not sacrifice

you would not have condemned

the guiltless

FOR the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day

Pharisees pose a question to Jesus verse 9- 10

And when HE was departed thence – HE went into their synagogue

AND BEHOLD

there was a man which had his hand withered

AND they asked HIM saying

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?

that they might accuse HIM

Jesus answers their question verse 11- 12

AND HE said to them – What man shall there be among you

that shall have one sheep

and IF it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day

will he not lay hold on it and lift it out?

How much then is a man BETTER THAN a sheep?

Wherefore it is lawful to do WELL on the Sabbath days

Jesus heals on the Sabbath verse 13

THEN said HE to the man – Stretch forth your hand

AND he stretched it forth

and it was restored whole – like the other

Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus verse 14

THEN the Pharisees went out – and held a council against HIM

how they might destroy HIM

Jesus fulfills prophecy of Isaiah verse 15- 21

BUT when Jesus knew it – HE withdrew HIMSELF from thence

and a great multitude followed HIM

and HE healed them all

and charged them that they should not make HIM known

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken

by Isaiah the prophet – saying

BEHOLD MY servant – whom I have chosen

MY beloved – in whom MY soul is well-pleased

I will put MY Spirit upon HIM

and HE shall show judgment to the Gentiles

HE shall not strive – nor cry

neither shall any man hear HIS voice in the streets

a bruised reed shall HE not break – and a smoking flax

shall HE not quench

till HE send forth judgment unto VICTORY

AND in HIS name shall the Gentiles TRUST

Jesus heals a demon possessed man verse 22- 23

THEN was brought to HIM one possessed with a devil – blind – dumb

and HE healed him – insomuch that the blind and dumb

both spoke and saw

AND all the people were amazed – and said

Is not this the Son of David?

Pharisees state that Jesus get power from Satan verse 24

BUT when the Pharisees heard it – they said

This fellow does not cast out devils

BUT by Beelzebub – the prince of the devils

Jesus answers their accusation verse 25- 29

AND Jesus knew their thoughts

and said unto them

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation

and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand

and IF Satan cast out Satan – he is divided against himself

How shall then his kingdom stand?

AND IF I by Beelzebub cast out devils

by whom do your children cast them out?

THEREFORE they shall be your judges

BUT IF I cast out devils by the Spirit of God

THEN the kingdom of God is come unto you

OR ELSE – how can one enter into a strong man’s house

and spoil his goods

except he first bind the strong man?

AND THEN he will spoil his house

Jesus states who was with HIM verse 30

He that is not with ME is against ME

and he that gathers not with ME scatters abroad

Jesus states the unpardonable sin verse 31- 32

WHEREFORE I say to you

All manner of sin and blasphemy

shall be forgiven unto men

BUT the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost

shall not be forgiven unto men

AND whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man

it shall be forgiven him

BUT whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost

it shall not be forgiven him

neither in this world – neither in the world to come

Jesus states how to recognize a believer verse 33- 37

Either make the tree good – and his fruit good

OR ELSE make the tree corrupt – and his fruit corrupt

FOR the tree is known by his fruit

O GENERATION OF VIPERS – how can you – being evil

speak good things?

FOR out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart

brings forth good things

AND an evil man out of the evil treasure

brings forth evil things

BUT I say unto you

That every idle word that men shall speak

they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment

FOR by your words you shalt be justified

and by your words – you shall be condemned

Pharisees want a sign from Jesus verse 38

THEN certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered – saying

Master – we would see a sign from YOU

Jesus answers their request verse 39- 45

BUT HE answered

and said unto them

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign

and there shall no sign be given to it

BUT the SIGN of the prophet Jonah

FOR as Jonah 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

The men of Ninevah shall rise in judgment with this generation

and shall condemn it

BECAUSE they repented at the preaching of Jonah

and BEHOLD – a GREATER THAN Jonah is here

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation

and shall condemn it

FOR she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the

wisdom of Solomon

and BEHOLD

a GREATER THAN Solomon is here

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man – he walks through dry

places seeking rest – and finds none

THEN he says

I will return into my house from whence I came out

and WHEN he is come

he finds it empty – swept – garnished

THEN goes he – and takes with himself

seven other spirits more wicked than himself

and they enters in and dwells there

AND the last state of that man is

worse than the first

EVEN SO shall it be also unto this wicked generation

Jesus gives requirement of a true family member verse 46- 50

While HE yet talked to the people – BEHOLD

HIS mother and HIS brethren stood without

desiring to speak with HIM

THEN one said unto HIM – BEHOLD

YOUR mother and YOUR brethren stand without

desiring to speak with YOU

BUT HE answered and said unto him that told him

Who is MY mother? Who are MY brethren?

AND HE stretched forth his hand toward HIS disciples – and said

BEHOLD MY mother and MY brethren

FOR whosoever shall do the will of MY Father which is in heaven

the same is MY brother- sister- mother

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 15 But when Jesus knew it, HE withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed HIM, and HE healed them all. (402 “withdrew” [anachoreo] means to move away from a place in another direction, go away, take refuge, or retire for privacy)

DEVOTION: There is a time to confront and a time to withdraw. Jesus knew that it was not the right time to confront the Pharisees again. HE had answered their questions and stated what the Word of God taught regarding what should be done on the Sabbath and what shouldn’t be done on the Sabbath. HE was the LORD of the Sabbath and always did what was right. HE was not concerned with the traditions of the Pharisees.

We need to know when to confront and when not to confront people. It is a gift that is given by the Holy Spirit to every believer through our prayer life. Too often we run ahead of God with our ministry of confrontation.

We need to confront others regarding their wrong beliefs in the right time and in the right manner. Jesus always did it perfectly because HE was God. HE always had HIS timing right. HE was bold sometimes and at others HE went slower.

Remember that the disciples wanted to stop some people who were doing things they thought they shouldn’t and Jesus told them that if they were not against HIM they were for HIM.

As disciple’s wisdom should be our greatest goal when we are thinking of confronting or withdrawing from an issue. Our attitude has to be right. Our love has to show through what we are saying and what we are doing.

CHALLENGE: Jesus was even kind to those who were enemies to HIS ministry at times.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 32 And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgive him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (863 “ forgive” [aphiemi] means to become pardoned, to remit, send away, cancel a debt.)

DEVOTION: As a young believer in a Bible School I was asked if someone had committed the unpardonable sin. The Bible teaches that there is an unpardonable sin. It is a sin that will never be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come.

The individual was someone who used God’s name in vain even after he had accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. He was still trying to learn how to live the Christian life. One of the problems throughout church history is that many who say a prayer to accept Jesus Christ are never followed up with good teaching in the Word of God. Many think that the Holy Spirit will do all the teaching they need if they attend a church that preaches the Bible. This doesn’t happen as often as people think because some who have said the prayer didn’t really know what they were doing.

Instruction is important right after someone becomes a believer and needs to continue until they die. Some churches are good at having good Sunday School classes and pastors who teach the Word. Most today do not.

Now back to the question of the unpardonable sin. It is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil. It is denying the Holy Spirit HIS place in the act of salvation. The Holy Spirit enters an individual at salvation. HE gives directions to the individual.

The Pharisees were saying that Jesus was acting through the power of Satan. They were giving glory to Satan for the work of God. They were saying bad things about the work of the Holy Spirit.

The only unpardonable sin is rejecting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. The Pharisees didn’t believe in Jesus and didn’t want anyone else to believe in Jesus. They were not going to heaven unless they changed their mind. If they didn’t they were going to spend eternity in the lake of fire with their father the devil.

The religious leaders as a whole rejected Jesus Christ and HIS ministry. They told people HE was serving the devil. They are going to answer for their actions.

CHALLENGE: They might think the same of us when we try to teach that there is only one way to heaven. All false religions teach that there are many ways to heave.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (692 “idle” [argos] means free from labor, at leisure, lazy, slow, without thought, careless, ineffective or barren.

DEVOTION: This chapter is full of testing of Jesus by the Pharisees and scribe. They wanted to condemn HIM. They wanted to find a way to put HIM to death. Jesus knew these things.

HE warned the Pharisees that there was a judgment day coming. They wanted signs that HE was truly the Messiah but they would not accept the signs. HE gave examples of who would come in the last days to judge that generation. IF there is no life after death than these individuals would have been gone from any years but they were going to judge the generation living in Jesus day.

Jesus continued to heal and they accused HIM of curing people by the power of Satan. HE explained that a kingdom divided would not stand. HE told them that HE healed by the power of the LORD. HE also warned that if they continued to give Satan credit for the LORD’S work they would commit blasphemy that would never be forgiven. They were producing evil fruit. Those who produced evil fruit would spend eternity in the lake of fire.

Finally, Jesus is warning people that individuals have their words recorded by the LORD. HE is warning that there is a day of judgment coming. HE wants us to think before we speak. Those who are followers of the LORD need to think before they speak. There are words that should not come from the mouths of those that follow the LORD.

We tend to say many careless things in our lives. We tend to say things that we shouldn’t when we are angry. We tend to be lazy in thinking through our words to others. Conversation is a hard thing. We sometimes try to fill in silent spots instead of letting there be silence. We think that because we are forgiven all our sins when we follow Christ that we don’t have to worry about judgment.

One of the things that God hates is gossip. Those who have a tendency to say things about others to hurt them rather than encourage them is a sin. God has given us the responsibility to be encourages of others. When we get together we are never to have a gossip session about someone in our church especially the pastor or his staff. If they have some things that they are not getting done there should be a spirit of grace. Also those who think things could be done better should volunteer to help see that they are done better.

Remember that the Judgment seat of Christ is for Christians. Our works are going to be placed in a fire and only the gold, silver and precious stones will last through the fire. We will receive crowns according to the things that last. If we spend our time saying careless and thoughtless things to others – these will be burned. Most of us would rather hear from the LORD: “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

Also, remember that our tongue is a deadly poison. Please help each other to keep our tongues in check and only say what will encourage others. The Holy Spirit is working in the lives of those who need to grow in the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Ask someone if they can tell that you are a Christian by the vocabulary that you use. Words used to your wife. Words used to your children. Words used when you gather with friends. Words you use in church. Words you use in the workplace.

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: 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother. (2307 “will” [thelema] means desire, pleasure, choice, inclination, purpose, or intent)

DEVOTION: All of us have certain desires for our life. We all are gifted in an area where we can find employment. We are all given choices regarding our future spouse. We all know where we want to be in five years or ten years or beyond. We have plans that we are working on for ourselves and our family. It is natural to have purpose in our life.

God has a purpose for all those who are genuine followers of HIM. HE gives special instructions to the twelve disciples regarding what the Christian life is supposed to look like to the outside world. The disciples wrote books of the Bible after HE left this world for heaven. They gave us examples of what God wanted us to do.

At the beginning of Jesus ministry his brothers were not followers of HIM. They thought HE was wrong in HIS actions. None of them became followers until after HIS death. Two of them wrote two of the books of the New Testament: Jude and James.

So when they came to Jesus on this occasion it was not to help HIS ministry but to probably ask HIM to come home and stop causing problems with the religious leaders of the day.

We are to be doing the will of the Father today. HE showed us what that was like with the life of Christ. Christ gave us an updated version of the commands of God. We are to love the LORD our God with all our heart …. We are to love our neighbor. These are the two commands that HE restated in simple form, so that, there was no confusion.

Worship is our first responsibility. Our worship is to be centered in the LORD Jesus Christ. Our prayers are to be to the Father through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the name of the Son. All three persons of the Godhead are involved in our worship and prayers.

Fellowship is part of our worship. We are to fellowship with God and our fellow believers. The problem is that there are people in our churches who are not genuine believers and we have to watch who we fellowship with because there are people who want to take us further away from the LORD rather than closer. The Holy Spirit can give us discernment if we ask HIM.

Work is another characteristic of those who are doing the intent of the LORD with their lives. Our first responsibility is to serving the LORD in our family. God wants us to raise our family in HIS Word and in a Bible believing church. Our family needs to be there to worship the LORD on a regular basis. Each Sunday and other days that help our family grow in the LORD should see us in a local body of believers. Our family should see us reading the Word of God regularly. It should be an example of how important you consider the Word of God.

Our next area of work should be through the local church where we volunteer to reach others for the LORD. Each person receives a gift from the Holy Spirit for service in the local church. If we are not using our gifts then the church will suffer. All are called to reach their neighborhood and friends to the LORD.

Then we enter the workplace and give a testimony for the LORD by our dedication to doing the best we can to show people that Christians are hard workers. Should the workplace take top priority? NO!! Too often our time is spent trying to get ahead rather than serving the LORD. Many have regretted not serving the LORD when they could when they were younger. Many wait until retirement to serve. It is never too late but think of those you could have reached earlier for the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Go into the presence of the LORD and ask HIM how you can better serve HIM in your home, church, and workplace. Set some goals each month.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Sabbath verse 1, 2, 5, 8, 10- 12

House of God verse 4

Shewbread verse 4

Priests verse 4, 5

Temple verse 5, 6

Synagogue verse 9

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Law verse 5

Isaiah spoke about Jesus verse 17-21

Jonah given a sign verse 39-41

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Father verse 50

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Jesus verse 1, 15, 25

Son of man verse 8, 32, 40

Lord verse 8

Servant verse 18

Chosen one verse 18

Beloved verse 18

Son of David verse 23

Master verse 38

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Holy Spirit in Jesus verse 18

Spirit of God verse 28

Holy Ghost verse 31, 32

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

God verse 4, 28

House of God verse 4

Kingdom of God verse 28

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

devil – evil angels (only one Devil/Satan) verse 22, 24, 28

Evil angel – Beelzebub/another name for Satan verse 24, 27

Satan – evil angel verse 26

Unclean spirit – evil angel verse 43- 45

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Gentiles verse 18

Gentiles trust in Jesus verse 21

Men of Nineveh verse 41

Queen of the south verse 42

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Traditions against Bible verse 2

Commoners eating showbread verse 4

Profane the Sabbath verse 5

Condemn the guiltless verse 7

Accuse Christ verse 10, 14

Sin verse 31

Blasphemy verse 31

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit verse 31, 32

Evil verse 34, 35

Condemned verse 37, 41, 42

Adulterous generation verse 39

Wicked verse 45

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Disciples verse 1, 2

Blameless verse 5

Mercy verse 7

Healing verse 10, 13, 15, 22

Do well on Sabbath verse 12

Servant verse 18

Chosen verse 18

Victory verse 20

Trust verse 21

Gatherers verse 30

Forgiven verse 31, 32

Good verse 35

Justified verse 37

Does will of the Father verse 50

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Pharisees verse 2, 14

David verse 3

Counsel verse 14

Elijah (Esaias) – prophet verse 17- 21

Jesus mother and brothers verse 46- 50

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Day of Judgment verse 36

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QUOTES regarding passage

The most natural way to understand “brothers” (v. 46) is that the term refers to sons of Mary and Joseph and thus to brothers of Jesus on his mother’s side. To support the dogma of Mary’s perpetual virginity, a notion foreign to the NT and to the earliest church fathers, Roman Catholic scholars have suggested that “brothers” refers either to Joseph’s sons by an earlier marriage or to sons of Mary’s sister, who had the same name (cf. Lagrange; McHugh, pp. 200ff.). Certainly “brothers” can have a wider meaning than male relatives (Acts 22:1). Yet it is very doubtful whether such a meaning is valid here for it raises insuperable problems. For instance, if “brothers” refers to Joseph’s sons by an earlier marriage, not Jesus but Joseph’s firstborn would have been legal heir to David’s throne. The second theory—that “brothers” refers to sons of a sister of Mary also named “Mary”—faces the unlikelihood of two sisters having the same name. All things considered, the attempts to extend the meaning of “brothers” in this pericope, despite McHugh’s best efforts, are nothing less than farfetched exegesis in support of a dogma that originated much later than the NT (see on 1:25; Luke 2:7; cf. Broadus on 13:55–56). (Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 299). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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12:46–50 (Mark 3:31–35. Luke 8:19–21). As Jesus concluded His statements, His mother and brothers desired to communicate with Him. The Apostle John made it clear that His brothers (actually half brothers, born to Mary after Jesus was born) did not believe in Him before His resurrection (John 7:5). Perhaps here they were trying to attach themselves to Jesus and receive special favors through family ties. Jesus stated that true discipleship comes not through physical relationships but only through obedience to the will of the Father. Mere religion (Matt. 12:43–45) and family relationships (vv. 46–50) cannot obtain merit before God. Following God’s will makes one a disciple (cf. 7:21). (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 48). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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He rejected their honor (vv. 46–50). Even our Lord’s earthly family did not fully understand Him or His ministry (John 7:1–5). Some of His friends thought He was mad (Mark 3:21). But Jesus did not want the honor that comes from people. While He was not disrespectful toward His physical family, He did emphasize the family of God.

Note His use of the word “whosoever” (Matt. 12:50). This paralleled His beautiful invitation in Matthew 11:28–30 where He encouraged all to trust Him. If the nation would not receive Him, at least individuals within the nation—and among the Gentiles—could trust Him. But what will happen to the promised kingdom? (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 44). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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12:46 brothers. These are actual siblings (half-brothers) of Jesus. Matthew explicitly connects them with Mary, indicating that they were not cousins or Joseph’s sons from a previous marriage, as some of the church fathers imagined. They are mentioned in all the gospels (Mk 3:31; Lk 8:19–21; Jn 7:3–5). Matthew and Mark give the names of 4 of Jesus’ brothers, and mention that He had sisters as well (13:55; Mk 6:3).

12:48, 49 Jesus was not repudiating His earthly family (cf. Jn 19:26, 27). Rather, He was emphasizing the supremacy and eternality of spiritual relationships (cf. 10:37). After all, even His own family needed Him as Savior (cf. Jn 7:5). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mt 12:46–48). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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At this point there was an interruption. The Lord was given the news that His mother and brothers had arrived. That opportune event gave Him a natural way of introducing the new family.

“One said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee” (12:47). Their stated purpose was to speak with Him, but Mark 3:21, 31 makes it clear that their real purpose was “to lay hold on him” because “they said, He is beside himself.” It is evident that the Lord’s mother and brothers had heard of His ceaseless activity and had heard that He was on a collision course with the authorities. They had concluded that He was out of His senses, virtually insane, and they had come to put Him under some kind of restraint.

Mary must have known better. She knew that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. Perhaps her protective maternal instinct overcame her and doubtless she was under considerable pressure from her other four sons. We do not know how much Jesus’ brothers knew about the circumstances of His birth, but it seems improbable that Mary and Joseph would not have told them. However, they certainly did not believe in Jesus and they might have been fearful that official hostility toward Him would spread to them. It was not that far from Capernaum to Nazareth.

In the Gospel record of the ministry of Jesus there are only two occasions (prior to the crucifixion) when Mary appears (here and in John 2:1–4). Both times she seeks to have a say in His affairs and both times she is reproved by Him. Thus there is no basis for prayer to her on the ground that since she is the Lord’s mother, He will listen to her and do as she says. Such passages as these in Matthew 12 and John 2 anticipate and repudiate Roman Catholic dogmas that exalt Mary to the status of deity, teach the bodily assumption of Mary into Heaven, and make Mary coredemptrix with Jesus. (Phillips, J. (2014). Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary (Mt 12:46–47). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch.)

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12:46–50 these are my mother and brothers. As Jesus continued to speak to the crowd, his mother and brothers (cf. 1:16, 18; 13:55–56) appeared outside and wanted to speak with him (cf. Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21). Perhaps they were concerned over the intensifying conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. The absence of Joseph is generally taken to indicate that he had died by this time. When Jesus is told of their presence and desire to speak with him, he finds a “teachable moment” and speaks of his true family, those who do the will of his Father in heaven. Jesus teaches by means of a question (12:48), an answer (12:49), and an explanation (12:50). Other NT passages make it clear that Jesus’ family was not always in complete sympathy with his messianic mission (Mark 3:21; John 7:1–5). It is perhaps significant that Matthew says that Jesus’ mother and brothers were “outside.” If so, Jesus’ disciples, who do the will of his Father in heaven, are “inside,” and are his true family. His disciples are his brothers (cf. 28:10). The mention of Jesus’ brothers in this passage (and sisters in 13:56) makes the notion of Mary’s perpetual virginity difficult to maintain. (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 178). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)

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FROM MY READING:

This story has everything … Reproductive technology? Check! Same-sex union? Check! Autism? Check! Lawsuits? Check! The assumption that a child “product” of reproductive technology that someone paid for is “defective”? Check!

In fact, I’m not sure I’ve seen a story in the last decade that more definitively proves what we often say around the Colson Center: Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have victims.

A recent Washington Post article tells of an Illinois woman who has struggled to raise two children, her now six- and seven-year-old sons. Both have autism. But this story isn’t about her day to day life dealing with these challenges. It’s about why the boys are autistic in the first place.

Both of her sons were conceived by sperm donation, from the same nameless donor, “Donor H898.” This woman chose artificial insemination because her female partner, well, could not impregnate her. In other words, after having chosen a sterile union, she wished to have children. And this story goes on…

While researching ways to help her sons, the woman discovered they had at least a dozen siblings, also diagnosed with autism, also conceived via the same sperm donor. Some of these children, in fact, also suffer from additional neurological and cognitive disorders including ADHD, epilepsy, and various mood disorders.

A genetic counselor explained the obvious. Such results with so many children were unlikely to be coincidental, and very likely to be the responsibility of that single sperm donor. Upon further investigation, the Illinois mom discovered that almost everything she was told about Donor H898 was a lie. He didn’t have a master’s degree as advertised by the sperm bank. He never even graduated from college. His supposed “clean bill of health” neglected to mention that he “had been diagnosed with ADHD and was schooled in an institution for those with learning and emotional difficulties.”

In other words, after choosing to conceive a child with someone she had never met, she was shocked to learn she didn’t have the whole picture about him.

After complaints to the sperm bank and government regulators came up empty, the woman filed a suit against the sperm bank, who chose to settle out of court for $250,000. In the meantime, the woman lost her job, her home, and her partner.

Oh, and sperm banks continue to sell Donor H898’s sperm.

In other words, an industry that treats children as a commodity to be ordered and attained by consumers who buy them, continues to treat children as a commodity to be ordered and attained by consumers who buy them.

Few bad ideas have left more victims in their wake than the ideas of the sexual revolution. From the beginning, the sexual revolution has peddled lies to women – about what will bring them freedom, equality, and happiness, while at the same time turning children into social experiments.

In fact, the foundational idea of the sexual revolution is this: Sex, marriage, and children can be separated from each other. The consequences of that idea have been devastating, especially for women and children. Once males were untethered from marriage, they were untethered from sexual responsibility. Women were promised the same “freedom,” but that never materialized.

Still, the kids have paid the highest price. The foundational lie of the sexual revolution is “The kids will be fine.” It’s a lie that’s taken various forms like, “kids need happy parents, not married ones” and “kids don’t need a mom and a dad, just loving parents,” as if men and women were fully interchangeable.

Well, as this poor mother in Illinois found out, the kids aren’t fine. They are part of a grand social experiment conducted since the 1960s: Take our most important and basic responsibility – caring for the next generation – and repudiate the very ideas and institutions that make such care possible. And then, see what happens. (BreakPoint)

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Romans 6
We are to present our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness.
INSIGHT

Micky Cohen, a noted gangster of a past generation, said that after he embraced Christianity, he felt betrayed. No one had explained that God would require a change in his behavior. “There are Christian athletes and Christian businessmen. Why not Christian gangsters?” he reasoned. But when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are no longer free to continue living as we did in the world. Our affections and activities must change to reflect the God whom we serve. The term “Christian gangster” contradicts itself because the activities of a gangster generally oppose the character of Christ. (Quiet Walk)

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FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER–FROM GOD’S SIDE

…and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
There are always two sides to fellowship. We will now look at fellowship from God’s side. Paul said in writing to the Philippians, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (2:13). That is the way to have fellowship with God. You are aware of the surging of those holy desires, and you say to yourself, “It is God speaking to me; it is God saying something and calling forth a response in me.” “We love him, because he first loved us,” says John later on in 1 John [4:19], and God has fellowship with us in that way.
Not only that, He reveals His will to us. He shows us what He would have us to do. He leads us. He opens doors and shuts them; sometimes He puts up barriers and obstacles. You know what I am speaking about. It means that you are aware of the fact that you are in the hands of God, and that He is dealing with you, and that
as you go forward in this journey called life, God is there. Sometimes the door is shut, and you cannot understand it. You say, “I wanted to go there, but I cannot,” and then you say, “But God is with me, and He has shut the door.” Then suddenly you find the door opened, and you know it is the One who is walking with you who has suddenly opened it. That is having fellowship with God–knowing that He is there in these various ways in which He manipulates our lives and speaks to us and gives us wisdom and understanding. Every one of these things contains a danger; they all need to be carefully qualified, and yet they are essential to fellowship and communion.
Then He supplies us with strength according to our need and according to our situation.
A Thought to Ponder: Having fellowship with God means knowing that He is there.

(From Fellowship with God, pp. 85-86, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Jesus and Jonah
“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17)
The Bible’s most famous “fish story” has been the target of skeptics for hundreds of years, but it was confirmed by none other than the one who Himself had prepared the great fish: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).
Jonah may actually have died and gone to “hell.” “Out of the belly of hell [Hebrew Sheol] cried I,” said Jonah, “and thou heardest my voice” (Jonah 2:2). The testimony of Jesus was similar: “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [i.e., Sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10; also Acts 2:27). Jonah also prayed: “Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God” (Jonah 26). His prayer ended: “Salvation is of the LORD” (v. 9), and this is the very meaning of the name “Jesus.”
Thus, 900 years before Christ died and rose again, Jonah died and rose again, a remarkable prophetic type of the mighty miracle that the Lord would accomplish one day to bring salvation and life to a world dead in sin. Only the power of God could direct a prepared fish to save Jonah, then three days later allow him to preach repentance and salvation to the lost souls in Nineveh. Then, finally God Himself, in Christ, died on a cross for the sins of the world, and this time it took the infinite power that created the very universe itself to bring His own soul back from hell and, three days later, to rise again. This is “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). Truly, “a greater than Jonas is here” (Matthew 12:41).

(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Oh, that we might understand that HE came down so that you and I might be lifted up and raised to such glory. (p. 126)

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The first thing that is true about a person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is that he is reconciled to God and experiences forgiveness of sins. (p. 130)

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The Christian is one who knows God and should be able to approach God with this holy boldness and should be certain of this access. (p. 131)

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There is only one thing to say about people who laugh at the Christian religion, and that is they are ignorant, they are blind, they do not know these things. (p. 134)

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To be a Christian doesn’t mean doing something yourself; it means giving yourself to the ONE who does it for you. (p. 138)

(A Merciful and Faithful High Priest by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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