Bernard Palmer 07/08/2026 Bernard Palmer 07/08/2026

Matthew 9:1-8 Can Jesus Forgive Sin?

The festival of Easter used to be the highlight of the year in Britain. Now it tends to be known for its Bank holiday.

When someone receives good news such as a new job, a marriage proposal, being given an honour it is unusual not to be jubilant for a short while. Yet the events that took place that first Easter have fantastic implications and should thrill everybody. The crucifixion of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection means that we can be forgiven by God and accepted into his family. This raises two issues

1. Do I need forgiveness?
If I don’t then the message of the cross has nothing to say to me.
2. How can I be forgiven?
Can Jesus forgive me whatever I have done and how can this forgiveness be received?

Do I need forgiveness?

In the previous chapter Matthew has given us snapshots about the extraordinary power of Jesus. He is presented as God’s Promised King, his Messiah, who has power over sickness and nature. Although God has always had supernatural power such that he can create the universe and raise the dead, he has only chosen to exhibit this power occasionally through a few of his chosen people. Thus Moses, Elijah and Elisha performed occasional miracles as did Jesus’ apostles in the early days but no-one has ever matched the miraculous power of Jesus. His power was to prove who he is. Beware those healers who claim to have supernatural powers todays. Their claims, when investigated have been shown to be false and dependant on psychological manipulation and theatre. Long term healings of organic disease such as death, amputations, paralysis, blindness and dementia are lacking.

But what did Jesus actually come to do? We are first given evidence for who Jesus is and now we are being told about his purpose. He primarily came to forgive our sin, to both teach us who he is as he is the only person who can forgive sin against God and then to die as the final sacrifice to pay for our sin. Jesus told the selfish tax-collector Zacchaeus:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Early in Mark’s record of the gospel he tells how Jesus become inundated with people wanting healing of their diseases. He went off to pray and then told his disciples:

“Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38

Jesus repeatedly told his disciples why he had come to earth:

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this . . .” Mark 8:31-32

The wonders of Matthew chapter 8 act as a trailer for what all of God’s people will experience in the next life. It is a mistake if we think we can claim such things now.

If Jesus is going to return in glory to establish his rule, why did he come earlier. Matthew chapter 9 answers this. He came so that people of all nations can be forgiven and so can become members of his kingdom.

A paralysed man is forgiven

Jesus returned to his home town of Capernaum. He had done many miracles there and undoubtedly news about him had spread:

“Some men brought to him a paralysed man, lying on a mat.” Matthew 9:2

The crowds would know what to expect. In the previous chapter the Centurions servant who was paralysed had been healed. Here another man with paralysis is brought to Jesus. It is striking how leprosy and paralysis are the healings emphasised. They both indicate man’s helplessness and dependance signifying the problem of sin. What Jesus said next must have stunned his listeners:

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:2

What was this all about? Have Jesus overlooked why the man had been brought to him? The man surely needed healing, he would love to be able to walk.

In those days sick people tended to be shunned because it was thought that sickness was the result of a person’s sin. Jesus robustly opposed this view. One one occasion Jesus and his disciples met a man who had been born blind:

“His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:2-3

We live in a world full of disease and natural disasters and the Bible is clear that this is the result of sin, our rebellion against God. However we must understand this correctly. It does not mean that an individual’s illness is usually the effect of their own sin but just that illness is the result of our corporate sin. None of us are blameless, we have all turned away from the rule of our creator and have failed to establish a close relationship with him. For this reason we all need to be forgive. This paralytic was also a sinful man whose prime problem in god’s eyes is his personal sin. What Jesus said to the man is thrilling, it was so encouraging:

“Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:2

Today we all face a wide variety of pressures and problems but can so easily overlook that the deepest problem is our sin that separates us from God. This is a constant theme of Scripture.

“There is no one righteous, not even one;there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.All have turned away . . .” Romans 3:11-12

Have we all recognised that the greatest need we have is to be forgiven by God?

How can I be forgiven?

Jesus said that the paralysed man’s sins were forgiven but this caused a strong reaction among the religious authorities.

“At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is blaspheming!’” Matthew 9:3

Blasphemy is not just swearing but claiming to do what only God can do. The authorities were right, only God can forgive sin against God. Who was this man who claimed this right? They had forgotten Psalm 2, Daniel 7 and Isiah 53, that God will have a son who will pay for our sin.

Jesus asks which is harder - to forgive or to heal? The whole of the Old Testament shows how difficult forgiveness is. But note that Jesus adds ‘to say’. The issue is what can be verified. It is easy for a priest to say someone is forgiven their sin but is that true. Martin Luther’s 95 theses that he posted on the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg in Germany to highlight how the sale of indulgences for the forgiveness of sins was invalid. It is very difficult to know if someone has indeed been forgiven. In contrast, if a paralytic is told ‘Rise’, people will know straight away whether that word is effective.

Both the forgiveness of sin and the healing of a paralytic are humanly impossible, they both need god’s intervention. Jesus wants us to grasp that he can do both. God alone can heal the paralytic and God alone can forgive his sin.

“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralysed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Matthew 9:6

We again see a clear demonstration of Jesus’ power. The reason he can heal is because he has the authority to forgive sins. Everything depends on who Jesus is, a man can only forgive sins if he is both the Son of Man and the Son of God.

In a similar way Jesus could say to the thief crucified next to him, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’. We know that is true because of who Jesus is and because he rose from the dead three days later.

Isn’t God in heaven?

That is how Jesus began the prayer he taught:

“Our Father in heaven . . .” Matthew 6:9-13

In Israel God’s presence on earth was symbolised by the tabernacle and then by the temple. In this story God is in Capernaum in person. Here is the person who can meet our deepest needs. Jesus calls himself the temple. When the Jewish leaders challenge His authority after He clears the temple, Jesus says,

"Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days". John 2:19-21

The Apostle John later clarifies that Jesus was speaking about His own body. Jesus is now the place where God and people can meet. He has the authority to meet our deepest needs, he can forgive our sin.

How must we respond?

1. The healed man

The man’s response was immediate:

“Then the man got up and went home.” Matthew 9:7

Why was his first response to go home? Surely he wanted his family and friends to see that he was a new man, a new creation. Do you think he could fail to mention how he had been saved? This is the response of all who have experience the forgiveness of our sins and the empowerment to live a new godly life, walking with Jesus.

The next story tells us how Matthew himself had become a follower of Jesus. His immediate reaction was to long for others to understand who Jesus is and to meet him:

“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.” Matthew 9:10

This is the response God wants to see in all those he calls to himself.

2. The crowd

The effect on the crowd was dramatic:

“When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.” Matthew 9:8

When we see the effect God has had on others and the change in their lives for good, we too can be filled with a sense of awe. Matthew says simply, ‘They praised God”, but what does this mean. For many it meant they praised God who entered his world as Jesus. Worship is a life turned round, a life spent all the time living for the glory of Jesus.

3. The deniers

There always have been and always will be people who refuse to accept the claims of Jesus:

“Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?” Matthew 9:4

To call such people ‘evil’ is a strong claim but to reject God and his son and put ourselves in the centre is the height of treason against God. We all know who is on the throne in our lives.

It is thrilling to read that many Pharisees and Scribes did change their minds and became followers of Jesus. So today there are many Jews who have recognised that Jesus is their Messiah

In the 21st century there are many who dismiss Jesus quickly, often with superficial reasons without investigating the evidence for his claims. Rejecting Jesus is more serious than the world thinks. Instinctively we all recognise that that what Jesus embodies is the ideal, he is honest, loving, fair and what he says resonates with our innermost selves. Matthew’s point is that who Jesus is is obvious to any who will take note of him. His words, his miracles, his resurrection can all be investigated. To refuse to take not of Jesus and to deny him is to think evil in our hearts.

The religious need forgiveness. Can’t they see this? There is Jesus next to them doing wonder things. What they need to do is to humbly come to him and ask for his forgiveness and help.

The centurion in the previous chapter tells us of the right response to Jesus. Faith is bringing our needs to Jesus, whatever they are. But remember, out greatest need that must first be addressed is our need for forgiveness. If we come to Jesus we will find that this is utterly life-changing, but it starts with:

“Your sins are forgiven.”

This is the primary reason Jesus came into this world. Do you remember what the angel said to Joseph about the unborn Jesus at the beginning of this book?

“She will give birth to ason, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Jesus means ‘the Lord saves’.

BVP

This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.

Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching gospel centred local church. More details can be found on its website. It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock

Bernard can be contacted at berniepalmer1@sky.com

Bernard Palmer 02/08/2026 Bernard Palmer 02/08/2026

Matthew 8:28-34 God’s Authority, accepted and refused

A battleship and was on exercises as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities. Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported,

“Light, bearing on the starboard bow.”
“Is it steady or moving astern?” the captain called out.
“Steady, Captain,” the lookout replied,

This meant they were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.
The captain then called to the signalman,

“Signal that ship: ‘We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.’”

Back came the signal,

“Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees."

The captain said,

“Send: ‘I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.’”

“I'm a seaman second-class,” came the reply. “You had better change course twenty degrees.”

By that time the captain was furious. He spat out,

“Send: ‘I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.’’"

Back came the flashing light,

“I'm a lighthouse.”"

The battleship changed course. It was a matter of which light had the greater authority!

This account of Jesus dealing with two very deranged men gives us a glimpse of the life of Jesus and his priorities. It also portrays what the human heart is like and the difference Jesus can make if people are willing.

The world is damaged

We read of two demon-possessed men who live amongst the tombs. It reads like a horror movie. Today we would probably diagnose these two as having a severe form of schizophrenia, with deranged minds and severe antisocial behaviour. Presumably they were not always like this, as babies they were probably cute and cuddly and their proud parents liked to show them off. Then, for whatever reason - perhaps they mixed with a bad crowd or couldn’t mix with normal people - they became more and more deranged. As people criticised them it is easy to imagine how they became even more angry and violent and this resulted in further exclusion. What is interesting is that the two had an empathy because of their common problems so they teamed up. Their fierce, violent and destructive behaviour were the result of evil at work, probably both in them and in their society.

The concept of devil possession is much debated today. The Bible clearly teaches that there is a spiritual realm. When a child loses his temper, hurts people, says untrue, cruel things about parents and cannot relate sensibly to anyone this is surely a form of the devil’s work. Fortunately this is usually temporary.

In Genesis chapter 3, Satan tempts Adam and Eve to disobey their creator and do what pleases them instead. Satan is still just as active today. If God stepped into our world today you can be certain that Satan would attack him in some way or another. It was into this scene that Jesus came:

“When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.” Matthew 8:28

People felt powerless in the presence of these sick men. Their society tried to cope by expelling them from their society, just as they expelled lepers or anyone else they considered unacceptable. This doesn’t solve the problem, it just sends it elsewhere, yet in this story there is someone who can really solve it.

‍ ‍

2. Jesus has authority

Somehow these men recognised who Jesus really was:

“‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted.” Matthew 8:29

Shouting may be because of distance but it can also be because of anger. When sin confronts righteousness it often results in anger. This outburst is ironic. The previous story is the calming of a violent storm that Jesus achieved simply by his word. The disciples naturally asked questions about him:

“Who is this?”

Yet these two deranged men recognise who Jesus is, What led them to understand this? Perhaps there was the usual gossip going around questioning who this gracious teacher and miracle worker was, but this was a new Gentile area, the region of the Gadarenes. Gadara was one of the cities of the Decapolis, a group of ten influential Hellenistic cities east of the Jordan River. Its ruins can be visited today at Umm Qais in Jordan. Would Jesus reputation have preceded him to this area and reached two exiled deranged men? Certainly Satan does recognise and fears God and this may be the source of these men understanding that Jesus was indeed the ‘Son of God’.

This is not all they say - the possessed men continue:

“Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Matthew 8:29

They have recognised that Jesus is the ‘Son of God’ but they also know that he will also be the judge of all mankind, determining our eternal fate. They know that a final judgment by God is coming. The scene gives us a glimpse into the mouth of hell. Those in hell will be alienated from God and all the good things he gives us. They know that the hell they were already experiencing, ostracised by society, living in a graveyard, is little compared to what is to come for those who remain unforgiven. There will be a judgment when we will all receive from God what they deserve because of our rebellion against God.

If Jesus is their future judge, why had he come to visit these two? Can the God of love help them our of their desperate plight that is the result of sin in the world.

Matthew chapter 8 centres on the authority of Jesus. He exercises this by his words which have extraordinary power. The paralysed centurion’s servant was healed by the word of Jesus, the terrifying storm on the sea of Galilee instantly abated at the word of Jesus. With a word the demons were cast out of these men and entered into a large herd of pigs that were grazing nearby.

“Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” Matthew 8:30-32

In Mark’s version of this story we read that about 2,000 pigs died (Mark 5:1-17)

Poor pigs!

Today this is a common reaction to the story, even from people who enjoy bacon for breakfast.. Why did the pigs have to die? This part of the story is clearly meant to shock us but also to teach us an important fact.

Some people take the high moral ground in defence of pigs. Bertrand Russell, the famous atheist philosopher in the early 20th century gave a lecture titled, ‘Why I am not a Christian’. In this he highlighted the pig problem, saying:

“There is the instance of the Gadarene swine where it certainly was not very kind to the pigs to put devils into them and make them rush down the hill to the sea. You must remember that He was omnipotent, and He could have made the devils simply go away; but he chooses to send them into the pigs.”

The question is ‘Could he?’ We will respond to this question later.

We have seen that the region of the Gadarenes was outside of Israel. No Jew could farm pigs as they were unclean animals. But so were the Gentiles in Gadar and Jesus wanted to go and teach there. One lesson we must learn from this story is that the authority of Jesus extends outside of Jewish territory and extends to the whole world. This is the message of the whole Bible. When Solomon commissioned the temple he had built, he reminded the sons of Abraham what God’s intention has always been:

“. . . that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.” 1 Kings 8:59-60

The ‘servant king’ was not only Solomon but, as Isaiah repeatedly taught, a new Servant King was to come into the world. It is he who would lead his people eternally after giving his life to pay for their sin. This is what Jesus was doing for these two men.

But why did the pigs have to die? This act does confirm the seriousness of sin. It is a destructive force and not a plaything, something to be dabbled with. So often we like to indulge it a bit, confident that we will not go too far. But isn’t this how most drug addicts start? Evil is not fun. The devil’s aim is to take hold of us and destroy us. Jesus came for the very purpose of doing something about the sin in each of us. This transfer of the evil spirits into the pigs certainly teaches us that a human is worth much more than a thousand pigs!

In Marks record of this healing one of these men said:

“My name is Legion, for we are many”. Mark 5:9

While an exact number isn't specified, because the word ‘legion’ represents an entire Roman army division. This could range from 3,000 to 6,000 soldiers and was enough to possess a herd of about 2,000 pigs, it signifies thousands of possessing spirits.

Jesus brings hope to a world that is facing problems we cannot solve. Nothing is beyond him. When we face desperate problems there is someone who can help us. No-one is beyond his reach and when we are under his protection he has given us a promise:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

3. The demand to leave

The news about the healing of these two men travelled fast:

“Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus.” Matthew 8:33-34

Everyone must have known about these two violent men and heard how Jesus had said a word and the power of evil had left them. Jesus had done what no mere human could do. You would expect verse 34 to read:

“Everyone was overjoyed that this miracle had been performed in their land, that two people had been saved at Jesus’ command, and they pleaded with him to stay amongst them!”

However the opposite reaction occurred. Matthew actually says:

“And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.” Matthew 8:34

They wanted nothing to do with this amazing righteous man who can give life to people. Instead they reject him and demand that he leave them alone. Isn’t this just what our society says to this same Jesus today?

Why were they so hostile? Surely it was because of the pigs! The pigs meant more to them than anything else. Farming pigs was their living. Pigs were a valuable commodity. The people only looked at the cost and not at the benefit.

Ask people if they would like to live in a world without suffering, without evil, without disorder, without illness and death and the majority would reply,

‘Of course I would!’

Well, here is a man who has promised us just that. Jesus is not a myth or fairy tale. He really lived and many were drawn to him but they only want to be partially involved with him. They don’t like parts of what Jesus teaches. Yet Jesus rejects half-hearted devotion. He says that we will only be blessed by God if we start a new life, living for his world and not our own. The Sermon on the mount started’

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6

The Christian life starts when we see our need and turn to him to be the centre of our life, when his righteousness becomes our goal. When Jesus calls us he changes everything. He becomes Lord of all. We cannot have a little bit of Jesus just as he does not want a little bit of us.

Later Jesus says:

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32=33

Jesus is either all or he is nothing. If a person comes to Jesus he will transform life, but it will be infinitely for the better. Earlier in this chapter Jesus discussed the cost of following him:

“Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:19-22

When we follow Jesus our priorities change to his priorities. I visited a church member who was in hospital after a major operation. They were most unhappy, complaining about almost everything. The words ‘I’ and ‘me’ kept being repeated. This is understandable but he had forgotten what he was on earth for - to give glory to our Saviour.

When Jesus was dying on the cross his concern was for the thief crucified next to him who both recognised his sin and also recognised who Jesus was. Jesus promised him that he would soon be with him in paradise. He was also concerned that his mother was cared for. Such selflessness is surely the spirit of Jesus. When Paul was chained in Rome on capital charges he could still write:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. . . . For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” Philippians 1:21-29

Jesus’ Response

The people demanded that Jesus leave the area. This was a blatant rebellion against their creator and Saviour.

“Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.” Matthew 8:34

What is striking is the absence of verse 35. Where is God’s judgment at such rejection. There were no lightning strikes, heavy hail storms or locust invasion. There appears to be no response from Jesus at all. Isn’t this the same today. People reject Jesus in spite of all he has done and continues to do, and he simply walks away. However there is a time coming when he will act in judgment.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” Matthew 25:31-33

The writer of the book to the Hebrews put this very succinctly but adds a reminder that there is one answer:

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28

Let us now return to the question Bertrand Russell posed. Could Jesus have just waved a magic wand and made evil disappear? This passage and later passages in Matthew answer this question. Sin is so serious that it must be paid for. Evil cannot just evaporate into thin air. To free those men from sin, the sin had to go somewhere. Just before this section in Matthew 8, Matthew reminded us what Isaiah had said about sin having to be paid for. We read:

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17

Jesus bore the sin and its consequences on himself when he died on that cross. What do you think Jesus felt like when the people of Gadara sent him away. Did he have tears in his eyes? He went there to help them and share the good news of salvation with them, and they said ’No’.

It is the same today. The only way we can experience the forgiveness of our sin and the power to live a new godly life is to turn to Jesus for his salvation and help.

The next verse tells us what happened next. Jesus did not waste his time with this people, they had made their decision:

“Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.” Matthew 9:1

There, in Capernaum, he heals another paralysed man after pointedly first forgiving his sin, so openly claiming to be God. The religious onlookers recognised this and thought it was blasphemy. If he is not God he could not miraculously heal the paralysed man. If he is God he can and he alone can forgive us our sin against God.

Matthew is making the gospel very clear. Jesus is full of love for all people from all nations and longs to be allowed to both forgive us our sin and to change us into becoming the sort of people God wants. The decision is ours. He alone has the authority to defeat the evil in us. If we accept and follow Jesus we will live with him in the now and we will be with him in eternity where there is no sin or suffering. The price for us has been paid. The lesson is clear, sin and God cannot coexist.

BVP

This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.

Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching gospel centred local church. More details can be found on its website. It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock

Bernard can be contacted at berniepalmer1@sky.com

Bernard Palmer 25/07/2026 Bernard Palmer 25/07/2026

Matthew 8:23-27 A Word from Jesus for the Anxious

Ernest Gordon was a captain in the 2nd Battalion of the 93 highlanders in Malaya when the Japanese descended on Singapore in World War II. By the time Singapore fell only 30 men remained out of the 1000 in the battalion. Ernest had been shot in the shoulder. He was captured and eventually sent to help build the 258 mile long railway through the jungles of Thailand and Burma. The prisoners of war were beaten and tortured and only given minimal portions of rice to eat. Ernest nearly died but some friends, who were Christians. including a man called Dusty Miller sacrificially rescued him. One Christian soldier, Angus McGillvray, gave all his own food ration to save a sick friend who did recover, but Angus then died of starvation. Dusty reminded Ernest Gordon of the Bible verse,

“My command is this. Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

The Christians became known for their self-sacrifice in helping others and this began to have an effect on the camp. Ernest Gordon was not convinced that the Bible was true arguing against Dusty’s faith, asking,

“Twenty young men are dying every day. Why doesn’t God do something, instead of just sitting on his big white throne in heaven?”

Ernest was scared and saw no answer.

Then, one day, the wretched prisoners passed through a village where the villagers, instead of shunning them, gave them food, money and medicines. They learned that those villagers had become Christians out of Buddhism through the influence of a missionary. Ernest began to ponder whether there was more to Christianity than he had understood. Then, out of the blue, an Australian sergeant asked Ernest if he would lead a Bible study with the object of finding out whether what the Bible taught was true. To do this he had to understand what the gospels taught. Over the following months Ernest, and many others, committed themselves to following the Lord Jesus. The whole attitude of the camp began to change. On Christmas Day 1943 over 2,000 men attended a Christian service. Ernest was freed at the end of the war and later was ordained. He wrote the best-seller ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ describing much of what happened to him and others. Those prisoners were terrified but God changed that.

This section in Matthew is a passage where God asks,

“What are you afraid of?”

So much of what people face in the world can be scaring. Look at the earthquakes, the tsunamis and the devastation of war shown every day on television. There are some who cannot even watch the news as it reminds them of what they may have to face. When one of these problems face us we are powerless. Some can close their minds to such disasters affecting others but then they hear of a friend or relative or themselves in whom nature has gone awry. Some rogue cells have lost control and a cancer has started or a car-driver loses control of his vehicle and it crashes into a crowd of people: such things do happen.

We try to keep out of harm’s way. We think the best but even the some issue, such as the death of someone close to us, will remind us all too clearly of our own fragility and the precarious path we are all on.

‍ ‍

Matthew 8 so far

In chapters 5-7 we heard of Jesus’s authority in his teaching here it is obvious for all to see his supernatural power. In Matthew 8 we read of the remarkable authority of Jesus in action. He healed a man of leprosy, which represents our sin, he has healed a man of paralysis simply by his word, and he has healed sickness and demon possession which were understood to be related. It is not surprising that the crowds flock to him. It is not difficult to fill an arena or church if you offer people what they would like to see.

However Jesus then pointed out what it really means to follow him.

“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” Matthew 8:20

Jesus suggests that his followers will face similar problems

“Let the dead bury their own dead”. Matthew 8:21

Jesus wants followers whose first commitment is to him even before their family.

Such radical commands seem so foolish. If we throw in our lot with Jesus it seems there will be even more to fear than before. Is it really worth the risk?

The disciples face a deadly problem

The theme of discipleship is still being discussed:

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.” Matthew 8:23

Jesus is leading his disciples into a tough experience. So often, in the gospels, there is a deeper meaning than the obvious. The disciples ‘followed him’. To follow Jesus is always to live a life of service and obedience to him. Jesus said to his disciples elsewhere:

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” John 12:26

Suddenly a great storm arose. The Sea of Galilee is notorious for such storms. As the disciples did their best to keep the boat afloat, Jesus was fast asleep:

“Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” Matthew 8:27

Those disciples were not casual day-trippers, they were well-trained, hardened fisherman who knew the Sea of Galilee well and yet this storm really worried them.

On 25th October 1859 it began to rain in Pembrokeshire in Wales. By mid-afternoon the rain and wind became much heavier. By evening the whole coast was facing a ferocious storm. The intensity of the wind and waves increased even further during the night - they were unrelenting in their intensity. A steamer called ‘Royal Charter’ was returning to Liverpool from the Australian goldfields with an estimated 450–460 passengers and crew and this ship was battered by a Force 12 hurricane. Her anchors snapped, and she was driven onto the rocks of Porth Alerth (near Moelfre), where she eventually broke in two. At least 459 people perished. Many passengers, returning miners, drowned under the weight of gold in their belts and pockets. All women and children aboard died. Only 39 people (21 passengers and 18 crew members, all men) made it to shore. The loss of the ‘Royal Charter’ sparked widespread public shock. Charles Dickens famously traveled to Anglesey to report on the catastrophe. The disaster is also historically significant because the scale of the storm (which wrecked around 200 ships in total) led to the development of the UK's first gale warning service by the Meteorology Office.

The disciples were similarly terrified, they thought they would die. But there was Jesus - fast asleep. He was obviously not worried. We can imagine the disciples shaking him in desperation,

“The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Matthew 8:25

The first thing Jesus does is to ask his disciples a question. His priority was always to teach his disciples God’s concerns and about the way he wants his people to live. He longs for us all to know the purpose of our lives. You can imagine the disciples questioning Jesus’ priorities:

“Jesus, this is not the time for one of your riddles or a teaching session. Can’t you see that we are in dire peril? Can’t you see the wind and the waves?”

Jesus, however, knew what really mattered:

“He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Matthew 12:26

Fear

Jesus often addresses this issue of fear as it can paralyse people from living as he wants. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has had much to say on worrying about what might happen in the future:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? . . . So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

This is in line with other passages in Scripture:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18

The disciples problem is that they had ‘little faith’ (Matthew 8:26). This is striking. They had left their homes to follow Jesus and had cried out to him, ‘Save us’. They had witnessed his power. They knew he was their only hope but this knowledge was shallow, he still was not much of a hope!. Did they really think that Jesus could do much about this terrifying storm? Jesus responded to their fear:

“Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Matthew 8:26

Whether or not the disciples understood all Jesus had said is questionable, but the winds and waves certainly did. What a lesson - the forces of nature are under the control of God. This is yet another a staggering display of Jesus’ authority. The effect on the disciples should be one that everybody asks:

“The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:27

Who is Jesus?

No mere man could do such a miracle. Mere humans are powerless in such a situation, but not Jesus. He was much more than a man. Can you imagine the discussion later when the disciples sought out an answer to their own question, ‘What kind of man is this?’ (Matthew 8:27)

When the world was created, God said to the land and seas. It is a recurrent theme in Scripture that God only has to say a word for things to happen:

“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:9-10

God told the waters where it was to go and they obeyed. On the Sea of Galilee, God told the waters what to do and they again obeyed.

Psalm 107 describes the plight of four groups of people. The first group were lost in a wilderness, another were chained in a prison dungeon, the third group were rebels and suffering as a result and the fourth group were sailors on a turbulent sea. Each group recognised that they desperately needed the Lord’s help. Four times in this psalm we read:

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28

The wording of the fourth group parallels what Jesus is trying to teach his disciples then and ourselves now. We will similarly face all sorts of problems in life but the remedy is always to turn back to God and trust him. This psalm reads:

“Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.He stilled the storm to a whisper: the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” Psalm 107:23-31

We will all face storms in life - it is the Lord God and we alone can trust and now we are asked by Jesus to trust him in the same way. If Jesus is the embodiment of God then all that is needed to bring nature back under control is his word.

The disciples are being taught that if they believe Jesus to be God’s eternal king then they need not be afraid. Clearly a mere life-threatening storm could never threaten God’s son, his Messiah, his chosen king, who not only created the universe but has authority over it. The Bible contains several direct references that attribute the creation of the earth and the universe to Jesus:

“. . . but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3

If the disciples were trusting Jesus, they would know that there is no safer place to be than alongside Jesus. Matthew recorded this account for us so we can learn the same lesson.

An important question is whether we accept that this story is true. It is recorded by all three synoptic gospel writers. Do we believe that there was life-threatening storm in full force on Galilee and that Jesus stood up and said, ‘Peace, be still’. Were the disciples subsequently convinced enough to give their lives in the service of Jesus? The next question then is ‘Are we convinced?’

If we believe this about Jesus it will transform our lives. This story has a practical spiritual message too. All around us are people who are terrified about what the world is or might throw at them. Jesus is not promising us an easy life, plain sailing. Storms will come, health concerns, strained relationships at home, in church and at work. There will be opposition - if we take following Jesus seriously. Such problems can seem overwhelming and beyond our control but Jesus remains in control. He wants us to trust him and follow him wherever this leads. Nothing threatens him.

This is why we pray. God may not seem to do what we ask for but he has a plan that is more important in mind. Jesus came to earth to do God’s work and to save a people for himself, and even a life-threatening storm is powerless to prevent his completing what he came to complete. The same should be true for us.

Today Jesus is still gathering his own people, training them, bringing them safely home and nothing will prevent this. All of us can be included. The only thing that prevents our inclusion is our refusal to align ourselves with him.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 17/07/2026 Bernard Palmer 17/07/2026

Matthew 8:14-22. Jesus Challenges Us

Our hospitals are full, our wards are full, Casualty waiting times are far too long and now the corridors are full. The reason is simple, there are too many patients and too many are going to the hospitals. In Jesus’ time there were hardly any hospitals and healthcare was limited. The ‘Basileias’ was an ancient multi-functional philanthropic and monastic institution in Caesarea Mazaka in Cappadocia, founded in the late fourth century by Basil of Caesarea, after whom it was named. It may have been the first hospital that provided comprehensive services to the wider public in one place, marking a major advance in medical care.

The United Kingdom allocates approximately 11.4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to total health expenditure, compared to 2.3% to 2.4% of GDP spent on defence and the armed forces. Over the long term, these two figures have shifted significantly. In the mid-1950s, the UK spent around 7.6% of its GDP on defence and just 2.8% on health. Today, health has become the largest single item of public expenditure.

We are pouring money into the black hole of health services but it is still and never will be enough. Yet all too often we face further seemingly impossible problems. Alzheimer's and similar forms of dementia are definitively on the rise in the UK. Driven by an ageing population and better diagnosis, dementia is currently the leading cause of death in the UK, accounting for roughly 1 in 10 deaths. It now claims more lives that heart disease and strokes. More than 980,000 people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK today. This figure is expected to rise to approximately 1.4 million people by 2040.

We long for someone to do something but no-one seems to be able to help us.

Peter’s mother-in-law has a high fever

Such a scene of hopelessness has always been present. Matthew now records a typical problem:

“When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.” Matthew 8:14-15

Malaria was endemic to the marshy regions near the Sea of Galilee (where Capernaum was located) so this was a possible cause. Because a high fever (referred to as a ‘burning fever’ in the original Greek) was often a debilitating and potentially fatal condition in the ancient world, the sudden nature of the healing underscores the miraculous nature of this healing. What Matthew wants us all to learn is that when a person has been healed by Jesus a response of living for him is always required. Matthew adds:

“. . . and she got up and began to wait on him.” Matthew 8:14

In the Sermon on the Mount, described in the previous three chapters, Jesus taught the people with ‘great authority’. In chapter 8 this authority is shown in practice with Jesus preforming supernatural miracles, a man with leprosy is healed both physically and spiritually, the paralysed centurion’s servant was was healed when the Roman centurion trusted in Jesus. The centurion knew that it is the Word of God that matters:

“But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8

Here Peter’s mother-in law was healed of a dangerously high fever. Note also that Peter was married as most men in those days were.

Many demon possessed came to Jesus

As so often happens, news spreads fast:

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Matthew 8:16

This sounds strange to our ears but in those days they associated illness with the power of Satan. Kyphoscoliosis is a disease of the spine yet Dr Luke writes that she had been ‘crippled by a spirit’:

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” Luke 13:10-13

The wording Jesus used is interesting, he suggests she has been ‘bound by Satan’ and that he is freeing her.

There were many witnesses to these remarkable miracles. How different this is to modern healers who are extremely reticent to reveal their longterm results to public scrutiny. When this has been done the results are a great disappointment. Doctors and medical researchers analysing the results of spiritual healers generally find that, while they can provide psychosocial comfort or help relieve mild psychological distress, their objective efficacy is poor. Clinical trials and reviews show a lack of measurable, verifiable cures for physical and severe mental illnesses.

Yet even Jesus’ enemies accepted that he was performing verifiable miracles. Thus the raising of Lazarus back to life after he had been in a tomb for 4 days was an astounding miracle that convinced many. Here was someone who entered our world who can make such a difference to what can blight our lives.

Ernest Gordon’s book, ‘Miracle on the River Kwai’ is a remarkable true story of what happened to prisoners of war held by the Japanese in the Second World War who became followers of Jesus after reading the Bible together.

This teaching about the power of Jesus should give rise to important questions. To what extent should we expect to see the same power demonstrated today? Jesus performed these extraordinary miracles to prove that he was the Messiah. For some years the apostles did perform some miracles but never to the extent or degree of Jesus. It is noticeable that in none of the later New Testament letters written after the ones to the troubled church at Corinth are miracles ever mentioned.

Can we expect Christians to suffer and die today? As we read on in Matthews account, answers are given. Even Jesus, the Son of God, suffered and died but then he rose again. This is what will happen to those who are in Christ. Christians may suffer and we will die but those who belong to Christ will have a glorious future with God. The apostles all suffered and they all died; at least eleven of them were killed, either executed by the authorities and slain by mobs. Jesus has promised that such people who serve him will be honoured by God:

“Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” John 12:25-26

Matthew wants us to understand why Jesus can do what no-one else can do. His death to pay for sin can open the door to a new perfect world. Matthew teaches that the Old Testament Scriptures looked forward to God’s King, His Messiah, coming into his world. He will be obvious. He will open the eyes of the blind, the lame will walk.

The prophet Isaiah, teaching around 720 BC says that the Messiah will take our sicknesses but then goes on to say that he does this by paying the price for our sin:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5

Some translations use the word ‘sickness’ instead of ‘suffering’. However Isaiah 53 is all about the death of the Messiah and what this will achieve. Why does Matthew point us to this verse and not others that foretell his miracles more obviously. He knew what he was doing. Sin is the ultimate cause of sickness. There will be no sickness or death in heaven. We suffer as humanity because humanity has rejected the rule of God. This is why we will all die. Our world is under God’s judgment. In Isaiah 53 the cross is central, it is there that everything was potentially put right. Sin, sickness and Satan were there condemned.

Matthew wants to ask us all one vital question:

“Will you follow and serve God’s Messiah?”

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Many people were following Jesus, probably because they were impressed by the miracles but for some it may have been his teaching ‘with authority’.

“Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” John 2:23-25

When large crowds sought Him out after the miracle of feeding the 5,000, Jesus explicitly exposed their self-serving motivations. He knew they were following Him for physical comfort and free food rather than spiritual truth.

“Jesus answered, 'Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.’” John 6:2

Have you noticed how much easier it is to attach people to church events when free food is offered?

Matthew here highlights two issues that prevent true discipleship.

Comfort

A Scribe approaches Jesus and he sounds so positive.

“Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” Matthew 8:19-20

Jesus relatedly asks us to count the cost before turning to serve him. What did this Scribe think following Jesus would mean. Did he think he was joining a political band-wagon that would result in glory in this life?

This is the first of many times in Matthew that the title ‘Son of Man’ is used. It comes fro a prophecy in Daniel when a glorious figure, the ‘Son of Man’ is led into the presence of Almighty God and is then worshipped as God:

““In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

Jesus is saying:

“That person, that ‘Son of Man’ is me!”

Yet this divine human being will have nowhere to lay his head, he will suffer and die. The birds are better off - are you still willing to follow me? If you are I will accept you into my eternal kingdom.

What do we think following Jesus will be like. We must be clear that he will nt bring us comfort and ease, earthly security, riches and respect. This is so counterintuitive. Politicians appeal to us by promising benefits in this life, Jesus does the opposite. He wants his followers to focus on the next life. If we are never uncomfortable in our lives because we are following him we should question who we are really following.

Commitment

“Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’” Matthew 8:21

It could mean that this man’s father had just died but in those days, because of the temperatures in Israel the dead were buried on the day they died. It is therefore probable that he ants to go and look after his elderly father until he dies.

“But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” Matthew 8:22

Procrastination is a dangerous road to go down. It usually means that nothing is done. When Joshua was making his final appeal to the Israelites after they had invaded the Promised Land and asked them to decide who is to be in charge of their lives:

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15

When we hear God speak to our consciences, determine to act straight away. Determine to seek and follow the truth from now on. Jesus said this person, just as he says to all of us:

“Follow me.” Matthew 8:22

What did Jesus mean by saying:

“. . . and let the dead bury their own dead.’” Matthew 8:22

Obviously the physical dead cannot bury others. Jesus, as he often does is speaking spiritually. He is emphasising that people are either alive or dead spiritually. We are either in the light or in the dark, we are either sheep or goats, wheat or tares. In God’s eyes there is no third alternative, the are no ‘Don’t knows’. We have all made a decision about who rules and God knows what decision we have made. Jesus is reminding us that to be alive in him by trusting what he says and following what he teaches is what matters.

Obviously Jesus is not saying, ‘Don’t attend your parents funeral’ or ‘Don’t care for you elderly parents.’ These remain priorities for God’s people but we do such things in our service of Christ.

Notice that this apparent disciple address Jesus as ‘Lord’ yet he wanted to follow his own priorities. Jesus wants him to recognise that that he is Lord of all and that this is why all must follow and serve him.

Today it is so often family pressure that prevents people from following Jesus wholeheartedly. Parents don’t want their children to give everything to Christ.

C. T. Studd (1860-1931) was raised in a privileged family. His father had become a Christian during a Mission led by D.L.Moody. He went to Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He captained the university at cricket and became an opening batsman for England. He also became a Christian and gave all his wealth and comforts to Christ to fulfil the Great Commission. The English cricket star turned missionary believed,

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him”.

This core conviction drove him to live radically. His biography ‘C.T.Studd’ by Norman Grubb is inspiring and well worth reading.

esus has the authority of God not just to heal but to call people to wholeheartedly follow him. He never tries to trick us by putting the difficult bits in very small print. He calls us to count the cost.

In Luke 14, Jesus lays out the terms of discipleship. There were great crowds following Him. Everyone loved the miracles, healing, and free food. Jesus was cool, the talk of the town, and the latest star. But He knew their hearts. He knew they desired the benefits of what He did rather than an understanding of who He was. They loved His gifts, not the life He was calling them to. So He explained what it takes to be one of His followers:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-33

Jesus said a lot in those simple illustrations. He quickly put an end to the idea that He offered some kind of welfare program. The gift of eternal life is free to anyone who asks:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

However this belief requires a transfer of ownership:

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

‘Counting the cost’ means recognising and agreeing to God’s terms first. In following Christ, we can no longer simply follow our own inclinations. We cannot follow Him and the world’s way at the same time.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Following Him may mean we lose relationships, dreams, material things, or even our lives but no-one will lose out in the long run - in eternity.

Those who are following Jesus simply for what they can get out of it won’t remain involved when the going gets tough. When God’s way conflicts with our way, if we have not counted the cost of being his servant, we will turn away at the threat of sacrifice and find something else to gratify our selfish desires. He repeats this warning in the parable of the sower:

“Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Mark 4:16-17

In Jesus’ earthly ministry, there came a time when the free food stopped and public opinion turned ugly. The cheering crowds became jeering crowds. And Jesus knew ahead of time that would happen.

Jesus ended His description of the cost of discipleship with a breathtaking statement:

“Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

‘Renouncing’ may mean we give up something physically, but more often it means we let go emotionally so that what we possess no longer possesses us. When we become one of His, we cannot continue to belong to this world:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, butwhoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

We must make a choice, for we cannot serve both God and Mammon, the is the World

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

Matthew 8 teaches us that Jesus has astonishing authority that he uses for ur benefit. He can put right all that is going wrong, there is no-one else who an do this.

This is very challenging but could the refusal to take what Jesus says seriously be the reason why so many churches are so weak today. Rituals and lively praise cannot change people’s hearts, what we need is to hear the word of God and determine to obey it from now on. Jesus went all the way, willingly, to die on that cross for each of us. His love is greater that we can ever understand. He has our best interests at heart when he took our sin, our illnesses and gave us the hope of eternity.

What a wonderful king he is, he can put us right with God and then empower us, by empowering us with his Holy Spirit, to live as his servants in his world.

BVP

If you would like to discuss further, please get in touch with me on - berniepalmer1@sky.com

This website, www.bvpalmer.com, contains many interesting articles on a variety of important subjects, as well as videos and details of my books .

‘Christchurch Baldock’ meets at 10.30 am every Sunday in Knights Templar School, Baldock.

Bernard Palmer 14/07/2026 Bernard Palmer 14/07/2026

Matthew 8:28-34 God’s Authority, accepted and refused

“Light, bearing on the starboard bow.”
“Is it steady or moving astern?” the captain called out. “Steady, Captain,” the lookout replied,

This meant they were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.
The captain then called to the signalman,

“Signal that ship: ‘We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.’”

Back came the signal,

“Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees."

The captain said,

“Send: ‘I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.’”

“I'm a seaman second-class,” came the reply. “You had better change course twenty degrees.”

By that time the captain was furious. He spat out,

“Send: ‘I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.’’"

Back came the flashing light,

“I'm a lighthouse.”"

The battleship changed course! It was a matter of which light had the greater authority!

The world is damaged

“When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.” Matthew 8:28

2. Jesus has authority

Somehow these men recognised who Jesus really was:

“‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted.” Matthew 8:29

“Who is this?”

This is not all they say - the possessed men continue:

“Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Matthew 8:29

If Jesus is their future judge, why had he come to visit these two? Can the God of love help them our of their desperate plight that is the result of sin in the world.

“Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” Matthew 8:30-32

In Mark’s version of this story we read that about 2,000 pigs died (Mark 5:1-17)

Poor pigs!

“There is the instance of the Gadarene swine where it certainly was not very kind to the pigs to put devils into them and make them rush down the hill to the sea. You must remember that He was omnipotent, and He could have made the devils simply go away; but he chooses to send them into the pigs.”

The question is ‘Could he?’ We will respond to this question later.

“. . . that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.” 1 Kings 8:59-60

But why did the pigs have to die. This act does confirm the seriousness of sin. It is a destructive force and not a plaything, something to be dabbled with. So often we like to indulge it a bit, confident that we will not go too far. But isn’t this how most drug addicts start? Evil is not fun. The devil’s aim is to take hold of us and destroy us. Jesus came for the very purpose of doing something about the sin in each of us. This transfer of the evil spirits into the pigs certainly teaches us that a human is worth much more than a thousand pigs!

In Marks record of this healing one of these men said:

“My name is Legion, for we are many”. Mark 5:9

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

3. The demand to leave

The news about the healing of these two men travelled fast:

“Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus.” Matthew 8:33-34

“Everyone was overjoyed that this miracle had been performed in their land, that two people had been saved at Jesus’ command, and they pleaded with him to stay amongst them!”

However the opposite reaction occurred. Matthew actually says:

“And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.” Matthew 8:34

Ask people if they would like to live in a world without suffering, without evil, without disorder, without illness and death and the majority would reply,

‘Of course I would!’

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6

Later Jesus says:

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32=33

Jesus is either all or he is nothing. If a person comes to Jesus he will transform life, but it will be infinitely for the better. Earlier in this chapter Jesus discussed the cost of following him:

“Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:19-22

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. . . . For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” Philippians 1:21-29

Jesus’ Response

The people demanded that Jesus leave the area. This was a blatant rebellion against their creator and Saviour.

“Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.” Matthew 8:34

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” Matthew 25:31-33

The writer of the book to the Hebrews put this very succinctly but adds a reminder that there is one answer:

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17

It is the same today. The only way we can experience the forgiveness of our sin and the power to live a new godly life is to turn to Jesus for his salvation and help.

The next verse tells us what happened next. Jesus did not waste his time with this people, they had made their decision:

“Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.” Matthew 9:1

Matthew is making the Christian gospel very clear. Jesus is full of love for all people from all nations and longs to be allowed to both forgive us our sin and to change us into becoming the sort of people God wants. The decision is ours. He alone has the authority to defeat the evil in us. If we accept and follow Jesus we will live with him in the now and we will be with him in eternity where there is no sin or suffering. The price for us has been paid. The lesson is clear, sin and God cannot coexist.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 11/07/2026 Bernard Palmer 11/07/2026

Matthew 8:5-13 A Word of Authority

Have you noticed how many Welsh people are particularly proud to be Welsh? Nigel Owens the retired international rugby referee published an article entitled ‘What it means being Welsh to me.’ He described what he thought the Welsh can take pride in:

“The language, our humour, our caring natures, our togetherness, our awe-inspiring sense of community, our anthem, our flag, our heritage and our passion.”

He could also have added ‘our Welsh cakes, our rugby and our leeks’. The leeks are traditionally associated with St. David who was the bishop of the area who advised their soldiers to wear leeks as a means of identification. Hide died in 589AD.

He and his monks followed an extremely strict, austere routine. They refrained from eating meat or drinking beer, and ploughed fields by hand rather than using oxen. He was a highly active missionary, founding an estimated 12 monasteries across Wales, southwest England, and Brittany, including the monastery on the River Alun that is now the site of St Davids Cathedral. In his final sermon before his death, he urged his followers with these iconic words:

“Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things you have seen me do.”

What are the features of a Christian? Matthew describes these in the remarkable encounter of a Roman centurion who came to Jesus for help. He is a most unlikely Christian as he was not from Israel, he represented Israel’s enemy. Simply put, he was an outsider. To Jesus’ listeners this must have come as a great shock. This story is surely included because demonstrates the four marks of a true saving faith, the sort of faith that God is looking for in us.

He has a need

The centurion’s servant had a severe problem. Paralysis associated with severe pain suggests that he may have had a fall and broken his back or have an infection that compresses the spinal cord. Everybody knew then, as they know today, that paralysis due to a damaged spinal cord is incurable. This centurion obviously cared for his servant and went out of his way to try and help him.

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.’” Matthew 8:5-6

No details are given, all we know is that the problem was serious.

There are many today who think that they don’t have any real problems, they and their family don’t have health or other issues. They are swimming happily through life so they think they do not need Jesus. The Pharisees could not understand why Jesus tried to help non-religious people. In the next chapter we read::

“When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.’ Matthew 9:11-12

There are those who recognise the value of trying to help the down and out, the drug addicts, those suffering from domestic abuse and the like. They know this is helpful to society and is up-lifting. However Matthew wants us all to learn that a true saving faith only starts when we recognise the real need we all have in our relationship with our creator.

Physical health checks are on offer widely today to try to pick up problems before they become too advanced. Surely, we need to encourage everybody to have a spiritual heath check, to examine our motives, ambitions and loves to check whether we have a problem. Remember how Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6

It is only those who have a real spiritual need that Jesus will help.

2. He admits his own unworthiness

When a person wants the help of an expert they will often think of ways to demonstrate how worthy they are to be helped. They will often say, ‘We deserve it because . . .” or ‘My friends are . . .” or ‘What can I give you in return?’. So much of life works on a ‘Quid pro quo’ basis. This literally means ‘Something for something’.

Why should Jesus help this centurion - he was part of the occupying army? Jesus asks him a question:

“Shall I come and heal him?” Matthew 8:7

Asking questions is by far the best way to understand other people. The reply was not one that would be expected, the centurion comes to Jesus with these humbling words:

“Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.” Matthew 8:8

These words are striking. Most of us would leap at the opportunity of going to a successful man’s home and enjoying his hospitality. It would also be a great privilege for the centurion to have a famous person, such a s Jesus, visit his home. Society gives medals and awards to those it deems to have deserved them through their service. This centurion’s need and his understanding are much deeper that such superficial niceties. There was no pretence in him, he simply wanted help and he knew that Jesus could do the impossible.

3. He recognises Jesus’ authority

He starts the conversation with Jesus using the words:

“Lord, my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.”

Perhaps he had heard Jesus miracles and teaching, what he had said about who he is, or possibly he had heard of the other remarkable miracles Jesus had performed. He recognised the authority of Jesus as coming from God and came with a plea for his help. The centurion was an influential man and could doubtless have organised the help of the best doctors around. Yet he comes to Jesus for help. He recognised that Jesus, the Word of God, is sufficient for all needs, even the impossible. What he said next is astounding:

“But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8

He recognised that if Jesus said something it was a s good as done. This was a question of authority and the centurion emphasises this point:

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:9

He had authority over his soldiers and hence many other people around but he recognised that Jesus authority was much wider, it included an authority over the so-called ‘Laws of Nature’. Of course ‘nature’ can never make laws on how the world will work, the Laws of Science or Nature really should be called ‘Laws of God’ since God’s mind and his word instituted them. The centurion knew that if Jesus said something it would be done, he had such confidence in Jesus.

“But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8

Bible students will remember from Genesis chapter 1 that it was by the ‘Word of God’ that the world was created.

We have a problem today with the surfeit of so-called spiritual healers, many claiming to be Christians. Their real motives can be seen in the houses, cars and aeroplanes they own and their luxurious lifestyles. Jesus was not like them. He was the Servant King. Such pseudo-gospel leaders can cause many to be sceptical about the power of God.

The centurion was acting on the evidence. Jesus had been in Galilee healing every type of affliction and the evidence was there for all to see. Only God could do that. A word from Jesus was enough. This is so different to most spiritual healers today. Too often they need the emotional theatrical atmosphere to influence people and they never present their long-term results of their healings. Jesus did these miracles to prove he was the Son of God, God’s Messiah, his suffering servant. It is significant that even his enemies acknowledged that his miracles were real.

In today’s society Jesus is widely considered to be an irrelevance and utterly ineffective. It is as if he had remained dead. The default position is that he doesn’t matter, he doesn’t make any difference. This is totally untrue. There are many people who can testify that Jesus has utterly changed their lives after they accepted him and what he had said. His word is powerful.

Today many people don’t care what the centurion thought about both himself or about Jesus. They may say,

“It is nice if he finds his faith helpful, but I don’t need that.”

Jesus warns people that they trifle with himself at their peril:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

When people realise that their thoughts and actions are going to be judged by God, then we are much more likely to turn to Jesus as the only person who can help us when we face God’s judgment. It is Jesus who the Father has delegated to be our judge.

“And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voiceand come out - those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” John 5:27-29

What does it mean to ‘do good’ and ‘do evil’? Judgment, as always in Scripture, is based on our ‘works’, ‘works’ that reflect our love for Jesus. Jesus says in the next chapter that it is our love for Jesus that saves us:

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:39-40

Salvation is by faith alone and is not related to our ‘good works’, but our lives will act as a test of the faith we have. The Reformer John Calvin said about John 5:29:

“He marks out believers by their good works, just as elsewhere He says that a tree is known by its fruit. . . The Papist’s inference from these passages, that eternal life repays the merits of works, may be refuted without any difficulty. For Christ is not here treating of the cause of salvation, but only distinguishing the elect from the reprobate by their own mark.”

Paul made this very clear:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10

It is Jesus alone who has the authority to save us. Without a relationship with him we have no hope.

4. The centurion experiences Jesus’ rescue

The centurion’s faith in Jesus is then shown to be reasonable. Jesus does have remarkable authority and his paralysed servant was back walking again.

Again a listener may add:

“That is very nice for the centurion and the paralysed man but I am not them. I don’t need help.”

This story is in Scripture because its message is relevant to us all. Most of us are not paralysed and don’t have a servant in agony. We have missed out two verses that are very relevant to us all - the issue of faith in Jesus matters profoundly. Jesus said:

“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” John 8:10-11

The centurion was a Gentile, not one of God’s original Chosen People, the Jews. God’s Kingdom is now extended to include both Jews and Gentiles from east and west who put their faith in and follow the Lord Jesus. Many born into Judaism will find themselves excluded because they have rejected the rule of their Messiah:

“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” John 8:12

Jesus was more emphatic than anyone that there is a real hell for those rejecting his rule. However what comfort this is for those who have lived for Christ and in whom this faith this has been reflected by the way they have lived.

At Billy Graham’s funeral we were told that just before he died he said:

“I have read the last page of the Bible. It is going to turn out alright.”

The Bible speaks of the future, a new world free from paralysis, illness and sin with its consequences. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees this for us. Jesus described this new world as a banquet held in the presence of Jesus and all who believe in him.

This passage is reminding us that there is a guest list to this reception. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are on that list. So will many from distant lands who have turned to Jesus for salvation from their sins. This centurion will be there but some religious people, who consider themselves ‘sons of the Kingdom’, will not be invited. Jesus does not ‘know them’ and he is the judge and the inviter. Such people have never submitted themselves to Jesus, have never accepted the salvation he won on that cross and have never accepted that his Word should control how they think and behave. These words of Jesus should be terrifying to many so they bear repeating:

“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” John 8:12

This centurion would tell us that to reject Jesus is to reject God with the awful consequences of this. This story is included to wake us all up. He wants us all to demonstrate the same faith in him that the centurion had.

If we have such a saving faith we will have seen our need and will have come to Jesus as unworthy people who need the help that only he can give us. We will have recognised his authority and we will then experience how God meets our needs. We have been rescued from the consequences of sin to enjoy an eternal security that starts now.

Jesus is indeed the answer we all need and that our world desperately needs.

BVP

‍ ‍

This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.

Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching gospel centred local church. More details can be found on its website. It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock

Bernard can be contacted at berniepalmer1@sky.com

Bernard Palmer 03/07/2026 Bernard Palmer 03/07/2026

Matthew 8:1-4 A Leper is Healed

President Ronald Reagan's said that he felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are,

'I’m from the government, and I'm here to help.'"

Yet there are times when a problem is so massive that a massive solution is needed. When Hitler invaded Poland and persecuted the Jews something massive had to be done. When the unions had too much power and were paralysing Britain, something radical was needed.

In Jesus’ day there we’re many Jews who also thought that their greatest problem was political, they were a country occupied by the Romans and they longed to be free. Political Zealots were everywhere saying that revolution was the only answer. Jesus appeared with a better solution:

“Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22:31

Leprosy is a picture of sin

The healing of this man of his leprosy is not only a demonstration of Jesus’ power but is also a description of the massive problem affecting society and shows that a massive answer is available. Leprosy is mentioned over 40 times in the Bible. In those days the term was used to include many chronic diseases that affected the skin and body but would include infections with Mycobacterium leprae (also known as Hansen's disease or leprosy). These are chronic bacterial infections affecting the skin, peripheral nerves, nose and mucous membranes. The disease progresses very slowly, with an incubation period that can range from 1 to 20 years. Eventually, as the disease progresses, people develop skin nodules, and slowly lose fingers, toes noses and feeling as the bacteria infiltrates the tissues.

Ancient Jewish Law listed 61 defilements and leprosy was second only to the contact with a dead body in seriousness. Those whose disease was confirmed were prohibited from coming with 6 feet of other people and this was extended to 150 feet when the wind was blowing. Sufferers were excluded from family and friends and were forced to live in leper communities.

There are several parallels between having leprosy and being soiled by sin.

It is an internal disease affecting nerves and soft tissues that has chronic devastating effects. It takes a long time for its symptoms show. Sin similarly is a disease of the ‘heart’ which becomes hardened and numbs the conscience. Jesus said:

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come - sexual immorality, theft, murder,adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” Mark 7:20-22

2. The consequences are loathsome and unattractive. The feet and hands become numbed as the nerves are damaged. The body aches. Ulcers appear on the hands, feet and face that will not heal. In the same way sin stupefies us and we become blind to the severity of the problem. Sufferers with advanced disease gave off an awful odour. Their voice can became rasping as the vocal cords become damaged. Sin also influences the way we talk.
3 Leprosy results in separation from friends and loved ones. Most breakdowns of marriage are the result of sinful behaviour of many kinds. Primarily sin results in a permanent separation from the God who created and loves us.
4. Leprosy was then considered incurable. Sin is also a disease that leads to physical and spiritual death. However now leprosy is curable, just as a remedy for sin is now available.
5. One of the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians was the plague of boils that afflicted the whole land of Egypt. Recurrent boils were a feature of leprosy. Later, God’s people were warned that they must remain faithful to God as otherwise they will be afflicted just as the Egyptians were:

“The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumours, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured.” Deuteronomy 28:27
6. Miriam, Aaron’s sister and a prophetess, together with Aaron himself, complained about Moses’ privileged status because they thought that God also spoke through them. The Lord was angry at their presumptuous sin and afflicted her with leprosy.

“And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.” Numbers 12:10-11
5. Naaman was the Army Commander of the king of Aram who developed leprosy. He was sent to the King of Israel to be cured but he answered:

“Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy?” 2 Kings 5:7

Elisha told him to bathe in the river Jordan 7 times and, when eventually he did this, he was cured. He then realised that only the Lord God could cure his leprosy and he said:

“Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. . . . for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.” 2 Kings 5:15-17
6. When a person was to be certified as healed they had to go through a ceremony involving ‘blood and water’. This was a reminder that God had delivered them from captivity in Egypt through the blood of the Passover lamb and by the miraculous division of the waters of the Red Sea so they could escape from the enemy. Leviticus 14 gives a detailed description of this ceremonial cleansing which involved sacrificial blood and water, the water being sprinkled on him seven times. Although the sufferer was already healed physically this passage reads,

“The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes . . .” Leviticus 14:8

After eight days two lambs had to be sacrificed, one as a sin offering and the other as a guilt offering.
There is no suggestion that an individual with the disease was more sinful than others. This was showing that sin has consequences but that God can heal his people, but only through the shedding of blood.
The cleansed leper had sacrificial blood applied to their right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe. This symbolic ritual served as a physical consecration, representing that their whole life, actions, and daily walk were redeemed, cleansed, and fully dedicated to God. The specific body parts represent total holistic restoration:
Right Ear: Symbolises that they will listen to and obey God's Word.
Right Thumb: Symbolises that their work, service, and actions are dedicated to holy purposes.
Right Big Toe: Symbolises that their path, lifestyle, and where they walk are directed by God's ways.
Culturally and ceremonially, this ritual (Leviticus 14:14) mirrored the ordination of the priests (Leviticus 8:23), essentially indicating that the healed individual was fully restored to the community and commissioned to live a completely new, consecrated life. After the blood was applied, the priest would also place holy oil over those same areas, symbolising the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

It is therefore clear that leprosy was intended by God to be a picture of sin affecting people.

The Leper in Matthew

Matthew chapters 8 and 9 contains the accounts of 10 miracles, half of the miracles described in the whole book. They are undoubtedly put together for a reason. Matthew has just given us three chapters describing in detail Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where his authoritative words defines mankind greatest problem, our sin. He now explains who Jesus is and what he came to do.

This story about a leper being cleansed comes immediately after the teaching of this remarkable sermon. It is a parable as well as a miracle.

These miracles make it clear that Jesus is no ordinary preacher but reveal that Jesus is the Messiah who came to deal with our sin and its devastating consequences. Today there are many who think that society’s greatest problems are political. Jesus says that sin is even more serious.

This healing of a leper is recorded in all three synoptic gospels. In Matthew’s version the leper asks Jesus,

“Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

He doesn’t just want to be healed, he wants cleansing. This is emphasised even more in Mark’s version where the focus is obviously on cleansing and not healing, the word ‘clean’ or ‘cleanse’ coming four times in five verses (Mark 1:40-45). The leper recognised that he had a deeper disease that God alone can save him from.

1. The Devastating Effect of Sin

There is no suggestion that the leper suffered from this disease as a punishment for personal sin. There has often been a popular idea that suffering is somehow the result of karma. Broadly, karma is the principle of cause and effect: one's actions, intentions, and thoughts shape a person’s future in this world. Good actions lead to positive outcomes, while harmful actions result in suffering. Even after death there is a reincarnation into either a better or a worse situation, dependant on how a person has lived - but this is still in this world.

The Bible teaches that, though sometimes a person’s actions may directly have consequences in this life, there is a corporate effect of sin. A person’s suffering is often not the direct effect of their sin but because they are part of a sinful community. We are all ‘sons of Adam’ and like him have collectively rebelled against the rule of our maker. We live in a cursed world with its death and decay.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19

The leper represents a visible, walking picture of man’s greatest problem. Sin means we are going to die, we are outcasts from God’s people and we cannot even worship God in a way that pleases him, just as lepers could not go to the temple. Families were broken. They had to cry out,

“Unclean, unclean.”

This is the state of each of us in God’s eyes. The world does not have an answer for our sin. An abundance of increasingly stringent rules may restrict some of the outward actions but do not change people’s hearts and strong rules inevitably lead to rebellion. Medical discoveries, scientific advances and political innovations only delay the inevitable. Death and decay is still our lot.

The atheist Todd May has written a book called ‘Death’. He argues that, since death is the inevitable cessation of our existence and there is no afterlife, the most rational response is to embrace our fragility, live in the present, and engage deeply in meaningful, satisfying projects. This is no great solution for those who are suffering or facing death and decay directly. We all need a solution to death and its consequences.

This is a big problem and it does need a radical solution. For us to have a wonderful, bright eternal future needs more than clever politicians. They cannot resolve the problem of death and judgment.

A youth worker in Liverpool in the 1980s said:

“I was shocked by the povery I saw. Two things struck me. The people who wanted to change things were powerless to do so and whoever did have real power seemed to have little inclination to listen or care.”

Little changes! However Jesus says he can help each of us.

2. What does the leper do?

He comes to Jesus for the help that only he can give:

“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:1-2

He must have had to pass through the crowd. Whether he called out ‘Unclean, Unclean’ we are not told. He was, however, willing to break all social rules to come to Jesus. He was convinced that Jesus was able to help him so he let nothing get in his way. What faith!

What gives him that confidence? Note he calls Jesus ‘Lord’. Does this mean he recognised who Jesus really is? He certainly recognised that he could do the impossible. He then ‘knelt’ before Jesus. In the Greek, this is the same word used of the Wise Men who knelt before the baby Jesus and worshipped him. Both the leper and the wise men treated Jesus like a divine king, acknowledging Jesus’ authority.

How did he know this about Jesus? He had probably heard of the other miracles Jesus had performed. Perhaps he knew the Scriptures that the Messiah would be a healer. However he recognised who Jesus was and he had the determination to come humbly to Jesus, saying:

“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Matthew 8:2

What a lesson this is for all of us. We also need to acknowledge our sin before God, acknowledge that Jesus alone has the power and authority to both forgive us and empower us to defeat the sin that lurks in all of us and ask him to save us.

Unfortunately there are many who either don’t think their problem is that bad or who don’t realise who Jesus is, and so they say:

“No thanks, I will try to solve the problem myself.”

In May 1940, King George VI recognised the desperate situation Britain was in and called the British nation to observe a National Day of Prayer. The Allied troops were in a desperate situation, stranded on the beaches at Dunkirk, and the King lead the country to an unprecedented nationwide response. As the British Expeditionary Force faced imminent annihilation, the King asked the nation to pray for deliverance. He and many like him recognised that God’s help was desperately needed. Millions packed into churches across the UK. Observers at the time later cited an extraordinary change in the weather and a calm English Channel as the answer to these prayers, allowing the ‘little ships’ to successfully evacuate over 335,000 Allied troops. King George VI subsequently called seven National Days of Prayer throughout the course of World War II, typically coinciding with major military crises, such as the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, and the D-Day landings.

It is striking that many turn to prayer when they are desperate but, when everything is on an even keel, God is forgotten. I well remember picking up a hitch-hiker who had been a soldier in the Falklands War. He had been in the Battle of Tumbledown Hill. His company were descending the hill down towards Port Stanley when they suddenly came under intense machine gun fire from the Argentinian army. His friend next to him was shot in the head and died immediately. They rapidly tried to dig in but then he added:

“We all prayed”
“Even the atheists?” I asked.
“Oh yes, we all prayed.”
“Do you still pray now?”
“No, I don’t need to now!”

He hadn’t realised the danger he is still in and has not realised that Jesus can help him. We look to ourselves or to human leaders but the deepest problems are beyond us. Only God can help the problem of our sin:

“You can make me clean.”

He recognised Jesus power but the leper did have one query. He started,

“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

Is Jesus willing to help? Does he care about the immensity of the problem we face. We need to know the answer to this query. The answer is clear. If anyone truly recognises their problem and turns to Jesus for help, then he is always ready and willing to save us. Our greatest problem is death and judgment. Jesus is the answer to both major problems. He says that death is just a doorway to the next life, which is either heaven or hell.

Jesus says to the leper:

“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:3

Jesus was full of compassion for this man in need, he touched the leper and instead of Jesus becoming unclean, it was the leper who instead received God’s cleansing.

That however was just the beginning of his becoming one of God’s cleansed people. He now had to obey what God had said in the Scriptures,

“Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8:4

Doing what Scripture says is always evidence that a cleansing by the Spirit has taken place.

A real cleansing

The leper was not only healed of his disease, he was also cleansed of his sin because he had come to trust and follow Jesus. In this miracle Jesus demonstrated that he has the authority and power to solve the greatest problems we face, death and decay and judgment. It is Jesus who brings hope to humanity.

How can Jesus do this for humanity? The purpose of Matthew’s gospel is to show that Jesus achieved this by dying on that cross as our substitute to pay the price for our sin.

When will this deliverance be experienced? We still suffer disease and death and Christians are certainly not immune from this. The rest of this chapter gives the answers but briefly our future is beyond this world. Jesus is very clear that those who trust and follow him will be received into God’s heaven. Those who reject his rule will be excluded from his kingdom, heaven.

The decision is ours. Firstly, will we acknowledge that our greatest problem is our rebellion against the rule of God? Secondly, will we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God who has been given his Father’s complete authority and that he came to save our greatest problem. If we come to Jesus he is more than willing to accept us, he longs to help all who come to him.

Jesus is willing and able to save everyone who comes humbly to him asking for his mercy.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 26/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 26/06/2026

Matthew 7:24-29. Building Your House

When we took our family to Florida on holiday, we hired a car. One day we were driving along a motorway when suddenly there was a gigantic downpour, it was the heaviest rain we have ever seen. The wipers couldn’t cope. We were all scared, we couldn’t see anything so had to pull over.

In 1859 the Great Welsh Storm occurred. This was wild and ferocious, many people dying.

Yet these storms are relatively insignificant compared to the harrowing storm we read about in this passage. This storm will be the end of all storms. We have now come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus is saying that it is now the time for decision. He has explained that there are two possible roads we can travel along in life, the broad, easy road or the hard, narrow way. The narrow way leads to life, to heaven, but the broad way leads to destruction. He is calling on all his listeners to make a choice. Jesus knows that there are some who pay lip service to him, say the right words and even do good things but in their hearts they are not really his servants.

Jesus has just warned us to beware of the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ who seems to be a loving pastor but in fact leads his followers away from relying on Jesus and so leads them to destruction.

So this is the climax of the sermon. Jesus is challenging us all to hear what he has to say and make a decision to either follow him and what he teaches or go our own way and ignore him. There is no middle way. As in any countdown we hear 3,2,1, blast off. Jesus gives us three similarities, two differences and one choice.

Three similarities

His first point is that all those in the crowd listening to him have much in common, they all hear what Jesus has to say and all are building their lives.

a. We all hear the same words:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine. . . “ Matthew 7:24
“But everyone who hears these words of mine . . .” Matthew 8:26

There were many people listening to Jesus’ sermon, they all heard his words. They heard that he had come to fulfil the law and the prophets, they heard that God calls them to be as perfect as the Father, and they all heard that they should enter through the narrow gate. The problem wasn’t that they hadn’t heard. Today there are many who have heard what Jesus taught.

b. We all build similar houses.

A casual observer would not see major differences in the two types of houses. The build quality is similar. This is so important. Jesus is saying that those he doesn’t know can have very attractive lives. They are pleasant people, they mingle with Christians, they may go to church, they may treat others with kindness, they may even say their prayers, although seldom will they mean ‘Your will be done’. They don’t appear to be the scum of the earth but are lovely people so why does it matter that they built their lives on a different foundation?

c. We will all face this storm

Jesus says it does matter very much for this reason. All people will eventually face the same horrendous storm. It is not if, but when. The same rain and the same wind will beat upon that house. This warning is relevant for us all. None of us, however godly we are, are able to avoid this storm. We will all have a foretaste of it during our lives with the various problems we face but this ultimate storm is coming to us all.

Jesus’ teaching about not being angry, not lustful, not given to worry and learning to share, do help us face the problems of this life but Jesus is warning us about the final judgment:

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment . . . “ Hebrews 9:27

This has been an underlying theme of all this sermon:

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,” Matthew 7:2
“. . . broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 7:19
“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:23

It would be very odd for Jesus to suddenly changed the thrust of what he is saying.

Earlier in Genesis we read of a deluge that brought judgment on all people when only Noah and his family were saved. According to the Genesis account, God brought the global flood to judge humanity because the earth had become consumed by wickedness and violence.

God said through Ezekiel that he had had enough of their so called spirituality which was an outer whitewash on lives that were utterly self-centred:

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it[a] falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it,” Ezekiel 13:13-15

The storm of God’s judgment will wash away all pretence and our real selves will be laid bare before God! The Bible demands that we all take this seriously.

Jonathan Edwards

In 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He said God calls us to repent of our sins, and if we fail to do so, we can expect God’s judgment, either in this life or in the life to come. His sermon was so powerful, that people wept as he preached and they shouted out,

“What must I do to escape God’s judgment?”

We seldom hear sermons like that anymore. As a result, some have lost sight of God as holy and just who judges us for our ungodly actions. Yet the Bible is full of teaching about God’s judgment of hypocritical religious yet godless people.

The last chapter of Isaiah contrasts the judgment of God on those who reject his rule with the glory of those who love and follow him.

“They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.” Isaiah 66:3-4

The author of Psalm 99 invites us to celebrate God’s holiness and majesty. He wrote,

“The LORD is king! Let the nations tremble! He sits on his throne between the cherubim. Let the whole earth quake! The LORD sits in majesty in Jerusalem, exalted above all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Your name is holy! Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness.”

The Bible is clear that God expects us to live righteously and to treat others with fairness. We all fall short of this ideal, and the only way to find acceptance by God is by putting our faith in Jesus the Christ who bore our sins in his own body on the cross. God gladly forgives all who come to Him in faith. Once He has redeemed us, he calls on all his people to spend our lives living for Him, sharing the Gospel, and working for peace, justice, and righteousness.

Two differences

Very different foundations

The faith that we build our lives on affects everything else. There are two possibilities, the rock or sand. When children in Sunday School are asked:

“What does the rock represent?”

The usual response is:

“Jesus, of course.”

But look at what Jesus actually says:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:24,26

This is so important. If we say ‘Jesus’ we can reinvent the Jesus we want to follow and in practice follow our own homemade faith. To follow God always means to obey his word. The final chapter of the book of Isaiah emphasises this:

“These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” Isaiah 66:2

“Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word.” Isaiah 66:5

Psalm 19 emphasises that God speaks to us through his word and that this is utterly reliable:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7

The Bible gives understanding:

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Psalm 19:8

God’s word gives us joy and wisdom:

“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.” Psalm 19:9

Fearing God always results in following Scripture which reliably teaches us how God thinks:

“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:10

No wonder God’s words are so precious, yet also so encouraging to God’s people:

“By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm:19:11

God’s people are warned not to be hypocrites but to live as God teaches. Incidentally Psalm 19 also teaches us that God’s word is never in conflict with the world he has made. God’s world also speaks to us:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2

The foundation Jesus expects us to build our lives upon is what he has taught us in his Word. We must build our lives on the rock.

The Isles of Scilly are infamous for shipwrecks. Bishop Rock Lighthouse, built in 1858, is a famous and extremely remote lighthouse located 4 miles west of the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall, England. Known by the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest island with a building on it, it stands in the path of heavy Atlantic swells. It is 50 meters tall. It has withstood countless storms yet stands there to be a light to guide ships in the area. It would have been much cheaper and simpler to have built it on the sandy beach but that would have been stupid. It would not have remained standing and would have been much less use as a guide to others in trouble.

Jesus is clearly asking us to determine what the foundation of our lives is - is it my ideas, or even my church or is it what Jesus teaches us in his word and that we are committed to obey?Am I relying on the promises of God or on my activities and my beliefs?

Very different outcomes

Those who have built their lives on Christ are utterly secure:

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:25

What God promises we can rely on. We are safe because we have been saved. This is the promise of God. The verse from Hebrews that reminds us that we all face judgment continues:

“. . . so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28

No wonder the crowds were so amazed at the end of the Sermon. They had never heard teaching like this:

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Matthew 7:28-29

Those who turn to live under the authority of Jesus are already safe from God’s judgment. Jesus took our judgment on himself on that cross. We therefore have nothing to fear about our acceptance by God although there is still a judgment we will face which is on how we have lived for our Lord.

Those who have refused to build their lives on God’s rock but opted for ‘shifting sands’ will eventually face disaster.

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:27

What a catastrophic crash that will be. God’s judgment is final. There will be no appeal and he judges fairly, knowing all the facts. That house that we built on the sand seemed so attractive but it will fall.

This warning is for all of us. There are many stories of people claiming to follow Christ but whose private lives reveal the very opposite, with fraud, sexual scandal, anger and dishonesty. Jesus is warning us all not to rely on an outward religiosity but only on our genuine relationship with Christ which will be seen in our obedience to his Word.

This is a loving warning - it does matter how we respond to the Word of God.

One Vital Choice

When we stand before God at the end of time he will ask each of us:

“What did you do with my words, with what I told you?”

Jesus talks about God with great authority being in a unique position to do so. His challenge is unique. He doesn’t ask us if we regularly gather to listen to his Word but whether we have lived as he teaches, with his priorities. He wants followers who produce fruit for him.

What does this mean, to produce fruit? Have I taken seriously what he says about hateful thoughts, lust, skin-deep, outward religion that I practice for others to see? Am I laying up treasure in heaven? Am I doing good to others so they also may give glory to God?

If all we have learned from this sermon is that we need to pull our socks up as Christians and be more diligent and distinctive, then we have missed the point. Jesus is saying that no-one has reached God’s standard righteousness.

“Be perfect . . .”

The bar is far higher than we can dream. God wants us to understand how dependant we are on him and on his grace. Who does God bless?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .”

When we see our desperate need for forgiveness we will come on bended knee before our Saviour and beg for his mercy. Only then will we fall into line behind him and start living for his glory.

To ‘do my words’ cannot mean that it is only by obeying every command and by living completely righteously, as none of us have done this, even though it is now the Christian’s desire. The only choice we have is to take refuge in Christ and come to him empty handed. Our good deeds offer nothing to our salvation, this depends solely on God’s mercy that we have to ask for. Our only contribution to our salvation is to admit our short-comings, our sin.

The narrow road is not easy, we may be scoffed at and overlooked, but travelling on Jesus’ path is the only sure foundation. Our only hope is to keep relying on him for the righteousness we need to be acceptable to God. We are clothed with his righteous robe, given as a gift. The apostle John keeps reminding us that the key to salvation is to love Jesus, that is to love God. This is what ‘belief' in Jesus originally meant - it is much more than an intellectual assent to certain doctrines. . To believe in Jesus means to love him. Such love will be shown by obedience to his word.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:1-5

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21

There were so-called disciples then, and who still exist today, who are happy to listen to Jesus and think he is admirable but feel it is a bit extreme to say that we are helpless. Such people will talk the talk and even seem to walk the walk. They may even be Christian preachers but inwardly they have not submitted to Christ’s rule. They have not come to him ‘poor in spirit’.

After the Great Storm in Wales in 1859 a historian wrote these words:

“Throughout the night of the 25th of October, waves and wind battered with unrelenting fury against the coast, assuming near hurricane proportions. Nearly 150 ships were wrecked that night. Well over 800 people died in the storm, over half of them on the Royal Charter steamer that was driven onto the rocks at Anglesey after returning from Australia. The next year, 1860, the Met. office brought in a gale warning system. It did not prevent storms battering against the Welsh Coast, but it did at least warn people to take shelter.”

Jesus has given us his loving warning about the coming crisis of judgment and is urging us to build our lives on him alone. There is no hope other than the death of Jesus, he has become the substitute for our sin. He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin; animal and another sacrifices are no longer needed for us to be forgiven. Jesus is the authority of God and not to comply with what he says is surely the height of folly.

However if we do decide to build our lives on Jesus and rely on him alone, we are assured that we are safe and need have no fear for our eternal security. The psalmist had this confidence:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46:1-3

This is indeed ‘good news’, this is the gospel.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 26/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 26/06/2026

Matthew 8:5-13 A Word of Authority

Have you noticed how many Welsh people are particularly proud to be Welsh? Nigel Owens the retired international rugby referee published an article entitled ‘What it means being Welsh to mo me.’ Her described what he thought the Welsh can take pride in:

“The language, our humour, our caring natures, our togetherness, our awe-inspiring sense of community, our anthem, our flag, our heritage and our passion.”

David and his monks followed an extremely strict, austere routine. They refrained from eating meat or drinking beer, and ploughed fields by hand rather than using oxen. He was a highly active missionary, founding an estimated 12 monasteries across Wales, southwest England, and Brittany, including the monastery on the River Alun that is now the site of St Davids Cathedral. In his final sermon before his death, he urged his followers with the iconic words:

“Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things you have seen me do.”

What are the features that describe a Christian? Matthew describes these in the remarkable encounter of a Roman centurion who came to Jesus for help. He is a most unlikely subject as he was not from Israel, he represented Israel’s enemy. Simply put, he was an outsider. To Jesus’ listeners this must have come as a great shock. This story is surely included because demonstrates the four marks of a true saving faith, the sort of faith that God is looking for.

He has a need

The centurion’s servant had a severe problem. Paralysis associated with severe pain suggests that he may have had a fall and broken his back. Everybody knew then, as they know today, that paralysis due to a damaged spinal cord is incurable. This centurion obviously cared for his servant and went out of his way to try and help him.

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.’” Matthew 8:5-6

No details are given, all we know is that the problem was serious.

There are many today who think that they don’t have any real problems, they and their family don’t have health or other problems. They are swimming through life so think they do not need Jesus. The Pharisees could not understand why Jesus tried to help non-religious people. In the next chapter we read::

“When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.’ Matthew 9:11-12

There are those who recognise the value of trying to help the down and out, the drug addicts, those suffering from domestic abuse and the like. They think this is helpful to society and is up-lifting.

However Matthew wants us all to learn that a true saving faith only starts when we recognise the real need we all have.

Physical health checks are on offer widely today to try to pick up problems before they become too advanced. Surely, we need to encourage everybody to have a spiritual heath check, to examine our motives, ambitions and loves to check whether there is a problem. Remember how Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6

It is only those who have a real spiritual need that Jesus will help.

2. He admits his own unworthiness

Why should Jesus help this centurion? He was part of the occupying army. Jesus asks him a question:

“Shall I come and heal him?” Matthew 8:7

Asking questions is by far the best way to understand other people. The reply was not one that would be expected, he comes to Jesus with these humbling words:

“Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.” Matthew 8:8

3. He recognises Jesus’ authority

The centurion starts the conversation with Jesus using these words:

“Lord, my servant lies at home paralysed, suffering terribly.”

Perhaps he had heard Jesus teaching, what he had said about who he is or possibly he had heard of the other remarkable miracles Jesus had performed. He recognised the authority of Jesus as coming from God and came with a plea for his help. The centurion was an influential man and could doubtless have organised the help of the best doctors around. Yet he comes to Jesus for help. He recognised that Jesus, the Word of God, is sufficient for all needs, even the impossible. What he said next is astounding:

“But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8

He recognised that if Jesus said something it was a s good as done. This was a question of authority and the centurion emphasises this point:

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:9

““But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8

We have a problem today with a surfeit of so-called spiritual healers, many claiming to be Christians. Their real motives can be seen in the houses, cars and aeroplanes they own and their luxurious lifestyles. Jesus was not like them. He was the Servant King. Such pseudo-gospel leaders can cause many to be sceptical about the power of God.

In today’s society Jesus is widely considered to be an irrelevance and utterly ineffective. It is as if he had remained dead. The default position is that he doesn’t matter, he doesn’t make any difference. This is totally untrue. There are many people who can testify that he has utterly changed their lives after they accepted him and what he had said. His word is powerful.

Today many people don’t care what the centurion thought about both himself or about Jesus. They may say,

“It is nice if he finds his faith helpful, but I don’t need that.”

Jesus warns people that they trifle with himself at their peril:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

“And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” John 5:27-29

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:39-40

Salvation is by faith alone and is not related to our ‘good works’, but our lives will act as a test of the faith we have. The Reformer John Calvin said about John 5:29:

“He marks out believers by their good works, just as elsewhere He says that a tree is known by its fruit. . . The Papist’s inference from these passages, that eternal life repays the merits of works, may be refuted without any difficulty. For christ is not here treating of the cause of salvation, but only distinguishing the elect from the reprobate by their own mark.”

Paul made this very clear:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10

It is Jesus alone who has the authority to save us. Without a relationship with him we have no hope.

4. The centurion experiences Jesus’ rescue

The centurions faith in Jesus is then shown to be reasonable. Jesus does have remarkable authority and his paralysed servant was back walking again.

Again a listener may add:

“That is very nice for the centurion and the paralysed man but I am not them. I don’t need help.”

“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” John 8:10-11

“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” John 8:12

At Billy Graham’s funeral we were told that just before he died he said:

“I have read the last page of the Bible. It is going to turn out alright.”

This passage is reminding us that there is a select guest list for this reception. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are on that list. So will may from distant lands who have turned to Jesus for salvation from their sins. This centurion will be there but some religious people who consider themselves ‘sons of the Kingdom’ will not be invited. Jesus does not ‘know them’ and he is the judge and the inviter. Such people have never submitted themselves to Jesus, have never accepted the salvation he won on that cross and have never accepted that his Word should control how they think and behave. These words of Jesus should be terrifying to many so they bear repeating:

“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” John 8:12

Jesus is indeed the answer we all need and that our world desperately needs.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 22/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 22/06/2026

Matthew 5:17-20 The Fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets

Every August the news programmes and newspapers are full of criticisms about how the standard of our national exams, whether GCSE, A levels or university degrees are lower than in ‘our generation’.

Yet nearly everyone expects God to remain fair, pure and righteous. There are many people today, who although not Christians, recognise that there has to be a mind behind our creation. They recognise that this God must be concerned about right and wrong. How many try to justify their own decisions by saying:

“How can God allow such evil things to occur?”

By asking this question people assume that God is good. The problem of evil is only a problem if God is good. If God were fickle, capricious or if his moral standards were constantly changing we would never know what is right, or in other words, what he likes or dislikes. Any relationship with a fickle god, much as the gods of ancient Greece and Rome were, would be uncertain. A god who changes his standards according to the pressures or temptations exerted on him would not be the absolute creator God who can demand our obedience.

‍ ‍

The Law and the Prophets are fulfilled

It is often said that Jesus came to fulfil the Law. He did much more than that. He is not just saying that he has kept the Law. To ‘fulfil’ means to ‘fill it to the full’.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.” Matthew 5:17

‘The Law and the Prophets’ was a traditional phrase that refers to the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament. How does Jesus fulfil the Scriptures?

Firstly, Jesus ‘fills to the full’ the message of the Scriptures by being the last piece of the jig-saw. The Law and the Prophets look forward to a time when God would send his Messiah into his world and would draw people of every nation to himself. Matthew recognised that Jesus completes the Law and the Prophets by being God’s chosen king, God’s Messiah.

Secondly, He fulfils the 330 or so prophecies about God’s Messiah in the Old Testament. He will be the Son of God, the descendent of king David, he will be born in Bethlehem, he will perform remarkable miracles, he will visit the temple in Jerusalem, he will die by crucifixion to pay for the sin that separates us from God and then he will rise from the dead.

Thirdly he fulfils the parables in the Old Testament. These literal stories have a figurative interpretation in Jesus’ ministry. In the Garden of Eden man turned his back on living as God wants and is expelled from the garden and God’s presence. Just as Pharaoh of Egypt ordered the execution of male infants of the Jews so King Herod’s jealousy drove him to murder the male babies in the area of Bethlehem. Just as Moses had to return from exile to lead God’s people out of Egypt so Jesus came out of exile in Egypt where he and his parents had had to flee to deliver God’s people. Moses was given God’s law on tablets of stone Jesus came as the Word of God to write his commands in his people’s hearts. The people of Israel were tested in the 40 years they spent in the wilderness and they repeatedly failed. God wanted to see that they kept trusting and obeying him. Moses wrote about this:

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 8:2

Jesus was similarly tested for 40 days when he was in the desert. Moses tried to lead God’s people back to the Promised Land but their sin prevented this. Jesus however came to solve the problem of our sin separating us from God so that we can enter God’s Promised Land, heaven. God’s people were led through the divided waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan so Jesus insisted on being baptised in the river Jordan. The reason Jesus gave to an objecting John the Baptist are significant,

“It is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Matthew 3:15

These and many other parallels given in the Old Testament strongly point to Jesus being the fulfilment of the prophecies about the Messiah but also confirm that the Scriptures are the Word of God.

Jesus demands perfection

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is reminding everyone how far short we fall of the glory of God - the character of man is tarnished. This was the message of the Old Testament:

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2

The Psalms describe the ‘fool’ as someone who denies God. This is followed by the realisation that this is a universal problem:

“They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:1-3 (and Psalm 53:1-3)

“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins”, Ecclesiastes 7:20

The Old Testament Scriptures also contains glorious truths about the character of God. He is pure and unchanging. When Moses confronted God on Mount Sinai, the Lord described himself and his character:

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

Some like the idea of the first half of this description but object to God’s unchanging holiness which eventually will lead to judgment. He hates sin and no sinner can ever enter his presence.

The message of the Old Testament is uncompromising, there is only one God and he will not be trifled with:

‘Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked:before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, “In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.”’ All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.” Isaiah 45:22-35

Note that God speaks to us through his word.

The words used in verse 17 is very important.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.” Matthew 5:17

Up to this point, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has taught that heaven is for those who know how far short they have fallen from God’s standards and who long for God to do something and save them. The word ‘abolish’ literally means ‘to throw out’ or ‘destroy’. It is a word used for the destruction of the temple building. Jesus is saying he has not come to tear down the Law and the Prophets. Their teaching that God is holy and demands perfection still stands. The ethical teachings in the Old Testament are to teach God’s people how they should live when they are in a relationship with him. They show that when a person enters into a relationship with the one true holy God through God accepting the animal sacrifices and their having faith in the promises of God, then God demands a new way of living. It is exactly the same for God’s people today:

“ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Be holy as I am holy" is a direct Biblical command from God, found in Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7. Moses was told:

‘Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:2

This is echoed in the New Testament:

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16

It means that Christians set apart to be pure, and reflect God's perfect character in all aspects of life, not just specific rituals, by living very differently from worldly patterns through an inner transformation and obedience. Jesus has certainly not come to abolish the demands of the Law and the Prophets but to fill their message to the full. When we have entered into a relationship with this holy God through Christ we must be the sort of people God made us to be. It bears saying again, Jesus has not come to overthrow the demands of the Old Testament. This demand for perfection that the Old testament teaches is repeated later in the Sermon:

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

This is why our churches must teach the Old Testament alongside the New. The essential message is the same. Jesus goes on to say:

“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18

Don’t forget, Jesus is talking to people who have come to follow him. They are already members of God’s kingdom, they are the salt and the light. But those followers needed to be reminded, much as we do, that the demands of God’s perfect character is unchanged. When Jesus says, ‘I tell you the truth’ it is always to emphasise a point. The Law and the Prophets are just as relevant to us today. The smallest letter in Greek is ‘iota’ and the smallest sign in Hebrew is ‘yod’, the mark used to distinguish different letters. It has great significance in Hebrew as the name of God, Jahweh, begins with a ‘yod’.

Far from overcoming the Old Testament, Jesus came to drive home the demand for perfection amongst God’s people. If we are to be in a living relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we have to realise that God will not lower his standards so we can casually strolling on our terms. His demands are still perfection.

God is not interested in ritual, he wants our hearts. Jesus goes on to say:

“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

This is a major difference between the God of the Bible and that of the Qur’an. The Qur'an identifies ‘marriageable age’ as being linked to the capacity for sound judgment, particularly regarding financial and personal responsibilities.

“Test the orphans until they reach (the age of) marriage. If you perceive right judgment in them, hand over their property to them. Do not consume it wantonly or hastily before they are grown up.” Surah 4:6

Islamic scholars interpret this verse as requiring both physical (puberty) and intellectual maturity for marriage, as the same standard is used to entrust orphans with their wealth.

The Qur’an describes the purpose of marriage as finding ‘comfort,’’affection,’ and ‘mercy’ between spouses, which modern scholars argue requires two consenting adults capable of forming such a bond.

“(Another) of His signs is that He created spouses for you for yourselves, so that you may live with them, and he has established love and mercy between you.” Surah 30:21

In view of this teaching many have puzzled why Muhammad went against this teaching in his personal life. Al-Bukhari tells us in his Hadith about his marriage to Aisha:

“. . . that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old. Hisham said: I have been informed that `Aisha remained with the Prophet for nine years (i.e. till his death).” Al-Bukhari 67:70

This inconsistency is a real concern.

The Old Testament teaches us about the character, the holiness of God and this is what Jesus emphasised both in his teaching and in the way he himself embodied this. The Old Testament teaches us about the demands of God and Jesus emphasises that these have not changed. A pure perfect God demands purity from his people.

Jesus exposes pretence

Jesus recognises that all people are morally flawed and can never be good enough for God. Matthew 5:20-48 stress this. There always have been religious people who try their hardest to be godly, The Pharisees were such people, as were the ascetic monks in the early church.

“ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20

Even such costly religiosity that the Pharisees demonstrated is not good enough for God. The Pharisees were renowned for their meticulous observance of the minutiae of Old Testament rituals, to the extent that they had built fence around the Old Testament laws with 613 rules of their own. These additional were to ensure they did not inadvertently break the Law. They had 248 positive extra rules, ‘Thou shalt . . .’ and 365 negative rules, ‘Thou shalt not . . .”. But they had missed the point, God wants people’s hearts not just rule-keeping. The foundational statement of Judaism, the ‘Shema’ stresses this:

“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6

The Pharisees had an external righteousness. Their dress identified them as being a holy group, they assiduously attended religious services and functions, they tithed everything, even the weeds in their gardens. They were widely respected and were able to rise up in the religious establishment. But Jesus teaches:

“. . . unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees . . , you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20

These religious people have not entered into the Kingdom of God but there are some who have.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

What qualifies them to be accepted into God’s kingdom, it is their relationship with Jesus. Remember how this goes on:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Matthew 5:11

Those who love Jesus and are devoted to living with and for him are the salt of the earth, but we must remain in this relationship with Christ if we are to be saved. Outside of Christ there is no salvation.

Jesus realises that many religious people are phoney on the inside. This hypocrisy often overflows into immoral or other wrong actions. Jesus later elaborated on what he saw in the Pharisees hearts:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Matthew 23:13

This shows us, contrary to what the Pharisees taught, and contrary to what many modern theologians teach,

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:23-24

There is only one way to be acceptable to God, to be a member of his kingdom and that is to become a devotee of Jesus, God’s son. Such people will be changed from the inside, he puts a new heart into his people. It is possible to be an active church person but for god to see us as hypocrites. We need the new heart that christ alone can give us.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25

This warning is relevant to clergy and other senior people in the church. It is easy to assume that because we are recognised by church authorities, spend time preparing talks and services and even spend hours in prayer that this will induce God to accept us. Our attempts at being righteous all fall far short, our only hope is to receive the righteousness that only Christ can give.

John Berridge

John Berridge became the Vicar of Everton in Bedfordshire between 1755-1793. He also was a sincere man but he had not understood the Bible’s message. His tombstone in the Everton churchyard carries the epitaph that he himself wrote:

The story goes that Berridge had spent 8 years labouring in church ministry in various places and was totally ineffective yet still somehow managed to rely “proudly on faith and works for salvation”. At that time he thought that human merit and virtue was adequate to obtain salvation and his lively sermons exhorted his congregations to a life of good works. This is what he later wrote:

“ It was a doctrine every man will naturally hold while he continues in an unregenerate state, viz, that we are to be justified partly by faith and partly by works of our own. . . . It was some secret reliance on my own works for salvation.”

It wasn’t until he was 50 years old that he understood what the apostles taught, that it is Jesus alone who has won salvation for us. He now understood,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5

This doctrine that we can only be put right with God if he gives us the gift of being righteous is throughout Scripture:

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17

The religious people in Jesus day, the Pharisees, also thought that God was satisfied firstly by their being admitted to Judaism through circumcision and then, by their keeping God’s laws. They thought is was by a combination of being admitted to God’s people by rite and then by trying to keep God’s rules that a person becomes acceptable to God.

This is very similar to much churchmanship today. Jesus however totally rejected this. The thief on the cross was saved simply because he believed in Jesus. Salvation is only given to those who have a personal faith in Jesus, to those who are committed to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. It is this personal relationship with Jesus that is the door to being given the status of being righteous as a free gift.

Today it is possible to be a very intelligent theologian who knows much about Jesus and the Bible yet remain outside God’s kingdom. John Stott was a great Bible teacher who helped many come to faith in Jesus. He attended a conference at which there was radical theologian who disagreed with what the Bible teaches. As they were walking to breakfast together John wanted to get to the root issue so he asked the theologian a simple but far reaching question,

“May I ask you, do you worship Jesus.”

The is the purpose of Matthews gospel, to show us that our own efforts to please God are sure to fail unless we truly belong to Jesus. God is utterly consistent. He demands integrity in his people, he has given his people his standing of being righteous but he then expects us to devotedly follow him and become righteous. Remember that the angel of the Lord had appeared to Joseph and told him what his step son would become:

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’[b] (which means ‘God with us’).” Matthew 1:21-22

The word ‘fulfil’ (or ‘fulfilled’) appears about 16 times in Matthew’s gospel, sixteen times with a specific formula like ‘that it might be fulfilled’ to link Jesus's life and actions directly to Old Testament prophecies. The Law and the prophets took people so far, but Jesus came so ‘our cup can be overflowing.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 20/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 20/06/2026

Matthew 5:13-16. Salt and Light

This short passage about salt and light immediately follows the beatitudes that describe the benefits and characteristics of those who belong to the kingdom of the gracious generous God and his Son. They emphasise that to be in God’s kingdom we must both recognise how far short we fall from what God wants and have fallen in line behind Jesus as our Saviour and our Lord.

Jesus now uses two metaphors to help us all think what life is this kingdom is all about. Jesus often used metaphors which are really shortened parables. Thus he said about himself:

“I am the gate”

“I am the good shepherd’

“I am the vine”

“I am the light of the world’

He also used metaphors to describe his people:

“You are the branches’

“You are the salt”

“You are the light”

These are clearly not literal descriptions. When Jesus says he is ‘the gate’, he means he is the gate to eternal life, to heaven, to God’s kingdom. To understand what Jesus meant we must both look at the context and see how the idea is used elsewhere in Scripture.

You are the salt of the earth

What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘You are the salt of the earth’?

Salt had many uses, it was used for flavouring, preserving, sacrificing, destroying, and fertilising. It is significant that Jesus does not explain exactly what he had in mind. Whenever Jesus uses a phrase or metaphor that is not fully explained we should look at how is used elsewhere in the New Testament or what the Old Testament use is.

Followers of Jesus are like salt: although we’re ordinary we still get involved in much that goes on in society, whether we’re noticed or not. We also have a variety of roles to play as God’s kingdom comes on earth.

There are five purposes of salt which all have bearings on the Christian life:

Flavour

Bland food has its flavour enhanced by salt. This is its main use in the west today. Christians are meant to enhance our families and societies. Paul tells us, when discussing how we can promote the gospel in our societies to ensure that our speech is:

“. . . seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” Colossians 4:6

Our speech is to be gracious but have a bit of bite in what we say. The gospel does matter.

2. Preserve

In the ancient world salt was used widely to preserve meats and fish. For this reason salt was valuable and a highly prized commodity.. Our word "salary" comes from Latin salarium (‘salt money’), derived from sal (‘salt’), referring to the salt given to Roman soldiers who were sometimes partially paid in salt. Christians should benefit our societies and prevent them from becoming corrupt and go into decay.

3. Sacrifice

Moses was told by God that salt had to be added to every grain and burnt offering.

“You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt” Leviticus 2:13

The salt here is the message of the Covenant. All God’s people do should remind us of the Covenant God has made with us. Christians offer ourselves in obedient, suffering self-sacrifice, with Christ at the centre of all we do and this is pleasing to God.

Similarly we read:

“You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.” Ezekiel 43:24

4. Destruction

In the Old Testament there are many references to salt being associated with judgment and destruction. Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom. Jesus alluded to this story with the warning:

“Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” Luke 17:32-33

Moses warned the Israelites that if they break God’s covenant, their land will be:

“. . . burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout” Deuteronomy 29:23

When Abimelech, Gideon’s son, tried to set himself up as king of Israel, the men of Shechem rebelled against him, and he responded by destroying the city and sowing it with salt.

“Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.” Judges 9:45

The psalmist describes God turning

“. . . a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants” Psalm 107:34

Jesus connects salt with the fire of judgment and sacrifice. Jesus connects salt with fire and with living at peace together:

“Everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if salt loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another,” Mark 9:49-50

This does take us back to the Old Testament sacrifices. As Christian lives with this understanding there will be peace in God’s church.

The church, preaching and living out the gospel, does warn people of the coming judgment against those who oppose God. Paul calls this:

“. . . a clear sign to them of their destruction.” Philippians 1:28

This may explain why Jesus says we are ‘the salt of the earth’ immediately after describing the persecution we will face if we follow him.

5. Fertilise

In low doses salt was used to help fertilise the fields, to break uptake soil, deter weeds and increase yields of crops. Christians are meant to be in challenging places to enrich barren lands, and stimulate growth so that when the seed is scattered life springs up in unexpected places. Barren lands become fruitful.

Is Jesus meaning that ‘salty’ people will preserve society from rotting. It is apparent that, whatever liberal humanists say, education has a very limited effect is stopping people from degenerating into selfish creatures, the educated are just selfish in a more sophisticated way.

It is striking that Jesus does not elaborate of what he meant by being salt, but look at the context. The ‘You’ must be the same people that he has described in the beatitudes, people who mourn over their spiritual poverty, who are meekly waiting for God to come and rescue them, who hunger and thirst for the righteousness that can come from God alone. The ‘You’ must be those to whom Jesus said:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

Jesus is always pointing to himself as God’s Lord and Saviour. Jesus is saying that it is the Christians and only the Christians who are the salt of society. These are those who responded to him when he said:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17

Those who are the ‘salt’ are not the morally superior.people seen in all religious groups, they are the people who see their need. Jesus is saying that only his people are the ‘salt of the earth’.

More than this, he is saying that, whether we like it or not, all of us, his people, are ‘the salt of the earth’. His people have all been changed from those who needed cleansing and who needed flavour in their lives, into those who cleanse the societies we live in and preserve flavour. This is extraordinary. We, helpless, hopeless, spiritually corrupt people turn to Jesus and he then forgives us, offers us real hope for the future as well as a fresh incentive to live for God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit who is given to all who turn to Christ. Conversely, if anyone has not turned to Jesus they are not ‘the salt of the earth’. They may be great politicians, social changers or popular leaders but they cannot be ‘the salt’ God is looking for.

Again we return to the question why Jesus does not elaborate or what he means by ‘salt’. Instead he emphasises something different, the danger of ‘losing saltiness’. This is a warning.

“But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13

Jesus has just said that his people will be insulted, persecuted and slandered so the natural temptation will be to withdraw from Jesus and not openly align ourselves with him and his people. Unrefined rock salt was common in ancient Palestine. Often it had become contaminated with minerals such as gypsum. (Gypsum is a soft, naturally occurring calcium sulphate mineral found in sedimentary rock, that is used in construction as plaster, and cement additive, due to its fire resistance, sound insulation, and ability to set hard when heated and re-mixed with water. It is the constituent of Plaster of Paris). If the salt, sodium chloride, is leached out of the rock and replaced by gypsum, only a totally tasteless residue remains, the sort of residue that is used to create paths, only fit ‘to be trodden underfoot’.

Jesus is surely warning us not to withdraw from him. So often people, whether humanists or religious people, are happy to emphasise Christian morals but overlook the fact that these have come from God. You cannot have an authoritative morality derived from primordial soup! Morality does not make person salty, it just makes people self-righteous. They won’t be rescued because they cannot see themselves as poor in spirit. They do not mourn over their sins or seek for someone who can make them righteous.

So this metaphor is a warning, if we lose our saltiness, if we drift from Christ, we will lose the very purpose for which he called a people to himself, to be the salt of the earth. Any who leave Christ leave salvation, they will be ejected from his Kingdom and trampled underfoot.

What a grim warning this is. So often our media and schools teach that the answer to a stable society is morality, but they usually omit to stress that this inward change only comes when we submit to the rule of the Lord Jesus.

So this metaphor stresses that we must not withdraw from Jesus.

You are the light of the world

This next directive is that we must not withdraw from the world.

“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14

How often in church history this has been a tendency. The ascetics, the closed religious orders and denominations and inward looking congregations who are more concerned about themselves than the world their Lord made. So often you hear of fellowships where people say that their priority is to strengthen the group before looking outwards to help others. What a disaster such thinking is.

As so often is the case, the concept of being ‘the light of the world’ comes from the Old Testament.

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.” Isaiah 62:1-2

When God’s people are walking closely with him, they cannot keep quiet about Jesus and the salvation he brings. The glory of the city or people of God will be seen. The ‘blazing torch’ is the message of salvation. Everyone must see that it is God alone who can rescue us.

Jesus later emphasised that he is the real light of the world that all people need. When people were disputing Jesus’ testimony about himself he said,

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

He then went on to say:

“While I am in theworld, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5

His message is clear, he is the light of the world but he would soon be leaving this world. Where is the light for people then. It is to be seen in the people of God, the Christians, who become the ‘light of the world’.

Don’t forget that in those days ‘lights’ were flames. It is easy to determine when something is alight. It ignites other material. Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out. A church or people who have no interest in evangelism is a contradiction in terms, just as a fire that does not burn is a contradiction.

The sun is the source of our light but there is also a moon that reflects the sun’s light to us on earth. In the same way Christians are only a light when we reflect the light of Jesus to the world.

Jesus makes it abundantly clear what it means for us to be ‘the light of the world’.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

We, the selfish people who God has rescued, are being created into a people who shine with the gospel to those around us. This is not an option. Just as God’s people are salt, so, whether we want to or not, we are light. The light of Jesus cannot be hidden by his people. We do not hide our commitment to Jesus, as it were to ‘put it under a bowl’.

This is another mark of Christians, we long that others may come to know the Saviour of the world and that they may have a real hope and power for the future. How else will they hear the glorious message about Jesus if we, his people don’t tell others about him. They certainly won’t read much about the gospel in our newspapers, on television shows, or in programmes such as‘Moral Maze’. If Jesus was recognised there would no moral maze.

A Christian working in an office wanted his colleagues to hear the gospel so he asked his godly grandfather to come and interest them in Christian things. His grandfather’s response was clear:

“What do you think God put you there for?”

The apostle Paul later stresses what Jesus had taught. He recognised this need for all Christians to talk about Jesus and the gospel saying that this is a mark of being a real Christian:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

At one Friday Group Bible study the question was asked:

“What about those in foreign countries who have never heard about Jesus and the gospel, how can they be saved?”

God alone is the judge and he is justice himself. However Paul continued after saying that our salvation depends on us speaking to others about Jesus to answering this question. His answer is that all Christians are to be ambassadors for Christ.

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:14-15

Didn’t we all become Christians when someone explained the gospel to us or took us to hear it explained? Yet too many today are afraid to talk about this new life that everybody needs.

Many years ago in St. Louis, Missouri, a lawyer visited a Christian to transact some business. Before the two parted, his client said to him,

"I've often wanted to ask you a question, but I've been afraid to do so."

"What do you want to know?" asked the lawyer. The man replied, "I've wondered why you're not a Christian."

The man hung his head,

"I know enough about the Bible to realize that it says no drunkard can enter the kingdom of God; and you know my weakness!"

"You're avoiding my questions," continued the believer.

"Well, truthfully, I can't recall anyone ever explaining how to become a Christian."

Picking up a Bible, the client read some passages showing that all are under condemnation, but that Christ came to save the lost by dying on the cross for their sins.

"By receiving Him as your Substitute and Redeemer," he said, "you can be forgiven. If you're willing to receive Jesus, let's pray together."

The lawyer agreed, and when it was his turn he exclaimed,

"O Jesus, I am a slave to drink. One of your servants has shown me how to be saved. O God, forgive my sins and help me overcome the power of this terrible habit in my life."

Right there he was converted. That lawyer was C.I. Scofield, who later edited the reference Bible that bears his name.

D.L. Moody, when a young man and much before he became a world-famous evangelist, made an covenant with God that he would witness for Christ to at least one person each day. One night, about ten o’clock, he realised that he had not yet spoken that day to anyone about Jesus; so he went out in to the street and saw a man standing by a lamppost. He went up to him and said,

“Excuse me but may I ask you a question. Are you a Christian?”

The man flew into a violent rage and threatened to knock Moody into the gutter. Later, that same man went to an elder in the church and complained that Moody was ‘doing more harm in Chicago than ten men were doing good.’ The elder begged Moody to temper his zeal with knowledge. Three months later, Moody was awakened at the YMCA by a man knocking at the door. It was the man he had witnessed to.

“I want to talk to you about my soul,” he said to Moody.

He apologised for the way he had treated Moody and said that he had had no peace ever since that night on Lake Street when Moody witnessed to him. Moody led the man to Christ and he became a zealous worker in the Sunday school.

On another occasion he asked a man whether he was a Christian. The reply came back,

“Mind you own business!”

“But sir this is my business. I long that people should come to know the Lord Jesus.”

Early the next morning, the day after I had written this article, I was pondering what Jesus really meant when he talked about ‘salt’. Then it dawned, he was talking about himself. When salt was added to the temple sacrifices it was a symbol that later Jesus would become the ultimate sacrifice. To lose our saltiness is to drift away from Jesus. Just as Jesus is the light of the world, so salt also represents him. Salt and light are both Jesus. How we need to find ways to talk about him to others.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 19/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 19/06/2026

Matthew 5:1-12. More than Morality

The Sermon on the Mount has had a great influence on English language even if it now has little influence on English speaking people. It has given us such phrases as:

“Turn the other cheek”

“Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’”

“You are the salt of the earth”

“Do not judge”

“Love your neighbour”

“An eye for an eye”

“The sun rises on the just and on the unjust”

“Do to others what you would have them do to you”

The difficulty many have when reading this is sermon is to take it out of context and as a result its meaning is frequently misunderstood. It can simply become a textbook of morality. Ask most people what they think this sermon is about and most will say something like,

‘It is about being good’.

They think that Jesus came as a great teacher and here he is giving people a helpful code of conduct. Even churchmen can teach it is this way. One Headmaster who regarded this sermon in such a way said:

“Professional Integrity is something I pride myself on. I am an ethical, moralistic person. I work hard for our community, I strive hard for our learners. As a Headteacher, I do the right thing, I make the hard decisions, I stand up for what is right.”

In such schools the sermon could be taught as part of the curriculum of moral or social studies but its whole point would be missed. To teach this sermon as just a moral code is very dangerous. Notice how this passage starts:

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” Matthew 5:1-2

This sermon is for those who have become disciples of Jesus and teaches what will distinguish Christians from the crowds of other people. Jesus has separated the crowds from his disciples. He is sharing with them essentially two ideas:

The Blessings of those who belong to God

The Characteristics of those who belong to God

The first four chapters of Matthews gospel have taught that Jesus is God’s one and only Son and that those who belong to God are the followers of Jesus. This sermon is for those who claim to be followers of Christ and are going to have a rough time because of this. At the end of these beatitudes Jesus again puts himself in the centre:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Matthew 5:11

To miss this, to leave Jesus out, is to miss the whole point of the sermon. This sermon demonstrates how we can know who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ of God’s kingdom.

Note the tenses Jesus uses in the first and last of the beatitudes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

““Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

He is talking about the features of those people who are already members of his kingdom. In contrast he blessings of the central six beatitudes will all be experienced in the future:

“. . . they will be comforted. . . . for they will inherit the earth. . . . for they will be filled with righteousness. . . . for they will be shown mercy. . . . for they will see God. . . . for they will be called children of God.”

When will God’s people be filled with righteousness, when will we be shown mercy, when will we see God face to face? These promises will only be fully fulfilled in the future. Jesus’ wants us, his people, to keep focusing on what is ours in eternity. We do see these blessings dimly now but then they will be abundantly clear and we will be fully satisfied. Paul used the phrase "we see things dimly as in a mirror" when writing to a church who were being taught to expect all of God’s blessings now:

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12,

This verse also teaches that our current understanding of spiritual realities is incomplete and unclear, like looking at a blurred reflection, but in the future, we will see and know God and truth "face to face" with perfect clarity, just as we are fully known by Him now. What a disaster it is when churches advertise themselves by promoting and often exagerating blessings in this life. We have been chosen to live for Christ and sometimes that will lead to difficulties.

To be blessed by God does not mean that Christians will not face similar problems and illnesses as other people. Neither does it mean ‘Oh the bliss now’, that is a sentimental ‘gooey’ doctrine that is far from what the Bible teaches. To be ‘blessed’ is all to do with being favoured and approved by him - to be part of his kingdom. For such people there is no doubt or uncertainty, there’s is the Kingdom of Heaven.

How do I know if I am a member of God’s kingdom, am approved by God? It is because we are members of the group who have submitted to his rule and dominion. There is not doubt, God has promised that ‘There’s is the kingdom’.

‍ ‍

The Nature of God

This sermon speaks of a rich and generous God who bestows favour on his people.

Some are uncertain about their relationship with god, sometimes they think they are alright and at other times they feel out of favour. They are uncertain. It is a bit like the relationship of Members of Parliament or the Cabinet with the Prime Minister. They try hard to stay in favour but some lapse or disagreement can change everything. In Alan Clarke’s book ‘Westminster’ he described how people are always unsure where they stand.

Most religions have a form of acceptance ceremony and then their members are expected to be devoted enough to be acceptable to God but however committed they are, they can never be certain. ‘Have I done enough?’, ‘Have I worked hard enough?’, ‘Have I given enough?’ Even in Christian circles people can think in such ways, presuming that God’s generosity is a transient thing, something that somehow can be earned by long service and good conduct.

The God of the beatitudes is completely different to this. It is he who has qualified us to be members of his Kingdom. Our judgment took place on Jesus’ cross. We are saved for eternity because of him. When we turn to him we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit who changes us and makes us want to live in a way that pleases God. The Sermon on the mount speaks of Blessings that God gives to his people. It is God himself who guarantees our future.

Who are the favoured ones?

The natural question is an important one,

“Who are the favoured people?”

In Jesus’ day there were many Pharisees who felt that they were acceptable to God because of their strict adherence to God’s law. They were single-minded in their devotion to keeping these laws yet it was largely outward. Jesus said about the Pharisees:

“Everything they do is done for people to see.” Matthew 23:5

Towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says to some religious people who did not have a personal relationship with himself:

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:22-23

This sermon’s answer on what will qualify people for heaven is surprising to many. It teaches:

You must realise how bad you are.
You must be followers of Jesus

1. You must realise how bad you are

God’s blessings are only given to those who see how needy they are:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be ‘poor in spirit’ or ‘poor in heart’ is an inward and not an outward feature. It is God who knows our hearts, and what is in our hearts controls everything else we do. To be poor in spirit is to be honest with ourselves and to realise how inadequate we are compared to Jesus.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Being ‘broken hearted’ has nothing to do with personal bereavement or being sad because of our lot in life, it is all to do with being sad because of the state of ourselves and of God’s people

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The meek are those who, like a stallion, have been broken in to do their master’s wishes. The same word is used in Greek for such horses. The world or earth they will inherit will be the new world.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Such people realise how unrighteous they are and they long to experience the fulness of God’s presence. In the gospel we are given the status of being made righteous but in heaven we will experience this to the full. No-one ‘hungers and thirst’ if they have already eaten and are satisfied. Elsewhere Jesus teaches that he is the ‘bread of life’ (John 6:35). In John 4:14 Jesus says that it is he who gives water that ‘springs up to eternal life’ and in John 7:37-38 he says ‘Come to Him and drink’. Revelation 21:6 and Revelation 22:1 describe Jesus as the ‘fountain of the water of life’ in the New Jerusalem, representing the life and salvation Jesus alone offers. The only way for this desire for righteousness can be met is through Jesus.

In essence Jesus is saying that the first qualification for being blessed is to realise had bad and weak we really are.

Jesus has taken these ideas from what is taught in the Old Testament - as he so often does. Isaiah 61:1-2 reads:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour. Isaiah 61:1-3

This was written about God’s people who were in exile, away from God. Isaiah was preaching the same message of the Sovereign Lord. Then those of God’s people who looked back to what the Lord had called them to be now realised how poor they were. They mourned just as all God people mourn about being captives to sin. Yet it is to such people that there is a message of hope from God. There is a crown ahead, yes it is in the future but the crown is definitely there for those who are waiting for him. There is a future where we will not be captives to sin.

Jesus is asking whether we all realise that, before a holy, pure and generous God we have no merit to earn his kindness. We are dependant on grace alone. Do I realise how God sees me and do I long for God to do something about this?

The phrase, ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth’ is taken from Psalm 34. This psalm is all about how those who belong to God live grateful lives because they realise that everything have we have comes from God. David wrote this when he was in dire trouble but his hope remained in his Lord. This psalm also talks about who is blessed by God.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

This is what Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount about the effect that taking refuge in and following him will have on his people. Jesus says:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

Jesus went on to say:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

In the Old Testament one of the marks of God’s people was the way they were peacemakers. the concept of peacemaking and being God's people is rooted in the Old Testament, with figures like Abraham & Lot (Genesis 13) (yielding land for peace), Moses & Aaron (interceding for Israel), David (2 Samuel 19) (showing mercy to enemies), and Nehemiah & Ezra (rebuilding and restoring covenant) embodying peacemaking by promoting harmony, resolving disputes, and fostering right relationships with God and others, reflecting the Hebrew Shalom (wholeness). Churchill once said:

“The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next elections, while the statesman thinks about the next generation”.

It could be added that Christians are peacemakers because we think about the next life.

‍ ‍

Good News

This sermon is good news for those who recognise that all is not well between them and God and who long to change. We see the holiness and love of god and know how far short we fall. We long for mercy. At the end of chapter 4 we see thousands coming to Jesus to have their needs met.

In Judaism being imperfect disqualified people from going to God’s presence in the temple. Having leprosy, a symbol of sin, excluded people. Only perfect animals could be offered sacrifices. This was to stress that God is holy and nothing perfect is acceptable to him. Here however Jesus is welcoming the far from perfect. This is a picture of the gospel. In Christ the imperfect can be reckoned to be righteous and by the work of his Spirit a process of change begins.

So those who have messed up in the past, had a criminal record, had affairs, had anger problems, broken marriages, taken drugs, called ourselves atheists and behaved accordingly, or whatever, can rejoice because in Christ the past can be forgiven and forgotten. We start again. Paul wrote:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

So the first feature of those who can become God’s people is that we must recognise how bad we are!

There are also great benefits from living by faith in the love of God in this life. The ability to handle life's blows without blame or bitterness does helps people to be content. These are the conclusions of a study of 173 men who have been followed since they graduated from Harvard University in the early 1940s. The study noted that one potent predictor of well-being was the ability to handle emotional crisis maturely. Having a real faith contributes to this.

‍ ‍

Bad news

This sermon as well as the rest of the Bible is really bad news for those who think they are quite good. The self-righteous won’t come to Jesus to be helped. They think they can cope off their own, they will try to muddle through. Some such people may be brought to their senses when problems such as bereavements, bad health or disappointments come along but this is surprisingly uncommon. People who have repeated said ‘No’ to God throughout their life find it hard to recognise their need for him later.

There was an obnoxious character in the television show, Eastenders called Dot Cotton. In one episode she sat in ‘the Albert’ pontificating about this that and the other as a religious prig. She clearly thought she was morally superior to everyone in the square. There seemed to be no mourning over her own condition. There was no longing for a change, just a long stream of self-righteous judgments passed on government ministers and anyone else she disapproved of. She spoke as a self-satisfied, morally superior person.

Jesus says that someone who thinks they are good, better than average, will not enter heaven. This is why Jesus made it clear that many religious people, such as the Pharisees, will be rejected on the day of judgment.

The first qualification for heaven is to see how bad we are!

2. We must be followers of Jesus

The Bible is clear that the only way to be pure in heart, to be righteous is to be given this status and power to live a new life by Christ himself. Without Christ no-one is pure in heart and only those who are in Christ will see God. There are many church people who have rejected what the apostles teach about this even though Jesus and the apostles are clear:

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:36

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:6-9

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

This is what Jesus is teaching in this sermon. Those who are followers of Jesus both will be blessed and are blessed by God even though there may be problems now because we follow him. The ninth beatitude reminds us of this:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Matthew 5:11

Our eternal security and peace in this life are given to us because we belong to Christ.

This ties in with the prophecy in Isaiah 61 which describes what Jesus came to do. Jesus himself applied this passage to himself when it read it in the Nazareth synagogue. They were furious with him because they understood what he was saying about himself:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” Isaiah 61:1

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God.” Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus is the way to receive the Lord’s favour but those who reject him will face God’s anger or vengeance. Any who refuse to turn to Jesus almost certainly do this because we are not ‘poor in spirit’, they think they will cope without Christ, they have forgotten God. In a similar way such people do not ‘mourn’ over their own sin, they are not hungering and thirsting for a relationship with God that Jesus can give.

This is why it is so dangerous to teach this sermon as if it is advocating a good moral code for society, those who, like the Pharisees think they are OK will find out soon enough that they are not OK in God’s eyes. Their eyes are focused on the wrong person.

There can be no better news to share with people. This is what people need to hear. Anyone can be forgiven and become a member of God’s kingdom by turning to follow Christ.

Teaching morality will not bring people to god and it does not have the power to change people into being godly. A headmaster wrote the following in his autobiography,

“I was happy in conversation with boys always to tell them what ideal behaviour was and where selfishness, cruelty and exploitation lay, but unwilling to talk of the very centre of Christianity, the meaning of the cross, because I found it at times repugnant and in part beyond belief. With this semi religion I was able to live with some contentment, but I knew well that it was ‘non-infectious’. That if what I believed was all Christianity amounted to, it would attract few. I knew that our Lord did not walk about Palestine beginning a world revolution, by saying,
“Come along everyone, be nice to everybody, be truthful, be honest. No, he spoke of repentance, of salvation from sin, of conversion.”

How right this headmaster is. People need to know that our root problem is our natural rebellion against God and that the solution lies with Jesus Christ. This is what the Sermon on the Mount is teaching.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 19/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 19/06/2026

Matthew 4:17-25 The Response to an Evidence Based Faith”

Matthew is keen to confront everyone with the evidence that Jesus is the only son of God. On either side of the challenge, ‘Come, follow me’, the evidence is summarised. Many times he emphasises that Jesus fulfils what was written in the Word of God by repeatedly saying, ‘This was fulfilled’, thus in this section we read:

“ . . . to fulfil what was said through the prophet Isaiah:” Matthew 4:14

After his challenge, ‘Come follow me’, Matthew gives us some contemporary evidence to support the claims of Jesus. He did miracles that only God could do.

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralysed; and he healed them.” Matthew 4:23-24

He healed the physical illnesses of many people. It is interesting that Matthew stresses that people came from Syria, a vast first century Roman province, so stressing that Jesus came to open his Kingdom to all people including non-Jews. Great crowds came from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and Perea, the region west of the river Jordan. Jesus made radical claims that he substantiated. He had every right to do so because he really is who he claimed to be. The ultimate proof was his own resurrection three days after being executed by crucifixion. He convinced the disciples who lived closely to him. They gave their lives to share the news that Jesus is the risen Messiah.

The response of faith

In the West a casual, laid-back version of so-called Christianity is very common. This is not what ‘belief’ in the Bible means. Notice the response of the first four disciples when they were approached by Jesus. Jesus said ‘Come, follow me’, and their response was dramatic. We read about Peter and Andrew who were fishing:

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-20

Then he called James and John:

“Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him”. Matthew 4:21-22

We have read in John’s gospel that Andrew and Peter had been followers of John the Baptist but he had passed them on to become disciples of Jesus:

“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).” John 1:40-41

There was an immediacy about the decision to follow Jesus that came from the realisation that Jesus really was the Messiah of God. They left everything to follow him immediately.

It is obvious therefore that to teach the Sermon on the Mount that follows without emphasising who is teaching this sublime material is totally wrong. People first need a Saviour, someone who can put them right with God and empower them to live a very different life. Only when people have received this new life by accepting the rule of Jesus in their life will they be concerned to live in a way that pleases him. To teach the Sermon on the Mount as rules or an ethical code divorced from the authority of Jesus and his majestic claims would totally miss the point. Political parties may try to claim the high moral ground by quoting from the Sermon but they also have missed the point that this Sermon is part of the evidence that Jesus has come from God.

The Christian manifesto is all about Jesus. He is the God who created our universe and entered into it as a human being.

He is Lord of all and rules his universe. Consequently to preach a political ‘Back to Basics’ can be preaching a Christian ethic without Jesus Christ and is really just moralising.
Jesus demands a radical personal commitment to himself if people are to be saved and admitted into God’s Kingdom. When Jesus says ‘Come, follow me’, it literally means ‘come behind me’. Christians allow Jesus to lead. That is what repentance means. Without allowing Jesus to control me, there is no salvation. Jesus said,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” John 4:17

This radical manifesto is actually attractive to people. Large crowds followed Jesus (Matthew 4:25).

This does not mean that God wants every Christian to give up their job and go into full time Christian service. In the New Testament most Christians continue living normal lives with their families and jobs. Slaves who became Christians had no option but to continue where they were, serving their masters. What does change is that in everything Jesus is recognised as being in charge of our lives. Serving Jesus becomes much more than another interest that we try to squeeze into our busy jobs, relationships, families, shopping, hobbies and sports. What does change is that serving Jesus immediately becomes our highest priority.

A Christian asked his friend who had come to several Christian events:

“What holds you back from following Christ?”
“I have so many other things that already crowd out my diary.”

He then went on to list these, his girlfriend, his gym, his high-flying career and the DIY in his new house.

“I don’t know what I would have to give up if I was to take on being a Christian as well.”

This man has completely missed the point. It is God himself who calls him. He doesn’t want us to squeeze him in alongside other activities and our plans, he comes instead with a radical plan,

“Follow me”, God says to each of us.

He comes with so much evidence to support his claims. These are summarised in Matthews gospel as well as in the book ‘Stepping Stones’.

Jesus demands that everyone turns away from living for themselves to living with him in control. It means we will do better jobs as we are now living as God prioritises. Our families will benefit as he wants our families to be a major priority, they come under his rule. This is all so liberating. We do not serve a draconian God but one who loves us deeply and what he wants is always for our eternal benefit. Far from cramping us or narrowing our interests we find his Lordship leads into new exciting areas.

There is a third side to the Christian manifesto:

‍ ‍3. “I will send you out to be fishers of people”. Matthew 4:19

This can be misunderstood. A man who had recently become a Christian said,

“When I first read this verse a wave of terror swept over me.”

It does not mean

‘I will compel you, I will force you against your will’.

What Jesus is saying is that he will teach and guide us how to continue the work he came to do in verses 18-22. He longs to give us and train us in the privilege of acting as the Lord’s own people who will attract people back to God. Jesus entered this world for this purpose and he has put his Spirit into his men and women to continue this task of calling others to belong to God.

When people respond to Jesus and asked to be forgiven and changed into his people he promises to train us so we enjoy being fishers of men. The Lord never makes his people do anything against their will - he loves us deeply.

Some are fearful that they might have to behave in a way that is totally false to themselves and contrary to their personality, others are fearful of becoming clones of some Christian they know. This is not what God wants. His objective is to use all his people with our different gifts in different ways. Some may love teaching the truths winsomely to others in public, others are good at befriending people and can say, ‘Would you like to come with me to hear . . . ‘ We all have different roles in our Lord’s service and he will ensure that we are satisfied with the role. Some fishermen may fish in trawlers, they are the evangelists like Peter or Billy Graham, but not many of them are needed in a local church.

When Mathew first became a follower of Jesus he put on a supper in his home and invited Jesus as the after-dinner speaker (Matthew 9:9-13). When the demon-possessed man Legion experienced the new life God offers, Jesus sent him back to his home town to share with people what had happened to him (Mark 5:1-20).

How we become ‘fishers of men’ will vary immensely, but Jesus wants to encourage us and train us into having this ambition.

In the final commission he gave to his disciples he said to them:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 29:18-20

Some have suggested that this role was only for the special few but look at what the disciples were to teach the new Christians:

“ . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 29:20

That ‘everything’ must include becoming ‘fishers of men’. The book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament makes this very clear, all Christians are called to be ‘fishers of men’.

But note how Jesus finishes, it is so encouraging. As we set our hearts and minds to find ways to be effective for him he promises that His Spirit will be at work alongside each of us.

Could it be that because some have determined not to let the Lord lead them that they do not love the business of winning others for Christ. A West Indian preacher was giving a sermon on this Great Commission, using the Authorised Version of the Bible. He stressed the words ‘Go’ and ‘Lo, I am with you always’ finishing with the catchphrase:

“No ‘Go’, no ‘Lo’!

To enjoy God’s presence we must be about his business. Could this be why some church people do not seem to love being Christians?

Some people will say, ‘But that is not my gift!’ They have forgotten that God gives his Holy Spirit to all his people to empower us to promote the Lord Jesus. The Spirit of God always points to Jesus. We will do this in many different ways but all christians will be involved.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

One person, trying to excuse his lack of involvement suggested that the ‘we’ and ‘us’ in this passage might be restricted to the apostolic group around Paul. The final verse of this section makes it clear who he means when he uses the words ‘us’ and ‘we’.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

This paragraph is clearly about every true Christian who has been forgiven and has entered the service of Jesus Christ.

Nabeel Qureshi was an ardent Muslim who after several years of questioning committed his life to Christ. From that time on his life changed. He began to see the world as Jesus did. When he saw someone walking across the road he realised:

“That is someone Jesus was willing.to die for.”

If we want to enjoy the presence of the Lord we must find ways to satisfy his wishes and be used to draw people to put their faith in Jesus. Paul recognised that those who love finding ways to effectively share the news about Jesus are so often the ones who enjoy his presence:

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon 6 NIV 84

“I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we[a] may do for Christ.” Philemon 6 RSV

BVP

Bernard Palmer 19/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 19/06/2026

Matthew 7:15-23. The Pseudo-Christian

Two elderly men were discussing what happens after people die. One of them had been a Welsh rugby international and was highly regarded in that part of Wales. He said:

“My chapel pastor said to me, ‘You’ll be alright when you meet God because you are a good person.”

Jesus would not agree. He would say:

“That minister is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

This final section of the Sermon on the Mount is a warning to all of us that religion can dupe us.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15

We attended the funeral of a neighbour that was held in the local church. The man had not been at all sympathetic to Christianity. However, in his sermon the vicar said:

“How good it is to see this man back in this church. He was married here over 50 years ago but until today has not been back. However here he is again. . . . He has now gone to a better place to live with his creator . . .”

Roald Dahl begins his children’s book called ‘The witches’ with these words:

“In fairy-tales, witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks, and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy-tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. The most important thing you should know about REAL WITCHES is this. Listen very carefully. Never forget what is coming next. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS. That is why they are so hard to catch.”

The message of Jesus and his apostles is very different to that of such clergymen. It is a stark warning:

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:36

It is utterly foolish to trifle with God or to disregard him in this life because a time is coming when we will all face God in judgment:

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28

The Bible is clear, salvation will only be given to those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, who know him and who have lived waiting for his return.

Jesus warns us all that there will be religious leaders who are like ‘ravenous wolves’. They enjoy an authoritative role because they have power and influence and are looked up to. Like Little Red Riding Hood we must beware of the ‘big bad wolf’. People must not be deceived by smiles, politeness, dog collars, robes or even large bibles, these wolves look like sheep.

Jesus was primarily referring tot he false teachers of his day, the Pharisees and Sadducees but the warning remains for us today, beware.

How to identify false teachers

It is primarily by their teaching that ‘false prophets’ can be identified. Their message will not centre on Jesus and the salvation he offers, that will be casually assumed, and their focus will be on social and moral issues in society. They won’t tell people that few will find the narrow gate, that few will travel along the narrow path and that the going will be hard. They won’t warn people that lustful thoughts carry the same penalty as adultery, that hatred is the equivalent to murder. They won’t tell people that the only way to be forgiven is to come to Jesus as a guilty penitent sinner and beg his forgiveness. They will seldom if ever talk about the judgment of God. They will not stress that becoming a Christian involves a completely new beginning when we live every day with and for Jesus.

The effect of false doctrine is wrongful living:

“By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:16-18

Watch how they live. Is there a growing love for Jesus and a dependance on him. Do they love to talk about Jesus and the Word of God. Beware of any church ministers do not have this priority. Jesus is warning his followers in every generation - beware.

The apostles often repeated this stern warning against the false teachers in the early church who were characterised by greed, heresy, and immoral behaviour, urging believers to guard the true gospel.

Paul’s warning

Paul warned the Ephesian elders that after his departure, ‘fierce wolves’ would infiltrate the church:

“ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29-30

Paul commanded that if anyone preaches a gospel contrary to what was originally received, they are to be eternally condemned. This is a very serious matter:

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse.” Galatians 1:8-9

Paul alerted Timothy that some would abandon the faith and follow deceiving leaders:.

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3

He described such false teachers as utterly self centred, and obsessed with controversies and arguments and who were were forbidding marriage and ordering abstinence from certain foods..

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:3-5

Peter’s Warning

Peter also predicted that just as there were false prophets in Israel, there would be false teachers in the church who would be motivated by greed, exploiting believers with false words and sensuality.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.” 2 Peter 2:1-3

Peter goes on to describe the awful fate such leaders face

“Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 1:3

John’s Warning

The Apostle John warned against leaders like Diotrephes, who loved to put himself first, refused to accept apostolic authority, and spread "wicked nonsense”.

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” 3 John 9-10

Jude’s Warning

Jude, the brother of Jesus who later led the church in Jerusalem, urged believers to contend for the faith because ‘certain people have crept in unnoticed’ who pervert God’s grace into sensuality and deny Jesus Christ.

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Jude 1:3-4

These warnings from Jesus and his apostles emphasise that false teaching often brings about immoral consequences,, leading to eternal destruction. This is clearly not a matter to be taken lightly.

Who are these ministers?

It is so easy to look around and see church ministers who do not seem to be teaching and acting as God wants. We are very good at judging others! However Jesus warns us:

“Judge not that you be not judged.” Matthew 7:1

The New Testament has much to say about who God’s ministers are:

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12

The church has specific leaders but their job is to train all Christians to be ministers for Christ and to build others up in him. Here are some other passages that emphasis that all Christians have ministry responsibilities:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“. . . you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5
“. . . and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:6
“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:10
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…" 2 Corinthians 5:18

With this perspective on who the ‘ministers’ are, we need to look again at what Jesus is saying here:

“Watch out . . . By their fruit you will recognise them.” Matthew 7:16

I suspect Jesus means the fruit of John 15 and no so much the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 which focus on relationships

Jesus then continues to describe what will happen to some of us ministers when we are presented before him on the Day of Judgment. Saying that we are followers of the Lord Jesus will not be the passport to heaven:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

Even those who talk to others about Jesus, who have been preachers, or miracle workers in Christ’s name may not be admitted to heaven.

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23

The reason is clear, Jesus does not recognise them. They may be recognised in churches by going through the church’s rites such as baptism, confirmation, ordination, consecration or another emotional experience such as being slain in the Spirit of speaking in tongues but still not be known by the Lord Jesus. God’s people love him, talk with him and obey him.

What an awful fate it must have been for a person found guilty of treason or murder to see the judge put on that black cap and pronounce the death sentence. It will be much worse if, when we face Christ as our eternal judge we hear those awful words:

“I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Matthew 7:23

Who passes this stringent test?

Jesus himself was the only sinless person who always acted with integrity. He is love personified. He has the ultimate authority. Earlier in the sermon he said six times:

“You have heard that it was said, . . . But I tell you . . .” Matthew 5: 21, 27, 31, 38, 43

It was Jesus who brought people back to the correct understanding of the Jewish Scriptures. More than that, it was he who became the ‘Suffering Servant’ that Isaiah foresaw, who would die to pay the price for our sin:

“Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6

The only ministers worthy of being followed are those who have the Spirit of Christ, who are also self-sacrificial and think and act with his priorities.

The Day of Judgment approaches

At present many of our grandchildren are going through the ordeal of GCSE and A level exams. Although at the time these seem to be large judgments on them, the real judgement of God is approaching for all of us.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment . . .” Hebrews 9:27

For many this is a horrific prospect as it will mean their being separated from God and all the good things he gives us. The good news however is that for those who are following Jesus, our judgment has already been settled, Jesus has paid the price for us. This verse continues:

“. . . so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28

The ‘great news’ or ‘gospel’ is that there is hope for those who are relying on the Lord Jesus.

It is surely no coincidence that the first story we are told after the Sermon on the Mount is about a man with leprosy, which was then an incurable disease and resulted in people being rejected. Often, in the bible, leprosy is used as a picture of sin. It deforms us, separates us and is eventually fatal. This man, with no hope, came to Jesus and begged for healing:

“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:2-3

This is a picture of what we must all do to be saved, to come humbly on bended knee before Jesus, admit that we are sinners who cannot help ourselves to be good enough for God and ask him to heal and forgive us. The wonderful truth is that he always says:

“I am willing. Be clean”. Matthew 8:4

BVP

Bernard Palmer 16/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 16/06/2026

Matthew 4:12-17. Jesus Alone can Restore Us

In 1998 William Hague, who was later to become leader of the Conservative Party said in the first television interview about his religious beliefs:

“I certainly regard myself as a Christian and my politics are founded on Christian ethics and beliefs.”

He highlighted the ethical underpinnings of Tory policy which he believes should be consistent with the Christian faith, especially the similarities with regard to support for families and belief in limited government. It was striking that he emphasised ethics but omitted to emphasise the centrality of Jesus.

In a local radio broadcast I was invited to sit on a panel with a Sikh, a Muslim, a Jew with myself as a Christian. It was noticeable that all groups emphasised the importance of family and moral values, but the great difference was how we selfish human beings can become right with God and empowered to live in a way that pleases God. The centrality of Jesus, his death for our sin and his resurrection so we could also experience new life were we were widely different.

There are many religions and political parties that admire the moral teaching of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave. However they have seldom seen the context or how it ends. Matthew wrote his record of the gospel to put the focus on a unique Jesus, the only Son of God and our only Saviour. Jesus was not just a great moral teacher, to be put alongside others religious and ethical teachers to give us in the West a helpful steer to help us see our way through the moral maze of the 21st century.

The purpose of Matthew’s record is to show how different Jesus is from everybody else. His lineage showed he was a direct descendant of King David, His extraordinary birth to a virgin, his miracles, his fulfilling the 330 prophecies about the Messiah given in the Jewish Scriptures, culminating in his execution and resurrection, and the content of his teachings are all recorded so we can know that Jesus is God’s King, his Messiah, who came to put people right with God. What John the Baptist taught is the essence of what Jesus taught as was to become the message of his church.

Another prophecy fulfilled

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been imprisoned by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of of Galilee and Perea (land east of the river Jordan), Jesus deliberately returned to Galilee. Up till this time he had lived in the unpopular area of Nazareth but he moved to the more significant town of Capernaum and this became his centre of operations.

“Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali”. Matthew 4:13

Matthew stresses where Jesus moved to as this fulfilled another Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah.

“. . . to fulfil what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles - the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:14-16

Isaiah based his vision on the devastation of the northern lands of Israel around 733 BC when Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria first invaded and captured just the northern areas of the Kingdom of Pekah, king of Israel:

“In the time of Pekah, king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.” 2 Kings 15:29

These maps help explain the relationship between Naphtali and what came to be known as Galilee

It had been precisely these same lands in the north of Israel that, 150 years earlier, Ben-Hadad, King of Syria, had captured from Basha, King of Israel:

“He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali.” 1 Kings 15:20

No wonder it had always been a despised and rejected area of the Promised Land. In our world Donbas, Gaza and Southern Sudan are in the same situation as Gilead, Galilee and Naphtali were in Isaiah’s time. The people there were having a wretched time being a captive nation. Yet God promised through Isaiah:

“ . . . but in the future he will honour Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest.” Isaiah 9:1-3

The ‘Way of the Sea’ was the major highway that went from Egypt to Damascus. It was along this route that most invaders from the East came.

Isaiah was looking forward to a time when these dispossessed people will see ‘a great light’. They were, metaphorically, in a dark place but a light will be coming. Notice that Isaiah used the past tense to emphasise that this promise was a good as done because it is the Word of God.

Matthew is making the point that this ancient prophecy was now fulfilled. Never before or since has that area known real peace but Matthew is saying that Jesus is the ‘light of the world’ and he came from precisely this area.

This prophecy is so relevant today for those who are going through dark times, there is a real light at the end of the tunnel, there is real hope because God himself has entered his world to save us and change us. Isaiah wrote:

“. . . on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

Matthew follows the Septuagint version and says:

“. . . on those living in the the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16

Isaiah said:

“You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy.” Isaiah 9:3

This is not talking about a physical nation but about the Kingdom of God whose members will be filled with a deep joy that nothing can overcome.

So often when passages from the New Testament are quoted there is much to be gained from knowing the context. Many of the Jews would have understood this. Isaiah’s reference to Gilead, Galilee and Naphtali precedes the glorious prophecy that a child will be born who will be God himself and this child will become the Saviour of the world. He would become a blazing light, a ruler who will remove the darkness people were experiencing:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

This is extraordinary. This ruler is divine, he shares the nature of God. His kingdom will continue for ever. This can only be Jesus.

What is also extraordinary is the prophecy that just precedes the mention of Gilead, Galilee and Naphtali. It is must less well known but is staggering to those who study it. Isaiah is told that the Lord will not to follow popular thinking and share the fears of those around. People were terrified that Tiglath-Pileser would continue his invasion. Instead:

“The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” Isaiah 8:13

The Lord God was the rock on which they could stand securely and he will again be the sanctuary for all Jews, whether they lived in Israel or Judah or anywhere else:

“He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” Isaiah 8:14

This divine person will divide people, many stumbling when he comes:

“And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” Isaiah 8:14-15

This is precisely what happened when Jesus appeared. People were divided over him, Satan snared them into rejecting their Messiah. However, this is the wrong way to react. God tells us all through Isaiah, not to focus and mull on our fears but trust in the living God who has revealed himself in his word:

“Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.” Isaiah 8:16

Isaiah then makes the decision that all people should make

“I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.” Isaiah 8:17

When people face problems, even today, such as when a loved one dies or guidance is needed, they may try to find comfort through spiritualists. This is nothing new. They did this in Isaiah’s time:

“When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people enquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19

The Lord is appalled at this reaction, why turn away from the living God who has revealed himself in his Word and turn to evil ways? Isaiah continues:

“Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” Isaiah 8:20

We are being clearly told that it is through the Bible that we can know both what God thinks and what he has done to save us. The promises of God are utterly reliable and that is a key message of the whole Bible.

Another preacher appears

Jesus’ emphasis was also the same as John the Baptist’s, God sees our hearts and our only hope is to completely change the direction in which we have been living and put him, God’s King on the throne of our lives. It is hardly surprising that the authorities were rattled.

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Matthew 4:17

This is the Kingdom that God is going to ensure is established.

If we combine the first words two spoken sentences of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel we read:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

Jesus is clearly announcing that this Kingdom of God where people can experience his peace is intimately related to himself, ‘Come follow me.’

Jesus is utterly different to all other religious leaders. He is so egocentric. Throughout the gospel this humble man unashamedly asks everyone to put him at the centre of their lives because he is none other than the Son of God. He defines Christianity in terms of himself, his rule and his Lordship. This is why ethical reconstructions that use the name Christian are totally inadequate.

Buddha taught the Four Truths and the Eight-fold path and emphasised reincarnation but he never pointed to himself. Muhammad possibly taught the Five Pillars of Islam but he would not point to himself. Hindu holy men may bid others to live pious lives but they would never say ‘in me’.

In the Sermon on the Mount this central theme is repeatedly made clear. Jewish teachers would interpret the Law but Jesus said:

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Matthew 7:28

Jesus unashamedly is claiming to be the ultimate authority:

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Matthew 5:21

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” Matthew 5:11

He even claims the right to decide who will enter heaven and who will not. At the judgment day he will say to some so-called Christian leaders:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

Jesus is saying throughout the Sermon that it is our response to him that is the deciding factor on the day of judgment. Before he gave this sermon Jesus first insisted:

“Come, follow me,” Matthew 4:19

There are only two reasonable reactions to what Jesus was teaching. Either he is a wicked, deranged, egocentric maniac or they are the claims of God himself.The call of Jesus ‘Come follow me” has always been the message of the church. This is how the Bible ends:

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17

Note that when people hear Jesus and come to him, their reaction will be to continue the work and say to others, ‘Come’.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 16/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 16/06/2026

Matthew 3:13-17 Who is Jesus?

The book of Matthew is all about answering this question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ Matthew records the baptism of Jesus to make the answer clear. He presents three sources of evidence:

1. John the Baptist

Jesus came down from Galilee as he wanted to be baptised by John the Baptist. For him baptism meant associating himself with the rest of humanity but more than that, his baptism was to mark his empowering by the Holy Spirit so he could embark on his public ministry. What a shame it is that too often today the association between the rite of baptism and receiving of God’s Spirit, so we can minister for Christ is overlooked. John was not a smooth talking diplomat but a clear thinking individual. He recognised that being religious is not the same as being godly, and said to the Sadducees and Pharisees:

“ You brood of vipers . . .” Matthew 3:7

Thousands of people from all over the region travelled for days to come and hear John. All sorts of people came, which is not surprising as there had been no prophet of God in Israel for 400 years.

He taught the people that they all need to repent because the arrival of God’s Messiah is imminent. He will empower his people with the Holy Spirit and with passion or fire but that he will also be our eternal judge:

“But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12

It was in this deserted place that John looked up and saw Jesus, who happened to be a cousin though they lived in different areas and travel in those days was not easy. He stops being the strong authoritative preacher who was rebuking the religious to being a humble man, full of awe and wonder. He saw Jesus approaching and recognised that Jesus did not need baptism for the forgiveness of his own sins:

“John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?” Matthew 3:16

John was identifying who Jesus is - the Messiah of God. In John’s record of the gospel we read about how John talked about Jesus

“. . . among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” . . . John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John 1:26-31

Although John the Baptist was older than Jesus he recognised that he was ‘before him’ in that he was the Messiah God had promised. He also recognised that he would become the ultimate sacrifice for sin, he was the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Note that there is there is only one gospel, the news about Jesus the Christ who came to die for our sin and empower us to live for God, but we have four authors who wrote about this gospel.

2. Jesus

Jesus now enters centre stage and consequently John the Baptist drops out. John the Baptist described Jesus as the Son of God, saying:

“He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. . . . For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” John 3:30-35

In comparison to Jesus, no man is that important. Any power or authority anyone has, has been given by God.

The question now returns to who Jesus really is. The account of the baptism of Jesus and his subsequent temptation, when he was alone in the wilderness for 40 days, is sandwiched between the key lesson that God wants everyone to understand. John preached:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 3:2

After John the Baptist was arrested Jesus began his public ministry. He moved from Nazareth to the larger town of Capernaum:

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17

Both John and Jesus and his apostles had the same essential message, God’s Messiah has come to rule, so we must repent and live as members of his kingdom. Matthew wants us to grasp the necessity of repentance. This is not like a touch on the rudder of a yacht or a tweak to the compass bearing. It is far more than giving up chocolate for Lent, it is a radical change of direction to be the servant of the Lord Jesus for life.

The gospel message is that if we turn away from living for ourselves to living for him and his glory we have been given the right to be called children of God:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12

We must turn round because of who Jesus is. No-one should turn their back on their sovereign in this world, it is even worse to turn away from the Living God who entered this world out of love to serve us and save us by sacrificing himself.

‍ ‍

3. God the Father

The word of God, spoken from heaven at Jesus’ baptism gives us God’s explanation:

“And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

This message is so reassuring. It is part of the evidence that turning to Christ is what God requires of us - God has said so.. We must turn to him because of who he is. God never asks anyone to do anything radical such as a complete reorientation of their life without giving a clear explanation.

The Bible teaches that God approaches our wills through our minds. Faith is always rational. That is the title of my website www.bvpalmer.com .

In this statement God gives us two clear reasons for following Jesus:

He really is God’s Son
He really is God’s Servant

‍ ‍

Jesus really is God’s Son

Previously John the Baptist had been publicly proclaiming that he was God’s messenger announcing that God was going to visit his earth. Here God’s pronouncement gives us more information, it is essentially a repeat of Old Testament prophecies.

Isaiah 42

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him. . .” Isaiah 42:1

At Jesus’ baptism this promise is repeated, except there is one significant change. Instead of saying, ‘This is my servant’, God says, ‘This is my Son.” Two Old Testament ideas are merged together, the Messiah is both God’s servant and his Son. God will put his powerful Spirit on him, and this is just what happened at Jesus baptism.

Psalm 2

This statement at Jesus’ baptism also encapsulates what God said in Psalm 2. This gives the clearest explanation that the Messiah will actually be God’s own Son. This remarkable psalm teaches both who the Messiah will be and what response is expected from all of us. It foresees that the nations will rebel against the rule of God and gives his reaction:

“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” Psalm 2:4-6

God then says to his Son,

“He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” Psalm 2:7-8

This psalm then goes on to explain the reaction God expects from all people, people who naturally see themselves as kings of their own lives:

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Psalm 2:10-12

To be wise, to serve the Lord, to kiss God’s Son and to take refuge in the Son is the response that God expects of all people.

Isaiah 11

This prophecy confirms that the Messiah will be a direct descendant of Jesse, the father of King David, and that he will be endowed with the Spirit of God:

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:1-3

The Holy Spirit of God will come upon God’s King, confirming that he is God’s eternal ruler.

The message of John the Baptist is that the Messiah has arrived in the person of Jesus Jesus then identifies himself and finally God confirms Jesus true identity. These are the three sources of evidence that Matthew presents. Note that Jesus never refuses to accept that he is God’s Messiah and later in his ministry he is open about this. This is what led to his crucifixion. He did extraordinary miracles that broke God’s laws of nature, The resurrection is the final proof that he is the son of God.

Notice how the devil understood the meaning of Jesus’ baptism and of God’s statement. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness:

“ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:3

This was also the essence of the second temptation:

“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.” Matthew 4:6

Jesus being the Son of God is the ultimate reason why we should turn to him and realign our lives into serving him. This is the only wise response. Not to do so is most foolish Yet how many today put themselves in to the category of being foolish:

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” Psalm 14:1

People may not reject God publicly, they may even go to church, but in their hearts they do not serve God or his Son. It is absurd to give all our energies, resources and time to our jobs or even to our families if God has revealed himself in his Son.

Nigel Lawson became Chancellor of the Exchequer in Margaret Thatcher’s government. He later agreed to be interviewed by the psychiatrist Dr Anthony Clare in his programme ‘In the Psychiatrist's Chair’ where he was asked:

“What do you think the point of life is?’

He replied,

“I don’t believe in anything beyond life. I just think it is our family that goes on for ever.”

Two sentences later he had to admit that he had sat at the bedside of his daughter as she died. If God has sent his Son, it would be absurd to go on living just for your family. God says, ‘This Jesus is my Son.’ Bring your family to him. Bring your whole life under his rule. It is absurd to put anything else above his rule.

What is it that stops people responding to the call of God that we must repent? When asked this question one man admitted:

“It is my pride. I will find it very hard to go back to tell my work mates and my family, ‘I have been going in the wrong direction.’

God gives us a clear explanation why we must change direction:

“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:17

Jesus really is God’s Servant

The Son of Almighty God has come to serve us, he came to die in our place. He really does love us. This is the second reason we are given as to why we must turn to him. Isaiah foretold:

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” Isaiah 42:1-4

Throughout the world people of all nations are crying out for leaders they can trust and whose decisions are all just and based on love. Jesus stands out, there never has been anyone like him. Isaiah, in his 4th song about God’s servant, God’s Messiah, wrote:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6

This passage then tells us that God’s servant will rise from death:

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.” Isaiah 53:10-11

After his resurrection this same Jesus, whose love for us led to his death, will receive glory:

“Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:12

If this Servant of God was willing to die for me and was raised to sit in glory with his Father, who am I to refuse to bow humbly before him, with hearts full of gratefulness?

So when God introduces his Son, he uses the language of the suffering servant. It is he who is, as John the Baptist explained:

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29

Jesus indeed became the ultimate sacrificial lamb.

One reason that some give for not accepting God’s call to follow his Son is that they don’t want to change the direction of their lives. I well remember one medical student who was interested in the Christian message. He recognised that the evidence for Jesus being God’s Son, who died for us and rose again, was very strong. However he declined the invitation to ask Jesus into his life and the reason he gave was ‘I like living as I am and don’t want to change’. He clearly hadn’t really understood who Jesus is and how much God loves him.

In contrast God’s focus is all on Jesus. He is not only God’s ruler but also his suffering servant. He embodies the love of God for each one of us. Jesus is calmly identified as such, the response God expects is clear and the reason why God expects this response is because he is both God’s King and his Suffering Servant. This is God’s message to each of us:

“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:17

John Williams was working for one of the large commodity firms in the City of London. He was not a Christian. He regularly received a copy of all the Penguin Books published in their classic series. He had just been sent Dr E.V Rieu’s translation of the four gospels. He had got as far as Luke’s gospel. Very late one evening he was travelling home by train from Victoria station. He settled into a corner seat and continued to read Luke’s gospel, having got as far as the trial of Jesus.

There were two other men in the compartment, one was an Englishman and the other an American. The Englishman suddenly had an epileptic fit and fell to the floor. The American leapt up to loosen his collar and put a handkerchief into his mouth to stop him biting his tongue. The American said to John Williams:

“I am awfully sorry but this happens several times each week. You see, we were in the Korean War together and I was wounded and left in no mans land, and this Englishman can and rescued me., carrying me to safety. Just as we were arriving at a safe position a shell landed beside us and the next thing that we knew was that we were in hospital. I was invalided out of the army, back to America. When I heard that the Englishman would never get better I left my job, broke off my engagement and came to England to look after him. You see, he did that for me. There is nothing I cannot do for him.”

By the time they arrived at the next station, the Englishman was improved and he and the American left the train. John Williams continued to read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus with that phrase still ringing in his ears:

“You see, he did that for me. There is nothing I cannot do for him.”

Suddenly he closed the book, knelt in the compartment of the train and gave his life to Christ. The significance of Jesus, the Son of God, coming as a Servant to die for him made sense. He realised he had to respond in the only way he could and become a follower of Jesus. The truth of what the apostle Peter said now made sense,

“Christ died to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18

BVP.

Bernard Palmer 16/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 16/06/2026

Matthew 3:1-12 What Does Repentance Mean?

One important way that Biblical authors emphasise a key message is by the repetition of words. In this passage a repeated word is ‘Repent’, it comes three times. Matthew is stressing that the fact of God sending Jesus Christ as his chosen king or Messiah demands our response, we must repent.

The word ‘repent’ does not mean a sentimental feeling of remorse, it involves a change of direction. Literally the English word traces back to the Latin verb ‘pensare’ means ‘to weigh, think or consider’ so to ‘repent’ is to ‘reconsider’, ‘to change direction’. The Greek word for ‘repent’ is μετανοέω (metanoeō), which also means ‘to change one's mind’. It is a compound word, with ‘meta’ meaning ‘change’ and ‘noein’ referring to the mind, thought, or perception. So ‘repentance’ involves a fundamental shift in thinking and perspective, going beyond mere regret to a change of heart and intention. This in turn always leads to a change in behaviour. In the Bible repentance means to change direction so that Jesus takes the lead in our lives, it is a summons to return to God.

The Bible scholar, Don Carson, has said about ‘repentance’:

“What is meant is not merely an intellectual change of mind or mere grief. Still less doing penance but rather a radical transformation of the whole person. A fundamental turnaround involving mind and action. It includes overtones of grief, which results in fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Thus in this passage repentance led to action:

“Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.”

It is unfortunately all too easy for people to enjoy religious and even Christian activities and even to become religious leaders and not understand that the only way into eternal life is through the door of repentance. In verse 7 we read that many of the religious elite, the Sadducees and the Pharisees came out to hear John the Baptist. John realised what was in their minds and warned them:

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:7-8

Christian repentance is far more than a feeling, it results in a new direction in life. These religious people thought that because they believed orthodox doctrines and were part of the establishment, with a good pedigree that they must be in good standing before God. How wrong they were.

“And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” Matthew 3:9.

There is a very real judgment facing all of us and Jesus can see whether hypocrisy is in people’s hearts:

“The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 3:10

Jesus gave a similar warning to some church leaders who had the outward appearance but whose hearts were not given to Jesus:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23

This is why a reversal of direction a turning round is essential. The British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. famously said,

“The lady is not for turning.”

However,, whether we will submit to the rule of Jesus or not is a vital decision It is very hard for many of us to admit that we have been going in the wrong direction.

A middle class successful Australian man started going to church. One day he summonsed his daughter and two younger sons and solemnly announced that he had an apology to make.

“I’ve been listening to what has been said in church, taken it all in, realised it is true and that I have been leading the family in the wrong direction for the last 18 years. I am deeply sorry but from now on we’re going a different way - Christ’s way”

That is an example of true repentance.

Matthew gives us here three convincing reasons why we should repent.

1. God’s Has Promised v. 3-6

This section begins with a quote from the prophet Isaiah. In this way Matthew is emphasising that all of Scripture is the Word of God and profitable for us.

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” Matthew 3:3 and Isaiah 40:3

It is a strange coincidence that just as there are 39 books in the Old Testament, the first half of Isaiah consists of 39 chapters. Chapter 40 of Isaiah introduces the notion of a prophet preparing people for the coming of the Lord. Matthew is the 40th book in the bible, the first in the New Testament and this book also starts with a prophet, John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Lord.

This voice is calling on God’s people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. He will come when they are ‘in the desert’. The message is urgent, the Messiah is coming, get ready. Just as when a President or Royalty are about to visit people tidy everything up, so we are told to do some hard work and make a straight highway for the Lord. Surely this is telling us to go straight! The response that people confessed their sins does suggest that this moral sense was well understood.

Isaiah’s message was that the Messiah, God’s chosen King is coming so get ready and make a fresh start, repent.

Why does Matthew talk about the clothes John the Baptist was wearing and the food he was eating?

“John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” Matthew 3:4

There is a story in the Old Testament about King Ahaziah who had fallen from a height and was injured. He sent his servants to ask Elijah whether he would live. When they returned the king asked them:

“What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?” They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.”The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

Elijah was identified by his dress code. John the Baptist had emulated this dress as he wanted all to know that heals came with a warning that was from God. This is why the gospel writers are specific about his clothes - he was speaking on behalf of God.

The prophet Malachi had made a promise:

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.” Malachi 4:5

The role of this forerunner to the Messiah was clear, it would be to call people to repent, to turn.

“He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:6

All God’s promises to us are fulfilled in Jesus, he promised he would come and now he has come. John’s message is timeless. It is relevant for both the first and second comings of Jesus. He is coming, so ‘Get ready’. It is only reasonable to remove all obstacles that are in the way of pleasing him.

During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, Admiral Horatio Nelson famously ignored a signal from his superior, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, to retreat by holding a telescope to his blind eye. This story is the origin of the idiom to ‘turn a blind eye,’ meaning to deliberately ignore something. Nelson continued the battle, leading the British to a decisive victory.

Today there are many who treat God’s orders in a similar way and hope they will get away with this as Nelson did. God has only one word for such people, they are fools.

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:21-22

Those who refuse to turn are refusing forgiveness, eternal life and the opportunity of being part of God’s family.

Shōichi Yokoi was a Japanese soldier found in Guam in January 1972. He had been hiding for nearly 28 years after World War II, refusing to surrender due to the shame of capture, even after the war ended in 1945. He lived in a handmade cave and survived on a diet of foraged food, eventually becoming a symbol of outdated pre-war Japanese values when he returned to Japan. There are many reasons people give for refusing to surrender to Christ but loss of face is a common reason. What would my family and work colleagues think? Such people forget to ask,

‘But what will God think and do if I refuse his offer of forgiveness?’

‍ ‍

2. God’s view of us v. 7-10

God cannot be bluffed. Just as John the Baptist saw what the Sadducees and Pharisees were really like, so God can see what is in our hearts:

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”

Why were these senior religious people picked out for criticism? Their external veneer would have been impressive. If John had turned to prostitute,s thieves, paedophiles, rapists or murderers and warned them, everyone would agree with the criticism but why the morally correct, religious people. If they will be rejected by God what chance have ordinary people?

Why had the many Sadducees and Pharisees come? Was it possibly to add baptism to their religious Curriculum Vitae qualifications? Without repentance, baptism is a meaningless ritual. Perhaps they did not intend to be baptised but had come to find errors in John’s ministry. They did seem self satisfied:

“We have Abraham as our father.” Matthew 3:9

They possibly saw themselves above such popular enthusiasm. John the Baptist takes them head on.

“I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” Matthew 3:9

The Bible makes it clear that to be Children of Abraham, to be one of God’s Chosen People we each have to have the same personal walk with God that Abraham had. Having the right parents , being brought up in the right family and being subjected to the right religious ceremonies does not mean we are one of God’s people.

God said to Abraham,

“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.” Genesis 17:4

But Genesis makes plain that Abraham did not father a multitude of nations in a physical or political sense. Therefore, the meaning of God’s promise was probably that a multitude of nations would somehow enjoy the blessings of sonship even though physically unrelated to Abraham.

God said to Abraham:

“In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:3

God knew that Jesus would be Abraham’s offspring and that in him people of all nations could be blessed. God later said to Abraham:

“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.” Genesis 17:4

Was this speaking about the Jews and possibly some Arab nations or did he mean that a multitude of nations would somehow enjoy the blessings of being God’s people without being physically related to Abraham.

Paul makes the meaning clear.

“ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

To become a child of Abraham is to truly believe in the promises of God. Obeying the Lord Jesus is the proof that we belong to him. In a discussion on this subject with some Jews, Jesus distinguished being Abraham’s descendants and his children:

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father. “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.” John 8:37-39

Note that Jesus distinguishes being Abraham’s ‘descendants’ from being his ‘children’. Abraham was saved by God because he had a personal obedient faith in Him.

“And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.” Romans 4:11

“Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18

This is how Abraham has blessed the world and became the ‘father of many nations’.

These Sadducees and Pharisees thought they were ‘alright’. They didn’t realise how much they needed to be forgiven by God. Jesus told a telling parable about a Pharisee who went to the temple to pray:

“The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’” Luke 18:11-12

In contrast a tax collector prayed:

“God be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:13

Jesus then explained that it was the tax-collector who ‘went home justified before God.’ Jesus had told this story to some:

“. . . who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.” Luke 18:7

This vital truth is something those of us who have some sort of faith must understand. Only Jesus can save and he only saves those who are utterly dependant on who he is and on his death as the substitute for our sin.

3. God forgives and changes us through Jesus. v. 11-14

Today there are many who hope they will be acceptable to God because of the religion or church they belong to. In his day there would have been many who said, ‘I am a follower of John the Baptist’. But John the Baptist is saying:

‘I do not have the power to offer forgiveness.’

No person, whether ordained or not, has this power to forgive sins and the tendency to sin. All we can do is follow the example of John and point others to Jesus. Ezekiel tells us that God has promised one day to send his Holy Spirit into all his people who will wash away our sin and wash our hearts. It is God himself who can cleanse us from our sin and bring forgiveness. There are some whose understanding of repentance is limited. They tell people:

‘Turn around and follow God, flee from the coming wrath.’

However if this message is one without the forgiveness that Jesus offers they will simply be turning to face the God of wrath.

Martin Luther

In his early days, Martin Luther feared and resented God, viewing Him as a wrathful judge rather than a gracious saviour. This intense fear stemmed from his understanding of God's ‘righteousness’ as God's holiness and therefore his active punishment of sinners, a concept he came to despise as he desperately tried to earn God's favour through his own works as a monk. His perspective shifted only after a theological breakthrough coming from his study of the Bible, leading him to realise that God's righteousness was a gift given through faith, not something earned. Luther initially saw God as a terrifying judge who demanded impossible perfection and then punished humans for their failures. He saw God's righteousness as a force that actively condemned him, not one that offered mercy. As a monk, Luther's efforts to appease this wrathful God were ceaseless. He engaged in severe penance, fasts, and vigils, believing that through his own works he could become righteous enough to earn God's favour. This was ultimately futile and left him feeling empty.

The change came when he re-examined the Bible, particularly the book of Romans. He had an epiphany where he understood that God's righteousness was not something to be earned, but was given as a gift through faith in Christ. He came to see that:

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17

God’s gift is to share his righteousness with his people because we belong to his Him.

This understanding transformed his view of God from one of fear and anger to one of grace and love, a change he described as feeling like he had "gone through open doors into paradise".

It was a disaster that Church authorities had been mistranslating the word ‘repent’ as ‘do penance’ for nearly 1,000 years. Jerome’s Vulgate translation of the Bible had rendered ‘metanoia’ as “paenitentiam agite,” which means “do penance.” Penance was taught to be an act of punishment or atonement for sin, in spite of the fact that there is nothing we can do to atone for our sins. This turned repentance into something to be accomplished through confession to a priest or bought through indulgences. This error was exposed in Luther’s lifetime thanks to the publication of a new Latin translation of the New Testament Greek taken from ancient manuscripts by Desiderius Erasmus. The Greek word in question ‘metanoia’, is a common term in the New Testament, meaning, as we have seen, ‘a change of heart’ or ‘a change of mind.’

In the second thesis of the 95 Theses, Luther supported Erasmus’ understanding of ‘metanoia’ saying:

"This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.”

Luther argued that this mistranslation had created an entire penitential system that undermined Christ’s atonement by adding man-made laws, which instilled unnecessary guilt and uncertainty in the hearts of Christians while consolidating power in the hands of the papacy.

It is God alone who can save us, our role is to introduce people to the Saviour. The condition God insists on if anyone is to be accepted into His kingdom is that we must repent and turn our lives over to following Jesus, God’s Son. It is his death that has won our salvation.

John’s emphasis was on the necessity of there being a change of heart. He said:

“I baptise you with water for repentance.” Matthew 3:11

The water used is not holy water, even the act of baptism of itself saves nobody. Baptism symbolises the washing of rebirth that God gives us when we truly repent. In the New Testament this is associated with the gift of the Spirit to empower us to live for Christ. If baptism does not result in a change to being more like Jesus, it is a meaningless activity as far as that individual is concerned.

John is telling his listeners, and us, that Jesus is not to be trifled with. So often we try and put Jesus in the dock and judge him when the reality is that it is he who will judge us.

“But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12

This loving Christ gives all of us who repent His Holy Spirit who will change us. The evidence of his presence in our lives is that we will increasingly:

Love Jesus
Love His Word
Love to rest in the assurance of his salvation
Love to obey him, live lives that please him
Love to pray
Love His people - fellow Christians
Love others still outside of Christ as they are also God’s creation
Love to share the gospel about Jesus with others
Look forwards to being with our Lord in heaven

Any who fail to repent and turn to Christ will eventually have to face him in judgment and the prospect of eternal rejection by him. Not to repent is sheer folly. It means rejecting the facts of history as well as the voice of conscience. We cannot go on hoping to bluff God, hoping that all will work out well in the ned. It won’t without Jesus Christ. Not to repent is to ignore God’s greatest gift to us, the forgiveness he offers us in his Son.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 13/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 13/06/2026

Matthew 7:13-14 The Broad and Narrow Ways

In this final section of the Sermon on the mount Jesus calls his hearers to make a decision about him. He is saying that we must all decide:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

This follows on from that epic statement that summarises the central section of his teaching:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12

The ‘others’ here includes God as well as our neighbours. When Jesus was asked later what were the most important of the Lord’s commandments he summarised it in similar terms, by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy, part of the Torah:

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus now comes to his conclusion, he drives home his message and calls on all of us to make a response. He does this by contrasting the two possible roads that people take.

Two Gates

The first gate is very wide and is easy to get through. Indeed it is so broad that it is easy to pass through it without realising it is there.

The other gate is small and might even seem to be insignificant. It is certainly ignored by many. It is tight and not easy to get through. It reminds me of my visits to Spurs football ground. To get in to have to pass through a very narrow turnstiles - I could only squeeze through.

Jesus is talking about entering his Kingdom, starting out on the Christian life. At the beginning of the Sermon, Jesus taught the Beatitudes, where he describes the mindset of those who are to be blessed by God. To realise how spiritually poor we are, to be poor in spirit, to mourn over our sinfulness, to be meek (not weak) before God and others, to hunger and thirst for righteousness. He then acknowledges that such people will not have an easy life:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

Jesus keeps repeating that our eyes should always be on the next life. To be blessed by God gives us an assured hope of life with him in eternity. It is a large claim. As in the rest of the sermon, those who are looking for an easy life will not notice the narrow gate or find it at all attractive. If we do, it is a sign that God is calling us to himself. Remember what Jesus said in the centre of the sermon:

“‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. . . ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:19-24

The Greek word for ‘money’ used is mamōnas or ‘mammon’. This is a transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning wealth, property, or money or any worldly values. Jesus is saying we cannot serve God and worldliness at the same time.

To pass through the narrow gate means that much that we value, that we would naturally want to hold tightly onto, has to be left behind if we are going to pass through the narrow gate. It could be called the ‘narrow gate of repentance’. We realise that all we have, has been given to us by God and now our lives and all we have are to be used for his glory. This is a repeated theme of Jesus. Later he reminded his disciples:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

Jesus is saying that those who turn to him as a cheat ‘eternal life insurance policy’ have missed the point. He wants people who will serve him and live for God. He calls us to leave our self-interest behind.

Two Ways

The contrast between the two paths is clear:

“ . . . broad is the road”, is very different to “ . . . narrow is the road.”

The broad road is easy to rush along, there is plenty of room for everyone. You can live as you want, rest when you feel like it. You make the decisions as it is you who is in charge. A person like this could be described as

“A self-made man who worships his creator"

This witty remark - often attributed to John Bright regarding Benjamin Disraeli, implies that a person is arrogant, or proud of their own accomplishments that they effectively worship themselves.

The narrow road is very different. It is bumpy and hard going. Again this is a picture to remind people that members of God’s kingdom are not free to choose their own way, their decisions are now guided by the mind of God.

It is important to stress that those who decide to pass through the narrow gate and travel on the narrow way will never be alone. At first sight it seems to be a very tough decision. The writer to the Hebrews recognised this but he reminds his readers of one vital fact:

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

What a wonderful promise God gives to all who follow him. It keeps being repeated in Scripture. When Joshua was commissioned to lead the children of Israel into the Promised land and defeat the Canaanites he was told this path would not be easy, he was to live as God teaches in his Word, but again God gave him a promise:

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9

To those on the broad road, looking across at those on the narrow way they can only see the restrictions, they do not see the joy of walking in step with our creator. Earlier in this sermon Jesus is very clear that we still have to make this decision even though we are also concerned about all the normal worries of life. Can we trust God? Jesus says:

“ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

What is so attractive about Jesus is that he makes the costs and benefits absolutely clear. He is not like so many politicians who say what they think their voters want to hear. Jesus is straight. There are just two gates and two roads.

Two Groups

Those who enter through the wide gate and travel along the broad road are many. This is not surprising as the road is apparently easy to progress along. I remain at the centre so it naturally appeals. Being in a crowd is so reassuring. Surely we can’t all be wrong - can we? Could the minority be in the right?

The other group, on the narrow way are fewer in numbers, though still significant.

“. . . and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14

Jesus used a significant verb. Those on this way have had to ‘find’ it, they were looking for salvation. Jesus had said a little earlier:

“‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

There are people who say that they are interested but are waiting for God to do something to pull them over the line of commitment to him. There is a Chinese saying:

“Man stand long time, with mouth wide open, waiting for roast duck to fly in.”

Our consciences may be pricked and our desire for purpose clear but then it is up to us to determine who Jesus is and whether what he says, that does resonate with our consciences, is really true.

What is it then that draws people to go through the narrow gate and travel on this harder road? Jesus said later to his followers:

“‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

Jesus is not the smooth-talking salesman, he honestly longs that people with travel with him. That is the secret - the God of this universe has promised to accompany us through life and give us real joy and satisfaction in our service of him. The Lord himself promises to be always close to us.

Two destinations

This is fundamental. Just as students have to work hard if they are going to do well in the exams, or sportsman have to train hard if they are to succeed, so putting God first in life will lead to the ultimate reward. There are many satisfactions in this life that in themselves make following Christ worthwhile, but it is the destination that is crucial.

“For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Mathew 7:13

For those who do not seek to satisfy God the ending could not be worse. They will end up outside God’s Kingdom, rejected by the God who entered this world to save us. The Jews expected that God would accept them simply because they were born as Jews. Jesus teaches that the chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, are those people who have a similar personal faith in the Lord as Abraham had. People of all nationalities will become followers of God’s Messiah and so will be saved. Jesus said later,

“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:11-12

At the final judgment there will be much unhappiness when, too late, people realise they have not sought out the salvation that Jesus alone can give us.

Jesus is encouraging us all, in that while the journey may be arduous, the destination will make all our dedicated hard work so worthwhile. All that makes life hard will pale into insignificance when we finally meet Jesus and be with him.

Two choices

Although there are two gates, two roads, and two groups Jesus wants everyone to understand these truths, not so that we are just better informed but so that we may act and make a wise decision. There are only two possible destinations:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:36

We all decide one way or the other. Yet there are people who do not want to make a decision. They want to wait until they understand more or are more convinced. In practice the vast majority of those who don’t want to make a decision do so because they do not want God to be their God. In practice they have already decided. To say, “I am not going to choose” is to say that I am not taking Jesus seriously. Not to decide to follow Christ is to say I want to stay as I am, on the easy path where I am in control.

By default we are all on the broad way and we have to make a positive decision to leave that road and pass though the narrow gate onto the narrow road. Jesus message keeps being repeated.

“Turn off the broad road, repent and come, follow me.”

A decision is made

Imagine the crowd travelling along the broad road. They have passed through the broad gate and taken no notice of the signpost their that says:

“To Destruction”

They are happily travelling along. Everyone has a rucksack on their back. Some rucksacks are large others smaller but everyone has one. They represent their sin, their innate rebellion against God’s rule and the actions that result from this.

Then one person, going with the crowd notices the small gate going off at the side. It has a signpost that says:

“To Life”

Something draws him to investigate. It all makes such sense. The person knows instinctively that he has not lived as God wants and when he hears that he can be forgiven and given a power to live a different, God-centred life he feels drawn to this. As a result he starts going in the opposite direction to the crowd.

“What’s up with you. Are you thinking of joining the God-squad?’

Those around mockingly ask suck questions. What better reply could be give than:

“I know I am a sinner before God and I want to end up in heaven and not hell. Doesn’t truth matter to you any more?”

When this person tries to pass through the narrow gate of repentance they find that the rucksack on their back is preventing them passing through. Sin is a major impediment. However at this point someone says:

“Can I take that burden of sin from you?”

It is Jesus, who then takes that burden and placers it at the foot of his cross. That person is then free to pass through the narrow gate and starts travelling along this new route. The difference is that there is someone else constantly travelling alongside. It is the Spirit of God himself. The problems and hurdles are real, but now there is real help at hand that enables us to overcome all difficulties. This road ends at eternal life.

To reject Jesus is to reject God. To reject ‘life’ will inevitably result in ‘destruction’.

If we believe Jesus is who he claimed to be, proved by fulfilling those 330 Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, doing extraordinary miracles, rising from the dead after three days and teaching what surely resonates with our inner consciences, then the choice we have to make is straight forward. Jesus lays down stark realities and demands that each of us makes a response. He says:

“Follow me, accept my forgiveness and empowerment and receive life or reject me, go your own way and face the eternal awful consequences.”

To teach us about this choice is why Jesus came to his earth, he longs that we turn to him. He pleads with and commands us to repent, to rethink the direction of our lives.

About 1250 BC Joshua was coming to the end of his life. He had made this decision to follow the Lord but he realised that many of those who were formally God’s people had still not made a personal commitment to follow the Lord. He called all the people together and said to them:

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshipped beyond the River Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15

John’s gospel has the same message about the privilege of receiving Jesus as our Saviour and Lord:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12-13

What a privilege.

BVP

Bernard Palmer 09/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 09/06/2026

Matthew 4:1-11 What Should I Believe In?

Everybody has something they believe in, something they live for. For some it is just their football club, others it is their career, popularity or family but we all believe in something. All people are people of faith, what differs is what we believe in.

Martin Luther King Jr. connected faith to action, courage, and perseverance, viewing it as a force to overcome uncertainty. He is quoted as saying,

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase”.

Our faith or beliefs shape the way we live. Some have faith in ‘scientific materialism’, thinking that what they can see is all that there is. Atheists believe that there is no creator and that when we die the chemicals that made my body return to the soil and the cycle of new life being formed is repeated. The difficulty they have is logically deriving values such as honesty, love and beauty and the need for integrity from such a faith, so usually other beliefs are co-opted in even though it is impossible to see where they come from logically

Some business men make their career their overriding faith. Success and money are their goal. “Money” was a track from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd in 1973 which epitomises this belief:

“Money, get away
A new car, caviar
Four star day-dream
Think I’ll buy a football team”

Many rise early in the morning, get home late, pursuing materialistic goals, thinking ‘I’ll get as much as I can whilst I can’. Unfortunately such goals are only seen to be empty when they die. What have they then?

Sir Richard Branson (born 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, controls many companies and financially he is worth billions. In his biography he obviously values his family. He has immense energy and was given his knighthood for his contribution as an entrepreneur. He founded Virgin records, Virgin airways and Virgin railways. Yet he is an atheist,

“I would love to believe," he said. "It's very comforting to believe”.

Yet he clearly does believe in many things but has chosen not to accept the rule of God.

What people believe in shapes how they will shape our lives. There is no such thing as a non-believer. Most of us have a portfolio of beliefs that usually involve what we enjoy most.

Matthew has written this book to ask us if our belief system stands up under scrutiny.. In this passage we read that Jesus’ beliefs were tested to the limit and his responses confirm who he is. Matthew has one major aim in chapters 1-4, he wants everyone to understand who Jesus is and therefore to turn and trust completely in Jesus Christ. He is showing us that Jesus is God’s only Son, he is his Messiah, his King so, because of this, we should leave all other ideologies and trust and follow only him.

John the Baptist’s essential message was:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 3:2

Jesus’ essential message was the same:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17

All people must turn round the direction of their lives because God’s Kingdom and God’s Son have entered his world.

That all people, religious or not must repent and turn to Jesus is the message of the whole Bible. As an example, look at the book of Ezekiel, written when God’s people had been sent as slaves to Babylon. God’s message to them was the same as it always is:

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” Ezekiel 18:23

“Repent! Turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your downfall. Ezekiel 18:30

“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” Ezekiel 18:32
“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ Ezekiel 33:11
“If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so.” Ezekiel 33:18-19

Matthew is telling us all that we must turn and give our loyalty to Jesus. In this passage we are told that Jesus proved himself to be God’s son by the way he was tried and tested. Jesus stood up under fire as no other person and no other belief systems can do.

Some, when interpreting this passage focus on the temptations we will face and how to deal with them, but Matthew is saying much more than this. His focus is on who Jesus is, he is continuing to say that Jesus proved himself to be our Lord and Saviour by the manner he overcame the most severe temptations.

Revision

At Jesus’ baptism God identified his Son in no uncertain terms:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

God is picking up on the great prophecy of Isaiah, - here are two translations:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,” (NIV)

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;:” (ESV) Isaiah 53:4

Literally, the Hebrew of the Isaiah prophecies says ‘he lifted off’ our pain or griefs. It is as if you have a great pile of work on your desk that you cannot cope with and then someone else takes it off you out of the goodness of their heart - out of grace. The word translated ‘bore’ or ‘carried’ is literally ‘shouldered’. God will shoulder or take responsibility for all that troubles us. Isaiah is saying that God’s King, his suffering Servant, will lift off our burden and take responsibility for it. But what is this burden we carry? The next verse answers this:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

Isaiah is saying that the Messiah, the Suffering Servant, would die as our substitute. He would take responsibility for our sin. Isaiah then explains how the Messiah would fulfil all that the Old Testament sacrifices modelled:

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6

The question we all need to answer is whether Jesus really is this person that God has promised. Can he open the the gateway to heaven by fulfilling the ministry of the suffering Servant?

The Temptations of Jesus

Jesus substantiated his claim to be God’s Messiah by the way he overcame these three very real temptations. .

God still allows us all to face temptations and other pressures, he tests us to know what is in our heart. Jesus was also repeatedly tested but he passed each test, so proving that he is truly the Son of God.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Isaiah 4:1-2

This testing after 40 days mirrored the 40 years the Israelites were tested in the wilderness. ‘He was hungry’ was surely an understatement but this was also what the Israelites faced. The Israelites were hungry and feared starving in the wilderness, which is why God provided manna as a daily food source, teaching them to rely on God rather than their own resources.

First temptation v. 1-4

Satan came to Jesus when he was weakened by hunger and tempted him seek the supernatural help instead of trusting what God says

“The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’”‍ ‍Matthew 4:3

If Jesus had opted to use his divine power to serve his own needs and comfort it would have undermined his whole ministry. He had left heaven to become God’s Suffering Servant, to take on himself the suffering and separation from God that our sin deserves. If he failed in this test he would have failed to fulfil God’s will. If he failed here he would never be willing to go to the cross. If he failed here he was not the perfect suffering Servant who would die for us out of love. In the Garden of Gethsemane, instead of saying:

“Not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

He would have been meaning:

“Not your will but mine be done.”

If Jesus had given in to an earthly appetite he would be a sinner just as we are so he could not be the ‘lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). What Peter said would be untrue:

“He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth” 1 Peter 2:22

It is therefore significant that Jesus answered by reminding Satan what God’s word says in Deuteronomy 8:3:

‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

The words Jesus quoted come immediately after the words of God in Deuteronomy explaining why people are tested.

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:2-3

Jesus is acknowledging that he is the Son of God and that God has spoken and all people must listen. Jesus passed this test. Isn’t this the issue that Matthew wants us all to grasp? Whatever problems we face, we must not immediately look to the supernatural but trust in what our heavenly Father has said.

When Jesus quoted from the Old Testament he affirms that the Jewish Scriptures are God’s authoritative word and that he himself is the LORD God.

“Jesus answered, It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Greek θεός).’” Matthew 4:4

This original quotation in our Bible reads:

“ . . . that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 8:3

Jehovah and God (theos) mean the same.

The lesson for us is clear. We must feed on the word of God if we are to be spiritually well-nourished. To fail to study the Bible as we approach all the temptations of life is worse than entering for an exam and not doing any preparation for it.

Second temptation v. 5-7

Jesus is next tested on whether he will trust what God has said about who he is or will he seek further supernatural confirmation:

“Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Matthew 4:5-6

Jesus knew the 330 prophecies about himself in the Jewish Scriptures and he had just heard God say:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

Now Jesus was being tempted to doubt what his Father had said.

In the wilderness,God similarly promised his people that he would be with them through thick and thin but they repeatedly put God to the test and did not obey him. They did not trust his word. Sadly we all act similarly but Jesus alone is different, he has passed the test.

I once picked up a hitch-hiker who turned out to have been a soldier in the Falklands War. He and his company had been descending down Tumbledown hill to Port Stanley when they came under intense machine gun fire. He said that his friend next to him was hit in the head and died instantly. He then added,

‘We all dug in as best we could and we all prayed”.

I asked if even the atheists prayed:

“Oh yes, we all did.”
“Do you still pray?” I asked.
“Oh no, I don’t need to now!”

Unfortunately many treat God in such a way, only turning to him when there is a real problem and when the problem is over forgetting what was prayed. Too often God is treated as a commodity.

If Jesus had decided to opt for the spectacular, miraculous path that Satan had suggested, instead of trusting his Father to watch over him and care for him through all hardships, he would not have been able to face the real horror of the cross. Would he call on legions of his angels to deliver him? No, Jesus had given up all the privileges of being God when he came to earth as the Suffering Servant. Matthew wants us to see that Jesus knew that he was God’s Son because of what the Scriptures said, because of what His Father had said at his baptism, so he must act accordingly by faith. He refused to take a short cut. He could have descended from the cross but he again refused because he was not only the Son of God but also the Suffering Servant:

“Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their headsand saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” Matthew 27:39-41

Thankfully Jesus replied to Satan:

“It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Matthew 4:7

Here Jesus is again quoting from the time the Israelites were in the wilderness and were deviating away from the Lord:

“Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.” Deuteronomy 6:14-16

There is only one God and Jesus is saying that he is that God.

This temptation to look for signs and miracles has always been a strong device of Satan. After the miraculous feeding of the 4,000:

“The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” Mark 8:11-12

Jesus strongly rebukes those who demand signs as a condition for belief, calling them a ‘wicked and adulterous generation’. This ‘adultery’ is spiritual, referring to a heart that is unfaithful to God and seeks external proof rather than trusting His character and his word.

“He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:39

They had already been given so much evidence for Jesus being God’s Messiah, they had heard what he taught and did not want to obey. The biblical standard for a relationship with God is to:

“. . . walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

Repeatedly looking for signs can reveal a lack of trust in God’s promises and a desire for control rather than surrender.The Lord is still looking for willing obedience to all that he says in his word.

Third Temptation v. 8-10

The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9

This offer was absurd. Jesus had created the whole world but then deliberately had left the glory of heaven to come and suffer of that cross for each of us. Satan is offering him a shortcut to glory. No cross needed, you can keep your glory. What Satan omitted to mention was the rest of humanity who are separated from God by our sin. If Jesus did not take that path we could never be forgiven. Satan was appealing to the self-centred side all humans have yet Jesus alone always refused to give into this temptation. He had come for you and me. If he had given in to the temptation of worldly glory he couldn’t have completed his commission. He was offered ‘glory on earth’ at the expense of an ‘eternal glory in heaven’. Thankfully Jesus replied

“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:10

This verse was again taken from the time the Israelites were in the wilderness. It follows after the ‘Shema’ where the Jews were reminded what their chief responsibility is:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Jesus is again applying this to himself,

“Worship the LORD your God, serve him only.” Deuteronomy 6:13

There can be no doubt what Jesus wants us all to understand by relaying this story to Matthew. He is the Lord God, he is the Messiah but he is also the Suffering Servant. We are called to follow him, whatever the cost.

Application

Although there are many lessons we can to learn from this passage about how we should face various temptations, the point that Matthew focuses on in these first four chapters is who Jesus is. Through overcoming these very real temptations we can see that he is truly God’s Son as well as God’s suffering Servant. The ‘Kingdom of heaven is near’ because the King has come.

Matthew sees the Messiah much as we would see a marathon runner entering the stadium at the end of a gruelling race. All the focus is rightly on him.

Back to where this article started. We all have something we believe in. We are all people of faith. Yet it is not uncommon to hear people say,

“I wish I had your faith.”

Such people have put their faith in something that is only temporary. Careers, scientific materialism, family, religion or hobbies or a mixture of these. Christians are convinced that God really did step into his world, he came as both God’s Messiah, the Son of God, and as God’s Suffering Servant. Our faith is based on strong historical evidence, on the fact that what Jesus taught resonates with what we instinctively know to be true. On top of this we have this evidence about how Jesus faced the temptations that we all face, and came through unscathed.

The question we are each being asked is:

‘Does my faith stand up to such an investigation?’

Is my god or are my gods selfless? Would my faith give itself for others eternal well being? Can it give a hope that lasts beyond the grave? Does my god claim to be King of Heaven and the Son of God? Is there really evidence that my gods live.

Christians have decided to obey God and have him as the priority of our lives, we listen to His Word and trust him even when life becomes difficult. We are committed to learning about what God has promised and how he wants us to live. We follow Jesus because he has entered the stadium of history and has lived a perfect life. Everything points to Him, he is tried and tested.

God says to each one of us:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

This is why we must ‘Listen to him’. The alternative is to face eternity without him.

There are other points we can learn from this account:

Satan is a real enemy who is out to seduce us just as he tried to undermine Jesus’ ministry.
All of us will be tempted in our service of the Lord, just as Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry
The central place the Bible has in a Christian’s life. Jesus had learned the Scriptures through committed hard work, so it is important for all his people to commit themselves to the same goal. ‘The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit’
Jesus can sympathise with us as we face difficult times and temptations. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18
Jesus is the Lord God of all and cannot be trifled with.
All of God’s people will be tested and tempted. God wants to see that we react as his Word teaches, that is to live by faith, and not follow our worldly instincts or look for signs.

Does your heart not stir within you as you read about the Lord Jesus?

BVP

Bernard Palmer 08/06/2026 Bernard Palmer 08/06/2026

Matthew 2:1-12. The King has come and so . . .

One boy had the misconception that the Maggie in this story involved a previous British Prime Minister visiting the baby Jesus. It just shows how people can misunderstand what the Bible is saying. The story of the visit of the Magi is unique to Matthews account of the gospel. It is clearly included for a reason, it is not just meant to be a lovely tale for children’s books or Sunday School lessons.

From the East

It is striking that the opening story in Matthew’s gospel is about Gentiles coming to worship the baby Jesus. Matthew’s theme is that that God’s Messiah has come for all people in the world. The universality of the gospel is how the book starts and how it ends (Matthew 29:18-20).

Details of the text

The Magi who came from the east were obviously important people. They had money to travel large distances and could afford expensive gifts. They were knowledgable about astronomy and the interpretation of the signs. They would almost certainly have travelled in a caravan. Partly for protection against robbers. Some have suggested that they were kings and that there were three of them but the text does not say this. When they arrived in Jerusalem they said:

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

They were asking this question to people in Jerusalem, and somehow King Herod got to hear about these important visitors and their quest. It is not surprising that Herod was concerned. He was king of Judea. The Roman Senate, with the backing of Mark Antony and Octavian (the future Augustus), had formally appointed Herod the Great as king of Judea in 40 B.C. He was given the title ‘King of the Jews’ by the Romans but he was not Jewish, he was an Idumaean. When civil war broke out between Antony and Octavian, Herod initially sided with Antony. After Antony was defeated, Herod successfully pleaded his case to Octavian, who confirmed his kingship in 30 B.C. Herod's father, Antipater, was an Edomite whose ancestors had converted to Judaism in the 2nd century B.C. The Idumaeans were a Semitic people from the region of Edom, now called Petra.

The Magi recognised that the remarkable astrological sign they had seen in the East indicated the birth of the Messiah. They recognised that this baby was already a king, not just a prince. They came to ‘worship’ this person, only God should be worshipped. Herod also understood that they were talking about the Messiah, God’s chosen king, he said so and not surprisingly was disturbed. How many people are disturbed when they are forced to confront Almighty God. Herod summonsed his theologians and asked them:

“. . . where the Christ was to be born.” Matthew 2:4

The fact that Herod ordered the slaughter of all baby boys in Bethlehem who were under two years of age does suggest that there was a considerable time interval between Jesus’ birth and the coming of the Magi. It also confirms that he was deeply disturbed

These Magi had seen some astronomical sign that they interpreted to mean the birth of the Messiah and nothing less. There were many Jews still living in the East at this time so it is not surprising that people were looking for the Messiah as this is a prominent theme in the Jewish Scriptures.

Are there any clues as to what this sign might have been? Note the Magi did not follow the star to Jerusalem, they saw the sign in the East and acted on it. The star only led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, a distance of only 5 miles which is surprising as they had already been told about this small town, so guidance there by a star was unnecessary. Was there another significance about this light shining on the baby?

In September 2009, ‘Weekend’ magazine gave the explanation of Professor David Hughes, Professor of Astronomy at Sheffield University. The thinks the sign the Magi saw was a conjunction of the planets. Zoroastrian Magi viewed Jupiter as representing a new king; Saturn the old. The planets coming together would signify a change of ruler. This happening in Pisces would speak to them of Israel as they associated Pisces with Israel. The first conjunction was in May as a result of which they travelled to Jerusalem. When they were in Jerusalem in September the second conjunction occurred. There was a third conjunction in November. The Bible shows there was a time gap between Jesus’ birth and the arrival of the Magi. They did not go to the stable but to a house Mary and Joseph had moved to.

Once they arrived in Jerusalem, their open declaration to Herod the Great gave them further direction – the religious leaders confirmed that prophecies revealed that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Then, the ‘star’, appearing to stand still above Bethlehem, would absolutely assure them that their astronomical calculations and astrological expectations about a new king of Israel were sound. The details as to how the star led them to a house are uncertain. Could this be another reference to Old Testament prophecies?

There has been much debate in the literature as to whether it was a conjunction of the planets that signified the birth of a king and whether a comet might have led the way. However all of these ‘How’ questions are highly speculative and none of them give completely satisfactory answers. Some have suggested in the absence of any good explanation for the star ‘stopping over the place where the child was’ means that this could only be a supernatural light.

We, in post Enlightenment societies, are left with many questions about this story. How can a star appear in the East, then in Jerusalem and subsequently move south to Bethlehem and stand over one house? What is interesting is that Matthew must have recognised these issues but doesn’t try to answer them. He did the same over the virgin birth. The ‘How’ questions are simply left unanswered. He simply states that these things occurred as facts and asks us to answer the ‘Why?’ questions. He wants us to understand that a king has been born who will be recognised by the whole world.

Why these gifts?

Why did the Magi give gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? These are obviously significant. We cannot assume from this that there are just three Magi, there may have been many more. These valuable items were standard gifts to honour a king or deity in the ancient world. These same three items were among the gifts, recorded in ancient inscriptions, that King Seleucus II Callinicus offered to the god Apollo at the temple in Miletus in 243 B.C.

gold, a precious metal represents kingship
frankincense, an expensive perfume or incense represents divinity and worship
myrrh, an expensive anointing oil symbolises death and suffering. Myrrh was used as an embalming oil to anoint Jesus’ body after his crucifixion. Traditionally, myrrh represents Jesus's mortality and future,.

Again Matthew wants all his readers to recognise that Jesus is both King and God who will die for his people.

1. Background evidence for the coming Messiah

Why are we told that the wise men came from the East? Why was Herod so central in the way the story is told? One thing we know for certain about Matthew is that he recognised that the coming of Jesus fulfilled what the Jewish Scriptures talked about and there are several highly relevant Scriptures. Let us look at just three of these.

Psalm 72

This psalm is a prayer asking God to bless the king (traditionally associated with King Solomon), ensuring his reign brings justice, righteousness, and peace to the people, especially the poor and needy. The psalm prays for the king to be a righteous ruler, with a kingdom that flourishes and extends globally. It finishes by pointing to a Messianic King (Jesus Christ) whose eternal reign will bring lasting blessing, prosperity, and wholeness to the whole earth.

Versers 1-4 are a prayer that the king would be both righteous and compassionate:

“Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. May the mountains bring prosperity to the people the hills the fruit of righteousness.May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.” Psalm 72:1-4

This king will be a msn of integrity, his private life will be reflected in his public life. All his decisions will be pure and upright and open to the closest scrutiny. Oh that this could be said about many world leaders today. This king will ensure a just, righteous rule for rich and poor alike.

Verses 5-7 are a prayer that this just rule will continue into eternity and bring an everlasting prosperity and happiness:

“May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.” Psalm 72:5-7

This Messiah will not be subject to a five year rule at the whim of an electorate, his righteous rule will be eternal.

Verses 8-11 tell us that this kings rule will be universal and international:

“May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.” Psalm 72:8-11

All kings will bow down to him and serve him. Verses 12-14 tell us that this just, eternal king won’t just be interested in wealthy supporters, everyone will benefit from his rule:

“For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” Psalm 72:12-14

This reflects what God said to Isaiah that God’s promised king will rule righteously:

“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness.” Isaiah 32:1

‍ ‍

Isaiah 60

This is another Messianic passage. It describes the world as being a dark place but into this world comes a glorious light, a person on whom God’s glory shines. Nations and kings will come to this king’s dawn.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.” Isaiah 60:1-6

These worshippers come from afar bringing gold and incense and praise. Jesus applied this psalm to himself, saying to the people:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

‍ ‍

Micah 5:2

This is another Messianic passage that gives more details. The Messiah will enter his world as a child and he will be born in Bethlehem. His origin will be of old, he will shepherd his flock and his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labour bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” Micah 5:2-4

In such promises from God, given in the Jewish Scriptures, our Old Testament, we are told that a mighty king will be born of a woman who will rule an international kingdom and that this rule will be eternal and over all people of the world. He will be born in Bethlehem, of the line of David and will be brought gifts of gold and incense. Kings will come to ‘the brightness of your dawn.’ Isaiah is saying that through him God’s light will shine. The whole of the Old Testament is about God’s plan to send this ruler to establish his eternal rule over all the nations.

This story is not so extraordinary. If God created this world, and people in it, it would be strange if he did not want to have a say as to how life should be lived. We would have to be hard-hearted and cynical not to long for a universal, just and prosperous eternal rule established by this divine king.

Humanity at heart does desire peace. Woodrow Wilson championed the League of Nations, a post-World War I organisation to ensure world-wide peace. The League ultimately failed to prevent World War II but this did lead to the establishment of the United Nations (UN) as its successor with the goal of maintaining international peace and security. It has not been that successful.

Every promise of every politician, at every election, promises utopia. They all know what people want, so that is what they promise. Humanists are atheists who recognise that heaven on earth is what they want to achieve. They are essentially a Christian heresy as the values they value are derived from Christianity - they cannot be derived from primordial soup.

The atheist John Lennon, of the Beatles fame, composed the famous song ‘Imagine’. He had been given a Christian Prayer book by his wife Ono and it was this that inspired the song. In this he rejects all religion in the first two verses but in the third verse, he longs for godly virtues and a love of sharing to be in everyone. This third verse reads:

"Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

This is a great vision, idealistic but utterly absurd and unattainable as we are all too selfish. However what an ideal, one unifying ruler who is deeply loved by all, one unified peace - it sounds like heaven. However Jesus, who knew the hearts of men, recognised reality and said that there will be wars and rumours of wars until he returns in glory to judge the living and the dead (Matthew 24:6-13). What Jesus said has been the tragically seen in the evidence of history. We humans are all morally very weak and selfish.

With this background information we can make sense of this mysterious visit of these equally mysterious astrologer-priest-kings from deep in the heart of the ancient Near East. These were representatives of the nations who came to worship the Messiah.

Matthew’s detail

Matthew records geographical facts so that we can understand what was happening in the light of the Old Testament prophecies. Herod obviously did not know the Scriptures very well, but he did recognise that the Magi were talking about the Messiah, God’s Chosen King.

“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Matthew 2:4-6

They brought gifts just as Isaiah had foretold but more than this they were praising the Lord, Jehovah..

“. . . bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.” Isaiah 60:6

There is no doubt they were praising the arrival of God’s Messiah, they worshipped him. It is the proclamation of the Lord that god would cherish most.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, . .” Isaiah 60:1

The light has dawned, at least for some foreigners. Here are the first of the nations coming to worship the Lord’s king, His eternal ruler.

So Matthew is taking us back to the Scriptures, written by an unchanging God hundreds of years before Jesus, but by doing so he speaks directly to all ages. In the Magi’s visit he portrays the reality of God’s plan for eternity. They teach us that the Messiah had indeed arrived. There are more prophecies that hae yet to be fulfilled, for these we must wait for his final return in glory to judge both the living and the dead and to separate the ‘sheep from the goats’ (Matthew 25).

God’s eternal plan has never altered, the Old Testament teaching about the need for sacrifices to take away sin was fulfilled in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, once for all time, on that cross. Look anywhere in the Old Testament and it is obvious that God has always looked forwards to the culmination of history in the coming of the Messiah and his teaching, his death and his resurrection. These Scriptures teach that God’s king will come, then His king arrived but now we wait for this same king to return to separate his people from those who reject his rule.

2. Two Ways to live

Matthew writes this story in such a way that the decision about how we should react to Jesus is made clear. We can either be like the Magi and come and worship the King despite the costs they must have paid or we can be like Herod the Great, give lip service to being religious, but in our hearts reject God’s rule

Stirred to the core

The Magi were committed to serving God, the cost for them was significant. They probably came from Iraq which was 500 miles away, no easy journey in those days. Culturally, historically and politically everything was against them. They were not Jews yet they come to the king of the Jews. In the Middle East the adjoining nations have always been bitter rivals, just as we see today. Theologically everything was also against them. They did not have the advantages of the Jews with regular Bible teaching and the modelling of the gospel in their sacrificial system based on the temple in Jerusalem, yet in spite of this they came to worship the king. No trouble was too great, nothing will put them off. God matters so much to them. They bring really valuable gifts to this king, not that he needs money, frankincense or myrrh. What he wants is more - our hearts and out love. This commitment resulted in their experiencing a great joy.

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Matthew 2:10

It was seeing this star rest over the house where the young toddler was living that so excited them. They had not seen Jesus yet. Literally this verse reads:

“When they saw the star they rejoiced - a joy great exceeding”

Have we all experienced this joy? We also haven’t seen Jesus in the flesh yet, although we will. We also, like the Magi, can know that joy in expectancy, based on the evidence we already have.

They then bow before the king and give themselves to worship him for the rest of their days. We need to get away from the idea that worship is what we do for an hour or two on Sunday.

Today in our society there are people from very different cultural backgrounds. There are Arabs, which is what the Magi probably were, and every other culture and nationality around us, yet they all need to come and worship God’s Messiah.

Shaken but not stirred

The arrival of the Magi and the news they shared caused considerable upheaval.

“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3

He then learns what the Scriptures say about the Messiah and where will be born. You would hope that he would also be excited about the arrival of God’s Messiah, but no, he passes the responsibility on to others, to the Magi, and asks them to go and worship him. Perhaps, like Pilate later he wanted to wash his hands of the matter. He pretended to be interested but we know from his later behaviour that he regarded God’s Messiah as his enemy.

“He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” Matthew 2:6

Herod was outwardly impressive but in his heart he was God’s enemy. He was stirred but he was no shaken to the core of his being.

We can all be like this. We can put on a outward show of being God’s people but in our hearts not be devoted to living our lives for him. He had the right words but there was no depth. Doubtless he would say he was too busy, too important, too many other things going on in life, too costly but he has made the wrong choice.

Have we all mad the right choice?

BVP