Todays scripture...

[WillyCamaro]

Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

[WillyCamaro]

Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

[WillyCamaro]

The Pearl of Great Price

Matthew 13:44–46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (vv. 45–46).

Our Savior continues to unfold the “secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 13:11), but He switches gears a bit in today’s passage to emphasize a truth about the kingdom other than its slow, pervasive growth (vv. 31–33) and the apparent delay of its consummation (vv. 24–30, 36–43). With the parables of the hidden treasure (v. 44) and the pearl of great price (vv. 45–46), Jesus conveys powerfully the worth of the kingdom.

Whatever we might say about each parable individually, both tales indicate the kingdom is of such inestimable value that those who understand this truth will do whatever it takes to possess it. If we know God’s kingdom in Christ truly, we will not consider it too costly to sell all that we have if that is what it takes to appropriate the kingdom and its treasure. Commenting on the parable of the hidden treasure, Matthew Henry writes of the kingdom: “Those who discern this treasure in the field, and value it aright, will never be at ease until they have made it their own on any terms.”

Again, Jesus uses illustrations to which His contemporaries can easily relate. Given the potential for political instability and invasions, as well as the non-existence of safety deposit boxes, ancient Jews often buried their valuables. Sometimes these treasures were abandoned, and finding one that had been left behind was a once-in-a-lifetime event. That such a treasure is found indicates the kingdom’s rarity and therefore, its preciousness. Pearls were more highly valued in first-century Palestine than diamonds are in our culture. Other biblical passages use pearls to illustrate all-surpassing worth (Rev. 21:21), and so Jesus likens the kingdom to a precious pearl.

These parables teach us primarily how we must value Jesus’ kingdom. Yet they also tell us about the people our Redeemer saves. As with the man in the field, some “stumble upon” Christ when they are not looking for Him. Others travel various spiritual paths for years before “finding Jesus,” just as the merchant searches tirelessly for the costliest pearl. God’s grace calls the spiritually apathetic as well as those who believe themselves to be seeking Him.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

John Calvin says we need the teaching of today’s passage because ”we are so captivated by the allurements of the world, that eternal life fades from our view; and in consequence of our carnality, the spiritual graces of God are far from being held by us in the estimation which they deserve.” On what do you place highest value? Do friends, family, possessions, or anything else take the place of God’s kingdom in your heart?

[WillyCamaro]

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

[WillyCamaro]

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

[WillyCamaro]

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

[WillyCamaro]

A Glorious Future

Matthew 13:36–43 “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (v. 43).

Today’s passage contains Jesus’ interpretation of the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:36–43), which presents problems for the twenty-first century Bible student. Simply put, it is difficult to discern whether or not this parable teaches that unbelievers will exist alongside believers in the visible covenant community until the return of Christ.

Many godly scholars teach that the parable in question is concerned mainly with the church and the authenticity of the faith of its professing members. Scripture, of course, teaches that we will often be unable to distinguish those who profess faith falsely from the true believers in the institutional church until Judgment Day. Yet this point is probably not the emphasis of the parable of the wheat and the tares. Christ says the field represents the “world,” not the “kingdom” or the “church” (v. 38). Most likely, Jesus is focusing on the work of the Son of Man and Satan within the world in general, not the church particularly.

What then is the parable’s purpose? Because today’s passage follows the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven (vv. 31–33), Jesus seems to be dealing with the apparent delay of the kingdom’s consummation. Look at things from the disciples’ viewpoint. This Nazarene is doing messianic miracles (11:1–6) and claiming absolute authority (12:1–14); yet, the kingdom He inaugurates is not crushing its human opposition (vv. 22–24). As one author has said, the disciples want to know how the kingdom could allow its enemies to go unchecked.

Jesus does not give a full answer in Matthew 13:36–43, but He does say the apparent delay of final judgment does not mean it has been cancelled. As Christ plants the Gospel in the hearts of His people, the Devil works against Him. Satan is ever present, striving to put out the Light of the world. The Adversary craftily disguises his plans as good things, much as darnel plants (the weed) look like wheat in the earliest stages of growth. Pulling up the darnel cannot be done without pulling up the wheat, and the wheat cannot be harvested until it has all matured. Until then, the Son of Man allows wheat and darnel to grow together lest the kingdom’s harvest come before all of His grain is ready.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Gloriously, at the time of God’s harvest we who have suffered the onslaught of the Devil and the scorn of the world will shine brightly, just like the Lord Himself (Matt. 13:43). John Calvin comments, “What a remarkable consolation! The sons of God, who now lie covered with dust, or are held in no estimation, or even are loaded with reproaches, will then shine in full brightness, as when the sky is serene, and every cloud has been dispelled.”

[WillyCamaro]

Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

[WillyCamaro]

Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

[WillyCamaro]

A Prophet without Honor

Matthew 13:53–58 “‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.’ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief” (vv. 57–58).

Yesterday we saw that those who have been led by the Spirit in the way of Christ can see treasures new and old in the Old Testament. However, while all believers are granted insight into the Scriptures (1 John 2:27), the teaching ministry of the church is still necessary for the spiritual health of God’s people. Jesus speaks of “scribes” being trained for the kingdom in Matthew 13:51–52, and in His day the scribes were those specially trained to interpret the Law and the Prophets. Our Lord is probably alluding to the need for trained teachers in the new covenant community in this passage and may be emphasizing the role of the apostles as the church’s foundation (John 16:12–15; Eph. 2:19–20).

The one place we might expect Jesus to receive a warm welcome is in Nazareth, the town in which He was raised (Matt. 2:19–23). The people of Nazareth (Jesus’ “hometown,” 13:54) are amazed at the wisdom and power of the carpenter’s son. This is due to their familiarity with Jesus and His upbringing. They know His family well, and apparently no one in His clan is all that remarkable. Lacking a formal education, Jesus should not be able to teach with the authority that He conveys. Yet Mary’s son is unafraid to instruct with boldness (vv. 55–56). We would therefore expect the people in Nazareth to experience awe when in the presence of Jesus, whose teaching demonstrates that He is the Holy One of God. But as verse 57 makes clear, their questions arise from contempt and offense. Basically they are saying, “Who does this carpenter think He is? He is no scribe and comes from a family of no special import. How can He possibly act as if He has the right to do what He is doing?”

Like the Pharisees before them (12:22–32), the citizens of Nazareth acknowledge the good work that Jesus is doing and yet fail to discern the source of His authority. For them, familiarity has bred contempt, and they will do whatever they can to deny the obvious. Once more, as John Calvin comments, we find sinners unwilling to believe in what God has sent. “It is not mere ignorance that hinders men, but that, of their own accord, they search after grounds of offense, to prevent them from following the path to which God invites.”

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Western society is blessed to be steeped in the teaching of Scripture and the person and work of Christ. However, we must take care that this blessing of familiarity does not motivate contempt in us for the things of God. Even if we do not consciously disregard the Lord, failing to marvel at the Father’s grace — because we hear of it every week — is a subtle and powerful form of contempt. Take time to meditate on the greatness of our God and His love for us.

[WillyCamaro]

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

[WillyCamaro]

Colossians 3:13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

[WillyCamaro]

Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

[WillyCamaro]

Feeding Five Thousand

Matthew 14:13–21 “They took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (vv. 20b–21).

The miracle Matthew describes in today’s passage, the feeding of the five thousand (14:13–21), is the only miracle found in each of the four gospels. It is a wonderful event in which Jesus actually provides food for as many as fifteen or twenty thousand (most of the five thousand men present would have had women and children from their families with them).

From a human perspective it is remarkable that there was an occasion for this miracle to take place at all. Christ is actually trying to get away from the great crowds that He is attracting, presumably to rest and devote Himself to prayer (see vv. 22–23). Hearing that Herod Antipas is beginning to take notice of His ministry motivates Jesus to go to a desolate place in order to find respite and commune with His Father (v. 13), but He is unable to arrive at His destination alone. Though He sets out by boat, the people follow the Savior’s course by walking along the shore to meet Him when He makes landfall. Christ’s compassion renders Him unable to ignore the needs of the people, and, as the Good Shepherd, He continues to meet their need for healing (vv. 13–14; John 10:10–11).

The Messiah’s powerful multiplication of five loaves and two fishes into a meal for thousands is well-known, but a critical theological emphasis of this passage is often overlooked. Of course, Jesus’ ability to create so much out of so little demonstrates His mastery over the natural realm. Yet this act also has overtones that are strongly eschatological (end-times, the point at which God accomplishes His plan in full). In first-century Judaism, fish and bread were staples in the diet of the poor. More importantly, many Jewish thinkers believed these items would be part of the Messiah’s banquet with His people in God’s presence at history’s end. The order in which Jesus takes, blesses, breaks, and distributes the bread also matches His institution of the Lord’s Supper, which is itself a foretaste of the grand feast to come (Matt. 14:15–19; 26:26–29). In feeding the five thousand, Jesus commences this celebration and will fully realize it at His return. He is showing us that in Him we, even now, begin to enjoy that which God promises to His people at the end of the age (Ezek. 34:20–24).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Matthew Henry writes about the tremendous leftovers found after the thousands were satisfied: “The provision Christ makes for those who are his is not bare and scanty, but rich and plentiful; an overflowing fullness.” We should not be surprised when God goes above and beyond all that we would ask or dream. Consider a time in which He provided for you more abundantly than you could have imagined and tell another person of this occasion today.

[WillyCamaro]

Psalm 121:7-8
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.

[WillyCamaro]

Pollution’s True Source

Matthew 15:1–20 “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (vv. 19–20a).

Herod Antipas is not the only Palestinian whose curiosity is piqued when he hears of Christ’s ministry (Matt. 14:1–2). Some of the religious authorities in Jerusalem also want to investigate the carpenter’s son from Nazareth. Pharisees and scribes from the capital city confront our Lord in today’s passage (15:1). These men are likely official representatives of the Pharisaic and scribal movements, both of which the common folk hold in high esteem.

Our Savior has encountered little but antagonism from the scribes and Pharisees in Galilee (12:1–14, 22–32), and the Jerusalem scholars treat Him no differently. They criticize Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands according to the oral laws (15:2). As we have seen, the scribes and Pharisees carefully observed a fence many of their forefathers had built around the Mosaic law (Torah). This fence was made up of oral traditions that, if kept, ensured that the letter of the Law would not be broken. For example, consider the separation of meat and dairy still observed by Orthodox Jews today. This practice is based ultimately on an oral tradition designed to guarantee compliance with Deuteronomy 14:21. If meat and dairy are never consumed together, there is no way a young animal could ever be cooked in its mother’s milk.

Hand-washing was intended to protect the dietary laws (Lev. 11); eating without washed hands was not evil in itself. The problem was that such traditions were put above the weightier matters of the Law (Matt. 23:23). It is no surprise, then, that Jesus correctly condemns the scribes and Pharisees for insisting upon the observance of oral traditions (Matt. 15:3–9). They have been content to keep their money and property for themselves according to an oral law that allows them to will these things to the Creator after their death even if an impoverished parent needs support before then. Yet in exalting this tradition, these scholars actually violate Exodus 20:12, which orders them to honor their fathers and mothers. They hypocritically accuse Jesus’ disciples of sin for not obeying a tradition with no divine authorization while they themselves break the very Word of God for the sake of their man-made commandments.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

The concern with outward acts and not the intent of God’s law manifested these particular Pharisees’ blindness to the ultimate source of impurity. Jesus therefore reminded them that the heart is the true source of corruption, not the hands, a truth to which the Torah points (Matt. 15:10–20). We manifest a legalistic heart every time we are critical of others for not observing that which we love even though they are indifferent matters as far as the Bible is concerned.

[WillyCamaro]

Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

[TPK]

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Psalm 121:7-8
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Great stuff Willy! Appreciate your work!

[Meridian_Mike]

YES!!

Thanks for posting these scriptures!!

[TPK]

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

This one really speaks to me today Willy as my daughter Jazlin graduates from High School with an A average tomarrow. Of course I am very proud of her. I may take my Tablet along and take a few pictures with it. If so, I can share them here on the AAPK. Sorry, I got off topic.

[WillyCamaro]

My pleasure brothers! The Lord, and y'all keep me going.

It's one of my calls in life, to share and support the brethren. God has called me to be a deacon in the Church. When he calls, I follow.

[WillyCamaro]

Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

[WillyCamaro]

2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

[WillyCamaro]

1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.

[WillyCamaro]

Psalm 121:5-6
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.