 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
BIBLE STUDY MATTHEW 24:1-51 REVIEW: Chapter 23 was an extended polemic by Jesus against some of the practices and teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. In the first part, Jesus’ disciples (and by extension, Matthew’s community) were warned not to follow the example of the scribes and Pharisees in imposing religious rules (“heavy burdens”) on people, “showing off” their piety, and emphasizing titles and “status”. Most of the rest of the chapter was a series of seven “woes” (denunciations) directed at the scribes and Pharisees for:
Finally, Jesus offers a lament that “Jerusalem” has rejected his teaching and most of all his love. It is not his desire, but their rejection of him will lead to terrible consequences. As I mentioned, his prophecy was literally fulfilled forty years later when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans during the Jewish revolt in 70 A.D. INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTERS 24-25: Chapters 24 and 25 together comprise Jesus’ fifth discourse in Matthew – his Apocalyptic Discourse about the end times and the Final Judgment. As the Interpreter’s Bible commentary states: “The sayings of Jesus quoted in these chapters teach that the world, as now constituted, will come to a catastrophic end, perhaps within a short time after the writing of the Gospel… This age will (then) be superseded by a permanent order of righteousness and bliss, the kingdom of God.” The first 44 verses of chapter 24 are a “composite” vision of the future that is all mixed together. One vision is about the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus during the Jewish rebellion of 70 A.D and the subsequent complete destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. The other vision is about what will happen during the End Time as the “Day of the Lord” approaches – in which things will get worse and worse until God decisively intervenes and ushers in the New Age of his Kingdom. CHAPTER 24:1-3 “The Coming Doom of Jerusalem” “As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down. When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of the temple obviously referred to what happened during the Jewish revolt of 70 A.D. For Matthew’s original Jewish-Christian readers, this event had already taken place. It is impossible to over-emphasize how traumatic this was for the Jewish people! The temple had been the focal point of their faith, and now it was destroyed! It was very understandable that they would feel that this event was the beginning of the end of the world. Matthew’s community of course believed that the end of the world would be marked by the parousia – Christ’s coming again to judge the world. That is why Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of the temple serves as an introduction for his disciples to ask about the signs of the end times. CHAPTER 24:4-8 “First Signs of the End” “Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” There were many would-be messiahs who claimed to speak for God. In Jesus’ time, charismatic leaders would try to stir up people to rebel against Rome. Jesus here states that these people were leading people astray. This has continued to happen – even in the Church – ever since. Some false messiahs try to get people to believe that hatred and warfare is the way to bring about God’s kingdom (ex: the Crusades of the Middle Ages). Other false messiahs have promoted false teachings – claiming to have new revelations or teachings beyond those of Jesus. Of particular significance for Matthew’s original readers is Jesus’ teaching that all the wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. they had witnessed did NOT yet mean the end of the world – that this was but the beginning of the “birth pangs” that would eventually usher in the NEW AGE of God’s fulfilled kingdom. But before that New Age would finally be born, there would be more “birth pangs” to come – MUCH MORE! CHAPTER 24:9-14 “Persecution and Apostasy” “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.” This is almost certainly a picture of the troubles of the church in the time of Matthew.
The call in this passage is for endurance. Rather than bemoaning all of the problems that will afflict the Church, we as disciples are to expect them to happen. An old Arab proverb says that “No rain makes a desert”. It is during the hard times of testing that our faith has the best opportunity to grow, because it forces us to rely upon God rather than ourselves. Finally, by stating that the good news of the kingdom must be proclaimed through all the world as a testimony to all nations, Jesus is telling his hearers that the Parousia will not be immediate but rather will be delayed. This message was especially important to Matthew’s original readers because many Christians at first literally expected the End to come during their lifetimes. Instead of worrying about the End, Jesus is encouraging them to focus upon how they are living in and dealing with the problems of the present. So it should be for us as well! CHAPTER 24:15-22 “The Great Tribulation of Judea” “So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on a Sabbath. For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” The phrase “desolating sacrilege” is from Daniel 11:31 and 12:11. Chapter 10-12 of Daniel tell of coming tribulations upon the land of Judea – which actually happened around 170 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek Seleucid king of Syria, tried to stamp out the Jewish religion. According to William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary, Antiochus Epiphanes captured Jerusalem, and desecrated the Temple by erecting an altar to the Greek god Zeus in the Temple and by sacrificing the flesh of swine upon it, and turned the priests’ rooms and the temple chambers into public brothels. Jesus’ prophecy may be two-fold. On one hand, it may refer to events that actually happened before Matthew wrote his gospel around 80 A.D. – such as the threat of the Roman emperor Caligula in 40 A.D. to set up a statute of himself in the Jerusalem temple – and of course the siege of Jerusalem during the Jewish revolt in 70 A.D. On the other hand, it also seems to warn his readers that this will also be a future event as well! Jesus’ advice to his followers is to flee when this happens. When this happened in 70 A.D., many disciples fled – not to the mountains – but to the city of Pella in the desert (modern day Jordan). Those who were pregnant or nursing infants would be slowed down. The winter, with its cold and rain, would be another burden. Unlike Mark in his account (Mk13:18) Matthew adds “or on a Sabbath” – thus indicating that Sabbath day travel was still an issue in his Jewish-Christian community. This time of tribulation would (will) be horrific beyond imagination! The only “saving grace” is that it would not last for long, but that this time would be “cut short” for the sake of the “elect” – so that they would not be totally destroyed. Even in the midst of suffering and terror, God is still among and protecting his people! CHAPTER 24:23-28 “Warning Against False Messiahs” “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ – do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” In this passage, Jesus warns his disciples against being misled by false messiahs. “Great signs and omens” were supposed to have been done by Simon Magnus (Acts 8:9) – it was also expected that the Antichrist would also do these things to seek to lead even “the elect” astray (2 Thess. 2:9-12, Rev. 13:13) Many people expected the Messiah to appear suddenly in the wilderness, like Elijah. That is why John the Baptist was asked if he was the Messiah in John 1:20. The phrase “in the inner rooms” perhaps is a warning against Gnosticism – and their teaching that the Messiah may be “hidden” and reveal “secret truths” only to a select group of worthy people. Jesus in this passage maintains that the Messiah and his truth will be obvious to ALL people – “as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west.” The phrase “where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather” has been interpreted in a number of ways – especially since the word “corpse” has also been translated as “body” and the word “vultures” has often been translated as “eagles”. To me (Pastor George) the NRSV translation which we are using is probably the best. This phrase is most likely a secular proverb that Jesus uses in order to make a point about the false messiahs that he has been warning against – that even though they are false and part of the dying “Old Age”, “vultures” will still be attracted to them. That does not mean, however, that God’s elect people (Jesus’ disciples) should join them!! CHAPTER 24:29-31 “Signs of the Parousia” “Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This apocalyptic imagery is drawn from the Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 13:10, 27:13, 34:4, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:10-11, Zephaniah 1:15, Daniel 7:13, and Zechariah 2:10. (These images are also used in New Testament books such as 1 Corinthians (15:52), 1 Thessalonians (4:16), and of course The Revelation (1:7, 8:12). These pictures are not to be taken literally, but are rather visions that attempt to describe the indescribable. As Jewish-Christians, Matthew’s original readers would have been very familiar with these descriptions of The Day of the Lord. Indeed, the Eighteen Benedictions (Amidah) of the Jewish synagogue service contain the petition: “Sound the great horn for our freedom; left up the banner to gather our exiles, and gather us from the four corners of the earth.” Now this phrase is used to describe that gathering of Jesus’ disciples (“the elect”) and the “Son of Man” obviously refers to Jesus himself. Jesus in Matthew’s gospel takes this Old Testament imagery and also adds a couple of subtle points of his own.
CHAPTER 24:32-35 “The Parable of the Fig Tree” “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” The point here seems to be that the signs have all been fulfilled, and that the parousia may be very imminent. Indeed, Jesus here indicates that these events may happen within the lifetime of at least some of his original hearers. In the meantime, they are to remember and take courage from his words even when terrible things happen (heavenly signs, persecutions, etc.) which show that this present world is coming to an end. CHAPTER 24:36 “The Exact Time is Unpredictable” “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Although we are to know from all the “signs” that the end is near, we are nevertheless warned NOT to try to obsess or predict the exact time when the end will be. Then, as now, certain groups tried to use “Bible prophecy” in the wrong way – to try to “predict the future” in specific ways, rather than to simply give us HOPE that God is in control of history and that he will bring us through whatever we might have to face. The phrase “nor the Son” is not in all ancient manuscripts of Matthew’s gospel, and perhaps was added later to emphasize the point that we should not be trying to pinpoint the exact time of the end. If Jesus himself did not know, why should we try to know?! CHAPTER 24:37-51 “Other Parables of Watchfulness” “For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” The theme here is constant vigilance – that we must always be ready for the Son of Man when he comes and calls for us. The example of Noah shows that although his coming will be unexpected as far as the exact time is concerned, but it certainly WILL happen! The question is not “if” but “when”! (This is like the warnings that had been giving that “some day” a major hurricane would hit New Orleans – and yet it seems that few paid those warnings any heed as far as planning for that eventuality – and we now know what happened when Hurricane Katrina struck!) In the same way, we who have been told that the Son of Man is coming need to be ready for him when he DOES come in the parousia. The examples of the two in the field and the two women grinding meal together – and one being “taken” and the other left – do not necessarily refer to some “RAPTURE” event! More likely, these examples are warnings that we should not be so immersed in our daily occupations that we would ignore or fail to recognize the Lord when he comes and calls us. Those who are “taken” are those who respond to the Lord’s call like the fishermen Peter and Andrew, James and John did when Jesus came and said to them, “Follow me.” May we always be ready to do likewise! “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is a passage that is difficult to understand, but Matthew’s original readers most likely would have understood it to be a warning for their life together as a Christian community. They are to remember that they are ALL servants (slaves) of the master – their leaders’ “job” (ministry) is to help care for the others in their community as needed. They will be rewarded if they have continued to do their ministry well. The “wicked slave” perhaps may refer to church leaders who forget that their ministry is to serve and help others, and instead exalt their positions (“beating their fellow slaves”) and are concerned only for themselves (“eating and drinking with drunkards” – that is, doing nothing worthwhile). Jesus in this parable warns his listeners that he WILL come and judge all for what they have done. The phrase “cut him in pieces” perhaps should better be translated as “will cut him off” (from the community of the elect). We should always seek to live in our life together and in our relationships with each other as if Jesus is here with us NOW (as he certainly is!) May our life together reflect this!! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
|
||||