March 17, 2024
Matthew 12:46–50 & 13:10–23

Title: Jesus’ Ministry Shift

I often wonder what was going through the Disciples’ minds during the times as recorded in Matthew’s narrative. When Jesus was away, what questions were they asking? “To them Jesus was everything, the wisest and the most wonderful of all.” But, humanly speaking, Jesus’ ministry would be characterized as declining or slipping. “The doors of the synagogue were shutting against him.” The leaders of Judaism were now openly criticizing Him; worst, they were starting to plot His murder. We will see this morning that Jesus’ family thought He was out of His mind. Yes, the crowds were still coming for now, but there were few who seemed to be changed by the kingdom message. Many it seemed wanted the benefits of Jesus without the commitment to Him. (Barclay) But through all the disappointments, Jesus’ ministry would bear fruit of course. We look back and know that billions have made commitments to Jesus. So let us turn our attention to the most successful ministry of all time again this morning.

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Commentators are divided when it comes to Jesus’ teaching regarding His physical family here.

• Some see these verses of 46-50 as quote “A very subtle form of opposition … from Jesus’ physical family members.” >> (Constable)
  • And quote: “Jesus’ question did not depreciate His physical mother and brothers. His answer showed that He simply gave priority to His heavenly Father and doing His will (cf. 10:37).”
  • I guess saying these physical people are not my family doesn’t depreciate anyone. (Tongue in cheek.)
• I and others see this as a “rebuke” of Jesus’ earthly family. (cr. Blomberg, Matthew, 208)
  • I think too, when looking at other texts that speak to this event it is easy to conclude correctly.
  • John 7:5, Clearly states that Jesus’ brothers were not believers. It reads, “For not even his brothers believed in him.”
  • Mark 3:20-21, "Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind.’”
  • His family said, Jesus is out of His mind. Jesus said, They’re not My family.
• It is clear that, at this point in Jesus’ ministry, His family is against Him too. We know that James, Jesus’ half-brother, will go on to become a prominent leader in the Church, but at this point, Jesus’ brothers—at the very least—are unbelievers.
• This reminds us of what Jesus taught in Matthew 10:34-36, Jesus came to divide physical families. >>
• Relationships with our spiritual brothers and sisters will endure. Physical relations between unbelieving, physical brothers and sisters will not endure. Those relationship will not even come to mind one day.
• This is a tough truth for most Christians: the de-prioritization of unbelieving, physical family. This seems to be outside of almost all Christians’ will. >>
• And surely, it’s difficult to prioritize the way Jesus did here. Jesus said and did many things that are difficult to apply because we have the flesh that has such a pull on our hearts and minds.

But Jesus gives the resume’ to family membership—verse 50 "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

• It’s important to note: after this passage, the disciples are the only ones recognized as family in the accounts of the gospel. (Carson, “Matthew,” 299)
• Plainly To be in the family of God means one will do what God wants.
• Measurable obedience is the test of a genuine relationship with Jesus. (France, The Gospel According…, 215) >>
• Paul agrees, James agrees, John agrees—the Scriptures agree! >>
• We are reminded from Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

What are you teaching here Monte?

• We act on what we believe.
• Not a works based salvation. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. It is only in Him to we produce fruit. Jesus living in us will produce fruit.
• For sure, the degree varies due to our failures, but when one looks at the life in total, one see an obedient son, an obedience daughter.

APPLICATION FOR TODAY

• Spiritual, forever family members were Jesus’ priority. These relationships far outweighed His physical, unbelieving family.
• Let’s remember what Jesus said to the would be disciple: Matthew 8:21-22, Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
• With Jesus’ emphasis on the spiritual family in mind, Blomberg commented “the Christian community seems scandalous in comparison.” (Blomberg, Matthew, 209)
• Christians can’t get along well in our families or churches. It is the ongoing, paramount black-mark against the Church.
• “The section closes with Jesus, being rejected by most of His generation, surrounded by the select group of the true family …” (France, The Gospel According…, 215. Slightly edited.)

In chapter 13, Jesus shifted teaching styles when compared to the “Sermon on the Mount.” That sermon was not lacking in illustrations, but it was characterized by “direct spiritual instruction.” Here in chapter 13, there is no direct teaching to the crowd; it is all indirect parables. We will cover the first parable next week, but today we will examine the question from the Disciples, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (EBC)

The Purpose of the Parables

• 13:10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
  • Matthew records Jesus telling four parables to the crowd. “He did not interpret the meaning of these parables to the crowd. They would have to figure them out on their own, and disbelief in Jesus as the Messiah would cloud their understanding.” >> (Constable)
  • People are skeptics until they see the truth for themselves.
  • “Walter Pater once said that you cannot tell a man the truth; you can only put him into a position in which he can discover it for himself.” (Barclay)
  • Vailed truth to the crowds; raw secrets of the kingdom to the Disciples.
  • This reminds me of Psalm 25:14a, The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him. (NASB)

Jesus gives a kingdom principle here in verse 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance,

• ESV uses the phrase “been given to know” (ESV), another has “granted”. (Hart)
• Truth builds on truth. This is a built in principle of the kingdom.
• Turn to Colossians 2:2b-3, Paul wanted the Colossians to come to the “understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
• The promise to the Disciples is that they would have truth in abundance.

Jesus gives a contrast in verse 12b but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

• The granting of wisdom and its being taken away lies in the will & ministry of God.
• God will not allow His truth to go unused! Use it or loose it.
• Another reason, verse 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
• Because the crowds did not respond to the previous, direct messages of Christ, they were now receiving a more veiled variety of truth. >>
• Their dullness towards the Christ was causing them to go spiritually blind and deaf.
• Yet another reason in verse 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
  ’You will indeed hear but never understand,
  and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
  15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
  and with their ears they can barely hear,
  and their eyes they have closed,
  lest they should see with their eyes
  and hear with their ears
  and understand with their heart
  and turn, and I would heal them.’
• These words were written during King Hezekiah’s rein. Which some will know that his rein encompassed the time that the ten Northern Tribes (called Israel) fell to Assyrians. Hezekiah ruled over Judah (which included Benjamin also) and was miraculously delivered from the Assyrians’ assault by God.
• The passage Jesus quotes speaks to the people of Isaiah’s day. Put this passage too was prophecy for the first century.
• Near and far meaning and application. COMMENT
• God’s audience in the 750s BC was dull spiritually.
• In the 30s AD nothing had changed. God’s audience was dull spiritually.
• As Jesus quoted Scripture, He reiterates what He spoke through the prophet Isaiah:
  • Here is another example of the Scriptures placing the responsibility of one’s response to God on each person.
  • He stands ready to heal people! See it at the end of verse 15?

ILLUSTRATIONS

• The Lords’ Supper is good illustration between a truth of a spiritual person vs. a dull person.
• To a spiritually alive person “… it is the most precious and the most moving act of worship in the Church.” (Barclay)
• But an unbeliever, may scratch his head at this practice of the Church.

APPLICATION

• “Jesus deliberately spoke in parables in order to both conceal truth from the unbelieving crowds as well as to reveal it to His believing disciples (vv. 11-15; cf. 7:6).” >> (Constable)
• God is unwilling to teach the greater and then the greatest things to humankind until they respond to what they have already been given.
• God expects a return on the knowledge given. >>
• A kingdom principle: until a person responds to the truth they have been given, not only shall more be withheld but even previously given truth shall be taken away.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

• We have another kingdom principle here: not all of God’s people receive the same truth at the same time.
• The disciples ears were blessed (= blissful or happy). >>
• Not all received the deepest truths of God directly. >>
• Think about the truth we know as compared to our forefather Abraham.
• Jesus’ teaching was longed for by other generations but was not heard.
• This is labeled “progressive revelation” as well as other phrases. COMMENT
• Truth has build on truth throughout the generations. We now hold an extreme amount of the truth of God in our hands this morning. >>
• May we respond more concretely to its truths.

Notes

Notes from above may not be in numerical order.

¹

Works Cited

Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to access the works cited web-page for this document, save those marked as “Notes” or “Other Works Cited”–if any. Most of these cited works correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of general background information and references, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with. ¶ Furthermore, there may be numbered notes that are URL linked; these are usually retained numbered notes from Thomas Constable’s, “Dr. Constable’s Expository (Bible Study) Notes.” These links are preserved “as is” at the time of this work’s formation and I usually include other citation information from Constable as well (e.g. authors’ names).

Other Works Cited

Note: All of the resources below were cited in at least one of the sermons in the Book of Matthew but not necessarily this one.

Augsburger, David. Dissident Discipleship. Brazos Press, 2006.

Barclay, William. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible. Westminster Press, 1955-1960. Sourced digitally from studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb.html.

Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew. New American Commentary, vol. 22, ed. David S. Dockery, et al., Broadman Press, 1992. May be sourced from archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/matthew0000blom

________. Preaching the Parables: From Responsible Interpretation to Powerful Proclamation. Baker Academic, 2004. Sourced from archive.org.
(https://archive.org/details/preachingparable0000blom/page/82/mode/1up)

Bruce, Alexander Balmain. The Training of the Twelve. Ed., A.C. Armstrong and Son, reprint 1984, Kregel Publications, 1971 edition.

Carson, D. A. “Matthew.” The Expositors Bible Commentary, Frank E. Gaebelein, Ed. et al., Zondervan, 1984.

_______. The Sermon on the Mount : an Evangelical of Matthew 5-7 Exposition. 1978, Baker Book House, fifth printing, 1989. Sourced from archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/sermononmounteva0000cars/page/54/mode/1up

_______. When Jesus confronts the world : an exposition of Matthew 8-10. Originally published by Inter-Varsity Press in 1988, Paternoster, 1995. Sourced from archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/whenjesusconfron0000cars/page/n3/mode/1up

Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest. Our Daily Bread Publishing, web ver.

France, R. T. The Gospel According to Matthew. Gen. Ed. Leon Morris, W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1985.

_______. The Gospel of Matthew. W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007. Sourced from archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/gospelofmatthew0000fran/page/n6/mode/1up

Gibson, J. Monro. “St. Matthew.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary. William R. Nicoll, Editor. Sourced from Bible Portal. Click here for a list of the authors of the EBC.

Harrington, Daniel J . The Gospel of Matthew. Sacra Pagina Series, vol. 1, A Michael Glazier Book, Liturgical Press (publ.), 1991. Sourced from archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/gospelofmatthew0000harr/mode/1up

Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke. Baker Book House, 1984.

Phillips, John. Exploring the Gospels: John. Loizeaux Brothers, 1988.

Plumptre, E. H. “Matthew.” Commentary for English Readers, Charles John Ellicott, Compiler/Editor, Lord Bishop of Gloucester Cassell and Company, Limited, 1905. Sourced from BiblePortal.com. Click here for a list of the authors of the CER.

Robinson, Monte. The Way of Discipleship. Independently published, 2021. Web, aimdiscipleship.org/book.html, accessed Oct 2023.

Wiersbe, Warren. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. 2 Volumes, David C. Cook, 2007.

Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew. Zondervan, 1995.

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