A Review of Matthew
You may have heard someone say that the story of Noah in the ark and the flood of Jonah and the great fish, were not true, but told as fables.
Some persons say that, but if they would read the book of Matthew, they would know those stories are true, because the Lord Jesus spoke plainly of them, as also of other events, and early men on earth.
Jesus said that God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men of early time after the flood (Matt. 8:11; 22:3211And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 8:11)
32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matthew 22:32)).
Jesus spoke often of Moses and the laws he wrote (Matt. 8:4; 19:84And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. (Matthew 8:4)
8He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:8)). He told of King David, and what he wrote (Matt. 12:3; 22:43,453But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; (Matthew 12:3)
43He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, (Matthew 22:43)
45If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? (Matthew 22:45)).
Jesus reminded the people of the words of the prophet Isaiah (Esaias), and of Daniel, and of others (Matt. 13:14; 24:1514And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: (Matthew 13:14)
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15)). So we can firmly believe that all those men, and events are true.
The Lord Jesus was grieved by pele who knew the writings of the prophets, but did not trust in God. He warned in His parables of people who were not true believers in God, and yet seemed to be real, as in the parable of the wheat and the tares.
Jesus did not speak much of His greatness, yet He told the people that He was “greater than Solomon”, their most honored king; “greater than Jonah”, a great prophet; “greater that the Temple”, which was their most honored place; and that He was Lord (Ruler) of the Sabbath Day. (They held the law of the Sabbath Day their most binding law).
Jesus also told of His resurrection, and told His disciples the exact day of His being taken, and that the third day He would rise. All this showed them afterward of His power to know all things. And the facts of His death and resurrection were well known to the Gentile rulers; to the leaders of Jerusalem; to the soldiers; the captain, and very many people.
In our next paper, we will begin the account of Christ’s life by Mark, the Lord willing.
ML 12/26/1943