Josh Benner

Category: Commentary

  • Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. JOhn 13:1-17

    Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. JOhn 13:1-17

    It’s hard to ignore a major event. The night before you get married is not just like any other night. You know it’s the eve of the biggest day of your life. The night before surgery is not like any other night. You might have a big meal, but if it’s a big surgery, you know what’s coming the next day. 

    For Jesus, in John chapter 13, it’s the night before the day when he would go to the cross. 

    And what’s the first thing that John records? 

    Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. That’s what Jesus does before he dies.

    The lead up to the cross

    John 13 begins the second major section of John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel is essentially two main sections. “The Book of Signs,” which covers the public ministry of Jesus. That ended last week with the conclusion of chapter 12. “The Book of Glory” is the lead up to the cross, Jesus’ arrest, trial, death, and resurrection. 

    So the beginning of chapter 13, I take this as the prologue to the second act of John’s Gospel. And this prologue points to Chrit’s death and to the love that he has for his disciples. 

    John 13:1 says: Now before the feast of Passover.  

    The timeline of events between John and the other gospels is a subject which is hotly debated by scholars. Some take this event in chapter 13 as being a different day than the Last Supper. 

    I take these events as all revolving around the Last Supper and that this foot washing occurs during the last supper, on the night that Jesus was to be arrested. This is the third time in John’s Gospel that Jesus has observed the Passover holiday. 

    Just as a reminder, Passover is the annual Jewish holy day which celebrate God redeeming the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. After God had brought a series of plagues upon the Egyptians, he did one final judgment in striking down the firstborn of all of the Egyptians. For the Israelites, God had given the instruction to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood on the door of their household. Those who did this act of faith were passed over. 

    There were also instructions for a celebratory meal which was done annually. That’s the meal in which Jesus and the disciples are about to partake. 

    The next thing to observe in this opening. John mentions that Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father. 

    Nothing that happens in the events is outside the knowledge of Christ or the sovereign will of the Lord. 

    Throughout this gospel, John constantly talks about Jesus’ hour. Referring to the hour of glory when Christ would go to the cross. And here, the hour has come. 

    Jesus is in control, he knows what’s about to happen. 

    But his hour had come to give his life. As the first Passover required sacrifices for the Israelites, it ultimately pointed forward to the true Passover when the ultimate sacrifice would be made for the redemption and forgiveness of the world. 

    having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 

    The first 12 chapters are much more focused on Jesus ministering to the world, performing signs, teaching of who he is. That is the message going to the world. That Jesus is the divine Son of God who reveals the light and glory of God to the world and who brings the promise of eternal life. 

    But over the next five chapters, it’s just Jesus and his disciples. That is where his attention is. 

    John mentions the love that Jesus has for his disciples. In the chapters 2-12, the word love is used 12 times in John’s Gospel. In the next 5 chapters, it’s used 37 times. 

    Verse 2: During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

    Judas has not yet betrayed Jesus. The wheels are in motion for that to happen. The plot against Jesus was demonic. This verse also showing a contrast. 

    The first verse is about the great savior. The second verse is about the great betrayer. But even Judas is being used within the divine plan. Later on in this chapter, Jesus will predict his betrayal. 

    Verse 3: 
     Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God

    Similar to the first verse, this verse points to the divine initiative as closes out the introduction to this event and the second half of John’s Gospel. 

    In order for Christ to be glorified and return to the father, he must first go to the cross. 

    So that’s the prologue to this passage. What we’re going to do with our time this morning is look at three scenes.  

    Foot washing points us to the cross

    Verses 4-5:

    4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 

    Again, the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is well known to our culture. Even if you know very little about the Bible, it’s an event you’ve probably heard of. 

    Washing feet was a common custom in the ancient Greco-Roman world. If people were traveling to meet someone, roads were dusty and dirty. People were usually barefoot or in some sort of primitive sandal. 

    Your feet would get dirty. But foot washing was either done by a slave, or a child, or by the person themself. I think we really struggle to appreciate the weight of this event. Footwashing was always, always, always done by someone who was beneath someone else in society. 

    There’s no recorded evidence in Greco-Roman literature of a superior ever washing the feet of his subordinates, except for Jesus. It was absolutely radical. 

    To the disciples, it would have been absolutely shocking to see that. 

    Illustration – meeting the queen 

    If you were to meet the King of England, there are all sorts of protocols in place. Everyone is supposed to walk behind King Charles.

    You’re never supposed to leave a room that he’s in. He leaves the room first. If you’re dining with the king, he takes the first bite. You never turn your back on the king. 

    There are protocols for how to dress. You wouldn’t wear a bathing suit. Protocols of address. You don’t call him Chuck. He’s addressed in a magisterial title. 

    You don’t run up and give her a big hug. On and on and on. All of these formal expectations for what you’re supposed to do in her presence. 

    Imagine at a formal gathering the king were to take out a bucket and sponge and just start washing people’s feet. 

    That. would. Be. shocking. 

    But I would argue still not as shocking as in Jesus’ day. Because foot washing isn’t a cultural custom for us. You don’t go to someone’s house and expect them to just have a footbath prepared for you. 

    But in Jesus’ day, it was a custom reserved for the absolute most lowly and looked down upon in society. Jesus is taking the most menial and lowly task that a person could possibly take. 

    He’s taking on the role of a slave. 

    This would have been viewed as something that was absolutely beneath Jesus. 

    Humility was a virtue to ancient religious teachers, but not like this. Not in a way that totally went against social custom. 

    And so Peter’s reaction is actually pretty understandable in verse 6:
    He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

    Jesus is the greatest figure to have ever lived. And the disciples traveled with him, knew him, heard his teaching, saw his signs. 

    And Peter asks how Jesus could possibly lower himself to wash his feet. 

    Verse 7: Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

    Now that is an interesting thing to say. 

    You do not understand…

    What is there to understand about washing someone’s feet? 

    But afterward you will understand. 

    From the beginning of this passage, it’s established that the hour for Christ’s death has come. 

    This story isn’t primarily about feet, it’s primarily about the cross. Afterward, Peter will understand. 

    That in looking back after Jesus has gone to the cross, died, and rose, that looking back to the foo washing will have it’s truer and ultimate meaning. 

    Later on, looking back on this event, Peter will understand the significance of what Jesus did on that night. He will understand the supreme humility of Christ. He will understand that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). 

    He will understand that before Jesus displayed the most scandalous and outrageous show of love by giving his life for the world, he did the most outrageous display of humility in serving his disciples by washing their feet. 

    And looking back, it will be understood that the washing of the feet on the night before he went to the cross was a symbol of cleansing the whole person with the gospel. 

    But on that night, as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, Peter doesn’t yet understand, as will become clear from his response. 

    Foot washing points us to the Spirit 

    Verse 8: Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

    Like I keep saying, the washing is not just about feet. It’s about the cross. It’s about salvation. It’s about forgiveness for our sins. And it is that washing to which Jesus says “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

    In John 13, Jesus talks of the necessity of washing feet, and he’s pointing to the cross and a symbolic Spiritual cleansing. 

    And the message that Jesus tells to Peter is true for every person in the world. 

     “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

    It’s a washing from sin. That’s what makes sense of the passage. It’s not about feet, it’s about the cross. Jesus hasn’t literally washed any of our feet. Does that mean that we can’t be saved? No, of course not. 

    But he washes us in his blood, through his spirit, and in his grace by going to the cross.

    And that is the washing that if we do not have, we have no share with Christ, we have no inheritance with Christ, and we have no forgiveness with Christ. 

    So Jesus tells Peter that Peter must be washed. Peter still thinks they’re talking about literal washing with water. 

    Verse 9: Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 

    Classic exuberance that we see from Peter. When he here’s that, he wants to have his whole body washed. But that’s not what’s necessary here. Because it’s the washing of the feet which is the symbol for the cleansing of the soul. 

    Verse 10, Jesus will explain why Peter’s request is unnecessary. 

    Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”

    Again, Peter is only focused on the physical aspect of foot washing. Jesus is talking of the spiritual reality of being washed in his grace. 

    Peter has already been washed by Chirst, set apart by Christ, forgiven by Christ. And so when Peter wants his hands and his head washed, it’s unnecessary because he is already clean. 

    He will be no more forgiven by having all the water dumped on him. Grace is not partial. We’re not partially washed by Christ. Jesus fully saves us. He fully forgives us. 

    Notice at the end of verse 10, Jesus says to Peter “you are clean, but not every one of you.” 

    Referring to Judas. 


    Verse 11 says: For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 

    Tim Keller brings up this point, but Judas is a disciple who served Jesus. He’s with Jesus here. He has his feet washed by Jesus. Judas was part of the greatest small group that ever existed, the greatest Bible study group that ever existed. 

    He had the greatest pastor, spiritual leader anyone ever had. 

    And yet Judas is in the room, and he has his feet washed. And he’s about to betray the Lord. 

    It is having your soul washed by Jesus, your soul cleansed by Jesus that is what brings the promise of eternal life. 

    Only that. 

    Acts 4:12 says: there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 

    We come to the third major section of this passage. Foot washing shows us humility. 

    Foot washing points us to humility 

    Verse 12:

    When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 

    Jesus answers his own question. 

    Verses 13-15:
    You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

    What Jesus is saying here is that “You do have reverence for me. As you should. And with me lowering myself and humbling myself in this way, as the teacher, I am calling on you to do likewise. 

    He calls the disciples to wash one another’s feet. 

    Excursus – should we wash feet? 

    That begs a question. Should we wash each other’s feet? It is sometimes done. I’ve heard of it done at weddings. 

    Pope Francis has before washed the feet of prisoners. Some churches even take this as a command, almost treating footwashing like a sacrament similar to baptism or communion. 

    I don’t think we should take it that way for a couple of reasons. 

    First, the Bible never gives foot washing as a universal command. It’s mentioned one other place in the New Testament in 1 Timothy 5:10, in a context where it’s talking of footwashing as an example of hospitality. 

    But we don’t see it as a command. 

    Secondly, we don’t see it viewed as a sacrament in the early church or in early Christian writings, which means that people who were closer in time to the disciples themselves did not take it that way. 

    principle of humility 

    Instead, the principle is what matters. Jesus has debased himself, and in the act of washing the feet of his disciples. In some ways, if all we were called to do was wash the feet of others, for us, that would almost be the easy part. 

    What’s not so easy – for many people – is the principle that leads one to washing the feet of another, and that is showing true humility before someone else.

    So much of our world is about appearances. Jesus took on the most menial and inglorious task in his world. We can really be obsessed about appearances. 

    There have been studies done that show that people are more likely to wash their hands if there’s someone nearby. In other words, some people don’t care about washing their hands as much as they care about others thinking they care about washing their hands. 

    The photos people share online of them and their family. So often posed, everyone looking nice, picture perfect. We want to be seen as respectable, competent, good, and from a good family. 

    Don’t misunderstand. None of that is inherently bad. 

    But what can be a problem is when we become obsessed with how we look, how are family looks, how we’re perceived and thought of. And we do live in a very vain and visual world. 

    And that attitude can fly in the face of humility. 

    I think of the scene with Jesus and his disciples. 

    Quoting from Matthew 18:1-4:
    At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

    Serving the Lord is serving something bigger than yourself, serving things of eternal importance and significance. 

    And that’s what Jesus calls us to. To serve and to be humble. That’s what Jesus is saying at the end of the passage when he says: 
    16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

    Jesus sets the example. He wasn’t above humble service, and neither are we. We are called to follow Jesus and that includes following his example of humility. 

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  • An introduction to the Book of Galatians

    An introduction to the Book of Galatians

    Galatians is a letter that is addressed from the Apostle Paul. 

    Paul wrote at least 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament. All of them were written as letters either to churches or to individual people. I say at least 13 because there’s been a longstanding debate about whether or not he wrote the Book of Hebrews as that letter does not have an identified author. 

    Authorship

    Some scholars debate Paul’s authorship of certain letters, but interestingly, Galatians is almost universally agreed upon to be authentically Pauline. The theology of Galatians is thoroughly Pauline and this letter also includes a high degree of autobiographical material. No serious scholar questions that Galatians is from Paul. 

    Most of what we know about the Apostle Paul comes from his letters and from stories involving Paul in the Book of Acts. 

    Paul tends to not talk a ton about himself in his letters. Just little pieces of information here and there but Galatians is different. From the middle of chapter 1 through about the middle of chapter 2, Paul has a prolonged section where he does talk about himself. He’s talking about his status as an apostle and about his various  travels in the years after he came to faith. 

    Date of Galatians 

    Now if you’ve ever noticed the maps in many Bibles, there will be a map in the back that displays the travels of Paul’s three missionary journeys. 

    The first missionary journey is when Paul visited churches in the region known as Galataia, which is in modern day Turkey. We see these events recorded in Acts chapter 13 and 14, and those travels are Paul’s introduction to this Galatian region. 

    Most converstive Biblical scholars believe that the letter to the Galatians was authored after this first missionary journey which would make Galatians Paul’s earliest writing. In the late 40s to early 50s A.D. That would also make it the earliest writing in the entire New Testament.

    Think about that for a moment. Less than a generation after Jesus walked the earth. With most of the apostles still living and with many others who had personally interacted with Jesus still living, Paul wrote Galatians. Interestingly, Paul will have a prolonged section where he talks about living eyewitnesses to Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15. 

    Who was the Apostle Paul? 

    What do we know about Paul?

    We don’t know exactly when he was born but most scholars think it was shortly after Christ, maybe around the year 4 or 5 A.D. 

    Paul goes by two different names in the New Testament: Saul and Paul. 

    A common misconception is that Saul’s name changes to Paul after his conversion. There is no Biblical evidence to support that. In reality, the name Paul comes from the name Paulos which is a Greco-Roman name. Acts 13:9 says: 

    Saul, who was also called Paul

    And so it appears as though he went by two names. Saul was a Jewish name, likely named after King Saul, the first King of Israel. Like King Saul, Saul/Paul was also from the Tribe of Benjamin. 

    Paul was born in Tarsus, which was one of the most cultured and educated cities of the first century Roman world. It’s unclear how long he stayed there but we also know that part of his formative years were spent in Jerusalem. 

    He talks of this in Acts 22:3: 

    ​​3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers

    Paul was famously a persecutor of the early church. The first time we see Paul in the New Testament is when he’s giving approval to the martyrdom of the Apostle Stephen in Acts 7. 

    Acts 7:58:

    they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 

    There are other references to Paul’s authority. In Acts 26, Paul is reflecting back on his life before coming to faith when he says: 

    9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.

    Paul had been a pharisee: part of the group of religious teachers and experts in the law who we constantly see having conflicts with Jesus in the gospels. 

    He would have grown up celebrating the holy days of the Old Testament and reciting Biblical passages from the Torah. He would have also had his own beliefs about the Messiah of Israel. 

    He talks about his past life in Judaism in Philippians 3. 


    Philippians 3:4-7: 

    If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 

    Paul would have been extremely well versed in the Old Testament. It’s no surprise to consider the many connections and allusions he makes to the Old Testament in his writings. 

    Just considering Galatians, we see Paul connect the idea of justification by faith to Abraham. In Galatians 4, he talks of the sons born to Hagar and Sarah as being symbolic of the covenants of grace and works. He also talks extensively of the law of the Old Testament. 

    The Christian response to the law seems to be a major impetus for the writing of this letter. In Acts chapter 9, Paul has a dramatic conversion where Jesus appears to him on the Road to Damascus. This is probably around the year 34-35, a year or two after the resurrection of Jesus. 

    We see his call by Jesus. 

    Acts 9:1-6: 

     Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 

    5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

    The great persecutor of Christians becomes a Christian. 

    And we know that Paul himself was heavily persecuted throughout his ministry. 

    Acts 16:20-23, just after Paul has arrived in Philippi, he’s attacked by an angry mob: 

    20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.

    Paul was imprisoned multiple times, beaten multiple times, his life was endangered multiple times. On his first visit to the Galatian region, he gets stoned by an angry crowd in Acts 14.

    Five of Paul’s letters were written while imprisoned: Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Timothy. 

    2 Timothy was his final letter, written shortly before he was martyred. From that letter, even after the various persecutions, beatings, and imprisonments, Paul seemed to know that he didn’t have much time left. 

    2 Timothy 4:6-8: 

    6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. 

    Other information about Paul. 

    To supplement his ministerial earnings, he also worked as a tentmaker. He was likely never married. No wife is ever mentioned and Paul talks about the gift of singleness in 1 Corinthians 7. 

    Paul seemed to have been afflicted in his missionary journeys at different times by poor health. We see that in Galatians where Paul is thanking the Galatian Churches for their kindness to him. 

    Galatians 4:13-15: 

    it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.

    The fact that he refers to them being willing to gouge out their eyes has provoked many to suggest that Paul might have had poor eyesight. 

    In Galatians 6:11, Paul draws attention to his handwriting: 

    See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.

    While Galatians is his letter, he most likely did not write in his own hand, but dictated the letter through a scribe. 

    Paul also refers to his thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12. 

    Occasion for writing

    Think of all of the many different Christian denominations today. Thousands of them. So many different schools of thought, different ways people read the Bible. 

    Well in the early church, they had a lot of theological disagreements too. Christianity was new. There were a lot of theological questions related to the connection of Christianity to Judaism. There were questions of if Christians still needed to follow laws in the Old Testament: did you still have to eat a kosher diet? Did you still have to observe Old Testament holy days and a weekly Sabbath? Did men still need to be circumcised? 

    In Galatians, Paul is addressing some of those very issues as people had sought to still enforce elements of the Old Testament law on new converts to Christianity. 

    Because of that, justification by faith is a major them of this book. 

    He states this most clearly in Galatians 2:16: 

     we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 

    But there are numerous other references in this letter to justification by faith. 

    And so Paul is combatting these false teachings in the Galatian churches with the truth of the gospel. 

    Early in the letter, Paul expresses his concerns over people being led astray from the truth of the gospel. 

    Galatians 1:6-7: 

    6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

    We see his frustrations with the fruit of these false teachings in chapter 3 when Paul says: 

    O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

    Themes

    The last thing I’ll touch on as I introduce us to Galatians. The primary themes of this book. Some of them I’ve already covered.

    I would argue that justification by faith is the main theme of Galatians. Galatians is Paul’s love letter to the Doctrine of Justification by Faith. 

    Other significant themes in Galatians include the relationship of the gospel to the law, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Paul’s apostolic authority. 

    I’ll close with this. 

    One of the key verses in the book. 

    Galatians 1:11-12: 

    11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ

    The gospel is God’s gospel. It is not invented or created by men. It is not up for a vote. It is not dependent upon popularity. 

    The message that we are sinners and that there is grace through Jesus Christ is a message offered to the whole world and it is the only message that points to eternal life. 

    Galatians points us to that gospel. And it points us to the life that we have in Christ in light of that gospel. 

    Galatians is a great book. We’re going to have a great study in this book. 

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  • Why do Matthew and Luke give two different genealogies for Jesus

    Why do Matthew and Luke give two different genealogies for Jesus

    The gospels of Matthew and Luke both give genealogies for Jesus. 

    But they’re different. 

    Not just a little different. 

    From David to Joseph, they’re almost entirely different. Only two names are found in both genealogies in that time period. The genealogies are much more similar from Abraham to David. Matthew has an extra name. That’s not so unusual. Ancient genealogies are not always exhaustive. So person A can be referred to as the father of person B but it might actually be his grandfather or great grandfather, etc. 

    When you get to David, the genealogies diverge in two different directions. 

    Matthew’s genealogy goes from David to Solomon and through Solomon’s line. 

    Luke’s genealogy goes from David to another of his sons, Nathan, and Nathan’s line. 

    Both list Zerubbabel and both list Shealtiel and that is where the commonalities begin and end. 

    But why? 

    There are all sorts of theories. 

    And I’ll be honest. Any solution to this problem is purely speculative. 

    THEORY 1 – JOSEPH’S LINE AND MARY’S LINE

    One of the oldest theories which goes back to the early church is the suggestion that they’re giving genealogies for both Joseph and for Mary. 

    Simple. 

    That’s possible but it shouldn’t be assumed, most importantly because the text never tells us that. 

    It would be highly unusual to give a woman’s genealogy in ancient times. Although as one scholar pointed out, a virgin birth is also highly unusual. 

    THEORY 2 – A ROYAL LINE AND A LEGAL LINE

    Perhaps one of the genealogies is royal and one is legal. 

    This is ultimately where I land and what I believe is the most like scenario. 

    What’s that mean? 

    So Matthew’s genealogy goes from David to Solomon to Rehoboam to Abidjan, etc. 

    That is the Israelite monarchy of the Old Testament. They’re the kings.

    Those people can be found in Old Testament genealogies. 

    Matthew gives the kings. Luke does not. 

    But both go through David. 

    So one suggestion is that Jesus is in the line of David, but while the royal line goes from David through Solomon, Jesus isn’t part of the Solomonic line. 

    Is that to say that Jesus is not a legitimate royal?

    It’s not saying that. 

    Perhaps the direct royal line had died off and Joseph was next in line. 

    So in that, Matthew could be giving the line of the monarchy which ends up at Joseph. 

    Even if not, Jesus is the divinely appointed Davidic King. We see several instances in the Old Testament where God makes a choice which goes against birth order. Judah was not the oldest of the 12 tribes. Jacob was younger than Esau. Abel was favored over Cain. 

    Certainly we should not think that either of the gospel writers were just arbitrarily listing names. Luke’s genealogy is interesting because it goes another route off of the Davidic line. Luke is very meticulous and detail oriented in his gospel. He knew the Old Testament. Why did he do that? 

    I think he did it because it was true. That was the line. 

    That does not mean Matthew’s genealogy is wrong. 

    Again, the theory that I think makes the most sense is that Matthew is giving the kings. Keep in mind that the monarchy ends long before Jesus. There are people living in the world today who are descendants of monarchies that are no longer in power. 

    And from the line of the kings, Matthew is pointing to Jesus as the final and ultimate king. That also goes with the kingship theme in this gospel. 

    There are other theories. 

    OTHER THEORIES

    Maybe it’s as simple as Matthew and Luke showing that Joseph himself was related to David from both sides of his family. 

    Maybe Joseph’s parents died and he was adopted and it’s giving the lines of his blood family and his adoptive family. 

    Jesus was adopted by Joseph. Maybe Joseph too had been adopted. 

    And there are other theories. 

    Maybe Joseph’s mom was a widow and his dad had a half brother who married the mother to give Joseph’s father a legal heir and the gospels are giving that genealogy and the genealogy of his biological father. 

    Again, it’s not a new thing that Matthew and Luke have different genealogies. Theologians and scholars have been wrestling with this throughout church history. We have church theologians commenting on this in the third century, but I think it’s safe to say that the question goes back further than that. 

    AN IMPORTANT LESSON ABOUT THE BIBLE

    But here are a couple things to keep in mind. 

    Because sometimes skeptics will point to these different genealogies as a known on the historicity of the Bible. 

    People like to sometimes make it seem like way back in the early history of the church, like they edited the Bible. But the Bible gives us two different genealogies for Jesus and throughout the history of the church, both were left in the gospels because they were original to the books. 

    And that should mean something. 

    It’s a powerful reminder of the efforts throughout the history of the church to preserve the Biblical text and not be editors. But letting the text speak for itself. 

    The Bible is the word of God. 

    All scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). 

    Hebrews 4:12 says: 

    the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword

    The Word of God does not need to be explained away. 

    Thomas Jefferson was famous for producing his own “bible” where he cut out the parts he disagreed with. That’s not how you treat the Word of God. 

    Matthew and Luke gave those two genealogies, as we have them. 

    And they’re both God’s word. 

    For the skeptics and those who want to use this against the historicity of the Bible or even for the Christian who’s uncomfortable with the discrepancy, that needn’t be so. Just because we don’t know exactly why the genealogies are different does not imply that a solution doesn’t exist. 

    Again, there are no shortage of plausible theories. 

    We just don’t know exactly which one it is. 

    Thanks for reading! If you like, please share, comment and subscribe! 

  • Sermon: The first gospel – Genesis 2:8-3:15

    It’s a passage that gives us a glimpse of a perfect world before the fall. After the fall, it’s a passage that points us to a glimmer of hope in a newly fallen world as the good news of the gospel is proclaimed for the first time in scripture in Genesis 3:15. It sets forth a trajectory which will run throughout the rest of the Old Testament in the lead up to the Christ coming into the world.

    Sermon manuscript

  • Immanuel Prophecy in Isaiah. Part 2: A sign given

    Immanuel Prophecy in Isaiah. Part 2: A sign given

    BACKGROUND 

    Isaiah 7:10-25.

    We’re around the year 735 B.C. The Kingdom of Judah is home to the chosen people of God and the promises of God. It’s the home to Jerusalem and the family line which leads to Christ. 

    A man named Ahaz is the King of Judah. Though they’re God’s chosen people, he’s a sinful king in a sinful kingdom. They have regularly disobeyed and dishonored the Lord. The first several chapters of the book of Isaiah largely revolve around the judgment which will befall Judah. 

    There are also a lot of military tensions in the region. The Assyrians are the super power in the Middle East at the time. They pose a threat to the various local kingdoms. 

    And so you have two other nations: Israel and Syria who have formed an alliance against Assyria. Israel and Syria try to pressure Judah into the alliance but Judah will instead opt to pay off the Assyrians for protection. As a result, Israel and Syria go to war with Judah. Through the prophet Isaiah, King Ahaz is told that the destruction of their oppressors: Israel and Syria is imminent. 

    We find out from other passages like 2 Kings 16 that Judah actually paid off the Assyrians for protection. Ahaz is told to ask the Lord for a sign, and where we concluded our last post in this series, Ahaz refuses the sign. 

    A SIGN REJECTED 

    Isaiah 7:10-11: 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 

    Ahaz has been sinful and faithless. But he’s given an incredible offer from the Lord. He can basically ask any sign he wants from the Lord. He can ask the Lord to reveal himself to him in a spectacular way. 

    I can’t think of another time in the Old Testament where this offer is given to someone. 

    If you were given that offer, what sign would you ask for? Whatever you want? Maybe you’d ask to see heaven, ask to be healed from a health issue, ask to see a loved one who’s passed away brought back to life? 

    Ahaz instead responds in verse 12: I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 

    Now at first glance, that can appear as a good thing. I will not put the Lord to the test. In the temptation story of Jesus, he talks of not putting the Lord to the test. 

    Matthew 4:5-7: the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 

    7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

    Jesus was asked to basically prove his identity by challenging God. He doesn’t. He points to the scriptures when he says “it is written” and then adds a command from the Old Testament “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

    That’s a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16. You shall not put the your God to the test.

    So it can appear as though Ahaz is just being faithful to the commands of scripture. What’s the problem? It’s not a violation of the command when the Lord tells you to ask him for a sign. 

    Ahaz says he won’t test God but it’s God who tested Ahaz and Ahaz failed. Ahaz makes a mistake that has existed since the first sin which is misapplying the Word of God. 

    God tells him to ask for a sign and Ahaz balks at it. It’s because Ahaz doesn’t want a sign. He doesn’t care about seeing what God can do. Ahaz has already put his faith in his own industry in paying off the Assyrians for protection. 

    So when he says he won’t put God to the test, he’s just giving the appearance of faith. In Jesus’ day, it was a problem for the pharisees. They had attached all sorts of laws onto laws and outwardly appeared to be very religious and moral. 

    You can’t fool the Lord. 

    It’s easy to say the right things, it’s easy to talk the talk. But the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The Lord sees through Ahaz’s attempt at outward piety. 

    Verse 13, he’s given a response: And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?

    A SIGN GIVEN

    Ahaz doesn’t ask for a sign but God gives him a sign anyway. The Immanuel prophecy in this passage is the same prophecy which is quoted at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. 

    Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

    The gospel adds a note that the name Immanuel means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

    It’s a difficult verse in Isaiah. It’s cryptic. Its meaning is controversial and disputed. Numerous questions arise. 

    We will examine three of them. 

    1. WHY IS THAT THE SIGN WHEN JESUS ISN’T BORN UNTIL MORE THAN 700 YEARS LATER? 

    I don’t take this Isaiah passage as only referring to Jesus. Don’t misunderstand. The sign ultimately refers to Jesus, but I believe that the sign had a double-fulfillment. 

    The prophecy is given as a sign to Ahaz. Therefore I think it matters that the sign means something in the Day of Ahaz, and as we will see momentarily, I believe the context of this passage demands that it mean something in Ahaz’s time. As a general rule, I think we should be weary of Biblical interpretations where a verse has no significance to its original audience. 

    This is an important note about studying the Bible and studying prophetic literature in the Bible. Especially when you consider what else our present passage says. Let’s look at the Immanuel prophecy and the immediate context. 

    Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

    What’s the meaning of those verses? There’s no apparent relationship between those verses and Jesus. 

    They have to mean something. We’ll examine them more closely in a few moments but I think that verses 15-16 refer to events in the lifetime of the first Immanuel. 

    A second issue to consider.

    WHAT DOES VIRGIN MEAN? 

    What does the word virgin mean? 

    In English, our word “virgin” has a pretty straightforward meaning. Someone who has never had sexual relations. And virginity is certainly an important aspect of the birth of Jesus. 

    Gospel of Luke. 1:31, Mary is told she’s going to have a baby.  behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

    The angel goes on to say what will happen during this ministry but Mary responds in Luke 1:34: 

    And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

    The virginity of Mary matters in the birth story of Christ because it demonstrates a miracle of God. That the birth of Christ is an entirely divine activity. So when people were reading the Old Testament hundreds of years before Christ, did they read this verse from Isaiah and take it to refer to a virgin having a baby? 

    Not necessarily. 

    If you’ve ever heard a sermon on this passage or the Matthew passage before, or if you’ve ever looked up these verses in a Study Bible, you might have seen a note that talked about how the word for virgin can also mean “young woman.”

    That’s true. The closest example we have in English is probably a word like “maiden.” The word “maiden” isn’t used in English today as much as it was about 100 years ago, but a maiden refers to a young unmarried woman. 

    Now, in this Jewish culture in the 8th century BC, for a young, unmarried woman, it would have been assumed that she was a virgin. So that’s certainly part of what was meant, but my point is that Isaiah’s audience didn’t necessarily understand this passage referring to a virgin conception. 

    I think they would have taken the Hebrew word that’s used here to refer more to the woman’s I think it’s more likely that they understood this Immanuel sign as being the child of a young woman. 

    But here’s something that’s interesting.

    While the word probably meant something more like young woman or maiden to its original Hebrew audience, by the time the text was translated from Hebrew into Greek, which was still prior to the birth of Christ, the Greek word that was used actually does more specifically mean virgin. So it is possible that a Greek reader, would have had an understanding in his time of a virgin birth. 

    WHO ARE IMMANUEL AND THE WOMAN? 

    There are several theories about who Immanuel is. Some think that the woman is King Ahaz’s wife and Immanuel is his son Hezekiah. Others think it’s the prophet Isaiah’s son. Some think that the name Immanuel became popular in Judah at this time and a lot of baby boys were named Immaneul and that that was the sign. Or perhaps it was the child of an official in the royal court who was named Immanuel. 

    And there are several other theories. I just point that out to again show that this is a difficult passage with several possible interpretations. But just because a passage in the Bible is hard, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t study it. 

    As far as the identity of the original Immanuel, we’ll cover that in another post. But the point that I want to make for right now is that there was a first Immanuel before Jesus, the ultimate and greater Immanuel. As this prophecy continues, Isaiah will elaborate on the circumstances of the world into which the first Immanuel will be born. 

    And he starts to talk about the immediate future within the region in its connection to this sign of Immanuel. There will be a time of difficulty in the region. The first subject to be dealt with are Judah’s oppressors: Israel and Syria. 

    This passage is talking about the early years of the first Immanuel. And there will be judgment for Israel and Syria, and later for Judah. 

    Verse 15: He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 

    When Immanuel is just a child, he will eat curds and honey.  Now, when the Israelites are on their journey to the Promised Land, it’s often referred to as a land flowing with milk and honey and that’s seen as a good thing. 

    But in this passage, the curds and honey seems to be a negative for the young Immanuel. The region will be so desolate, war will make the kingdom such a wasteland, that he will be eating a nomadic diet. 

     He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good

    Twice the prophet talks of a time associated with when this boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. The point of that is Immanuel will be very young when all of this happens. It’s before he will have reached an age of accountability. Historically, we know that this is correct because these events happen around 735 B.C. and the kingdom of Israel was conquered in 722 B.C. 

    The things the Lord says will happen in this passage do come to pass and they come to pass in the very near future. 

    End of verse 16, Isaiah throws down the gauntlet: the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

    Ahaz is specifically being told of the desertion which will befall Syria and Israel. And that is desertion because they will be conquered and taken from their land. It is a blessing that Syria and Israel will both be conquered for their sin. 

    JUDGED JUDAH 

    But Judah has also been sinful. Ahaz the king has been sinful. And there will also be consequences for them. 

    I said this in the beginning, but many of the early chapters of Isaiah have actually focused on the sins of Judah. They’re God’s chosen people but they’re sinful, and Ahaz is sinful. And Ahaz placed his trust in a pagan nation in Assyria for his hope and protection rather than God. There are consequences for that as well. 

    And so the rest of this passage ends by talking about judgment which would befall Judah. We will be fairly brief with these verses. 

    Verse 17: The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

    Where it says “upon you and upon your father’s house,” it’s a reference to the House of David who rules in Judah. It’s the monarchy. Then the text talks about days which have not come since Ephrairim departed from Judah. 

    I touched on this in a previous post, but it’s referring to to the split between Judah and Israel, Israel is here being referred to as Ephraim after its largest tribe. 

    What this verse is saying is that: while there is judgment for Israel and Syria, Judah will also experience a time of difficulty and upheaval. The challenge they will face will be the King of Assyria, as the verse ends. 

    The Assyrians, the nation in whom Ahaz had placed his hope will become their oppressor. So often the things we look to for freedom can enslave us. 

    The passage begins to talk about what will happen to Judah. Now with Syria and Israel, annihilation is the fate which awaits their kingdoms. By the grace of God, it won’t be quite as severe here for Judah. But they will still suffer. 

    18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures. 

    The verse is talking about military oppression which Judah will face. It talks of troops as if they’re swarms of bees and flies. Numerous soldiers will converge upon them. All of the hiding places will be overcome by enemy forces.

    Verse 20: In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also. 

    Another picture of what will happen. It talks of the people being shaved. The point this is making is he humiliation that the Judeans will face at the hands of the Assyrians. Removing a person’s hair is often a symbol of stripping away their identity. 

    We see a third picture of the future for Judah.

    Verses 21-22: In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey. 

    That verse might not seem so bad because it does talk about people having livestock and an abundance of milk. 

    But given that everything else in the passage is a picture of judgment, I think the point is more that there will be an abundance of food and people will have livestock because there will be so much devastation about the population. 

    A FINAL PICTURE

    23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread. 

    This is a picture of the devastation which will befall the land. The fertile ground will become briers and thorns. In the Old Testament, God talks of drought and of waste coming upon the farmland as divine judgment for Israel’s disloyalty to the covenant. 

    Give another example. Isaiah 5:5-6 says: I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 

    Around the year 701 B.C., the Assyrians did lay siege to Jerusalem. They did not ultimately conquer the city, that would happen at the hands of another empire a century and a half later. But for their sin, there was judgment upon Judah. 

    CONCLUSION 

    I understand that these are difficult passages. There’s a lot of history, a lot of context. It can be confusing that Judah’s enemies are judged by God but then so is Judah. One of the things that this passage again shows us is the weight of sin. 

    God does not take sin lightly. Anytime we act like sin doesn’t matter or isn’t a big deal, we are communicating a profound theological falsehood. God is deathly serious about sin. 

    Judah is God’s chosen people in his chosen land. It can be tempting to wonder if they suffered too much. But the real question is always why God gives grace to anyone when no one deserves it. Something else that we see in this passage is God’s sovereignty over the nations. 

    Both in our lives and in the dealings of the world, nothing happens outside of the sovereignty of God. There are many evil empires today. North Korea, China, dictatorial leaders in places like Venezuela. Countries that are torn apart by civil war and religious fanaticism. 

    God sees it all. That’s true throughout the world and in the lives of individuals. 

    All sin will be accounted for. Either it was nailed to the cross and you believe in what Jesus did. Or you will spend eternity separated from God because of your own sin. But there is nothing that is unnoticed to an all-knowing God. 

    As I close, I want to return to the Immanuel prophecy in verse 14. 

    Isaiah gives the sign of Immanuel. Again we often know it in connection with the Gospel of Matthew and Christmas time. Basically everything going on in Isaiah 7 revolves around war. Judah being attacked, Judah’s oppressors judged, but Judah also suffering at the end of the passage. 

    This is not a quaint, yuletide passage. It’s a passage about war and you’re given this one glimmer of light, the sign of Immanuel, which means “God with us.” In spite of all that is going on in the world, God is still with his people. There will be difficulties for the nations, but God is still faithful to his promise and his people. 

    There will be judgment on Judah, but God is still with them. This is a passage about war and the one hopeful message is a sign given to a king who didn’t even want it. We live in a world that is so often at war. War between nations, war within ourselves, conflict within our families, struggles against our sinfulness. 

    In the face of war and turmoil, Ahaz was offered a sign. He turned it down. The message that we need is not always the message that we want. In our sinful lives, we are given the message of the gospel. That you are separated and alienated from God due to sin, but you can have forgiveness when you turn your hope away from yourself and place it in Jesus and what he did on the cross. 

    There are difficulties in life. God with us. Is he the Lord in whom you place your trust? 

    Even as Christians we are not insulated from the sin that is in the world and our own lives. There are times of difficulty. But God is faithful. God never unjustly brings judgment. 

    My point with all of this is not to destroy a favorite Christmas verse from Matthew. 

    But I do think there’s value in knowing the original story. Because life is not the quaint, Norman Rockwell painting that we so desperately want the Christmas season to be. Life is hard. There is sin, disease, death. There’s hurt and betrayal. There’s war between nations and threats that we face. 

    Yet in spite of that, to an undeserving king, God gave the sign of Immanuel. And to an undeserving humanity, God gave the gift of the greater Immanuel, his son, God who came into the world, God with us. 

    Originally published December 25, 2020

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