Matthew 8: 5-13

(Matthew 8: 5-13)

『And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And 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. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.』

Centurion is the Gentiles. Jesus was surprised to see this faith in the Gentiles, not in Israel. Jesus told the Gentiles to enter heaven before Israel. Many church people today say that the centurion was the result of this marvelous faith because of being humble, servant-loving, and wholly dependent on God. Jesus said, “I have come to call a sinner,” so the Jews accepted it as something unrelated to him. But sinners are all sinners in this world. For they are those who have left God. The word Gentiles all means gentile (sinner) for the kingdom of God.

In Leviticus, God distributed the land to the Israelites and told them not to sell it. For they are strangers. The stranger is Gentile. It means that Israel is a Gentile in this world. After all, the spirit that has left God becomes a stranger in this world, because the spirit's hometown is the kingdom of God.

In the Bible, the superficial meaning of Gentiles refers to all nations on earth and not to Israel, but behind them are all those who have left God in the kingdom of God. There is no way for those who have left God to be saved except to enter into Jesus Christ. Jesus was astounded at the centurion's faith: "The centurion's faith is that if Jesus says, the sickness is healed. The Bible says (Matthew 7:21).『Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.』

Many churches have interpreted the Father's will individually as to the phrase, "Anyone who does his will will be saved." It may be as if the Father's will is to do something. In fact, the Father's will is to enter into Jesus Christ. To enter into Jesus Christ is to die on the cross with Jesus.

The Bible says in (John 3: 5).『Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 』 The old man dies in the water, and the new man is born again into the spirit body by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is to enter into Christ. Many people, however, think of rebirth as a change of heart. Rebirth is the same concept as resurrection in which the old dies and the new is born. Jesus is the first fruit of the resurrection, but the born again is the fruit of the resurrection in Jesus. Today, the Bible says that "unless you repent, you cannot be born again." But people think of it as a reflection of sin. But basically it is to die with Jesus for sin. By the way, people do not die to sin, but they sin daily and repent. If we think that we can be saved only by repenting of sin every day, we do not understand the death of Jesus on the cross at once.

Jesus said.『 That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.』 The Lord God said to the Israelites, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." God promised Abraham "the land and the offspring." Proving that promise is a covenant. God also promised Isaac and Jacob. The Bible says in Genesis (26: 4).『And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 』, The Bible says in Genesis (28:13).『And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;』

Although God said that he would give the land of Canaan to Israel, Israel went into Canaan after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Canaan symbolizes the kingdom of God. Egypt means the world. God is telling us that through Israel, all human beings must come from God's kingdom to the world and enter the kingdom again. So, through the story of the world, realize the things of the kingdom of God and repent and cry to God.

Abraham is Ancestor of faith. Just as Abraham believed in God, if everyone believed in God, they would enter the kingdom of God just as Abraham did. When Abraham became 100 years old and knew Sarah's womb was dead, he believed in God's promise of giving children. Putting one's thoughts down is the source of faith. God tested Abraham's faith: "Sacrifice Isaac." Isaac is a model of Jesus Christ. Abraham believed that Isaac would be resurrected after his death.

The Bible says in Genesis (22:12).『 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 』 God clearly said, "The seed of Isaac is the seed of promise." The Bible says in Hebrews (11:18).『 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 』 It is not a descendant of Abraham, except through Jesus Christ. Only Jesus Christ can save those who repent. The Bible says in Romans (9: 7-8).『Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 』

The physically born (Ishmael) means the law, and the promised one (Isaac) means Jesus Christ (the Holy Spirit). Those who follow the flesh persecute those who follow the promise. Those who believe in the law persecute those who follow the Holy Spirit. Even today, even though the Bible says that you should not live legally, those who still act legally in the Church persecute the Saints.

"That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven".

Those who have faith as centurions are likewise in the kingdom of God. That is, those who enter into Jesus Christ. Those who follow the law, like Israel, are not saved. Not to keep the law, but to die with Jesus on the law. So those who are in Christ are out of law. Those who keep the law still cannot sit in heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matthew 2:7-11

(Matthew 2:7-11) Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.   When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. In ancient times, gold, frankincense, and myrrh were mainly offerings to kings or gods. Biblical scholars say, "In 243 BC, the offerings of Seleucus II Callinicus dedicated to the Temple of Apollo in Miletus included gold, fra...
Read more

Matthew 2:1-6

  (Matthew 2:1-6) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,   Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. (Matthew 2:1-6) Jesus came down to the earth according to the prophecy of the Old Testament 『 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler ...
Read more

Matthew 2:12-15

(Matthew 2:12-15) And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.   And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:   And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. "It might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son." The prophet quoted by Matthew is Hosea. In Hosea 11:1 My son means a young Israeli community. It is to tell how God called the Israelites from Egypt in the past to "Israel apostate through Baal." “ Called ou...
Read more