Chapter 1

The first verse of this chapter says, "The book of the generation [genealogy] of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." This seems to point out that the writer's principal address of this writing is to Jews; for if it can be proved that Jesus is "the Son of David," and through him the "Son of Abraham," (or "Seed" of Abraham,) all Jewish objections are made null and void. Through verse 16 Matthew lists the genealogy of "Jesus, Who is called the Christ." His manner of using the expression, "Who is called the Christ," is extremely noteworthy. It seems that a common mistake of many Christians today is that they think "Christ" is a name of our Lord. It is NOT. It is a title, just as is "Lord," or "Saviour," or "King." It, in common use, simply means, "anointed," and in reference to Him, it means "Anointed of God as Prophet, Priest, King, and Saviour." To consider it as a name is as much out of place as to consider "Prince" as part of the name of Prince Charles of England . It is permissible to say "Christ Jesus," but with the understanding that "Christ" is the title and "Jesus" is the name. While it is true that in many places in the New Testament the definite article is omitted, and it says, "Jesus Christ," there is a simple explanation for this.  First, in most places the translators simply left out the article, which was in the Greek text; and second, in the few instances where it is not found in the Greek text, it is most likely that some scribe failed to transcribe it when copying from an earlier manuscript. The phrase should always be either "Christ Jesus" or "Jesus the Christ."

In verse 17 the apostle says, "So all the generations from Abraham to David (are) fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon (are) fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ (are) fourteen generations." Many have noted, and made comment upon the fact that, in the summing up of, as well as the listing, in previous verses, some generations have been omitted. Accordingly they have given us their imagination of why this was done. Since the writer does not tell his reason for this, it seems futile to inquire, and the fact that each case in verse 17 "are" was added by the translators may indicate that in the original, to which, indeed, the translators never had access, may have been something different. In any event, the lineage given is sufficient to establish the genealogy set forth in verse 1; and that seems to have been Matthew's intent.

(Verses 18 through 21) "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child by the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins."  

In verse 18 we again see the omission of the definite article, for which see earlier explanation. Here we have the circumstances of the birth of our Lord. Luke gives them in more detail, but what Matthew says here is sufficient for his purpose.

As we would say it today, Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married, but the marriage had not yet been celebrated or consummated. At this time Mary was discovered to be with child. Although, of course, Mary knew that it was of the Holy Ghost, this was not apparent to everyone, and evidently, was not yet known by Joseph; because he was sufficiently troubled over the matter that he was considering breaking off the engagement, and not going through with the marriage. He was a just man, which indicates that he respected the laws of God. Yet he must also have been a merciful man for he was considering canceling this marriage privately to avoid setting Mary up to public scorn. According to God's law, (Deut. 22:21 ,) had this been a matter of her having committed fornication, she should have been stoned to death; but since the Romans had taken away from the Jews the authority to execute capital punishment, they could not carry out such a sentence. Yet they could have inflicted upon her public disgrace.

While Joseph considered his options, he was visited in a dream by the angel of the Lord. The angel's message to him was, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Let us briefly examine this message. "Joseph, thou son of David," is completely in harmony with the genealogy given by the apostle in verses 2 through 16. As this record proves, he is a direct descendant of David; and "the son of," as it is often used, does not necessarily mean "one who was begotten of," but simply "one who is directly descended from." To Joseph the angel says, "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife." The taking to wife of a woman guilty of fornication, and particularly one with child thereby, would bring upon the man the same scorn and shame as that directed at the woman, since it would be a tacit admission that he also was guilty. This no doubt is what had Joseph so greatly concerned. Nevertheless, as he considered these things, the angel told him to have no fear of such, and declared to him the reason why he should not be afraid to take her to wife: "for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." This message, since it is from the "angel of the Lord," is the word of God. And Joseph, being a just man, one who believed God, (to be just is to be justified before God, and it is by faith that the just live,) this erased all doubts from his mind. The angel continued his message, declaring, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." Notice is to be taken of three persons mentioned in this message as having some action to take, and each act is declared as a positive event of the future. First, "She shall bring forth a Son." This is a positive statement of fact, containing no "ifs," "ands," "buts," or "maybes." God said, "She shall," and so she did. Next, "Thou shalt (you shall) call His name JESUS." It makes no difference whether one considers this statement imperative or indicative, "For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." Yet, technically, it is indicative, just as was the first part of this declaration. There was no choice of names given to Joseph. This Son was to be named JESUS, and so He was. "Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name, "Yeshua," or "Joshua," which means, "the help of God," or it can be rendered, "Saviour." The reason the name of this Son was to be JESUS is that, "He shall save His people from their sins." Again, we emphasize the fact that this is a totally positive statement, containing nothing that will allow any possibility of failure. In studying the scriptures we find "His people" identified as, "Whosoever believeth in Him," (John 3:16 ); "Every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him," (John 6:40 ;) "All that the Father giveth Me," (John 6:37 ;) "All which He hath given Me," (John 6:39 ;) "As many as the Lord our God shall call," (Acts 2:39 ;) "Whom He did foreknow," (Romans 8:29 ;) "Them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called," (Jude 1;) and "Them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," (2 Peter 1:1.) There are indeed many other scriptural expressions that identify them, but surely these will suffice for the present. In the Ephesian epistle the Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that, though our believing in our Lord Jesus identifies us as "His people," it has nothing at all to do with our being made so; because this took place long before we were ever brought into existence. (Ephesians 1:4-5) "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." These then, who are "His people" He shall save from their sins. God has declared it, and so it shall be. The final result will be exactly as the original purpose of God. No one can alter it, or hinder it.

(Verses 22 and 23) "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

The prophecy quoted in verse 23 is from Isaiah 7:14. Matthew takes note of the fact that, God brought to pass the events exactly as He had foretold by the prophet, and did it in this manner for the purpose of fulfilling His word. When we begin to search the scriptures for information concerning the names of the Christ, we find that He has many; among which are Jesus, Emmanuel, (or Immanuel, as it is sometimes spelled,) Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, and many others. Matthew says that when interpreted, or translated, "Emmanuel" means "God with us," and to this John bears witness, in these words, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

(Verses 24 and 25) "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: and called His name JESUS."

Surely, this does not mean that Joseph got up in the night, went to find Mary, and they had an impromptu wedding. To do so would have drawn entirely too much attention to the matter. Instead, it simply means that when he arose the next day, he, without delay, set about to do what had already been planned before he became aware of her condition. What the angel had told him was completely satisfactory to him, because he believed God. Verse 25 tells us that, they did not have intercourse until after the birth of Jesus. There are some, who contend that this abstinence continued throughout their lives, but not only is such an argument unreasonable, it is a denial of the very language of the scripture. It says, "And [he] knew her not TILL she had brought forth her firstborn Son." Admittedly, some Greek texts omit "firstborn," but the remainder of the text says, "TILL she had brought forth her_ _ _Son." This signifies clearly that, after she brought forth her Son, the marriage relationship followed the normal pattern. Otherwise, some further mention would have been made of it. The fact that in our King James Version of the Bible, as well as in most of the accepted Greek texts, the word "firstborn" is used, should satisfy us on this subject; for if He was the "firstborn" instead of "only" Son, there must have been other children, or, at least, another child, after Him. To this witness is given in Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3, in spite of the self appointed "experts" who try to deny it. The last clause of this sentence, "and called His name JESUS," tells us that, the purpose and declaration of God were executed exactly as He said.

(Verses 1 and 2) "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."

There are a few points concerning these verses that, though obvious when we look at exactly what is said, have been established by tradition as entirely different from what is here given. The first thing to be noticed is the scripture says, "There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem ." No hint is given as to how many of them there were; and no names are given. Neither is any mention made of the country, or countries, from which they came. Tradition has been set up by man, NOT GOD, to say that there were three of them, and that, their names were Melchoir, Gaspar, and Balthazar. None of this has any basis in scripture. Reason would dictate that, under the prevailing conditions of travel in those days, the very dangers of the journey would call for a greater number than three. Man's tradition has even tried to establish from whence the supposed three came that they might join together to make the journey. Again, there is no scripture for such; and neither is there any reason to think that the star traveled before them on this journey to Jerusalem . Had such been the case, they would have had no need to inquire the whereabouts of the "King of the Jews:" they would simply have followed the star. Notice what they said. "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east," not "We have followed His star from the east." To get the picture before us it is necessary to look a little ahead to some other statements. First, verses 7 and 16, "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared._ _ _Then, Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and all the coasts [borders] thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." Next, verses 9, 10, and part of 11, "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."

Verses 7 and 16 tell us that this star had appeared to these wise men two years earlier. This may not mean that Jesus was two years old when the wise men got to Jerusalem . It could mean that God showed this star to them far enough in advance of the birth of His Son, that they might have time to make the journey in time to see Him shortly after His birth, which they did. Herod's "cut-off line" of the age of two years was only his effort to make sure the "King of the Jews" did not escape. Like some other men, he foolishly thought he could overcome God. When the wise men saw the star in the east they knew "The King of the Jews" was to be born, and, no doubt, set about immediately to go and worship Him. The phrase, "wise men" was often applied to astrologers, soothsayers, etc. But in this instance, though they may have been astronomers, and for that reason were studying the heavens when the star appeared, the only wisdom that would have told them that this star meant that the "King of the Jews" was about to make His appearance, is the wisdom of God, by which He revealed this knowledge to them. Since He, Who was to be born was the "King of the Jews," they had no further need of the star until they reached Jerusalem , for that is the city of the King. And there were caravan trails they could follow from whatever point in the east they may have begun their journey.

Verse 9 says, "And, Lo, the star, which they saw in the east," not "And the star, which they had followed from the east." Thus it seems that they saw the star before they left home. And God revealed to them that it was the star of the "King." But they saw it no more till now; for had they been following it for two years, it seems hardly likely that its going before them now would call for the exclamation, "Lo." Then verse 10 seems to prove this point, for it says, "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." Had they been following the star since they left home, the sight of it now would hardly have occasioned such an ecstasy of joy as this. They would have been more or less accustomed to it by this time, since it was about two years before when it appeared to them in the east.

In the above quotation from verses 9 through the earlier part of 11, in addition to what has already been discussed, we see that the star did indeed go before them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and there came to a standstill "over where the young Child lay." The word that is translated "young child" does not always mean "a newborn infant," but certain things mentioned by Luke in his account of the birth of our Lord indicate that, although His star had appeared about two years earlier, He may not have been that old at this time. Luke 1:26-27 says, "And _ _ _ the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." Then Luke 2:4-5 says, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth , into Judaea, unto the city of David , which is called Bethlehem ; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." This seems to make it reasonable that, as soon as possible after the birth of Jesus, they would have returned home to Nazareth . Also, with all the events Luke records concerning the shepherds to whom the angels announced the birth of our Lord, it seems hardly likely that it would have taken two years for the news of this to have reached Herod. Certainly, the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem was somewhat later than that of the shepherds, since the sign given to the shepherds, whereby they might recognize our Lord was, "And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger." And Matthew says, "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother," which may indicate that, by the arrival of the wise men they were no longer in the stable, but had found a house in which to stay. As we have pointed out before, the star's first appearance could well have been two years before the birth of Jesus for the reasons earlier stated. Or it could have been a full two years since His birth. These wise men had seen His star, and had made this long arduous trip for the purpose of worshipping Him. This clearly shows that this wisdom given to them was a revelation from God Himself.

(Verses 3 through 8) "When Herod the king 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 . Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired 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."

Herod, though only a tetrarch, considered himself a king over part of Israel , and he had no intention of standing by, and permitting anyone else to be "King of the Jews:" for this would have taken away his position and power. So he was much troubled: and as others in Jerusalem realized that another claimant to the crown meant war, they also were very much upset, since they knew nothing of the nature of the kingdom of "the King of the Jews." Herod, in order to make preparation for eliminating his "rival," as he considered our Lord, gathered together all those who, he thought, would be sufficiently well acquainted with the prophecies to know where this "King of the Jews" would be born. And when they informed him that Bethlehem was the place according to the prophecy, (Micah 5:2,) he called the wise men aside for a private conference, in which he pretended that he wanted to go and worship this King also. He sent the wise men on to Bethlehem with instructions to make a diligent search for the King, and when they found Him, to bring Herod a report of His whereabouts. As appears a little later, he had no intention to worship this King. When the wise men had been dismissed by Herod, they departed from Jerusalem with the star going before them to the place where Jesus was. We have already discussed verse 10.

(Verse 11) "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."

Many have, from this verse, come up with the idea that there could only have been three of the wise men, because there were only three kinds of gifts. This is patently absurd. If there had been only one kind of gifts, this would not have limited the number of wise men to one; and had there been a hundred different kinds of gifts, there would have been no proof in this that there were a hundred of the wise men. The speculation concerning their number is just that, so far as any scriptural evidence is concerned. However many there may have been of these wise men, they all bowed ("fell") down before Jesus, and worshipped Him; and they all gave Him gifts. Some have attempted to make a great thing out of what they suppose to be the significance of each of these gifts. However, since our principal interest is a study, not of what men have imagined, but what the word of God says, we shall decline to discuss such. These gifts were gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, and may be the fulfilling of Isaiah 60:6, although that prophecy mentions only "gold and incense." The word here translated, "gold," indicates something precious made of gold. It could be ornaments of gold, or gold coins. The word translated "frankincense" could mean either the frankincense tree, or the aromatic gum which comes from that tree, which was highly prized for its fragrance. Myrrh is a bitter gum which comes from a certain tree, or shrub, in Arabia and Ethiopia . It is highly valued as a costly perfume, and is also used in embalming. Since all these wise men gave Jesus gifts of such great value, we can be well assured that they were in earnest in desiring to worship Him, to which also their undertaking such a long and difficult journey bears witness.

(Verse 12) "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."

After worshipping the Child and presenting their gifts, the wise men apparently stayed in Bethlehem at least another night; and while they were sleeping God warned them in a dream to by-pass Herod and make no report to him. Accordingly, they took a different route back to their homeland. Since nothing is said in scripture to identify that land, there is no need for us to inquire. There are legends that will tell us from whence these wise men were, but, since legends are never very reliable, we would be no better informed.

(Verses 13 through 15) "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 he 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."

Just as God warned the wise men in a dream that they should not report back to Herod, so His angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, warning him to take Jesus and His mother, and flee to Egypt for safety from Herod. The angel further warned him to stay in Egypt "until I bring thee word." Joseph was not left to depend upon his own judgment about how long he should remain there. Evidently Joseph awoke shortly after the dream; and while it was yet night he took Jesus and Mary, and, in obedience to the warning, set out for Egypt . When he arrived in Egypt , he remained there until the death of Herod; and Matthew tells us that this was done for a specific purpose, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called My Son.’" When one looks at this prophecy, he finds it spoken in such manner that, had not the apostle mentioned it here as applying to Jesus, it is doubtful that anyone would have recognized it as prophecy. It would likely have been taken as history, and applying to Israel only. (Hosea 11:1) "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called My son out of Egypt ." This is another example of a prophecy with a two-fold application. God did indeed call Israel out of Egypt , when as a nation, he might be considered as a child. Also the prophetic application is to Jesus. To see the connection with better clarity, we should keep in mind that " Israel " actually means "Prince." With this understanding of it, we can read it thus: "When the Prince was a Child, then I loved Him, and called My Son out of Egypt ." Here a word of warning to those who fear that God either can not, or will not, literally fulfill His word might be in order. If He took such great care as this to fulfill such a seemingly obscure detail as this, Why should anyone think that He will overlook any point He has declared?

(Verse 16) "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."

As will be remembered from verse 7, Herod had made a special effort to find out how long before this time the star which heralded the birth of the "King of the Jews" had first appeared to the wise men. Now, since the wise men, warned of God in a dream, have totally ignored Herod's instructions to them, (that is the meaning of the word translated "mocked,") Herod shows his real purpose in seeking the information. Since the star had first appeared two years before, he, to make sure that the King did not escape, sent his executioners to Bethlehem to kill all the children two years old and younger, not only in Bethlehem itself, but also in all the surrounding areas. Nevertheless, as Matthew has already told us, God had made the moves necessary to thwart his murderous act.

(Verses 17 and 18) "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy [Jeremiah] the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."

This also is a prophecy that probably would never have been associated, in the minds of men, with the birth of our Lord, had not Matthew led by the Holy Ghost, called our attention to it. For the whole prophecy reads thus: "Thus saith the Lord; ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel [Rachel] weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children because they are not.’ Thus saith the Lord: ‘Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded,’ saith the Lord; ‘And they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end,’ saith the Lord, ‘that thy children shall come again to their own border.’" This prophecy was to the land of Judah concerning their impending captivity. It declares that those taken away as captives, "her children," can look to a time when they will be returned to their own land. In regard to the children slain by the murderer, Herod, there is also hope for them; for they shall return from the land of their enemy, Death, and be restored to their own possession in the resurrection. Howbeit the Apostle only quoted that part, which described the great sorrow brought by their murder.

(Verses 19 through 21) "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt , saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead which sought the young Child's life. And he arose, and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel ."

Faithful to His word given to Joseph in verse 13, the angel of God brought the message for Joseph to return to the land of Israel ; and as before, Joseph immediately obeyed. Nothing is said about his beginning the return trip at night, as he did the flight to Egypt . The flight had to be kept as secretive as possible, but the return could be in the open. However it is apparent that he did not delay about obeying the instructions given him. We cannot exactly pinpoint the time of the return from Egypt . But Herod died in 4 BC.

(Verses 22 and 23) "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."

For the most part, this quotation needs no explanation, since it is a very simple account of the return from Egypt to Israel . Yet the purpose given for God's sending them to Nazareth might be a little obscure to some. According to many, (and apparently this was Matthew's understanding of it,) the Hebrew form of the word we call " Nazareth " means "branch" or "shoot." The prophecies to which Matthew refers are apparently Isaiah 11:1-5 and Jeremiah 23:5-6. Although recorded by two different prophets, the message is the same; and in both prophecies our Lord is called a "Branch." Isaiah says, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: _ _ _," while Jeremiah's wording is, "’Behold, the days come,’ saith the Lord, ‘that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch.’” Then both prophets tell us enough about Him and His work that we have no reason not to understand that they are speaking of our Lord Jesus the Christ.

(Verses 1 through 6) "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea , and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem , and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan , and were baptized of him in Jordan , confessing their sins."

Inasmuch as verses 3 and 4 are actually a parenthesis, let us temporarily set them aside, and, for greater clarity, join verse 5 to verse 2; and at the same time give a more literal translation of verse 1. Thus we have: "And in the days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ _ _ _ then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." The King James translation, "In those days came John. _ _ _," seems to mean that John began his ministry while the events of Chapter 2 were taking place, which certainly was not the case. Nevertheless, "In the days John came, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea," his message was, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and the multitudes came out to hear him, and many who repented and confessed their sins, were baptized by him in Jordan .

Now let us consider verses 3 and 4. "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’ And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." We have already noticed that Matthew very carefully calls our attention to those things, which are the fulfilling of prophecy. He declares that John the Baptist is he of whom Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 40:3-4.

In Isaiah's prophecy a somewhat more lengthy description is given of the message; for the whole prophecy concerning John and his message continues through verse 11. Howbeit, Matthew is at this point primarily concerned with showing the identity of the messenger instead of giving the entire message. He then described John as one who "had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." Some have, by what they call "spiritualizing," tried to make a great thing out of the fact that he "had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins." But the only real significance of this is that he was a very unpretentious man, who dressed as he lived, very simply. His clothing was that of a peasant. His outer cloak was of a coarse cloth made from camel's hair, and bound at the waist with a wide belt, or girdle of leather, partly to hold his cloak together at the waist, and partly as protection for his loins as he traveled through the rough country side. In addition to this his diet was very simple, primarily "locusts and wild honey." In short, he lived off the land. The locusts here mentioned are indeed the same as those that historically have plagued the Mediterranean area, and many other places of the world through the centuries. Some of our people today might be reluctant to eat locusts, but in some places they are, and have been from time immemorial, considered proper food. They are even kosher food. For Leviticus 11:21-22 says, "Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind." The whole description given of John seems to have been given for the purpose of showing him as a simple man with a simple message.

(Verses 7 through 12) "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He That cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Matthew tells us that this declaration of John's was made to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and, no doubt, it was, because of their coming out as they did to his baptism; but Luke says that it was actually said to the multitude, not just to the Pharisees and Sadducees. This is no contradiction, because one speaking publicly, though primarily addressing certain ones, will speak his message to all, and not privately to those who are the occasion of what he says. In verse 6 we are told that the multitude "were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins." It seems evident that the Pharisees and Sadducees wanted baptism without confessing that they were sinners, and repentant for their sins. This would be in perfect accord with their attitude as shown in every recorded encounter with our Lord. Since the first words of John's message were, "Repent ye," and since he was baptizing "unto," or as a witness of, repentance, he could not baptize them, unless they, by confessing their sins, showed repentance. John's further statement would certainly apply to the whole congregation, as well as to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Although the Greek word translated "within," can also mean "among," it seems better in this instance to consider it as literally "within." For the meaning is, "Don't even think to say in your mind that, Abraham is our father," as depending upon that for access to the blessings of God: "for God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

We sometimes hear men, even some who claim to be gospel ministers, say, "John did not mean that God was able to make children of Abraham from the literal stones along the Jordan River . He was speaking of the hard and stony hearts of the people." This is utterly ridiculous. First, because the stony hearts gathered there were already, according to the flesh, children of Abraham, and John did say, "These stones:" and second, God originally made man of the dust of the earth; and He can just as easily make men of stones as of dust. To say that John did not mean the literal stones is the same as saying that the speaker does not believe that God made man in the first place, or that he does not believe God is as powerful as when He made man in the beginning. Both positions are totally unacceptable. John did not say, "God will make children of Abraham from these stones," but that He is able to do so; and anyone who does not believe this should never claim to be a gospel minister.

The next part of John's message is, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire." Although this statement can be applied to all, who have been taught the truths of God, its primary application is to the Jews, of whom this entire multitude was made up. It corresponds to our Lord's parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). The Jews, individually, answer to this parable. They have been spared of God, and as it were fertilized by the prophets, but now the axe is laid at the root of every tree. Therefore every tree which does not produce good fruit, (the first good fruit to be produced is repentance,) is to be cut down, and burned up. There is no more delay.

Now John tells the difference between himself and Him, Who comes after him. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He That cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Although a prophet sent from God, John was only a man, and as such, his baptism, though commissioned of God, was only symbolic. It could not give faith, nor take away sin. All it could do was to bear witness to the repentance of those who received it as they confessed their sins. It was unto, or for, repentance. He, Who was to come after John is the God-man, Jesus the Christ. Just as John baptized (literally, "immersed") men in water, the Christ is able to baptize them with the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, and by the cleansing efficacy of the Spirit burn away their dross, or sins, as by fire. Thus, since faith is the fruit of the Spirit, our Lord does, in that baptism with the Holy Ghost, give faith; in the baptism with fire He forever puts away our sins, neither of which John could do. So he says, "He _ _ _ is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear." Not only does He baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire, but also His "fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Certainly, this part of the message refers to the time of the end, when our Lord shall very meticulously gather all His elect, "His wheat," into the garner, and bring judgment upon the wicked, "the chaff." Although the present tense is used in "Whose fan is in His hand," the future is used in the remainder of the sentence, which would indicate that He is ready, and only awaiting the appointed time to finish His work. It should also be noted that, in the Greek there is no verb at all in the first part of the statement: the "is" was supplied by the translators, and, to agree with the remainder of the sentence, it should be read, "Whose fan will be in His hand." The picture before us is that of the harvest having been gathered, laid out upon the floor, and threshed by the method in use at that time, that of being beaten with sticks until the grain was separated from the chaff. At this point the bulkier chaff was picked up and thrown aside. Then what was left was fanned with a large fan, called "a winnowing fan." The air stirred up by this fan would blow the lighter chaff aside, leaving only the grain, which was then taken up, and put into the garner. Then the chaff would be either thrown away or burned. In this case, "He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Thus His floor will be completely "purged," or cleaned. Nothing will be left.

(Verses 13 through 15) "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him."

All four gospel writers record Jesus' baptism, all with just about such variation of words as one would expect from any four different witnesses of some event today. Matthew alone mentions John's reluctance to baptize Him because of his own unworthiness. John even records John the Baptist as saying that one purpose of his being sent to baptize was that thereby Jesus would be publicly identified. As, according to Matthew, our Lord answered John's objection, He said, "Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." The words in brackets were not in the Greek text, but were supplied by the translators. This statement does not mean that baptism is "all righteousness," but simply that it is a righteous work, and ought not be left off by those who desire to do righteousness. Upon receiving this answer, John baptized Jesus with no further objection.

(Verses 16 and 17) "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him. And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."

In reading the accounts of this event given by Matthew and Mark, one might be inclined to think that the descent of the Spirit, and the speaking of the voice from heaven were seen and heard by Jesus alone. For Matthew says," _ _ _ the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit _ _ _ and, lo, a voice from heaven." And Mark says, "And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: and there came a voice from heaven _ _ _." Yet John clearly indicates that, at least John the Baptist, witnessed these things: for he records him as saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He That sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He Which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ And I saw, and bare record that This is the Son of God." So whether these things were visible and audible to the multitude, or not, they were to John the Baptist. By the opening of the heavens, the descending of the Spirit, and the voice from heaven, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God, and well pleasing to the Father.

(Verses 1 and 2) "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered."

Although Jesus is the Son of God, and, as His name "Emmanuel" declares, He is God with us, while here on earth He was in a body of flesh, and was subject to the same weaknesses that we have, with one exception; He had no sin. There was no "original sin" in His nature, and since "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him" (John 3:34), He was never overcome by temptation, and therefore he never committed sin. James tells us that "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man." Yet the fact remains that, although Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," and God does not tempt any man with evil, He often leads them into situations, or places them in positions, where they are tempted, that their faith and faithfulness may be made manifest. Witness the sending of Joseph into Egypt , and placing him in the house of Potiphar. His story is recorded in detail in Genesis, in chapters 37, and 39 through 50. In Genesis 45:7, Joseph says, "And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." Then in Genesis 50:20, he says, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive." Here Matthew says, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." So it is evident that it was the purpose of God that He be tempted, and though God did not do the tempting, it was He, Who, by the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.

In preparation for the temptation, in order that the flesh might be as weak as possible, Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. He neither ate nor drank during this time. Some might be prone to think that, since He is the Son of God, such deprivation would have no effect upon Him. But we must remember that He was in a body of flesh for the very purpose of being able to suffer all the pains, weaknesses, sorrows, and afflictions common to man, except sinning. So after forty days and nights of fasting His body was hungry, distressed, and weak.

(Verses 3 and 4) "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

There are, no doubt, many lessons, which may be learned from this temptation of our Lord and His answer to it. We shall make no effort to mention them all, but let us consider a few things concerning it. First: there can be no doubt that Jesus had the power to command that those stones be made bread. And it would suddenly be done; and when the body is suffering extreme hunger, as was His, whatever possibility of obtaining food that may be presented is very tempting; and some might think there would be nothing wrong in commanding the stones to become bread. Nevertheless, we are immediately confronted by three things concerning this. First, yielding to this temptation would have been for the satisfying of the flesh, since it was the flesh, which desired food. Second, it would have been for self-aggrandizement, to prove to Satan that He was the Son of God, which, for that matter, Satan already knew. Third, it would have indicated an unwillingness to rely upon the Father, since He had by the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Therefore our Lord made use of the same weapon that is available to every child of God, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Eph. 6:17.) He said, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’"

(Verses 5 through 7) "Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

As they read this account, some may think this a figment of the imagination, or at most, only a figurative account, but those who think that, most likely do not believe Genesis 1:1 either. There is no excuse for a Christian's doubting that this literally took place. The devil took Jesus bodily from the wilderness to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem , "the holy city," and having set Him thereupon, quoted the scripture to Him, proving that the Father had promised Him protection in all things. For the entire quotation, see Psalms 91:9-16. It will be noticed that the portion quoted by the devil is an accurate quotation. The only thing wrong with his usage of it is that he tried to extend it beyond that which it rightly covers. In so doing, the idea he tried to convey is contradictory to the overall teaching of the word of God. So Jesus answered him with, "It is written again, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’" As with all the scriptures, this is, no doubt, written for our benefit, to warn us that we must study the word of God to the point that we will be able to know how far a scripture can be extended before it would develop an idea contrary to the whole body of scriptural teaching. For many today stand ready to present temptations of various sorts, saying, "You know this is all right because the Bible says _ _ _," quoting some short excerpt of scripture, taken completely out of context. And because of its being out of context it presents a totally false idea. Thus they "change the truth of God into a lie." No matter how enticing the proposition sounds; and even when it is enhanced by a scriptural quotation, if it is contrary to some other scripture, it is to be refused.

(Verses 8 through 11) "Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him."

In my humble opinion, a great mistake is made here by most people. As they read what Satan says here, and more particularly, Luke's record of this same speech, (Luke 4:6-7,) "And the devil said unto Him, ‘All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If Thou wilt worship me, all shall be Thine,’" they tend to agree with the devil, that all this is delivered to Him, and he has power to give it to whom he will. They will even say, "Satan had to be telling the truth, because Jesus did not even challenge him on it." Such reasoning would be comical, if it were not so tragic. Every community we have ever known had someone in it, who was known as the community liar; and whatever he said, no one who knew him would ever bother to challenge him, because his background and reputation made that only a waste of time. In John 8:44, Jesus tells us all we need to know about the devil's reputation and background. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaketh of a lie, he speaketh of his own: FOR HE IS A LIAR, AND THE FATHER OF IT." With his having such character, and its being so well known, why waste time challenging what he says? Many have found to their sorrow that he was not telling the truth in this claim: for they believing his word, have worshipped and served him only to find that he could not deliver on his promise. The only power Satan has is that which he achieves through his cunning deception and manipulation of men. He is only a con artist, though the greatest of those ever, and an usurper, whom our Lord will, at His appointed time, cast down, and bring to judgment. When our Lord takes unto Himself His great power, and reigns, as is declared by the twenty-four elders, Revelation 11:17-18, even the devil himself will realize that Jesus, not he, is the One unto Whom not only the glory of all kingdoms on earth, but of heaven also belongs. So Jesus rebuked Satan, and ordered him to leave: "for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." The devil could endure no more of this; so he departed, and upon his departure, the angels came and ministered unto Jesus. No doubt, someone will think, "Yes, they came, and ministered unto Him because He is the Son of God," and surely, this is true. Yet there is also here a note of encouragement for us: for the writer of the Hebrew epistle says, "But to which of the angels said He at any time, ‘Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?’ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to MINISTER FOR THEM WHO SHALL BE HEIRS OF SALVATION?"

(Verses 12 through 16) "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."

Here Matthew passes over a considerable amount of time, giving no details of it at all. In verse 12 he says, "Now when Jesus heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee ." Mark says almost exactly the same thing at this point; but both Luke and John, though they say that He did indeed return to Galilee shortly after His baptism, tell us that this return was before John the Baptist was cast into prison. And they record many things, which took place between that return and the things of which Matthew speaks here. So, unless the expression, "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison," was somehow inadvertently added by some scribe who was making a copy of the manuscript, Matthew was simply passing over some things to get to others he deemed more relevant to his purpose. For, of course, neither any one of the writers, nor all of them together, could tell us all the things that Jesus did. (See John 21:25.) At any event Jesus did indeed return to Galilee, and to Nazareth . He also later left Nazareth and took up His abode in Capernaum . Matthew tells us that this was the fulfilling of God's prophecy by the prophet Isaiah ("Esaias"). Since, as John says, concerning the life that was in Jesus, "That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world," and the land of Zabulon and Naphthalim was "Galilee of the Gentiles," it follows that, "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up," when He took up His abode among them.

(Verse 17) "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Notice that the message Jesus preached is exactly the same as that preached by John the Baptist: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Some try to tell us that His ministry was a failure, which it certainly would have been, had He been trying to do what they say that He was. They tell us that He was offering to man the kingdom of heaven, and Himself as its King; and if they would only accept it, He would establish it here in the world immediately. However, since they rejected Him and His offer, He must now wait until a later date, and try a new method of establishing it. How ridiculous can man get with his ideas about the purposes of God? The Apostle Paul, in the Ephesian letter, shows clearly that the suffering of the Christ on Calvary 's cross was according to God's ETERNAL purpose, which He kept hidden in Himself until, according to His own will He revealed in the death and resurrection of our Lord. The message is, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That is, the heavenly kingdom itself is here, not the "old kingdom of shadows of good things to come," wherein when one committed a sin, he could take a bullock, a sheep, or a goat, to the priest, and have him offer it up in sacrifice, as a memorial of his sin, thus making a symbolic atonement for him, but the true kingdom of heaven, wherein the King Himself was soon to make the one offering that "perfected forever them that are sanctified," although the full manifestation of the glory of the kingdom is set for a future date. Therefore repent: for, unquestionably, those who repent are those who believe in the King; and those who believe in the King are the citizens of the kingdom. See John 3:16 and John 6:40; and while reading these, see also John 6:35-39, which shows clearly that the believing is not the cause, but the effect of God's wonderful salvation, wrought by the King of this kingdom.

(Verses 18 through 22) "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him.  And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him."

One will notice a seeming discrepancy between these details and what John says about the calling of the first disciples. Yet one must remember that neither account was written until several years after the incident. And what differences appear, are only such as might be expected when two people tell of things done long before without discussing and coordinating all the details of the event, thus proving that these accounts are the testimony of witnesses, not "cunningly devised fables," as the Apostle Peter said (2 Peter 1:16). The most readily noticeable point of the matter is that, when Jesus called these men, they immediately abandoned what they were doing, and followed Him with no question about where He was going, when He might come back, or what He was planning to do. In short, His call was effective, just as it always is. The religious world today is constantly telling us that Jesus is calling men to serve Him, but they will not respond to His call. They must be thinking of a different Jesus. There is not a single instance in scripture of His calling any one who did not respond. True enough, one man did say, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father;" but the Lord said, "Follow Me: and let the dead bury their dead:" and that was the end of the matter, so far as the scriptures record the event. To Simon and Andrew He said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Most people, in reading this, have a tendency to understand it a little differently from the actual wording of it. They want to make it, "If you will follow me, I will make you fishers of men." This is altogether unacceptable. There is not an "if" in it. The first clause is a command, and the second tells them what their new occupation will be.

(Verses 23 through 25) "And Jesus went about all Galilee , teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem , and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan ."

Notice should be taken of the three things Jesus did. He taught, He preached the gospel of the kingdom, and He served His fellow man, exactly the same three things that each of His servants should do today. Certainly the service He rendered is far above what we can do: for He healed "all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." The vast majority of His servants are not entrusted with the wonderful power of healing; but with whatever gift we have received we are to serve our fellow man, and especially those who are of the household of faith. As He traveled over the territory of Galilee doing these things, His reputation was so spread abroad that people with all manner of diseases, afflictions, and sufferings, physical, mental, and spiritual, were brought to Him, "and He healed them." No record can be found of any person with any affliction or problem, that Jesus tried to heal, and failed. There are now, and there have been, doctors who have been blessed to work some wonderful cures in many fields; but when all is said, and done, it must be admitted that they also had some failures. Our Lord never lost a patient. It is no wonder that great multitudes from all the regions round about followed Him.

(Verses 1 and 2) "And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying,"

Evidently, at this point Jesus was feeling the pressure of being in the press of the multitude, and desired a little rest therefrom. So He went up into a mountainous area to relax a little while. As soon as He found a place He deemed suitable for resting, and had sat down, His disciples gathered around Him, and He, away from the tumult of the multitude, began to teach them, in what is usually referred to as "The Sermon On The Mount." Verses 3 through 11 are usually called "The Beatitudes," because each starts with, "Blessed are they _ _ _," or "Blessed are the _ _ _."

(Verse 3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven. "Ptochoi," the Greek word here translated "poor," had always been used in a bad sense until in the Gospel writings it was elevated to a new plane. Classically it meant "reduced to beggary, begging, mendicant, asking alms." And our Lord's usage of it, "Poor in spirit" is to be understood as "being beggars before God," which all, who have by His grace been made to see themselves as the poor ruined sinners that we all are by nature, surely are. Those, then, who have been brought to this realization, are blessed, or happy, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. They are no longer citizens of this sinful world, but of the heavenly kingdom.

(Verse 4) "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

Throughout the teachings of our Lord, and His apostles, this theme runs continuously: "We are called to suffering and sorrow in this present world, that we may inherit glory in that to come;" and here Jesus sets forth the positive and unfailing promise that such "shall be comforted." Certainly, He will comfort us in our troubles and sorrows in this life. But the great comfort comes in that day when "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev. 21:4).

(Verse 5) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

To look for the fulfilling of this promise before the appointed time is to disregard everything taught in the scriptures, as well as everything we experience or observe in this life. While in this present life, instead of inheriting the earth, the meek are constantly pushed aside, overrun, downtrodden, and even killed by the arrogant, and the violent. Yet, why should we, who are citizens of the heavenly kingdom even want to inherit the earth in its present cursed condition? (Genesis 3:17) "And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: CURSED IS THE GROUND FOR THY SAKE; IN SORROW SHALT THOU EAT OF IT ALL THE DAYS OF THY LIFE." The earth, which the meek shall inherit, is the one in which is that wonderful city, the New Jerusalem, of which He says, (Rev. 22:3,) "And there shall be NO MORE CURSE: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him." So even if it is a long time before that promise is fulfilled, wait patiently for it, for it will indeed be well worth all the waiting, suffering, and affliction we may have to endure.

(Verse 6) "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

Hunger and thirst, especially when very acute, can cause severe suffering. Yet, as severe as they are, they can not be experienced by the dead. In like manner, those who are dead in trespasses and sins can not hunger nor thirst after righteousness. They have no appetite for righteousness. Therefore those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness can only be those who have been killed to sin, and made alive to righteousness, those who are born of God. His promise to these is, "They shall be filled." While in this life the food and drink of righteousness is given by measure to us, so that though we may for a time be filled, we soon begin to hunger and thirst again. In the wonderful New Jerusalem there is a whole river of the water of life, and a forest of the tree of life which has no barren nor dormant season, but yields its fruit continuously; and in that city, "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." It will not be given by measure, or be rationed to us, but we may take of it freely; for there is a bountiful supply.

(Verse 7) "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

To better understand some of the workings of mercy, that we might the more readily recognize it in operation, let us review some incidents recorded in scripture. In 1 Kings, chapters 24 and 26, we find two outstanding examples of mercy. When David was given easy opportunities to destroy his enemy, King Saul, he would neither harm him himself, nor permit his soldiers to do so. Yet the foremost example of mercy ever shown was at Golgotha . Our Lord, even while being crucified, prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." James tells us, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." (James 2:13) Those who are of the spirit to show mercy, "the merciful," are indeed blessed, or happy; for when they appear before the great and righteous Judge of all the world, they shall obtain mercy.

(Verse 8) "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Surely, "every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him;" but, Oh, what a difference! They whose hearts have been made pure shall rejoice exceedingly when they behold Him, and they shall be made partakers of His glory, while those whose hearts have not been purified "shall wail because of Him."

(Verse 9) "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

The word translated "peacemakers" also means "peace lovers," or "lovers of peace," and that translated "called" also means "acknowledged." So let us substitute these words in the sentence, and we have, "Blessed are the lovers of peace: for they shall be acknowledged the children of God." This does not mean that the world will so acknowledge them. On the contrary, the world will likely consider their love of peace only a sign of weakness, but He, Whose judgment really matters, will acknowledge them "children of God."

(Verse 10) "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

In Philippians 1:28-29, Paul said, "And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." He also told Timothy, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim. 3:12). So suffering persecution for righteousness' sake is the best evidence of glory to come. Therefore those who thus suffer are blessed characters. They are the heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

(Verses 11 and 12) "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

The Apostle Peter says, (1 Peter 4:12-16,) "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." The Apostle Paul says, (2 Cor. 4:17,) "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." So whatever false accusations, and persecutions we may suffer should cause us to glorify God, and be happy; for they identify us as being in the company of the prophets and apostles of our Lord.

(Verses 13 through 16) "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Which is in heaven."

In this quotation our Lord makes use of two metaphors, "Ye are the salt of the earth," and "Ye are the light of the world;" but it is readily apparent that they are identical in meaning. In reading the two, one should remember a statement in verses 1 and 2, "_ _ _His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them." This shows clearly, who is the "Ye" of the present quotation. His disciples are "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." Man has, from very early times, known that not only does salt, properly used, enhance the flavor of foods, but it also has a preserving quality that will prevent the spoilage of foods. In addition, it will, to some extent, counteract extremely sour, or bitter, tastes. Salt is therefore a very important item in the world. Yet, if it were possible for it to lose its savor, or, as Mark says, "his saltness," how can it be renewed? In Luke 14:34-35, we find, "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out." Here Matthew says, "It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." We are well aware of Luke's meaning in the statement, "It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill." To spread it on the land would cause a barren spot; for salt would kill the vegetation; and to put it on the dunghill would amount to the same thing, only slightly delayed, as the contents of the dunghill are ultimately to be used as fertilizer on the land. The only possible value of the impotent salt is that it be cast out upon the road, where it may help to keep down the vegetation. Since His disciples are the salt of the earth, we can rest assured that this salt will never lose its savor. For He will constantly refresh and strengthen it. He will not let it fail.

We now consider the expression, "Ye are the light of the world." John says, (John 1:4-5,) "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not _ _ _ That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Since that life that was in Him, Jesus, is what gives light to every man in the world, it is evident that there is no other light. Therefore, as He says to His disciples, (and, by extension, to us, if we are indeed His disciples,) "Ye are the light of the world," it is the same as saying, "I have put My life into you." Thus we are as candles lighted by our Lord, as He has put His life into our hearts. This ties in with the second of the next two metaphors He uses.

"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house." It is amazing how that, when this quotation is brought up for discussion, the speaker, or writer, seems to forget that the essence of what is said before it is, that Jesus has made each of His disciples a light, a candle, if you will. Now He says that a city that is set on a hill is impossible to hide; and that even men, as foolish as men are, when they light a candle, do not hide it under something, but set it on a candlestick, so that it will give light to all that are in the house. What is here translated "bushel" is "modios," a measure holding sixteen sextarii. It is about equivalent to our peck measure. However the size of the vessel is not of any significance. What is under consideration is the hiding of the light. Now if men, as foolish as they are, are yet wise enough to put a candle they have lighted upon a candlestick instead of under something that will hide it, can it be thought that our Lord, Who is the embodiment of all wisdom, when He has "lighted a candle" by calling one from death unto life, or from darkness into light, would hide him? No, He sets him on the candlestick, and establishes him as a city set on a hill, which cannot be hidden, though all the world around him be in darkness. That we may come to the realization of just how dark is the present world, we might consider an incident which took place a few years ago. A very prominent man, while being interviewed by someone from the news media, made the very simple statement, "I am a born again Christian;" and, to use a somewhat modern expression, it blew the minds of all the news media people. What they apparently did not know is that there is no other kind of Christian. Those who have been born again, and they only, are Christians. All others are only pretenders. They alone are the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world."