“As One Who Seeks the Father’s Will”
August 15, 2021 Matthew 12:43-50
Faith is not a straightforward thing. ”Be sober, be vigilant. The devil, your adversary, is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm in the faith and resist the devil," says Peter (1) in Chapter 5, verses 8 and 9. If we put our own desires before God's will, the devil will enter our lives and bring our faith to naught.
The Lord Jesus tells us a strange thing in Matthew 12:43-45. "The unclean spirit... looked for a place to rest, but found none. So he says, 'Let's go back to my house, where I came from.’ When he returned, he found the house empty, cleaned and ready for him." (Matthew 12:44). He goes on to say that the evil spirit will bring seven spirits to live in the house, and the situation will get worse. So faith is truly a battle. As you all know, there are many battles to be fought in faith. It is not a shallow thing that you can just believe and be saved. We are human beings with a body and a mind, so many things happen to us. It's not all fun and games, right? This verse is a warning against that.
Next, I would like to take note of the words of the Lord Jesus in verse 46 and following. In the New Community Translation, there is a sub-heading paired with the words, "Jesus' mother and brothers. There is even a parallel article written under the subheading. They are Mark 3:31-35 and Luke 8:19-21. I don't have time to talk about the parallel articles today, so please compare them when you get home. The contents are almost the same, but the details are slightly different. The differences are actually very important.
It is said that the Gospel of Matthew was written with reference to the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark is said to have been written in the 60s or early 70s A.D., although there are various theories that make it impossible to be certain. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke were written in the late 80s.
Today's article was written after the Beelzebul controversy in Mark, as it was in Matthew. In the Gospel of Mark, the mother and brothers of the Lord Jesus thought that "the man is out of his mind" (Mark 3:21) and came to the Lord Jesus to seize him. In other words, the mother Mary and the brothers of Jesus do not understand him and are worried about him. Did they come to persuade him to return home?
The Lord Jesus was a carpenter's son. He was also apparently the oldest son. "He had brothers and sisters. His mother's name was Mary, and his brothers were James, Joseph (Mark has it as Joses), Simon, and Judas.
Don't all of our sisters live with us? Where did this man get all this from?"(Matthew 13:55, 56). The Lord Jesus was the eldest of the five male brothers and had at least two sisters. I also have seven siblings, and I feel a sense of kinship with them.
When the Lord Jesus is standing outside with his mother and brothers trying to talk to him, he says something that at first glance seems to be a rejection of his own mother and brothers. Then, in verses 49 and 50, he says, "And pointing to the disciples, he said, 'Here is my mother, and here are my brothers. Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother or sister or mother. Isn't this breaking the fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments,' Honor your father and your mother' (Exodus 20:12)? Isn't this blasphemy? Or does the Lord Jesus really mean that faith means that we must insulate ourselves from our parents and brothers and sisters? Then we read, "He pointed His disciples toward them. This expression is unique to the Gospel of Matthew. It is probably one of the teachings that he really wanted his disciples to remember. It is a lesson that should not be forgotten. I believe that the key to unlocking it is implied in "those who do the will of the Father in heaven. There are actually not many times that the Lord Jesus refers to "doing the will of the Father.” The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (6:10) and the fierce prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, let this cup pass from me. But not according to my will, but according to Thy will."(Matthew 26:39) The rest is not in the Gospel of Matthew. Is it obvious that we are to do His will? I have been a Christian for 51 years and a pastor for 43 years, but there are still many things I don't understand about "doing God's will." Why did my wife become schizophrenic?
How many times have I prayed to God to heal her if it is His will? But God does not heal. I want to get her out of the mental hospital as soon as possible and move her into a nursing home, but God refuses to let me do so, saying, "It is difficult to deal with schizophrenic patients. Isn't it easy for us humans to understand what the will of God is? However, there is one thing I am learning through my wife's illness. It is that I have begun to understand a little more about the pain and anguish of those who are undergoing trials.
Paradoxically, my love for my wife is finally growing deeper. This is certain.
Did the Lord Jesus liberate the people of Israel from Roman rule with military power and wisdom after this? No, he did not. The Lord Jesus accepted the will of God the Father in heaven and was crucified on the cross. He even laid down His life to atone for the sins of all people. He gave up His own life to save others. To do His will is not something obvious to human beings.
Believing and willingly accepting His will may involve long and deep struggles, doubt, resignation, and sorrow. But I believe that Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, and the disciples must have had such experiences. In particular, the sorrow of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, is immeasurable. Her own child died first, and then he died on the cross.
However, the God we believe in is not the one who would abandon those who are in trials and tribulations. Strangely enough, Acts 1:14 says, "And they were all praying earnestly with the women, and with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And so it is. I believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus were radically changed and came to understand the "love of God" manifested in the cross of Jesus. I believe that they came to understand that God is still alive and working. Isn't that what it means to "do the will of God"? When you believe in God, the bonds of your family are strengthened. Let us also believe in God and walk with Him, cherishing the steps we are given each day while seeking God's will. Let us pray.