ORLANDO CHINESE CHURCHMONTHLY NEWSLETTERMarch, 2006
Listen to The Beloved Son
（Matthew 16:13-28, 17:1-8, 24-27, 18:15-20)
In Matthew 16:16-18, Simon Peter confessed Jesus: "You are the Christ”, as the one and only Christ. Jesus pointed out to Peter that the declaration was revealed by my Father. “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Note that "gates" are in plural: Many gates.
The word "church" was mentioned by the Lord in the gospels twice: once in Matthew 16:18, “........ and on this rock I will build my church, ......” and the other time in 18:17, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” The Jews may consider pagans and tax collectors despicable, but we should look from the view of the Lord. We should pray earnestly for the many unbelievers around us so that they could come to know Jesus. This is what 18:17 truly means. If they refuse to listen, we should earnestly pray for them so that their hearts may be touched by God’s love.
We should also read Exo. 30:13-16 as a background for the temple tax. The tax is for the atonement of life. All Israelites twenty years and older were to offer half shekel to the LORD because the Israelites’ lives were spared by God. By God’s mercy, the atonement price was so low that everybody could afford it. This atonement money is the temple tax mentioned in Matthew 17:24-27.
The two remarks given by the Lord Jesus concerning the church are related. The key lies in Chapter 17. Some people call this a three-in-one structure, just like a sandwich. Chapter 16 and 18 are like the two slices of bread while chapter 17 is the meat in-between. To enjoy the taste of a sandwich in full, we must eat them together. Likewise, to understand these three chapters in full, we must read them together.
Let’s start with chapter 16 as it is the peak of Matthew. Jesus took his disciples to Mount Hermon, the highest point of Palestine, where he gave them the greatest revelations of all. We find at least three revelations here:
These three revelations are related and should be viewed in unison. When Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my church”, He was referring to the Christ as the rock. Thus, the foundation of the church is the Christ. After the foundation is laid, the church is then built through the cross. Without the cross, we have no salvation since we, stained with sins, cannot become God’s children or the building materials for the church. In 16:24, Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Only when we have been saved through the work of the cross can we become vessels fit for building the church. Here are the three revelations about the Christ, the church, and the cross. The church is built on the foundation of the Christ. The church is built through the work of the cross.
The last verse of chapter 16 is Jesus words, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." It prepares the way for the first eight verses of chapter 17. Jesus led his disciples up a high mountain where he was transfigured. Here is the revelation about the kingdom as he said that some would see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Peter, James and John saw Jesus when he was transfigured. When He revealed His glorious life in His own kingdom, “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light”. There, Peter, James and John represented all the saints in the New Testament while Moses and Elijah represented all the saints in the Old Testament. Jesus revealed His glory to the saints of both the Old and the New Testament. To see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom is to see the revelation about the Heavenly kingdom since Jesus brought the Heavenly kingdom to the Earth when He came to the Earth where He would one day be the King.
Therefore, we find the revelation about the Christ, the church, the cross, and the kingdom in chapter 16 and 17. The church’s foundation is the Christ. The church is built through the cross. The church is placed within the Heavenly kingdom, where God is in control and in glory. The church is built by the Lord on the Earth. God’s authority and will must rule in the church if she is to be included in the Heavenly kingdom. Matthew 16 helps us to understand this truth when Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my church”. Jesus would build His church whose foundation was the Christ.
Jesus then continued, “…the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Why is the church related to the gates of Hades? The Lord came to the Earth to build the Heavenly kingdom, that is the church, and to bring the Heavenly kingdom to the Earth. However, Satan could not bear this. Therefore, he opens the gates of Hades to release all the demons to fight against the church in order to destroy it. He used to have control over all the Earth. How could he bear to leave room for the Heavenly kingdom where God’s will is followed? Thank the Lord for saying, “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” His words have been proved to be true by the history of the church. In the first century, the Roman Empire persecuted the church ten times, criminalizing all who believed in Jesus, to get rid of the church and the Christians. Ten times they failed because the gates of Hades will not overcome the church. The position of the church on the Earth is to bring Heavenly kingdom to the evil-dominated Earth, to solve the problem of sin, to replace darkness with light, to make people’s lives abundant, and to free all those who have been in the domain of the fallen. The true manifestation of the Heavenly kingdom is the church that brings light to those in the darkness and gives hope to those in despair. The gate of the Heavenly kingdom is the church. This is God’s will for the church.
When it comes to chapter 18, we see difficulties among brothers in the church. This chapter starts with the episode where brothers fought to be the greatest. Chapter 16 through 18 should be like a sandwich which is tasty with the meat in the middle. Only through chapter 17 can the glory of the Heavenly kingdom be brought into the real life of the church. In chapter 17, we read two incidents: one occurred on the Mount of transfiguration, the other in Capernaum by the shore. Both incidents involved Peter. Excited to see Moses, Elijah, and the glory of Jesus, Peter said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." He seemed to know the unworthiness of himself, James, and John enough so as not to include themselves in the shelters. We often use the wrong words even though with the right idea, when we do not speak according to the will of the Father. Therefore, while he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
In God’s will, there is only one, His beloved Son, because He is the only beloved Son of God. Though Moses and Elijah were great leaders, they were only servants in God’s home. Only Jesus Christ is God’s Son. What glory and honor does He have! No servant can compare with Him. Our lesson is to know that everyone should be hidden in the kingdom of God except for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In that kingdom, there is only one throne, which is for the Son of God alone. In that kingdom, there is only one voice, the voice of our Lord. We should all listen to Him.
On the Mount of transfiguration, our Lord revealed a life of glory and fullness and a life ready to enter the Heavenly glory. He chose not to in order to fulfill the will of the Father so that we can be saved from sin. He stayed to suffer mocking, beating, and spitting on the cross for us sinners. Today we are blessed, washed by his blood, and called into his kingdom all because of the price he paid for us. Shouldn’t we listen to Him? We should. Such an experience should have been so profound that Peter would never forget. However, amazingly enough, when he was asked "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" after they had arrived in Capernaum, he replied, "Yes, he does”. He seemed to try to speak for the Master instead.
Here is another lesson that we should note. We should never forget about the things we’ve learned from the Lord. We should practice what we’ve learned so that our Lord doesn’t have to teach us the same lesson again as he had to in Peter’s case. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?" "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. Temple tax was an offering to God. Then why should the Son of God pay the tax? However, our Lord is meek, humble, and patient in teaching Peter until he truly takes it in. Therefore, He asked Peter to catch fish and to open the mouth of the first fish he caught to find a four-drachma coin to pay the tax for both Peter and Jesus. Of course, Peter must have agreed that Jesus was truly the Son of God once he followed such instructions.
What have we learned from chapter 17 to bring the Heavenly kingdom to the reality of our church life? The lesson is what Peter heard: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" The prayer that God’s will be done on Earth as it is in heaven will become a reality if everyone truly listens to the Lord, follows the Lord’s prayer, and lives out His words. Furthermore, if we truly pray that “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…” God’s kingdom will come. If we live by the lesson He gave us on the mountain, the will of God will be done on Earth as it is in heaven and the kingdom of God will come to Earth and to the church. When the reality of heavenly kingdom becomes the reality of the church life, people who come to the church will be able to see the heavenly kingdom. May we take it to heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Let’s truly listen to Him about everything so that we’ll find the reality of the heavenly kingdom among us and that our church becomes the gate drawing people to heaven. May the Lord bless his own words. (Su) |