Search
Week 7 — Day 1
18 …A ruler came and worshipped Him, saying, My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.
20 And behold, a woman, who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years approached from behind and touched the fringe of His garment,
21 For she said within herself, If only I touch His garment, I will be healed.
22 And Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, Take courage, daughter; your faith has healed you. And the woman was healed from that hour.
33 And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man 1spoke.…
These verses give a brief picture of this age and the coming age. Hence, the record in this section has a dispensational significance, as did the record in 8:1-17. The daughter of the ruler of the synagogue represents the Jews, and the woman with the hemorrhage represents the Gentiles. When the daughter died, the woman was healed. After the woman was healed, the daughter was revived. Subsequently, two blind men and one dumb man were healed. This is a type, showing that when the Jews were cut off, the Gentiles were saved, and that after the fullness of the salvation of the Gentiles, the Jews will be saved (Rom. 11:15, 17, 19, 23-26). After that, the millennium will begin, in which all the blind and dumb will be healed (Isa. 35:5-6).
As the Lord was on the way to the ruler’s house, a woman who had been sick of a hemorrhage for twelve years “approached from behind and touched the fringe of His garment.”…The woman had been sick for twelve years, the age of the ruler’s dead daughter (Luke 8:42).… The woman here and the centurion in 8:5-10, both representing the Gentiles, came to contact the Lord in the same way — with faith. The woman was healed while the Lord was on the way to the ruler’s house. This signifies that the Gentiles are saved while Christ is on the way to the house of Israel. Christ’s garment signifies His righteous deeds, and the fringe signifies the heavenly ruling.…Out of Christ’s heavenly-ruled deeds issues the virtue that becomes the healing power (Matt. 14:36).
In verses 23 through 26 we have the healing of the synagogue ruler’s daughter. The daughter here and Peter’s mother-in-law in 8:14-15, both representing the Jews at the end of this age, were healed in a house by the Lord’s coming and His direct touch. This indicates that at the end of this age all the remnant of the Jews will be saved in the house of Israel by the Lord’s coming and His direct touch (Rom. 11:25-26; Zech. 12:10).
Immediately after the raising of the ruler’s daughter, two blind men and a dumb man are brought to the Lord (vv. 27-33).…These two blind men called the Lord the Son of David. In the millennial kingdom, that is, in the restored tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16), the Messianic kingdom, the Jews will recognize Christ as the Son of David, and their blindness will be healed. This is typified by the two blind men recognizing Christ as the Son of David. The two blind men were healed in the house by the Lord’s direct touch (v. 29).…The opening of [their]…eyes signifies the recovery of inward sight, by which we see God and spiritual things (Acts 9:18; 26:18; Eph. 1:18; Rev. 3:18).…In verses 32 and 33 we see the healing of the demon possessed dumb man. Dumbness caused by demon possession signifies man’s inability to speak for God (Isa. 56:10) and praise God (Isa. 35:6) because of his worshipping of dumb idols (1 Cor. 12:2). (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 353-356)
331 The dumb man’s speaking signifies that our speaking and praising ability is recovered by our being filled with the Lord in the spirit (Eph. 5:18-19).
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 353-357; Hymns: #124
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 7 — Day 2
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the 1gospel of the kingdom and healing 2every disease and every sickness.
36 And seeing the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were 1harassed and cast away like 2sheep not having a 2shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is great, but the workers few;
38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.
351 See note 232 in ch. 4.
352 Every disease and every sickness signifies spiritual illness.
361 In Greek harassed refers to the sheep’s being skinned by a cruel shepherd and thus suffering pain. Cast away refers to the sheep’s being abandoned by a wicked shepherd and falling into a distressed condition in which they are homeless, wandering from place to place, and helpless. The Lord Jesus’ word here depicts a situation in which the pitiful Israelites were afflicted and in anguish under the hands of the chief priests and scribes, the evil shepherds.
362 This indicates that the heavenly King considered the Israelites sheep and Himself as their Shepherd. When Christ came to the Jews the first time, they were like lepers, paralytics, the demon possessed, and all manner of pitiful persons because they had no shepherd to care for them. Now in His kingly ministry for the establishing of His heavenly kingdom, He ministered to them not only as a Physician but also as a Shepherd, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:6 and 40:11.
Now we come to the enlargement of the King’s ministry (9:35—10:15). The continuation of the King’s ministry in chapter nine…enabled Him to reveal Himself…as the Shepherd and as the Lord of the harvest. The heavenly King considered the people not only sheep but also the harvest [v. 37]. The sheep needed shepherding, and the harvest needed reaping.…The King of the heavenly kingdom considered Himself not only the Shepherd of the sheep but also the Lord of the harvest. His kingdom is established with things of life that can grow and multiply.
We all need to see a vision of the Lord Jesus as the Lord of the harvest. In verse 38 the Lord told us to beseech the Lord of the harvest that He may thrust out workers into His harvest. First, in His economy, God has a plan to accomplish; then there is the need for His people to beseech Him, to pray to Him, concerning it.…Many times when we sense the need for workers, we sound out the call for help. But from now on, whenever you sense the need for workers, you must first pray to the Lord of the harvest, saying, “Lord, here is Your harvest. You are the Lord of the harvest. We call on You to thrust out some reapers. Lord, send more reapers into Your harvest.” Praying like this will make a difference.…Whenever you pray that the Lord would send reapers into His harvest, you honor Him very much. How different this is from inviting people to help you in your work! When you do that, you do not honor Christ as the Lord of the harvest. Rather, it is a matter of your work, not of His harvest. You become the master of that work, and He is not considered as the Lord of the harvest. Therefore, we need to call on Him and say, “Lord, You are the Lord of the harvest. The work in this field is Yours, and this harvest is Your crop. We call on You for Your crop. Lord, send Your reapers.”
It is a principle in the Bible that, whenever you pray to the Lord for something, the Lord will send you to accomplish that for which you have prayed. The twelve disciples prayed for the Lord of the harvest to send out reapers, and the Lord answered their prayer by sending them out. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 357-360)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 357-360; Hymns: #934
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 7 — Day 3
1 And He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they would cast them out and heal every disease and every sickness.
7 And as you go, proclaim, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 Do 1not acquire for yourselves gold nor silver nor copper for your belts;
10 No bag for the journey nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.
14 And whoever does not receive you nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
15 Truly I say to you, It will be 1more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
In 10:1-4 we have the appointment of the twelve apostles. Prior to chapter ten the Lord carried out His kingly ministry alone. But beginning in this chapter the twelve apostles were added for the enlarging, the spread, of the ministry.
The authority here [v. 1] to cast out unclean spirits and heal diseases is a foretaste of the power of the coming age (Heb. 6:5), that is, of the millennium, in which all demons will be cast out and all diseases will be healed (Isa. 35:5-6).
An apostle is a sent one. Now the twelve disciples (v. 1) were to be sent; thus they became the twelve apostles. In sending out the twelve apostles, the Lord arranged them in pairs.…We need to be impressed with this principle. We all must be paired. None of us, especially the young people, should go anywhere by ourselves. We need another one to match us.…Whenever you are burdened by the Lord to go to a certain place, do not go by yourself. Rather, go in pairs. If you do not have another one to match you, you will miss the blessing. In order to receive the blessing, you must be paired. This is not my opinion; it is the Lord’s economy. Hence, we all must learn the lesson to be paired, to be matched with others.
In 10:5-15 we have the way to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the house of Israel. In verses 5 and 6 we see that the Lord Jesus charged the twelve apostles not to go into the way of the Gentiles or into a city of the Samaritans, but only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The Samaritans were a mixture of Gentiles and Jewish blood (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:10; John 4:9).
When the Lord sends us,…the authority, the presence of the Lord, and the peace follow us. This is the reason the Lord told the apostles to look for one worthy of their peace [Matt. 10:11, 13].…To receive the Lord’s sent ones, the apostles, means to receive the presence of the Lord and the peace. To reject them means to reject the presence of the Lord and the peace. It is not an insignificant matter to be sent by the Lord, for as sent ones, we become the Lord’s representatives.…Wherever we go, we bring [His authority, His presence, and His peace] with us. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 361-364)
91 The twelve apostles (sent to the house of Israel, not to the Gentiles), as workers worthy of their food, did not need to bring their necessities with them. (However, the Lord’s workers sent to the Gentiles should take nothing from the Gentiles — 3 John 7.) This principle was changed after the Lord had been fully rejected by the house of Israel (Luke 22:35-38).
151 Indicating that the punishment resulting from God’s judgment is in varying degrees. Rejecting the Lord’s apostles and their words (v. 14) will bring more punishment than will the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 361-364; Hymns: #913
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 7 — Day 4
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore prudent as serpents and guileless as doves.
17 And beware of men, for they will deliver you up to sanhedrins, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.
19 But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
20 For you are not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is the One speaking in you.
21 And brother will deliver up brother to death, and father his child; and children will rise up against their parents and put them to death.
24 A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above his master.
25 It is sufficient for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of His household!
The Lord’s word in Matthew 10 is a word spoken to the sent ones. In 10:16—11:1 many things are brought to the surface. By seeing these things, we will be able to understand the situation in which we find ourselves today.
In verses 16 and 17 the Lord predicted the persecution that would come from Judaism upon His apostles.…Even the Jewish nation had been fully taken over by God’s enemy.…The Lord spoke of persecution coming from the Sanhedrin and the synagogues. The Sanhedrin was the highest council among the children of Israel. The Sanhedrin’s function was to see that the Jews followed the law of the Old Testament. The synagogue was a place where the Word of God was taught to the children of Israel. It is very significant that the Lord exposed the Sanhedrin and the synagogues as being opposed to God’s economy. He said that His apostles, His sent ones, would be delivered up to sanhedrins and scourged in the synagogues. A synagogue…in a sense…was a holy place, a place where the holy Word of God was taught to God’s people.…By this we see what an evil thing the synagogue had become.…In our experience throughout the years, nearly all the persecution, rumors, opposition, and attack have come from the religious organizations, not from the Gentiles.
The apostles have not only the authority of the heavenly King (v. 1) but also the Spirit of their Father [v. 20]. The King’s authority deals with the unclean spirits and diseases; the Father’s Spirit deals with the opposers’ persecution.…As long as we have the Spirit of the Lord, we have the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord is the Spirit for speaking. We should learn to face persecution not in ourselves, but learn to turn to our spirit and trust in the indwelling Spirit.
Those who would be the heavenly King’s apostles for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom must suffer the breaking of the closest human ties [v. 21].
In verse 24…according to the context, the word here means that in suffering persecution His apostles cannot be above Him, because He was persecuted to the uttermost. Verse 25 says, “It is sufficient for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of His household!” Beelzebub meaning the lord of the flies, was the name of the god of the Ekronites (2 Kings 1:2). It was changed contemptuously by the Jews to Beelzebul, which means the lord of the dunghill, and was used for the ruler of the demons (12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18-19). In 9:34 the Pharisees, the leading ones of the Jewish religion, reviled the heavenly King by saying that He cast out demons by the ruler of demons. In using this most blasphemous name, they expressed their strongest objection and rejection. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 365-366, 369-371)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 365-372; Hymns: #708, #719
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 7 — Day 5
34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
36 And a man’s enemies will be those of his household.
37 He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me;
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.
40 He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who has sent Me.
41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
In verse 34 the Lord Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The whole earth is under Satan’s usurpation (1 John 5:19).…Because the heavenly King is establishing His kingdom on earth, warfare between these two kingdoms is inevitable.…The fighting instigated by the usurping Satan against the heavenly King’s called ones is waged even in their own household.…When some are attracted and caught by the heavenly King and decide to follow Him, some in their family may be instigated by Satan to fight against them, even to kill them.
In verses 37 through 39 we have the way to follow the heavenly King. In verse 37 the Lord said, “He who loves father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me.” Our love for the Lord must be absolute. We should love nothing above Him.
Verse 38 continues, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Christ took the Father’s will and was crucified (26:39, 42). When He was baptized, He was counted as crucified, and from that time He bore His cross to do the will of God.…He asked [His called ones] to take their cross and follow after Him, that is, to take the will of God by putting themselves aside. This demanded that at any cost they first give their love to Him that they might be worthy of Him.
Verse 39 says, “He who finds his soul-life shall lose it, and he who loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.” To find the soul-life is to allow the soul to have its enjoyment and to escape suffering. To lose the soul-life is to cause the soul to lose its enjoyment and thereby to suffer. If the heavenly King’s followers allow their soul to have its enjoyment in this age, they will cause their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age. If they allow their soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in this age for the King’s sake, they will enable their soul to have its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age, that is, to share the King’s joy in ruling over the earth (25:21, 23).
In 10:40—11:1 we have the matter of the heavenly King’s identification with the sent ones. Verse 40 says, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who has sent Me.” The apostles sent by the heavenly King, having been entrusted with His authority (v. 1) and peace (v. 13) and having been indwelt by the Spirit of the Father (v. 20) and identified with the King in His suffering (vv. 22, 24-25) and death (vv. 21, 34-39), were one with Him. Thus, he who received them received Him. To participate in such an identification with the heavenly King requires us to love Him above all, at any cost, and to follow Him by taking the narrow way of the cross, as revealed in verses 37 through 39. Not only do the sent ones have the King’s authority and peace and the Spirit of the Father, but they are also one with the King and are identified with Him.…All this is for the spreading of the King’s ministry. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 372-375)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 372-376; Hymns: #279
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 7 — Day 6
2 Now when John heard in the prison of the works of the Christ, he sent word through his disciples
3 And said to Him, Are You the Coming One, or should we expect another?
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, Go, report to John the things that you hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; and the dead are raised and the poor have the gospel announced to them;
6 And blessed is he who is not stumbled because of Me.…
11 Truly I say to you, Among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is 1least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he.
John the Baptist’s word here [v. 3] does not mean that he was in doubt concerning Christ. He questioned Christ in this way in order to provoke Him to deliver him. He knew that Christ was the Coming One, and he had strongly recommended Him to the people (John 1:26-36). After that, John was put into prison (Matt. 4:12), where he waited, expecting that Christ would do something to deliver him. However, Christ did nothing for him, although He did much to help others. When John heard of this it might have been that he was about to be stumbled (v. 6). Hence, he sent his disciples with such a question to provoke Christ.
In…the Lord’s answer to John…[He] mentioned the blind’s receiving of sight, because there had been no such miracle in the Old Testament. By this He gave clear evidence to John that none other than the Messiah could have done such a miracle (Isa. 35:5). In the spiritual sense also, the blind’s receiving of sight comes first. In the Lord’s salvation, first He opens our eyes (Acts 26:18); then we can receive Him and walk to follow Him. The lame signify those who cannot walk in God’s way. After being saved, they can walk by new life (9:5-6; John 5:8-9). The cleansed lepers signify those who have been saved from their rebellion (leprosy) to become the kingdom people. The deaf signify those who cannot hear God. After being saved, they can hear the Lord’s voice (John 10:27). The dead signify those who are dead in sins (Eph. 2:1, 5), unable to contact God. After being regenerated, they can fellowship with God by means of their regenerated spirit. The poor signify all who are without Christ and without God and who have no hope in the world (Eph. 2:12). Upon receiving the gospel, they are made rich in Christ (2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 3:8). [Matthew 11:6] implies that John the Baptist might have been stumbled…because the Lord did not act on his behalf according to his way.…In the Lord’s recovery we need to learn this lesson. Whenever the Lord does something positive for us, we are excited. But many times the Lord will not do anything for us. The reason He did nothing to rescue John from prison was that if John had been released from prison his ministry would have been in competition with the Lord’s ministry. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 377-379)
111 Lit., less. All the prophets prior to John prophesied only that Christ was coming, but John testified that Christ had come. The prophets were looking forward to Christ, but John saw Christ. Hence, John was greater than all the prophets. Although John saw the incarnated Christ and introduced Him to people, he did not have the resurrected Christ indwelling him. The kingdom people do. John could say only, “Here is Christ,” but the kingdom people can say, “To me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). Hence, the least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. Whether a person is greater or lesser depends on his relationship to Christ. Christ is the deciding factor. The closer one is to Christ, the greater one is.
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 377-379, 381-382; Hymns: #415, #395
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 7 — Prophecy
III. The King’s ministry (4:12—11:30)
C. The continuation of the ministry (8:1—9:34)
6. Signs with dispensational significance repeated (9:18-34)
D. The enlargement of the ministry (9:35—11:1)
1. The need of shepherding and reaping (9:35-38)
2. The selection and sending out of the workers (10:1-5a)
3. The way to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the house of Israel (10:5b-15)
4. Persecution and the way to meet it (10:16-33)
5. The disturbance brought in by the King and the way of the cross to follow Him (10:34-39)
6. The King’s identification with the sent ones (10:40—11:1)
E. The King’s poise and attitude toward every situation (11:2-30)
1. Strengthening His imprisoned forerunner (vv. 2-6)
2. Appraising His forerunner (vv. 7-15)
In 9:18-34 we have the repetition of signs with dispensational significance. The daughter of the ruler of the synagogue represents the Jews, and the woman with the hemorrhage represents the Gentiles. When the daughter died, the woman was healed. After the woman was healed, the daughter was revived. Following this, two blind men and one dumb man were healed. This is a type, showing that when the Jews are cut off, the Gentiles are saved and that after the fullness of the salvation of the Gentiles, the Jews will be saved (Rom. 11:15, 17, 19, 23-26). Following this, the millennium will begin, and at that time all the blind and dumb will be healed (Isa. 35:5-6).
The Lord is revealed as the Shepherd and as the Lord of the harvest in Matthew 9:35-38. The heavenly King considered the people not only sheep but also the harvest. His kingdom is established with things of life that can grow and multiply.
In 10:1-15 we have the appointment of the twelve apostles and the way to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the house of Israel. In sending out the twelve apostles, the Lord arranged them in pairs. To be paired, matched with others, is the way to receive the blessing. Moreover, those who receive the Lord’s apostles and their words (v. 14) will have the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s blessing.
Persecution and the way to meet it are unveiled by the Lord to His sent ones in verses 16 through 33. Those sent by the heavenly King shall be opposed by today’s religious organizations just as Judaism opposed the apostles. The Lord charged His sent ones not to speak from themselves whenever they met persecution (vv. 19-20). We should learn to turn to our spirit and trust the indwelling Spirit.
In verses 37 through 39 we have the way to follow the heavenly King: 1) loving Him absolutely — in our love nothing should be above Him; 2) taking the cross and following after Him, that is, taking the will of God by putting ourselves aside; and 3) losing our soul-life for His sake — allowing our soul to suffer the loss of its enjoyment in this age, which will enable our soul to have its enjoyment in the coming kingdom age, that is, to share the King’s joy in ruling over the earth (25:21, 23).
Although the King strengthened and appraised His imprisoned forerunner, He chose not to deliver him from prison; thus, His word to John was, “Blessed is he who is not stumbled because of Me” (v.16). In the Lord’s recovery we need to learn this lesson. Whenever the Lord does something positive for us, we are excited. But many times the Lord will not do anything for us. If John had been released from prison his ministry would have been in competition with the Lord’s ministry.
Composition for prophecy with main point and sub-points:
