March 9, 2005

• Thanks for your concern. We got power back after a few hours, and cable too. The tree that blew over in the wind had, last summer, been struck by lightning. I think nature had it out for that poor tree. Fortunately all that is left now is a few wood chips and no one got hurt.

  
  

  I was reviewing notes from Pastor Don’s Bible study and a Jon Courson Bible study that I listened to off the internet, I think Jon Courson’s Bible studies are still up and running if you are interested. Both men know the Bible so well that between the two, the Word of God springs to life. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I am in Matthew in my morning Bible studying (what I need to do before kids wake up if I want to wake them up with a smile on my face), Bible study and caffine.

  
  

  I keep tons of notes both in my Bible and in notebooks, it kind of helps me keep focused when I study and I tend to remember things better. Problem is, one day I have to catalogue my notebooks.

  
  

  This is regarding Matthew 23. Matthew 22 was the scribes and Pharisees inspecting Jesus to see if he was pure (sort of like they inspected the lamb before the passover sacrifice). Now Matthew 23 is Jesus inspecting the inspectors as it were.

  
  

  Jesus’s public ministry sermon began with the Beatitudes Matt. 5 where Jesus spoke 8 blessings on the crowd. His last sermon before the cross was this one where he pronounced eight woes on the crowd. Jon Courson states that the woes and the blessings correspond, as follows.

  
  

  1st Beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  1st Woe: Matt. 23:13 Woe to the scribes and Pharisees (S&P) who shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men

  
  

  2nd Beatitude: Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted
  2nd Woe: Matt: 23:14 Devour widows houses, for a pretense of long prayers, but not provide for ease and comfort of the widows.

  
  

  3rd Beatitude: Meek – who will inherit the earth
  3rd Woe:  v:1 5 S&P are hypocrites, who by their zealousness try to convert others and make them even worse than themselves. Today we see that in legalism which lays extra burdens on people.

  
  

  4th Beatitude: Hunger and thirst for righteousness
  4th Woe. V. 16 S&P are blind guides who swear on the gold of the temple, not on the temple. They used to believe that if you took an oath by the temple it was ok to break it, but it was more binding to take an oath on the gold of the temple. So there were degrees of what compromises a promise – but that is not righteousness.

  
  

  5th Beatitude: Merciful receive mercy
  5th Woe: V.23 tithe on the little, but not on the weightier issues of justice, mercy and faith. The S&P’s would tithe to the grain of mustard seed, but forgot that God cared more about mercy than he did about legalistic tithing. But yet, Jesus also said that you should also tithe, but keep the important issues as well.

  
  

  6th Beatitude: pure in heart, they shall see God.
  6th Woe: v. 25 the S&P are clean on the outside, but full of extortaion and self indulgence. They cleaned the outside of the dish, but were blind, for first they had to clean the inside so that then the outside would be clean also.

  
  

  7th. Beatitude:  peacemakers, children of God.
  7th Woe: v.27: full of deadmens’ bones. Appear righteous outwardly, but would plot to murder in secret. (for example their planning Jesus’ death)

  
  

  8th Beatitude: when men revile and persecute you and say evil against you falsely as they did to the prophets
  8th Woe. Jesus says that they say that if they lived in the days of the prophets they would not have taken the prophet’s blood. Yet they would take the blood of the Messiah, and the disciples, and followers of Christ. They would end up doing this so that the sins of the father’s they would repeat.

  
  

  I have read these two passages so many times and never made this analogy before, but it blew me away. I am in awe of how much depth there is in the Bible, what an awesome book.

  
  

  Heather

  • 1:09 pm
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