John the inquisitive prophet & Peter the confessing apostle

In his book, Reading Matthew: A Literary and Theological Commentary, David Garland observes an interesting parallel between John the Baptist in Matt. 11:1-19 and Peter the apostle in 16:13-20. Garland's outline is below:

John the Prophet

a  11:2  Question about Jesus

   b  11:3-5  Jesus’ answer

      c  11:6  Beatitude for those who respond to Jesus

         d  11:7-15  John’s role explained

Peter the Apostle

a‘  16:13-20  Question about Jesus

   b’  16:14-16  Jesus’ answer

      c’   16:17  Beatitude for those who respond to Jesus

         d’  16:18-20  John’s role explained1

Because Matthew parallels the initial imprisonment and witness of John the Baptist with Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah, Matthew is likely setting up Peter to be a martyr (i.e. a witness) in the eyes of his Jewish audience as well. Just as John would be martyred for his faith (14:1-12), so Peter would be martyred for his witness to Jesus as the Christ. Peter, the apostle to the circumcised, leads Christian Jews down the highway to Zion which John the Baptist paved for Israel.

1.  David E. Garland, Reading Matthew: A Literary and Theological Commentary [Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2001], p. 124

The Literary Structure of Matthew 11-12 & 11-16

Unlike chapters 10 & 13, which are discourses (or "sermons," as Peter F. Ellis describes) of Jesus, chapters 11 & 12 of Matthew contain a series of narratives all woven together into one stream of thought concerning Israel and the rise of their King -- King Jesus. The following is a breakdown of these chapters alone:

A)  Warnings of Kingdom division [Accusations of demon-possession/Wisdom justified by her deeds] (11:1-19)

B)  A Sign for a city  (11:20-24)

C)  The Father’s family  (11:25-30)

     

      D1)  Sabbath Day: Accusations of Sabbath breaking (12:1-8)

      D2)  Sabbath Day: Jesus heals a man with a “withered hand” in their synagogue (12:9-14)

      D3)  Sabbath Day: Jesus leaves the synagogue & many Jews follow him in hope (12:15-21)

A’)  Warnings of Kingdom division [Accusations of demon-possession/Fools justified by their words]  (12:22-37)

B’)  A Sign for a city  (12:38-45)

C’)  The Father’s family  (12:46-50)

Interestingly, after chapters 11 & 12 are complete, Matthew moves on to a discourse (or sermon) of parables in chapter 13 relating to the growing hatred of Israel's rulers as manifested in chapters 11 & 12; and then the following chapters --chapters 14 through 16-- follow the pattern of chapters 11 & 12. The major difference between chapters 11-12 and 14-16 is the response of faith between Israel's rulers and the disciples of Jesus. The literary structure for all of this is as follows:

A)  Matt. 11:1-19  John the Baptist, a witness in prison

 B)  Matt. 11:20-24  Woe to unrepentant cities

  C)  Matt. 11:25-30  All things handed over to the Son of God, the "wise" men of Israel are blind to this truth

   D)  Matt. 12:1-8  Pharisees accuses Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath/Jesus responds

    E)  Matt. 12:9-14  Jesus withdraws and enters "their synagogue"/Pharisees display great hatred

     F)  Matt. 12:15-21  Jesus withdrew from there, and many followed him, and he healed them all

      G)  Matt. 12:22-37  Warnings of Kingdom division

       H)  Matt. 12:38-45  Jesus is asked to show a "sign”/a sign of Jonah is promised/ House cleansed of demon, 7 more return

a)  12:46-50 -- Jesus' mothers, brothers, and sisters

   b)  13:1-52 -- Parables of the kingdom that explain the reaction to Jesus

a')  13:53-58 -- Jesus' mothers, brothers, and sisters

A’)  Matt. 14:1-12  John the Baptist, a martyr (witness)

 B’)  Matt. 14:13-21  Jesus feeds 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread

  C’)  Matt. 14:22-36  Jesus walks on water, declared to be the Son of God

   D’)  Matt. 15:1-20  Pharisees accuses Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Elder’s traditions/ Jesus responds

    E’)  Matt. 15:21-28  Jesus withdraws and enters the district of Tyre and Sidon/Canaanite woman displays great faith

     F’)  Matt. 15:29-31  Jesus withdrew from there, and great crowds came to him, and he healed them all

      G’)  Matt. 15:32-39  Jesus feeds 4,000 with 7 loaves of bread

       H’)  Matt. 16:1-12  Jesus is asked to show a "sign"/a sign of Jonah is promised/Warning of leaven/teaching of Pharisees

                     

Notice that instead of woes and warnings of judgment upon the cities of Israel which would not repent, Jesus breaks bread and blesses 9,000 disciples around Galilee of the Gentiles, and he does so with only 12 loaves of bread (total). While the self-proclaimed wise and intelligent rulers of Israel are blind to the Son of God receiving all things, his disciples openly and gladly acknowledge this truth. And instead of finding a synagogue of Satan filled with Pharisees who hate him, Jesus travels to the Gentile coast of Tyre and Sidon and finds a Canaanite woman whose faith in him is great. 

The narrative from chapter 11 to chapter 16 is a movement of King Jesus and his dynasty arising and growing in the midst of his people. It's also a movement which appears to be gaining momentum by chapter 16, preaching and teaching in the "northern" kingdom territory, only to find out after that, when Jesus preaches and teaches in the "southern" kingdom of Judea, that Israel would eventually reject her King and crucify their Messiah.

Calvin & Baptism of the Roman Church

In Peter Lillback's insightful and challenging book, The Binding of God: Calvin's Role in the Development of Covenant Theology, he notes a unique illustration which John Calvin used to connect the covenant-sign of baptism with "general election," along with it's consequential idea of falling away from such "general election" because of covenant-breaking. Calvin's illustration is of those baptized into the Roman Catholic church. He writes:

The same thing that the Prophet brought against the Israelites may be also brought against the Papists; for as soon as infants are born among them, the Lord signs them with the sacred symbol of baptism; they are therefore in some sense the people of God. We see, at the same time, how gross and abominable are the superstitions which prevail among them: there are none more stupid than they are. Even the Turks and the Saracenes are wise when compared with them. How great, then, and how shameful is this baseness, that the Papists, who boast themselves to be the people of God, should go astray after their own mad follies!1

1.  Peter A. Lillback, The Binding of God: Calvin's Role in the Development of Covenant Theology [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001] p. 224, f.n. 53. Italics mine.

The Poetry of John Calvin

Without the gospel

All of us are useless and empty;

Without the gospel

We are not Christians;

Without the gospel

All wealth is poverty;

Wisdom is foolishness before God,

Strength is weakness,

All human justice is condemned of God.

But by the knowledge of the gospel,

We are made children of God,

Brothers of Jesus Christ,

Fellow citizens of the saints,

Citizens of the kingdom of heaven,

Heirs of God with Jesus Christ,

By whom the poor become rich,

the weak powerful,

the fools wise,

the sinners justified,

the desolate comforted,

the doubting certain,

the slaves set free.1

1.  John Calvin, Originally from the preface to Pierre Robert's French Translation of the New Testament, Neuchatel, June 4th, 1535. Cited in Ford Lewis Battles, The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection Of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns [Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009], p. 206

Moses and those on the outside

  The fact that Paul does not write about the law in all his letters to Gentile Christians indicates that circumcision and law became topics for discussion only when there was an external stimulus to do so. Thus the topic is discussed at length in only two letters--Galatians and Romans. On the basis of these two letters the incorrect impression later emerged that liberation from the curse of the law is at the center of Paul's gospel. But we must realize that the law was for the readers of these letters a topic they looked at from some distance. They had never lived under the law and were at most familiar with the special traditions the Jews observed on the basis of their Holy Scriptures. But Jewish traditions were not their traditions!

  It was radically different for the Jews: for them living according to the law was the natural expression of belonging to God's people. This people was characterized by a number of customs, of which circumcision, sabbath observance, and dietary laws are best known. When we read Josephus we do not get the impression that these customs were viewed as a means to justification; rather, they were understood as the hallmark and virtues of the people. Whoever wanted to belong to the God of Israel had to live as a fellow-citizen of Moses and the prophets. 

  It is important to note that the law looks very different from the Jewish than from the Gentile perspective. What for the Jews is self evident tradition, handed down from the forefathers, would be a new duty for Gentiles when they become Jews. In a sense the law of Moses is for outsiders primarily a law, for the Jews themselves a custom, a way of life. The law as obligation is not a theme because the law is so demanding and coercive, but rather because to every non-Jew the law looks like a precondition.

  At issue were not the monotheistic faith and its moral and ethical values that many God-fearing people admired and adopted. Rather, it was about the law as a closed system that included rites of passage, sacrificial customs, and dietary laws that often made it difficult for God-fearing non-Jews to become Jews. Viewed from the outside, it was possible to make a distinction between, on the one hand, beliefs and values that could easily be adopted and, on the other hand, specific customs that permeated daily life. From the inside no such distinction existed--the whole system of laws and customs was of one piece. That is why only the circumcised Gentile can be considered a believer, since the requirement of circumcision cannot be separated from the law as a whole. 

  In the letters to the Galatians and Romans Paul is forced to go into detail about the law as a whole because of the presence of the synagogue (in Rome) and the arrival of Jewish Christians (in Galatia). Thus the immediate cause for dealing with the topic is Jewish, but he does not write from a Jewish perspective. Rather, he writes from the context of those outside Judaism.1

1.  Jakob Van Bruggen, Paul: Pioneer for Israel's Messiah [Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005], pp. 200-01  

The Obedience of Faith

"What is special about Paul's work is that Gentiles, through faith in Jesus and the reception of the Spirit, are changed from disobedient Gentiles into obedient nations."1

1.  Jakob Van Bruggen, Paul: Pioneer for Israel's Messiah [Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2005], p. 204 

Instructions to the Twelve (central section)

Continuing our series in Matthew chapter ten, let's now take a look at the central and final section (section D). The chiastic framework of the chapter is as follows:

A)  Instructions to the twelve apostles  (10:5-15)

   B)  Persecution and family division  (10:16-23)

      C)  Enemies of the Master’s household  (10:24-25)

         D1)  Consolation of the twelve: "Do not fear them..." (10:26-27)

            D2)  "Do not fear those who... but Fear Him who can..." (10:28-30)

         D3)  Consolation of the twelve: "Do not fear, therefore..." (10:31-33)

      C’)  Enemies of the Master’s household  (10:34-36)

   B’)  Persecution and family division  (10:37-39)

A’)  Reception of the twelve apostles  (10:40-42)



The central section reads as follows:

D1)  So have no fear (μη  ουν φοβηθητε) of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.  

D2)  And do not fear (μη φοβεισθε) those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear (φοβεισθε δε μαλλον) him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 

D3)  Fear not, therefore (μη  ουν φοβηθητε): you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

"Therefore do not fear them." Got it. "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." Check. "But rather, fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell." Yup. "Therefore do not fear." Okay, I think I understand now. Severe persecution is going to come in our lifetime --upon the people of Israel-- and we (the twelve apostles) are supposed to fear God, not man. Got it. There are things happening in Israel --agendas, plans, motives, etc.-- which are being covered up by God's enemies in order to hide the reality of their evil schemes, and all of it is going to be brought to light by the time the Son of Man comes in judgment upon the land (10:23). 

And so, what you are telling us here, privately, we are to be bold and unashamed about speaking from house to house among the lost sheep of Israel (10:6). We are to unashamedly acknowledge you, the Son of Man, as Lord of all, trusting in your care and protection. And if every bird, worth half a penny in the marketplace, falls to the ground because of our Father's will, it's not hard to imagine how valuable we think each hair of our head is worth in comparison. But what you're saying is that also falls to the ground every day and perhaps we think nothing of it; nonetheless, our Father values every hair that falls. Nothing falls to the ground apart from our Father in heaven. And as we go from town to town proclaiming the gospel of your Kingdom on earth, we need to remember to fear God, not man. Our Father is in control over the most insignificant details of life (as we perceive them), and because of that fact we don't need to worry about anything being outside of God's control. God is sovereign over every detail of life.

And so, as we go from house to house throughout the land, visiting the lost sheep of the house of Israel, we also need to remember that everyone of them who acknowledges you as Lord, you will acknowledge before your Father in heaven, but whoever denies you before men, you also will deny before your Father in heaven. All of this sounds pretty serious. I hope this generation repents and acknowledges the truth before the Son of Man comes in judgment.