Jesus Is for Everyone - Matthew S5E4

Summary

Deepen with Pastor Joby Martin

Episode: Jesus Is for Everyone - Matthew S5E4

Date: June 22, 2026
Host: Pastor Joby Martin
Special Guests: Pastor Britt, Pastor Vink
Theme: Exploring how Jesus' ministry as seen in Matthew (14:34–16:12) demonstrates that the Gospel is a movement for all people—regardless of background, history, or spiritual condition.

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Episode Overview

This episode of “Deepen” centers on Matthew 14:34–16:12, emphasizing Jesus’s encounters with a wide range of people and the inclusivity of the Gospel. Through discussion among Pastor Joby Martin and fellow pastors, the group explores the ways Jesus breaks through cultural, religious, and social barriers to reach all kinds of people. By unpacking these scriptures, the pastors encourage listeners to dig deeper into their faith, understand the heart of God, and reflect on the true nature of the Church—a diverse yet united movement for all.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How the Bible Tells Its Story

[00:17–03:52]

• Pastor Joby reflects on teaching through Matthew, emphasizing the importance of reading the Gospel in larger sections to catch overarching themes.
  • “Oftentimes, and this would be an example of it, you'll see kind of a theme... Jesus encountering all types of people... trying to get to the heart of people, because God's heart is for people unto his own glory.” (Joby, 02:57)
• Early church would have read entire letters, not dissected them as modern Western readers do.

2. Father’s Day Reflection: How Dads Feel Appreciated

[04:02–09:05]

• Personal stories about feeling appreciated as fathers; recognition and gratitude matter more than gifts.
  • "Nothing means more to me than when my people acknowledge the load that I carry, the burden that I'm willing to shoulder for their sake." (Joby, 05:08)
• The role of affirmation and the challenge of not always feeling seen.
  • “Most dads are not walking around drunk on encouragement, but they are starving for affirmation.” (Pastor Britt, 09:05)

3. Introduction to the Passage: Jesus for All People

[09:06–10:51]

• Matthew 14:34–16:12 is described as showcasing Jesus interacting with six categories of people: the sick, religious, outsiders, desperate, the crowds (“the many”), and disciples/learners.
  • The modern local church is to mirror this diversity.

4. Jesus Heals the Sick—Is Healing Still for Today?

[11:39–14:26]

• Discussion of Jesus’s miracles and the belief that the works of the Spirit continue today.
  • “I have read the Bible cover to cover many, many times and I do not find an expiration date on the works of the Spirit, the works of Christ in and through his people.” (Joby, 12:02)
• Healing is holistic (physical, emotional, relational, soul) and is meant to help us love God with all our being.

5. Touching the Fringe of Jesus’ Garment—Faith in Action

[14:26–20:11]

• Geographic context: Healing in Gennesaret, a mixed/Jew-Gentile region; faith in action demonstrates these “outsiders” believing in scripture and being healed.
• The “fringe of the garment” refers to Messianic prophecy (Malachi 4)—people are healed because of simple faith, not nearness to tradition.
  • “You got a group of essentially outsiders believing the word of God and they're healed. And then you got a group of insiders that have elevated tradition above the Word... That's what legalism is.” (Joby, 15:00–17:54)
• Modern parallels: sometimes newcomers embrace faith more simply than those steeped in tradition.

6. The Problem of Tradition Over Scripture

[17:54–19:07]

• Traditions can void the word of God when elevated over scripture.
  • “The traditions of man that are elevated above the word of God void what God was intending.” (Joby, 17:54)
• Modern warning: Don’t go to the Bible for validation of existing beliefs—submit to its authority instead.

7. Modern Faith Expressions and Prayer for Healing

[19:07–20:11]

• Comparing faith to “touching the fringe”: Obedience to scripture (e.g., anointing and prayer) is an act of trust, not superstitious ritual.
  • “When we do prayer and anointing healing services, I often say, I am not a faith healer. I'm a Bible believer.” (Joby, 19:35)

8. Grace for Religious People and Legalists

[20:13–25:07]

• Sympathy for Pharisees: Many were culturally conditioned, not just maliciously self-righteous.
• Need to extend grace even to the “religious”; many religious people ultimately believed in Jesus.
  • “The dad humiliated himself going after the younger son who was the rebel and then he also humiliated himself to go after the older son who was the religious... that's the heart of the father.” (Joby, 23:20)
• “We have to repent of our religion in order to come to Christ.” (Joby, 24:37)

9. Faith of the Canaanite Woman: “Even the Dogs Eat the Crumbs”

[25:07–32:37]

• This Gentile woman demonstrates persistent, humble faith; Jesus commends her.
• Mercy and grace: Grace is receiving what you don’t deserve; mercy is not receiving what you do.
  • “God rewards faith, man. He responds to and rewards faith…” (Pastor Britt, 32:27)

10. Miracles as Signs, Not Tricks—The Point of the Signs

[27:19–29:34]

• Miracles pointed to God’s redemptive purpose, not just displays of power.
  • “Jesus was never just flexing His raw God power. It always pointed to His redemptive purpose.” (Joby, 27:39)

11. Who Is ‘Israel’? The Church and God’s Movement

[32:37–37:10]

• “Israel” can refer to many things—descendants, land, state, or ‘people of faith.’
  • “If you have faith, your faith is counted to you as righteousness. That’s the blessing of Abraham.” (Joby, 35:52)
• God’s pattern: Blessing Israel to bless all nations (Gentiles included).

12. Affirming the Reliability of the Bible

[37:26–39:40]

• Brief sidebar celebrating biblical preservation; artifacts and testimonies (Museum of the Bible).

13. Feeding the Multitudes: Crowds at Jesus’s Feet

[39:42–42:33]

• Feeding of the 4,000 (among Gentiles) vs. 5,000 (among Jews)—both stories reinforce the “all peoples” motif.
• “Every one of us came in here limping, carrying religious baggage, hurt, broke, far from God... And by the grace of God, through the word of God, we get to sit at the feet of Jesus. And he has healed us, and he is healing us in Jesus name.” (Pastor Britt, 41:12)

14. Breaking Curses and Undoing Tradition

[42:33–43:47]

• Jesus reverses curses and misused traditions (e.g., King David & the excluded lame and blind).
• “Jesus at the cross and resurrection is undoing all that sin has done.” (Joby, 43:33)

15. Miraculous Feeding: Baskets as Symbols

[45:19–46:21]

• The 12 baskets = 12 tribes of Israel; 7 baskets = 7 Gentile regions. Jesus’s ministry is for all.
  • “It ain't how you start that matters. The paperwork to get you into heaven is not going to be your birth certificate or your religious resume.” (Joby, 45:19)

16. Testimonies: It’s How You Finish, Not How You Start

[46:21–49:53]

• Stories of lives changed later in life highlight that it’s never too late; the grace of Jesus is available always.
• The prodigal son parable reinforces God’s invitation to both the rebellious and the self-righteous.

17. Demanding a Sign vs. Having Faith

[52:24–53:17]

• The Pharisees demand signs despite witnessing many; Jesus offers “the sign of Jonah”—His resurrection.
  • “You don't get to demand things from Jesus. You can beg, you can ask, you can seek and you can knock, but you don't get to make demands.” (Pastor Britt, 52:45)

18. Leaven of the Pharisees: Small Compromises Corrupt

[53:19–54:44]

• Caution against letting small doses of legalism or compromise (“leaven”) corrupt a community or faith.
  • “It only takes a little bit to ruin the whole batch.” (Joby, 53:50)

19. On Being a Learner and Staying Humble

[54:44–59:37]

• The disciples didn’t always understand, but their posture was to keep following and learning from Jesus.
  • “If you have your doubts, pick them up and follow Jesus. To be a disciple is to be a learner...” (Joby, 56:21)
• The Holy Spirit as the ongoing teacher; importance of community in Bible study.

20. Gospel Inclusivity vs. Gospel Change

[59:37–60:28]

• Paul’s letters caution that while all are welcome, Jesus transforms us—church should not stop at “come as you are,” but move toward “be changed by God’s grace.”
  • “Tony Campolo used to say, the problem with the church is we sing ‘just as I am’… and leave just as we were. That’s the problem.” (Joby, 60:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [12:02] “I have read the Bible cover to cover many, many times and I do not find an expiration date on the works of the Spirit, the works of Christ in and through his people.” —Pastor Joby Martin
• [15:00] “What can make void the word of God?... the traditions of man that are elevated above the word of God.” —Pastor Joby Martin
• [19:35] “When we do prayer and anointing healing services, I often say, I am not a faith healer. I'm a Bible believer.” —Pastor Joby Martin
• [23:20] “He [the father] humiliated himself going after the younger son who was the rebel and then he also humiliated himself to go after the older son who was the religious—and that's the heart of the father.” —Pastor Joby Martin
• [35:52] “If you have faith, your faith is counted to you as righteousness. That’s the blessing of Abraham.” —Pastor Joby Martin
• [41:12] “May I be found sitting at the feet of Jesus and may I bring people to the feet of Jesus.” —Pastor Britt
• [45:19] “It ain't how you start that matters. The paperwork to get you into heaven is not going to be your birth certificate or your religious resume.” —Pastor Joby Martin
• [52:45] “You don't get to demand things from Jesus. You can, you can beg, you can ask, you can seek and you can knock, but you don't get to make demands.” —Pastor Britt

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:17–03:52: Bible structure & overview of teaching approach
• 04:02–09:05: Father’s Day reflections
• 09:06–10:51: The “all people” theme of Matthew 14:34–16:12
• 11:39–14:26: Healing and its relevance today
• 14:26–20:11: Geography, faith, and “the fringe of his garment”
• 20:13–25:07: Pharisees, legalism, and grace
• 25:07–32:37: The Canaanite woman’s faith and inclusion
• 39:42–45:19: Feeding the crowds & their symbolic meaning
• 46:21–49:53: Testimonies: faith at any life stage
• 53:19–54:44: The warning about “leaven” (small compromises/false teaching)
• 54:44–59:37: The value of humility, continual learning, and community

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Final Thoughts

The episode powerfully underscores that Jesus and the Gospel are truly for all, crossing cultural, religious, and personal barriers. Whether one relates most to the sick, the outsider, the religious insider, or the lifelong learner, everyone is invited to faith, transformation, and participation in the movement of God. The hosts call listeners to not only come as they are but allow Jesus to change them—and to do so in community.

Next Steps:

• Join a disciple group or Bible study if you’re not already in one.
• Examine where tradition might override scripture in your life.
• Reflect: Are you humbly sitting at Jesus’s feet, open to change?

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Deepen with Pastor Joby Martin. The Church of 1122 is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. And we're praying this message helps you deepen your relationship with him. Now let's dive in.

[B]

Well, everybody, welcome to Deepen. And if you're curious about how this usually works, typically there's a service that we have on Thursdays, and we come in here right afterwards. And so we've just experienced a message and a service. And then there's other times where we, because of schedules, record in advance. So this is one of those. And Pastor Bris is going to be bringing the Word. And before we get to this section of Scripture, which is a. A big one, Pastor Joby, would you just give a couple of comments about what went through your mind when you were looking at this year and preaching through Matthew and how to break it all up? Because, I mean, we could have been in Matthew for many years, probably. And so there are certain sections where it's like, hey, let's grab a big chunk and give it our best overview.

[C]

Yeah. So the constraints of the calendar are a part of it, but another part is I'm. I'm like. I think most of us, when you do a deep dive into the scriptures, we'll often just study it section by section, which. There's nothing wrong with that at all. But this was a letter from Matthew that in the early church would have been read from beginning to end. And as I began to do that, I spent several weeks just reading through it in whole chunks. Whole chunks. Whole chunks. And when you back up a little bit oftentimes, and this would be an example of it, you'll see kind of a theme. And then there are. There could be an entire chapter which is multiple parables or miracles or interactions with people, but it's actually just all pointing back to, like, a statement that was made. And so the thing that's tying together here, we hear it all the time, is that this gospel is in the church, is a movement for all people. And so what we see here, everything that we're going to look at, is Jesus encountering all types of people in different places, with different upbringings, with different struggles, with different hangups, with different misperceptions about who God is. You're going to see some people that geographically and traditionally are farther from God, and yet they have a much higher trust in the word of God than the people that are close. They actually live in the holy city, but they have so confused. Their man made Traditions, they can't even see to the pure word of God anymore. And if you're honest, it just looks like a church. There's all kind of different people coming from all kind of different places. Some people are, are brand new to the Scriptures, and so there's some positives and negatives there. Oftentimes they just see it for what it says. Then there's some other people that were raised in a tradition, and that tradition gets all over you, and you have a hard time distinguishing what was man's tradition and what was God's revealed word. And so Jesus is going to like one of those ice boats that just like, breaks through the ice and just plows through it. He's just going to plow through all of that, trying to get to the heart of people, because God's heart is for people unto his own glory.

[B]

That's a really important note for anybody studying their Bible is that many, if not most of the authors of biblical books do not organize the same way we would think of organizing them as, as Westerners. That's why sometimes you'll read a book and you're like, wait, this does not fit. Like, especially if you think about the Old Testament. I'm reading through 1st Samuel and there's these certain events that come up and I'm like, wait, didn't that already happen? And so there's different things going on in their mind for how they're going to organize those. They're making a point, not necessarily thinking linear time, progression.

[C]

Everything's not chronological, right? Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Pastor Britt, will you give us just the overview of what you see in this text and before we dive into some of the more specifics?

[D]

Yeah, for sure. This text, this will be Father's Day weekend, so happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. And I think we have a lot of great ones at 11:22. Yeah, a lot of great dads and a lot of guys that are trying to figure out how to be godly dads and to love their kids well and love their wives well and serve their families and set up future generations for success. And so for all you dads out there fighting the good fight, I commend you. Can I ask a Father's Day question first?

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Even though I know we're pre recording way ahead of Father's Day. But that said, coming off, what is it as that makes you, like, how do you feel appreciated as a dad? Like, it's kind of a love language question. But I'm more or less saying this for all those people out there that have a dad in their life. So when. Because, you know, I could tell you, I could give you a gift or I could command you, or there's how I would receive encouragement, and then there's how you receive encouragement. So, like, as a dad, what does your family do or what has your family done in the past? It's like, man, they. They do appreciate me.

[C]

Nothing means more to me than when my people acknowledge the. The load that I carry, the burden that I'm willing to shoulder for their sake. And there's a sense of gratitude and appreciation. That's it. It's not a gift. You're using my money to buy me something. So if I want me something, I'll just go get me something. Except when Gretchen got me a Harley, that was. That gift counted more than all the rest because honestly, she did that because I wouldn't do that for me. I couldn't pull the trigger. But that's it. I mean, most kids and wives have no idea the mental burden that most men are just dealing with all day, every day as the one that will stand before the Lord and give an account. And so just an acknowledgment that. That we're doing that for them and that they would acknowledge that they appreciate it and they're benefiting from it. That's it. Man.

[D]

What about you, Vink?

[B]

Exactly the same. I mean, I don't know that I'm a huge words of affirmation person, but what I think of when you ask the question is specific to the role that it. It is to be a dad is this is somebody who sees that and says thank you. You know, like, I mean, even simple, like, sometimes my kids will say, dad, thanks so much for making dinner tonight. You know, just like, yeah, that feels good, you know, because it's just one of those mundane things that they recognize.

[D]

That's great.

[C]

How about you?

[D]

Yeah. I live with three women, and I love them a lot. And they all are a bit. A bit bent in the direction of their worldview is to be helpful. And so anytime that. So I get a lot of help, let's put it that way. And, and. And I've learned how to receive it, and it's been. It's been really good. It's a really healthy thing. Most of the time. I think that I try to wake up every day and I'm trying to do my best to love my family well. And so anytime that they see, acknowledge, or respond to that specifically, like, I can really see you trying to love us. Well, in this or, I can really see that you're. That you. You know, that your effort is that we are a primary. You know what I mean? Like, I. I love my job. I love working here. I love this church. But my job is a means first in to glorify God and second, by which I can take care of my family. And when they see my job that way and see me treating it that way and acknowledge that, that means a lot. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

One of the things that we started to do at our house is because my wife and I don't have the same love languages. And it's. It's been long enough where I say this. When I do something like this, it means I'm trying to show you that I love you. And so as silly as it sounds, sometimes she'll say, you did that and I know that you love me. You know what I mean? Even though it's not like a natural. The natural one for her, I think

[C]

one of the things go the farthest is when a wife stands in the gap for you towards your kids.

[D]

My wife's great at that.

[C]

You know, Like, I mean, I travel a lot. You know, it's just a part of the. What God has given me in regards to, like, I don't know if I'm a three talent guy one time. I refuse to be a one talent guy and hide it and be afraid. But, you know, you get these opportunities and you're trying to preach the gospel and all the things. And. And so when a wife will stand in the gap and be like, do you have any idea all that your dad is doing for you and everything that you enjoy in your life, God has given you through his hands and those kind of conversations as opposed to agreeing with the kids on whatever their gripe is. And the list is justified and long about the grapes they might have. Sure, you know, Totally.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Nobody wakes up more disappointed in me than me. And yeah, I think that's an important note. Just out there that most dads are not walking around drunk on encouragement, but they are starving for affirmation. And. And so love the dad in your life. Well, out there, my friends. All right, so the text, Matthew 14:34 through 16:12, exactly what pastor Joby said to kick us off a movement for all people. This is a run of scripture where we see a lot of categories or different types of people and Jesus's specific interaction to them. And while Jesus's interaction is individual or directed at the individuals right in front of him, it is also pointing to something greater which is the missionary heart of God and that we have a good dad who wants to give us good gifts. And these, this run of text we see pretty much the gamut of what would be all considered all people. And in the modern context of the post ascended Christ, post Pentecost New Testament Church, the church age that we live in, the fullest expression of what we see Jesus doing here is the local church. And that Jesus is modeling for us what the local church should be. The different varieties of people and interaction and ministry that the church should be about. And so we'll just pick them apart. I, I saw six different types of people that stood out that stand out to me. And so just because we're, we're not the kind of people that try to like trick or play games here, we're kind of going to be writing a sermon in front of everybody here.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Appreciate Yalls contribution gentlemen.

[C]

Like yeah, yeah. But yeah, the semen is still really wet. Right?

[D]

That's right. And so, and I think that's an important note too is like when we're recording this, I'm preaching graciously. I'm. I'm preaching the one one weekend for our students and so that's three different sermons. I'm preaching next weekend to the whole church. Matthew 7, the end of Matthew 6, Matthew 7. And as a preacher you do you talk about this all the time. It's really hard to hold a variety of different texts in your mind. Intention, writing, new content.

[C]

If I do that I have a, I, I end up preaching a Franken sermon.

[D]

That's it. It's like four sermons in one every.

[C]

Yeah, it's so bad. So I can't work on the next one until I finish this.

[B]

They all bleed.

[C]

Oh yeah, that's right.

[D]

And so a little bit that's going on. But number one we see starting in 15, I mean 1434, they bring sick people to Jesus and Jesus heals them. And so a question would be, is Jesus still in this healing sick people business through the, through the expression of the local church?

[C]

Yeah. I have read the Bible cover to cover many many times and I do not find an expiration date on the works of the Spirit, the works of Christ in and through his people.

[D]

Amen.

[C]

So we do healing services here. I mean in. So by the time this comes out we'll have already preached it. But I think the Matthew 10 mandate on our ministry, I don't think that was just a one time thing. I think that is the mandate of what the church ought to be. And it's healing the sick and casting out demons, and the blind will see and the lame will walk. I mean, this is what Jesus said he came to fulfill. Yeah.

[D]

And there's all different kinds of sick. Right. And so in this text, we specifically the Bible most of the time talks about the physical symptoms of sickness. Sometimes it talks about the connection between the physical symptoms and the emotional and the spiritual state. You'll see someone who is demon oppressed or demon possessed. And they also have all these physical manifestations of that oppression. And the Bible does, the New Testament really doesn't separate those things, but so I don't want to talk about them as separate categories. But there are different ways in which sickness can manifest itself in our lives, right? There's certainly physically.

[C]

Yeah. I think a good way to look at it is the Shema. If we're supposed to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and when sin enters any of those areas, it breaks it. And so for like physical sickness, the reason that we want to be people to be healed is so that they can love the Lord their God with all of their strength. It's not just so they can be more comfortable being physically healed, but there's also relational sickness, there's mental sickness, and there's soul sickness. And so when James says, is anyone among you sick? He doesn't just say physically sick. Then you get proverbs that say things like, hope deferred makes the heart sick. So this is that like deep down at the soul level, if you've lost hope, there's a sickness in you that's way worse than a bad leg. And so all of these things, when Jesus comes to heal us, he comes to make us whole so that we can love the Lord our God with our whole healed self.

[D]

In the text, we see that they are bringing the sick people. It's interesting. Jesus shows up in this town, Genesaret, and people, men recognize him. I'm in, I'm reading through that of like men of repute in the town or the elders of the town see Jesus and they go out and start getting all their sick because they'd heard about this miracle worker and they begin, they bring him and implore him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. Two questions. Number one, what's that about? And number two, what's the modern day equivalent?

[C]

Okay, so geography is theology. This is important. So a part of what he's going to do in this text is he's at the Sea of Galilee. He's going to bounce back and forth between primarily Jewish places. I mean, so at the beginning of 15, the Pharisees and scribes came to him from Jerusalem. That's important. He goes out to the. The Gennesaret. And this is where like the demoniac man's in the caves naked and they've tried to chain him up. This is where the pigs jump off the cliff. This is a mixed group of place. It was the. It was the doorway to the Decapolis, which were all gentile cities. So there's a lot of gentile people here. So these are the people geographically the farthest away from the center of God's movement in the holy city of Jerusalem. And these people are believing the Bible. This is important. So if you go back to Malachi, chapter four, Malachi, one of the final prophecies before he actually gives a prophecy about John the Baptist coming to prepare the way. He says, the day of Lord is coming. You shall see him set ablaze the Lord's. The Lord of hosts says this. But for you who fear my name, the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. That word wings is knoff. The edge of the garment is called a canoph. And so several times I've taken a prayer shaw up on stage to show everybody. And so the people believed that when the Son of righteousness would come, that healing would be in the edge of his garment. This one gets a lot of press when the. With the woman with the issue of blood, she believes the promises of God in Malachi just. She just believes what it says. And so these people geographically, distance and a mixed group of people believe the word of God. The next group of people are from Jerusalem. And dude, this is a scary verse. And they have mixed the word of God and subordinated it to the traditions of the elders. So they added all these rules and they added all these traditions. And the Bible says, so for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. Dude, what can make void the word of God? Like Isaiah says, the word of God goes out and does what it does, it will not return. Void demons can't void it. Sin can't void it. But the traditions of man that are elevated above the word of God voids what God was intending. So you got a group of essentially outsiders believing the word of God and they're healed. And then you got a group of insiders that have elevated tradition above the Word. That's what legalism is. And they got this Whole thing all twisted up in the way that they were applying it. That's very important.

[B]

It's almost like the point is the word of God has to be everything or it's nothing. Like, and that's what we talk about that all the time. It's like we're going to be under, we're going to submit to this. And as soon as, if there's anything above it, this becomes just nothing.

[C]

You see it all the time too, man. People have an idea that they want to believe in and then they go to the Bible to try to make it agree with them. And if it doesn't, then there's this hermeneutical gymnastics to try to get it to agree with what you think. Even though for 2,000 years, no, nobody ever thought those verses meant that. But all of a sudden you have this brand new enlightenment and guess what? It just happens to line up with my political and sexual identity. What do you know?

[B]

Right?

[C]

Well, the people getting healed far are just believing, if we can just touch the hymn, we believe that what Malachi said is true. And then the Pharisees in Jerusalem, bro, they're real jacked up. The Bible very clearly says, honor your father and mother. And then they created this tradition where they would dedicate all their money to the Lord. Meanwhile their mom and dad are like starving to death. We wish you could help, we could help you. But that's God's money. God's like, what are you doing?

[B]

Maybe a. Maybe in modern day equivalent you asked because we.

[D]

I've heard this French I've heard the

[B]

couple of times in testimonies recently. Just like, I just knew I needed to get to church. And sometimes people say that for their kids. I didn't bring my kids, I just knew I need to bring my kids to church. Or I just. That's going to help me as I just get around church and I think they know enough to say, get me close, get me to the edge and I'll. I'll receive what I need. Maybe that's similar to the, the fringe.

[C]

I think when we do prayer and anointing services, I mean, you might sit in your seat and think, all right, I mean, listen, God knows everything and God is sovereign and God has a divine will and if he's going to heal me, he's going to heal me. The Bible just says, as anyone among you say it, call the elders together, anoint with oil and pray for healing. So I'm just going to do what it says because I trust him as opposed to justify why I don't have to do what it says. And like I say before, when we do prayer and anointing, healing services, I often say I am not a faith healer. I'm a Bible believer.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

So we're just going to do what the word says.

[B]

Mh.

[D]

Yeah. One of the.

[C]

You.

[D]

You got into the second group of people. If the first group that we see Jesus interact with, the sick people, the second we see Jesus has started interacting with are the Pharisees and the scribes and the religious people. And sometimes I don't have the right word for this, but sometimes I'm sympathetic to the Pharisees and I think they get a really, really bad rap. Justifiably so. I mean, they were Jesus's, you know, enemy in that sense.

[C]

A bunch of them get saved, though.

[D]

That said. Yeah, that said, Jesus came first to reveal himself to Israel.

[C]

Correct.

[D]

And these are his kinsmen. And if the best way that I know how to think about it, having done quite a bit of ministry in predominantly Muslim contexts, is there are billions. There have been billions of people on the planet who were born into Muslim families, and they are Muslim culturally, whether they functionally practice the religion of Islam. And so for me to ask them, are you Muslim? Is the equivalent of me asking them, are you alive?

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Like there's no separation.

[C]

Or are you American or are you Exactly. Southern?

[D]

Yeah, yeah, exactly into these. To the Jews, to the Pharisees, this is exactly the system, a really similar system. They were born into, like, even Israel now, but predominantly in Israel. It's an atheistic country. And. But everybody would still consider themselves Hebrew or Jewish, even though they may not be practicing Judaism, but you still ain't

[C]

going to ride on the elevator and push the button. Right.

[D]

The. The culturally, they've been drafted in.

[C]

Right.

[D]

And so these guys are as much trying to uphold a culture as they are trying to enforce religious. There's no separation between the religious practice and their culture.

[B]

Yeah, that's important.

[D]

It is one in the same.

[B]

Yep.

[D]

And so they're fighting for a way of life that they think is the best way of life. Now, I'm not defending them. I am saying that. To say this, that I think Jesus, even in this text, what Jesus is doing to the Pharisees by talking directly to them is saying, you need to repent. And there are Pharisees who did turn to Jesus as the Messiah that I believe will be in heaven because they became Jesus followers and saw him as the son of God. And so it's another Category of movement for all people of like there is a line somewhere. But in the in if the local church is the expression of Christ's body on the earth, which it is that there is a degree of patience, grace and truth that we have to have even with religious people 100%.

[C]

I mean the back half of the prodigal son parable is that the dad implores the kid, he beg, entreats the older son who is the Pharisee, which means he gets on his knees and begs and cries that he would come to the party.

[D]

And.

[C]

And in the modern church, right in. In Arcana the streams we run in bro, we will celebrate the, the stripper, the sex worker, the face tattooed drug addict, whatever. And we almost. And it's like. But we don't have the same kind of grace towards the hyper religious person. And so we, we have to have that. The dad humiliated himself going after the younger son who was the rebel and then he also humiliated himself to go after the older son who was the religious. And that's the heart of the father. And it may. It makes me nervous at Love Swing 2. No question the religious people I said that. So at the time of this recording it would be in this weekend sermon, the one I just did on prayer and fasting and giving. And I think I read this probably I think Tim Keller maybe somebody. It's not my idea but everybody agrees that you have to repent from. From your wretchedness. But the gospel commands us that we repent even of our righteous deeds if we think those righteous deeds are what earn a right standing before God. We have to repent of our religion in order to come to Christ.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

I mean and that's unique.

[D]

No question. No question. And I think that is the, the a way that you've set up Matthew that helps me think about it rightly in terms of am I looking at through a religious worldview or am I looking through a perspective that's rooted in relationship with Jesus Christ the Messiah.

[C]

Right.

[D]

Religion says I was blessed to be blessed. Relationship says I was blessed to be a blessing.

[C]

Amen.

[D]

And that this is the difference between someone culturally trying to just practice religion and someone who is walking in lock step in with. With Jesus the Lord their Lord. So the second is religious people. And then it goes on. In 1521 we pick up and this is the faith of a Canaanite woman, which is a wild exchange. And I don't know how much time I'm going to have to get into it. I mean you could just preach this text for like just these four or five verses, for hours. But he goes to Ty and Sidon, which is certainly gentile territory. It's way out on the margins. I is Ty and S. As far as Jesus ever went away from Jerusalem, I think it might be.

[C]

Yeah, probably. Yeah.

[D]

And so we're talking way out on the margins, and this woman comes and starts asking him, says, have mercy on me, oh Lord, this is an important sentence. You know, think Pharisee and the tax collector. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. We need God's mercy.

[C]

Amen.

[D]

And for God to act benevolently toward us is only merciful.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Doesn't owe us anything.

[C]

Grace. A very simple definition. Grace and mercy are like first cousins, but it's a little bit different. Grace is receiving what you don't deserve, and mercy is not receiving what you do deserve. What we deserve is to be damned to hell. But because God is merciful, he delays the payment. That's Romans, chapter three. Because he's gracious. He is the just and the justifier. He makes the payment for us. So that's the difference.

[D]

Amen.

[B]

Before you keep going, can I ask Pastor Joby if you look? Because you've talked quite a bit about how this should raise up certain red. Certain not red flags. But our dashboard should go off thinking about Moses, thinking about Exodus, thinking about the Old Testament. And when I think of signs and miracles and healings, I think about the signs and miracles, specifically in Egypt and so many that accompanied Moses. And so do you have any comments about the reason why there were so many, like, high concentration of signs and miracles with Jesus's ministry and from Moses?

[C]

Well, the thing to keep in mind, I like John's commentary here that he always called miracles signs and not miracles. So Jesus was never just flexing his raw God power. He never was like, look what I can do, and just like move the stars and spelled his name or just Levitated. They weren't. These are not random things.

[B]

Right.

[C]

It always pointed to his redemptive purpose. So when he preached repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And when he prayed, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, every single miracle was a peeling back of the curtain of what it will be like when we are face to face with him. People aren't possessed by demons there. No. All the legs work, all the eyeballs can see, all the voices can speak. There is no oppression or possession. And that's a part of what he's doing. He's giving us a peek into what does it look like when the king completely and fully rules and reigns and has vanquished the devil? So in a similar way, if you take the 10 plagues, the 10 signs that Moses is the conduit by which God enacts upon Pharaoh, they were not random. God's not sitting in heaven going, you know, it'd be neat. Frogs, let's do frogs. You know, every single one of those was to attack a specific little G. Egyptian God that the Egyptians worshiped. And every one of those is in the rule and reign of the king. He is the king of kings and lord of lords, which is a title that Pharaoh used. And so the thing that you're worshiping, frogs and gnats in the Nile, my king is king over it. So watch this. And then the ultimate one was the plague of the firstborn, because Pharaoh thought he was king. And he's like, I'm going to take from you what is most precious if you don't bow to me. And it was actually a picture of. Of God giving what was most precious to him, his son, Jesus, to redeem a people unto himself. The Pharaoh lorded it over them and used the people for himself. And God's like, I'm going to sacrifice myself. He will be the lamb that is slain for the forgiveness of sin.

[B]

Right.

[C]

So all of them were on purpose every time.

[B]

Yeah. And. And I was reading recently, certainly there were demonized people for long history, but the first account of any demon ever being cast out of a person was through Jesus. Yeah, you know, I talk about a statement to evil to the world, announcing the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[D]

Well, he was there when they all got kicked out. You know what I mean? Yeah, he knows their names, so to say. He's got power over him. You know what I mean? This in the Canaanite woman. This really interesting. A really interesting exchange, right? You got this woman who recognizes Jesus somehow as the Son of David through testimony or by divine revelation, I don't know. Severely oppressed daughter by a demon. He didn't say anything back to her. His disciples came and said, lord, please send her away, for she is crying out after us. This woman is desperate, man. She's begging. She needs help. He said, Jesus goes all mission focused here. He's like, I was only sent to the lost.

[B]

Only. Only sent.

[D]

I was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And then she. She's like, no. You know, I mean, she kind of argues with him and she's like, please help me. And then he says, it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. And, and this is, in my opinion, a text where, one, you know, Jesus is a straight shooter. Two, I do not think Jesus was com. Calling this woman a dog. I think he was pointing to the greater narrative that Jewish people often treated Gentiles like dogs. And he's making a bigger point about the humanity. It's. It's an amago day statement as much as it is anything. And then he says, she says, yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. And Jesus says, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you desire. And her daughter was healed instantly. And one, we see that the gospel transcends the gospel. Who is the person and work of Jesus Christ transcends cultural boundaries. It transcends supernatural boundaries. It can break any chain. It. Culture doesn't get to tell Jesus what to do. Jesus gets to tell culture. And it doesn't matter where you're coming from. It doesn't even matter how you're coming. If. If you're annoying, if you're compliant, if you're, you know, if you're asking, seeking and knocking. If you're seeking, what does it say? Jeremiah 29:29 13 says, if you seek for me, you will find for me. If you seek for me with your entire heart, with your whole heart. This woman was wholeheartedly going to Jesus as best she knew how to receive the miracle, and she got it. So I think there's something to God rewards faith, man. He responds to and rewards faith, which is a bit of a theological mind bake, if you will, for sure.

[C]

I also think this is the first time Jesus is peeling back the curtain a little bit in the use of the term Israel.

[D]

That's good.

[C]

You want to talk about a hot button topic today? Oh, boy. Okay, so I'm on some podcast and somebody's like, so what are your thoughts on Israel? I'm like, okay, let's define the terms. Can you tell me what you mean by that term? It can mean at least four things. It could mean the descendants of Abraham, like genetically family tree. It can mean the land, which is going to play a significant role in the consummation of all things. Like Jesus will trumpet blast. Heaven's rended Jesus's feet. Land in that place, bro, on the Mount of Olives. We've all stood there. He's going to walk in the eastern gate. Okay, it could mean the nation state. That's Run by Benjamin Netanyahu right now. Is that what you mean?

[D]

Or.

[C]

It means the people who have put their faith in Jesus. Where do you get that? A verse? I could show you 10 Galatians 3. Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. Romans 10 is going to say all Israel is not Israel, and then all Israel will be saved. Well, who is saved? Everybody puts their faith in Jesus. So if here's. Here's where the red letter. Christians aren't Christians. The Bible has 40 authors over Deca, over centuries, three different continents, primarily two languages, a little bit of Aramaic thrown in there too. But it ultimately has one author. God wrote the whole thing. And so Paul is not at odds with Jesus, nor is Jesus at odds with Paul. And anybody to tries to pit them together is actually subverting the ultimate author of the whole Bible, which is God himself. It is all God breathed. Theos Nas. Okay, so with a po. But he hadn't died on the cross. He hasn't been resurrected from the dead. He hadn't ascended to the Father. He hadn't sent the Spirit. He hadn't initiated the church age, right? He hadn't given the Great Commission yet. He came 100% first to the people that had the head start. They had the prophets that had the traditions, that had the sacrificial system baked into their culture. So that they should have been more likely to see, oh, here is the lamb. We understand about lambs being slain for the covering of sin. Here he is, and here he is saying, listen, I came only for the people that are going to have faith. Like everything I say and do, if you don't put your faith in me. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. What this chick demonstrates is her faith. So on the one hand, it sounds like really exclusive. But he's not talking about geography, he's not talking about the land, because she lives in a different zip code. He's not talking about the genetic descendants. Here he gives a picture. You have faith, and without faith, it's impossible to please God. And with faith, your faith is counted to you as righteousness. That's the blessing of Abraham.

[B]

And God is not. He's. He doesn't change, you know, he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. His pattern is always I find a person and people and I want them. I want to use them as a conduit to accomplish my mission. And so he's gonna. That's why Paul will say it has to go to the Jew first and then also to the Gentiles. All right, that happened in the whole redemptive pattern and also in the Gospel. The Gospel was preached first to Jewish people in the synagogues and then expanded.

[C]

Angiography is theology.

[B]

Totally.

[C]

So literally the word became flesh and showed up in that area and then it expounded out. And then even in the church age, when the Spirit comes, I mean, Jesus. Jesus says, all right, here's what's going to happen. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. And it's just. It's geographical. This is where it starts in Jerusalem, and then it's going to spread to Judea. And then there's those people you were taught that you weren't supposed to like. And it's going to go to Samaria, and then it's going to go to the ends of the earth. So it is. I don't know if you're supposed to say it's inclusively exclusive or exclusively inclusive, but whatever. It means that everybody is invited, everybody gets in the same way, and the price has already been paid. That's what this means.

[B]

And did you know that if you study the list of people groups that were at the day of Pentecost, they represent people from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Farthest known point was Spain. And one group is listed from Spain.

[D]

That's great.

[B]

Awesome.

[D]

Awesome. Here we go.

[C]

But the consistence, this is why the miracle of this book, you know, to

[D]

have how it's been preserved through history alone is a miracle.

[C]

No doubt about it. No doubt about it.

[D]

And that's a secondary miracle, too. It's right, you know, it's the most

[B]

historically verified book ever, no question.

[D]

And the most intact, you know, the most questioned, the most. They like tried to oppress it, you know, and hold it down.

[C]

And yet, hey, here's a little inside baseball. The folks that run the Museum of the Bible reached out to our team and our team had a big meeting with them yesterday. They just love what we're doing here because we teach the Bible. I don't know how we popped up on the radar, but we did. They invited us do all these things they are offering at something like advanced commitment night that they could. They would bring artifacts, like actual pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls that our people could see.

[D]

Let's go.

[C]

To show the like we're. This isn't a fairy tale. This is not a legend that happened over time, bro. They're all in on whatever it takes to help people know and love the Bible. More and want to partner with us to do those kinds of things. So the.

[D]

Consider it done.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're also going to do some things where we take. I want to take a. Basically everybody on our team that teaching the Bible to groups of people is a part of their job and they're going to do like this personal private tour for Bible teachers in the Museum of the Bible.

[D]

It's awesome.

[C]

Thank you.

[D]

And I went there. We spent a day there. You could spend a week there.

[C]

Oh my gosh, it's.

[D]

Man, it is incredible.

[C]

Incredible.

[D]

It is incredible.

[C]

Shout out to the Greens for leverage. Do you talk about being blessed to be a blessing?

[D]

No doubt, bro.

[C]

The Greens got all kind of money, hobby lobby people, all kind of money. And a part of what they did with it was help create this museum of the p. Bible in like the museum capital of the world so that more people could be exposed to this word.

[D]

Yeah, it's the real thing that's blessed

[C]

to be a blessing right there.

[B]

What comes next? The. The.

[D]

To the woman and then Jesus. Verse 29. We pick up and here comes the church of 11:22. Jesus went on from there and walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain and sat down and great crowds came to him. I've always found that fascinating that Jesus. Much of Jesus's ministry was done to great crowds. He obviously had Peter and then Peter, James and John and then the disciples. And there's 72 and hundreds of disciples at different var. Varying times. But over and over and over again, Jesus is teaching and preaching and ministering to thousands great crowds. We're about to go into feeding the 4 000, which is actually like somewhere between 15 and 20 000.

[C]

Don't you think there were people in the crowd that were complaining totally. Like it's gotten too big. He doesn't even know everybody's name. Actually he does.

[D]

Jesus is just in it for Jesus. He likes the mega church. Yeah, like what are you talking about?

[C]

I think we're building this whole thing around a personality.

[D]

Yeah, whatever, man. Anyway, I'm not bitter. It's just my face. The great crowds came. Jam the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others. I really. And then Jesus healed them. And this is the. And this is the thing that I think is. I don't know, just important to note that I hope is continues to be the posture of our church is that they came and they put them at his feet.

[C]

Let's go.

[D]

And he healed them and so may I be found Sitting at the feet of Jesus and may I bring people to the feet of Jesus. And so I feel like that's. That's like the. A testimony text of what God has chosen to do here in the church of 1122. Every one of us came in here limping, carrying religious baggage, hurt, broke, far from God, you know, whatever, lame, crippled, blind, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, some way. And by the grace of God, through the word of God, we get to sit at the feet of Jesus. And he has healed us, and he is healing us in Jesus name.

[C]

It's kind of unfortunate in verse 31, so that the crowd wondered, now that we use that word in English to mean, like, I wonder what he's thinking. That's not this wonder. It means like they were in awe of, gave reverence to, were blown away by. And we know this because it was the testimony of the changed life that led to. And they glorified the God of Israel. That's what it wandered. It's more like when you look at the stars in the sky and you're like, wow, that's what it is.

[B]

There's also a tradition that was started by King David. He was in a battle, and these people said, you can't attack us. The Lyme and the blame, the crippled will keep you out of here. And he beat him anyway. And then he's. He made some kind of comment that. That if you read 2nd Samuel 5, that he said, it says. Therefore it is said, the blind, the lame shall never enter the house. And so one of the things, remember in John 9, the blind man, he couldn't go to the temple. And. And that. That had to do with the liberty law about the perfection and the offerings and all that. But this is. I think what Matthew's doing here is saying Jesus is reversing the curse for those who are far from God. Because the cripple, the lame and the blind were specific groups of people who would have been said. Yeah. Because of what they heard, David.

[C]

And this is where the tradition of man makes void the word of God. So if you hold up David as, like, see the blind, the lame, they don't have a seat, you'd be like, did you skip over the Mephiboshev pastor passage?

[B]

Right?

[C]

Where he invites the cruel man to sit at the king's table as one of his own sons, like, that was the heart of what he was doing here. But yeah, yeah, Jesus at the cross and resurrection is undoing all that sin has done.

[D]

No question. Amen. And then many of these people and others, I'm guessing he's just picking up crowds along the way. And they're following him around, man, because he's doing it. He's proclaiming the kingdom of God. And they've been with him for days and have had nothing to eat. They are willing to starve to stay near this man and listen to him. And they are testimony of kind of the Canaanite woman, she's like, if I could just get a crumb off your table. They're just looking for a crumb off the master's table, you know, and they're starving and Jesus has compassion on them. And Pastor Joby, you. You certainly would do a better job unpacking the baskets and the, the 12 and the 7 and all the numbers and stuff. I think the at a high view when I read the feeding of the 4,000, which is different than the feeding of the 5,000. Same idea, but a different encounter. When I read this, one of the things that I clearly see is one, if you draw near to him, he will draw near to you. Two, Jesus takes care of people who follow him.

[B]

That's good.

[D]

So those are some of my key takeaways. But unpack the technical side of it, if you will, for the details.

[C]

Part of the like movement for all people is there are two big miraculous feedings that are covered in several of the Gospels. When the feeding of the 5,000, there are 12 basketfuls left over. Nothing. There's no random facts in the Bible, man. And in the feeding of the 4,000, there are seven baskets and 12 represents the 12 tribes of Israel. So Jesus came for the Jew and the seven. There were seven regions, gentile regions. And so ultimately what it. What he's saying is, I'm here for all people. Like the grace that I am offering is for the Jew and the Gentile, for all regards. It ain't how you start that matters. The paperwork to get you into heaven is not going to be your birth certificate or your religious resume. And it ain't going to keep you out either. The paperwork that matters is did you RSVP to Christ's invitation to put your faith in him? Did you. Can you say, like Alistair Beck says, the only thing I can stand on is the man on the middle cross said I could come. That's the grace filled invitation of Christ.

[D]

You know, it makes me think about two gentlemen that have become new friends of mine. One's a guy named Barry. He was baptized here recently.

[C]

Oh yeah, I love that guy.

[D]

And he's in his 70s. Yeah, super successful guy, you know, done really well, super smart. You can just tell he carries himself with a lot of humility. He's a good guy. Recently a new follower of Jesus in the 70s, which is a miracle in and of itself.

[C]

It's like one in.

[D]

Who even knows? The stats are just unbelievable for adults coming to Christ, much less 70, 70s,

[C]

who have won at the world. Yeah.

[D]

And then Barry will say, he's in my disciple group. And he'll say sometimes things like, you know, I'm. I'm pretty new to this and I'm pretty, you know, he'll just be humble and be aware of that. He's on the very beginning of a journey. And I, I met another guy recently named Bill. And Bill's in his 60s and he and his wife have been attending here for a couple years. They actually live in Pennsylvania most of the time. And they're. They're here half the year there, half the year. And Ben, but again, he's a new, new to following Jesus and really understanding the Bible. And both of them will say, you know, I got a late start. And I got, you know, and I'm like, listen, it does not matter when you start. It just matters that you start.

[C]

Y.

[D]

And I think, I don't know, I always find that fascinating is. Is that your testimony is your testimony, and there ain't no shame in that game, man.

[C]

No doubt. Well, when I say it ain't how you start. In the early, early days of 1122, Pastor Ben's grandfather passed away. And Pastor Ben did the funeral. And so I just went to it. I never met him or anything. And Pastor Ben's granddad was like a, like a mechanic in the long time ago. So think like girly photos hanging up everywhere and foul mouth and alcohol, all the things, right? And then he got saved late in life. And so as Pastor Ben is remembering his granddad, he just says, it ain't how you start that matters, it's how you finish. Because. And again, to take it back to like, what Matthew is trying to do. So Paul is going to be like, ah, his heart's breaking for the Jewish people. Because he's like, you got a head start,

[D]

you got a hand.

[C]

You had the prophets, you had the miracles, you had the scrolls and the text, you had the Torah, you had the synagogue, you had the temple, you had the sacrificial system, and you actually, you started on third base. But if you don't make it home, you're never going to make it home. And the Gentiles, by God's, grace hit a home run late in life because, you know, they open their eyes and they surrendered their life to Christ. So it's just that it is not your. It's not your birth certificate. It's not your religious resume. It's not who your grandmama was. And praise God for those guys, man. I mean, I know Barry. What a. I mean, he was a big dog executive. And just a few weeks ago, he's got his red shirt on and his shorts here at San Pablo in front of thousands of people alive and more than that online, climbs into that tub because it was. It was the next obedient step and what it means to follow after Jesus.

[D]

Amen. Amen.

[B]

It almost makes a point, you know, he's. When Paul's saying all that about the Jews or we said about the Pharisees, and you talked about earlier having grace for him, it's kind of like saying you should have known better, but you got to take a step back and say, if you're blind, you're blind. You know what I mean? Only God can bring you to life.

[C]

So if you go back to the conversation with the dad, dude, it makes me emotional when I preach it as the pastor of a church like this in the. In Luke 15, okay, we get the prodigal, the guy that comes to himself, even though his. He's got, like, a misguided apology, he still realizes I'm better as a servant at my dad's house. And the dad's like, no, no, the graces. You're a son here, not a servant. You don't earn your way back in. Okay, cool. Praise God for that. But then the dad leaves the party because the oldest son, based on his own resume and his sense of entitlement, thinks that he deserves the party. And so what does the dad do? Think about it. Well, I'll put it on me, because I'm the worst, bro. If it was Thanksgiving and my whole family's together and JP's showing his butt, and he's in his room pouting or whatever, but we. You know, I would go do something, but I would go in there, I'd kick the door down, and I'd be like, you listen to me, dude. This is my house, and this is my. And you don't talk to your granddaddy that way. You know what I mean? That's what I would do. You better get your butt to that table and you better smile. And, like, I mean, that is my. Not the heavenly Father, the older brother, based on his own entitlement because of his religious resume, thinks he has deserved it. He is out of fellowship with his brother. He doesn't call him, my brother's come home. He said, this son of yours has squandered this away. And you never gave me a goat. And the dad's posture to the religious, the religious self righteous person is that he. He entreats him. And I've done a pretty deep dive on that word that means to get on your hands and knees and beg once you come to the party.

[D]

Everything I have is yours.

[C]

It's always been yours. What are you talking about? Yeah, and he's begging him. And he's not gonna. He's not beating him up and he's also not giving him a pass.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

But if you don't come into the party, you're just gonna be out here by yourself, man. But I. The heart of the Father is he desires that all would humble themselves and come to the party through him.

[B]

What's wild is that Jesus is doing these. He's doing all these signs we just read, like just time. Healed, healed demons cast out. And the Pharisees didn't say, show us a sign.

[D]

I know as soon as I throw the Pharisees a bone, you just keep reading and you're like, come on, bro.

[C]

Like, you can't be.

[B]

Show us a sign.

[D]

We demand in the, like, title of the text, it says, like how they subtitle it. The Pharisees and Sadducees demand signs. You don't get to demand things from Jesus. You can, you can beg, you can ask, you can seek and you can knock, but you don't get to make demands.

[C]

And then what he's going to say, I mean, we're getting ahead here. I guess we'll teach. I don't know when this come out, but Jesus like, oh, you want to sign? I ain't got but one for you. So. Sign of Jonah.

[D]

It's a, it's that text.

[C]

And they're like, what? When I come out of the grave. Yeah, that's your sign.

[B]

Yeah, here's your sign.

[D]

Yeah, here, sit tight.

[B]

And. And this is fresh in my mind because we recently talked about beware of practicing your righteousness. He says that again. Watch and beware. And then uses an analogy of leaven. So in the Old Testament, part of the purification of the house during the. What was it?

[C]

Passover.

[B]

Passover. They were had to take all the leaven out of their house, even sweep all their cupboards and everything. So what's he saying when he says, hey, watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees.

[C]

It only takes a little bit to ruin the whole batch.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

That's what leaven is.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So what it comes back to the. The leaven thing was the, the. The source of it was, all right. Moses, the angel of death, is passing over. So shed the blood of the lamb, put him on the doorpost of your house. Which, by the way, the way they would make doorposts, you would draw a big, big bloody cross on your house. That's what it was. And then he's like, you ain't got time to let the bread rise. So you're going to eat flatbread and sleep with your tennis shoes on. Because when I say go, you got to go. And so they were to consistently remember that, that when the blood of the lamb is slain and the angel of death passes over whoever's got the blood of the land on the doorpost of their life, you are obedient immediately to the next thing he tells you to do.

[D]

Yeah. The last part of the text that we study, the Pharisees decided to man signs. Jesus says, you know, the sign of Jonah is all you're going to get. And then the 11th thing Jesus is, They've actually moved on, it seems. And the disciples are just there with Jesus, and he's talking to the disciples. And so I do think, if you have, what are the categories? We've talked about a movement for all people, sick people, religious people who need to repent, those who are far from God on the outside, the Gentiles, the desperate, the many. Jesus takes care of those who follow him. The many. And then the last category would be the learner. But the disciples are like, we don't really understand. And they're trying to ask a question. And Jesus is like, how do you not understand it yet? And yet he then explains it to him. And I've always found that. And you say this really, really well. You teach it in regards to, like, if you have your doubts, pick them up and follow Jesus. But I think it's the same thing of, like, to be a disciple is to be a learner, right? And if you're following Jesus, you're going to be constantly learning more and more and more about what he meant when he said about the purpose for which he came about the mission and the purposes for which he's trying to accomplish on the earth. And so if you read this text and you read the Old Testament, New Testament, and you're like, I don't really Understand it all. Yeah, of course. Come on, follow Jesus. You know, it's like, even if you had a misunderstanding and you were wrong in your understanding and Jesus reveals that to you, pick it up and follow Jesus.

[B]

You know?

[D]

You know what I mean?

[C]

Jesus says that when he. He's like, I'm going away. But y' all, relax. It's actually going to be better. Because when I'm sending you is I'm sending you the Paraclete. And two of the primary things the Spirit of God is going to do is comfort you and he's also going to teach you. So if there are things that you don't know yet, it's cuz in God's timing, the Spirit hasn't taught you that yet. And look, this is why. So take the guys you're talking about, Barry and Bill, who are really, really, really smart men, but they have the humility to be in a disciple group and say, we don't know this yet. Well, guess what? You can make a great disciple if you come with that kind of attitude. Like, hey boss, we don't understand what this means. And the three of us would give testimony. We have been doing this professionally for a really long time, no doubt. And there's still all kinds of things we don't know and understand and need to be constantly learning.

[D]

I feel like such an elementary adolescent with the Bible. The older I get.

[C]

Like, I do too, with everything.

[B]

It really is.

[D]

It's amazing, you know, it really is amazing how much I don't know.

[C]

Right.

[D]

You know that God constantly. Scriptures I've read a thousand times, I'll read them. And it's like, God reveals is illuminating to me for the very first time. I mean, it really is just an amazing.

[C]

And that's the right word. This is the revealed word of God. There's. You don't need a revelation. It's here. What we need is the Spirit to give us illumination. Which just means like, turn the light on so you can see and that those are not the same thing. Yeah, but I feel like I know a whole lot about a little bit for a very short time. You know what I mean? Like, whatever the passage is that I'm just all day every day from Sunday night to Thursday night diving into. But honestly, you get into things like, you know, tire and siding and you're like, isn't that. And I'm like, I have no idea where that is because I.

[D]

So there's not the text that you're in at the moment.

[C]

100. And so there's some Things that stick. And then there's some things that I remember that I used to remember, but I can't quite remember it. Yeah, but this is why. I mean, that's what's so beautiful about this. Like you have a tutor if you're, if you've put your faith in Jesus, he's actually given you a Bible tutor. It's the spirit of God that lives in you. And then he surrounded you with pastors and shepherds and brothers and sisters. And this thing, you a hundred percent should read it devotionally along with the Lord. There's no doubt about it. And you should study it with groups of people so that then you can apply what did happen then to what is happening now. It's not an old book. It's a timeless book. It's always true. It just. It doesn't only tell you what happened 2,000 years ago. It tells you what always happens. And that is best done in community. So if you're not in a disciple group, but you're listening to Deepen every week, you are missing out on a significant port portion of how you could deepen your walk with Jesus by doing Bible study with some other people.

[B]

And the other thing about the leaven that I love is that Paul references this in First Corinthians to talk about sexual immorality and dealing with it and disciplining this person who's sinning. And so, you know, we talk about this lengthy text being about Jesus is drawing all people to himself to discover and deepen our relationship with him and change.

[C]

Right, right.

[B]

And Paul says, no, no, when we come to Jesus, he cleanses us. Don't allow these little things to come in. So it's not just, hey, everybody's welcome. A lot of churches get half of it, right. Oh, just come on in, everybody, and stay exactly as you are.

[C]

Yeah. Tony Campolo used to say, the problem with the church is we sing just as I am, we come just as we are and leave just as we were. That's the problem. I wrote a whole book about it. Run over by the grace train. How the Grace of God Changes Everything. About everything. About everything.

[D]

Yeah, no doubt. Let's go.

[B]

Is that about all you got there?

[D]

Yeah. Praise God. Appreciate you guys writing the sermon for me. And, and nah, man, it's going to be great. And I'm just excited to continue to see how God works through Matthew. Matthew of all the gospels. It's, it's, it's more technical, in my opinion, than Mark, Luke, and John. And those are a bit more testimonial even though Matthew is that there's a lot of Jewish stuff going on in. In Matthew differently than it is in the other Gospels. And so I think being able to connect the Old Testament, the New Testament, and to see the grand arc of what God's doing, and ultimately that Jesus would reveal himself somehow. I. I don't even know how to explain all this other than it's just he's God in the flesh. Jesus knew when he was healing the Canaanite woman, when he was healing the lame and the crippled and the blind, and he. He knew that thousands of years down the road, as we would experience it, that people would be still sitting around encountering the living Jesus through the testimony and the witness of the scripture and still being changed by it. So, I mean, I'm just grateful to be able to hold it, much less to be able to teach it and to talk about it and share it, you know? So

[B]

would you like Pastor Brett to close us in prayer?

[C]

I would. He's a preacher.

[D]

Let's pray. Father, we love you and Jesus, we love you. We know you loved us first. So we pray that you just help us to respond to you in all our areas of life. And we thank you for your word and Lord, pray that you would heal, that you would save, that you would redeem. And Father, we pray that you would help us to. To wake up and love you with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and that we would love you with all we got. And we thank you for the sign of Jonah that you resurrected from the dead and that it's not just the most important thing that ever happened, it's the most important thing that ever happened to us and for us. And so we celebrate your resurrection and we thank you for your word. In Jesus name, amen.

[C]

Thank you for listening to the podcast. The End.

[D]

You nailed it.

[A]

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