Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB000008A
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00:21 Hi, I'm Glenn Russell.
00:22 Welcome to our Books of the Book 00:24 series on 3ABN. 00:25 We're so glad that you are joining us 00:27 for a wonderful study, 00:28 fascinating study of a Book of Matthew. 00:31 One of God's precious books 00:34 in this wonderful gift of scripture. 00:36 We're here with our lead teacher Dr. Ranko Stefanovic. 00:39 Ranko, glad to have you with us on the program once again. 00:41 We've been working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. 00:44 It's been a great journey. 00:45 I can't wait to get in to it today. 00:46 Yes, Glenn, it's so nice to be with you here, 00:49 to share those, these insights 00:51 from the Gospel of Matthew 00:52 and also to work here with this wonderful people. 00:55 We are having great time. 00:57 It's been a great time here at 3ABN 00:58 and let's get right into it. 01:00 First of all, fore mostly, we never want to open scripture 01:03 without turning to God asking Him to guide us. 01:06 Let's pray together. 01:08 Lord as we begin, we recognize our need for You. 01:12 We're so grateful that You've chosen to reveal 01:14 Yourself to us in scripture. 01:16 We need Your Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, 01:19 be the one, who speaks to us today, 01:22 in Jesus name we pray, amen. Amen. 01:25 Well, Ranko, we've been moving through this Gospel of Matthew, 01:29 authored by God, written by Matthew 01:32 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 01:33 We've worked our way through the first few chapters, 01:36 all the way up through the Sermon on the Mount, 01:38 that's where we finished last time. 01:41 We had a chance to see Jesus 01:42 as the greatest teacher of all time. Yes. 01:45 The depth of His teachings, 01:46 the insights that He provided, powerful. 01:49 But now we're moving into Chapter 8. 01:50 What's ahead for us? 01:52 Yes, we saw already in Chapter 4, 01:57 that the Gospel indicates that the activities of Jesus 02:01 were made of His teachings. Yes. 02:04 And preachings, and then His healing 02:07 and other activities helping people. 02:11 In the last two programs, 02:13 we saw the first of the set of the teachings of Jesus, 02:17 the Sermon on the Mount. Right. 02:19 So, now after that, after that same formula 02:21 when Jesus finished all His sayings. 02:25 Now we have Jesus putting His teachings into practice. 02:29 So, we have Chapters 8 and 9, 02:32 where we see the healing and other activities of Jesus. 02:35 Let's be sure we didn't miss that, 02:36 putting His teachings into practice. 02:38 So, there's a close connection. Close connection between that. 02:40 Through His teachings and the activities. 02:42 So, give us an idea of the activities 02:44 that we find here in Chapter 8 and 9. 02:46 Yes, Chapter 8 and 9, 02:49 has very nice structure and very nice conclusion 02:51 that we will come in few moments there, 02:54 but it's organized nicely. 02:55 So, this section is about 02:57 the practical aspect of Jesus' Ministry, 02:59 but it's organized in very nice way. 03:02 And it goes in this way 03:03 "There is a miracle that Jesus does, 03:05 healing and then instructions about the discipleship, 03:10 then miracles of Jesus, then discipleship 03:13 and it goes on through all these Chapters. 03:17 This very significant in the light 03:19 would comes after Chapter 9 03:20 and we will see the concluding text of Chapter 9 03:23 is now Jesus sends His disciples. 03:25 So, whenever Jesus did some healings, 03:28 He wanted somehow to set an example to His disciples 03:33 what they're supposed to do, 03:34 to continue actually His ministry here-- 03:38 So, it's practical training in fact- 03:39 Very practical training, yes. All right, very good. 03:42 Is there a portion of script, 03:43 you would like us to read as we get started? 03:46 Actually Glenn, I would really like to start 03:49 with the concluding text of these two Chapters. Okay. 03:54 And we will come to this text again, 03:56 you know, to make connection with Chapter 10. 03:59 But our verses from 35 to 40 of Chapter 9. 04:04 All right Matthew 9:35 and following. Yes. 04:06 "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, 04:09 teaching in their synagogues, 04:11 preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 04:13 and healing every sickness 04:15 and every disease among the people. 04:18 But when he saw the multitudes, 04:20 he was moved with compassion for them, 04:23 because they were weary and scattered like sheep 04:26 having no shepherd. 04:28 Then he said to his disciples, 04:30 "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 04:33 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest, 04:35 to send out labors into the harvest". 04:39 We saw earlier in Chapter 4:23 that Jesus 04:44 was going all around Galilee there and healing people. 04:48 And now 35, He is actually, 04:50 almost word by word repetition of this text, 04:53 which indicates that Chapter 4:23 04:57 and Chapter 9:29 they function as an envelope, 05:01 what we say inclusio. Okay. 05:04 The beginning and the conclusion is the same, 05:07 what comes between it's really, can we say a case study. 05:12 It's a practical application of this 05:15 that Jesus was going around teaching 05:17 and preaching and now healing there. 05:20 But they're like us as we-- we are not able 05:23 in these two Chapters to go through 05:26 all these healings activities of Jesus. 05:28 I believe that the viewers will do it for themselves. 05:32 But I would like to take few minutes 05:34 really to focus here on verse 36. 05:38 It sets the tone, it provides the framework 05:41 for everything that Jesus was doing. 05:43 It says "Seeing the people, He, Jesus felt compassion for them, 05:50 compassion for them, because they were distressed 05:53 and dispirited like sheep without the shepherds". 05:58 When Jesus did all those healing activities and helping people, 06:05 there was only one motive that moved Jesus to do it 06:09 and what was that? It was compassion. Compassion. 06:12 Now this word compassion we think of-- 06:14 we can break it down say compassions 06:16 literally a passion for someone else. 06:18 Help us understand the background of that word. 06:20 I see so many times even preachers, 06:22 when they preach about, about these text, 06:24 when they use the word compassion, 06:26 and the way how they refer to that, it's usually like pity. 06:31 But if we go to original languages, 06:34 the Greek word is prugismi, it's not really about pity. 06:40 If we want to translate that word in a literal way, 06:42 it means lets, can you translate 06:45 these text literally said "seeing people". 06:50 The inner organs of Jesus 06:53 they were moved, the inner organ. 06:57 You know in ancient times inner organs, 07:01 they played significant role in human lives, 07:04 that's ancient concept. 07:05 See we are so much Greek minded. 07:07 We use our mind everything. Yeah. 07:10 When we love, when we make a decision, 07:12 when decisions, when we, whatever we do, 07:15 it's always focus on our mind. 07:17 But if you go to the Bible, people think by their hearts, 07:22 people know by their hearts. 07:24 Whatever people do it's with their heart, 07:26 so inner organs were really the focus 07:30 of the entire human personality. 07:34 You know, we have something from the practical human life, 07:38 that, that we have practical indication 07:41 what it means organs to be moved. 07:43 You're telling us sensitive nurturing, caring aspect. 07:47 So, its mother, mother child. 07:49 You know, you know when you have a mother 07:51 something happens to the child, what happens? 07:53 The pain that she feels it's not here, 07:55 the pain is inside. 07:57 You feel like your inner organs are moved. Yes, yes. 08:01 Actually this is exactly what happened here 08:04 with reference to Jesus. 08:06 When Jesus saw the people, when He saw their needs, 08:10 with so many sick people, so many, 08:12 Remember another occasion people are hungry. 08:14 People are oppressed with those heavy taxes, 08:16 when Jesus saw, but much more. 08:19 People are oppressed by that burden of sin. 08:23 When Jesus saw them, 08:24 the Bible says His inner organs were moved. 08:29 And Jesus decided to help them, 08:30 well, what kind of a Savior 08:33 we have here in the Gospel of Matthew. 08:35 And this is exactly what I was thinking, 08:37 you know, we may feel like 08:38 we are suffering, we are struggling. 08:41 Jesus senses that compassion, He reaches out to us, 08:44 He feels our pain. 08:46 We say that so quickly, but it's a powerful promise. 08:49 You know, I'm asking myself a question, 08:53 you know, the early Christians 08:54 the New Testament was not composed yet. 08:57 Evidently Christians in Antioch of Syria, 09:01 they were the primary audience of that, of that Gospel. 09:04 You know, the only picture of Jesus they had 09:07 was the portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. 09:11 What kind of Jesus they could understand and believe in. 09:16 Jesus who cared for their personal needs. 09:22 I think I mentioned this to you before, 09:25 I like to mention to the viewers. 09:26 When I was a young pastor, 09:28 I was very nervous to stand 09:30 in front of people and to preach. 09:32 I mean, this was for me a terrible thing, 09:34 that's a reason I didn't want to go to pastoral ministry. 09:37 And then there was one elderly pastor, 09:39 he tried to encourage me. 09:40 He said "Ranko, why are you nervous?" 09:43 I said, "Are you nervous?" 09:44 No, I'm never, never nervous, I said how is that so. 09:47 He said, when I stand in front of people, 09:49 when I want to serve them and to preach them, 09:51 I just imagine that I have pumpkins in front of myself. 09:54 Pumpkins? Pumpkins. 09:56 Their heads like pumpkins. 09:57 So then I reacted, you know, I was young pastor to talk 10:00 and I say boy what kind of sermon 10:04 did you preach to those pumpkins. 10:06 You see if you really want to reach 10:09 the heart of the people, they are not pumpkins. 10:13 They are living beings, that they are humans 10:15 who have their particular needs. 10:17 When Jesus saw those people, He don't see pumpkins, 10:19 He saw human needs with particular needs. 10:22 And His inner organs were moved in order to help them. 10:25 It's a beautiful picture of the caring Savior, 10:27 who senses the pain of this world 10:30 and He's the same Lord and Savior today. 10:32 He continues to respond to the needs of people in this world. 10:37 Now it talks about them being like sheep without a shepherd, 10:40 weary and scattered. Yes. 10:43 Instead of going now to all these activities of Jesus, 10:47 I would like just to focus Glenn, to one particular, 10:50 it's representative case for all other healing activities 10:54 is Chapter 9 verses 1 to 8 10:56 and I would appreciate if you, if you read these verses. 10:58 So we're looking at several, 11:00 we've looked at several miracles. 11:04 Let's take a sample now. 11:05 But this one, this one is representative. Okay. 11:08 "So He got into a boat and crossed over, 11:10 and came to His own city. 11:13 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. 11:16 When Jesus saw their faith, 11:19 He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer, 11:22 your sins are forgiven you." 11:23 And at once some of the scribes within themselves said, 11:27 "This Man blasphemes!" 11:29 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 11:31 "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 11:33 For which is easier, to say Your sins are forgiven you,' 11:36 or to say, 'Arise and walk'? 11:39 But that you may know that the Son of God 11:41 has power on earth to forgive sins." 11:44 Then He said to the paralytic, 11:45 "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your home." 11:49 And he arose and departed to his house. 11:51 And when the multitudes saw 11:52 they marveled and glorified God, 11:55 who had given such power to men." 11:57 Okay, so what do we have here? 11:59 There is a sick person, paralytic. 12:01 What did he need? He need a heeling. Not all. 12:05 Physical healing that's and much more. 12:08 That's what he needed. 12:09 But can you imagine instead of telling 12:12 the person get up and be healed, Jesus tells him 12:16 "Your sins are forgiven". 12:20 And that's what provoked their action of the Pharisees. 12:23 This is a representative case for all other healings. 12:26 You know, the normal word 12:28 for healing in Greek is "Therapeo". 12:33 That is used therapy, use in medicine. 12:36 But there is another word which is actually the keyword 12:39 in the Gospel for the healing activities of Jesus, 12:42 and that's the Greek word "sozo". Sozo. 12:45 Sozo can be translated into English in two different ways. 12:48 It can be translated as save, to save, 12:52 or can be translated as to heal. 12:56 So, so many times when you, 12:57 when the word is used in the Gospels, 12:59 you don't know which word to translate. 13:04 So, which concept is correct? 13:06 This case indicates that actually 13:08 the word has both meanings in-- the two meanings 13:12 in the healing activities of Jesus. 13:15 When Jesus healed people physically, 13:19 He also healed them spiritually. 13:22 When people are forgiven, they were healed. 13:26 When people were healed, they were at the same time forgiven. 13:31 There is a close relationship in the Bible 13:35 between physical and spiritual. 13:38 And that's the holistic view- That's the holistic view of- 13:40 So, Jesus with His compassion, 13:42 this compassion is not just for their physical condition. 13:45 He cares about this man's 13:47 and, of course, when He says that they could, 13:50 that he should be healed, 13:51 it raises the issue of Jesus identity. 13:53 What right does He have to-- 13:54 Glenn, just to take few moments. Okay. 13:56 Before we, we make a break. 13:59 What is the event that follows this healing of Jesus, 14:03 it's the calling of Matthew. Matthew. 14:05 Matthew was a tax collector there, 14:07 cheating on people, stealing money from people. 14:10 He did not have a problem with physical health. 14:15 But Jesus comes gives him a call, 14:17 that person had remorse, 14:19 that person has spiritual struggle. 14:21 And then Jesus calls him, follow me, 14:24 that person needed spiritual healing 14:28 "sozo" the word is applied. 14:30 You see after the spiritual healing 14:32 and his sins are forgiven. 14:33 Finally he had also the physical healing 14:36 that impacted his entire life. 14:38 Oh, good, this is a wonderful view of a compassionate Savior. 14:41 We're gonna come right back for more right after our break. |
Revised 2023-09-11