The Caldwell Commentaries Podcast

Matthew 18:10-20

This next two-part study entitled "Preserving Family Unity" is a continuation of the Lord's "Sermon on Being the Children of God" (Lesson #81), which was precipitated by the disciples' argument over which of them would be "the greatest" in the Kingdom.  He taught them about humility in the section we entitled "Servants, Not Celebrities," and He taught them about true servant-greatness in the section, "Stepping Stones, Not Stumbling Blocks".  

In this lesson (and #82b), He rebuked His men for their argument with each other about greatness, for in seeking self-promotion, they were actually pushing the others down.  It was a form of "despising" others in the family of God.   Learn from Him what some of the ways in which Christ despise each other (18:10a), and why Christians should NOT despise one another (18:10b-14).   

In this study, we discuss "The Parable of the Lost Sheep"!

Matthew 18:5-9; Mark 9:36-50; Luke 9:48-50

Although the Lord Jesus shortly before had predicted His up-coming suffering and death (Matthew 17:22, 23), His disciples were so focused on their own selfish ambitions that they heatedly disputed over who among them was to be the greatest in the Kingdom!  This is what prompted the Lord to preach a sermon on being children of God.  This sermon, more than any other of His discourses, teaches Christians how to get along with one another!

With a small child in the midst of them (18:2), Christ taught about God's perspective on true greatness, which begins with childlike humility.  He also taught about the importance of having a servant-like attitude and spirit. 

Among other subjects discussed in this lesson are "The Problem of Sectarianism" (important!), "The Peril of Stumbling Blocks"(we can either influence people for the better and help them live more righteously, or we can influence them for the worse by causing them to stumble into sin), and "The Power of Salt" (Mark 9:49, 50).

Matthew 17:24-18:4; Mark 9:33-35; Luke 9:46, 47

This lesson covers two major events, one in the form of a miracle ("Simon's Fishy Coin") and the other in the form of an instructional sermon, which we call "Sermon on Being Children of God".  The sermon is the Lord's personal instructions about being humble, harmonious, and forgiven children of God!  We begin it in this lesson by talking about the importance of being "Servants, Not Celebrities"!  In the lesson to follow (#81), the Lord teaches us to be "Stepping Stones, Not Stumbling Blocks"!

There is a lot of Bible teaching in this lesson about the Christian's behavior as a "citizen" of this world!  Although our ultimate citizenship is in Heaven and although the governments of this world are all, to one degree or another, corrupt, yet we are under obligation to human government (i.e. to pay our taxes, obey the laws) except when obedience would directly interfere with obedience to God.  By divine law, we are to be subject to human laws and government!  

Matthew 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45

With this lesson, we move into "The Private Ministry of Christ" (the final year of His ministry), when He was focused on preparing His disciples for the work they would carry on once He returned to His Father in Heaven.  One of the first principles He taught His men, after He came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, was a principle regarding faith.  Coming down back into "the valley of life," the Lord encountered what we call "A Hellish Situation" (a boy demoniac and the utter failure of the nine Apostles to deliver him).  The Lord taught a valuable lesson on faith - not only must spiritual life initially be received by faith; it must also continually be lived out by faith!  He alone had "A Heavenly Solution".  He delivered the boy and not only cultivated the faith of the boy's father, but corrected the failure of His men!

Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36

For the first time, Jesus had revealed the fact of His Second Coming, something the Jews never understood about the Messiah.  He then revealed the reliability of the prophecy (of His Return) by giving a glimpse of His Second Coming "Kingly splendor" to three of His Apostles: Peter, James, and John on what has come to be called "The Mount of Transfiguration".  That revelation of His divine nature was a miniature preview of His Second Coming.

Learn about the conversation with two special Old Testament saints Christ had on the Mount!  Why is the word "exodus" mentioned as the center of that conversation and why is that term significant for believers?   Learn of Peter's suggestion and why it had to be corrected by God from Heaven!  Why did Christ only allow three men to witness this unveiling of His glory - and then forbid them from telling the others about it (until after His resurrection).  

Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:22-27

The Lord was intently concentrated on teaching His twelve disciples the deeper truths concerning the divine plan for man's redemption.  They not only needed to hear about His need to die, His resurrection, their own need to suffer for His sake and bear their own crosses, but they needed to know the truth about His glorious Second Coming.  These subjects are discussed in the five divisions of this lesson, which are (1) The Sovereign Plan, (2) The Satanic Presumption (oh dear, Peter), (3) The Saviour's Protest, (4) The Sacrificial Paradox (profit in the Christian life only comes through loss, which is primarily the loss of pride and selfishness), and (5) The Sure Promise (of His Second Coming).

Learn what Jesus meant when He said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross".

Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21

In the first part of this lesson, the Lord Jesus asked His men the question every person must eventually answer, ". . .Whom say ye that I am?".  This all-important questions and the response He received from the disciples are the subject matter contained under our heading, "The Choice".  This question session ended with Peter's great confession (given on behalf of the other men, as well), "Thou art teh Christ, the Son of the Living God".  The Lord accepted it because it is true!  He then took them to a new stage of enlightenment; for the first time, He spoke to them about The Church"! 

We get into a very important discussion about the Lord's words to Peter, "Thou art Peter, and UPON THIS ROCK I will build My church".  Was He stating that Peter is the rock upon which He would build His Church - or does "this rock" refer to something else?  This is important, for this is the very verse Roman Catholicism bases its authority for the office of the pope!  CRITICAL DOCTRINAL STUDY about this and other matters (i.e. Christ's words to His men about "binding and loosing" in Matthew 16:19).

Matthew 15:39-16:12; Mark 8:10-26

In the next two chronological steps of Christ's earthly ministry, we have a picture of His battle with both complete and cloudy spiritual vision.  As He returned to Galilee from the area of Decapolis, He again encountered a battle with the willfully blind Jewish religious leader, who tried to tempt Him so as to discredit Him publicly.  They were (1) completely sightless (spiritually speaking).  Next, the Lord dealt with His disciples, who received their spiritual sight by their faith in Christ, but still had what we call (2) cloudy sight.  There were yet many things about Him, His plan of redemption, His Church, and His Second Coming they did not understand.  When He warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, they thought he spoke about actual bread.  

Finally, in the Lord's healing of a blind man in Bethsaida, we have a picture of (3) cleared sight.  The blind man actually pictured the disciples, who spiritual sight would gradually clear (especially after the Lord's resurrection).  This is the only miracle Christ ever performed in which "the healing" took place gradually!  Learn how that unique miracle illustrates an important spiritual truth for all of us!

Matthew 15:29-38; Mark 7:31-37.

In this lesson, we learn the Lord's traveling schedule demonstrated that though He came to reveal and present Himself first to Israel, He also came as the Saviour of the world.  His ministry among Gentile people (i.e. Tyre, Sidon, the ten cities of Decapolis) was a "sneak preview" of the extension of His Kingdom to the entire world. 

Jesus performed many miracles while in the area of Decapolis (the Gadarene demoniac had spread word in Decapolis about the great thing he did for him), but two specific miracles are recorded and discussed in this lesson.  They are the healing of a deaf man (Mark 7:35) and the feeling of the 4,000+ (8:7-9).

Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

This is the account of the Lord's deliverance of a demon from a Syrophoenician woman's daughter.  The woman had a desperate request, which she took to the right Source, the Lord Jesus!  He, however, seemed to be against her!  He did not speak a word to her pleading request for His mercy.  His disciples were rude to her.  She did not give up.  She overcame all kinds of obstacles (her nationality, her gender, Satan - who had done his part to attack her precious daughter, and the Lord's seeming apathy), but then Jesus said to her these strange words, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs"!  YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS LESSON SO YOU RIGHTLY UNDERSTAND HIS WORDS AND WHAT JESUS WAS DOING WITH THIS WOMAN!

Amazingly, the Syrophoenician woman humbly accepted her place in God's providential plan of things (Jew first, then the Gentile).  She was fully accepting of the divine order.  She willingly accepted God's plan and submitted to it.  She put away pride and became an illustration of the millions of Gentiles who have been blessed and saved by the Messiah of Israel.  She became the only woman the Lord Jesus is recorded to have commended for her GREAT FAITH!!  Her daughter was not only delivered, the woman was saved!