The Caldwell Commentaries Podcast

There must have been an expectant atmosphere among the assembly gathered on the green hillside northwest of Capernaum to hear Jesus speak.  Hearts were high with hope for future glory; Rome might soon be chased from their land by an Israeli army under the leadership of this God-sent miracle-worker (another Moses was among them)!  No longer would they be poor and hungry as they filled Rome's coffers with their hard-earned money.  No longer would they mourn over their oppression, hardships, and constant fears.  No longer would Israel appear meek before the mighty Roman "Goliath" who persecuted them (another "David" was among them)!

But when Jesus "opened His mouth, and taught them," the people heard nothing about warfare with Rome.  Instead, they heard teaching so full of wisdom, spoken with an authority never before known - yet with a tone of genuine love and compassion that the crowd was mesmerized.  Their dry, thirsty souls and starvingly hunger spirits felt the raindrops of Heaven softening the hard, crusty ground of their hearts.

The people that day  were hearing the words of the greatest sermon ever preached from the lips of the greatest Preacher Who ever walked the earth!  They were the privileged, initial recipients of the Lord's famous, "Sermon on the Mount," which He began with what is called "The Beatitudes".   In Lessons #29 to #32 of our Life of Christ study, we refer to the 8 Beatitudes as "The Highway to Happiness". 

The greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest Preacher Who ever lived - the famous "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 4:23-7:29; Luke 6:19-49)!  The words of this sermon have been compared to X-rays of our souls; they expose us to ourselves.  They convict us to an uncomfortably GOOD place, where we make some serious self-examination regarding the reality of our salvation, the authenticity of our Christian walk, and the level of our Christian commitment.

This lesson is an overview of the entire sermon.  In it, we discuss the setting for the sermon, the purpose of the sermon, the reasons for studying it today, and the basic principles in the sermon for believers.

With this lesson, we come to the time in Christ's early public ministry when He commissioned twelve men to be intensely trained by Him so they could carry on His work after His departure.  In our two-part outline, we first discuss "God's Beloved Servant" as we see how Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 42:1, 2.  Then we discuss "Christ's Beloved Servants" and briefly talk a bit about each of the Twelve.

In this second lesson on "The Lord of the Sabbath," we look at the fourth and final division of our outline for both Lessons #25 and #26.  It is called "Three Truths about Sabbath Reverence and Practice".  The Lord Jesus gave three reasons, each illustrated, to explain why neither He nor His men had broken the Mosaic Law regarding the Sabbath.  

The three reasons given were: (1) God's Law Allowed for Acts of Necessity, (2) God's Law Allowed for Acts of Worship, and (3) God's Law Allowed for Acts of Mercy.

In this lesson, the Lord gave the second recorded sermon of His earthly ministry.  Interestingly, most people do not know this sermon by its name; nor do they realize how powerful it is, for it is Christ's defense of His claim to equality with God!  It is called "The Sermon on the Judgment and Resurrection Power of the Son" (John 5:19-30, 40-47).   In the sermon, Jesus gave Israel five significant truths about Himself, about His relationship with God, Who He "dared" to call His "Father" (because it is true), and about His real power.  Did you know that the Father has given all judgment over to His Son (5:21-23)?  Who will sit on "The Bema Seat" to judge the works of believers?  Who will be the Judge of "The Sheep and the Goats" at the end of the Tribulation?  Who will sit on the Great White Throne at the judgment of all unbelievers following the Millennial Kingdom?  Answer: God the Son, Jesus Christ.

Also included in this lesson are five witnesses the Lord Jesus presented to prove that His own witness of His Identity is true (5:31-39).  THEN, we get into a discussion of some of the ludicrous traditions the Pharisees had devised over the years regarding the Sabbath.  They had added 1,512 man-made restrictions to God's original commandment about the Sabbath!  In the Jewish Talmud, there are 24 chapters containing Sabbath regulations!  Talk about a heavy yoke!

In this second half of our lesson on Jesus "Tackling Tradition," He performed the well-known miracle of healing a man who had spent 38 years of his life sitting at the Pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem waiting and hoping he would be healed.  He was an invalid; he could not walk.  It was a Sabbath when the Lord Jesus came near the pool, looked over the multitude of impotent people who were all around it, and rested His focus on the one man, who He then proceeded to question ("Wilt thou be made whole?") and heal ("Rise, take up thy bed, and walk").

Because the man was "caught" walking and carrying his bed pallet on the Sabbath, the Jews accused him of breaking the Law (John 5:10).  They showed no joy for the man who could finally walk after 38 years!  Instead, they were hypocritically "concerned" about their Sabbath traditions.  Jesus, Who is "the Lord of the Sabbath," was then persecuted by the Jews for healing on the Sabbath.  His response to their foolish accusation of "breaking" the Sabbath, was to make Himself equal with God (which He is) by saying to them, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17)!  It sent them into orbit, and they wanted all the more to kill Him (5:18)!  In case you wonder, there was absolutely nothing wrong with doing "an act of mercy" or "an act of healing" on the Sabbath!  The One Who created the Sabbath was trying to teach that truth to His people, who loved their traditions more than they loved God, as proven by the way they treated His Son.  

The Lord Jesus was going about Israel authenticating His Messianic credentials through His works, which demonstrated His supreme authority over nature, over Satan's realm, and over diseases of all types (including leprosy).  He also demonstrated His divine authority to preach, to purify, and to forgive sin.  Now, in this next two-part study entitled "Tackling Tradition, we see Him demonstrate His power and authority over both men's traditions and the Sabbath.

In the first part of this lesson, we discuss a question the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus.  They wanted to know why they spent much time fasting, while He and His disciples were feasting (Luke 5:33).  The Baptist, at this time, was in prison.  The Lord's answer: "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them" (Matthew 9:15) is explained, as His predication of the day the Bridegroom would be taken away.

In the latter half of this lesson, we discuss two more parables given by the Lord: the Parables of the New Cloth Patch and the New Wine Pouch.  He teaches, by them, that His way of salvation has nothing to do with traditions, ceremonies, and man-made rules.  He did not come to improve the old system, but to renounce it, for the "old" pharisaic way of attempting to attain righteousness was not connected in any way to His way (which is completely by grace through faith and not of works).  

This is the intriguing account of the call of salvation presented by the Lord Jesus to a publican (tax collector) named Levi!  He was a forsaken sinner, but a command from Jesus, "Follow Me" (Mark 2:14), changed his life forever!  It also influenced our lives in many wonderful ways, for that former, despised and forsaken by his own people tax collector wrote the first book of the New Testament.  His name Levi was changed to "Matthew," which means "gift of Jehovah-God"

In the next two recorded events of Christ's life, He demonstrated His absolute authority and power to forgive sins (a paralytic) and to save (a publican).  In this lesson, we look at His forgiveness and healing of a paralytic.

After His first Galilean tour, Jesus returned to His headquarter city of Capernaum.  He was likely back in Peter's house, which soon filled with people wanting to see and hear Him.  There was a paralytic who was beloved so well by four of his friends that they carried him to see Jesus, hoping he would be healed.  When they got to the house, it was so crowded, the determined friends made a whole in the roof to lower their friend down to Jesus.  The innovation and persistence and love of the friends paid off, for Jesus did heal their friend, but first and foremost, He forgave the man of his sins!  Some scribes and Pharisees, who heard and witnessed the whole episode - and saw the paralytic get up and walk, asked the right question (although with the wrong motive).  They asked, "Who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7)!  THAT was the point!  Jesus is God!

After exorcising a demon from a man in the Capernaum synagogue and healing Peter's mother-in-law, Jesus and His men left Capernaum to begin His first major Galilean ministry.  He authenticated both His Person and His preaching by many miracles during that tour.  However, interestingly, there is only one of those many miracles recorded, and it is the cleansing of a leper (Matthew 8:3).  Since it is the only miracle recorded, it must be significant.  It is.  We discuss the significance in this lesson.  We also talk about leprosy, back then and now (aka "Hansen's Disease").