December 2018

Herod the Great has passed before us on Matthew’s pages (Matt 2:1–23). We revolted at his “murder of the innocents” (here). His was a cowardly action based on fear of the King born in Bethlehem. Now, we encounter Herod Antipas (Matt 14:1–12). This member of the Jewish dynasty also performs…

We are using our prophetic model (inmillennialism) to interpret selected passages in Matthew. We have come to a passage (Matt 13:46–52) that contains two sayings of Jesus. The setting is important. Jesus gave them in the “last days” (Heb 1:2) of the Mosaic age. He was about to take the…

Our last post (here) discussed Jesus’s parables of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great price” (Matt 13:44–46). Our view of them agrees with the majority view on a key point. In these stories, “Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God to the treasure and to the pearl.” We disagree,…

The usual view of the parables of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great price” (Matt 13:44–46) is glorious. Christians must “abandon anything that would stand in the way of wholehearted allegiance to Christ and the priorities of the kingdom.” Scripture supports this teaching. We should place a high value…