Matthew 11 & 12 | The Wolfe Notes

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These Wolfe Notes Cover:

1. Matthew 11: John is Elijah. Israel's Struggle with Unbelief.
1. Overview: General Topic, Key Themes, and Summary
2. Thoughts, Questions, and Connections
3. Research On John being Elijah.
4. Reflections On doubt and thankfulness.
2. Matthew 12: Sabbath Observance. Pharisee Disbelief. True Family.
1. Overview: General Topic, Key Themes, and Summary
2. Thoughts, Questions, and Connections
3. Research On Blasphemy.
4. Reflections On point versus value systems.
3. Respond To accepting truth and making a choice.

Matthew 11

Sunset by NoName_13 at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

The doubts of John and the disbelief of Israel.

Key Themes

Doubt. Disbelief. Evidence.

Summary

Jesus reprimands doubt and encourages us to combat it by removing our blinders of faulty expectations and corrupting criticisms so we can believe the evidence of Christ all around us. Come and see.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. *R communicates that in-depth research follows.

On the Doubt of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-14)

1. * Jesus ministered alongside His disciples. Just as He does today! (Matthew 11:1)
1. *Our story is His story! (Read more in our synthesis of Matthew 1-4.)
2. *Baptism is an example of Jesus working alongside us. (See our exploration into baptism).
2. ? How did John not know that Jesus was the Messiah? After all, John was the voice in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3-8 and Matthew 3:3) and baptized Jesus (Matthew 3:11-17). Was John trying to convince his disciples, or did he have doubts because he was imprisoned? (Matthew 11:2-6)
1. *Oh, but don't we all doubt from time to time? Even John. Wow.
2. And blessed is he, whosever shall not be offended in [don't doubt] me. Matthew 11:6 KJV [TLB]
3. ! Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. But blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." John 20:29 TLB 
4. * You will be happier if you choose to believe in Jesus.
3. *It's fascinating that after John doubts, Jesus testifies to John's significance and purpose. Oh, beloved soul, what does that say about how Jesus responds to your doubts, too? Know He lifts your head and reassures you of your significance and purpose, too. Are you listening? Do you believe it? (Matthew 11:7-15)
1. *Jesus loves Moses no less, even though he doubted.
2. ? Are we the "lesser lights" of the Kingdom that will shine even brighter than John? (Matthew 11:11)
4. ? John is Elijah, whose coming commences God's Kingdom on Earth. Where is this prophecy found? (Matthew 11:14-15) Malachi 4:5 KJV: Behold, I will sent you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: *R
1. ? How often do we block ourselves from experiencing God's love because of disbelief?
2. * Renounce the barricades; open the door to love.

On the Disbelief in Israel (Matthew 11:15-28)

1. *Israel refuses to be satisfied. In both good and bad, Israel is always ready to criticize. (Matthew 11:16-19)
1. ! Now is your time to listen!
2. ! Wisdom is personified as a woman. (Matthew 11:19 KJV) As in Wisdom is in Proverbs 1:20-21 MSG: Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts. At the town center she makes her speech. In the middle of traffic she takes her stand. At the busiest corner she calls out:. See more of our thoughts on Wisdom's personification.
3. ! We can justify our every deed, but God looks at our motives. Proverbs 21:2 TLB (Matthew 11:19)
4. * We tend to praise our own "perfection".
2. *Jesus is frustrated because the obvious proof laid out before Israel is ignored. (Matthew 11:20-24)
3. *Oof. Jesus actually thanks God for hiding the truth from the people who are wise in their own eyes (Proverbs 3:7) but reveals it to those who have faith like a child (Matthew 18:4-5). (Matthew 11:25-26)
1. ? Oh, God, how am I being wise in my own eyes and not believing your Word with the faith of a child? What is being hidden from me?
2. ! Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 TLB
3. ! And he said, "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their eyes heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:9-10 KJV (See our research on this verse.)
4. ! "At that time Jesus answered...". But who? Who was Jesus answering? The rest of the verse tells us, He was answering the Father. What we don't know is what the Father said to Jesus that caused Him to shift His focus. What we do know is that "God spoke into His heart so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance singular enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of Jesus to talk with God." May it also be ours. - Charles Spurgeon
5. ! There is no place for both gratitude and anger. - Brant Hansen
6. ! I and my Father are one. John 10:30 KJV
7. * Receive His love with arms wide open. 
4. *There is a tri-directional relationship between God, Jesus, and man. God and Jesus know each other; they are Father and Son. We can only know Jesus if God chooses us for Him, and we can only know God through Jesus. All that's required of us, is belief. (Matthew 11:27 and John 14:6-9)
1. Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault - we who stand before him covered with his love. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to! Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and for his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. Ephesians 1:4-6 TLB (See also 2 Timothy 1:9)
2. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 6:37 KJV
3. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heaves, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. Isaiah 51:16 KJV (See cross references.)
4. Jesus told them, "This is the will of God, that you believe in the one he has sent." John 6:29 (See also Romans 5:2.) 
5. God needs nothing from us. Our job is to seek Him, and perhaps find Him. - A Clay Jar
5. *The chapter ends with a plea to rest in Him. We make this life too hard because we resist Him and impose our own solutions. Trust that He is who He says He is. Find rest for your soul. (Matthew 11:28)
1. *Our deed, our action, our choice, is to come. He takes care of the rest.

Exploration

On John being Elijah

What Scripture Says

• Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: Malachi 4:5 KJV
• And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. Matthew 11:14 KJV

John is Elijah in Spirit

In the spirit of who he is, John is Elijah. He comes to prepare the way for the Day of the Lord.

• He will be a man of rugged spirit and and power like Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival. He will soften adult hearts to become like little children's, and will change disobedient minds to the wisdom of faith. Luke 1:17 TLB
• Isaiah the prophet had told about John's ministry centuries before! He had written, "I hear a shout from the wilderness, 'Prepare a road for the Lord - straighten out the path where he will walk." Matthew 3:3 TLB
• The Day of the Lord was a common term used by the prophets to describe judgment for the disobedient and salvation for the faithful.
• Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty...Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it...And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and lay low the haughtiness of the terrible... Isaiah 13:6-16, Excerpts from KJV. (See also Joel 2:1-11 and Obadiah 15-20)
• In that day, sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together...He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit...And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel... Isaiah 27:2-13, Excerpts from KJV. (See also Joel 2:31-32; Jeremiah 30:8-9; and Obadiah 21)
• See our research on "In that Day".

Some Still Wait for Elijah

• Jews leave a chair in expectation of Elijah's arrival during solemn festivals, like Passover.
• Some Christians expect Elijah to return at Jesus' second coming.

 

*Thoughts: Essentially, Jesus tells the Jews: "John is the one you've been waiting for; this is him! He is preparing you for what is coming. Pay attention! A new thing is coming; don't miss it (Isaiah 43:19). Jews and some Christians await the return of the actual Elijah, not Elijah in spirit as John was. Perhaps that Elijah precedes Jesus' second coming, the day when He returns in glory (I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 1:7; Hebrews 9:27-28) to resurrect us all into life or judgment (John 5:28-29).

Sources: 

1. Matthew 11:14 and Malachi 4:5 Commentary at Bible Hub
2. "Who is the Empty Chair at the Passover Seder Intended for?" by Mor Peled at The Librarians
3. "Why must Elijah return before the end times (Malachi 4:5-6)? at Answer the Bible

Reflections

Jesus never stops working. He sends us out into missions, but He's working right alongside us. Or, sometimes He moves us out so He can step in to care for the people we care for. But, one thing we know, He is always working for our good!

I find it hard to believe it sometimes: that He is who He says He is and that He is always working for my good. But this chapter reminds me that I am not alone in my doubt: John the Baptist doubted who Jesus was, too. If John the Baptist doubted Jesus' identity, it makes sense that I will doubt sometimes, too. Should I? No. But Jesus knows that we do and tells us how to overcome it: to look for and remember evidence of Him. For John it was miracles of healing, casting out demons, and resurrecting the dead. For me, it is the memories of Him proving His love for me in the way He moves through my life: through answered prayers, through people who walk life with me, through revelations in His word of His deep love for me, through understanding the work of His hands has always been for us, and through repeated message reception from various sources that occur simultaneously (real-life experiences, in conversations, while reading the Bible or other media, in podcasts, in music, while self-correcting, etc.). 

Even though I sometimes doubt Him, He never doubts me. He knows who I am, what my purpose is, prepares me for it, and helps others to see it, too.

Yet, it pains Jesus that we are so stubborn and arrogant. That sometimes we refuse to believe what we so obviously have been shown. But, He also shows us how to handle frustration. His complaints end with a prayer of thankfulness to God. What a weapon! In turning complaints to prayers of thankfulness, Jesus models an actionable practice that I can start today.

And what is He thankful for? Us! He reminds Himself that God is in control. That God has delivered everything to Jesus. That God knows Him and He knows God, and that we're invited to be part of that.

I can pray this prayer, too: God, You are in control. You have everything handled and will work it for GOOD. I am safe in Your arms. You know me and I know You.

Praying this prayer, and believing it, leads us to living a life of freedom. We surrender our burdens and recognize that God has carried us all along, He carries us even now, and He will always carry us.

These songs wove into my reflection on this chapter.

• 🎶You love and I've witnessed it / You heal and I've witnessed it / You save and I've witnessed it / And I'm confident I'll see it again🎶 ("I've Witnessed It" performed by Passion)
• 🎵I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life, all over my life / I see Your promises in fulfillment / All over my life, all over my life. 🎵 ("Evidence" performed by Josh Baldwin)
• 🎶Let praise be the weapon that silences the enemy🎶("We Praise You" performed by Brandon Lake)
• 🎵I'm fully known and loved by You🎵 ("Fully Known" performed by Tauren Wells)
• 🎶I will carry you / Through your darkest night / When you're terrified / I will carry you 🎶 ("I Will Carry You" performed by Ellie Holcomb)

Matthew 12

Snowflake by Pezibear at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

Acting from the heart and knowing there are only two sides: God's or not. 

Key Themes

Care. Intent. Belief.

Summary

Jesus reiterates that He doesn't want the rituals, He wants your heart. So as not to ruffle the Pharisees, He continues healing and transforming lives but attempts to do so inconspicuously. Regardless, they attack Him. They accuse Jesus of using Satan's power. Jesus confronts them. He tells them they are either for Him or against Him; there is no neutral ground. If they accept the Holy Spirit working inside them, they will be forgiven and transformed. Evidence of their transformation will be the works they do and the words they say. Still, the Pharisees demand proof. Jesus responds with a reprimand. He tells them that they stand in the presence of One who is greater than Jonah or Solomon and still don't believe. He likens their disbelief to the nature of demonic possession. If they were filled with the Holy Spirit, demons would not take up residence. But, since they refuse the Holy Spirit, they invite Satan in. Alternatively, all who welcome Jesus, in spirit and truth, are His family.

Thoughts, Questions, and Connections

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics.

On the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-14)

1. ? What scripture is quoted in Matthew 12:7? Hosea 6:6
2. *No rituals, I want your heart! (Matthew 12:7)

On Peacekeeping (Matthew 12:15-21)

1. ? Where in Isaiah are these guidelines found? (Matthew 12:17-21) Isaiah 42:1-4
2. ! Connect this verse prophecy with Proverbs 31:18 ( ...her candle goeth not out by night. KJV) in our Wolfe Notes.

On Choosing a Side (Matthew 12:22-37)

1. ! Lord of the Rings quote: "I will not risk open war." "Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not." (Matthew 12:30. Also, see our Fervent book review.)
2. ? The word "blasphemy" gets thrown around a lot. What does it mean in the way Jesus uses it here? *R

On Belief (Matthew 12:38-45)

1. *The proof Jesus offers is His resurrection, should they choose to believe it. (Matthew 12:40)
2. ! The comparison of the Pharisees to Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba here, reminds me of the Matthew 11 comparison of the Israelites to Sodom, Gomorrah, Tyre, and Sidon. (Matthew 12:41-42 & Matthew 11:21-24)
3. *Fill yourself with the Holy Spirit to resist the enemy's attacks.

On the Family of God (Matthew 12:46-50)

1. ? Is "Father" omitted because God is the Father? (Matthew 12:50)

Research

On blasphemy (Matthew 12:32).

What does it mean?

Injurious or evil-speaking against God.

Why is it accepted against the Son of man?

Because it insults Christ's human nature, who He is on earth. Insults such as where He grew up, His humble birth, and His poverty were forgivable because they weren't against God directly but against temporal circumstances.

Why is it unpardonable against the Holy Ghost?

Because it insults Christ's divine nature.

• Outright rejection of the Holy Spirit's work through the miracles of Jesus indicates a willfulness to remain hardened in heart. At this point there is no hope for them to believe. They will be given over to their reprobate minds and die in their unbelief.
• Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness [hardness] of their heart. Ephesians 4:18 KJV [ESV]
• Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose [gave them over to a reprobate mind] ... Romans 1:28 MSG [KJV]
• Miscrediting the work of the Spirit to Satan indicated the depths of their hardened hearts and reprobate minds.
• And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? John 10:20-21 KJV
• How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Acts 10:38 KJV

*Thoughts: The key take away is belief. Some people are so caught up in their desire to disprove God's works and existence, that they will go to any length to not have to believe in God. Oh! Hardened hearts indeed. Help us in our unbelief, Lord.

Sources: Commentaries at Bible Hub

Reflections

We love rules. But, we hate them, too. We want to know exactly what to do in every situation, but we also want the right to refuse do it. That's why God cares about intention - the spirit of the law over the letter of the law. When we have a list of rules to follow, it invites competition. We measure ourselves and assign values to others based on how well they abide by the rules. But, when we throw out the point system, now our actions are based on intrinsic motivation. We no longer work toward earning points, now we work toward being better. 

(A points-based system is like following OT laws, whereas a values-based system is like the NT idea of living in grace. Some examples of more points- vs. value-based systems include: independent evaluation vs. fit with institution's vision; PBIS vs. teacher judgment; GPA vs. Standards Based Reporting; rituals vs. spirit-led actions; Sabbath practices vs. resting in Jesus continually.)

But, oh, how we like point systems. Point systems enable us to judge and they feel logical. So, we trick ourselves into thinking point systems are fair, scientific, and data-driven - so clearly inarguable. Well, God can, does, and will argue against our point systems because only His measures stand. Which is exactly what the Pharisees could not stand: they were losing control.

What the Pharisees did not understand is that they were never in control in the first place. They were fighting so hard to keep what they never had that they ended up missing out on what God was doing right in front of them. Oh, Christian! How often do we make this same mistake?

How can we tell if we are truly walking with Christ? What are we looking for in others? 

Our words and actions are the metrics we use to test the spirit inside us. Words and deeds result from the overflow of our hearts. We want the Holy Spirit to occupy our hearts because the Holy Spirit will transform us from the inside out. Without the Holy Spirit, we are left with a vacancy that demons are looking to fill. The Holy Spirit unites us, protects us, and empowers us. We know we are truly walking with Christ when our actions and words, from the instruction of the Holy Spirit, reflect God increasingly more.

Musical Connection: Tenth Avenue North's "Control". 🎵Oh how You love me / Somehow that frees me / To take my hands off of my life / And the way it should go 🎶

 

Respond

Matthew 11

Connect

God is truth.

Reflect

• Do I believe what I've seen? 
• Do I notice how He's moving?
• Do I believe He believes in me?

Act

Arise; see how He has, is, and will keep working.

Arise; believe that He believes in you.

Matthew 12

Connect

God is family. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Reflect

• Have I solidly and completely chosen God's side? Where do I waver?
• Where am I fighting to take (or stay in) control?
• Where do I rely on merit (my own "goodness") instead of completely surrendering my heart (by accepting only He is truly good and praising - instead of fighting - Him for it)?

Act

Arise; choose God's family in every situation. 

Arise; follow the Holy Spirit's instruction.

Arise; trade your point system for His heart.

In Closing

Father God, I choose you. I'm thankful that you are my Father, that you sent your Son to redeem me, and that even now your Holy Spirit guides, protects, and instructs me. You are, and have always been, with me. I don't need to fear, doubt, or fight. I need to surrender. So I do. I surrender all to You. I trust You to care for me, to lead me, and to refine me. In You, I know what it means to be home, to belong, to be loved. I have every reason to be thankful at all times: You carry me.

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