Mateus 16
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 16
Wiersbe says that a sign is "Something that points beyond itself to something greater. It was not enough for people to believe in Jesus' works; they had to believe in Him and in the Father who sent Him (John 5:14-24). This explains why Jesus often added a sermon to the miracle and in that sermon interpreted the sign. In John 5, the healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath opened the way for a message on His deity, "the Lord of the Sabbath." The feeding of the 5,000 (John 6) led naturally into a sermon on the Bread of Life." (Bible Exposition Commentary) Trench on sign - "It is involved and declared in the very word that the prime object and end of the miracle is to lead us to something out of and beyond itself: that, so to speak, it is a kind of finger-post of God, pointing for us to this: valuable, not so much for what it is, as for what it indicates of the grace and power of the doer, or of his immediate connection with a higher spiritual world" Question - What does it mean to test God? Answer: In the Bible, there are examples of both an acceptable and unacceptable kind of testing God. It’s acceptable to “test” God in regard to tithes and offerings, for example, but unacceptable when the test is rooted in doubt. Malachi 3:10 says, “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’” This is the only situation given in the Bible in which God tells His people to “test” Him. Interestingly, the Hebrew word used for “test” in this verse is bachan, which means “to examine, scrutinize, or prove (as in gold, persons, or the heart).” Just as gold is “tested” with fire to prove its quality, God invites Israel to test Him in tithes and offerings and see that He proves His faithfulness in response.' There is another Hebrew word for “test” used elsewhere in the Bible. Nacah means “to put to the test, try, or tempt.” It is used in Deuteronomy 6:16, where God commands Israel to not test Him: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.” This second, unacceptable kind of testing is when doubt leads us to demand something of God to prove Himself to us. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 in the wilderness, in response to one of Satan’s temptations. “The devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”’” (Matthew 4:7–10+). Essentially, the devil was telling Jesus to “prove” God’s Word was true by forcing God’s hand—if Jesus was in peril, God would have to save Him. Jesus refused to test God in such a way. We are to accept God’s Word by faith, without requiring a sign (see Luke 11:29). God’s promises are there for us when we need them; to manipulate situations in an attempt to coerce God into fulfilling His promises is evil. The occasion where the Israelites tested God at Massah is found in Exodus 17. As God was leading Moses and His people toward the Promised Land, they camped at a place where there was no water. The Israelites’ immediate reaction was to grumble against God and quarrel with Moses (Exodus 17:1–3). Their lack of trust in God to take care of them is evident in their accusations toward Moses: “They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?’” (Exodus 17:3). The Israelites were obviously in a situation where they needed God to intervene. The point at which they tested God, though, is when doubt and fear overtook them and they came to the conclusion that God had abandoned them (see Exodus 17:7). They questioned God’s reliability because He was not meeting their expectations. The difference between these two kinds of testing God is faith. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). The Israelites at Massah tested God because they lacked faith in Him. The Israelites in Malachi’s day were invited to test God because they had faith in Him. Faith, by definition, takes risk. When true faith is present, obedience follows. It is that faith-inspired action of obedience that God loves. As seen in the example of Israel’s tithes and offerings, when we give out of our faith in who God is, He proves Himself to be faithful. By contrast, when we view God through our doubt and demand something of Him as a way of determining whether or not He can be trusted, we’re in danger of testing God (see Mark 8:11–12). GotQuestions.org Matthew 16:2 But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' When: Lu 12:54-56 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries HIS OPPONENTS CAN INTERPRET WEATHER SIGNS But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' - This recalls a common saying "Red sky at night is the shepherd's delight; Red sky in the morning is the shepherd's warning." A related saying is "Red sky at night, sailors' delight / Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." Jesus' point is that these men used certain indications by which to judge the weather. Albert
Mateus 16
Wiersbe - “Little faith” was one of our Lord’s favorite names for His disciples (Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31). Of course, “little faith” is better than no faith. The disciples had many lessons to learn before they would graduate to “great faith.” (Bible Exposition Commentary) Broadus - The Master rebukes them for supposing that he was concerning himself about kinds of food. A few weeks or months before, be had said (Mt 15:1), “Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man”; how then could he be laying stress on a particular kind of leaven? And the repeated miracles of feeding vast multitudes from a very little food, and leaving a large surplus, ought certainly to have showed them that the mere lack of bread would cause him no concern. Only because they were of little faith (6:30; 8:26; 14:31) did they imagine such a thing. Mark gives still sharper expressions. Notice the connection here between faith and spiritual perception. With stronger faith in him they would have been lifted above temporal anxiety, and in better condition to understand his spiritual instructions. Earlier when the 12 were frightened by the storm at sea Jesus made a similar "diagnosis" of the disciple's mini-faith declaring to them “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm." (Mt 8:26+) Faith, even although "little," can be effective if it is directed toward the Almighty One. Mark 8:17+ adds another question from Jesus to the 12 which must have been painful for them to hear - "Do you have a hardened (poroo) heart? (For discussion of meaning see comments on Mk 8:17) Little Faith (3640)(oligopistos from oligos = little + pistis = faith) of one who does not believe or trust, not strong in trusting; a person not trusting firmly. Vine says this word is used only by the Lord, and as a tender rebuke, for anxiety. Three of the five uses occur related to the disciples crossing the lake in a boat. The other 2 uses deal with anxiety or worry. In fact in a sense all 5 uses have something to do with worry. Worry is the opposite of faith, that is, trust or confidence in God’s abilities. In each of these cases, the disciples forgot what God was capable of doing. They forgot he is the almighty Commander and Creator. And whenever you worry, it means that you don’t think God is up to handling your problems and your needs. We need to be like the old Mad Magazine character who always said "What, me worry?" There is an old song "Don't worry, be happy" which is close to truth but it would be more Biblical if it said "Don't worry, be believing." Matthew 6:30+ (Addressing the issue of worry or anxiety) “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Matthew 8:26+ (Waves crashing over the side of the boat, afraid diciples are going to die) He *said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. Matthew 14:31+ (Peter got out of the boat, walked for a moment on water, but then began to doubt and sink) Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 16:8 (This is the third time they are in a boat) But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Luke 12:28+ (Addressing the issue of worry or anxiety) “But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! Matthew 16:9 "Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Do you not yet : Mt 15:16,17 Mk 7:18 Lu 24:25-27 Rev 3:19 Do you not yet : Mt 14:17-21 Mk 6:38-44 Lu 9:13-17 Joh 6:9-13 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 8:17+ And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18“HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, Matthew 15:16+ Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? SLOW ON THE "UPTAKE"! Slow on the uptake means dimwitted, slow to understand, taking a long time to understand. Do you not yet understand (noeo) or remember (mnemoneuo) the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? (Mt 14:13–21+) - Clearly they did not understand! They did not put the pieces together (so to speak = meaning of suniemi) regarding the pieces of broken bread! They also suffered from short term memory loss! Distrust cuts the heart of God to the core. - Hebrews 11:6 Lappin's Sermon Outlines - THE RECALL OF FAITH “Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?”—Matt. 16:9. INTRODUCTION.—Consider circumstances. “Do ye not perceive, neither remember.…” To renew their faith, he points them back to what had gone before. I. Our Sorest Defect Is Lack of Faith. To those who believe, all things are possible. It is the man who thinks he can who actually does. The man who doubts is beaten before he begins. So a nation, an age, a cause. The advocacy of faith wins. II. Our Sure Remedy Is to Remember. Along the track of the Israelites God left memorials to strengthen the faith of future generations. Jesus Himself gave a memorial institution to hold His disciples through the age now passing. III. Our Obligation in the Face of These Facts. 1. We are to remember. (See Heb. 13:7.) 2. We are to keep the memorials till He come to strengthen the faith of others. 3. We are not to grow weary in well-doing, for, if we must look back to others, we may be sure others will have to look back to us. Matthew 16:10 "Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? Mt 15:34,38 Mk 8:5-9,17-21 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 8:19+ when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they *said to Him, “Seven.” JESUS' MEMORY JOGGER Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? (Mt 15:32-39+) - Matthew does not record their answers but in Mark's account they get the correct answer for the feeding the 5000 (12 baskets left over) and feeding the 4000 (7 baskets left over). Matthew 16:11 "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Mk 4:40 8:21 Lu 12:56 Joh 8:43 Matthew 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 8:21+ And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?” JESUS MAKES IT CLEAR NOT LITERAL BREAD! How is it that you do not understand (noeo) that I did not speak to you concerning bread? - As noted in the previous passage, only Mark 8:19-20+ records the answer to Jesus' questions. But - Term of contrast. Jesus is not speaking of the literal but of the figurative and specifically in this context the spiritual meaning. . Beware (prosecho) of the leaven (zume) of the Pharisees and Sadducees - Beware is in present imperative calling for continual attention to the danger of this spiritual leaven! Jesus reiterates He is not concerned with the physical but with the spiritual. In a word, beware of their false teaching. To "digest" the teachings of these evil, godless men (as one would do when eating bread) would cause more than indigestion. It would tragically result in damnation for those who partook of their "spiritual table."
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Wiersbe adds that "To lose yourself is not an act of desperation; it is an act of devotion. But we do not stop there: personal devotion should lead to practical duty, the sharing of the Gospel with a lost world. “For My sake” could lead to selfish religious isolationism, so it must be balanced with “and the Gospel’s.” (in Mk 8:35) Because we live for Him, we live for others. (Bible Exposition Commentary) No other saying of Jesus is given such emphasis as shown by the repetition of this idea in the Gospels. (see Lk 14:26-27; 17:33; Mt 10:38-39; 16:24-25; Mk 8:34-35; Jn 12:25). Dying to self and living unto God is the very essence of a truly blessed and fulfilling life in this world and that to come. The Lord is saying that whoever lives only to save his earthly, physical life, his ease and comfort and acceptance by the world, will lose his opportunity for eternal life. But whoever is willing to give up his earthly, worldly life and to suffer and die, if necessary, for Christ’s sake, will find eternal life. Every person has a choice. He can “go for it” now and lose it forever; or he can forsake it now and gain it forever. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary on losing temporarily paradoxically means gaining eternally – Perhaps this is what Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China, meant when, after a life of tremendous sacrifice, he solemnly declared, “I never made a sacrifice.” He had truly lost all for Christ but in return found his all in Christ. Like Paul, he could say, “I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (Phil 3:8-9). John