Joe Pursch

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Matthew 21:7

The amazing nature of how the New Testament was put together is revealed in the smallest details. Here in the account by Matthew of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by Jesus, we see a telling piece of evidence that Matthew indeed was an eyewitness to the event. He tells us that Jesus not only rode on a young colt but that that colt was accompanied by a mare donkey. The other Gospel writers do not mention this additional animal in the procession. Matthew does, and we suspect that the added animal was there to induce the young colt to cooperate in this magnificent but humble event. But the point I’m making is that this element of detail could only have been added by someone who was not simply retelling a story that he’d been told but who had been there as an eyewitness himself. I thank God for these little “signature strokes” in the Scriptures that give us confidence that what we have in our hands is truly a witness from the ages. This is one of the reasons I’m so grateful that God gave us not one Gospel but four Gospels, so that we could see the realities of the life of his son recorded in history from different points of view that complement each other and enrich each other at the same time. If God was uncertain about the historical testimony of his son, he wouldn’t have given us four different versions of it. They confirm, not contradict, the truth of the life of Jesus.

Matthew 19:30 – “but many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Unlike the common conception, this verse is not teaching that Jesus in his final judgment will reverse the nature of human achievement, allowing certain individuals who have been humbled on earth to be exalted in heaven while allowing others who have been exalted on earth to be secondary in heaven. In reality, there are no levels of heaven that are discussed here. The real point he is making is that in heaven everyone who is there will be standing in grace, welcomed there by the sovereign hand of God, deserving nothing, and receiving everything. In heaven, no one will be last and no one will be first. We will all be receiving the ultimate experience and blessing of being with Christ and receiving all that eternity will offer. It will be an equally indescribable experience for every single person, regardless of whether they were first or last in earthly things. This is illustrated in the passage that immediately follows, in which Jesus tells the parable of the laborers. The men that labor for 12 hours receive the same pay as those who labored only for one hour. The generosity of God in offering us the fullness of heaven regardless of our performance or even our sacrifice and suffering is the point of both passages.

Matthew 20:17 – 28 The loneliness of Jesus in sacrificial ministry is seen in this text. Again, he lays out the sad prophecy of his coming betrayal and crucifixion. And then the text says that immediately after this the mother of James and John comes up to him and asks him for her two sons to have the right to sit at his right-hand and left-hand in the coming kingdom. Now we don’t know if the text places this immediately after what Jesus had just said about his suffering, but it is very possible. This points out how oblivious Christ’s closest followers were to his true mission and his deepest battle.

Sacrificial ministry and spiritual leadership both entail indescribable loneliness. Some of us bear a solitary mission and a solitary message. Pastors and other full-time Christian workers understand this in a deeper way than many others.

Matthew 20:29 – 34 Here again we see the difference in attitude and focus between Christ and those that followed him. When the blind men outside of Jericho cried out for healing, the crowd rebuked them, being caught up more in the coming kingdom that they were expecting Christ to bring in. Jesus of course knew that he was going to Jerusalem not for a triumphal conquering but for a humbling and painful death. The crowd had glory in its mind, but Jesus had suffering in his heart. And yet it was Christ, burdened by the true reality of what he was heading to, who still opened his eyes with pity upon the blind men. In fact, the 34th verse says that Jesus stopped and in pity touched their eyes and gave them their sight. Oh, the majesty of my Lord. How thoroughly perfect he was in his character, his emotional control, his relentless love for me and for others, no matter the sacrifice. No matter the human situation of suffering that doing God’s will entailed. How can I shirk any calling of God in my life today no matter how difficult given this amazing example?

Acts 14

Notice in this passage the extremes of the “adoration of man” for us in ministry. In verse 18 you see enraptured worship, and in verse 19 you see it run quickly to cold eyed murder. A total transition of emotion within two verses.

In verse 19, they left Paul on the ground, supposing he was dead. And these guys knew dead. Imagine what Paul must’ve looked like at that moment, how deeply he must’ve been injured. Was this the time of the heavenly vision that he received as described in Second Corinthians chapter 12, as some suppose?

In verse 20, the text says he rose up, and the next day he went on to Derby. This is the astounding power of God, seen in the miracle of strength and healing that Paul must’ve received in that moment. How this must’ve amazed his attackers and encouraged the new believers around him, especially when Paul returned some months later.

This “near-death experience” was one of Paul’s earliest experiences of physical suffering for the Gospel, and God chose for it to be of the deepest sort, perhaps to show Paul the Lord’s deepest sustaining and restoring power early in his ministry life. We will never know for sure, but it may have been a memory point for Paul for the remainder of his ministry.

Acts 15

This entire encounter shows us how at times, the world reaching outreach of the church can be temporarily side-railed by doctrinal and political problems within the church itself. But God was involved in at all, and He used it to clarify the Gospel to those believers, and to bring the church through a test of its own unity.

Another lesson of this chapter is that God takes care of his church through godly leaders who carefully consider the Scriptures and then come together in unity around that consideration, even if this means opposing and correcting sincere but immature people in the flock. The Church rejoices when it is led in this faithful way, as verse 31 reveals.

We also see here some sovereignty points regarding Paul’s future ministry partnerships. It’s interesting to note that Silas was sovereignly allowed to be a part of this deliberation process in this chapter, so that Paul could work alongside him and have someone to choose when he decided to depart from Barnabas over the controversy regarding John. God is always in control, even over our frailties and foibles.

And finally, this chapter covers Paul’s clear calling to the Gentiles. The chapter moves toward its end with the entire church recognizing the unique calling that Paul had to reach non-Jews for Christ. His evident leadership gifting is also clearly respected, and it prompted him to be endorsed by the entire church in Antioch, in spite of his split from Barnabas. Here we see God moving and the church accepting his work in the midst of our human frailty. What a story of sovereign evangelistic grace.