Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB000006A
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00:22 Hi, I'm Glenn Russell.
00:23 Welcome to our program, 00:25 exploring the wonderful Book of Matthew. 00:28 It's part of the 3ABN series 00:30 entitled "The Books of the Book." 00:32 I like you to meet our guest, teacher, Dr. Ranko Stefanovic. 00:37 Ranko, you teach at 00:38 Andrews University Theological Seminary. 00:40 We're exploring a fascinating book, 00:42 what draws you to this Gospel of Matthew? 00:44 You've been mentioning 00:46 how it's one that you've been teaching this for a few years 00:49 and does it get old, 00:50 does it get to something like where you feel you know it all, 00:53 are you still discovering new things? 00:54 Actually, I have been teaching Gospel of Matthew 00:56 for about 17 years, 00:59 and every time when I teach that class 01:03 I always something to learn for my students, 01:05 it's a wonderful book. 01:06 Of course, every Gospel is beautiful in its own way. 01:10 Every part of scripture is that way, isn't it? 01:12 Oh yeah. The more we explore, 01:13 the more God keeps bringing us new treasures. 01:15 It's a wonderful gift. 01:17 Let's begin with prayer, 01:18 as we continue in our study of scripture. 01:21 Lord, we ask that You will guide us. 01:24 We need You to teach us. 01:25 We cannot know You except 01:27 that You have chosen to reveal yourself to us. 01:30 May we treasure this gift of revelation. 01:33 The Revelation of Jesus our Savior 01:35 through the pages of scripture. 01:37 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. 01:41 All right, Ranko, we have been leading up 01:43 to this great passage we're going to get into today. 01:47 We've seen Jesus began his ministry with the Baptism, 01:51 taken into the wilderness and tempted, 01:53 and then He begins His ministry in Galilee. 01:55 Now we come to Matthew Chapter 5. 01:58 Tell us a little bit about this. 02:02 It was earlier in our series 02:06 in introducing the Gospel of Matthew, 02:08 we saw that the emphasis of the Gospel of Matthew 02:11 is on the two-fold aspect of Jesus ministry. 02:16 Jesus ministry consisted 02:17 according to the Gospel of Matthew 02:19 in teaching and preaching 02:22 and healing people, and helping them in their needs. 02:27 Helping them in a practical way. 02:30 This is how the Gospel of Matthew is organized. 02:32 We mentioned that Matthew consist of five major blocks 02:38 and here we are dealing with the first major block, 02:42 which is known as "The Sermon on the Mount" 02:45 Chapters 5 to 7. 02:47 Do you remember that formula saying, 02:50 "When Jesus finished all these sayings, 02:52 now Jesus goes to put it into the practice, 02:56 helping people in their needs." 02:58 So Chapters 8 and 9, 03:01 so we are dealing with that first major block of the book. 03:05 So five major sections. 03:08 These courses are teachings and the narratives. Yes. 03:10 And we're looking at the first major teaching section. 03:13 Major teaching of Jesus. 03:14 Actually, it's really describing 03:17 who and what the citizens of the kingdoms are. All right. 03:22 It would be good for us to read some of this, wouldn't it? 03:23 Oh, yes. 03:25 Glenn, before we go on. Okay. 03:28 In order to make the full meaning 03:30 of "The Sermon on the Mount" 03:32 we have something to mention, 03:34 that so many readers of the Gospels, 03:38 they do not realize 03:40 whenever we talk about Sermon on the Mount 03:41 is always Matthew Chapters 5 to 7, 03:44 but not too many readers of the Bible realize 03:46 that there is also another similar Sermon 03:50 that is actually found, let me go over there, 03:52 that is found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6. 03:56 Okay. Verses 20 to 49. 04:02 Many liberal scholars, they say, you see, 04:07 we have two similar sermons but they're quite different. 04:12 Well, there's disagreements. 04:14 Jesus actually never preached one sermon. 04:16 Matthew collected some sayings of Jesus, 04:18 who collected some sayings of Jesus, 04:20 they made it sermons. 04:21 Actually I disagree with that. 04:23 I will suggest to you, you know, 04:26 Jesus was a preacher 04:27 and Glenn, you are a preacher, I'm a preacher, 04:30 I travel, we travel throughout the world. 04:33 I make one sermon and I don't preach 04:36 in new place always new sermon. 04:40 So many times I repeat my sermon 04:42 in several different, different places. 04:44 Because it applies. It applies. 04:46 However, I change a little bit of that. 04:49 I adjust that sermon to the needs of my audience. 04:53 You see if Jesus worked for three and a half years, 04:56 how much is that? It's approximately 1,260 days. 05:01 How many sermons did Jesus preach? 05:02 If He preached only twice a week. 05:04 Jesus preached several hundreds sermons. 05:07 Evidently Jesus didn't not every time preach a new sermon. 05:11 He would take the sermons He preached before or a speech 05:14 that He made before and He would repeat it 05:18 but apply it to the context of His audience. 05:22 So Matthew and Mark they contain two different sermons. 05:27 Similar content, how do we know that? 05:29 Matthew has three Chapters. 05:32 Luke has only 29 verses. 05:35 But there is something else, 05:37 if we go to Luke Chapter 6 verse 17, 05:40 it says that when Jesus delivered this speech, 05:42 He was in the plain. It was not on the mount. 05:46 On the level place. On the level place. 05:49 Okay. And, and, there is a difference between, 05:52 so you believe that Jesus preached 05:54 on two different occasions similar content, 05:56 but we should notice something, there is also basic difference, 05:59 the question is, why did Matthew choose this long sermon, 06:04 and Luke, the shorter sermon. 06:05 Glenn, you'll do it in Chapter 5 of Matthew, 06:09 I'll do Luke 6, just few things. 06:11 Can you read Chapter 5 verse 3 of Matthew? 06:15 Matthew Chapter 5, verse 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 06:18 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 06:20 This is in Matthew, the same, the attitude, 06:23 let's see how it sounds in Luke Chapter 6, verse 20, 06:27 "Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom." 06:31 What is the basic difference? Something is missing. 06:34 It's here are those who are poor in spirit, 06:37 here those who are really poor. 06:39 Yeah. Just one more item. 06:42 Can you read verse 6 of Matthew Chapter 5? 06:45 Okay. "Blessed are those 06:47 who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 06:49 for they shall be filled." 06:50 What about verse 21 in Luke? 06:52 "Blessed are you who hunger now." 06:55 What is missing? Righteousness. 06:58 You see when Jesus preached to the gentiles, 07:01 according to the Gospel of Luke, 07:02 He cared about the physical needs. 07:05 When He preached to those Pharisees, 07:06 et cetera, and the Jews, 07:09 He cared about their spiritual needs. 07:11 That's why we need both the sermons. 07:14 We need both for balance, don't we? 07:15 I'll tell the viewers as we are going through 07:17 "The sermon on the Mount" you will say, boy, 07:19 my needs are not spiritual, I am faithful to God, 07:22 I love God so much, but nobody knows when they come home. 07:25 I don't have money to pay my electricity, 07:27 my power will be cut off, 07:29 or doctors told me a few days ago 07:32 that I have few more weeks to live, et cetera. 07:35 I need something, there is a Savior, 07:37 God meets with people where they are. 07:40 When people have needs, Jesus comes to them 07:44 and addresses their personal needs that they have. 07:47 All right. So Jesus preaches in Matthew 5. 07:52 Yes. A Sermon on the Mount. 07:54 Yes. What should we know about this? 07:56 Actually both in Luke and Matthew, both sermons, 08:01 they begin with special section, we call them the beatitudes. 08:05 Why the beatitudes, because there are eight sayings 08:11 and each sayings begins with one single word, 08:14 which is in our English translation blessed. 08:16 Glenn, would you read those beatitudes? 08:17 And by the way, 08:19 beatitudes is kind of a made up word, isn't it? 08:20 Actually we will come to that after reading-- 08:23 Sure, Matthew Chapter 5 verse 1. Actually 1 to 12. 08:27 "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, 08:30 and when He had seated, His disciples came to Him. 08:34 Then He opened His mouth, and taught them saying, 08:36 Blessed are the poor in spirit, 08:39 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 08:41 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 08:44 Blessed are the meek, 08:45 for they shall inherit the earth. 08:47 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 08:51 for they shall be filled. 08:53 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 08:56 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 09:00 Blessed are the peacemakers, 09:02 for they shall be called the sons of God. 09:04 Blessed are those who are persecuted 09:06 for righteousness' sake, 09:07 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 09:11 Blessed are you when they revile you 09:14 and persecute you and say all kinds of evil 09:17 against you falsely from my sake. 09:19 Rejoice and be exceeding glad, 09:22 for your great is a reward in heaven, 09:23 for so they persecuted the prophets 09:26 who were before you." 09:27 Okay. So we see, we have eight sayings. 09:31 Each one begins with the word "Blessed" in English. 09:34 And I hope that the readers will understand 09:36 what I'm trying to say. 09:38 All those who are bilingual, they know that sometimes 09:42 when you try to translate something 09:43 from one language to another, then the words, that they fit. 09:48 So sometimes you have to use one sentence 09:50 in order to explain that word. 09:52 In Greek, the language in which the Gospel of Matthew 09:56 was written, actually contains the word makarios, 10:00 which is translated as the word "Blessed." 10:04 Another alternative word 10:05 for the word makarios is "Happy." 10:09 By the way, usually English speaking people-- 10:14 don't know that in English we have standard English word, 10:18 which is called makarism 10:20 that comes from the Greek word makarios. 10:22 Makarism simply means happiness. 10:25 But we really have to understand the word, 10:27 the root of these words. 10:30 Among ancient Greeks, the word makarios meant 10:35 that the person was spared 10:39 of all hardships of life and here is the point. 10:43 When a person have a happy family, 10:47 good bank account, I mean, money-- 10:49 was rich, when everything went good in his life, 10:53 ancient Greeks would say you see this person is makarios. 10:57 A good life. Good life, 11:00 this is among ancient Greeks. 11:03 What did we notice here in "The Sermon on the Mount?" 11:06 Who are those who are makarios? 11:10 You'll forgive me, I'm using the word makarios, 11:12 in order to get the full sense 11:15 of the meaning of this word. You are not spared. 11:18 Those who are hungry and thirsty in, 11:19 Luke, or righteousness, those who are poor, 11:23 those who are persecuted, those who are. 11:26 Glenn, now let me ask you one question. 11:28 I would like to ask the viewers, 11:29 just to start for a moment to think, 11:31 was Jesus unrealistic? 11:33 Glenn, would you be honest with me? 11:36 When you don't have money to pay your bills, 11:41 do you say, "I am blessed?" 11:44 We would call that kind of person out of touch. 11:47 Actually, they are attend-- Upside down. 11:49 I've never seen a student who does not have money 11:52 to pay his tuition and he must leave. 11:55 I don't think, we rejoice in our poverty very much. 11:57 And he say--but you see the Christians 11:59 are so many times unrealistic, you know, 12:02 you know, I am blessed because I'm poor. 12:05 Did you hear anybody to say, you know, 12:07 doctor told me I have few more weeks to live, 12:09 I'm so much blessed. So what is that, 12:13 that Jesus tried to say here with His beatitudes. 12:17 Did Jesus try to be unrealistic to say, 12:20 those people who are hungry, 12:22 who are thirsty, people who are poor, 12:25 people who suffer hardships in this life, 12:27 they are blessed. This is not what Jesus tried to say. 12:31 Actually if you really want to translate 12:33 these beatitudes from original Greek, 12:36 it should be "You are blessed or you are happy, 12:40 despite the fact that you are poor, 12:45 that you are hungry, that you are persecute," 12:48 that's the difference. You are not blessed 12:50 because you are poor, you are blessed 12:54 despite the fact that you are poor, 12:55 that you are hungry, that you, that you face 12:58 the difficulties of this life and it makes difference. 13:01 So you have a joy despite what happens to you? 13:04 Yes. So what is the point that Jesus tried to make? 13:07 When we accept Jesus as our personal savior, 13:12 when we are accepted by God, 13:15 when we become God's children, 13:17 God never promised to us 13:20 that we will be spared of hardships of life. 13:23 God never told us that he will take us 13:26 out of the difficulties of life, 13:29 what God promised to us is, Jesus said, 13:32 in the world you will have tribulation, 13:35 is that what Jesus said? That's right. 13:36 What God promised to us when we have to go 13:39 through the difficulties and hardships of life, 13:44 God will be with us, not that He will take us 13:47 out of that, He will be working with us 13:50 through the difficulties of life. 13:51 As the Psalm said, "Even if I had to work 13:54 through the valley of the shadow of death, 13:57 You will be with me." 13:59 Knowing that God is with me, 14:03 will make me blessed, give me the assurance 14:06 that I'm not forgotten, that I'm not forsaken by God, 14:10 that God is with me. 14:12 The external circumstances 14:14 will not define my relationship with God, 14:17 my relationship with God 14:19 will define the circumstances in which we are. 14:22 Ranko, you've raised some questions in my mind. Yes. 14:24 We've got to come back to right after our break. 14:27 We'll be right back. |
Revised 2022-08-29