The 
ight House
Sunday School (Three Miraculous Healings)
Tests of Discipleship
(Matthew 8:18-27)
God’s word tells us that God tempts no man.13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
(James 1:13)Yet, we also read in God’s word that God tempted Abraham..
1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
(Genesis 22:1)This is one of those things that the Atheists and scoffers like to point out as being a contradiction of the bible. We know however that there are no contradictions in God’s word, only misunderstanding. We must keep in mind that while the King James bible is argumentatively the most accurate translation of the bible for English speaking people, it is still a translation and as such, sometimes requires some understanding of the Hebrew and Greek languages and how they were translated in order to derive a contextual meaning. Sometimes one Hebrew or Greek word can have more than one meaning. Sometimes the difference in meaning can appear on the surface to be very slight, but when context is applied, the difference can be very significant. The scriptures above are an excellent example of this condition. In the verse that tells of God tempting Abraham, the word tempt is taken from the Hebrew word “nacah” (pronounced naw-saw) which means to test, to try, to prove, or to tempt. Considering the context of the scripture, this word would have been better translated as, “test”.
In contrast, the word “tempteth” in James 1:13 is taken from the Greek word, “”peirazo” (pronounced pi-rad’-zo). This word has several meanings, one of which is, in a bad sense, to test one maliciously, craftily to put to the proof his feelings or judgments OR to solicit to sin, to tempt.
So we see that there is no real contradiction in God’s word as it was originally penned down, but due to some things that occur during translation it can certainly appear that there are contradictions. We need to take the time to check out the details and then we will have the real contextual meaning of scripture.
While it is true then that God will not “tempt” any man in terms of enticing him to sin, he certainly will test those who belong to him by the purchase of Christ’s blood (the saved).. He will test both our faith and our commitment. Unlike the tests that men give one another, the tests that God gives us is not to show him anything about us. He already knows every corner of our heart; rather the tsts that God gives us is for our own benefit to show us how we stand in our relationship and dedication with Him. These tests also serve to help us to grow in faith, wisdom, love, appreciation, and dedication to Him and the teachings of His word.
With these things in mind let’s look at the following verses of scripture…
18Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
(Matthew 8:18-22)When the scribe told Jesus that he wanted to follow him, Jesus responded by warning him of what it would mean to be a follower. Jesus had him to count the cost. Only by first considering the cost and yet deciding to be a follower is there a condition of “real” commitment.
When someone joins a team, committee, or any such group and then quits or leaves the group before the end of the season or before the group has reached its goal, it hurts the entire team in many ways. A few years ago a friend and I decided we wanted to start working out with free weights. I had all the equipment but no facility. My friend had the facility but no equipment, so we decided that I would bring my equipment to his house and set up an exercise room there and then I would come over to his house three or four times a week and we would work out together. After only a couple of months into our routine, my friend got bored and lost interest in our exercise program. He did not like physical discomfort that came with exercise. He did not like the amount of time that had to be dedicated to the program because it took him away from other things that he enjoyed doing. It started to show by his complaining and eventually he stayed upstairs and watched television while I went downstairs to work out alone. Soon after this I loaded up my equipment and took it home and was therefore forced to stop lifting weights as well. My friend did not count the cost before agreeing to our arrangement and therefore was not truly dedicated.
Here are some other scriptures where Jesus encouraged people to count the cost of following after him:
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
(Matthew 6:24-25)24And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 9:24)10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
(Matthew 5:10-12)There is a common misleading concept being taught in the modern church which promises a life of joy, peace, and happiness for all who will receive Christ as their savior. Jesus certainly did promise a more abundant life and the bible does indeed promise peace that passes all understanding, and joy for the follower. The misconception is not in the teaching of these attributes, but in the lack of presenting the whole truth. These promises of peace, joy and happiness are spiritual in context and does not mean in any way that the believer is exempt from problems, trials and tribulations. In fact, the believer will find that in many ways these negatives of life will increase especially when he/she stands firm for the principles of God’s word. This makes the spiritual blessings received of the believer even the more spectacular because they come in spite of the ridicule, mocking, and persecution that a child of God will face.
Consider the following verse:
18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
(Romans 8:18)It is very easy to miss half the point of that verse. We are very quick to see the positive portion of that verse and it is indeed inspiring! The other point of that verse is that there IS sufferings in this present time for the children of God.
Now the rewards of being a redeemed born again child of God do far exceed the cost as the above scripture teaches. To present the reward portion without warning of the cost however, is a half truth and a half truth presented as a whole truth is an untruth. Jesus spoke the whole truth regarding following him therefore, we should also. There are several reasons why it is important to teach both sides of this issue. Here are a few…
When we buy a house or a car we expect the person we buy it from to disclose any problems, concerns or negative attributes, so that we can make an informed decision based on facts and be prepared to deal with any of those negatives that were disclosed. For a seller to do any less would be considered deceitful and dishonest. We need to be honest as Jesus was in sharing the gospel.
Some are willing to be a Christian, so long as it does not interfere too much with their own desires or they don’t have to endure persecution, ridicule. If the whole truth of the gospel is not given it can result in an abundance of people professing Christ without any real commitment to live according to His word. When people see those professing to be a Christian, yet not having any real commitment to live according to it’s statutes, it works to deceive those who have never had any spiritual training. On the other hand, when the gospel is presented in such a way that the hearer is made aware of both the reward and the costs and decides that the reward is worth the cost, a strong army of true believers is built made up of people prepared to endure the cost with joy in their hearts knowing that the reward will far exceed the sufferings of this present time.
Satan wants the Christian to stumble. He does not want him or her to live in obedience to God because in doing so, he becomes a light unto the world and serves as a witness for Christ simply by how he lives. Therefore, the devil will tempt Christians and he will do all sorts of things to damage a Christian’s testimony. He will be sure the Christian suffer ridicule, mockery, and other forms of persecution so discourage him from standing firm on God’s word and sharing his faith with others. If the new Christian understands that these things will come from the very beginning, he will be better prepared to put on the full armor of God. He may be attacked, but it won’t be a surprise attack..Let’s take another look at versus 21 & 22.
21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
(Matthew 8:21-22)That verse may seem harsh on first consideration. Not even allowing a person the time to bury their father before joining as a follower may seem unreasonable until we consider a couple of things. First of all is likely that the man’s father referred to here is not even dead at the time he was speaking. There was not very much done in that day in preparing the dead for burial. People were buried very quickly after they died back then. Therefore, if this man’s father was already dead, he mot likely would have been about the business of burying him rather than taking the time to come and hear Jesus speak. Most likely this man’s father was very sick and death was expected to come soon.
Jesus is also making a point here about priorities. Absolutely nothing should ever come before our service to the Lord. Our love, loyalty, and commitment to God should always come first even when compared to the love, loyalty, and commitment to our earthly families. Jesus, drives this point home when he said…
26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:26)
Talking about the need to keep scripture in proper context! Jesus is not instructing us to hate anyone, but is using this analogy to emphasize how great our love and commitment to God ought to be.
Now let’s look at the remainder of the verses of this lesson…
23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
(Matthew 8:23-27)There’s no doubt that this piece of scripture has been preached on many times. Messages have been brought out using these scriptures pertaining to faith, trusting in the Lord, calling upon the Lord in time of trouble, The Lord’s ability to bring peace in the midst of a storm, and the authority of Christ.
Jesus had given the command to “depart to the other side”. When the Lord speaks to our hearts telling us to do something, he will make the way for us to do it. We may face trials in the process, but just like the disciples facing the storm, the Lord is with us and is in control. We just need to maintain our faith and trust in him when these trials come. The Lord has the ability to calm the storms in our life just as he did literally as described in the above passage. Sometimes however, he may allow us to have some troublesome experiences for the benefit of our spiritual growth. Our faith and trust may be tested, as well as our commitment to him. If we will hold steadfast during these times and continue in faithful service, we will come out of the tribulations a stronger Christian.
When Jesus said, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” it seems to indicate that even if they had not awaken Jesus, they would not have perished. In other words, simply because he was with them, they could have went through the storm unharmed as easily as they were delivered from the storm.. Sometimes the Lord will deliver us from trouble, but sometimes he will simply give us the grace to endure it, according to his purpose. Sometimes we need to experience difficult and fearful things in order to grow in faith, knowledge, and wisdom. An eagle teaches her young to fly by taking them high into the air and then letting them go. The baby eagles fall toward the ground and no doubt they are extremely frightened as they franticly try to fly. The baby eagles do not realize however one very significant thing. Momma can fly faster than they can fall. An adult eagle in a dive can reach speeds approaching 200 mph. The baby eagles are never in any danger. If they do not take to flight, Moma will rescue them before they reach the ground. So sometimes when we are going through a trial and it seems like God is far off, it may be that God has a purpose for us being there and though it may seem as though we are on our own, He has His eye on us the whole time and nothing can happen to us that He does not allow to happen. Just remembering this one fact can in itself be a source of strength and comfort to us and when the storm is past we are better for the experience.
Just as Jesus had authority over the storm in the above passage, he also has authority over the storms in our life and is able to deliver us and bring us out of our affliction if he chooses to do so. Jesus calmed the storm after his disiples called upon him. We too need to learn to call upon our Lord in our time of trouble. Whether he gives us grace to endure or delivers us out of our tribulation, he is there ready and able to help us if we can just learn to trust him and to call upon him with faith.
God Bless you,
Carl
I may not look like much, but I cost a bunch!
