At the start of Matthew Ch 16 Jesus is asked for a sign from heaven.
Jesus sates that the only sign that will be given is akin to that of the story of Jonah.
In that narrative, Jonah is taken down into the depths, for 3 days, where no light shined. As a prophet, he knew that the heart of God was the forgiveness of sins! That the nature of God, was Jesus.
But as one of Gods chosen people, who obeyed the laws of Gods commandments, he was not willing to share the depths of the revelation concerning Gods covenant promises with the enemies of Israel, he was unwilling to share the message of the Jordan: Repent, Receive the forgiveness of your sins and now Rejoice in the embrace of Gods love. That which had been committed to Abraham, due to Gods knowledge that he would not fail to teach his descendants that God, would bless every nation and family through the Word of the Seed of promise (the mustard seed of faith), Jonah was reluctant to obey. (with God all things possible- be it unto me according to thy Word).
Elijah starts his ministry just east of the Jordan, and after the end of his ministry as a type of Christ, the mantle of anointing does not withhold the covenant blessing from the descendants of Nineveh, Naaman being instructed to dip seven times in the Jordan.
A man had started to rebuild Jericho, not a blessing to the nations but a curse, prior to Elijah. But Jesus brought down the dividing middle wall of partition, that all may enter in, when he died and ascended.
Thus, Jonah was a perfect illustration, to the Pharisees and Sadducees who struggled with the very idea of Gods great heart being the fulfillment of prophecy, Luke Ch 4 v18.
Jesus then warns his disciples to beware of any teaching ministry that attempts to add to or take away from the seed that finished it all. This seed will always rise and produce good bread/fruit. It will always return to its source of blessing, the Father of every good gift. The finished work of Christ must always be the Banner of Truth, that sets men free.
Only one seed was perfect, (the immaculate one and this seed was joined to Mary’s who was born like every other women, from Adams seed line – a middle wall of partition broken with his birth), and that is Gods Word, of promise, Immanuel. The seed that crushed the serpents headship over man.
When Jesus asks his disciples who they thought he was. Peter is given a gift from heaven, and proclaims that he is the Christ the Son of the living God.
Jesus responds to this statement by affirming that this revelation is the one that carries the seed of promised blessing, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah’! And that this blessing covenanted to the Father of the faith, Abraham, comes to us likewise from the FATHER who is in heaven.
The revelation of who Jesus is, is inseparable from the union he has with his Father in heaven.
This union cannot be prevailed against, and hence, the Church of Jesus Christ cannot either by hell itself, as the cross of Calvary incorporated all the sin of the entire world, and opened heavens gates to all who would believe it finished by the Saviour of the world.
The revelation of the Son, is responded to with an affirmation from the Son of the Father to his Church. John Ch 17.
The Father only spake on two occasions specifically in the Gospels. Firstly, when Jesus came up from the waters of the Jordan after being baptized by John. Probably, close by to the Dead Sea and in approx line to Jerusalem and the brook Cherith.
Prior to the second time, Jesus makes what will soon happen quite clear Matthew Ch 16 v21 to v28.
Matthew Ch 17 Jesus is transfigured before three of his disciples.
And then the Father speaks from heaven, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’.
When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified! Had they heard what was spoken? Why were they terrified?
Yet here is the perfect symmetry of the Fathers voice through his beloved Son: ‘Rise, and have no fear’.
This was spoken in the context of Jesus telling his disciples he was going to Jerusalem before the ascent & Moses and Elijah talking with him of his departure, prior to the descent.
From Jerusalem is a descent to the lowest part of the world, the Dead Sea. Mount Moriah, where the promised and chosen Son was offered was at the heart of Jerusalem. Probably on the same longitude to where Jesus was baptized and the Father Spake.
The words spoken by the Father were the same words down in the deepest and lowest place of the world as spoken upon the very highest in the land. The source of the Jordan river being mount Hermon.
After the mount of transfiguration, Jesus descends and sets free a Fathers Son.
In response to the question from his disciples concerning why they could not set the son free, Jesus gave an illustration of a mustard seed and mountains moving.
Now this must be related to the Fathers voice that spake upon the mount. This mountain must concern the correct relationship between a father and his son, one that speaks encouragement and produces a smile like the dawn of the rising sun (Malachi Ch4 v2-6).
This boy who was demon possessed had not had the authority of a Father guiding his path to the tree of life. A lie was woven into this child’s narrative that all accepted until Jesus came down the mountain. The unspoken binding, being a twisted and faithless generation who did not believe the possible.
Jesus was submitted to all the laws of Moses and the messages given to the prophets, going out to be baptized by John (a latter day Elijah). And then the Father Spake.
Paul clearly saw that of ourselves we can never follow his blueprint due to the inward nature of sin. But through him we were saved by grace through faith (mustard) in a manner that we could not following Moses’s law. Peter who later cursed that he knew not Jesus, had fellowship with Paul upon this mountain moved by faith. The life that is well pleasing to the Father is one freed not to sin, one not wanting separation from his character and company.
Grace is never license to sin, it is rather the depths of Gods great heart that causes us to rise from the lowest place, by faith, into the heavenly adoption of Sonship, of being accepted freely in the well beloved.
Jesus affirms the message again concerning the sign being that he will rise again on the third day, no other sign to a twisted, faithless and adulterous generation. Resurrected from the dead, this seed must apply to my roots to your roots (axe), this seed of life must have context for other lives, otherwise you are judging that Christ died for no purpose!! (Galatians Ch 2 v21).
Peter’s response to the collectors of the two-drachma tax is legendary!
‘Yes’! Peter was learning perhaps to walk in the wisdom of his teacher. What did ‘yes’ mean?
Peter was being challenged as to his teachers authenticity. And in that action they were seeking to twist out of him freedom for his generation. He had just witnessed his teacher with authority do what all others considered impossible, restoring to health a bound son to his father.
Make no mistakes about it, this question to Peter had nothing to do with the temple tax, and everything to do with the strangling of freedom.
Two drachmas weighting the weight of the whole world had been cast upon the rock upon which God said he would built his Church upon. Gods provided sacrifice, not tax.
We sense by Jesus addressing this matter head on, that Peter had been impacted by this simply question. It was an injunction from the gates of hell, that was saying no man lives free from the system – has not God himself decreed submission.
‘Yes’!!!
And here we capture the essence of freedom, the life of the King of heaven. The Sons are free, but not to give offense. God upon the earth, walking among men, would not give offense to men questioning his liberty!! He who had allowed Davids offspring to build the tempe in the first place!
Little surprise that David featured in the sermon of Pentecost and that one recorded when Paul first appears in scripture.
Peter is sent fishing for the temple tax. Peter knew it was a miracle. In all his years as a fisherman no fish had ever been found with a shekel in its mouth. Not even in its stomach. That the first fish had one according to his word, was a miracle. But the point of the process was the trade he was of, Jesus was Lord of the temple, in fact he is the temple! And Peter knew he was Lord of fishing. All the tax every fisherman had ever paid had been provided by the God of heaven. And that goes for every tax ever paid.
Can his lordship speak liberty no matter the tax system, to Father and Son, to rich and specifically the poor.
The disciples then ask Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
They are not processing, the voice of the Father, nor what Jesus had done coming down the mount. Relationship, and its simplicity is unfortunately interwoven in them with great tax cuts.
What were they expecting as an answer? David, Daniel, Abraham, Moses or Joseph!
Pele, Maradona, Cruyff or Dixie Dean.
Big Mac, Whopper, Wimpy or Wendy.
Who is the greatest, should have been a question about what is greatness. Jesus had not suppressed in his disciples thoughts of great things, rather he had fostered them, ‘You, will say to this mountain, “move from here to there”, and it will move’.
Jesus, then warns men who cause little ones who believe in him to separate from him, as being an act judged severely wrong.
Evolutionists, Atheists, Religionists, Humanists and Bishops.
If a man encourages a child to question his or her gender, they are guiding that child away from the truth of the creator of heaven and earth.
Jesus then reveals that every child has an angel who is beholding the Fathers face in heaven. Children are not at a distance in the greatness of heaven.
Jesus, has been up a mountain and when he came down he referred to one again, ‘it shall move’. And now he chooses again to refer to them plurally. And again it is in the context of sonship.
All the sheep are on mountains, and he goes in search of the lost sheep. Well there is room for more mountains to be moved to that range too.
God has moved all heaven and earth, to make it plain, that through the death and resurrection of his beloved Son, every mountain and valley is leveled.
The mountain might be; drugs, anger, tax evasion, adultery, unbelief, negative words spoken, rejection, abused, passivity.
God doesn’t just seek the lost sheep, he has moved all the high places that stand and say its not possible for me to be a beloved Son, who is well pleasing to God the Father.
The Dead Sea, has no outlet giving life to others. It accumulates Salt from the earth but doesn’t give back life. Jesus was baptized into the same river that flowed down from the mount of transformation and into the Dead Sea.
In Luke’s gospel Ch 14 Jesus speaks of his commitment to finish what he has started. Jesus knew what was required to make his statement to Peter words of truth. Was Jesus mocked, by the soldiers concerning the desertion of his follows, those who had been upon the mount of transfiguration.
Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste how shall its saltiness be restored.
He who has ears to hear let him hear.
Then the tax collectors and sinners drew near to hear him – Luke Ch 15.
Jesus speaks of his rejoicing over one lost sheep found.
Then he speaks of one coin found, bringing joy to the angels. No doubt they rejoiced when Peter cast his net upon the ‘open country’ on the day of Pentecost.
And then its to the heart of the issue, Sonship.
A mountain stood against the son who was in a far country. The range he had travelled to was far away from that which Moses had stood upon. If the scribes and Pharisees struggled with Jesus eating with sinners, what hope was there for a man who would have eaten the food given to pigs!
Such a man could never bypass the temple tax and enter the holy of holies!
‘Yes’, with God all things are possible.
And he arose! The reason the Father spake from heaven: Hear him, “Arise, and have no fear”.
Gods Great Heart, is that all men may be able to have faith in the seed of forgiveness!
The seed that cried ‘forgive them for they have no knowledge what they do’
Evolutionists, Atheists, Religionists, Humanists and Bishops.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil – many thinkers, but no knowledge about what they were doing – aligning themselves with darkness the devil and demons rather than light, life and love.
This seed is seventy times seven, ‘It is Finished’ by his cry to his Father every day of every week. It shall never change, the mountain is only removed when from our hearts we forgive all men.
This is followed by the union of man and women in marriage.
A prayer caught my attention last week, that forgiveness is the key to married life. Billy Graham was once asked about the secret of his married life, and he stated that it was due to the foundation of himself and his wife both being good at forgiveness.
‘Let the children come unto me’.
No contradiction here. A man separate for the kingdom of God, interwoven at the heart of family. His mandate was to reproduce after his own kindness. Marriage is the same mandate, for children too.
Did Jesus despair that his message appeared to fall consistently upon deaf ear! Had his disciples been listening! Did the rich young ruler not understand anything about the kingdom of heaven, despite his obedience to honoring his father and mother.
No he never despaired of the message, because with God all things are possible.
Love believers all things.
During the thoughts on these passages last Monday & Tuesday morning, my thoughts were on the upper room of Pentecost being the same meeting place as that upon the mount of transfiguration. A preacher at out local New Years conference said yesterday, that the same word used for transfigured is used in Acts Ch 2.
Acts Ch 2 v29 to 41.
Upon this rock of revelation, I Will, build my Church.
* Read Psalm 4 & parts of 3 being meeting.
eternalrays 