Page 3
Matthew, Chapter 3
The Path of the Disciple
“And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
Remember from page 2, Jesus is going before us, enduring the Trial, and showing us the way which we must go, also. But, He assures us that we too, can endure, because He has gone before us.
Likewise, as a true Believer and Follower of Jesus, there comes a time when we will find ourselves enduring trials, seemingly without help, without hope, without resources, at risk, isolated, with circumstance intensifying. It is now that the Great Work of God is beginning in our life. Endure this to the end, following the example of Jesus carefully, and our reward is glorious and eternal.
Resuming…
Matthew 4:2 “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” He became WHAT?
(He became Hungry. No food or water for 40 days and 40 nights in a hot, dry, barren wasteland, He became hungry. This sounds logical. But, take a closer look at the word “hungry” as it appears in the language it was written:
The word “Hungry”, here, means not only physical hunger, but it means “to become poor, needy, suffer want, earnestly crave, the pinching toil of poverty, to be crushed in spirit, to pine”.
This is of the same base word found in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Poor: Ptochos (Greek. Strong’s concordance)
1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms
2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour
2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches
2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end
2c) poor, needy
3) lacking in anything
3a) as respects their spirit
3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (people of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure).
This is the state that allows us to turn to God, void of all our own resources, humbly crying out, “help me, Father, for I am needy”.
Remember, It is he or she who endures to the end, who will be His Disciple.
Hear, again, the Words of Jesus in Matthew 19:24
“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
The testing is about to begin and The Greatest Work of God in your life is at hand.
(Next, the testing begins.)
