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Who was this rich man that came to Jesus?

/ Mike Nappa

Scripture: Matthew 19:16–30

We don’t actually know much about the unnamed man who approached Jesus and asked, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). The few facts we have are gleaned from this passage and parallel accounts in Mark 10:17–31 and Luke 18:18–30.

Matthew observes that this rich man was young, indicating he was at least younger than that disciple—perhaps in his late teens or early twenties. The young man also had many possessions, which in that society likely meant substantial holdings in land and other property. Because of his young-ish age, it’s realistic to assume that he inherited that wealth rather than earned it himself.

Luke tells us the man was “very rich” (Luke 18:23), which would convey the impression that, in addition to his lands, he’d probably inherited a large store of money that was now at his disposal. Luke 18:18 also reveals that he was “a religious leader,” (or “a ruler” in other translations). So perhaps he was now stepping into his predetermined role as a leader in the community and provider for his family. Maybe he saw Jesus as some kind of wise father figure who could give good advice to help him succeed in these new responsibilities.

Mark reinforces the characterizations of Matthew and Luke, adding the detail that the young rich man “knelt down” in front of Jesus (Mark 10:17). This showed he was well trained in the protocols of religious hierarchy.

All these things taken together suggest that this rich man, the young ruler, was possibly an up-and-coming leader among the Sadducees, an influential aristocratic group in Jesus’ day. They were the religious and social elite, holding significant wealth and power in Israel. Still, the gospel writers never specifically call this young man a Sadducee, so that’s only speculation.

Sources:

SMB 112

“Who was this rich man that came to Jesus?” is reprinted from Bible-Smart: Matthew © 2023 Nappaland Communications Inc. Published Tyndale House Publishers/Rose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

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What was it like to leprosy in Jesus' time? (Bible-Smart.com)

What was it like to live with leprosy in Jesus’ time?

/ Mike Nappa

Scripture: Matthew 8:1–4

Matthew 8:1–4 gives no obvious reason for Jesus’ decision to heal, except that the man with leprosy asked. However, Matthew indicates elsewhere that compassion was Christ’s ongoing motivation for healing (see Matthew 9:35–36; 14:14; 15:32–38; 20:29–34). That compassion was justified, especially considering these awful facts about living with leprosy in those days:

The term used for leprosy in the New Testament was a general reference to seemingly incurable skin infections. It could have included the formal affliction, which we now call Hansen’s Disease, or any other severe skin disease with inflammation.
By Mosaic law, priests—not doctors—were charged with diagnosing leprosy in people (Leviticus 13:2). Sometimes they tried to treat the disease with various baths, ointments, and mixtures of herbs and oils applied to the skin.
The process for diagnosing leprosy went something like this: A person with serious skin infections such as tissue-crusts on the skin, severe rashes, or “whitish-red swollen” spots would go to a temple priest to be examined. The priest would look to see if the infection had penetrated the skin, or if hair in the affected area had turned white. If so, he would declare the person “unclean” with leprosy. If not, a seven-day quarantine was instituted, with a new examination for leprosy scheduled afterward (Leviticus 13:2–8).
Being diagnosed with leprosy was a death sentence, physically, socially, economically, and spiritually. In fact, rabbinic tradition, as Chuck Swindoll explains, “held that curing leprosy was as difficult as raising the dead, perhaps because they saw the disease as the physical manifestation of sin’s consequences.”
A leper was considered physically unclean—and contagious—as well as spiritually unclean. That meant a leper was completely shunned from normal activities of community life and banned from inclusion in worship in the temple or any synagogue. The leper couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t live in a home with non-lepers (including his or her own family), couldn’t shop in a market, couldn’t own property, couldn’t touch or hug or hold hands. Nothing. The leper’s only option was begging for scraps, isolation, and waiting to physically deteriorate and die.

This was the terrible situation of the man who came to Jesus, begging to be healed. Christ’s response was compassion—and healing. My old pastor, Chuck Swindoll, notes one particularly significant aspect of this miracle:

[Jesus] reached out and literally touched the man society had rejected as untouchable. In other instances, Jesus merely spoke a word and the miracle took effect. In at least one case, He healed from a distance of twenty miles (John 4:46–54). But in this situation, he chose to touch the leper’s diseased skin, as if to say, “Your disease doesn’t prevent me from accepting you.”

Sources:

JHT 161; ILJ 185–188; SLU 127–128

“What was it like to live with leprosy in Jesus’ time?” is reprinted from Bible-Smart: Matthew © 2023 Nappaland Communications Inc. Published Tyndale House Publishers/Rose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

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Why doesn't Jesus heal everybody today? (Bible-Smart.com)

According to Matthew, Jesus healed everybody back then. Why doesn’t Jesus heal everybody now?

/ Mike Nappa

Scripture: Matthew 15:29–31

“They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.”

I’ve heard these words from Matthew 15:30 preached many times as proof that God always wants to heal the sick. You’ve probably heard that a time or two as well. And yet, our churches overflow with sick people, despite our prayers of faith and fervent teachings.

Jesus does still heal people in this day and age. I’ve seen it happen, and even experienced a miraculous healing myself once (carpal tunnel syndrome anyone?). Jesus also declines to heal many people today—something else I’ve seen and experienced. Why?

The discomfort we feel when we compare Christ’s ancient healing ministry to our experience today could be a problem of misdirected application. We read Bible verses like Matthew 10:30 and assume that what Jesus did in a specific situation should apply in any situation for us now. That leap of logic seems unwise.

Jesus pointed to his miraculous healings then as physical evidence that he, in the flesh, was divine in nature—proof that he is the Son of God and the Messiah that he claimed to be (Matthew 11:2–6; John 10:36–38). He also indicated that when he was no longer among us in the flesh, this kind of miraculous physical evidence wouldn’t be so readily available. Recall that after his resurrection he said to doubtful Thomas: “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29).

John’s gospel immediately follows that statement of Christ with this commentary: “The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God” (John 20:30–31, italics mine). John’s point here seems to be that we can take faith in Jesus because of the testimony of his past miracles, not because we are entitled to future miracles.

We also know that there were times Jesus simply didn’t heal everyone. For instance, John 5:1–15 tells of a scene at the pool of Bethesda where “crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches” waiting for miraculous healing (John 5:3). Jesus healed only one man out of that crowd. Apparently, he left all the others untouched in their suffering.

The late Vineyard pastor, John Wimber, wrote of specific times in Scripture when God simply refused to heal his followers (2 Corinthians 12:7–10; Galatians 4:13–14; Philippians 2:25–27; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20). “These exceptions,” Wimber wrote, “indicate that one does not control God: prayer is answered by faith, not magic or human reward.… We have no right to presume that unless God heals in every instance there is something wrong with our faith or his faithfulness.”

So why did Jesus heal everybody then and not everybody now? The answer, it seems, is because he wanted to then, and doesn’t want to now. Healing was, and always is, in his hands alone—not in our presumptive demands.

Sources:

EDB 330–331; KS 26–28

“According to Matthew, Jesus healed everybody back then. Why doesn’t Jesus heal everybody now?” is reprinted from Bible-Smart: Matthew © 2023 Nappaland Communications Inc. Published Tyndale House Publishers/Rose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

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Do ‘outer darkness’ and ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ always refer to hell, or are there other interpretations?

/ Mike Nappa

Scripture: Matthew 25:14–30

Well, let’s see…

The Greek phrase translated as “outer darkness” in the nlt is skotos to exōteron. That phrase is exclusive to Matthew’s gospel and shows up three times: Matthew 8:12; 22:13; and 25:30. In every instance it’s a record of Jesus talking, and all three verses are references to hell. Interestingly, every time he says “outer darkness,” Jesus also pairs it with “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

“Weeping” by itself obviously has multiple uses and applications in the New Testament, but when combined with the Greek brygmos tōn odontōn, “gnashing of teeth,” that phrase appears seven times in the New Testament, again always spoken by Jesus. Six of those appearances are in Matthew, as in: Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; and 25:30. The final occurrence is found in Luke 13:28. Again, in every usage, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” refers to an eternal hell, often combined with a description of fire in place of “outer darkness.”

Seeing the consistency with which this image of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is used, it does make one think. We typically assume this is an allegorical, sensory/emotional view of hell. But since Christ described hell this way every time, we must wonder if he was perhaps, giving us a literal peek into that awful, painful place?

It’ll be best, I think, if we never have to find out.

Sources:

CWSN 93; CWDN 1298, 1025, 609, 349, 1027

“Do ‘outer darkness’ and ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ always refer to hell, or are there other interpretations?” is reprinted from Bible-Smart: Matthew © 2023 Nappaland Communications Inc. Published Tyndale House Publishers/Rose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

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Who was Zebedee, and why was it important that he be mentioned in Matthew 4?

/ Mike Nappa

Scripture: Matthew 4:18–22

Much has been written about Peter, Andrew, James, and John—but what of Zebedee, the father they left behind to follow Jesus? Here’s what we know:

Zebedee was a successful businessman, running a fishing operation on the Sea of Galilee. He employed his sons, their partners (Peter and Andrew) as well as other hired hands (Mark 1:19–20). He also owned at least one large fishing boat, so he was apparently a man of some financial means.

He was married to a woman named Salome, and after the crucifixion he allowed his wife to use their money to buy burial spices for Jesus (Mark 16:1). Through Salome, his sons, or directly, he may have also supported Jesus’ ministry with monetary contributions from time to time. Some think that, like his sons, he may have been a disciple of John the Baptist first, and then became a follower of Jesus (from a distance) as well.

Bible historian Ronald Brownrigg also speculates that Zebedee had been contracted to supply fish for the high priest’s palace in Jerusalem. That would explain, the thinking goes, why his son John was known and welcomed into the high priest’s courtyard during the trial of Jesus (John 18:15–16).

As for why he was mentioned here in Matthew’s gospel? The most likely reason is that Matthew knew him, and in that paternal society, it was simply natural to mention his name when talking about his sons.

Sources:

WWB 444–445

“Who was Zebedee, and why was it important that he be mentioned in Matthew 4?” is reprinted from Bible-Smart: Matthew © 2023 Nappaland Communications Inc. Published Tyndale House Publishers/Rose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

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