The Secret Codes in Matthew: Examining Israel’s Messiah, Part 7: Matthew 8 – 11:5, by Kevin M. Williams

From Pneuma Review Fall 2002

Some scholars believe that when Yeshua (Jesus) and his disciples were walking the earth, messianic expectations were extremely high. There were those Hebrew scholars of the day who were well acquainted with Daniel chapter nine, and according to the “weeks” and “sevens,” they knew the Messiah’s arrival was imminent. As a result there were many people calling themselves “the messiah.” We see a glimpse of this in the book of Acts, when the famous Torah scholar Gamliel (as it is pronounced in the synagogue) speaks:

But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” And they took his advice (Acts 5:34-40).

Indeed, from the days before Yeshua, up until the Roman urban renewal program of 135 CE when the city of Jerusalem was plowed under, “messiahs” popped up on a fairly regular basis.

If you were alive in those days and “yet another” messiah candidate appeared, like yesterday’s bad meatloaf, what would it take to set him apart and capture your attention? Even today we have rumors of this prophet or that prophet, this healer or that healer, this move of the Holy Spirit and that move of the Holy Spirit. It is difficult to not become jaded, particularly when frauds are so often exposed.

There were certain telltale signs for which the religious community of Yeshua’s day were looking. We find them encapsulated in a message Yeshua sends to his cousin John.

“Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 7:22).

These elements, along with a superlative ability to elucidate the Torah, would mark the “one” as the Messiah. What made Yeshua’s ministry stand out among the crowd? He fulfilled their expectations and He fulfilled what the prophets had promised. This makes him such a likely candidate that the Pharisees begin to tail Him, watching His actions and questioning His motives. Yeshua certainly was the most likely candidate they had seen yet.

In part six we saw how Yeshua was not only able to explain the Torah, but to put it into a deeply spiritual application exceeding “mere works.” In this part, we will see if He was able to meet the other items on their “wish list.”

To fulfill these expectations meant one thing—the very purpose of Matthew’s gospel—Yeshua was the long awaited Messiah! Yet when we began this study in Matthew we discussed the p’shat (literal), remetz (deeper) and sod (spiritual) means of Scripture interpretation. Those same means can be applied here, and with some potentially profound revelations.

And when He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them” (Matthew 8:1-4).

In the literal or p’shat, we can see that one of the items among the expectations was for a leper to be—not healed—but cleansed. In the deeper or remetz level, we see that Yeshua did the forbidden—he touched someone unclean.

As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, “Unclean! Unclean!” He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp (Leviticus 13:45-46).

The Messiah—the perfect keeper of the Torah—would never (according to contemporary theological thought) touch someone unclean. If the Pharisees and Scribes were out to lynch Yeshua, to bring Him up on charges, this was an opportunity handed to them on a silver platter. At the very least, they could have had him exiled outside the camp for a while.

Something remarkable happens however. The evidence is gone! We read that “immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” To charge Yeshua with contamination would require evidence and witnesses. There was no evidence, and as for the witnesses—they were telling a messianic story!¹

As for the sod, or deeply spiritual interpretation, we shall examine that toward the end of the study.

Yeshua seemed to have a penchant for dealing with the unclean. In verses 5-13, Yeshua deals with a gentile Centurion (unclean). In versus 16-17 he commands the unclean spirits (likewise in versus 28-34, 9:32-34). In every case, the unclean gives way to the fount of purity.

By the time we reach versus 23-27, we have a short departure. Yeshua leaves His command of leprosy, disease, and unclean spirits and takes on the very elements themselves.

And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep. And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” And He said to them, “Why are you timid, you men of little faith?” Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:24-27).

“What kind of man” indeed? They had witnessed miracles so far, but this? Yet we find this God-like characteristic in Psalm 107:24-30, “They have seen the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep … Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet.”

“What kind of man?” “They have seen the works of the Lord!”

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But what of our expectations? What about the list? In chapter nine, we resume our checklist as Yeshua heals the lame.

And behold, they were bringing to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Take courage, My son, your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, and walk’? “But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic—“Rise, take up your bed, and go home.” And he rose, and went home. But when the multitudes saw this, they were filled with awe, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men. (Matthew 9:2-8).

The literal application of this verse is quite clear. The remetz, however, seems to be the concern of the Scribes (remember, they were not on the boat when Yeshua calmed the storm). Again, this was a golden opportunity to bring Yeshua up on charges of blasphemy and have him cut-off. But Yeshua was not yet ready to fulfill that part of his mission. He calmly—but shrewdly—addresses their concerns.

In His day, the term “son of man” was both common and divine. It could as easily mean an average Joe or it could mean “the Messiah.” Yeshua was, in a very cunning fashion, leaving that decision up to them. The evidence, if you will, said He was the Messiah, and the multitudes agreed. Apparently the Scribes decided that that was not the time to challenge that perception. Regardless, they did not have enough of a case to bring Him to trial.

By now, Yeshua was likely creating quite a stir. His next move, to call the tax collector Matthew into His fold baffled the religious leaders as well. In Matthew 9:11 we read, “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?’” Our modern view is to think that the Pharisees were already challenging Yeshua. I propose that they were simply trying to figure out His theology.

In verse 14 we read, “Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’” yet no one accuses them of being judgmental or accusatory. Asking questions is how Jewish people then—and now—learn. It is how they sort out ideas and sift for the truth. In these early chapters, no one was yet challenging Yeshua’s claims because so far—He has made no direct claims.

And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.” But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And at once the woman was made well (Matthew 9:20-22).

Again, Yeshua should have been proclaimed unclean. According to the custom, He had been contaminated—and by a woman no less! Yet as before, the evidence evaporates. Under the laws of contamination, He should have been forbidden to go to the ruler of the synagogue’s house, he should have been leaving the city! But His manifest purity overcame and translated the woman’s impurity.

Behold, there came a synagogue official, and bowed down before Him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” And when Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, He began to say, “Depart; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been put out, He entered and took her by the hand; and the girl arose. And this news went out into all that land (Matthew 9:18, 24-26).

Yeshua once again should have known better. Touching a corpse is forbidden (Numbers 9:11)! The High Priest of Israel especially should not touch a dead body. Yet from the p’shat to the remetz, the evidence was gone. There was no dead body. There was no breaking of God’s sacred Torah. And the witnesses?—they took the news “out into all that land.”

Our check list is getting smaller.

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Be it done to you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See here, let no one know about this!” But they went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land. (Matthew 9:28-31).

The only item left on our list is deafness. Matthew’s gospel does not confirm this for us as you might expect. However we do read, “And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness” (Matthew 9:35), which may well have included deafness.

Regardless, Mark’s gospel specifically fills in the missing piece:

And they brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they entreated Him to lay His hand upon him. And He took him aside from the multitude by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. And they were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak” (Mark 7:32-37).

“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 7:22). We have not only checked off our list, we have found Yeshua doing much more, exceeding expectations.

This may be a difficult statement to agree with, but these miracles in and of themselves were not all that remarkable. The Old Testament is littered with such examples: of sicknesses being healed, of the dead being raised to life, of people’s hearts being turned toward God. While we can say what Yeshua did was exemplary—supernatural even—and clear proof of his messiahship, Israel’s history was filled with supernatural events and exemplary men and women. None of them were the Messiah.

In John 5:2-4 we read “Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.” The inspired writer does not speculate, but implies that these miracles were commonplace. In fact, the afflictions from which they were cured were many of the same maladies on our Messianic expectations list.

So what made Yeshua so special? What set His mission above all the others? What placed His authority above that of Moses, of Elijah, or of David? We will soon answer that.

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Before we consider the singularly unique quality of Yeshua and His work—let us take a look at “compassion.” In Matthew 9:36 we read, “And seeing the multitudes, He [Yeshua] felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd” (brackets mine).

This is the first time we find Yeshua moved “with compassion.” We shall read the same concept five more times in this gospel, and several more times in the other gospel accounts. This is editorializing on this author’s part, but it has been my observation that the majority of the church today is wholly without compassion.

Harsh? Maybe. But consider for a moment. The American church has a tendency to see a problem and then throw money at it. Are people moved with compassion to give? Potentially, but it appears that guilt and/or peer pressure may have more to do with their response at the offering plate. Once the money is given, their duty is fulfilled.

Or consider the feeble woman in your congregation. The one who shows up at every prayer meeting asking for the same prayers she has been asking for over the last decade or so. We pray, we do our duty, and then we move on to what we hope will be more “fruitful” prayers. Is that the compassion of Yeshua?

What about the couple whose marriage is teetering on the edge of divorce? Isn’t it too easy to take sides and substitute that for compassion?

Maybe the pastor who is drowning with too much responsibility, and yet is expected to carry on. Where is the messianic example of compassion in that?

There are many models and methods on the bookshelves these days from people who seem to have all the answers when it comes to prayer and a fruitful life in the kingdom of God. Yet I say that if we have no compassion, if we have fallen guilty of rote, mundane antipathy for our fellow men and women both inside and outside the faith, masked in an ambiance of pious prayer, then we are looking in at the kingdom, and not from within its gates. The most powerful and effective prayers of my life have been when I have been moved with compassion, or have asked God to allow me to see the other person with His compassion.

The unbelieving world has no defense against compassion. It has no argument and it has no shield. Hard hearts crumble before godly, genuine compassion. It is one of the awesome characteristics of God as described in the Old Testament, the God in whose image we were formed. If we have no compassion, then we have grown cold and abused the heart of God.

Harsh words? Maybe. But if only one person is moved to consider his fellow man with the compassionate heart of God, then it is worth writing.

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What was so unique about Yeshua’s ministry that men and women might truly believe that He was the Messiah of Israel and the world? Here is where we examine the sod, or deeply spiritual interpretation of these passages. The Temple moved from a bricks and mortar structure on Mount Zion and began moving across the country and ultimately, the world.

And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness . . . These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “ . . . Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10: 1-8).

First, He was proving to the Israelites, and ultimately the world at large, that a person no longer had to travel all the way to Jerusalem to find purity, healing, or freedom from unclean spirits. One no longer had to conquer vast distances to draw near to God and to confirm repentance. Suddenly, in a single command, the power of the Temple and the priesthood—the power of the Messiah—had feet to take what Jerusalem, the Temple, and the priesthood represented to the people, to the masses.

This was unique. Certainly other “messiahs” had followers, and it was somewhat routine to send them out on “missionary journeys.” But the fruits of this expedition were unique. The miracles were being multiplied and even the disciples were amazed at what was being accomplished through them:

And the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20).

The uniqueness of Yeshua’s ministry was that it was not limited to one man, one leader, or one priest. His ministry was contagious. Previously, the unclean “things” were predominant, making other things unclean. Now, through the sending out of the disciples, purity was spreading over the land in a unprecedented and magnetic way. The Kingdom of God was at hand.

Secondly, this new mobile temple did not require a unique tribe. It was comprised of fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and other people like you and like me. It only required that they be disciples of the Messiah Yeshua.

This had never been done before! Certainly Moses had met with the 70 elders of Israel and they had prophesied, but nothing on this scale, nothing with this potential impact had ever been attempted—let alone been successful!

Yeshua instructs His disciples, “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff.” (Matthew 10:9-10). Compare this with the words of the Mishnah regarding approaching the Temple, “When going up to the Temple Mount, do not take gold, silver, copper, bag, tunic, staff or sandals” (Mishnah Barkkot 9:5). The similarities are difficult to dispel as mere coincidence. The temple, with all of its Old Testament spirituality, was going to be on the move—“to the ends of the earth.”

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Ultimately, we come back around to where we began. We opened with Luke 7:22. We end on the same note in Matthew 11:1-5:

Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples, and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

Here is what Dr. David Stern says in the Jewish New Testament Commentary (p.42, parenthesis mine):

Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist), apparently discouraged by being put in prison after having announced Yeshua as the Messiah, asks, “Are you the one who is to come?”—the one who will put an end to political oppression and get me out of jail? The question is in code, for the phrase, “the one who is to come,” would be clear only to those acquainted with Yochanan’s teaching. Had they asked, “Are you the Messiah?” it would have been more difficult for Yeshua to send an answer to Yochanan without revealing his identity, which he was not yet wanting to do.

We already know that the Pharisees and Scribes are following and examining Yeshua—His theology and His ministry. If John’s messenger had bluntly asked, “Are you the Messiah?” Yeshua’s answer may have gotten Him prematurely jailed. As it was, we had a “code,” one of the secret codes of the gospel of Matthew we have been examining.

We also see that at this time, the will of the Father was not to overthrow the yoke of political oppression, but something of a personal nature, changing the hearts and souls of men. Yeshua’s answer was not the politically correct one, but it was the biblically correct answer for His first coming. “Report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

Yeshua’s answer is also in code. He refers to the prophecies in the book of Isaiah of six signs which the Messiah will give when he comes: he will make the blind see (Is. 29:18, 35:5), make the lame walk (Is. 35:6, 61:1), cleanse lepers (Is. 61:1), make the deaf hear (Is. 20:18, 35:5), raise the dead (implied in is 11:1-2 but not made specific), and evangelize the poor (Is. 61:1-2). Since he has done all these things (Chapters 8-9), the message should be clear: Yeshua is the one, Yochanan need not look for another.²

Men are empire builders and perhaps it seems natural to us that the Messiah would be an empire builder as well. But for Yeshua, who already had the cattle on a thousand hills, through whom the entire creation came into being, He had the confidence of one who already owned it all. He was not concerned with the yoke of oppression of Rome, but of the yoke of tyranny of sin and the curse of death. His answer may not have delighted John—or us if we had been there—but it was the right answer nonetheless.

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In the next issue, Part Eight, we shall examine chapters 11-12 seeing that Yeshua’s covert message, that He is the Messiah will be continued, along with an examination of what some consider to be some very strong, anti-Semitic comments. Was Yeshua an anti-Semite?

Bibliography

Jewish New Testament Commentary, by David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, Israel, 1992.

All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.

Endnotes
¹ In the previous section, we discussed Yeshua’s relationship to the Torah. If He had, in fact come to annul the Law, this was a great opportunity to make that message clear. Instead, He carefully reminds the man previously known as a leper to “but go, show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded.”
² Jewish New Testament Commentary, by David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Publications, Jerusalem, Israel, 1992, p. 42.