Matthew chapter 14

Such Compassion!

Verses 1 - 12 of Matthew 14 give an account of the execution of John the Baptist as ordered by Herod. He was beheaded on request of Herod's niece/stepdaughter.

Upon hearing this Jesus reacts in a fairly normal way, "he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." Jesus understandably wanted to be alone to deal with the grief of losing a cousin. However a crowd gathers where they heard Jesus was, and here is the amazing bit.
My reaction at seeing a crowd all wanting someting from me after a death in the family:
"This is not the time, get lost! Can't you see I just want to be alone?"
Jesus' reaction at seeing a crowd all wanting someting from Him after a death in the family:
"...he had compassion on them and healed their sick."
Jesus layed aside His own personal grief to be a comfort to the crowds and to heal them of their pains and illness.
later, when an opportunity came to send the crowd away, Jesus had no food and it was time for the evening meal, again He reacted in an unusual way.
"They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat...And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people." He performed one of His most famous miracles and fed the crowd. Again showing compassion, in spite of His desire to be alone. Only after healing the crowd, and them feeding them does Jesus send them away, their needs taken care of first, and then He can be alone to pray and grieve.
This is an important lesson for Christians. Sometimes to do His will we will have to put aside our own pain and be strong and compassionate for another, even though their needs may be less severe than our own. Jesus postponed grieving for his cousin, to give some people who were hungry a meal. His need was far greater but he met theirs first. An excellent example of 'laying down ones life' for another.

Next comes Peter's walk on the water. Jesus has spent almost the entire night alone and in prayer, after sending the crowd home after the evening meal it is now '4th watch' between 3 and 6 am. This is a story which is often linked to our need to focus solely on Jesus and not our circumstances. It is only when Peter takes his eyes from Jesus and thinks about the wind and the waves that he begins to sink. Jesus is dissapointed saying "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" In spite of Jesus' dissapointment though, Peter has demonstrated much more faith than the others in the boat, he was the only one to step out. This should encourage us that even though our faith may fail at times, Jesus is never changing and next time our faith is placed in Him, we are still able to accomplish all things through Him. It is when our faith dwindles that we fail, not because Jesus lacks in any way, for he does not.

This chapter ends with another example of healing being found in His wings. "People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed." A fulfillment of Malachi 4:2.

Matthew chapter 13

In this chapter Jesus begins to speak in parables. This is to fulfill yet another prophesy from Isaiah, that His listeners would "Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." (Isaiah:6:9-10) The end of this passage suggests that since Jesus is just, then it follows that anyone who will see the Truth with their eyes, hear the Truth with their ears and Believe the Truth with their hearts they would be saved. Regardless of being one of the Elect or not. So Jesus avoids this by speaking in a way which cannot be understood except by an extra insight given only through His spirit. Jesus deliberately speaks in a way that only some will understand. The disciples asking Jesus for an explanation, and Him giving one to them should encourage us. If at times we do not understand the scriptures, asking Him to reveal their meaning will surly get a response from Him. This is not to ignore the literal significance of scripture but demonstrates that His Word is also spiritual in nature. Verses34-35 make note that the fulfillment of another messianic prophesy has occurred, this time from Psalm 78:2.

We have the advantage of having 2 of the Kingdom parables explained by Jesus to the disciples, so I will not address them, how could I explain anything better than Jesus?

Matthew 13:1-23 gives us the Parable of the Sower and its explanation.
Matthew 13:24-30 is that Parable of the Weeds which is explained in verses 36-43.

There are 6 other parables in this chapter, of which 5 are also Kingdom parables. We have Parables about a Mustard Seed, Yeast, Hidden Treasure, A Pearl, and a Net. The final parable in this chapter is in reference to the people who have understood Jesus' teachings through the parables.

1. The Mustard Seed:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
One of the most common interpretations of this parable is that the Word of God will start small, and grow until it spreads all over the earth. But there is more to this parable than that. The yellow mustard plant in Israel is only a small plant only about 60-80cm tall (about 2ft), but this one will become a tree, indicating that the Church will grow larger than expected. It should also be noted that the symbols in these parables are linked and consistant. The 'birds' which come and perch here also represent the 'evil one' Satan which appeared in the Parable of the Sower.

2. The Woman and the Yeast or Leaven:
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (NIV)
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." (KJV)
The "Three Measures of Meal" is a symbol of fellowship and hospitality. It comes from the meal Sarah prepared for the Lord and 2 Angels who visited Abraham in Genesis 18. Yeast or Leaven in the Old and New Testaments is always a type for sin. "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) There are many times when the Lord commands the eating of Unleavened bread for a time. The Passover, (which celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt and was the mean celebrated at 'the last supper') is also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Thus putting Yeast / Leaven into a sacred meal the 'three measures' of meal speaks of corruption enetring. So this parable could either speak of the corruption of false doctorine entering the church, or the church 'infiltrating' and changing the world as dramatically as yeast changes bread.

3. The Hidden Treasure:
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
Probably the central character of this parable is a peasant working a wealthy landowner's field who when plowing turns up a chest full of precious gems or coins. Once he buys the field, the field's contents legally belongs to him, allowing him to later 'rediscover' the treasure. Most buried treasure stories emphasized the finder's extravagant lifestyle afterward or some compromise between the field's seller and buyer. Jesus however, emphasises the price the man is willing to pay to invest in this treasure far greater than any he already owns. Although this treasure, like the kingdom, is hidden to most of the world, not only does the man recognize that its value outweighs all he has, but he acts accordingly. He sacrifices everything he had in order to gain the treasure hidden in the field.

4. The Pearl of Great Price:
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."
This is very similar to the Parable of the Hidden Treasure with two major differences.
1. The Merchant was seeking the pearl.
2. Oysters are not Kosher! According to Deuteronomy 14:9-10, to be kosher (considered clean), a fish must have both fins and scales. The lack of either characteristic renders that species of fish unclean. Examples of unkosher fish include shark, catfish, eels and all shellfish. Since Oysters are considered unKosher, pearls are also unkosher. This is most likely a reference that the Church is not to be restricted to Jewish people and will / does include Gentiles.
The use of a Pearl is also significant because it is the only jewel that is a responce to an irritation, grows by accumilation, and is removed to become an object of adrnment. A great analogy of the Church. Christianity is a responce to Christ's death, grows by new souls being won, and will be removed in the rapture where we wil recieve our place of glory alongside Him.
(I'll get to 'rapture' stuff when I get into Revelation)

5. The Dragnet:
Of the different species of fish found in the Lake of Galilee, many were not kosher or inedible, and the net would not discriminate in its catch. Until the final day, Jesus will continue eating with sinners to seek and save the lost. This parable is probably in reference both to the world in general and to the church. The same line between righteous and wicked will ultimately divide all, including those who falsly call themselves Christians.

The final parable of this chapter is that "every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." True teachers of the kingdom display the kingdom's treasure for all to see. If Jesus' disciples have truly understood his teaching, then they are prepared to teach others the value of the kingdom. Jesus expects his disciples to build both on the biblical teachings that had come before him and on his gospel of the kingdom. Because these disciples understand, they prove that they are the good soil, those who pressed in close enough to Jesus to know him. This parable stresses that the Bible as a whole is important, not just the teachings of Jesus. Even though the teachings of Jesus are the new (and probably more valuable) treasures. Jesus is only our saviour because He is also the Messiah. In order to fully appriciate Him as the Messiah one has to also understand the Old Testament.

This chapter ends with Jesus saying that "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor", and refusing to do many miracles in his home town because the people had little faith in Him or His teaching. A warning that He will not act, to heal or teach or even offer salvation, in the absence of our Faith.

Matthew chapter 12

Well I have been distraceted of late.
Back on task.....


Matthew chapter 12 is broken into 5 sections.
Firstly Jesus addresses the Sabbath and heals a man's crippled hand.
These Pharisees provide a good example if someone wants to hold the letter of the law, but misses the law's intention. Moses explicitly forbade work on the sabbath, and gleaning from another's field could certainly be regarded as work, as a form of "reaping". Some Pharisees even forbade so much as scooping up drinking water in a container.
However, even the Pharisees could disagree among themselves on some details of sabbath law, while the law forbade preparing food on the sabbath , it certainly did not forbid eating it, and Jewish tradition prohibited fasting on the sabbath.
Jewish teachers disagreed among themselves to what extent doctors might work on the sabbath if life was not in danger. But Jesus acted as a man of prayer, not a doctor, and this time he does not even lay hands on the man, which some might have considered work. Instead he simply orders the man to stretch forth his hand, an act that was not considered work; God alone performs "work" in this scene.
Here Jesus is not a lawbreaker. Rather, that the Pharisees wish to kill him by the end of this chapter, indicates their own unfaithfulness to the law.

Next we have Jesus withdrawing from the Pharisees, healing more sick people and asking them not to tell who he was which fulfilled yet another Messianic prophesey. This time from Isaiah 42:1-4.

Thirdly Jesus is again referenced to be th Messiah or "Son of David" and in responce the Pharisees accused him of working with the power of Satan. To this he responds that "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." Jesus then says that "if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." to which He follows with an analogy of binding a strong man before one can steal his possetions. Then Jesus makes a very interesting statement. "every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." This alludes to an unforgivable sin.
Well what is this unforgivable "blasphemy against the Spirit"?
Jewish teachers acknowledged that deliberate sin against God's law, such as deliberate blasphemy against God, was normally unforgivable. Even such a sin as Peter's denial of Jesus clearly does not count in the unforgivable category. The context of blaspheming against the Spirit here refers specifically to the sin of the Pharisees, who are on the verge of becoming incapable of repentance. The sign of their hardness of heart is their determination to reject any proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah, so much so that they even attribute God's ministry though Jesus to the devil. It is easy to read about the "unforgivable sin" and then fear that one may have committed it. This is why context is always so important: the sin is unforgivable only because it reflects a heart too hard to repent. Those who desire to repent, troubled by the fear that they may have committed this sin, therfore have not the hardness of heart to have committed it!

Some Pharisees then ask for a sign to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. But because God has already provided the world with sufficient evidence (Romans 1:20), he has the right to expect faith from those who have heard the truth. It is important to be ready to respond to people's objections to the faith, but sometimes we must also point out where the challengers ignore evidence already available to them. Jesus had already been providing signs, miraculous healings and exorcisms, and has even raised a girl from the dead, the Phaisees however are to intent on discrediting Jesus that they don't see these signs for what they truly are. This may remind us of Pharaoh's challenge to Moses for a sign.
Jesus explains that the world needs no greater sign that he is from God than his own message. What He then promises however is the ultimate sign, that "as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." A direct reference to His future victory of His Death and Ressurection.

Matthew 12:46-50 has Jesus saying that His disciples were His brothers and mother. This is not to disrespect His natural family but rather to demonstrate that his spiritual family is even more important than blood relatives. Family ties were paramount, yet Jesus followed the practice he had demanded of others. That the kingdom of God comes first. Obedience to God's will is what makes one Jesus' true brother, sister or mother. When we acknowledge God as our Father, his family becomes our family, and our ralationship to him as Father must become more important than any other.
From this we learn two things.
1. The importance of obeying and honouring God.
2. The futility of depending on anything other than Jesus to provide atonement and forgiveness of sin.

Only Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life, there is no other.

Green Beer.

March 17th is the international day of Green Beer. Also known as St. Patricks day.

Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ.
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity and the Gospel of Christ to Ireland.
Saint Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols and unclean things had become the people of God."
Legend tells that Saint Patrick drove all the 'snakes' from Ireland. While it is true there are no snakes in Ireland, it is also likely that there never has been. As in many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common and often worshipped. 'Driving the snakes' from Ireland was probably symbolic of spreading the Gospel of Christ which putt an end to that pagan practice.
St Patrick was not actually the first missionary to bring Christianity to Ireland, but he is said to have encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. The story holds that he converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the "Holy Wells" that still bear this name.

While St. Patrick's Day is officially in memory of him, today it is more often a celebration of all things Irish.

With that, my favourite kind of Irish. A few Irish Jokes.

Young man Murphy applied for an engineering position at an Irish firm based in Dublin. An American applied for the same job and both applicants having the same qualifications were asked to take a test by the Department manager.
Upon completion of the test both men only missed one of the questions. The manager went to Murphy and said, "Thank you for your interest, but we've decided to give the American the job."
Murphy: "And why would you be doing that? We both got 9 questions correct. This being Ireland and me being Irish I should get the job!"
Manager: "We have made our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you missed."
Murphy: "And just how would one incorrect answer be better than the other?"
Manager: "Simple. The American put down on question # 5, 'I don't know.' You put down 'Neither do I.'"


An Irish priest is driving down to his local parish when he gets stopped for speeding. The police officer smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?" "Just water," says the priest. The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine? The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"

The Feast of Purim - Celebrating Esther.

This week Jewish communities throughout the world will observe the feast of Purim, the story behind the ancient celebration can be found in the book of Esther. Esther is an obscure book to many, even though it is a story of romance and palace intrigue set in the glory days of the Persian Empire.
There is no mention of the name of God in the book. There is no reference to worship or faith. There is no mention or prediction of the Messiah; no mention of heaven or hell; there is nothing "religious" about it.
Yet, even the works of Shakespeare's dramatic genius cannot compare with the drama and irony found within the pages of Esther.
A Jewish maiden, elevated to the throne of Persia as its queen, is used by God to preserve His people against a Holocaust-like genocide. To this day, the Feast of Purim is held to commemorate these events. Instituted by Mordecai to celebrate the deliverance of the Jews from extermination, Purim (from Akkadian, puru, "lots") is so called after the lots cast by Haman in order to determine the month in which the slaughter was to take place. Held on the fourteenth day of the Jewish month of Adar (this year March 14 but changes dates in either March or April), Purim is one of the most joyous days of the year.
The book of Esther chronicles real historical events. It deals with the Jews escape from genocidal annihilation after their return from Babylonian captivity. Chronologically, Esther makes possible Nehemiah. It was Esther's marriage to the king of Persia that ultimately leads to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and enables the chain of events that led to the appearance of the Messiah five centuries later.
Orphaned as a child and brought up by her cousin Mordecai, Esther was selected by King Xerxes to replace the queen when Vashti was disgraced. Haman, the prime minister, persuaded Xerxes to issue an edict of extermination of all the Jews in the Persian Empire. Esther, on Mordecai's advice, endangered her own life by appearing before the king-without being invited - in order to intercede for her people.
Seeing that the king was well disposed toward her, she invited him and Haman to a private banquet, during which she did not reveal her desire but invited them to yet another banquet, thus misleading Haman by making him think that he was in the queen's good graces. Her real intention was to take revenge on him. During a second banquet, Queen Esther revealed her Jewish origin to the king, begged for her life and the life of her people, and named Haman as her enemy.
Angry with Haman, King Xerxes retreated into the palace garden. Haman, in great fear, remained to plead for his life from the Queen. While imploring, Haman fell on Esther's couch and was found in this ostensibly compromising situation upon the king's return. He was immediately condemned to be hung on the very gallows which he had previously prepared for Mordecai. Xerxes complied with Esther's request, and the edict of destruction was then changed into permission for the Jews to avenge themselves on their enemies.

It is also interesting to note that Haman, the villain in the Book of Esther, is described as the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, indicating his descent from Agag, king of Amalek. Meaning Haman was an Amalekite.
Now why is this of interst?
Back in 1 Samuel 15:2-3 God commands the Israelites to "...attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants..." But saul did not complete the task. That is why God tore the Kingdom out of Saul's hands and gave it to David.
(1 Samuel 28:16-18). Not only did Saul lose his right to be King over Israel, but also if he had followed God's instructions and wiped out the Amalekites, then Haman would not have been born and Esther would not have been needed.
Can you notice a pattern?
Through the sin of one - Saul - the threat of death came to many. But through the obedience of one - Esther - God's people were saved.
Through the sin of one - Adam - sin etenered the world, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all. But through the obedience, grace and sacrifice of one - Jesus Christ - God's people are saved.

Twice mine.

A young boy once built a small sailboat. He spent weeks carefully carving the hull, tying the rigging, sewing the sails and the painting it all. Once complete this sailboat was the best sailboat the little boy had ever seen, it was beautiful, it was his.
Every day after school the young boy would take the sailboat down to the creek and sail it for until the sun went down. One day however, after some rain, the current was much stronger that usual and the young boy could not keep up with his sailboat and it got lost.
Every day after that the young boy would walk down the creek hopeing to find his lost sailboat. After a few weeks the young boy had walked further than he had ever gone and around a bend in the creek he came to a small swimming hole with a small sailboat in the centre. It was scatched and the sail was a little torn, but it was his sailboat, found at last.
Just as he was about to reach for his sailboat another boy appeared and shouted "Get away from that. It's mine!"
"But it isn't yours, it's mine. I made it."
"I found it so it's mine!" cried the second boy.
"Let me buy it back then?" pleaded the maker of the little sailboat.
"How much do you have?"
"Promise to come back here tomorrow, and I'll show you." With that the young boy ran home as fast as he could.
He gathered all his toys, his comics, and marbles, his soccerball and boots, even his most prized pocket knife and bundled them all into a backpack.
When the next afternoon came around the young boy took up his backpack of treasures and ran of to the small swimming hole. There waiting was his sailboat, in the hand of the other boy.
The young boy put his backpack on the ground and opened it, allowing the other boy to see all that was inside. The other boys eyes lit up for a moment and then a very serious look came over his face.
"How much of that can I have for the sailboat?" he asked.
"I will give you everything." was the young boy's reply.
The deal was done.
The boy took his boat started home and said,"Little boat, I love you even more now. You are twice mine. Once because I made you, but then you were lost to me, and now I have bought you."

This is a picture of what Christ has done for us. As our Creator, He made us and owned us, but by our rebellion we we lost to Him because of our sin. It took Jesus' death—an unbelievable price—to buy us back. Thus, those who are His children are twice owned.
We do not belong to ourselves; we have been bought with a price. That price was the blood of Christ. Rejoice at the willingness of Jesus to buy us back.

Matthew chapter 11

Jesus talking about John.
Verses 1-18 have John the Baptist doubting that Jesus is really the Messiah and Jesus' response to him. At this stage John is in prison and sent his disciples to ask Jesus "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Back in the desert, John had preached that the Jesus was the Messiah and that He would would baptize in the Spirit and fire, casting the wicked into a furnace of fire. John doubted because he expected, like most Jews, a different kind of Messiah. Jesus was not the political or military power that was expected and John's questions arose when he heard of Jesus' deeds, which were not those of a conqueroring warrior, but those of a humble servant. Thus when John asks if he and his disciples should look for someone else, this Greek expression is in an emphatic position and the specific term emphasizes "another of a different kind". John's expectations about the Messiah's future role were right; Jesus would baptize in fire, judging the world with justice and freeing the captives. But John did not understand that Jesus had another mission to complete before the coming judgment, the mission of the atonement of sin.
Jesus then endorses John in front of the crowds listening to Him teach, in spite of John's doubts. "I tell you [he is] more than a prophet...I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." When Jesus announces this, he is exalting the disciples, not minimizing John, JEsus already established that John was "more than a prophet"; he uses John for the comparison precisely because he is so significant in God's plan.

Tyre, Sidon and Sodom.
Jesus rebukes the cities of Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum because the people there did not repent when he travelled through them teaching and performing miracles. Jesus says that if Tyre, Sidon or even Sodom had seen such miracles even they would have repented from their wickedness. Jesus goes on to say that "it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you...it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." We know from Genesis19:1-29 that God utterly destroyed Sodom for its wickedness but what about Trye and Sidon? The Jews knew that the people of Sidon and Tyre were wicked and practiced idolitary and worshiped false gods. Jezebel, a princess from Tyre who became a consort of King Ahab and introduced to Israel, the worship of her gods.

Tyre and Sidon 101:
Tyre and Sidon were both cities founded by the Phonecians. The Phonecians were sea going merchants who had founded many powerful cities all around the Mediteranian, the most powerful of which was Carthage in northern Africa. The Phonecians lived in the promised land of Canan before the Israelites were given it by God and the people of the region called themselves the Canaani or Kenaani, the name Phoenicia became common thanks to the Greeks who called them the Phoiniki in reference to a particular Purple dye produced from secretions from the Spiny Dye-Murex, a marine snail. Sidon was older than Tyre and Tyre was actually a city founded by the people of Sidon, Isaiah refers to Tyre as the "Virgin Daughter of Sidon".
Isaiah 23 is prophecy about Tyre and its destruction. "For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor." This was not accomplished until Alexander the Great and his army marched in 332 BC. Alexander was giving the peopleles he conquored 2 options
1. Assimilate into his empire.
2. Be destroyed utterly.
Tyre chose option 2. Tyre consisted of two distinct parts, a rocky fortress on the shore, called "Old Tyre", and the city, built on a small, fortified rocky island about 800 metres or half-a-mile from the shore. The people fled to their island for protection, but in responce to their 'defiance' Alexander's army spent 7 months tearing down "Old Tyre" and throwing all the rubble and materials into the ocean to build a great causeway (hence Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor) out to the island fortress which he breached in a matter of days. All the people were then killed or sold into slavery and disperced, the prophesey of Tyre had been fulfilled. Tyre was later rebuilt and a Church was founded there soon after the death of Stephen and the apostle Paul spent some time there as well. So the Jews would have known about the judgment Tyre faced as well, but what about Sidon?
Sidon received its name from the first-born son of Canaan, the grandson of Noah. Genesis 9:18-29 has a curse put on the decendants of Canan by Noah to ever be the lowliest of slaves to his brothers. Hence the history of Sidon has been to never be an independant state for too long. Sidon has had many conquerors: Philistines; Assyrians; Babylonians; Egyptians; Greeks and finally Romans in the years before Jesus. On December 4, 1110 Sidon was sacked in the First Crusade. During the Crusades it was sacked several times: it was finally destroyed by the Saracens in 1249. It became the centre of the Lordship of Sidon, an important seigneury in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1260 it was again destroyed by the Mongols. The remains of the original walls are still visible.
After Sidon came under Ottoman Turkish rule in the seventeenth century, it regained a great deal of its earlier commercial importance. The Egyptians, assisted by England and France, captured and held the city in the nineteenth century. During WWI, the British took Sidon; after the war it became part of the French Protectorate, (a state protected and/or dominated by a foreign power) in the Eastern Mediterranean.
So even if we miss the references, the Jews listening to Jesus would not have. Tyre and Sidon were two cities in Canan whos people were destroyed and/or made slaves. By men instead of God, but still as part of God's judgment according to an Old Testament prophesey and a curse.

In effect, when Jesus says to the unrepentant cities "it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you...it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." He is really saying "Being unrepentant before the Day of Judgment is goibng to be far worse than being Destroyed by fire from heaven, put to the sword or sold into slavery."
Rest for the weary. (Matthew 11:25-30)
Just as Israel was wrongly secure in its status before God as above the Gentiles, so the wise and powerful failed to recognize that God favored the children, the meek. Jesus does not call the mighty or wise to follow him, but the humble laden with heavy burdens, the weary, like Israel in exile, who hope in God alone. They will find Jesus' yoke light because he is a Master who will care for them. Jesus' yoke is not lighter because he demands less, but because he bears more of the load with us. In contrast to unconcerned religious teachers who prided themselves on their own position, Jesus was going to lay down his life for the sheep.

The Brick Testament?

The other night I discovered a fairly amazing website The Brick Testament.

The goal of The Brick Testament is to give people an increased knowledge of the contents of The Bible in a way that is fun and compelling while staying very true to the original versions. To this end, all stories are retold using direct quotes from The Bible, usually from the New Jerusalem Bible Translation.

The Brick Testament is the creation of The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith. He is self titled as 'The Reverend' and not an ordained member of any earthly church, and is widely regarded as being both highly presumptuous and extremely vain. He is a self professed Atheist who is attempting to show the foolishness of Christianity through depicting certain passages from both the Old and New Testaments, which he finds foolish.

This is my dilemma.
1. The artist uses scripture, without altering it, as inspiration for his art.
2. The art is quite well done (the account of Creation and the Fall is paticularly good) and would be very useful for using as ministry tools.
3. The artist however, is motivated by discrediting the Bible as being foolish.

Would it be wrong to use his art as a ministry tool as the artist created it as an expression of distrust in the Christian Faith?

Or

Could it simply be put down to the following scriptures?
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."
- 1 Corinthians 1:25
and "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
- 1 Corinthians 2:14

When Brendan Powell Smith, being unsaved, reads the scriptures, all he sees is foolishness and absurdidty. When a Christian reads the scripture, they see the Glory of God. Although Brendan Powell Smith tries to show the foolishnes and absurdity of faith in Jesus through his art, when I looked through it, I saw the wonder and majesty of my Creator and Saviour, my Lord Jesus Christ.
















Purple Text is from the FAQ section of the Brick Testament website.

Taking up our Cross to Follow Him

Matthew 10:38-39 is all about dying to ourselves.
"...anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Here losing one's life does not have to mean physical death. There are however, many faithful Christians who are martyred, and to ignore or deny this would tarnish their ultimate sacrifice for their faith in Jesus.
"There are more Christian martyrs today than there were in 100 AD...An estimated 164 000 will be martyred in 1999." - From 'Jesus Freaks' by DC Talk and The Voice of The Martyrs

As Christians we are to lose our life for Jesus' sake, that we might find life.
What does this mean if not dying?
Just before He takes up His cross and is crucified, Jesus was on the mount of olives. "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."
Here we see that even Jesus asked God for another way. He knew the suffering He was about to endure and didn't want to go through with it. Jesus even needed an Angel to offer Him support and strength. Yet He obeyed. Jesus willingly bent to the desires of The Father, He both figuratively and litterally layed down His own life for the glory of the Father.
'Taking up our Cross' to follow Him may mean (although it is unlikely in a Western nation) to literally die for our Faith as a whitness to Him. More often though it is laying aside our own desires, being willing to 'die' to our own plans and dreams, that He might be seen through our lives and His will be done, not our own.

It should not come as a surprise that this concept of dying to oneself or defeating our own will is not confined to Christian belief.
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways."
- Buddha
"I count him braver who overcomes his desires, than him who overcomes his enemies."
- Aristotle
"You should examine yourself daily. If you find faults, you should correct them. When you find none, you should try even harder."
- Israel Zangwill
What is confined to Christianity though is the power to overcome oneself, the power of surrender for the name and sake of Jesus.

That we might find life? We must die to ourselves and die to sin so that Jesus can reign in us and that we might have eternal life with Him. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 Our own sinful nature can only earn us death, but eternal Life is not earned but given as a graceful gift from God. The Christians responce to Jesus' humble, and sacrificial, death for our sin must a humble, and sacrificial, death to our sin and indeed a death to our own desires.

Just as He layed down His life so that we might live, we must lay down our lives so the He might live in us.

Matthew chapter 10

This chapter is where Jesus sends out the twelve disciples to begin their ministries.
The number of disciples signifies a mission to Israel. In Jewish texts from Jesus' day, twelve often symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. Although Jesus had many disciples, he deliberately selected a core group of twelve, most likely to emphasise that His mission, the "...gospel...the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: [was] first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." Romans 1:16. This does not imply that ther is any preference of favour, in regards to salvation for Jews over Gentiles but rather a chronological order. Jesus came and ministered in Israel, and here He instructs His disciples to "...not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." It was not until later that He commanded the deciples and later Christians to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15.

Jesus' disciples were the leaders of the true remnant of God's people. Thus many scholars point out that the church built on this foundation of the twelve leaders of Israel's remnant represents the true heir of God's ancient promises.
Jesus was interested not only in proclaiming the kingdom but also in demonstrating it.

This Chapter is largely self explanatory so I will only focus on 3 sections.

By His authority alone.

It is easy to envy the 12 diciples. They actually got to be a part of Jesus' ministry while He was here on earth. They performed miraculous healings and exorcisms. It is vital though, that we remember that it was only because Jesus "gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." that they could do these things. It was not by any power or righteousness of their own, they were ordinary, albeit extreemly blesed, men who walked and served with Jesus and ministered in His name. It's like the statement "A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not a square" (If you are not mathematically minded, trust me, the statement is true) The disciples needed Jesus' authority to heal, but to heal, Jesus did not need the disciples. Today, any Christian has the Holy Spirit within them and thus the possibility that the Holy Spirit will use them to heal a sickness or even to exorcise a demon. We need to remember though that God wil only perform a miricle through us if it is His will, and will bring glory to Him. God is not here to make us look good, but it is the other way around.

Acknowledge Him before men.

In verses 32-33 Jesus states that "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." This is a fairly serious verse! This is the NIV but other translations have:

NASB: "...who confesses Me before men, I will also confess..."

KJV: "...confess me before men, him will I confess..."

AMP: "Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me [out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven and confess [that I am abiding in] him."

The Message:(I know it's not a real translation) "Stand up for me against world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you?"

So we have that, if a person will acknowledge / confess / acknowledge and confess / stand up for Jesus before mankind, then He too will acknowledge / confess / acknowledge and confess / stand up for that person before God in their time of judgment. The Sermon on the Mount was all about living in such a way that Jesus can be seen in a Christian, but that is not enough. This does not suggest that someone has a better chance of being Born Again if they preach to more people than someone else. This chapter is directed to Jesus' disciples, or more generally to people who are already saved. So from the Sermon on the Mount we know how to live a life reflecting one who has been saved by the blood of Christ, but now we are told that we must also share his Gospel and testify about Jesus or our deeds are worthless as a whiteness.

Life wasnt meant to be easy.

Well it was, but then sin entered the scene and things changed. Another topic for another post. Jesus compared a Christian life to the 'narrow way'. In other words, it not gonna be easy. here Jesus takes it even further and says "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Remember, to Jews honouring their parents was one of the most important of the 10 commandments. If a Christian places anything, even their own family as a higher priority than Jesus then he/she is not worthy of Jesus. This is not suggesting that placeing Jesus as our highest priority does make us worthy of Him, and salvation, but rather is a warning that even so He needs to come first in our lives. Jesus needs to be such a high priority for a Christian that he/she will even 'lose' their own life / desires and completly serve Jesus. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 Laying down one's life does not necessarily mean dying but also means putting aside one's desires and needs to serve another.

Greater love for Jesus, has no one than this; that they lay down their own life, and put aside their own desires to serve and live for Him.

Why touch the hem of His cloak?

Why would the woman from Matthew 9:20-22 have touched the edge or hem Jesus' cloak for healing? Why not His sandal, or hand, or head, or...

The answer comes from a better understanding of what Jesus would actually have been wearing, and from Malachi 4.

The tallith or tallet(h), also called talles, is a prayer shawl "cloak" that is worn during the morning Jewish services (the Shacharit prayers) in Judaism. It has special twined and knotted "fringes" known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. The tzitzit is sometimes also referred to as the arba kanfot, meaning the ‘four wings’ .

Now let us look at Malachi 4:1-3 :
"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness [Messiah] will rise with healing in its [His] wings [tzitzit]. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty."

She touched His hem to fulfill this Messianic prophesey! She probably did not know that Jesus was the Messiah at the time and was acting upon some supposed 'magical' healing property she thought existed in His robe. If however she did know Jesus was the messiah and acted upon this prophesey deliberately then that is even more womderful.

Matthew chapter 9

Jesus arrives back in His home city, Capernaum (Matthew 4:13). If anyone had lived in the same town for a twelvemonth he acquired citizenship and might speak of 'his own' town. This chapter shows how opposition to Jesus begins to grow. He is accused of blasphemy, questioned about lack of respect in the observation of fasting, and of working in the power of the devil.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic - Matthew 9:1-8
Thanks to his friends the paralytic has been able to come to Jesus. The man's partial or total paralysis was the reason for him to be carried as he lay on a bed. The paralytic was not alone in his faith; his friends who brought him believed Jesus could heal him too, otherwise they would not have carried him all that way just to be dissapointed about not being healed. Thus this account teaches us about intercession: we may pray for others, not merely for ourselves. Jesus responded to his most vital need first. They most likely had heard about Jesus' healings thus far and came for physical healing, but Jesus first said "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." Jesus' unique authority on earth to forgive sins sets him apart from other people, a claim that disturbed the teachers of the law, who wrongly supposed that speaking for God was their own role. The religous leaders might pronounce sins forgiven once clear atonement was made, but no atonement was made here. Which is why they said "This fellow is blaspheming!".
Jesus sets the teachers of the law a challenge here. He askes them "Which is easier: to say,'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? Because healing as opposed to forgiveness is verifiable, the teachers of the law would probably conclude that it is easier to say "Your sins are forgiven", as such a claim can't be disprooved while a failed healing is obviously realised. "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home." By performing a sign that is empirically verifiable, however, Jesus demonstrates that he is following the will of the Father and therefore has authority to forgive sins. The reasoning runs something like a traditional Jewish qal wahomer ("how much more") argument: if God would authorize Jesus to visibly heal the effects of humanity's fallenness, would he not send him to heal that fallenness itself?

The Calling of Matthew - Matthew 9:9-13
This is a beautiful scene where Jesus is walking by a tax collector's booth, where Matthew is the tax collector, and simply says "Follow me" to which Matthew responds by simply dropping what he doing and got up and followed Christ from that day onwards. Mark and Luke call him 'Levi', which may have been his birth name, in which case Matthew would be the name Jesus gave him, as he had given Simon the name Peter. The name Matthew actually means 'God's gift'. A Tax collector, one of the lowliest professions of the time, given the chance to be an apostle of Jesus and from then on is called 'God's gift'. This scene has the Pharisees confronting Jesus again. They thought themselves righteous and thus better than the tax collectors or 'sinners' (probably thieves, prostitutes or criminals) who Jesus was dining with, questioning Jesus' own integrity if he would even associate with such people. In the eyes of these Pharisees, eating with sinners connoted approval of them; by contrast, a pious person normally preferred to eat with scholars.
Jesus responds to them by saying "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' [Hosea 6:6] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Here Jesus deliberatly only mentions the first half of the verse from Hosea. He does this because Hosea 6:6 ends with "...and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Jesus' statement goes with Hosea perfectly. No acts of the righteous person, including everything up to burnt offerings, are sufficent. no one can follow the law and make themself righteous. Jesus came to call those who view themselves as 'sinners' and as such know they need God ,rather than a code of practice, to become righteous.

Jesus Questioned About Fasting - Matthew 9:14-17
For some, holiness meant avoiding eating with ungodly people. For others, practices of self-discipline like fasting demonstrated holiness. To both, Jesus undoubtedly appeared self-indulgent. John's deciples came directly to Jesus and not to His disciples, unlike the Pharisees. The Pharisees came to criticise, but the question of these disciples demonstrates much more modesty and Jesus' answer is therefore much milder. Thus Jesus responds with three illustrations about appropriateness.

1. It was inappropriate for groomsmen to fast until after a wedding banquet had ended. Weddings lasted seven days, and participants (either the groomsmen or the guests) were expected to participate joyfully. Sages even interrupted their schools to hail passing bridal processions.
2. New cloth had not yet shrunk, and when it began to shrink after being patched onto a garment that had finished its shrinking, the patch would tear loose from the garment, making the tear worse.
3. In the same way, old wineskins had been stretched to the limit as wine fermented and expanded in them. Because old wineskins had already been stretched to the limit, if they were filled with new wine it would ultimately burst them when it expanded.

When sinners return to God through Jesus, celebration rather than fasting is appropriate.

A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman - Matthew 9:18-26
Doubtless the ruler had witnessed Jesus' miracles before. Now he comes to Jesus and his high position and the many people who would see him do not stop this man of high status and authority, from kneeling at Jesus' feet. When Jesus hears his words of faith "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus immediately stands up and goes with him.
Along the way a woman reaches out and is healed by simply touching the hem of Jesus' cloak. Not so, Jesus said "Take heart, daughter...your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment." This woman had been bleeding for 12 years and as such was unclean in Jewish law (probably a haemorrhage of the womb: Lev 15:25). Because the woman was unclean she approached Jesus from behind and touched only the edge of his cloak . Perhaps she was afraid that Jesus would refuse to touch her.
Jesus then arrives in the house of the ruler where the mourning ceremony is in full swing. Even the poorest people were required to hire two flute-players and one wailing-woman. Doubtless there were many wailing-women present because an eminent family was involved. The funeral was held on the day of death because of the hot climate and because a dead body in a house made it unclean (Num 19:11-14).
Jesus says "The girl is not dead but asleep." signifying that he probably healed her before He arrived as with the Centurion's servant from Matt 8:13 'Sleeping' is well-known Bible language for 'to be dead' . Jesus declares that death is like sleep, not definite. The crowd of mourners laughed Him to scorn, for they knew that the girl was dead and they did not believe that Jesus could rouse her. For this reason Jesus drives the crowd away (against the strict rules of mourning), He probably also sent them away as it would be inapproriate for mourners to be present when the father and his daughter are reunited.

Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute - Matthew 9:27-34
What should first be noticed is that the blind men know who Jesus is, they call Him the "Son of David". A title reserved for the Messiah, the one whom the Jews expected to free them from Roman domination. This name is apparently the reason for Jesus' paying no public attention to the blind men at first. He wished to avoid giving the impression that He has come to fulfil the function of the political Messiah. They also did not ask for justification but for mercy. They did not come to make demands, but with an humble petition. Again Jesus heals them "According to [their] faith will it be done". It is completely natural that they would tell what had happened to them with great zeal everywhere, but Jesus did not want to become known as a miracle-worker and so arouse the expectation that He would even now declare himself as the Messianic king. This is why He admonished them so strongly. The Greek word that Matthew uses here (embrimaomai) which implies a deep feeling of indignation and anger. Jesus' anger must be linked here to the fact that the blind men had already shouted "Son of David" after Him so noisily. That He is the Messiah must remain concealed until after the Resurrection (Mark 9:9; Matt 17:9). Jesus often repeated this order at the beginning of his travels, Jesus probably also wanted to aviod the comming confrontation with the Pharisees.
The healed Blind men spread the news of Jesus' miracle and a crowd gathers. In this crowd Jesus exorcises a demon which was causing a man to be dumb. "The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." But the Pharisees have a very different reaction. Upon hearing the blind men effectively call Jesus the Messiah they wish to discredit Him, they could not deny Jesus' power to work miracles, but instead attacked His righteousness and connected His power with the devil.

The Workers Are Few - Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus continues His ministry of travelling an teaching and ca compassion on the harassed and helpless. Harrassed (Eskulmenoi) here really means 'to be flayed', 'to be wounded', also 'to be plundered', in general terms 'to be weary.' While helpless (Errimmenoi ) is really to be 'cast aside,' 'to fall to the ground as a body', generally 'weary'. This flock is so weary because of the heavy burdens laid on their shoulders by the religious leaders. Jesus sees His task to be the gathering together of the scattered and lost sheep and so subtly reveals Himself here as the promised shepherd, the Messiah. As he people of God had been referred to in the Old Testament as a flock without a shepherd (Num 27:17, I Kings 22:17, Isa 53:6).
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Here Jesus is hinting at his 'great commision' and God's plan for the future church to continue His work once He has returned to heaven. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18)

Matthew 7:13-23 in more detail

The following is an abridged version of "The Broad Way Contrasted with the Narrow (Matt 7:13-23)", by Antonio da Rosa, which can be found at the Free Grace Theology blog.

“Enter by the narrow gate… Because narrow is the gate and difficult [lit: constrained] is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Jesus is exhorting his audience to be careful to start things out in the right way; to get started at the right place. His audience must be careful that they go through the gate that leads to life and not to destruction. In terms of the larger audience, and the disciples He is saying: Be sure that your starting point is the correct starting point.
The narrow gate is Christ:
John 10:9 - I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The way to life is constrained, narrow. There is but one gate, Jesus Christ, and there is only one way to enter it, by faith alone in Christ alone.
...
...for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

The wide gate with the broad path represents every other “way” to salvation that is not through Christ, through faith in His Name. This would inlude every false religion in the world from animism to humanism; Islam to Buddhism; Hinduism to Judaism, and all others in between.
But let us not stop here. The “way that leads to destruction” is also paved with “Christian” doctrines and false “gospels”. It is tiled with sincerity, good intentions; it is cemented with counterfeit prophets and bible teachers. This road attracts a lot of attention with high profile sects, denominations, and doctrinal positions; with radio bible teachers and seminary presidents; with global organizations and social activists. Those that beckon the world to this path proclaim far and wide the doctrines of Rome; the mysticism of Mormonism; the angelology of the JWs; the self-salvation of Arminianism; the costly conversion of Lordship Salvation; and the exclusivism of Traditionalism.
Any teaching that requires anything in addition to simple faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, the Guarantor of eternal life and resurrection to the believer in Him for it, diverts its adherents from the narrow gate and detours them to the broad way that leads to destruction.
...
One of the problems that people have in finding the correct gate is that there are people who tell them the wrong gate! There are people who profess prophetic ability or profess to be sent by God and they lead them astray. Jesus immediately follows the exhortation to enter into the correct gate by a warning against the false prophets. The way that the false prophets are known is by their fruits.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.

The very first thing that we should notice concerning the prophets who lead people astray with their false messages, doctrines, and teachings, is that they come to the people “in sheep’s clothing.”The Traditional interpretation of this passage is that men must gain assurance of their salvation by their works. This passage is so obviously not talking about this!
...
The false prophets come to the people “in sheep’s clothing”. What is the implication here? -- There is no way to tell the false prophet by their outer appearances! They look, smell, act, and behave like sheep. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing! Every outward appearance is that of a Christian. So “fruit” cannot mean their conduct! Fruit is the doctrine that they preach; the fruit is the message that they bring. If they preach anything but eternal salvation by grace through simple faith in Jesus Christ, they are false prophets. If they bring a message that is contrary to what Jesus taught then they are false prophets.
...
Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?"

Jesus in His mercy tells us what many will say to Him in that Day: First, they will acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ, addressing Him as 'Lord.' Not only will they say it once, they will repeat it: 'Lord, Lord.' Recognizing the gravity of the situation, they will plead for their lives. This repetition of 'Lord' may also suggest that they think they are on familiar terms with Jesus.
...
Those who have heeded the message of the false prophets will plead their case with Jesus. They will be all too sincere. They will not be conscious charlatans trying to pull the wool over Jesus’s eyes. They will be all too serious as they point to both to their allegiance to Christ and to their works in His name!
These aren’t Buddhists, Hindus, etc. They are “Christians” who are offering their works “in Your [Jesus’] name” (three times!). These are the ones who obeyed the words of the false prophets who led them down the road to perdition. They did not do the will of the Father which was to trust solely in Jesus Christ for their entrance into the kingdom. They will be condemned for their words which betray their trust in their works!

And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

Rom 3:20-28 - Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
...
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
"Jesus will describe these people as ‘you who practice lawlessness.’ Now if we had seen these people on earth—and perhaps we have seen some of them—we may not have reached that conclusion. After all, we would have seen these church leaders prophesying, casting out demons, and performing supernatural wonders, all in the name of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church-State would have declared them saints. The ersatz Evangelicals would have made them best-selling authors and celebrities. But Jesus calls them ‘you who practice lawlessness.’ Why?
He has already told us why. All of these extraordinary and wonderful works done in the name of Jesus are lawlessness, because they are done for the purpose of obtaining salvation. These works are lawlessness because they involve an illegal use of the law. The law, Paul tells us, is given for the knowledge of sin. It is not given that we sinners might use it to gain entrance into heaven. Conviction of sin, not salvation, is the purpose of the law. Legalism, because it is an illegal use of the law, is lawlessness. ‘But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,’ Paul told Timothy. But using the law in an effort to obtain heaven is not lawful; it is an illegal use of the law; it is lawlessness." (John W. Robbins, Ibid.)
...
Lets get some perspective. In the newest edition of “Operation World” (A prayer guide for missions) we find that the world’s population is around 6 billion. Out of those 6 billion, roughly 2.5 billion are considered “Christian”.
350 million Protestants
303 million Indepentants
67 million Anglicans
420 million Evangelicals
345 million Charismatics
1 billion Catholics
212 million Orthodox
Christians account for roughly 1/3rd of the world’s population. This does not qualify for a “few”.
Christ contrasts the terms “many” and “few”. Only a “few” find the correct gate and enter thereby.
...
If my [Antonio's] crude analysis of “few” meaning 8-15% of the population is correct, than we have a problem. 33% of the world’s population is “Christian”; much too high of a figure to denote a relative “few”. What can we glean of this? That much of “Christianity” is not saved, but needs to be evanglized. Why? The gospel has been corrupted by thousands of false teachers who preach a distorted gospel.
The Wide Gate and Broad Road: "there are many who go in by it"
The Narrow Gate and Constrained Way: "there are few who find it"