Matthew

I just read this in the Libronix Newsgroups and wanted to pass it on...

“Get a FREE commentary! For a limited time, the Matthew, Mark volume of the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary is available as a free download with coupon code CORNERSTONE. Place your order now, and spread the word! NOTE: If you are not currently a Libronix user, you will need to download the free Libronix engine first and create a Libronix Customer ID before downloading this title.
--Matthew, Mark Cornerstone Biblical Commentary

I like free, it's my favorite price. So I went through the simple steps and snagged a copy for my reading pleasure. After looking at it for only a brief spell I offer the following likewise brief review:

I can't believe I've fallen behind in these posts. I've been reading but not reporting. The problem is that I'm reading on paper now rather than on the computer screen. That means I can read in bed, or in my easy chair or outside while the kids run around. These are the times and places I'm far less prone to writing down my thoughts as I read.

In the last few days I started in Malachi and then passed 400 years with the flick of a finger as I moved from the Old Testament into the New. The Gospels then piled up one after another to invade my senses with the sights and sounds of Israel lost and struggling to recognize a savior standing right in front of them.

One old man was asked to reveal the secret to his long life. He said that every morning you should sprinkle a little gunpowder on your cereal every morning. One woman took his advise. She lived to be 102. She left 12 children, 40 grandchildren, 79 great grandchildren and a 15 foot hole in the crematorium. (Now that is an impact!)

IMPACT.

We want to make an impact.
2 Cor 11 even Paul felt like he had to defend his ministry by claiming that he was a superior apostle.
But the impact is not up to us.

MT 16:13-20
Because of your faith revelation Petros, I tell you that on this Petra I will build my church.

Jesus says "[Tom, ]I will build my church!" Jesus always keeps his promise. He will make the impact. Matthew 16:18 declares the promise, I will build my church.

I WILL -

I've read through the Bible and whenever Jesus says, I Will" He will do it. - D.L. Moody

It's not your identity that' at stake, it' Jesus' identity. Jesus as the Lord of his church says I will build.

I WILL BUILD
Emphases: the authority and ability to build the gathering of the saints. The Ekklesia is the called out gathering of the saints.
The Lord of all says "I will build my called out people."

Without God we cannot; but God without us will not.

Jesus is going to take care of the church no doubt about it. He doesn't need you to do it but he wants you to do it.

It's curious to me why God didn’t tell Joseph the news about the virgin birth at the same time He told Mary or, even more curious (since I know God always has His reasons), whether or not Mary ever told or tried to tell her betrothed the life-changing news (for them both) that God had shared with her weeks or more likely months before Joseph had his dream?

The text in Matthew 1:18-25 never says anything like “you can believe what Mary said about where the baby came from” or even lets Joseph know that Mary is already on board with the plan.

Explanation

The last time we saw Jesus he was in Galilee. We might have been wondering where he was and why sudden attention had been given to John the Baptist. But it was necessary that we meet John for two reasons, First so that we could see him calling the people of Israel to repentance and baptizing them as they responded (Matthew 3:1-2, 5-6). Secondly, we needed to hear John announce the coming of the Messiah (Matthew 3:11-12). It was, in a manner of speaking, immediately after his announcement that Jesus comes to John who was at the Jordan (Mat. 3:6) in order to be baptized by him. Like all the crowds before him, Jesus walked into the Jordan river where John was, expressing his desire to be baptized. Keener stands alone in noting the inherent humility displayed by Jesus at his baptism, "In a traditional Mediterranean culture where society stressed honor and shame, Jesus relinquishes his rightful honor to embrace other's shame. After Jesus' public act of humility, God publicly identified Jesus as his own son..."¹
John was aware, to a certain extent, who Jesus was at least in his character. It is doubtful that his mother Elizabeth would have kept the nature of Jesus' birth a secret from John who himself was a miraculous baby. Those are the kinds of stories which are told repeatedly to children as they grow up. John grew up in the hill country of Judah (Luke 1:39) while Jesus was growing up in Galilee. Nevertheless they very likely had some exposure to each other growing up despite the distance even if only at the yearly feasts in Jerusalem. Even today it is common among extended families to know something of the character of other children. John surely would have at least heard stories about "what a good boy" Jesus was and coupled those stories with those of his birth.
Before John was even born the fullness of the Spirit of God led him to know Jesus for who he was (cf Luke 1:15). This does not mean that John knew for certain in adulthood that Jesus was the Messiah however. John 1:32-34 reveals that the Baptist did not recognize Jesus as the one who "baptizes in the Holy Spirit" until after he saw the Holy Spirit come on Jesus in the form of a dove. He may have suspected it prior to this moment but confirmation of his identity was needed - not only now, but also later in Matthew 11:3.
Against this backdrop of knowledge John the Baptist came preaching repentance and spent a good part of his days baptizing and preaching to the crowds that came out to him. He would