I N D E X
THE PARABLES
9
16:21. `FROM THAT TIME BEGAN JESUS TO SHOW' - Death and Resurrection
C Threefold agony in the garden. `The cup'.
B Baptism in death.
A Resurrection (`This day have I begotten thee', gennao).
It will be observed that the two sections D and D are in most respects parallel. Both open with the Voice
from heaven. It is evident that the Transfiguration commences something fresh, by the way in which it echoes
the baptism of John at the beginning. Both sections end with a confession. The Davidic section ends with the
confession of Peter, an Israelite; the Abrahamic section ends with the confession of the Lord Himself. Not only
so, each section has a definite time mentioned connected with these two distinct phases.
4:17. `From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the KINGDOM of the heavens is at
hand'.
16:21. `From that time forth began Jesus (absolutely identical) with 4:17) to shew unto His disciples, how
that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third day'.
These time divisions are not merely human or arbitrary, they are inspired. The apparent recommencement in
chapter 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration, the balancing of the two confessions that Christ was the Son of
God, are entirely in line with these inspired divisions, and further, they exactly coincide with the statement in
Matthew 1:1 that Jesus Christ was (1) The Son of David, and (2) The Son of Abraham. This twofold character
of the Gospel therefore must be kept in mind if our understanding is to be clear. It is a case of `rightly dividing'
that meets us here - as everywhere.
(2)
The Son of David
Let us now gather together the passages in Matthew where Christ is spoken of as the Son of David. There
are nine passages in all. The first is 1:1, with which the Gospel opens. The next is found in 9:27; two blind men
follow the Lord crying, `Thou Son of David, have mercy on us'. In chapter 20:30 and 31 another pair of blind
men cry out, `Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David', the one addition to the title being that of `Lord'.
The significant fact concerning this is that NO miracle other than these two is recorded by Matthew as being
performed by Christ as the Son of David. Israel were blind; they did not recognize their long promised King. Is
that suggested by this strange fact?
The reader may possibly think that the miracle of chapter 15 has been forgotten. There a Gentile woman
approached the Lord with the title of Son of David and with the plea for mercy upon her lips, but in this instance
she was met with silence. In her hearing the Lord said, `I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel'. David was the shepherd king, taken by God from minding the sheep to shepherd His people, and Christ
as the Son of David was the Shepherd King of Israel too. When the Canaanite left the title Son of David for the
wider title `Lord' (15:27), then the Lord granted her request, recognizing at the same time the greatness of her
faith. It is true therefore to say that the only miracles which Christ performed as the Son of David were those to
do with blindness and with Israel. This is the first miracle possibly that He will perform when He comes at
length to take the kingdom and reign. He will open their blind eyes that they may look upon Him Whom they
pierced. The fact that in each case there were two blind men is suggestive, for the prophets make mention many
times of the coming together again of the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Another feature that is
associated with this title is that the Pharisees began to realize that unless they definitely discounted the notion,
the people would receive Christ as King.
As the outcome of a miracle in which a man possessed of a demon, blind and dumb, was healed, we read,
`And all the multitude (ochloi) were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David?' (12:23). What was the
immediate result? `When the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out demons, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the demons' (12:24). Christ replied, `If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the
kingdom of God is come unto you' (12:28).
This approach to public recognition, and the immediate attempt of the leaders of the people to discredit
Christ, it will be noted is recorded in Matthew 12, where the rejection of Christ is clearly indicated. In that
chapter He speaks of Himself as `greater than the Temple' (6), `greater than Jonah' (41), and `greater than
Solomon' (42), but in each case and capacity He was rejected. Then comes the chapter of PARABLES and
mystery because Isaiah 6:10 was being fulfilled in Israel. Here comes the rejection of the Son of David, and for