When people say, “We have so many problems, Pastor, and you’re just teaching Matthew, verse by verse,” my answer is this: our greatest need is to understand and believe every verse that Matthew wrote. People have a wrong idea of what the church is. They think the church’s purpose is to make people feel better about themselves, to comfort the suffering, to engage in social service, to patch up broken marriages, to teach people how to solve their financial problems, to handle rebellious children, and to help with work and family issues.
That is a wrong idea. The primary function of the church is not to help man but to glorify God. Everyone has forgotten that. The church’s main goal is not to glorify people but to glorify God. This is the fundamental, foundational thing we must never forget. It is absolutely essential that the church perceives itself as an institution for the glory of God. The purpose of our existence and why we gather is to glorify God. If nothing else happens, but God is glorified, we can go home happy, knowing our goal was achieved.
As a byproduct, God blesses us. When a church correctly glorifies God, most of these human problems will be set right. The problem with churches today is that they try to be self-help groups. Their messages, which attempt to solve human problems on a superficial, horizontal level, will never truly solve them. All of their advice is superficial. If you have a rotten marriage, you can apply this superficial advice and still have a rotten marriage. Temporary money problems or sickness may be resolved, but another problem will arise tomorrow. Why? Because the deep cause of all these problems is that we have not glorified God. We don’t truly and consciously believe that.
The Word of God points to this as our core problem. Our problem is not horizontal; it is vertical. Romans 1 says that our chief sin is that we knew God but did not glorify him. We do not desire to cling to the knowledge of God or realize its value, so we do not seek it or yearn for it. As a result, God gives us up to a depraved mind. We live a life where we watch four movies, always watch TV, eat until our stomachs are full, and sleep, feeling content. We don’t feel we need God or spiritual things. This is the root cause of all problems: lust, covetousness, anger, wrath, envy, malice, and issues with family, work, and health. Instead of receiving God’s blessings, we have his wrath upon our heads. Man is not living for what he was created for.
This is the chief sin of all mankind, every nation, every family, and every individual. If any area of a person’s life is horrible, it is because of a spiritual, horizontal reason: they have not glorified God in that area. This could apply to health. Sickness comes from a sin-cursed world, and we must sometimes bear it, but we can avoid many things. We should glorify God with our bodies by eating carefully, exercising, and taking care of ourselves. Financial problems? We should be good stewards, spending carefully and not more than we earn. Marriage problems? Did you aim to glorify God through your marriage? Was that the primary goal? The root cause of every problem is that we have not glorified God. People have a very low view of God and Jesus Christ. They don’t take God seriously at all. He is just a casual attachment to their lives, not in the first place with all their heart, soul, and strength. The solution to most problems is that people don’t take God seriously, so they don’t walk according to his laws, and they get themselves into the mess they are in.
The permanent answer to everything in a believer’s life is for him to know more about Jesus Christ and his glory, to believe in him, and to glorify him in all areas of life. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. How will a person glorify God? By increasing their faith in Jesus Christ. This is why Matthew wrote this Gospel. These verses are written so that we read them in detail, verse by verse, word by word. We must keep thinking about this, dwelling on these words, and allowing this truth to move into every area of our heart and mind so that it affects our family, work, and church life. When your view of Jesus goes higher and higher, you begin to glorify God in all areas of life, and then everything will fall into place. Our greatest need, not only for the good of this life but for our eternal well-being, is to go through Matthew, verse by verse. So, give your heart and soul to this, not just to hear but to meditate, believe, and allow the truth to change your life.
So we continue this marvelous book. I think it may take another two to three years, maybe five years, and you should be thrilled in this journey. Matthew shows that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah and Son of God in every verse and chapter. In the first chapter, he uses genealogy to attest to the legal qualifications of the Messiah, showing that he is a descendant of Abraham and a son of David. In the second chapter, the unique, virgin birth and the fulfillment of prophecy attest to his prophetic qualifications. In the third chapter, his baptism attests to his divine qualifications, with the Holy Spirit coming upon him and the Father’s own announcement. In the fourth chapter, the temptation attests to his spiritual qualifications as the Messiah, as he overcomes the prince of this world. In chapters 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount attests to his theological qualifications. Now, in chapter 8, the miracles are the proof that he is God. He is God by the power he displays in these miracles, and his power is awesome. He sets forth undeniable evidence of his power, proving with certainty that he is divine, for only God can do the things that he does.
There are nine miracles in chapters 8 and 9. We have seen two so far: the healing of the leper in the first four verses and the healing of the centurion’s servant with paralysis in verses 5 to 13. The next miracle will be the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, followed by the healing of many sick and demon-possessed people. After that, we will see the calming of the storm and the casting out of demons from two men.
Matthew knows that our greatest need is to have more true faith in Jesus Christ’s power. This kind of faith is rare. Not everyone who says they believe has living faith. When Jesus comes, will he find faith? Matthew shows us what true faith is with the example of the leper. This man had the worst life. Providence had treated him so terribly. His body was decaying, he was rejected by society, and he lived in desert caves. We might ask, “Where is God? Does he have eyes?” For us, with little difficulty, our faith in God is gone. But see this man with living faith. He comes and falls prostrate, worshiping. He says, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” His humility and faith in Christ’s power were remarkable. Even if Christ had said no, he would have worshiped and believed because his worship was given before he was healed.
The next example is a man who amazed Jesus with his faith. He was a Gentile, and a Roman soldier, whom most Jews hated. We see his love for God’s people; he built a synagogue. He was a very merciful and compassionate man in a cruel Roman world. His care for his suffering slave speaks volumes about his merciful heart. Though a military commander who must have seen thousands dying on the battlefield, which would normally harden a person’s heart, the grace of God had made him merciful, as described in the Sermon on the Mount. We see that he was poor in spirit.
Next, we see him as a very humble man. He says, “I am not worthy to come before you. I am not worthy that you should come to my house.” We see his marvelous understanding of Christ’s authority and power. He says, “Lord, I am a man under authority. I know what it means to see and hear a man with authority. I believe you have all authority. Just one word from you and all the dead will rise. What is my servant? Just say a word; that’s enough.” He had faith in the mere word of Christ, and Christ himself marveled at it. Now that we have seen this, let’s continue with the verses.
From verses 10-13, Jesus gives a message that is very shocking to the Jews and should be a sobering message to us. Let’s look at this small but very powerful sermon in the midst of a miracle. This is where Matthew includes something that Luke leaves out, I believe because Matthew is writing primarily to a Jewish audience.
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Here, there are descriptions of heaven and hell.
Heaven: A Place of Rest and Feast
First, heaven is described. “Many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” There are many beautiful pictures of heaven, and this is one. I like this text because it gives a beautiful picture of rest. One of the reasons God gave the Sabbath was as a preparation for heaven because heaven is eternal rest, with no work. The passage indicates this with the phrase “they shall all sit down.” There will be no more standing, no more hurry, no more tension, no more schedules. They will recline and rest in the old Jewish fashion, a very relaxed position. What a sweet thought that is for the toiling man with no rest! A person with a mind and body that are racked with so much work and so many thoughts, who can’t sleep, and has so many problems and sicknesses, often wonders if there is a place where he can toil no longer. He often comes home weary and throws himself onto his couch, perhaps too tired to sleep. He says, “Oh, is there no land where I can rest? Is there no place where I can sit, and for once, let these weary limbs be still?”
At the national level, some governments ensure we don’t have rest. In my country, the government said to put all our money in the bank. Now, we wonder what will happen with the recent banking scandals. What tension.
To my mind, one of the best views of heaven is that it is a land of eternal quiet and rest, especially for the working person. Soon, our brains will not be tormented with thought. We will sit at the banquet table of God. Oh, weary sons and daughters of Adam, here is your place of rest. You will not need to rise for daily toil before the sun rises and labor when the sun has long gone to rest. You shall be still, you shall be quiet, you shall rest yourselves, for all are rich in heaven, all are happy there, all are peaceful.
Even more, spiritually, we can never truly rest or be relaxed. We always have to watch for sin, even at home and at work. When we relax, Satan will attack. Sometimes we are tired of this life and the burden of sin that makes our lives so horrible. But in heaven, we won’t have to watch or pray. There will be no sin. What a heaven! We can be 100% relaxed.
It is a place of permanent rest. Not only rest, but a feast. They feast in heaven. This picture of heaven is more than just a feast. We look forward to a big feast, like a wedding at a grand hotel. We know many people suffer from hunger and don’t even have a feast once a year. But it says heaven is a place where we will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for an eternal feast. If a king gives a feast, how grand would it be? This is a feast from God. What a feast that will be!
And note the good company they sit with. We might want to have dinner with film stars or sports stars, but they will “sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.” All the great believers and perfected saints will be there. They will be full of God’s love and care, with no selfishness. Sometimes, this world is a sick place, even with good food, because people are so cruel and full of sin. There is no love or kindness, and proper fellowship is lacking. Even within a family, a few cruel words can upset a meal. Even among believers, all the worldly talk of unbelief is tiring. But there, it will be a place full of perfected believers—the highest believers, the father of faith, Abraham, and all his children. We will have fellowship with Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Ruth, Samuel, David, Elijah, the apostles, and New Testament believers. There will be no distinction, but all will be one in joyful fellowship, sitting together and sharing a meal.
We know Abraham. We felt sad when he died. We know Isaac and Rebekah. We know Jacob. We have heard sermons on the great moments of his life. We will be able to discuss with Moses what it felt like not to go into Canaan, with Joshua how he stopped the sun, and with Rahab how she raised her son, Boaz. What a fellowship that will be! I yearn for spiritual fellowship, and I often feel very lonely. I want to talk about God’s Word and spiritual things, not just for the sake of talking, but to think deeply, delightfully, and to have real discussions. I want to be there. I’m excited at the thought of meeting Luther, Calvin, and Spurgeon. What a gathering of rejoicing that will be!
More than that, we will feast with the Son of God. Oh, what a joy! The one who loved me and gave himself for me. I can see his eyes, full of eternal love and yearning for me. Nobody has ever loved me like him, not even my mother. I will see his nail-pierced hands and feet. The marks of his love will assure me of his infinite and eternal love for me. That is heaven: to live with the feeling of being loved so much by the Son of God in his presence.
There is another wonderful point. “Many shall come and shall sit down.” This is very sweet. We have always said that many people are going to hell. I have said that compared to any other generation, the church may have few people, but ultimately, in heaven, there will be a countless multitude. The Bible doesn’t even say a number for hell. It is encouraging that so many will be saved. Many will come from the east and the west, meaning Gentiles. This is encouraging. If many will come, why not you and me? Why not our relatives and friends? Why not our close ones? There will be many. This is an encouragement for the Gospel: many will come. That is why the Lord said, “Go and preach the gospel.” Many unexpected people will come from remote parts of the world, like this centurion.
The Lord says this while looking at this centurion’s great faith. This Gentile centurion is an example, a foretaste of the final kingdom, showing that Gentiles will have greater faith than Israel. This is true today, isn’t it? The church is predominantly a Gentile church. Israel still rejects the Messiah, and Jesus goes on to make this clear. God’s wonderful promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will come to pass: all families on earth will be blessed. They are the people of the covenant. The Gospel came through Abraham’s seed. Salvation came through Abraham’s seed. We are sons of Abraham by faith. “From the east and the west” for Israel meant from the Gentile world. The main starting point is Israel, and you go east and west from there to encompass the Gentile world. What he is saying is, “The kingdom will be filled with Gentiles.” This was very angering to the Jews. They believed salvation was only for Jews. The Jews thought that all people in heaven would come from Palestine, every single one of them, and that not one would be a non-Jew. The Pharisees thought that if they were not all Pharisees, they could not be saved. But Jesus said there would be many who would come from the east and from the west. This was a shocking statement, contrary to all their teaching. They believed that before the kingdom came, all the Gentiles would be destroyed. They never, for a moment, believed that Gentiles would be reclining at the table with them. It was abhorrent to them. Even in this world, it was horrible to them to be told to go into a Gentile’s house, which was defiled, and eat with them. To say that they would come and sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and eternally feast was very, very shocking and disgusting to their minds.
This is a prophetic term. They shall come! And nothing in heaven, on earth, or in hell can stop them from coming. They didn’t believe it at the time, but two thousand years later, here we are, and the church is filled with Gentiles. We will sit down someday in that final kingdom with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Then he gives a picture of hell.
“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The sons of the kingdom” are the Jews, who were the rightful inheritors of God’s promises. Yet, as Jesus starkly warns in Matthew 8:12, they will be “thrown out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Why? Because their inheritance was based on physical lineage and external acts of piety, not on the true faith demonstrated by the centurion. They forfeited their rights through unbelief.
The Modern-Day “Sons of the Kingdom”
This warning is just as relevant today. The modern-day “children of the kingdom” are those who rely on external religious practices without genuine faith. They attend church, read the Bible, and engage in religious rituals, but their hearts are not transformed. Like the Jews who thought their heritage would save them, many today believe they will be saved simply because their parents are Christians or because they grew up in a Christian environment. But salvation requires a personal, heartfelt faith in Jesus Christ.
Think of the devastating irony: many who were considered great sinners in this life—publicans, drunkards, and harlots—will be saved because they repented and believed. At the same time, many who lived a life of outward godliness may be cast out into hell. The hell of all hells would be to see a former drunkard in heaven while you, who had every advantage, are cast out because you never truly believed.
The Reality of Outer Darkness
Jesus uses powerful imagery to describe this hell.
- Cast Out: The lost are not said to “go” to hell; they are cast out. This implies a forceful, violent rejection by God, as if they are worthless objects being hurled away. The angels will hold them over the chasm and then throw them into the pit, with no hope of a resting place.
- Outer Darkness: This is a place of complete, unending darkness, utterly cut off from God’s presence, mercy, grace, and love. It is a place of perpetual hopelessness, where there is no relief, no end to the torment, and no possibility of escape. Every chain, every fire, and every sound in hell screams one word: “Forever.”
- Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth: This describes both physical and mental torment. The lost will be in unbearable pain and agony. They will weep over what they have lost—the glory of heaven and the opportunity for salvation—and gnash their teeth in anger and rage. There will be no peace, only a furious, eternal reckoning among the condemned, where people will blame and condemn one another.
A Call to Repentance
These are not easy words to hear, but they are the words of truth from the Son of God. He uses these terrible descriptions to break our hardened hearts, which have become calloused by sin and the distractions of this world. This is a call to spiritual revival—to mourn for our sins with tears and plead with God for forgiveness. When we are humbled, our eyes are opened to our spiritual condition, and the Holy Spirit can finally work in us.
The centurion’s story concludes with a powerful message of hope. Jesus said to him, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so be it done unto you.” And in that very hour, his servant was healed. Jesus is saying the same to you today. If you come to Him with the humility and faith of the centurion—recognizing your own unworthiness and believing in His supreme authority—He can heal you. He can heal your broken, sinful heart.
He doesn’t have to be physically here; He has promised to be with us. If you cry out to Him in repentance and faith, He will heal you. Remember the immense grace shown to us poor Gentiles, who were once far from God and without hope. Through the blood of Christ, we have been brought near.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 